TWI811777B - Rotation holding device and substrate processing apparatus including same - Google Patents

Abstract

The rotation holding device of the present invention includes: an adsorption and holding part having an upper surface of a central part of the lower surface of the substrate to adsorb and hold; and a rotation drive part that rotates the adsorption and holding part around a vertical axis. The upper surface has a peripheral region and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region. A plurality of first suction holes are provided in the peripheral region, and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region. The surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the central region. The surface density of the plurality of first suction holes and the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes may not satisfy the above relationship. In this case, the rotation holding device is provided with a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of at least a portion of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding unit.

Description

Rotation holding device and substrate processing device equipped with the same

The present invention relates to a rotation holding device that rotates while adsorbing and holding the center portion of a lower surface of a substrate, and a substrate processing apparatus provided with the same.

For semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence, electroluminescence) display devices, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates, optical disc substrates, magnetic disc substrates, magneto-optical disc substrates, optical disc substrates, etc. A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on substrates such as cover substrates, ceramic substrates, and solar cell substrates.

An example of a substrate processing apparatus is a coating apparatus that forms a resist film on the surface of a substrate. In the coating processing apparatus, various processing liquids such as cleaning liquid and resist liquid are supplied to the rotating substrate. This coating processing apparatus is equipped with a rotary chuck that rotates one substrate while holding it in a horizontal position.

As an example of such a rotary chuck, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-150097 describes a rotary chuck that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the back surface of a substrate. The above-mentioned rotary chuck has a circular upper surface. A convex portion is formed on the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the rotary chuck, and a plurality of micro protrusions are formed inside the convex portion. Furthermore, a plurality of suction holes are formed on the upper surface of the rotating chuck.

With the substrate placed on the rotary chuck, the gas in the space formed between the upper surface of the rotary chuck and the substrate and inside the annular convex portion is sucked, thereby adsorbing and holding the substrate on the rotary chuck. .

In recent years, thinning of substrates has been promoted in accordance with the applications of semiconductor products. Such thinning of the substrate will reduce the rigidity of the substrate. Therefore, depending on the structure of the rotary chuck, when the substrate is rotated, the portion of the substrate that is not attracted by the rotary chuck may deform, causing the holding state of the substrate to become unstable. Alternatively, when the substrate is rotated, a temperature difference may occur between the portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed by the rotating chuck and the portion that is adsorbed by the rotating chuck.

The instability of the holding state of the rotating substrate as described above and the temperature differences generated between the plurality of parts of the rotating substrate will reduce the uniformity of the processing throughout the entire substrate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotation holding device capable of performing uniform processing over the entire substrate held by a suction holding unit, and a substrate processing device provided with the same.

(1) A rotation holding device according to an aspect of the present invention allows the substrate to rotate while adsorbing and holding the lower surface center portion thereof, and is provided with: an adsorption holding portion having an upper surface adsorbing and holding the upper surface of the lower surface center portion of the substrate; and a rotation drive part, which causes the adsorption and holding part to rotate around a rotation axis extending in the up and down direction; the upper surface has: a peripheral part area along the outer edge; and a central part area surrounded by the peripheral part area; a plurality of There are a plurality of first suction holes, and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central area, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral area is higher than that of the plurality of second suction holes in the central area. The surface density is high.

In the above-mentioned rotation holding device, the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate is suction-held by the suction-holding portion. The suction and holding part of the suction and holding substrate is rotated by the rotation drive part. At this time, the portion of the lower surface of the substrate that faces the central region of the upper surface of the adsorption holding portion is sucked by the plurality of second suction holes. In addition, the portion of the lower surface of the substrate that faces the peripheral area of the upper surface of the adsorption holding portion is sucked by the plurality of first suction holes.

Here, the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the central region. Therefore, on the upper surface of the suction holding portion, the portion of the substrate facing the peripheral region is attracted by a greater suction force than the portion of the substrate facing the central region. Thereby, when the substrate adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part rotates, the part of the substrate located in the peripheral region can be suppressed from floating from the upper surface of the adsorption and holding part, thereby stabilizing the holding state of the substrate.

Therefore, when the substrate rotated by the above-mentioned rotation holding device is processed, it is possible to prevent uneven processing of the substrate on multiple parts of the substrate due to a part of the substrate floating from the upper surface of the adsorption holding part. As a result, uniform processing can be performed over the entire substrate.

(2) It is also possible that a plurality of first suction holes are arranged on at least one first circle with the rotation axis as the center in the peripheral area, and a plurality of second suction holes are arranged in the central area with the rotation axis as the center. On at least one second circle with the axis as the center, and the linear density of the plurality of first suction holes on each first circle in the peripheral area is higher than that of the plurality of first suction holes on any second circle in the central area 2. The suction holes have a large linear density.

In this case, the plurality of first suction holes are dispersedly arranged on the first circle, and the plurality of second suction holes are dispersedly arranged on the second circle, thereby making the central part of the lower surface of the substrate more stable. It is adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the adsorption holding part.

(3) The number of first suction holes on each first circle in the peripheral area can also be greater than the number of second suction holes on any second circle in the central area. Thereby, it is possible to make the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region larger than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the central region with a simple configuration.

(4) The angular distance between two adjacent first suction holes on each first circle in the peripheral area can also be greater than that between two adjacent two first suction holes on any second circle in the central area. 2. The angular spacing of the suction holes is small.

In this case, the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region can be made larger than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the central region with a simple configuration.

(5) The adsorption and holding part may also include a plurality of linear paths that overlap the central region in a plan view and extend linearly from the rotation axis toward the outer edge of the adsorption and holding part, connecting a plurality of second pumps. The gas on the suction upper surface of the suction hole is guided to the outside of the adsorption holding part; and an annular path is formed to overlap with the peripheral area in a plan view and surround a plurality of linear paths to suck a plurality of first The gas on the suction upper surface of the hole is guided to the outside of the adsorption holding part.

In this case, the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate can be sucked and held using a plurality of first suction holes and a plurality of second suction holes with a simple structure.

(6) In the peripheral region, at least part of the plurality of first suction holes may be arranged in a staggered manner in the rotation direction centered on the rotation axis. In this case, when manufacturing the rotation holding device, it is easy to form a plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region. Furthermore, the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region can be increased with a simple structure.

(7) At least part of the first suction holes formed at the position farthest from the rotation axis among the plurality of first suction holes may also have a smaller diameter than the other first suction holes and the plurality of second suction holes.

In this case, the suction force acting on the substrate from at least a part of the first suction holes farthest from the rotation axis can be prevented from being excessively increased. Thereby, undesirable deformation of the substrate is reduced.

(8) The upper surface may also have a circular shape, and the diameter of the upper surface shall be within 15% of the diameter of the substrate with the radius of the substrate as the center value. Thus, by setting the diameter of the upper surface to be within the above range, the holding state of the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate by the adsorption holding portion is more stable than when the diameter of the upper surface is within a range smaller than the above range. Furthermore, by setting the diameter of the upper surface within the above-mentioned range, the adsorption holding portion can be easily produced compared to the case where the diameter of the upper surface is within a range larger than the above-mentioned range.

(9) The rotation holding device may further include a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of a portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding unit while the adsorption and holding unit adsorbs and holds the substrate.

According to the above-mentioned temperature adjustment unit, when the substrate rotated by the rotation holding device is processed, the temperature difference between the plurality of parts of the substrate can be suppressed. Therefore, uniform processing can be performed throughout the entire substrate.

(10) The temperature adjustment unit may also adjust the temperature of the portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion so that the temperature of the portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion is consistent with or close to the temperature of the portion of the substrate that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion. part of the temperature. Thereby, it is possible to suppress temperature differences from occurring between the plurality of portions of the substrate rotated by the rotation holding device. Therefore, more uniform processing can be performed across the entire substrate.

(11) A rotation holding device according to another aspect of the present invention rotates the substrate while adsorbing and holding the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate, and includes: an adsorption and holding portion that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation drive portion that causes the substrate to rotate. The adsorption and holding part rotates around a rotation axis extending in the up and down direction; and a temperature adjustment part that adjusts the temperature of at least a portion of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part in a state where the adsorption and holding part adsorbs and holds the substrate. .

In the above-mentioned rotation holding device, the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate is suction-held by the suction-holding portion. The suction and holding part of the suction and holding substrate is rotated by the rotation drive part. According to the above-mentioned temperature adjustment unit, when the substrate rotated by the rotation holding device is processed, the temperature difference between the plurality of parts of the substrate can be suppressed. Therefore, uniform processing can be performed throughout the entire substrate.

(12) The temperature adjustment unit may include a gas supply unit that supplies a temperature adjustment gas to at least part of the lower surface peripheral portion. In this case, the temperature of the portion of the substrate including the lower surface peripheral portion is adjusted using the temperature adjustment gas. Thereby, there is no need to install a heating device such as a heater or an ultraviolet lamp in the rotation holding device, so the processing environment of the substrate will not be affected by excess heat.

(13) The temperature adjustment gas may be a gas adjusted in such a manner that the temperature of the portion of the substrate including the lower surface peripheral portion is made equal to that of the portion including the lower surface central portion by being supplied to at least a portion of the lower surface peripheral portion. The temperatures of parts of the substrate are the same or close to each other.

In this case, by supplying the temperature adjustment gas to at least part of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a temperature difference between the plurality of portions of the substrate. Therefore, more uniform processing can be performed across the entire substrate.

(14) The gas supply unit may supply the temperature adjustment gas to a region of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate including the inner edge of the lower surface peripheral portion. In this case, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the portion of the substrate located at the inner edge of the lower surface peripheral portion and its vicinity from decreasing. Thereby, the entire lower surface of the substrate can be treated uniformly.

(15) The gas supply unit may be configured to simultaneously inject the temperature adjustment gas to a plurality of different portions of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate while the adsorption and holding unit is adsorbing and holding the substrate.

In this case, the temperature adjustment gas can be sprayed simultaneously to a plurality of portions of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate. Therefore, the temperature of the portion of the substrate including the lower surface peripheral portion can be made consistent with the temperature of the portion of the substrate including the lower surface center portion without excessively increasing the flow rate of the temperature adjustment gas supplied to each of the plurality of portions. or close. As a result, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being deformed and damaged due to an excessive flow rate of the temperature adjustment gas supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate.

(16) The gas supply part may also include a first annular facing surface. When the adsorbing and holding part adsorbs and holds the substrate, the first annular facing surface surrounds the adsorption and holding part and is connected to at least the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate. A portion faces each other, and a plurality of gas injection holes are formed on the first annular facing surface. The plurality of gas injection holes spray simultaneously on at least a part of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate while the adsorption and holding portion adsorbs and holds the substrate. Temperature regulating gas. In this case, the temperature adjustment gas is supplied to at least a part of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate from a plurality of gas injection ports formed on the first annular facing surface.

(17) At least part of the plurality of gas injection ports may be dispersedly arranged in the rotation direction centered on the rotation axis. In this case, the temperature adjustment gas is simultaneously supplied to a plurality of portions in the circumferential direction of the substrate in the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate.

(18) The first annular facing surface may face the first annular portion in the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate while the adsorption and holding portion adsorbs and holds the substrate, and the gas supply portion may further include a second annular portion. The above-mentioned second annular opposing surface is provided to surround the first annular opposing surface, and in a state where the adsorbing and holding portion adsorbs and holds the substrate, it surrounds the first annular portion in the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate. The second annular portion faces each other, and the temperature adjustment gas injected from a plurality of gas injection ports on the first annular facing surface is guided to the outer peripheral end of the substrate.

In this case, a flow of the temperature-adjusting gas from the adsorption holding portion toward the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate is generated in the space between the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of the substrate and the first and second annular opposing surfaces. Thereby, when the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part, the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate can be prevented from flowing back to the lower surface through the outer peripheral end.

(19) The adsorption and holding part may have an upper surface of a lower surface of the adsorption and holding substrate, a central part, and the upper surface may have: a peripheral region along the outer edge; and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region; and the upper surface may have: A plurality of first suction holes are provided in the peripheral region, and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is higher than that of the plurality of first suction holes in the central region. The second suction hole has a large surface density.

According to the structure of the above-described adsorption and holding portion, when the substrate adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion rotates, the portion of the substrate located in the peripheral region can be suppressed from floating from the upper surface of the adsorption and holding portion, thereby stabilizing the holding state of the substrate. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being unevenly processed on the plurality of portions of the substrate due to a portion of the substrate floating from the upper surface of the adsorption holding portion. As a result, uniform processing can be performed over the entire substrate.

(20) A rotation holding device according to yet another aspect of the present invention performs specific processing on a substrate, and is provided with: the rotation holding device according to one aspect of the present invention or the rotation holding device according to another aspect of the present invention; and a processing liquid supply device, The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate in a state where the substrate is adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part and rotated by the rotation driving part.

The above-described substrate processing apparatus includes a rotation holding device according to one aspect of the invention or a rotation holding device according to another aspect of the invention. The rotation holding device according to an aspect of the present invention can prevent a part of the rotating substrate from floating from the upper surface of the adsorption holding part. Therefore, the entire substrate rotated by the rotation holding device can be uniformly processed using the processing liquid. Furthermore, a rotation holding device according to another aspect of the present invention can suppress temperature differences from occurring between a plurality of parts of the rotating substrate. Therefore, the entire substrate rotated by the rotation holding device can be uniformly processed using the processing liquid.

Hereinafter, a rotation holding device and a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the so-called substrate refers to FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates, semiconductor substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disk substrates used in liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices. Substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, etc. In the following description, as an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a coating apparatus for applying a resist liquid to a substrate will be described. In addition, in the following description, the substrate to be processed has at least a partially circular outer peripheral end portion. A notch or orientation plane for identifying the position and direction of the substrate is partially formed on the outer peripheral end of the substrate. Furthermore, an edge portion (Outer Support Ring) is formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate. In the above-mentioned substrate, the thickness of the region inside the edge portion (substrate thickness) is 200 μm or less, which is smaller than the thickness of the edge portion.

1. First Embodiment

[1] Overall composition of coating device

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the coating device 1 of FIG. 1 . In FIG. 2 , illustration of some of the plurality of components of the coating device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted. In addition, the substrate W shown in FIG. 1 is represented by a single-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the coating device 1 of this embodiment mainly includes a rotation holding device 10 and a processing liquid supply device 20 . The rotation holding device 10 is configured to be capable of rotating the substrate W while adsorbing and holding the center portion of the lower surface thereof.

The processing liquid supply device 20 includes a liquid nozzle 21 and a processing liquid supply system 22 . The processing liquid supply system 22 supplies the resist liquid to the liquid nozzle 21 . The liquid nozzle 21 ejects the supplied resist liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate W that is adsorbed, held and rotated by the processing liquid supply device 20 . Thereby, a resist film is formed on the upper surface of the unprocessed substrate W (coating process). The substrate W on which the resist film is formed is carried out from the coating device 1 and exposed in an exposure device (not shown).

The specific structure of the rotation holding device 10 is demonstrated. The rotation holding device 10 includes an adsorption holding part 11 , a rotation shaft 12 , a rotation driving part 13 , a suction device 14 , a guard 15 , a drain guide pipe 16 , a gas nozzle 17 and a gas supply system 18 .

The adsorption holding part 11 has a flat upper surface 11u that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate W, and is mounted on the upper end of the rotation shaft 12 extending in the up-down direction. A plurality of suction holes vh1 and vh2 are formed on the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11 (see FIG. 4 below). The rotation drive unit 13 rotates the rotation shaft 12 around its axis.

As shown by the thick dotted line in FIG. 1 , a suction path vp is formed inside the suction holding part 11 and the rotation shaft 12 . The suction path vp is connected to the suction device 14 . The suction device 14 includes a suction mechanism such as an air extractor, and sucks the gas in the space on the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11 through the suction path vp, and discharges it to the outside of the coating device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the shield 15 is provided to surround the suction holding portion 11 in a plan view, and is configured to be movable to a plurality of positions in the up and down direction by a lifting mechanism (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1 , the shield 15 includes a bottom portion 15x and an outer peripheral wall portion 15y. The base 15x has a generally circular ring shape. The inner peripheral end within 15x of the bottom is bent upward at a specific height. The outer peripheral wall portion 15y is formed to extend upward from the outer peripheral end portion of the bottom portion 15x at a specific height and then buckle, and further extends obliquely upward toward the adsorption holding portion 11 .

A drain port 15d is formed on the bottom 15x of the shield 15. A drain guide pipe 16 is installed in the portion where the drain port 15d is formed in the bottom 15x. The lower end of the drainage guide tube 16 is connected to a drainage system (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2 , a gas nozzle 17 is provided at a position between the inner peripheral end portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 15y of the shield 15 and the outer peripheral end portion of the adsorption holding portion 11 in a plan view. Figure 3 is an external perspective view of the gas nozzle 17. As shown in FIG. 3 , the gas nozzle 17 has a substantially L-shape and includes a gas introduction part 17a and a gas ejection part 17b. The gas introduction part 17a has a cylindrical shape and is provided below the gas nozzle 17. The gas ejection part 17b is a slit-shaped opening formed at the upper end of the gas nozzle 17. A gas supply path 17v connected from the gas introduction part 17a to the gas ejection part 17b is formed inside the gas nozzle 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the gas nozzle 17 is disposed near the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding part 11 , and the gas ejection part 17 b faces the lower surface of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 . Furthermore, the coating device 1 has a structure in which the rotation holding device 10 and the processing liquid supply device 20 are accommodated in a casing (not shown). The gas nozzle 17 is fixed to the housing of the coating device 1, for example. In a state where the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11, the distance between the lower surface of the substrate W and the upper end of the gas nozzle 17 (gas ejection part 17b) is set to about 0.5 mm to 10 mm, for example. Furthermore, the gas nozzle 17 is arranged so that the slit-shaped opening of the gas ejection part 17 b extends in the radial direction of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 . Furthermore, the gas supply system 18 is connected to the gas introduction part 17a (FIG. 3) of the gas nozzle 17.

In the coating device 1 having the above-mentioned structure, during the coating process of the substrate W, the substrate W is held in a horizontal posture by the suction holding portion 11 . Furthermore, the shield 15 is positioned in the up-down direction so that the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 15y faces the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate W in the horizontal direction. In this state, the substrate W is rotated by operating the rotation drive unit 13 .

Then, the liquid nozzle 21 is moved above the substrate W by a nozzle moving device (not shown). In this state, the resist liquid is sprayed toward the substrate W from the moved liquid nozzle 21 . Thereby, the resist liquid is coated on the rotating substrate W. The resist liquid scattered outward from the rotating substrate W is caught by the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 15y of the shield 15 . The caught resist liquid is collected at the bottom 15x of the shield 15, and is guided from the drain port 15d to a drain system (not shown) through the drain guide pipe 16.

In the coating device 1, the temperature of the substrate W to be maintained during coating processing (hereinafter referred to as processing temperature) is predetermined. The processing temperature is, for example, 23°C. However, as described below, when the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 rotates, the temperature of the portion of the substrate W that is not in contact with the adsorption and holding part 11 may be lower than the temperature of other parts in contact with the adsorption and holding part 11 . . Therefore, even when the temperature of the portion of the substrate W in contact with the adsorption and holding portion 11 maintains the processing temperature, the temperature of the portion of the substrate W not in contact with the adsorption and holding portion 11 may sometimes maintain a temperature lower than the processing temperature.

Therefore, the gas supply system 18 supplies, for example, gas having a temperature higher than the processing temperature (hereinafter, referred to as temperature-adjusted gas) to the gas nozzle 17 during the coating process. In this case, the temperature-adjusted gas supplied to the gas nozzle 17 is ejected from the gas ejection part 17 b of the gas nozzle 17 to a part of the lower surface of the substrate W during the coating process. Thereby, the temperature of the part of the substrate W not in contact with the adsorption and holding part 11 is consistent with or close to the processing temperature (for example, the processing temperature) of the other part of the substrate W in contact with the adsorption and holding part 11 .

Furthermore, during the coating process of the substrate W, the flow rate of the temperature-adjusting gas sprayed toward the substrate W from the gas ejection portion 17 b is adjusted so that the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion 11 does not adsorb and hold the upper surface 11 u of the holding portion 11 . Degree of peeling. As the temperature adjustment gas supplied to the gas nozzle 17, heated nitrogen gas can be used. Alternatively, heated dry air may be used as the temperature-adjusted gas supplied to the gas nozzle 17 .

In addition, in the coating device 1 of this embodiment, the suction holding part 11 has a structure for stabilizing the holding state of the substrate W during the coating process. Hereinafter, a specific structural example of the adsorption holding part 11 will be described.

[2] Specific structural example of the adsorption and holding part 11

(1) First configuration example

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the adsorption holding portion 11 of the first structural example. FIG. 5 is a top view of the suction holding portion 11 of FIG. 4 in the first structural example. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the suction holding portion 11 taken along line A-A in Fig. 5 . In FIG. 5 , in addition to a plan view of the entire suction and holding portion 11 , an enlarged plan view of a portion of the outer peripheral end portion of the suction and holding portion 11 and its peripheral portion is also shown in a line frame.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the adsorption holding portion 11 of the first structural example mainly includes a disc-shaped member 40 and an annular member 50 . The disc-shaped member 40 and the annular member 50 are made of resin having excellent corrosion resistance, for example. The disc-shaped member 40 has an adsorption part 41, an air suction path forming part 42, and a supporting part 43 arranged from top to bottom. The adsorption part 41 includes the upper surface 11u of the adsorption and holding part 11, and is configured to be capable of adsorbing and holding the center part of the lower surface of the substrate W.

The diameter of the upper surface 11u is within a range of 15% of the diameter of the substrate W with the radius of the substrate W as the center value. When the diameter of the substrate W is 300 mm, the diameter of the upper surface 11u is preferably in the range of 130 mm or more and 170 mm or less. When the diameter of the upper surface 11u is within the range of 15% of the diameter of the substrate W with the radius of the substrate W as the central value, compared with the case where the diameter of the upper surface 11u is smaller than the above range, the central part of the lower surface of the substrate W has a larger range The ground is adsorbed, thus maintaining a stable state. In addition, compared with the case where the diameter of the upper surface 11u is larger than the above range, it is easier to manufacture the adsorption holding part 11 having a flat upper surface 11u over the entire surface.

As shown in FIG. 6 , in the disc-shaped member 40 , the diameters of the suction path forming portion 42 and the supporting portion 43 are smaller than the diameter of the adsorbing portion 41 . Thereby, the outer peripheral end portion of the suction portion 41 and its peripheral portion protrude in a flange shape toward the outside (side) of the disc-shaped member 40 above the suction path forming portion 42 and the supporting portion 43 .

In the following description, an imaginary axis extending in the up-down direction through the center of the adsorption holding part 11 is called the central axis 11c. The suction path forming portion 42 is formed with a plurality of horizontal holes extending linearly in the horizontal direction from the central axis 11 c toward the outer peripheral end of the suction holding portion 11 . The internal space of each of the plurality of transverse holes constitutes a linear path LP that is a part of the above-mentioned suction path vp. As shown in FIG. 5 , a plurality of linear paths LP are formed at fixed angular intervals β with the central axis 11 c as the center. The internal spaces of the plurality of linear paths LP are connected to each other at the center of the adsorption holding portion 11 . In this example, the angular distance β is 30°. Furthermore, the angular distance β may also be 15° or 60°.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the support portion 43 located at the lowermost portion of the disc-shaped member 40 has a mounting portion 43 a mounted on the upper end of the rotation shaft 12 in FIG. 1 . The mounting portion 43a has a cylindrical shape surrounding the central axis 11c, and is formed to protrude downward from other parts with the central axis 11c as the center. Moreover, the communication hole 43b is formed in the support part 43 along the central axis 11c. The communication hole 43b communicates the internal space of the plurality of linear paths LP with the space below the disc-shaped member 40.

When the support part 43 is installed on the upper end of the rotating shaft 12, the central axis 11c is consistent with the axis center of the rotating shaft 12, and the internal spaces of the plurality of linear paths LP are connected to the suction paths formed in the rotating shaft 12 through the communication holes 43b. The internal space of vp is connected.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the annular member 50 has a bottom 51 and an outer peripheral wall 52 . The bottom 51 has a donut shape. The inner peripheral end portion of the bottom portion 51 is configured to be connectable to the outer peripheral lower end portion of the support portion 43 of the disc-shaped member 40 . The outer peripheral wall portion 52 is formed to extend upward at a fixed height from the outer peripheral end portion of the bottom portion 51 . The upper end portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 52 is configured to be connectable to the outer peripheral lower end portion of the adsorption portion 41 of the disc-shaped member 40 .

As shown by the thick solid arrow in FIG. 4 , the annular member 50 is installed on the disc-shaped member 40 by connecting the outer peripheral lower end of the adsorption part 41 and the outer peripheral lower end of the supporting part 43 . During this installation, the connecting portion of the disc-shaped member 40 and the annular member 50 is welded. Thereby, an annular space is formed below the peripheral edge of the adsorption part 41 . This annular space constitutes an annular path RP which is a part of the suction path vp in the suction holding part 11 (Figs. 5 and 6). The circular path RP surrounds a plurality of linear paths LP in a plan view. Among the plurality of linear paths LP, the end portion on the opposite side to the central axis 11c is open to the space in the circular path RP. Therefore, the internal space of the circular path RP and the internal spaces of the plurality of linear paths LP are connected to each other.

As shown by the thick single-dot chain line circle in FIG. 5 , the upper surface 11u of the adsorption and holding part 11 in this embodiment is divided into a peripheral area R1 along the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding part 11 and a peripheral area R1 Surrounding the central area R2.

The peripheral region R1 in this example is an annular region separated by a fixed width from the outer peripheral end of the suction holding portion 11 and overlaps the annular member 50 in a plan view. When the diameter of the upper surface 11u is 150 mm, the width of the peripheral region R1 in the radial direction is within the range of 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

In the upper surface 11u of the suction holding part 11, a plurality of suction holes for sucking the lower surface of the substrate W are formed throughout the entire peripheral region R1 and the central region R2. In the following description, among the plurality of suction holes formed on the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11, the suction hole formed in the peripheral region R1 will be called a suction hole vh1, and the suction hole formed in the central region R2 will be called a suction hole vh1. The suction hole is called suction hole vh2.

A plurality of suction holes vh1 are formed on a plurality of linear paths LP in the peripheral region R1 so that the space on the upper surface 11u communicates with the internal space of the linear paths LP. Furthermore, a plurality of suction holes vh2 are formed on the annular path RP in the central region R2 so that the space on the upper surface 11u communicates with the internal space of the annular path RP. Thereby, when the suction device 14 in FIG. 1 is activated, the gas on the peripheral area R1 of the adsorption and holding part 11 passes through the plurality of suction holes vh1, the annular path RP, the plurality of linear paths LP and the rotation shaft 12. The suction path vp is led to the suction device 14 . In addition, the gas in the central region R2 of the adsorption and holding part 11 is guided to the suction device 14 via the plurality of suction holes vh2, the plurality of linear paths LP, and the suction path vp of the rotation shaft 12.

The plurality of suction holes vh1 and vh2 have, for example, circular openings with a diameter of not less than 0.1 mm and not more than 0.4 mm, and are arranged on imaginary concentric circles centered on the central axis 11c. More specifically, a plurality of suction holes vh1 are arranged on four imaginary circles centered on the central axis 11c in the peripheral region R1, and a plurality of suction holes vh2 are arranged on four imaginary circles centered on the central axis 11c in the central region R2. On the five imaginary circles with the center. In Figure 5, part of the imaginary concentric circles is represented by a two-point chain line.

The radius of the imaginary circle for arranging the plurality of suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1 is defined in such a manner that it increases sequentially from the smallest imaginary circle according to the first pitch pt1, as shown in the line frame of Fig. 5 . On the other hand, the radius of the imaginary circle in which the plurality of suction holes vh2 are arranged in the central region R2 is defined in such a manner that the radius of the imaginary circle becomes larger in sequence from the smallest imaginary circle to the second pitch pt2 which is greater than the first pitch pt1. The first pitch pt1 and the second pitch pt2 are so-called PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) pitches. The first pitch pt1 is, for example, not less than 1 mm and not more than 3 mm, and the second pitch pt2 is, for example, not less than 5 mm and not more than 40 mm.

When manufacturing the suction holding part 11, in order to form a plurality of suction holes vh1 and vh2, the suction part 41 is drilled using a drill. In the peripheral area R1, a plurality of suction holes vh1 formed on one of the two adjacent imaginary circles and a plurality of suction holes vh1 formed on the other imaginary circle are located with the central axis 11c as the The center is misaligned in the direction of rotation (zagged arrangement). In this case, compared with the case where the plurality of suction holes vh1 formed on each of two adjacent imaginary circles are arranged along the radial direction of the upper surface 11u, the plurality of close suction holes can be increased. The distance between holes vh1. Thereby, it is easy to form a plurality of suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1, and the first pitch pt1 can be made sufficiently smaller than the second pitch pt2 with a simple structure.

In addition, if the plurality of suction holes vh1 and vh2 are all made of the same size, the suction force generated at each suction hole of the plurality of suction holes vh1 arranged on the largest imaginary circle may be significantly greater than that of other suction holes. The suction force generated at each suction hole of vh1 and vh2. In this case, when the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the suction holding portion 11, a part of the substrate W may be strongly sucked locally, causing the substrate W to deform. Therefore, in this embodiment, the size of a part of the suction holes vh1 arranged on the largest imaginary circle centered on the central axis 11c is set smaller than the sizes of the other suction holes vh1 and vh2. Specifically, the openings of some of the suction holes vh1 have a diameter of, for example, not less than 0.1 mm and not more than 0.2 mm, and the openings of the remaining suction holes vh1 and vh2 have, for example, a diameter of not less than 0.2 mm and not more than 0.4 mm. Thereby, it is possible to prevent deformation of the substrate W caused by a part of the substrate W being strongly sucked locally.

In the adsorption holding part 11 of the first structural example described above, the surface density of the suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1 is greater than the surface density of the suction holes vh2 in the central region R2. In this case, when the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the suction holding portion 11, the portion of the substrate W facing the peripheral region R1 is sucked to a greater extent than the portion of the substrate W facing the central region R2. force adsorption. Thereby, when the suction-held substrate W rotates, the part of the substrate W located on the peripheral region R1 can be prevented from floating from the upper surface 11u of the suction-holding part 11 against the suction force acting on the part, thereby making it possible to The substrate W is kept in a stable state.

Furthermore, the surface density of the suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1 can be calculated by dividing the total opening area of the plurality of suction holes vh1 formed in the peripheral region R1 by the area of the peripheral region R1. In addition, the surface density of the suction holes vh2 in the central region R2 can be calculated by dividing the total opening area of the plurality of suction holes vh2 formed in the central region R2 by the area of the central region R2.

In the adsorption holding part 11 of this embodiment, the plurality of suction holes vh1 and vh2 further have the following relationship. The linear density of the plurality of suction holes vh1 dispersedly arranged on each imaginary circle in the peripheral area R1 is greater than the linear density of the plurality of suction holes vh2 dispersedly arranged on any imaginary circle in the central area R2. In this case, the plurality of suction holes vh1 are dispersedly arranged on each imaginary circle in the peripheral area R1, and the plurality of suction holes vh2 are dispersedly arranged on each imaginary circle in the central area R2, whereby , the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate W is more stably adsorbed and held on the adsorption and holding portion 11 .

The number of suction holes vh1 arranged on each imaginary circle in the peripheral region R1 is larger than the number of suction holes vh2 arranged on any imaginary circle in the central region R2. In this case, a simple structure can be used to make the surface density of the suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1 larger than the surface density of the suction holes vh2 in the central region R2.

In the central region R2, a plurality of suction holes vh2 are arranged on a plurality of linear paths LP. Therefore, the angular distance between two adjacent suction holes vh2 on each imaginary circle in the central region R2 becomes the above-mentioned angular distance β. On the other hand, the angular distance α between two adjacent suction holes vh1 on each imaginary circle in the peripheral region R1 is larger than that of two adjacent suction holes vh2 on any imaginary circle in the central region R2. The angular distance β is small. In this embodiment, the angular distance α is, for example, greater than 0° and less than 4°, preferably more than 1° and less than 3°. In this case, a simple structure can be used to make the surface density of the suction holes vh1 in the peripheral region R1 larger than the surface density of the suction holes vh2 in the central region R2.

In the adsorption and holding part 11, the distance (shortest distance) md between each of the suction holes vh1 arranged on a part of the largest imaginary circle and the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding part 11 (Fig. 5) , ideally as small as possible. In the adsorption holding part 11 of the first structural example, the distance md is 2 mm or more and 4 mm or less. In this case, when the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the adsorbing and holding portion 11 , the portion of the substrate W that faces the vicinity of the outer peripheral end of the adsorbing and holding portion 11 is adsorbed on the upper surface 11 u of the adsorbing and holding portion 11 . Thereby, the central part of the lower surface of the substrate W can be suppressed from floating from the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11, so that the holding state of the substrate W can be made more stable.

(2) Second configuration example

The differences between the suction and holding portion 11 of the second structural example and the suction and holding portion 11 of the first structural example will be described. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the adsorption holding portion 11 of the second structural example. As shown in FIG. 7 , the adsorption holding part 11 of the second structural example is mainly composed of an upper circular member 60 , a lower circular member 70 and a sealing member 79 .

The upper circular member 60 is made of, for example, resin with excellent corrosion resistance, and has a disc-shaped adsorption part 61 and a cylindrical outer peripheral wall part 62. The outer peripheral wall portion 62 is formed to extend downward from the outer peripheral end portion of the adsorption portion 61 . The adsorption part 61 includes the upper surface 11u of the adsorption and holding part 11, and is configured to be capable of adsorbing and holding the center part of the lower surface of the substrate W. The structure of the upper surface 11u of the adsorption and holding part 11 of this example is exactly the same as the structure of the upper surface 11u of the adsorption and holding part 11 of the first structural example (FIG. 5).

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the circular member 60 shown in FIG. 7 , and FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the adsorption holding portion 11 of the second structural example. The cross-sectional view of Fig. 9 corresponds to the longitudinal cross-sectional view of Fig. 6 of the first structural example. As shown in FIG. 8 , the lower surface 60 b of the upper circular member 60 is also divided into a peripheral region R1 and a central region R2 in the same manner as the upper surface 11 u.

An annular groove portion RG overlapping the peripheral region R1 is formed on the lower surface 60b of the upper circular member 60 . In addition, a plurality of linear groove portions LG overlapping the central region R2 are formed on the lower surface 60b of the upper circular member 60 . The plurality of linear groove portions LG are formed to extend linearly in the horizontal direction from the central axis 11c toward the outer peripheral wall portion 62, and are arranged at a fixed angular pitch β (FIG. 5) around the central axis 11c.

Each linear groove portion LG is formed such that its depth gradually decreases from the central axis 11c toward the peripheral edge region R1. The depth of the annular groove portion RG is substantially constant over the entire circumference of the peripheral region R1 and is substantially equal to the maximum depth of the plurality of linear groove portions LG. Screw holes 65 are respectively formed in a plurality of portions of the lower surface 60b of the upper circular member 60 surrounded by a plurality of linear groove portions LG and annular groove portions RG.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the lower circular member 70 has a disc-shaped support portion 71 and a cylindrical outer peripheral wall portion 72 , and is made of, for example, a metal material with high rigidity. A communication hole 73 penetrating up and down is formed in the center of the support portion 71 . Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 74 respectively corresponding to the plurality of screw holes 65 ( FIG. 8 ) of the upper circular member 60 are formed in the support portion 71 so as to surround the communication hole 73 .

The outer peripheral wall portion 72 is formed to extend upward from the outer peripheral end portion of the support portion 71 . The outer diameter of the outer peripheral wall portion 72 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer peripheral wall portion 62 of the upper circular member 60 . A groove 72g extending in the circumferential direction is formed with a fixed width on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 72 . The sealing member 79 is an O-ring that can be fitted into the groove 72g of the outer peripheral wall portion 72 . As shown by the hollow arrow in FIG. 7 , the sealing member 79 is fitted into the groove 72g of the outer peripheral wall portion 72 . In addition, as shown by the thick solid arrow in FIG. 7 , the lower circular member 70 is further embedded into the upper circular member 60 . In this state, the plurality of screw members BL (FIG. 9) are mounted on the upper circular member 60 from below the lower circular member 70 through the plurality of through holes 74 (FIG. 7) formed in the lower circular member 70. 65 screw holes (Fig. 8). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9 , the upper circular member 60 and the lower circular member 70 are connected.

When the upper circular member 60 and the lower circular member 70 are connected, an annular extending space is formed between the annular groove portion RG of the upper circular member 60 and the outer peripheral portion of the lower circular member 70 . This space functions as the aforementioned ring path RP. Furthermore, a linearly extending space is formed between the bottoms of the plurality of linear groove portions LG of the upper circular member 60 and the support portion 71 of the lower circular member 70 . These spaces function as a plurality of linear paths LP.

The support part 71 has an attachment part 71a attached to the upper end part of the rotation shaft 12 of FIG. 1 similarly to the support part 43 of FIG. 6. The communication hole 73 is formed along the central axis 11c inside the mounting portion 71a.

As described above, in the suction holding portion 11 of the second structural example, the plurality of linear groove portions LG formed on the lower surface 60b of the upper circular member 60 are each formed so that the depth gradually changes from the central axis 11c toward the peripheral region R1. Small. Thereby, the cross-sectional area of each linear path LP perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas gradually becomes smaller from the center of the adsorption holding portion 11 toward the outer peripheral end. According to this configuration, even when the plurality of suction holes vh2 formed to overlap each linear path LP have the same size, the suction force generated at the plurality of suction holes vh2 can be made uniform. Therefore, the entire central portion of the lower surface of the substrate W is sucked with a substantially uniform force.

Furthermore, the suction holding part 11 of the second structural example has a structure in which the upper circular member 60 and the lower circular member 70 are connected by a plurality of screw members BL. Thereby, maintenance inside the suction holding part 11 can be easily performed.

[3]Research and effects

(1) First study by the present inventors

FIG. 10 is a top view of the adsorption and holding part in the reference mode, and FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the adsorption and holding part taken along line B-B in FIG. 10 . As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the suction holding part 99 of this reference embodiment basically has the same features as the suction holding part 11 of the first structural example except that the annular path RP and the plurality of suction holes vh2 are not formed. composition.

Specifically, the adsorption and holding part 99 of this reference embodiment has a flat upper surface 99u that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate W, and is configured to be attachable to the rotation shaft 12 in FIG. 1 . Here, an imaginary axis extending in the up-down direction from the outer peripheral end through the center of the suction holding portion 99 is called a central axis 99c. A plurality of linear paths LP are formed inside the suction and holding part 99 at fixed angular intervals (30° in this example) with the central axis 99c as the center. The plurality of linear paths LP are directed from the central axis 99c toward the suction and holding part. The outer peripheral end of 99 extends linearly in the horizontal direction. Among the plurality of linear paths LP, the ends opposite to the central axis 99c are closed. A plurality of suction holes vh are formed at regular intervals on the upper surface 99u of the suction holding portion 99 so as to overlap each linear path LP in a plan view.

The present inventors performed a coating process on the substrate W having a thickness of 100 μm or less using a coating device equipped with the adsorption holding part 99 of this reference method. As a result, coating unevenness to a degree that can be visually confirmed occurs in the substrate W after the coating process. The coating unevenness confirmed here is called the first coating unevenness.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an example of the first coating unevenness generated on the substrate W after the coating process using the suction holding portion 99 of the reference system. In FIG. 12 , the portion of the substrate W that overlaps with the outer peripheral end of the suction holding portion 99 during the coating process (hereinafter, referred to as the outer edge of the held region) is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in the dot pattern in Figure 12, the first coating unevenness is formed from a plurality of parts at the outer edge of the held area toward the outer peripheral end of the substrate W, and a plurality of curves toward a common point with the center of the substrate W as the center of rotation. The direction of rotation is curved and extends a fixed distance.

As the first generation mechanism of coating unevenness, the present inventors have deduced the first and second mechanisms shown below. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the first mechanism inferred from the generation of the first coating unevenness in FIG. 12 . If the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 99 rotates at a high speed, as shown by the thick single-dot chain line arrow in the upper section of FIG. 12 , the outer peripheral part of the substrate W will float above the upper surface 99u of the adsorption and holding part 99 The phenomenon arises. This phenomenon is likely to occur when the substrate W having a small thickness (thickness below 100 μm in this example) is rotated. The reason is that the rigidity of the substrate W is low.

If the upward force on the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W exceeds the suction force generated at the suction hole vh formed near the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding portion 99, then the gap between the outer edge of the held area of the substrate W and the adsorption and holding portion 99 will A gap is formed between the upper surfaces 99u. In this case, as shown by the thick solid line arrow in the upper section of FIG. 13 , the gas around the substrate W enters the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding part 99 through the gap between the substrate W and the upper surface 99u of the adsorption and holding part 99 The nearby suction hole vh. This causes local cooling of the outer edge of the held area of the substrate W due to the local flow of gas near the outer peripheral end of the adsorption holding portion 99 .

On the other hand, the resist liquid RL supplied from the liquid nozzle 21 to the center of the substrate W by starting the coating process spreads toward the outer peripheral end of the substrate W as shown by the hollow arrow in the upper section of FIG. 13 . At this time, if the temperature of the outer edge of the held area of the substrate W is locally lowered, the resist liquid RL spread on the substrate W is locally cooled. The fluidity of the resist liquid RL on the substrate W is higher as the temperature of the resist liquid RL is higher, and is lower as the temperature of the resist liquid RL is lower. Therefore, on the substrate W, the fluidity of the resist liquid RL is locally reduced at the outer peripheral end of the adsorption holding portion 99 . As a result, the resist liquid RL remains in a plurality of portions at the outer edge of the held region of the substrate W, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 13 .

If a fixed amount of resist liquid RL is retained at the outer edge of the retained area of the substrate W, the subsequent resist liquid RL that further flows on the retained resist liquid RL will not be easily affected by the local temperature decrease of the substrate W. . Thereby, the subsequent resist liquid RL passes over the fixed amount of resist liquid RL remaining in the outer edge of the held region of the substrate W, and further flows toward the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. At this time, the above-mentioned first coating unevenness occurs.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the second mechanism inferred from the generation of the first coating unevenness in FIG. 12 . FIG. 14 is an external perspective view showing the state of the substrate W rotating at two mutually different speeds by the suction holding portion 99 of FIG. 10 . In addition, in FIG. 14 , the substrate W held by the suction holding portion 99 is shown as a single-dot chain line and a dot pattern, and the upper surface 99u of the suction holding portion 99 is shown as penetrating the substrate W.

As shown in the upper part of FIG. 14 , when the rotation speed of the substrate W is relatively low, the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 99 maintains a relatively flat state along the upper surface 99u of the adsorption and holding part 99 . However, when the rotation speed of the substrate W is relatively high, the entire substrate W generates an upward force. Thereby, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 14 , the portion of the substrate W that is not sucked by the plurality of suction holes vh is deformed as if it is floating from the upper surface 99u.

Here, the plurality of suction holes vh of the suction holding portion 99 overlap with the plurality of linear paths LP in FIG. 10 . Therefore, the substrate W is deformed in a wavy manner in the circumferential direction. In FIG. 14 , an imaginary line on the upper surface 99u overlapping the plurality of linear paths LP in FIG. 10 is represented by a two-point chain line.

When the substrate W is coated using the suction holding portion 99, the rotation speed of the substrate W changes in multiple steps. If the rotational speed of the substrate W changes significantly in a short period of time, the portion of the substrate W that is attracted and held by the plurality of suction holes vh of the adsorption and holding portion 99 will deform like a ripple on the outside of the adsorption and holding portion 99 . A large inertial force is generated between the parts. At this time, an annular twist occurs in a part of the substrate W at a position outside the suction holding portion 99 . Therefore, the first coating unevenness occurs due to the twist.

It is inferred that the first uneven coating occurs due to one of the above-mentioned first and second mechanisms. Considering the above-mentioned first and second mechanisms, the present inventors believe that if the outer edge of the held area of the substrate W does not float from the upper surface 99u of the suction holding part 99 during the coating process, the substrate W realized by the suction holding part 99 W maintains a stable state so that the first coating unevenness does not occur. Furthermore, the present inventors believe that with the structure of the suction holding portion 99 of the reference embodiment, it is impossible to obtain suction force capable of suppressing the outer edge of the held region of the substrate W from floating from the upper surface 99 u of the suction holding portion 99 . Taking these points into consideration, the inventors of the present invention developed the adsorption holding portion 11 of the first and second structural examples described above.

(2) Second study by the present inventors

The present inventors performed a coating process on a substrate W having a thickness of 100 μm or less using a coating device that has the same features as the coating device in FIG. 1 except that it does not include the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 . The cloth device 1 has the same structure. As a result, coating unevenness to a degree that can be visually confirmed occurs in the substrate W after the coating process. The coating unevenness confirmed here is called the second coating unevenness.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an example of the second coating unevenness generated on the substrate W after the coating process. In FIG. 15 , similarly to the example of FIG. 12 , the outer edge of the retained area is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in the dot pattern in FIG. 15 , the second coating unevenness is formed in a circular ring shape of a fixed width surrounding the center of the substrate W. The inner edge of the second uneven coating is located at the outer edge of the retained area.

The present inventors deduced the generation mechanism of the second coating unevenness. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mechanism estimated to cause the second coating unevenness in FIG. 15 .

The coating device is basically housed in a clean room. A downward airflow (downflow) of clean air maintained at a specific temperature (for example, 23°C) is formed in the space surrounding the coating device. Thereby, as shown by the hollow arrow in the upper section of FIG. 16 , the gas continues to be blown from above the coating device to the substrate W being coated.

On the other hand, by starting the coating process, the resist liquid RL supplied to the substrate W from the liquid nozzle 21 spreads from the center of the substrate W toward the outer peripheral end. The resist liquid RL of this example contains volatile solvents. In this case, as shown by the thick wavy arrow in the upper section of FIG. 16 , the solvent of the resist liquid RL spread on the substrate W vaporizes. At this time, the downflow from the position above the coating device toward the substrate W promotes the vaporization of the solvent of the resist liquid RL applied on the substrate W.

Here, the heat capacity of the portion of the substrate W that is not in contact with the adsorption holding portion 11 (hereinafter, referred to as the non-contact portion nc) is smaller than the heat capacity of other portions (hereinafter, referred to as the contact portion). Therefore, if the vaporization of the solvent of the resist liquid RL on the substrate W is accelerated, the temperature of the non-contact portion nc will be lowered than that of the contact portion due to the influence of vaporization heat.

The lower the temperature of the resist liquid RL, the longer it takes to harden. Therefore, the resist liquid RL spread on the non-contact portion nc is in a state in which it flows relatively easily due to the rotation of the substrate W. However, in fact, even in the non-contact portion nc, the vaporization of the solvent of the resist liquid RL is further accelerated by the high rotation speed in the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate W and its vicinity, so that the resist liquid RL RL is easy to harden. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 16 , the resist film RC is finally formed with a substantially constant thickness except for a range of a fixed width between the substrate W and the outer edge of the held area. As a result, the above-mentioned second coating unevenness occurs.

Considering the mechanism inferred as above, the present inventors considered making the temperature of the part not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 consistent with or close to the temperature of the part adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 during the coating process. , adjusting the temperature of each part of the substrate W. Taking these points into consideration, the present inventors developed the coating device 1 of FIG. 1 including a gas nozzle 17 for heating the non-contact portion of the substrate W and a gas supply system 18 .

(3)Effect

In the coating device 1 described above, the suction holding portion 11 of the first and second structural examples is used as the rotation holding device 10 . According to the above-mentioned adsorption holding part 11, the center part of the lower surface of the substrate W can be suppressed from floating from the upper surface 11u, and the holding state of the substrate W can be stabilized. Therefore, when processing the substrate W rotated by the above-mentioned rotation holding device 10, it is possible to prevent a part of the substrate W from floating from the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11, causing the substrate W to be processed on a plurality of substrates W. Partially uneven. As a result, the occurrence of first coating unevenness can be suppressed, and uniform processing can be performed over the entire substrate W.

In the coating device 1 described above, the rotation holding device 10 is provided with a gas nozzle 17 and a gas supply system 18 for adjusting the temperature of the non-contact portion of the substrate W. Thereby, during the coating process of the substrate W, the temperature of the non-contact portion of the substrate W is consistent with or close to the temperature of the contact portion. In this case, the temperature difference between the plurality of portions of the substrate W during the coating process can be suppressed. As a result, the occurrence of second coating unevenness can be suppressed, and uniform processing can be performed over the entire substrate W.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the temperature of the non-contact portion nc of the substrate W is adjusted by the temperature adjustment gas injected to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . In this case, in order to adjust the temperature of the non-contact portion nc of the substrate W, there is no need to install a heating device such as a heater or an ultraviolet lamp near the adsorption holding portion 11 . Thereby, the processing environment of the substrate W will not be affected by excess heat.

[4] Regarding the first confirmation test of coating unevenness

The inventors of the present invention conducted the following confirmation test in order to confirm the effect produced by the above-mentioned adsorption and holding portion 11 . First, the inventors of the present invention produced an adsorption and holding part having basically the same structure as the adsorption and holding part 11 of FIGS. 4 to 6 as an adsorption and holding part of an embodiment. In addition, the present inventors produced an adsorption and holding part having a substantially same structure as the adsorption and holding part 99 of FIG. 10 of the reference embodiment as an adsorption and holding part of a comparative example.

Furthermore, the inventors mounted the adsorption holding part of the example produced in the coating device 1 of FIG. 1 to perform coating processing on the substrate W. Furthermore, the present inventors attached the adsorption holding part of the comparative example produced to the coating device 1 of FIG. 1, and performed the coating process of the substrate W.

Then, the substrate W after the coating process using the adsorption and holding part of the example was used as the example substrate, and the substrate W after the coating process using the adsorption and holding part of the comparative example was used as the comparative example substrate, and the upper surface of each substrate was visually confirmed. surface. As a result, the above-mentioned first coating unevenness was not confirmed in the example substrate. On the other hand, the above-mentioned first coating unevenness occurred in the comparative example substrate. Based on the visual observation results, in order to confirm the state of the film on the substrate W in more detail, the film thickness of the resist film was measured at a plurality of portions of each substrate W.

FIG. 17 is a plan view for explaining the portion of the substrate W that is the object of film thickness measurement in the first confirmation test of coating unevenness. In Fig. 17, the outer edge of the held area is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in FIG. 17 , the present inventors determined a plurality of portions arranged at intervals of 1.6° on the first circle C1 that substantially overlaps the outer edge of the held area as the first measurement target portion group. Furthermore, the present inventors determined a plurality of portions arranged at intervals of 1.6° on a second circle C2 that is concentric with the first circle C1 and has a smaller radius than the first circle C1 as the second measurement target portion group. Furthermore, the present inventors determined a plurality of portions arranged at intervals of 1.6° on a third circle C3 that is concentric with the first circle C1 and has a radius larger than the first circle C1 as the third measurement target portion group.

In FIG. 17 , a small black dot indicates a portion of the plurality of measurement target portions arranged at an interval of 1.6° in each of the first to third circles C1 to C3. Furthermore, in FIG. 17 , the angular distances between the plurality of measurement points on the same circle are enlarged to make it easier to understand the relationship between the plurality of measurement parts.

Fig. 18 is a graph showing the results of the confirmation test regarding the first coating unevenness. In FIG. 18 , the film thickness measurement results of the example substrate and the comparative example substrate are shown for each of the first to third measurement target portion groups. In each graph shown in FIG. 18 , the vertical axis represents the film thickness, and the horizontal axis represents the measurement portion (measurement position) in each of the first to third circles C1 to C3 in FIG. 17 . In addition, in each graph, the symbol "tt" shown on the vertical axis represents the thickness of the resist film to be formed by the coating process, that is, the target film thickness. Furthermore, in each graph, a thick solid line represents a line connecting a plurality of film thickness measurement results of the example substrates, and a dotted line represents a line connecting a plurality of film thickness measurement results of the comparative example substrate.

As shown in FIG. 18 , in the first to third measurement target portion groups, the film thickness measurement results of the example substrates were smaller than the film thickness measurement results of the comparative example substrates. In addition, in the first to third measurement target portion groups, the film thickness measurement results of the example substrates are closer to the target film thickness tt as a whole than the film thickness measurement results of the comparative example substrates. Furthermore, according to the film thickness measurement results of the first and third measurement target portion groups, in the comparative example substrate, film thickness variation is clearly seen, especially in the range from the outer edge of the retained area to the outer peripheral end of the substrate. This obvious film thickness variation corresponds to the first coating unevenness.

As a result, it was found that the occurrence of first coating unevenness can be sufficiently suppressed by using the adsorption and holding portion 11 of the above-described first and second structural examples in place of the adsorption and holding portion 99 of FIG. 10 .

[5] Regarding the second confirmation test of coating unevenness

(1) Regarding the temperature of the substrate W during the coating process

In order to confirm the difference in the temperature state of the substrate W when the temperature adjustment gas is supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 of FIG. 1 during the coating process of the substrate W, and when the temperature adjustment gas is not supplied, the inventors made the following explanation. Temperature adjustment confirmation test.

FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating device 1 for explaining the temperature adjustment confirmation test. As shown in FIG. 19 , the inventors provided a non-contact first temperature sensor s1 on the coating device 1 so that the temperature measurement point is located on the portion of the substrate W located on the adsorption holding part 11 . Furthermore, the present inventors provided a non-contact second temperature sensor s2 on the coating device 1 so that the temperature measurement point is located on the portion of the substrate W located on the gas nozzle 17 .

In this state, the outputs (temperature measurement results) of the first and second temperature sensors s1 and s2 when the substrate W is being coated while supplying heated temperature-adjusted gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 are recorded. In addition, the outputs (temperature measurement results) of the first and second temperature sensors s1 and s2 when the coating process is performed without supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 are recorded.

Figure 20 is a graph showing the results of the temperature adjustment confirmation test. In the graph of Figure 20, the vertical axis represents temperature, and the horizontal axis represents time. On the horizontal axis of FIG. 20 , time point t1 represents the time point at which supply of the resist liquid RL to the substrate W is stopped after the coating process is started. The time point t2 represents the end time point of the coating process, that is, the time point when the resist liquid RL spread on the substrate W is completely hardened. In addition, the symbol "pt" shown on the vertical axis of Fig. 20 represents the processing temperature.

Furthermore, in the graph of FIG. 20 , the thick solid line and the thick single-dot chain line represent the first and second steps when the substrate W is coated while supplying the heated temperature-adjusted gas from the gas nozzle 17 to the substrate W. 2. The output of temperature sensors s1 and s2 (temperature measurement results). Furthermore, in the graph of FIG. 20 , the dotted line and the two-dot chain line represent the first and second temperature sensations when the coating process of the substrate W is performed without supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . The output of detectors s1 and s2 (temperature measurement results).

According to the temperature adjustment confirmation test results in Figure 20, when the heated temperature adjustment gas is supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17, compared with when the temperature adjustment gas is not supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17, the temperature sensors s1 and s2 The output deviation is slightly smaller. Furthermore, when the heated temperature adjustment gas is supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17, the outputs of the temperature sensors s1 and s2 are slightly closer to the processing temperature pt than when the temperature adjustment gas is not supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17. As a result, it was confirmed that by supplying the heated temperature-adjusted gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 in FIG. 1 , it was possible to suppress the occurrence of a large temperature difference between the plurality of portions of the substrate W during the coating process. Furthermore, it was confirmed that by supplying the heated temperature-adjusted gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 in FIG. 1 , the temperature of the substrate W during the coating process was generally close to the processing temperature pt.

(2) The occurrence state of the second uneven coating

The inventor of the present invention performed the coating process on a plurality of substrates W while changing the supply form of the temperature-adjusting gas from the gas nozzle 17 to the substrate W in the coating device 1 of FIG. The supply form of the temperature adjustment gas corresponds to the occurrence state of the second coating unevenness.

Specifically, the present inventors performed a coating process on the first substrate W among the four substrates W without supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . Furthermore, the present inventors performed a coating process on the second substrate W among the four substrates W while supplying the temperature adjustment gas of the first temperature to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . Furthermore, the present inventors performed a coating process on the third substrate W among the four substrates W while supplying the temperature adjustment gas of the second temperature to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . Furthermore, the present inventors performed a coating process on the fourth substrate W among the four substrates W while supplying the temperature adjustment gas of the third temperature to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 . The above-mentioned first to third temperatures are higher than the processing temperature pt. Furthermore, the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, and the third temperature is higher than the second temperature.

Then, the present inventors measured the film thickness distribution of the resist film on the straight line passing through the center of each substrate W on the four substrates W obtained as described above after the coating process. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution of the resist films in four substrates W after the coating process was performed in a state where the temperature adjustment gas supply form from the gas nozzle 17 to the substrate W was different from each other.

In FIG. 21 , the vertical axis represents the film thickness of the resist film, and the horizontal axis represents the position on a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W. Furthermore, on the horizontal axis, "0" represents the center of the substrate W. In addition, "150" represents one end of a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W on the surface of the substrate W, and "-150" represents the other end of a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W on the surface of the substrate W. Also, in this example, the positions of "75" and "-75" on the horizontal axis represent the positions of the outer edges of the held areas.

Furthermore, in FIG. 21 , the broken line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the first substrate W, and the solid line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the second substrate W. In addition, the single-dot chain line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the above-mentioned third substrate W, and the two-dot chain line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the above-mentioned fourth substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 21 , the film thickness of the first substrate W, to which the heated temperature-adjusting gas is not supplied during the coating process, is locally reduced at the outer edge of the held area and its vicinity. This indicates that the second coating unevenness is evident in the first substrate W.

On the other hand, regarding the second, third and fourth substrates W, no significant decrease in film thickness was seen at the outer edge of the held area and its vicinity. Therefore, it is found that the occurrence of second coating unevenness is suppressed.

Furthermore, according to the results of FIG. 21 , the film thickness of the resist film at the outer edge of the retained area and its vicinity increases as the temperature of the temperature adjustment gas supplied to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 17 increases. Therefore, it can be seen that it is ideal to adjust the supply to the substrate W during the coating process so that the film thickness of the resist film at the outer edge of the retained area and its vicinity is closer to the film thickness of the resist film at other positions. The temperature adjusts the temperature of the gas.

2. Second embodiment

[1] Basic structure of the coating device of the second embodiment

The difference between the coating device of the second embodiment and the coating device of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a basic structural example of the coating device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 23 is a schematic plan view of the coating device 1 of FIG. 22 . In FIG. 23 , illustration of some of the plurality of components of the coating device 1 shown in FIG. 22 is omitted. In addition, the substrate W shown in FIG. 22 is represented by a single-dot chain line.

In the following description, similarly to the first embodiment, the portion of the lower surface of the substrate W that is in contact with the adsorption and holding portion 11 (the portion that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion 11) is called the lower surface center portion. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the portion of the lower surface of the substrate W that surrounds the lower surface central portion and is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion 11 is called a lower surface peripheral portion.

As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 , in the coating device 1 of this embodiment, the rotation holding device 10 is provided with a plurality of (four in this example) gas nozzles 17 . As shown in FIG. 23 , the plurality of gas nozzles 17 are arranged at equal angular intervals (in this example, at 90° intervals with respect to the rotation axis 12 ) along the circumferential direction of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding portion 11 . In addition, the plurality of gas nozzles 17 are arranged so that the slit-shaped opening of the gas ejection part 17b (FIG. 23) extends along the radial direction of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11. The gas supply system 18 is connected to the gas introduction part 17a (FIG. 3) of each gas nozzle 17.

In the coating device 1 , the gas supply system 18 supplies, for example, a temperature-adjusted gas having a temperature higher than the processing temperature to the plurality of gas nozzles 17 during the coating process. In this case, the temperature-adjusted gas having a relatively high temperature is simultaneously sprayed from the gas ejection portions 17b of the plurality of gas nozzles 17 to a plurality of portions of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W being coated. Thereby, the flow rate of the temperature-adjusting gas supplied to each of the plurality of portions of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is not excessively increased, and the temperature of the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate W can be adjusted to the same temperature as the lower surface of the substrate W. The temperatures of the peripheral parts are consistent or close to each other. As a result, it is possible to prevent deformation and damage of the substrate W caused by supplying the temperature adjustment gas at an excessive flow rate to a part of the substrate W.

[2] Modification example of gas nozzle 17

In the rotation holding device 10 of the present embodiment, the structure of the gas nozzle 17 that supplies the temperature adjustment gas to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W is not limited to the example in FIG. 22 . Hereinafter, modification examples of the gas nozzle 17 will be described.

(1) First variation

FIG. 24 is an external perspective view of the gas nozzle of the first modified example, FIG. 25 is a top view of the gas nozzle 170A of FIG. 24 , and FIG. 26 is a bottom view of the gas nozzle 170A of FIG. 24 . As shown in FIGS. 24 to 26 , the gas nozzle 170A of this example has an annular shape, and is configured so that the adsorption holding portion 11 can be disposed inside the annular shape.

As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 , the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A has a flat annular belt shape of a fixed width. On the upper surface 170u, a plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 are formed at specific intervals along the circumferential direction. In other words, a plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 (eight in this example) are formed on the upper surface 170u at equal angles (45° in this example) with respect to the center of the gas nozzle 170A in a plan view. Each through-hole group g1 to g8 includes a plurality of through-holes h1 to hn (n is a natural number of 2 or more). The plurality of through holes h1 to hn have a common inner diameter of, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less.

In each of the through-hole groups g1 to g8, a plurality of through-holes h1 to hn are arranged in order on a straight line from the inner edge toward the outer edge of the gas nozzle 170A. The gas nozzle 170A has an annular inner space 173 as described below (Fig. 28). A plurality of through holes h1 to hn connect the internal space 173 with the space above the upper surface 170u.

As shown in FIG. 26 , the lower surface 170 b of the gas nozzle 170A has a flat, fixed-width annular belt shape like the upper surface 170 u. On the lower surface 170b, a plurality of gas introduction members 177 are provided at specific intervals along the circumferential direction. In other words, on the lower surface 170b, a plurality of (eight in this example) gas introduction members 177 are provided at equal angles (45° in this example) with respect to the center of the gas nozzle 170A in a plan view. Each gas introduction member 177 is provided at a position that does not overlap with any of the through-hole groups g1 to g8 in plan view. More specifically, each gas introduction member 177 is provided on the lower surface 170b so as to be located in the middle of each of two adjacent through-hole groups g1 to g8 in a plan view.

The gas introduction member 177 has a gas inlet 177a, a gas flow path 177b, and a gas outlet 177c. A through hole is formed in the mounting portion of each gas introduction member 177 in the lower surface 170b. The gas outlet 177c of the gas introduction member 177 is positioned on the through hole of the lower surface 170b.

With this configuration, when the temperature adjustment gas is supplied to the gas inlet 177a, the temperature adjustment gas is guided to the internal space 173 of the gas nozzle 170A through the gas flow path 177b, the gas outlet 177c, and the through hole of the lower surface 170b (Fig. 28 ). The temperature-adjusted gas guided to the internal space 173 (Fig. 28) is then sprayed from the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 on the upper surface 170u into the space above the upper surface 170u. Therefore, when the gas nozzle 170A is provided in the coating device 1, the gas supply system 18 is connected to the gas inlets 177a of the plurality of gas introduction members 177 (Fig. 22).

Two fixing members 178 are further mounted on the lower surface 170b of the gas nozzle 170A. The fixing member 178 has, for example, a through hole into which a screw can be inserted, and is provided to protrude inward of the gas nozzle 170A from the lower surface 170b. The two fixing members 178 are fixed to the casing of the coating device 1 using, for example, screws. Thereby, the gas nozzle 170A is fixed in the coating device 1 in a state having a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the adsorption holding part 11 .

Furthermore, the number of fixing members 178 provided in the gas nozzle 170A is not limited to two. Three, four, or five or more fixing members 178 may also be provided in the gas nozzle 170A. In this case, the plurality of fixing members 178 are preferably arranged at equal intervals on the lower surface 170b.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the gas nozzle 170A and the adsorption holding part 11 in the first modification of the coating device 1. As shown in FIG. 27 , in the coating device 1 , the gas nozzle 170A is provided so as to surround the adsorption holding part 11 . Furthermore, the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A is maintained at a lower height than the upper surface 11u of the adsorption holding part 11.

FIG. 28 is a longitudinal sectional view of several parts of the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A in FIG. 27 . The first paragraph of FIG. 28 shows a vertical cross-sectional view when the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A are cut along the vertical plane including the Q1-Q1 line in FIG. 27 . The through-hole group g1 in Figure 24 exists in the vertical plane including the Q1-Q1 line. The second paragraph of FIG. 28 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A are cut along the vertical plane including the Q2-Q2 line in FIG. 27 . The through-hole group g2 in Figure 24 exists in the vertical plane including the Q2-Q2 line.

The third paragraph of FIG. 28 shows a vertical cross-sectional view when the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A are cut along the vertical plane including the Q3-Q3 line in FIG. 27 . The through-hole group g3 in Figure 24 exists in the vertical plane including the Q3-Q3 line. The fourth paragraph of FIG. 28 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A are cut along the vertical plane including the Q4-Q4 line in FIG. 27 . The through-hole group g4 in Figure 24 exists in the vertical plane including the Q4-Q4 line.

The fifth paragraph of FIG. 28 shows a vertical cross-sectional view when the adsorption holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A are cut along the vertical plane including the Q5-Q5 line in FIG. 27 . The gas introduction member 177 of FIG. 24 is present in the vertical plane including the Q5-Q5 line. In addition, each figure in FIG. 28 shows a cross-sectional view of the adsorption and holding part 11 and the gas nozzle 170A, and also shows a cross-sectional view of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11.

As shown in the longitudinal cross-sectional view of each section in FIG. 28 , the gas nozzle 170A includes an upper surface member 171 and a lower surface member 172 . The upper surface member 171 has: an annular flat plate portion that forms the upper surface 170u; an inner peripheral wall that extends downward from the inner edge of the flat plate portion to a specific height; and an outer peripheral wall that extends downward from the outer edge of the flat plate portion by a certain height. high. On the other hand, the lower surface member 172 is a flat plate member having an annular shape corresponding to the flat plate portion of the upper surface member 171 .

The lower end of the inner peripheral wall and the lower end of the outer peripheral wall of the upper surface member 171 are respectively connected to the inner edge and outer edge of the lower surface member 172 . Thereby, an annular inner space 173 is formed between the flat plate portion of the upper surface member 171 and the lower surface member 172 . The internal space 173 functions as a flow path for temperature-adjusted gas. The connection between the upper surface member 171 and the lower surface member 172 can also be performed by welding. Alternatively, the upper surface member 171 and the lower surface member 172 may be connected to each other using, for example, screws. In this case, it is preferable to provide a sealing member such as an O-ring at the connection between the upper surface member 171 and the lower surface member 172 so that the gas in the internal space 173 does not pass through the connection between the upper surface member 171 and the lower surface member 172 leakage.

In the longitudinal cross-section of the first section of FIG. 28 , a plurality of through-holes h1 to hn belonging to the through-hole group g1 in FIG. 24 are formed on the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A. In the longitudinal cross section of the second stage, a plurality of through holes h1 to hn belonging to the through hole group g2 in FIG. 24 are formed on the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A. In the longitudinal cross section of the third stage, a plurality of through holes h1 to hn belonging to the through hole group g3 in FIG. 24 are formed on the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A. In the longitudinal section of the fourth stage, a plurality of through holes h1 to hn belonging to the through hole group g3 in FIG. 24 are formed on the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A.

An inclined portion ut facing inward and upward of the gas nozzle 170A is formed in the portion of the upper surface 170u closest to the adsorption holding portion 11 . The inclination angle of the inclined portion ut with respect to the axis extending in the vertical direction is set in the range of 30° to 60°, for example. Among the through-hole groups g1 to g8 in FIG. 24 , the through-hole h1 closest to the inner edge of the gas nozzle 170A is located at the inclined portion ut. Each through hole h1 is formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the inclined portion ut.

In the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the gas nozzle 170A, the inclined portion ut linearly extends a fixed length from the inner edge of the gas nozzle 170A toward the outside and obliquely upward. In addition, the inclined portion ut faces the portion including the inner edge of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W when the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion 11 .

In the gas nozzle 170A, the through-hole h1 of the through-hole groups g1, g4, and g7 among the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 is formed in the first region near the upper end of the inclined portion ut. On the other hand, the through-hole h1 of the through-hole groups g2, g5, and g8 is formed in the second area adjacent to the first area and located below the first area in the inclined portion ut. On the other hand, the through-hole h1 of the through-hole groups g3 and g6 is formed in the third area adjacent to the second area and located below the second area in the inclined portion ut.

As described above, the plurality of through-holes h1 are formed in a plurality of regions in the inclined portion ut in a dispersed manner. Thereby, when the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11 rotates, the temperature adjustment gas injected from the plurality of through holes h1 is supplied to the entire inner edge of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W and its peripheral portion.

Here, the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the gas nozzle 170A and toward the outside of the gas nozzle 170A from the center of the gas nozzle 170A is called a radial direction. In each of the through-hole groups g1 to g8 in FIG. 24 , the through holes h2 to hn are spaced apart at fixed intervals (in this example, the inner diameters of the through holes h2 to hn) in the area of the upper surface 170u excluding the inclined portion ut. Arranged on a straight line extending along the radial direction. Specifically, each of the through holes h1 to hn in this example has an inner diameter of 1.0 mm, and the through holes h2 to hn are arranged on a straight line with an interval of 2.0 mm.

Among the two through-hole groups adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the gas nozzle 170A, the through-holes h2 to hn of one through-hole group are formed at different positions than the through-holes h2 to hn of the other through-hole group. same. Thereby, in the gas nozzle 170A, the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 corresponding to each other in order are arranged in a staggered manner (in a zigzag pattern) in the circumferential direction. Thereby, when the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11 rotates, the temperature adjustment gas injected from the plurality of through-holes h2 to hn of the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 is supplied to the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W. The entire portion facing the upper surface 170u.

As shown in the fifth paragraph of FIG. 28 , a through hole 172 h is formed in the substantially central portion in the radial direction of the mounting portion of the gas introduction member 177 in the lower surface 170 b of the gas nozzle 170A. The gas introduction member 177 is positioned so that the gas outlet 177c overlaps the through hole 172h, and is attached to the lower surface 170b. In this state, the gas inlet 177a of the gas introduction member 177 faces the inside of the gas nozzle 170A.

As described above, by supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the gas inlet 177a, the temperature adjustment gas is supplied to the internal space 173 via the gas flow path 177b, the gas outlet 177c, and the through hole 172h. Here, no through hole or opening is formed in the portion of the upper surface member 171 located above the through hole 172h. Therefore, the temperature-adjusted gas supplied from the gas introduction member 177 to the internal space 173 first collides with the upper surface member 171 and then diffuses smoothly in the internal space 173 . Thereby, the temperature adjustment gas is smoothly and uniformly guided from the internal space 173 to the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8.

Furthermore, in a state where the substrate W is adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11, the distance D1 between the lower surface of the substrate W and the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzle 170A (see the fifth paragraph of FIG. 28) is set to, for example, 0.5 mm. ~10 mm or so. In addition, the distance D2 between the outer edge of the adsorption holding part 11 and the inner edge of the gas nozzle 170A (refer to the fifth paragraph of FIG. 28 ) is set to about 1 mm to 10 mm, for example.

(2) Second variation

Fig. 29 is a bottom view of the gas nozzle of the second variation. The gas nozzle 170B of the second variation has the same structure as the gas nozzle 170A of the first variation except for the points described below.

As shown in FIG. 29 , one gas introduction member 179 is provided on the lower surface 170b of the gas nozzle 170B instead of the plurality of gas introduction members 177 in FIG. 26 . The gas introduction member 179 basically has the same structure as the gas introduction member 177 .

Furthermore, in this example, the gas flow path 172p is formed inside the lower surface member 172 instead of forming the plurality of through holes 172h in the lower surface member 172 (Fig. 28). In FIG. 29 , the gas flow path 172p is represented by a single-dot chain line and a dot pattern.

The gas flow path 172p has one upstream end and a plurality (eight in this example) of downstream ends de. A mounting portion of the gas introduction member 179 with an upstream end located in the lower surface 170b is capable of receiving the temperature adjustment gas supplied from the gas supply system 18 of FIG. 22 via the gas introduction member 179. The plurality of downstream ends de are located between two adjacent through-hole groups of the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 in plan view, and are open to the internal space 173 of the gas nozzle 170B.

The gas supply system 18 is connected to the gas introduction member 179 . Thereby, the temperature adjustment gas supplied from the gas supply system 18 to one gas introduction member 179 is supplied to a plurality of parts in the internal space 173 via the gas flow path 172p.

(3) Third variation example

Fig. 30 is a top view of the gas nozzle according to the third variation. The gas nozzle 170C of the third modification example has the same structure as the gas nozzle 170A of the first modification example except for the points described below.

As shown in FIG. 30 , in the gas nozzle 170C, 12 through-hole groups g11 to g22 are formed on the upper surface 170u. The plurality of through-hole groups g11 to g22 are arranged in a pinwheel shape at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the gas nozzle 170C. Each of the plurality of through-hole groups g11 to g22 has a structure in which a plurality of through-holes are arranged on a curve extending from the inner edge toward the outer edge of the gas nozzle 170C. Furthermore, in the gas nozzle 170C, a plurality of through holes that do not belong to the plurality of through hole groups g11 to g22 are formed in the inclined portion ut of the upper surface 170u.

In the gas nozzle 170C of the third modification example, the number of through holes capable of injecting the temperature adjustment gas is larger than in the gas nozzles 170A and 170B of the first and second modification examples. This allows the temperature adjustment gas to be supplied more uniformly to multiple portions of the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of the substrate W.

Furthermore, in the radial direction of each of the plurality of through-hole groups g11 to g22, the distance between the centers of two adjacent through-holes is preferably set to be equal to or less than the diameter of each through-hole. In this case, when the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11 rotates, the temperature adjustment gas can be supplied entirely to the portion of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W that faces the upper surface 170u.

(4) Fourth variation

Fig. 31 is a top view of the gas nozzle according to the fourth variation. The gas nozzle 170D of the fourth modification example has the same structure as the gas nozzle 170A of the first modification example except for the points described below.

As shown in FIG. 31 , in the gas nozzle 170D, a plurality of (eight in this example) slit-shaped openings SL are formed on the upper surface 170u instead of the plurality of through-hole groups g1 to g8 ( FIG. 24 ). A plurality of slit-shaped openings SL are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the gas nozzle 170D. Each slit-shaped opening SL is formed to linearly extend from the vicinity of the inner edge of the gas nozzle 170D to the vicinity of the outer edge.

With this structure, when the gas nozzle 170D is used, the temperature adjustment gas is injected from the internal space 173 of the gas nozzle 170D through each slit-shaped opening SL into the space above the upper surface 170u.

(5) Fifth variation example

Fig. 32 is an external perspective view of the gas nozzle according to the fifth variation. The gas nozzle 170E of the fifth modification example has the same structure as the gas nozzle 170A of the first modification example except for the points described below.

As shown in FIG. 32 , the gas nozzle 170E includes a plate-shaped annular member 180 surrounding the upper end of the upper surface member 171 of the gas nozzle 170A. The annular member 180 has an upper surface 180u surrounding the upper surface 170u of the upper surface member 171, and is integrally formed with the upper surface member 171. The upper surface 170u and the upper surface 180u become the same plane. In Fig. 32, the outer edge of the upper surface 170u of the upper surface member 171 is represented by a single-dot chain line.

FIG. 33 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the gas nozzle 170E and the substrate W held by the adsorption holding part 11 in the fifth modification example. As shown in FIG. 33 , the upper surface 170u of the upper surface member 171 faces a portion of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W including the inner edge. On the other hand, the upper surface 180u of the annular member 180 faces another part of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W.

When the substrate W is rotated by the adsorption holding portion 11, the temperature adjustment gas is sprayed from the plurality of through holes h1 to hn on the upper surface 170u to a portion of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W including the inner edge. At this time, the upper surface 180u of the gas nozzle 170E guides the temperature-adjusted gas sprayed above the upper surface 170u toward the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. Thereby, the space between the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W and the upper surfaces 170u and 180u of the gas nozzle 170E is generated from the adsorption holding portion 11 toward the outer peripheral end of the substrate W, as shown by the thick solid arrow in FIG. 33 The temperature of the part regulates the flow of gas. As a result, when the resist liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11, the resist liquid that has been supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W can be prevented from flowing back to the substrate W through the outer peripheral end. lower surface.

[3] Regarding the second confirmation test of coating unevenness

The present inventor has proposed that the coating device 1 provided with the gas nozzle 170A of the first modification performs the coating process on the substrate W while supplying a temperature-adjusted gas of a specific temperature to the substrate W from the gas nozzle 170A at a specific flow rate. The substrate W obtained by this coating process is called an example substrate. Furthermore, the present inventors performed the coating process on the substrate W without supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the substrate W. The substrate W obtained by this coating process is called a comparative example substrate.

Then, the present inventors measured the film thickness distribution of the resist film on a straight line passing through the center of each substrate W on the example substrate and the comparative example substrate. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution of the resist film in the example substrate and the comparative example substrate of the second embodiment.

In FIG. 34 , like the example of FIG. 21 , the vertical axis represents the film thickness of the resist film, and the horizontal axis represents the position on a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W. Furthermore, on the horizontal axis, "0" represents the center of the substrate W. In addition, "150" represents one end of a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W on the surface of the substrate W, and "-150" represents the other end of a straight line passing through the center of the substrate W on the surface of the substrate W. Moreover, in this example, the positions of "75" and "-75" on the horizontal axis represent the position of the inner edge of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W (the outer edge of the above-mentioned held area). Furthermore, in FIG. 34 , the thick solid line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the example substrate, and the dotted line represents the film thickness distribution corresponding to the comparative example substrate.

As shown in FIG. 34 , in the comparative example substrate, the film thickness becomes locally smaller at the outer edge of the held region and its vicinity. This shows that the second coating unevenness clearly occurs in the comparative example substrate.

On the other hand, regarding the Example substrate, no significant reduction in film thickness was observed at the outer edge of the retained area and its vicinity. Therefore, it is found that the occurrence of second coating unevenness is suppressed.

3. Other implementations

(1) In the rotation holding device 10 of the above embodiment, in order to prevent the first coating unevenness in FIG. 12 from occurring on the substrate W after the coating process, the adsorption holding portion 11 of the first and second structural examples is used. In addition, a gas nozzle 17 and a gas supply system 18 are provided in order to prevent the second coating unevenness shown in FIG. 15 from occurring on the substrate W after the coating process. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

The rotation holding device 10 of the present invention only needs to be able to prevent at least one of the first and second coating unevenness from occurring. Therefore, if the adsorption holding part 11 is provided in each coating device 1 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 22, the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 do not need to be provided. In addition, if the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 are provided in each of the coating devices 1 of FIGS. 1 and 22 , the adsorption holding part 99 of the reference type in FIG. 10 may be provided instead of the first and second structural examples. The adsorption holding part 11 is sucked.

(2) The rotation holding device 10 of the above embodiment is used in the coating device 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The rotation holding device 10 may be used in a substrate processing device that performs processing other than coating processing on the substrate W instead of the coating device 1 . For example, the rotation holding device 10 can also be used as a substrate cleaning device for etching the upper surface of the substrate W on which a specific film is formed. In this case, in the substrate cleaning device, the etching liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part 11 .

(3) In the rotation holding device 10 of the above embodiment, the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 are provided in order to prevent the second coating unevenness in FIG. 15 from occurring in the substrate W after the coating process. However, the present invention does not It is not limited to this.

In order to prevent the second coating unevenness shown in FIG. 15 from occurring in the substrate W after the coating process, a lamp heater capable of locally heating the back surface of the substrate W with radiant heat can be used instead of the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 .

(4) In the rotation holding device 10 of FIG. 22 of the second embodiment, in order to prevent the second coating unevenness of FIG. 15 from occurring in the substrate W after the coating process, four parts of the substrate W are heated. Four gas nozzles 17 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to provide two, three, or five or more gas nozzles 17 in the rotation holding device 10 of the second embodiment to supply the temperature adjustment gas to a plurality of parts of the substrate W simultaneously. In this case, the plurality of gas nozzles 17 may be arranged along the radial direction of the substrate W adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part 11 , or may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the substrate W.

(5) In the rotation holding device 10 of the above embodiment, according to the temperature distribution of the substrate W during the coating process, in order to make the temperature of the entire substrate W uniform, the gas nozzle 17 can also supply the substrate W with a temperature lower than the processing temperature. Temperature regulating gas. That is, the gas nozzle 17 and the gas supply system 18 may be configured to locally cool a part of the substrate W so that the temperatures of the plurality of parts of the substrate W can be made uniform.

(6) In the coating device 1 of the above embodiment, the substrate W to be processed has at least a partially circular outer peripheral end portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. The substrate W to be processed may have at least a part of an elliptical outer peripheral end, or may have at least a part of a polygonal outer peripheral end.

(7) In the coating device 1 of the above embodiment, the edge portion is formed on the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate W to be processed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The edge portion may not be formed on the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate W to be processed.

(8) In the gas nozzle 17 used in the rotation holding device 10 of FIGS. 1 and 22 of the first and second embodiments, the gas ejection part 17b has a slit-shaped opening, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 35 is an external perspective view showing another structural example of the gas ejection part 17b in the gas nozzle 17 of FIGS. 1 and 22 . In FIG. 35 , only the structure of the gas ejection part 17 b of the gas nozzle 17 and its surrounding parts are enlarged and shown. As shown in FIG. 35 , the gas ejection portion 17b of the gas nozzle 17 may include a plurality of vertical holes arranged in a straight line. In this example, the plurality of vertical holes each have a circular opening facing upward. According to this structure, the temperature adjustment gas is injected upward from the plurality of vertical holes at the upper end of the gas nozzle 17 . Thereby, a curtain-like air flow toward the substrate W is generated from the gas nozzle 17 . Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 35 , the gas ejection part 17 b includes ten vertical holes, but the number of vertical holes constituting the gas ejection part 17 b is not limited to ten. It can be less than 10 or more than 10.

When the gas ejection part 17b of the gas nozzle 17 includes a plurality of vertical holes arranged in a straight line, the inner diameter of the circular opening of each vertical hole can be determined according to the position where the vertical hole is formed. FIG. 36 is an external perspective view showing another structural example of the gas ejection part 17b in the gas nozzle 17 of FIGS. 1 and 22 . In the example of Fig. 36, among the 13 vertical holes constituting the gas ejection part 17b, the size of the five vertical holes existing in the range from the center of the gas nozzle 17 to the side part sp1 is larger than that from the center of the gas nozzle 17 to the side part sp1. The size of the eight vertical holes existing in the range of the other side part sp2 is large. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 36 , the inner diameter of each vertical hole existing in the range from the center of the gas nozzle 17 to one side sp1 is 2 mm, and from the center of the gas nozzle 17 to the other side The inner diameter of each longitudinal hole existing within the range of sp2 is 1 mm.

In this way, by defining the sizes of the plurality of vertical holes constituting the gas ejection part 17b according to their positions, the temperature adjustment gas can be ejected at mutually different flow rates from the plurality of parts of the gas ejection part 17b. For example, the gas nozzle 17 in FIG. 36 is arranged so that one side part sp1 and the other side part sp2 are sequentially away from the outer peripheral end of the adsorption holding part 11.

In this case, a plurality of vertical holes with large sizes and a plurality of vertical holes with small sizes are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the adsorption holding portion 11 . Thereby, a plurality of vertical holes with large sizes are opposed to the portion of the substrate W located near the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding portion 11 , and a plurality of vertical holes with small sizes are opposed to the portion located with the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding portion 11 . Parts of the substrate W located at a specific distance on the outside face each other. Therefore, more temperature adjustment gas can be supplied to the portion of the substrate W located near the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding portion 11 than to the portion of the substrate W located at a specific distance outward from the outer peripheral end of the adsorption and holding portion 11 . As a result, the temperature of each part of the substrate W can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 36 , the gas ejection part 17 b includes 13 vertical holes, but the number of vertical holes constituting the gas ejection part 17 b is not limited to 13. It can be less than 13 or more than 13. Furthermore, the sizes of the plurality of vertical holes constituting the gas ejection part 17b are not limited to two types, and may be three or more types. Alternatively, the sizes of all of the plurality of vertical holes constituting the gas ejection portion 17b may be different from each other.

(9) Each gas nozzle 17 in FIGS. 22 and 23 of the second embodiment may be mounted on the casing of the coating device 1 so as to be position-adjustable with respect to the adsorption holding part 11 . 37 and 38 are schematic plan views of the coating device 1 showing an example of position adjustment of some of the gas nozzles 17 among the plurality of gas nozzles 17 in FIGS. 22 and 23 .

As shown by the hollow arrows in FIGS. 37 and 38 , in the coating device 1 of this example, the positions of the plurality of gas nozzles 17 can be adjusted in the direction of approach and the direction of separation from the adsorption holding part 11 . In the example of FIG. 37 , three of the four gas nozzles 17 are fixed close to the adsorption and holding part 11 , and one gas nozzle 17 is fixed at a specific distance from the adsorption and holding part 11 . Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 38 , two of the four gas nozzles 17 are fixed close to the adsorption and holding part 11 , and the two gas nozzles 17 are fixed at a specific distance from the adsorption and holding part 11 .

In this way, by appropriately adjusting the positions of the plurality of gas nozzles 17 relative to the adsorption holding portion 11, a plurality of portions (plural of annular shapes) in the radial direction of the lower surface of the substrate W held on the adsorption holding portion 11 can be adsorbed. Part) supplies the required amount of temperature adjustment gas.

4. Correspondence between each component of the technical solution and each element of the implementation

Hereinafter, examples corresponding to each component of the technical solution and each component of the embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, the rotation holding device 10 is an example of the rotation holding device, the suction holding part 11 is an example of the suction holding part, the upper surface 11u is an example of the upper surface, and the rotation shaft 12 and the rotation driving part 13 are one of the rotation driving parts. For example, the rotating shaft 12 and the central axis 11c are examples of rotating shafts.

Furthermore, the peripheral region R1 is an example of the peripheral region, the central region R2 is an example of the central region, the suction hole vh1 is an example of the first suction hole, and the suction hole vh2 is an example of the second suction hole. The angular pitch α is an example of the angular pitch of the first suction hole, the angular pitch β is an example of the angular pitch of the second suction hole, the linear path LP is an example of a linear path, and the circular path RP is an example of a circular path. example.

Furthermore, the gas nozzle 17, the gas supply system 18 and the gas nozzles 170A to 170E are examples of the temperature adjustment part and the gas supply part, and the upper surface 170u of the gas nozzles 170A to 170E is an example of the first annular facing surface, and a plurality of them penetrate The plurality of through holes h1 to hn of the hole groups g1 to g8 are examples of a plurality of gas injection ports, the upper surface 180u of the gas nozzle 170E is an example of the second annular facing surface, and the processing liquid supply device 20 is a processing liquid supply device. For example, the coating device 1 is an example of a substrate processing device. As each component of the technical solution, various other elements having the configuration or function described in the technical solution may also be used.

1: Coating device 10: Rotation holding device 11: Adsorption and holding part 11c:Central axis 11u: Upper surface 12:Rotation axis 13: Rotary drive part 14:Suction device 15: Protective cover 15d: Drainage port 15x: bottom 15y: Peripheral wall 16: Drainage guide tube 17:Gas nozzle 17a:Gas introduction part 17b: Gas ejection part 17v: Gas supply path 18:Gas supply system 20: Treatment liquid supply device 21:Liquid nozzle 22: Treatment liquid supply system 40: Disc-shaped member 41:Adsorption part 42: Suction path forming part 43:Support Department 43a:Installation Department 43b: Connected hole 50: Ring-shaped component 51: Bottom 52: Peripheral wall 60: Upper circular component 60b: Lower surface 61: Adsorption part 62: Peripheral wall 65:Screw hole 70: Lower circular component 71:Support Department 71a: Installation Department 72: Peripheral wall 72g: slot 73:Connecting hole 74:Through hole 79:Sealing components 99: Adsorption and holding part 99c:Central axis 99u: Upper surface 170A:Gas nozzle 170B:Gas nozzle 170C:Gas nozzle 170D:Gas nozzle 170E:Gas nozzle 170b: Lower surface 170u: upper surface 171: Upper surface component 172: Lower surface member 172h:Through hole 172p: Gas flow path 173:Internal space 177:Gas introduction component 177a:Gas inlet 177b: Gas flow path 177c: Gas outlet 178: Fixed components 179:Gas introduction component 180: Ring-shaped member 180u: upper surface BL: screw component C1: 1st circle C2: 2nd circle C3: The third circle D1: distance D2: distance de: downstream end g1～g8: through hole group g11～g22: through hole group h1~hn: through hole LG: Linear groove LP: straight path md:distance nc: non-contact part pt:processing temperature pt1: 1st spacing pt2: 2nd spacing R1: Peripheral area R2: Central area RG: annular groove part RL: Resist liquid RP: ring path s1: 1st temperature sensor s2: 2nd temperature sensor SL: slit-like opening sp1: one side sp2: the other side t1: time point t2: time point tt: target film thickness ut: inclined part vh: suction hole vh1: suction hole vh2: suction hole vp: inhalation path W: substrate α: angular distance β: angular distance

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the coating device of FIG. 1 . Figure 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the gas nozzle. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the adsorption and holding portion of the first structural example. Fig. 5 is a top view of the adsorption holding portion of Fig. 4 of the first structural example. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the adsorption holding portion of Fig. 5 taken along line A-A. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the adsorption and holding portion of the second structural example. Figure 8 is a bottom view of the circular component in Figure 7 . Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the adsorption holding portion of the second structural example. Fig. 10 is a top view of the adsorption holding portion of the reference system. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the adsorption and holding portion taken along line B-B in Fig. 10 . FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an example of the first coating unevenness produced on the substrate after the coating process using the suction holding portion of the reference method. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the first mechanism inferred from the generation of the first coating unevenness in FIG. 12 . FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the second mechanism inferred from the generation of the first coating unevenness in FIG. 12 . FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an example of second coating unevenness produced on a substrate after coating treatment. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mechanism estimated to cause the second coating unevenness in FIG. 15 . FIG. 17 is a plan view for explaining a portion of the substrate to be measured for film thickness in the first confirmation test of coating unevenness. Fig. 18 is a graph showing the results of the confirmation test regarding the first coating unevenness. Fig. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating device for explaining the temperature adjustment confirmation test. Figure 20 is a graph showing the results of the temperature adjustment confirmation test. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution of the resist film in four substrates after coating processing was performed in a state where the gas supply forms from the gas nozzles to the substrates were different from each other. Fig. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a basic structural example of the coating device according to the second embodiment. Fig. 23 is a schematic plan view of the coating device of Fig. 22. Fig. 24 is an external perspective view of the gas nozzle according to the first variation. Figure 25 is a top view of the gas nozzle of Figure 24. Figure 26 is a bottom view of the gas nozzle of Figure 24. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the gas nozzle and the adsorption holding part in the first modification example of the coating device. Fig. 28 is a longitudinal sectional view of several parts of the adsorption holding portion and the gas nozzle of Fig. 27; Fig. 29 is a bottom view of the gas nozzle of the second variation. Fig. 30 is a top view of the gas nozzle according to the third variation. Fig. 31 is a top view of the gas nozzle according to the fourth variation. Fig. 32 is an external perspective view of the gas nozzle according to the fifth variation. 33 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the gas nozzle and the substrate held by the adsorption holding part according to the fifth modification example. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution of the resist film in the example substrate and the comparative example substrate of the second embodiment. FIG. 35 is an external perspective view showing another structural example of the gas ejection part in the gas nozzle of FIGS. 1 and 22 . FIG. 36 is an external perspective view showing another structural example of the gas ejection part in the gas nozzle of FIGS. 1 and 22 . FIG. 37 is a schematic plan view of a coating device showing an example of position adjustment of some of the gas nozzles in FIGS. 22 and 23 . FIG. 38 is a schematic plan view of a coating device showing an example of position adjustment of some of the gas nozzles in FIGS. 22 and 23 .

1: Coating device

10: Rotation holding device

11: Adsorption and holding part

11u: Upper surface

12:Rotation axis

13: Rotary drive part

14:Suction device

15: Protective cover

15d: Drainage port

15x: bottom

15y: Peripheral wall

16: Drainage guide tube

17:Gas nozzle

17b: Gas ejection part

18:Gas supply system

20: Treatment liquid supply device

21:Liquid nozzle

22: Treatment liquid supply system

vp: inhalation path

W: substrate

Claims (20)

A rotation holding device that rotates while adsorbing and holding the center portion of the lower surface of a substrate, and includes: an adsorption and holding portion having an overall flat upper surface that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation drive part, which allows the above-mentioned adsorption and holding part to rotate around a rotation axis extending in the up and down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: a peripheral part area along the outer edge; and a central part area surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral part area; in the above-mentioned peripheral part A plurality of first suction holes are provided in the region, a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than that in the central region The surface density of the plurality of second suction holes mentioned above. A rotation holding device that rotates a substrate while adsorbing and holding the center portion of a lower surface of a substrate, and includes: an adsorption holding portion having an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation driving portion, which The above-mentioned adsorption holding part is rotated around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: A peripheral region along the outer edge; and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region; a plurality of first suction holes are provided in the peripheral region, and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region suction holes, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the above-mentioned peripheral area is greater than the area density of the above-mentioned plurality of second suction holes in the above-mentioned central area; the above-mentioned plurality of first suction holes are The plurality of second suction holes are arranged on at least one first circle centered on the rotating axis in the peripheral area, and the plurality of second suction holes are arranged on at least one first circle centered on the rotating axis in the central area. The linear density of the plurality of first suction holes on the second circle, and on each first circle in the above-mentioned peripheral area, is higher than that of the above-mentioned plurality of second suction holes on any second circle in the above-mentioned central area. The linear density of suction holes is large. The rotation holding device of claim 2, wherein the number of the first suction holes on each first circle in the peripheral area is greater than the number of the first suction holes on any second circle in the central area. The number of second suction holes is large. The rotation holding device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the angular distance between two adjacent first suction holes on each first circle in the above-mentioned peripheral area is larger than that of any second circle in the above-mentioned central area. The angular distance between the two adjacent second suction holes is small. A rotation holding device that absorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of a substrate while rotating it, and includes: An adsorption holding part has an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation drive part that rotates the adsorption and holding part around a rotation axis extending in the up and down direction; the upper surface includes: a peripheral region, It is along the outer edge; and a central region is surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral region; a plurality of first suction holes are provided in the above-mentioned peripheral region, and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the above-mentioned central region, and The surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the above-mentioned peripheral region is greater than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the above-mentioned central region; the above-mentioned adsorption and holding part includes: a plurality of linear paths, which The formation overlaps with the central area in a plan view and extends linearly from the rotation axis to the outer edge of the adsorption holding portion, so that the gas on the upper surface sucked by the plurality of second suction holes is , guided to the outside of the above-mentioned suction holding part; and an annular path formed to overlap with the above-mentioned peripheral area in a plan view and surround the above-mentioned plurality of linear paths, and to suck the above-mentioned first suction holes. The gas on the upper surface is guided to the outside of the above-mentioned adsorption and holding part. A rotation holding device that absorbs and holds a central portion of a lower surface of a substrate while rotating it, and includes an absorbing and holding portion having an upper surface that absorbs and holds the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate. surface; and a rotation drive part that rotates the above-mentioned adsorption and holding part around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: a peripheral area along the outer edge; and a central area surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral area ; A plurality of first suction holes are provided in the above-mentioned peripheral region, a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the above-mentioned central region, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the above-mentioned peripheral region is, Greater than the area density of the plurality of second suction holes in the above-mentioned central region; in the above-mentioned peripheral region, at least a part of the plurality of first suction holes are displaced in the rotation direction centered on the above-mentioned rotation axis arrangement. A rotation holding device that rotates a substrate while adsorbing and holding the center portion of a lower surface of a substrate, and includes: an adsorption holding portion having an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation driving portion, which The above-mentioned adsorption and holding part is rotated around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: a peripheral area along the outer edge; and a central area surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral area; the above-mentioned peripheral area is provided with A plurality of first suction holes, A plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region, and the surface density of the first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than that of the second suction holes in the central region. Area density; at least part of the first suction holes formed at the position farthest from the rotation axis among the plurality of first suction holes has a smaller diameter than the other first suction holes and the plurality of second suction holes. . A rotation holding device that rotates a substrate while adsorbing and holding the center portion of a lower surface of a substrate, and includes: an adsorption holding portion having an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation driving portion, which The above-mentioned adsorption and holding part is rotated around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: a peripheral area along the outer edge; and a central area surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral area; the above-mentioned peripheral area is provided with A plurality of first suction holes and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than that in the central region. The surface density of the plurality of second suction holes; the above-mentioned upper surface has a circular shape, and the diameter of the above-mentioned upper surface is within 15% of the diameter of the above-mentioned substrate with the radius of the above-mentioned substrate as the central value. A rotation holding device that rotates a substrate while adsorbing and holding the center portion of a lower surface of a substrate, and includes: an adsorption holding portion having an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; and a rotation driving portion, which The above-mentioned adsorption and holding part is rotated around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction; the above-mentioned upper surface includes: a peripheral area along the outer edge; and a central area surrounded by the above-mentioned peripheral area; the above-mentioned peripheral area is provided with A plurality of first suction holes and a plurality of second suction holes are provided in the central region, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than that in the central region. The surface density of the plurality of second suction holes; the rotation holding device further includes a temperature adjustment part, the temperature adjustment part adjusts the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part in a state where the adsorption and holding part adsorbs and holds the substrate part of the temperature. The rotation holding device of claim 9, wherein the temperature adjustment part is based on the temperature of the part of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part, and is consistent with or close to the temperature of the part of the substrate that is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding part. In this way, the temperature of the portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion is adjusted. A rotation holding device that absorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of a substrate while holding it Rotate, and include: an adsorption holding portion that adsorbs and holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate; a rotation drive portion that rotates the adsorption and holding portion around a rotation axis extending in the up and down direction; and a temperature adjustment portion that adsorbs and holds the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate In a state where the substrate is adsorbed and held by the holding portion, the temperature of at least a portion of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate that is not adsorbed and held by the adsorbing and holding portion is adjusted. The rotation holding device according to claim 11, wherein the temperature adjustment portion includes a gas supply portion that supplies a temperature adjustment gas to at least a portion of the lower surface peripheral portion. The rotation holding device according to claim 12, wherein the temperature-adjusting gas system is a gas adjusted in the following manner: by supplying to at least a part of the lower surface peripheral portion, the portion of the substrate including the lower surface peripheral portion is The temperature is consistent with or close to the temperature of the portion of the substrate including the central portion of the lower surface. The rotation holding device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the gas supply unit supplies the temperature adjustment gas to a region of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate including an inner edge of the lower surface peripheral portion. The rotation holding device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the gas supply part is configured to be capable of feeding a plurality of different portions of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate in a state where the substrate is adsorbed and held by the adsorption holding part. , while injecting the above-mentioned temperature adjustment gas. The rotation holding device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the gas supply part includes a first annular facing surface that surrounds the adsorption and holding part and is in contact with the substrate in a state where the adsorption and holding part adsorbs and holds the substrate. At least a part of the peripheral portion of the lower surface faces each other; and a plurality of gas injection openings are formed on the first annular facing surface. The plurality of gas injection openings are in a state where the substrate is adsorbed and held by the adsorption and holding portion. The temperature adjustment gas is simultaneously sprayed onto at least a portion of the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate. The rotation holding device according to claim 16, wherein at least part of the plurality of gas injection ports are dispersedly arranged in the rotation direction centered on the rotation axis. The rotation holding device according to claim 16, wherein the first annular facing surface is opposed to the first annular portion of the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate in a state where the adsorption holding portion adsorbs and holds the substrate. , and the above-mentioned gas supply part further includes a second annular facing surface, the second annular facing surface is provided to surround the above-mentioned first annular facing surface, and in a state where the above-mentioned adsorption holding part adsorbs and holds the above-mentioned substrate. , facing the second annular portion surrounding the first annular portion in the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate, the temperature adjustment gas injected from the plurality of gas injection holes on the first annular facing surface, Guide it to the outer peripheral end of the above-mentioned substrate. The rotation holding device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the adsorption and holding portion has an upper surface that adsorbs and holds the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate, The upper surface includes: a peripheral region along the outer edge; and a central region surrounded by the peripheral region; and a plurality of first suction holes are provided in the peripheral region and a plurality of first suction holes are provided in the central region. There are a plurality of second suction holes, and the surface density of the plurality of first suction holes in the peripheral region is greater than the surface density of the plurality of second suction holes in the central region. A substrate processing device that performs specific processing on a substrate and includes: a rotation holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 19; and a processing liquid supply device that adsorbs and holds the substrate by the adsorption holding portion and The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate while being rotated by the rotation drive unit.