TWI827088B - Substrate processing device and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can reduce contamination of a treatment liquid affected by the heat of plasma treatment. The substrate processing apparatus (processing unit 132) includes a holding part 1 for holding the substrate W, a processing liquid supply part for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1, and a plasma irradiation part (plasma reactor 31). , the substrate W held by the holding part 1 is irradiated with plasma; the moving mechanism (plasma reactor moving mechanism 33) is used to position the plasma irradiating part (plasma reactor 31) between the standby position and the plasma processing position. Movement, the standby position is a position where plasma is not irradiated to the substrate W held by the holding part 1, the plasma processing position is a position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate W held by the holding part 1; and the gas flow forming part 4 is formed along the The gas flows on the opposing surface 310 facing the substrate W in the plasma irradiation part (plasma reactor 31).

Description

Substrate processing device and substrate processing method

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

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, plasma may be used for substrate processing. In most cases, since plasma is generated by applying a relatively high voltage to the electrodes, it is unavoidable to prevent the electrodes from heating up. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an electrode is air-cooled in an apparatus using a plasma processing substrate to suppress an increase in temperature of the electrode. [Prior technical literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-68710.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in a treatment process using plasma, plasma and treatment liquid may be used together. For example, there is a processing process as follows: supplying a processing liquid to a substrate, and further irradiating the substrate to which the processing liquid has been supplied (that is, the substrate on which a liquid film of the processing liquid is formed) with plasma. The processing solution is used to treat the substrate.

In a treatment process that uses plasma and a processing liquid together, there is a possibility that when the plasma is irradiated, the processing liquid gas is supplied to the substrate due to heat energy from the heated electrode and heat energy from the plasma itself. vaporize or mist. The vaporized or mist-formed treatment liquid floats and adheres to surrounding components, etc., thereby becoming a source of contamination to the components.

The present invention was developed in view of this problem, and aims to provide a technology that can reduce contamination of a treatment liquid affected by the heat of plasma treatment. [Means used to solve problems]

A substrate processing apparatus of a first aspect includes: a holding unit for holding a substrate; a processing liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit; and a plasma irradiation unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The substrate is irradiated with plasma; the moving mechanism moves the plasma irradiation part between a standby position and a plasma processing position. The standby position is a position where the substrate held by the holding part is not irradiated with plasma. The plasma The processing position is a position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate held by the holding part; and the gas flow forming part forms a gas flow along an opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part facing the substrate.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the gas flow forming unit is provided with a first gas nozzle facing the plasma irradiation unit disposed in the standby position. Gas is ejected from the opposite surface.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the gas ejection direction from the first gas nozzle is relative to the plasma irradiation unit disposed in the standby position. A direction that is not at right angles to the surface.

A fourth aspect provides a substrate processing apparatus as described in the second or third aspect, wherein the gas ejected from the first gas nozzle is nitrogen gas.

A fifth aspect of the substrate processing apparatus is the substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the gas flow forming part is provided with: a second gas nozzle, which is supplied from the plasma The gas is ejected into the facing surface of the irradiation part.

A sixth aspect of the substrate processing apparatus is the substrate processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, wherein the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is nitrogen gas.

A seventh aspect provides a substrate processing apparatus as described in the fifth aspect, wherein the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is a gas containing oxygen.

The substrate processing apparatus according to an eighth aspect is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the processing liquid is sulfuric acid.

A ninth aspect is a substrate processing method, which includes: a processing liquid supply step of supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; and a first moving step of moving the plasma irradiation unit from a standby position to The plasma processing position, the standby position is a position that does not irradiate the substrate with plasma, and the plasma processing position is a position that irradiates the substrate with plasma; the second moving step is from the plasma processing position disposed at the plasma processing position. The plasma irradiation part irradiates the substrate with plasma to perform plasma processing, and then moves the plasma irradiation part from the plasma processing position to the standby position; and a gas flow forming step is to form a gas flow along the center of the plasma irradiation part. The gas flows on the surface facing the substrate.

A tenth aspect of the substrate processing method is the substrate processing method of the ninth aspect, wherein the gas flow forming step is performed in a state where the plasma irradiation unit is arranged in the standby position.

A substrate processing method according to an eleventh aspect is the substrate processing method according to the tenth aspect, wherein the gas flow forming step is started at the same time that the plasma irradiation part is arranged in the standby position.

A twelfth aspect provides a substrate processing method as described in the tenth aspect or the eleventh aspect, wherein a gas flow of nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step.

A thirteenth aspect of the substrate processing method is the substrate processing method of the ninth aspect, wherein the gas flow forming step is performed in a state where the plasma irradiation part is arranged at the plasma processing position.

A fourteenth aspect provides a substrate processing method as described in the thirteenth aspect, wherein the gas flow forming step is started after the plasma treatment is completed.

A fifteenth aspect provides a substrate processing method as described in the fourteenth aspect, wherein a gas flow of nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step.

A sixteenth aspect provides a substrate processing method as described in the thirteenth aspect, wherein the gas flow forming step is started before the plasma treatment is completed.

A seventeenth aspect provides a substrate processing method as described in the sixteenth aspect, wherein a gas flow of oxygen-containing gas is formed in the gas flow forming step.

The substrate processing method of the eighteenth aspect is the substrate processing method described in any one of the ninth aspect to the seventeenth aspect, wherein the aforementioned processing liquid is sulfuric acid. [Invention effect]

A substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect includes a gas flow forming unit that forms a gas flow along an opposing surface of the plasma irradiation unit. By forming such a gas flow, the processing liquid that is vaporized or atomized due to the thermal influence of plasma processing can be pushed to the outside direction of the opposing surface. Therefore, the treatment liquid that is vaporized or mist-formed is suppressed from adhering to the opposite surface. That is, contamination of the treatment liquid affected by the heat of plasma treatment is reduced.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the second aspect, since the gas flow forming unit is provided with the first gas nozzle for ejecting the gas toward the opposite surface of the plasma irradiation unit arranged in the standby position, it is possible to easily and reliably form the gas flow along the opposite surface. Surface gas flow.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the third aspect, since the ejection direction of the gas from the first gas nozzle is a direction that is not perpendicular to the opposing surface, it is possible to vaporize or atomize the gas existing near the opposing surface. The treatment liquid is efficiently pushed to the outside direction of the opposing surface.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, since the gas ejected from the first gas nozzle is nitrogen gas, it is difficult for the gas to flow along the opposing surface and the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid present near the opposing surface to occur. reaction to this situation.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the gas flow forming unit includes a second gas nozzle that injects the gas from within the surface facing the plasma irradiation unit. For example, when the gas is ejected from the second gas nozzle with the plasma irradiation unit disposed at the plasma processing position, the gas system flows into the space between the opposing surface and the substrate that is close to and opposed to the opposing surface, This creates a gas flow along the opposing surfaces. In this way, according to the second gas nozzle, the gas flow along the opposing surface can be easily and reliably formed by utilizing, for example, the positional relationship between the opposing surface and the substrate.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, since the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is nitrogen gas, it is difficult for the gas to flow along the opposing surface and the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid present near the opposing surface to occur. reaction to this situation.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, since the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is a gas containing oxygen, the vaporized or atomized processing liquid can be pushed not only by the gas flow along the opposite surface, but also by This gas flow promotes the generation of plasma.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the eighth aspect, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate is sulfuric acid. In this case, when sulfuric acid that is vaporized or atomized due to the thermal influence of plasma processing adheres to, for example, the surface opposite to the plasma irradiation part and condenses, the condensation absorbs moisture in the air and grows. The possibility of forming droplets of dilute sulfuric acid. When such droplets are formed, there is a concern that the droplets may drip down and contaminate the substrate. As described above, in this type of substrate processing apparatus, a gas flow is formed along the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation unit, thereby suppressing the adhesion of vaporized or mist-formed sulfuric acid to the opposing surface, thereby preventing such a situation from occurring in advance. .

According to the substrate processing method of the ninth aspect, the substrate processing method includes: a gas flow forming step of forming a gas flow along the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part. By forming such a gas flow, the processing liquid that is vaporized or atomized due to the thermal influence of the plasma processing is suppressed from adhering to the opposite surface. That is, contamination of the treatment liquid affected by the heat of plasma treatment is reduced.

According to the substrate processing method of the tenth aspect, the gas flow is formed along the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part in a state where the plasma irradiation part is arranged in the standby position. Since the opposing surface faces a wider space when the plasma irradiation unit is arranged in the standby position, the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid can be fully pushed to the outside of the opposing surface. Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed treatment liquid to the opposing surface can be sufficiently suppressed.

According to the substrate processing method of the eleventh aspect, since the gas flow starts when the plasma irradiation part is arranged in the standby position, the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid can be pushed to the opposite surface at an early stage. lateral direction. Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed treatment liquid to the opposing surface is effectively suppressed.

According to the substrate processing method of the twelfth aspect, since the gas flow of the nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step, the gas flow along the opposing surface and the vaporization or mist formation existing near the opposing surface are less likely to occur. Treat this state of affairs of liquid reaction.

According to the substrate processing method of the thirteenth aspect, the gas flow is formed along the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part in a state where the plasma irradiation part is arranged at the plasma processing position. With the plasma irradiation unit disposed at the plasma processing position, the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid fills a relatively narrow space between the opposing surface and the substrate. In this state, a process liquid is formed along the opposing surface. The gas flow toward the surface can effectively push the vaporized or atomized treatment liquid to the outside direction of the opposite surface. Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed treatment liquid to the opposing surface can be sufficiently suppressed.

According to the substrate processing method of the fourteenth aspect, since the gas flow along the opposite surface is started after the plasma processing is completed, the plasma processing is not affected by the gas flow.

According to the substrate processing method of the fifteenth aspect, since the gas flow of the nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step, the gas flow along the opposing surface and the vaporization or mist formation existing near the opposing surface are less likely to occur. Treat this state of affairs of liquid reaction.

According to the substrate processing method of the sixteenth aspect, since the gas flow along the opposite surface is started before the plasma processing is completed, the throughput can be increased.

According to the substrate processing method of the seventeenth aspect, since the gas flow of the oxygen-containing gas is formed in the gas flow forming step, not only the gasified or mist-formed processing liquid is pushed by the gas flow along the opposite surface, but also the gaseous or mist-formed processing liquid is pushed. The gas flow can promote the generation of plasma.

According to the substrate processing method of the eighteenth aspect, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate is sulfuric acid. As described above, in this substrate processing method, by forming a gas flow along the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part, adhesion of vaporized or atomized sulfuric acid to the opposing surface is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sulfuric acid adhering to the opposite surface from absorbing moisture in the air, growing into droplets of diluted sulfuric acid, and dripping to cause contamination of the substrate.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the structural elements described in the embodiment are only examples, and the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to these structural elements. In order to facilitate understanding, the size or quantity of each part may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary in the drawings.

Unless otherwise specified, expressions used to express relative or absolute positional relationships (such as "in one direction", "along one direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric") and "coaxial", etc.) not only strictly expresses the indicated positional relationship, but also indicates a state in which the angle or distance has been relatively displaced within a tolerance or within the range where the same degree of function can be obtained. Unless otherwise stated, expressions used to express equal states (such as "same", "equal", "homogeneous", etc.) not only express quantitatively and strictly equal states, but also indicate the existence of tolerances or the ability to obtain the same The degree of function error status. Unless otherwise specified, expressions used to express shapes (such as "circular shape", "rectangular shape" or "cylindrical shape", etc.) not only geometrically and strictly represent the referred shape, but also express Shapes such as concavities and convexes or chamfers are provided within the range in which the same degree of effect can be obtained. The expressions of "having", "having", "having", "containing" or "including" a constituent element are not exclusive expressions that exclude the existence of other constituent elements. The expression "at least one of A, B and C" includes "only A", "only B", "only C", "any two of A to C" and "all of A to C" .

[1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Overall structure of substrate processing system 100] The structure of the substrate processing system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a top view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing system 100 .

The substrate processing system 100 is a processing system for performing predetermined processing on the substrate W to be processed, and includes an interface unit 110 , an indexer unit 120 , a main body unit 130 and a control unit 140 . The substrate W to be processed in the substrate processing system 100 is, for example, a semiconductor substrate. In addition, the shape of the substrate W to be processed is, for example, a disk shape, and the size (diameter) of the substrate W is, for example, about 300 mm.

The interface portion 110 is an interface for connecting a carrier C to the substrate processing system 100. The carrier C is a substrate storage container for accommodating a plurality of substrates W; specifically, the interface portion 110 has, for example, the following The structure is as follows: a plurality of (three in the example in the figure) loading ports 111 on which the carrier C is mounted are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction. The carrier C can be in a form used to store the substrate W in a closed space (such as a front opening wafer transfer box (FOUP; Front Opening Unified Pod), a standard mechanical interface (SMIF; Standard Mechanical Inter Face) box, etc.), or It may be a form for exposing the substrate W to outside air (for example, an open cassette (OC; Open Cassette), etc.).

The index part 120 is a part arranged between the interface part 110 and the main body part 130, and includes the index robot 121.

The index robot 121 is a transfer robot that transfers the substrate W between the carrier C placed on each load port 111 and the main transfer robot 131 (described later), and is configured to include a hand 121 a, an arm 121 b, a drive unit, and the like. , the hand 121a is used to hold the substrate W, the arm 121b is connected to the hand 121a, and the driving part is used to extend, contract, rotate, and lift the arm 121b. The index robot 121 accesses the carrier C placed in each load port 111 and performs an unloading operation (that is, taking out the unprocessed substrate W stored in the carrier C with the hand 121 a operation) and the loading operation (that is, the operation of loading the processed substrate W held by the hand 121a into the carrier C). In addition, the index robot 121 accesses the transfer position T between the index robot 121 and the main transfer robot 131 to transfer the substrate W between the index robot 121 and the main transfer robot 131 .

The main body 130 includes a main carrier 131 and a plurality of (for example, twelve) processing units 132 . Here, for example, a plurality of (for example, three) processing units 132 stacked in the vertical direction constitute a tower, and a plurality of (for example, four) processing units 132 are provided around the main transfer robot 131 .

The main transfer robot 131 is a transfer robot used to transfer the substrate W between the index robot 121 and each processing unit 132, and is configured to include a hand 131a, an arm 131b, a driving part, etc., and the hand 131a is used to hold the substrate W. The arm 131b is connected to the hand 131a, and the driving unit is used to extend, contract, rotate, and lift the arm 131b. The main transfer robot 131 accesses each processing unit 132, and performs a loading operation (that is, an operation of carrying the substrate W to be processed held by the hand 131a into the processing unit 132) and an unloading operation (that is, carrying the substrate W held by the hand 131a into the processing unit 132). The hand 131a takes out the processed substrate W stored in the processing unit 132). In addition, the main transfer robot 131 accesses the transfer position T between the main transfer robot 131 and the index robot 121 to transfer the substrate W between the main transfer robot 131 and the index robot 121 .

The processing unit 132 is a device used to perform predetermined processing on the substrate W. The specific structure of the processing unit 132 will be described later.

The control unit 140 is an element for controlling the operation of each unit included in the substrate processing system 100, and is composed of, for example, a general computer having an electrical circuit. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 140 is configured to include the following components: a CPU (Central Processor Unit; central processing unit) 141 as a central computing device responsible for data processing; a ROM (Read Only Memory (read-only memory) 142, which stores basic programs, etc.; RAM (Random Access Memory; random access memory) 143, which is used as a working area when the CPU 141 performs predetermined processing (data processing); memory device 144, which is composed of non-volatile memory devices such as flash memory and hard disk devices; and the bus line 145, which interconnects these components. A program P is stored in the memory device 144, and the program P is used to specify the processing to be executed by the control unit 140; the CPU 141 executes the program P, so that the control unit 140 can execute the processing specified by the program P. In addition, part or all of the processing executed by the control unit 140 may be executed by hardware such as a dedicated logic circuit.

The control unit 140 may be configured such that a main control unit is communicatively connected to a plurality of regional control units, and the main control unit collectively controls the entire operation of the substrate processing system 100 . In this case, at least one area control unit may be provided correspondingly to the plurality of processing units 132, and the area control unit controls the operation of the corresponding processing unit 132 based on instructions from the main control unit. In addition, when this structure is adopted, the main control unit and each area control unit may each individually include part or all of the CPU 141, ROM 142, RMA 143, memory device 144, and bus line 145.

[1-2. Processing unit 132] Next, the structure of the processing unit 132 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the processing unit 132. In addition, as mentioned above, although the main body part 130 is provided with a plurality of processing units 132, at least one processing unit 132 among the plurality of processing units 132 only needs to have the structure described below. That is, the plurality of processing units 132 may include a configuration different from the configuration described below.

The processing unit 132 is, for example, a processing device that performs a process of peeling off (removing) the resist provided on the substrate W, and corresponds to a substrate processing device. The processing unit 132 is a so-called blade-type processing device, and is used to process the substrate W belonging to the processing target piece by piece.

The processing unit 132 includes a holding part 1 , a liquid supply part 2 , a plasma generating part 3 , a gas flow forming part 4 and a guard part 5 . In addition, the processing unit 132 is provided with a chamber 6 that accommodates at least the elements included in the holding part 1 , the liquid supply part 2 , the plasma generating part 3 , the gas flow forming part 4 and the protective cover part 5 A part (for example, the base part 11, the processing liquid nozzle 21, the cleaning liquid nozzle 22, the plasma reactor 31, the first gas nozzle 41, the protective cover 51, etc.). Preferably, a downflow of clean air is formed in the inner space of the chamber 6 through a fan filter unit (FFU; fan filter unit) 61 .

[Hold part 1] The holding portion 1 is an element for holding the substrate W to be processed, and includes, for example, a base portion 11 , a rotation mechanism 13 , and a plurality of chuck pins 12 .

The base portion 11 is a disc-shaped member with a diameter slightly larger than that of the substrate W, and is arranged in an attitude such that the thickness direction is aligned with the vertical direction. The plurality of clamp pins 12 are provided on the upper surface of the base portion 11 and are arranged at intervals along the periphery of the upper surface of the base portion 11 . Each clamp pin 12 is configured to be displaced between a clamping position where each clamp pin 12 contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate W and a release position in response to an instruction from the control unit 140 . 12 is away from the periphery of the substrate W; each clamp pin 12 is arranged in the clamping position, whereby the substrate W is held above the base portion 11 in a horizontal attitude (the attitude in which the thickness direction of the substrate W is along the vertical direction) .

The rotation mechanism 13 is a mechanism for rotating the base part 11 . Specifically, the rotation mechanism 13 is configured to include, for example, a shaft 13a connected at its upper end to the lower surface of the base portion 11, and a motor 13b connected to the lower end of the shaft 13a. Here, for example, an axis orthogonal to the main surface of the substrate W held on the base portion 11 and passing through the center of the main surface of the substrate W is defined as the rotation axis Q, and the shaft member 13 a is coaxial with the rotation axis Q. place setting. Furthermore, the motor 13b rotates the shaft 13a around the rotation axis Q at the number of rotations instructed by the control part 140 in response to the instruction from the control part 140. The shaft member 13a is driven by the motor 13b to rotate, whereby the base portion 11 and the substrate W held on the base portion 11 rotate around the rotation axis Q. In this way, the holding part 1 including the rotation mechanism 13 (that is, the holding part 1 capable of rotating the substrate W while holding the substrate W) is also called a spin chuck or the like. In addition, the base part 11 in the rotation jig is also called a spin base or the like.

[Liquid supply unit 2] The liquid supply part 2 is an element for supplying liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1, and includes, for example, a processing liquid nozzle 21, a cleaning liquid nozzle 22, and a nozzle moving mechanism 23.

The processing liquid nozzle 21 is a nozzle for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 , and is, for example, a straight nozzle having a discharge port 210 formed on one end surface. The processing liquid nozzle 21 is connected to a processing liquid supply source 212 via a processing liquid supply pipe 211, and the processing liquid supply source 212 stores a predetermined processing liquid (here, sulfuric acid). In addition, the processing liquid supply pipe 211 is provided with a valve 213 and a flow rate adjusting portion 214 . The valve 213 is a valve for switching between supplying the processing liquid passing through the processing liquid supply pipe 211 and stopping supply of the processing liquid passing through the processing liquid supply pipe 211 , and is controlled by the control unit 140 . The flow rate adjustment unit 214 is configured by, for example, a mass flow controller, and adjusts the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through the processing liquid supply pipe 211 under the control of the control unit 140 . In this configuration, when the valve 213 is opened, the predetermined flow rate of the processing liquid adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 214 is supplied from the processing liquid supply source 212 through the processing liquid supply pipe 211 to the processing liquid nozzle 21 and from the discharge port 210 Being squirted.

In a state where the processing liquid nozzle 21 is arranged at a nozzle processing position described below, the processing liquid is ejected from the ejection port 210 , whereby the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 ( FIG. 8 ). That is, the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the processing liquid supply pipe 211 connected to the processing liquid nozzle 21 constitute a processing liquid supply part, and the processing liquid supply part supplies the processing liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 .

The cleaning liquid nozzle 22 is a nozzle for supplying cleaning liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 , and is, for example, a straight nozzle having a discharge port 220 formed on one end surface. The cleaning liquid nozzle 22 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply source 222 via the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221. The cleaning liquid supply source 222 stores a predetermined cleaning liquid (for example, DIW (deionized water; deionized water), H-DIW, pure water, Ozone water, carbonated water, isopropyl alcohol, etc.). In addition, the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 is provided with a valve 223 and a flow rate adjusting portion 224 . The valve 223 is a valve for switching between supplying the cleaning liquid passing through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 and stopping supply of the cleaning liquid passing through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 , and is controlled by the control unit 140 . The flow rate adjustment unit 224 is configured by, for example, a mass flow controller, and adjusts the flow rate of the cleaning liquid flowing through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 under the control of the control unit 140 . In this structure, when the valve 223 is opened, the cleaning liquid with a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 224 is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source 222 through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 to the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 and from the discharge port 220 Being squirted.

In a state where the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 is arranged at a nozzle processing position described below, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the ejection port 220, whereby the cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 (FIG. 10). That is, here, the cleaning liquid supply part is constituted by the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 and the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 connected to the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 , and the cleaning liquid supply part supplies cleaning liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 .

The nozzle moving mechanism 23 is a mechanism for moving the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 between the nozzle processing position and the nozzle standby position. Here, the “nozzle processing position” refers to the upper main surface of the substrate W held by the holding part 1 ( The position of the upper surface) is specifically, for example, above the upper main surface of the substrate W and a position facing the center of the upper main surface of the substrate W in the vertical direction ( FIGS. 8 and 10 ). On the other hand, the so-called "nozzle standby position" means that the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 do not interfere with other components (the plasma reactor 31 located at the plasma processing position, the hand 131a of the main transfer robot 131, etc. , the main transfer robot 131 is a position where interference with the substrate W is performed with respect to the base unit 11 , specifically, for example, it is outside (in the radial direction) the peripheral edge of the substrate W held by the holding unit 1 when viewed from above. outside direction) (e.g. Figure 7).

Here, the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 are connected via a connecting member or the like, thereby forming a nozzle unit U. Furthermore, specifically, the nozzle moving mechanism 23 includes, for example, an arm connected to the nozzle unit U at the front end and extending approximately horizontally, a support supporting the base end of the arm, and a motor for rotating the support around the support. The motor's axis rotates. In response to instructions from the control unit 140, the motor causes the pillar to rotate around the axis of the motor at a rotation angle instructed by the control unit 140. The position of the pillar and the length of the arm are determined in the following manner: when the pillar is driven by the motor and rotates, the arm rotates, and the nozzle unit U connected to the front end of the arm moves along an arc-shaped trajectory, thereby treating the liquid. The nozzle processing position and the nozzle standby position of the nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 are arranged on this arc-shaped trajectory. That is, the nozzle unit U moves along the arc-shaped trajectory, whereby the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 move between their respective nozzle processing positions and nozzle standby positions.

[Plasma generation section 3] The plasma generating unit 3 is an element for generating plasma and irradiating the generated plasma to the substrate W held by the holding unit 1, and includes, for example, a plasma reactor 31, a power supply 32, and a plasma reactor moving mechanism. 33. The plasma generating unit 3 can generate plasma under atmospheric pressure. However, the "atmospheric pressure" here is, for example, from 80% or more of the standard air pressure to less than 120% of the standard air pressure.

The plasma reactor 31 is an irradiation part (plasma irradiation part) for irradiating a target object (here, the substrate W held by the holding part 1 ) with plasma. Specifically, the plasma reactor 31 has, for example, a flat shape, and is disposed above the substrate W held by the holding part 1 in an attitude such that the thickness direction (Z direction to be described later) is along the vertical direction. The position opposite to the main surface of the substrate W in the vertical direction. The plasma reactor 31 has, for example, a circular shape when viewed from above, and has a size that is approximately the same as (or slightly larger than) the substrate W to be processed.

The structure of the plasma reactor 31 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . FIG. 4 is a plan view and a plan view schematically showing the structure of the plasma reactor 31. In addition, in order to make the illustration easy to understand, the holding member 315 is shown with a dotted line in FIG. 4 .

The plasma reactor 31 is provided with a pair of electrode parts (a first electrode part 311 and a second electrode part 312). The pair of first electrode portions 311 and the second electrode portion 312 are stacked in the thickness direction with a partition plate 313 formed of a dielectric material (such as quartz, ceramic, etc.) sandwiched therebetween. Specifically, the first electrode part 311 is provided on one side of the disk-shaped partition plate 313 in the thickness direction, and the second electrode part 312 is provided on the other side of the disk-shaped partition plate 313 in the thickness direction. . Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the direction in which the first electrode part 311, the partition plate 313 and the second electrode part 312 are stacked is defined as the "Z direction". In addition, the chord direction of the arc defining the first collective electrode 311b and the second collective electrode 312b described later in the plane orthogonal to the Z direction is defined as the "Y direction", and the Z direction and the Y direction are The orthogonal direction is defined as the "X direction".

The first electrode part 311 has a comb-tooth shape as a whole, and has the following structure: a plurality of linear electrodes (hereinafter referred to as the first linear electrodes 311a) formed of an appropriate conductive material (for example, tungsten) are connected through They are connected through a collective electrode (hereinafter referred to as the first collective electrode 311b) formed of an appropriate conductive material (for example, aluminum). Each first linear electrode 311a is a rod-shaped electrode arranged with its longitudinal direction aligned with the X direction, and a plurality of first linear electrodes 311a are arranged along the Y direction at regular intervals. On the other hand, the first collective electrode 311b is an arc-shaped flat plate-shaped electrode when viewed from above, and the ends of each first linear electrode 311a are connected to the inner peripheral edge side of the first collective electrode 311b.

Like the first electrode part 311, the second electrode part 312 has a comb-tooth shape as a whole, and has the following structure: a plurality of linear electrodes (hereinafter referred to as The second linear electrodes 312a) are connected through a collective electrode (hereinafter referred to as the second collective electrode 312b) formed of a suitable conductive material (for example, aluminum). Each of the second linear electrodes 312a is a rod-shaped electrode arranged with its longitudinal direction aligned with the X direction, and a plurality of the second linear electrodes 312a are arranged along the Y direction at regular intervals. On the other hand, the second collective electrode 312b is an arc-shaped flat plate-shaped electrode in plan view, and the ends of each second linear electrode 312a are connected to the inner peripheral edge side of the second collective electrode 312b.

The first electrode part 311 and the second electrode part 312 are arranged in the following positional relationship: when viewed from the Z direction, respective ends of the first collective electrode 311b and the second collective electrode 312b are opposite, and the expansion direction of the first collective electrode 311b The expansion direction of the second collective electrode 312b is toward the +X direction. In this state, the second linear electrodes 312a are arranged between the mutually adjacent first linear electrodes 311a when viewed from the Z direction. That is, the first linear electrodes 311a and the second linear electrodes 312a are alternately arranged along the Y direction in a substantially circular area surrounded by the first collective electrode 311b and the second collective electrode 312b when viewed from the Z direction.

At least each of the first linear electrodes 311 a and each of the second linear electrodes 312 a is covered by the dielectric tube 314 . The dielectric tube 314 is formed of a dielectric material (such as quartz, ceramic, etc.). By being covered by the dielectric tube 314, each first linear electrode 311a and each second linear electrode 312a are protected from plasma. .

The first electrode part 311 and the second electrode part 312 (hereinafter also referred to as "electrode assembly") laminated with the partition plate 313 sandwiched therebetween are integrated with a holding member 315 formed of an insulating material (for example, fluorine-based resin, etc.) Sexually maintained. Specifically, the holding member 315 is configured to include a pair of holding rings 315a and 315b that are annular in plan view, for example. One retaining ring 315a is disposed in contact with the electrode assembly from one side of the electrode assembly (for example, the side of the first electrode part 311), and the other retaining ring 315b is disposed from the other side of the electrode assembly (such as the second electrode part 312). side) in contact with the electrode assembly, and the two retaining rings 315a, 315b are connected to each other, whereby the electrode assembly is sandwiched between the pair of retaining rings 315a, 315b and held by the pair of retaining rings 315a, 315b.

The power supply 32 is a plasma power supply for generating plasma, and is connected to the plasma reactor 31 . Specifically, one of the pair of wirings extending from the power supply 32 is connected to the first electrode portion 311 (specifically, the first collective electrode 311b), and the other of the pair of wirings extending from the power supply 32 is connected to the second electrode portion 311 (specifically, the first collective electrode 311b). The electrode portion 312 (specifically, the second collective electrode 312b).

Specifically, the power supply 32 is composed of, for example, a high-frequency power supply, and is controlled by the control unit 140 . When the power supply 32 applies a predetermined voltage (for example, a high frequency voltage of about ten kV to several tens of kHz) between the first electrode part 311 and the second electrode part 312 in response to the instruction from the control part 140, the first linear An electric field is generated between the electrode 311a and the second linear electrode 312a, whereby the gas system around the first linear electrode 311a and the second linear electrode 312a becomes plasma (so-called dielectric barrier discharge) ). That is, plasma is generated (lit).

In addition, the power supply 32 is provided with a switching power supply circuit such as an inverter circuit and a pulse wave generator. The pulse wave generator switches the two first pulse signals during the ON period of the pulse wave signal generated in a predetermined period. A high frequency voltage is applied between the electrode part 311 and the second electrode part 312. In this case, plasma is generated mainly during conduction.

The plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 is a mechanism (moving mechanism) for moving (raising and lowering) the plasma reactor 31 between the plasma processing position and the plasma standby position. Here, the so-called "plasma processing position" refers to the position where the plasma reactor 31 irradiates the substrate W held by the holding part 1 with plasma, and is a position that can at least allow the plasma processing to be performed as will be described later. The required amount of active species acts on the substrate W so that the separation distance between the plasma reactor 31 and the substrate W is sufficiently small (for example, a position where the separation distance is about several millimeters) (Fig. 9) . On the other hand, the so-called "standby position" refers to a position where the plasma reactor 31 does not irradiate plasma to the substrate W held by the holding part 1, and is a position where at least the plasma generated by the plasma reactor 31 does not act on The substrate W is at a position where the separation distance between the plasma reactor 31 and the substrate W is sufficiently large (for example, FIG. 7 ).

Specifically, the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 is configured to include a lifting plate connected to the plasma reactor 31 at its front end and extending substantially horizontally, and a motor. A cam is provided between the motor and the lifting plate, and the cam converts the rotation of the motor into the lifting motion of the lifting plate. Therefore, when the motor rotates to the rotation angle instructed by the control part 140 in response to the instruction from the control part 140, the lifting plate (together with the plasma reactor 31 connected to the lifting plate) rises (or falls) to the rotation angle. The angle corresponds to the distance. The original structure of the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 is not limited to this, but can be realized by various driving mechanisms for realizing lifting and lowering movement. For example, the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 may be configured to include a ball screw mechanism and a motor for providing driving force to the ball screw mechanism, or may be configured to include a cylinder.

[Gas flow forming part 4] The gas flow forming part 4 forms a gas flow along the surface of the plasma reactor 31 that faces the substrate W held by the holding part 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the "opposing surface 310").

The gas flow forming unit 4 is provided with a gas nozzle (first gas nozzle 41 ) that ejects gas toward the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. The structure of the first gas nozzle 41 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 . FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the first gas nozzle 41, and schematically shows the first gas nozzle 41 and the plasma reactor 31 when viewed from the side direction and the top view direction, respectively.

The first gas nozzle 41 is arranged at the following position: below the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position, and outside the peripheral edge of the facing surface 310 when viewed from above; the first gas nozzle 41 injects gas toward the opposing surface 310 from obliquely below the opposing surface 310 .

Specifically, the first gas nozzle 41 is, for example, a long linear nozzle, and an elongated slit-shaped discharge port 410 (so-called slit nozzle) is provided along the longitudinal direction of the first gas nozzle 41 . The length of the ejection port 410 is approximately the same as the diameter of the facing surface 310 or slightly larger than the diameter of the facing surface 310 . Here, for example, the position of the first gas nozzle 41 is defined such that the center of the width direction of the wide gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410 passes the center of the facing surface 310 when viewed from above. In addition, the first gas nozzle is defined so that the gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410 is injected from a direction that is not perpendicular to and not parallel to the opposing surface 310 to the vicinity of the end edge of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from the side. 41 position and posture.

The first gas nozzle 41 is connected to a gas supply source 412 via a gas supply pipe 411. The gas supply source 412 is used to store a predetermined gas (herein, nitrogen gas). The gas supply pipe 411 is provided with a valve 413 and a flow rate regulator 414 . The valve 413 is a valve for switching the supply of gas through the gas supply pipe 411 and stopping the supply of gas through the gas supply pipe 411, and is controlled by the control unit 140. The flow rate adjustment unit 414 is configured by, for example, a mass flow controller, and adjusts the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas supply pipe 411 under the control of the control unit 140 .

In this configuration, when the valve 413 is opened, the gas system supplied from the gas supply source 412 is supplied to the first gas nozzle 41 through the gas supply pipe 411 and is ejected from the ejection port 410 . Needless to say, the flow rate of the ejected gas is a value adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit 414 . The gas system discharged from the discharge port 410 is discharged toward the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position, and is blown to the opposing surface 310 . Specifically, the gas system ejected from the ejection port 410 is injected into the vicinity of the end edge of the opposing surface 310 from a direction that is not perpendicular to the opposing surface 310 , and then flows along the opposing surface 310 . That is, a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is formed. This gas flow is in a direction from one side to the other side across the center line of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from above.

In addition, in the case where the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 is non-flat (for example, the portion corresponding to the gap between the adjacent second linear electrodes 312a is formed along the extending direction of the second linear electrode 312a In the case of a groove), it is preferable to define the direction of the first gas nozzle 41 so that the gas flow formed along the opposing surface 310 flows parallel to the extending direction of the groove.

[Protective cover part 5] The shield part 5 is an element for catching the processing liquid and the like scattered from the substrate W held by the holding part 1, and includes, for example, one or more (here, two) shields 51 and a shield moving mechanism 52.

The protective cover 51 is configured to include a barrel portion 51a, an inclined portion 51b, and an extension portion 51c. The barrel portion 51 a is a cylindrical portion and is provided to surround the holding portion 1 . The inclined portion 51b is connected to the upper end edge of the tube portion 51a and is inclined inward as it goes vertically upward. The extended portion 51c is a flat annular portion and is provided to extend inwardly in a substantially horizontal plane from the upper end edge of the inclined portion 51b. Even when a plurality of protective covers 51 are provided, each protective cover 51 basically has the same structure. However, in this case, the sizes of the respective protective covers 51 are different from each other, and the plurality of protective covers 51 are arranged in a nested shape. That is, the cylindrical part 51a is arranged concentrically, and the inclined part 51b and the extended part 51c are arranged in a nested shape so as to overlap vertically.

The shield moving mechanism 52 is a mechanism for moving (raising and lowering) the shield 51 between the shield processing position and the shield standby position. However, when a plurality of protective covers 51 are provided, the protective cover moving mechanism 52 moves each protective cover 51 individually and independently. Here, the so-called "shield processing position" refers to a position where the shield 51 catches the processing liquid and the like scattered from the substrate W held by the holding part 1. Specifically, for example, the extension part 51c is arranged further than the substrate W. The upper position (such as Figure 8). On the other hand, the so-called "protection cover standby position" means that the protection cover 51 does not interact with other members (the hand 131a of the main transfer robot 131 for carrying out the substrate W on the base part 11, etc.). The position for granting and accepting interference), specifically, for example, the extension portion 51c is disposed below the substrate W held by the holding portion 1 (for example, FIG. 7 ).

The protective cover moving mechanism 52 can be realized by various driving mechanisms used to realize lifting and lowering movements. Specifically, for example, the guard moving mechanism 52 may include a ball screw mechanism and a motor for providing driving force to the ball screw mechanism, or may include a cylinder or the like. As described above, when a plurality of protective covers 51 are provided, each of the plurality of protective covers 51 is provided with its own driving mechanism, so that each protective cover 51 can move independently.

A drain portion 53 is provided on the lower side of the protective cover 51 . The drain portion 53 drains the processing liquid and the like caught by the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover 51 . Specifically, the drain part 53 includes, for example, a cup 531 provided below the protective cover 51 and a drain pipe 532 connected to the cup 531 , and is configured as a protective cover disposed at the protective cover processing position. The treatment liquid caught by the inner circumferential surface of the protective cover 51 and flowing down along the inner circumferential surface of the protective cover 51 is caught by the cup 531 and is drained from the drain pipe 532 . In addition, although illustration is omitted, when a plurality of protective covers 51 are provided, individual cups are provided below each protective cover 51 .

In addition, an exhaust portion 54 is provided on the outer side of the protective cover 51 . The exhaust portion 54 exhausts gas, mist, or the like flowing along the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover 51 . Specifically, the exhaust part 54 includes a peripheral wall part 541 provided so as to surround the protective cover 51 from the outside, an exhaust pipe 542 connected to the peripheral wall part 541, etc., and is configured as a protective shield disposed at the protective cover processing position. The gas, mist, etc. caught by the inner peripheral surface of the cover 51 and flowing down along the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover 51 is caught by the peripheral wall portion 541 and exhausted from the exhaust pipe 542 .

[1-3. Processing flow] Next, the flow of processing performed by the processing unit 132 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 , 6 , and 7 to 10 . FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the processing unit 132. 7 to 10 are diagrams for explaining each processing step, and schematically show the state of each part in the processing step.

In the following description, the substrate W to be processed is, for example, a substrate W in which a resist as a mask is provided on at least one main surface and etching and ion implantation are performed. A series of treatments for resistors. A series of processes described below are performed by the control unit 140 controlling each unit included in the processing unit 132 . In addition, a series of processes described below are usually performed repeatedly. That is, when a series of processes on one substrate W is completed, the series of processes is subsequently performed on another new substrate W.

[Step S1: Holding process] First, the holding unit 1 holds the substrate W to be processed. That is, when the main transfer robot 131 inserts the hand 131a holding the substrate W to be processed into the chamber 6 and carries the substrate W into the processing unit 132, the holding part 1 is provided with a barrier in the substrate W. The loaded substrate W is held in a horizontal posture with its main surface facing upward (Fig. 7). The processing liquid nozzle 21, the cleaning liquid nozzle 22, the plasma reactor 31 and the protective cover 51 are arranged in their respective standby positions so as not to interfere with the hand 131a during the holding process.

[Step S2: Treatment liquid supply process] Next, the nozzle moving mechanism 23 moves the processing liquid nozzle 21 from the nozzle standby position to the nozzle processing position. When the processing liquid nozzle 21 is arranged at the nozzle processing position, the valve 213 provided in the processing liquid supply pipe 211 is opened. In this way, the predetermined processing liquid (sulfuric acid here) stored in the processing liquid supply source 212 is supplied to the processing liquid nozzle 21 through the processing liquid supply pipe 211 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 214 and is ejected from the nozzle 21 . Exit 210 is ejected. That is, the processing liquid is ejected toward the upper main surface of the substrate W held by the holding unit 1, thereby supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W (Fig. 8).

The rotation mechanism 13 rotates the held portion 1 (together with the substrate W held by the holding portion 1 ) at a predetermined number of rotations while at least the processing liquid is ejected on the substrate W. Therefore, the processing liquid that lands on a predetermined position on the upper main surface of the substrate W (for example, the center of the upper main surface of the substrate W) rapidly spreads toward the periphery of the substrate W by centrifugal force, thereby forming a layer covering the substrate W. The liquid film F of the treatment liquid covers the roughly entire upper main surface.

In addition, at least while the holding part 1 is rotating, the shield moving mechanism 52 arranges the shields 51 (here, both shields 51 ) at the shield processing position. Therefore, the processing liquid and the like scattered from the periphery of the substrate W are caught by the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover (the inner protective cover) 51 , flow down along the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover 51 , and are further caught by the cup 531 , and The liquid is drained from the drain pipe 532 . The discharged treatment liquid can also be recovered and reused.

When a predetermined time elapses after the discharge of the processing liquid is started, the valve 213 is closed to stop discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port 210 . In addition, the rotation mechanism 13 reduces the rotation speed of the holding part 1 (together with the substrate W held by the holding part 1) to a sufficient rotation speed or stops the rotation. The substrate W on which the liquid film F is formed is rotated at a sufficiently low rotation speed (or maintained in a stopped state) for a predetermined period of time, whereby the liquid film F is stably maintained on the substrate W (so-called slurry coating). paddle) processing).

[Step S3: Start voltage application process] Next, application of a predetermined voltage (voltage for plasma generation) from the power supply 32 to the plasma reactor 31 starts. A predetermined voltage is applied to the plasma reactor 31, whereby the gas (herein, air) around the plasma reactor 31 is plasmatized, thereby generating plasma. Although the plasma contains various active species (when the gas surrounding the plasma is air, for example, active species such as oxygen radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and ozone gas), the type and quantity of the active species depend on the presence of It changes depending on the type of gas surrounding the plasma reactor 31 and the like.

[Step S4: Lowering process (first moving process)] Next, the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 moves (lowers) the plasma reactor 31 from the standby position to the plasma processing position. Since the active species in the plasma generated around the plasma reactor 31 are deactivated in a short period of time, even if there are a large number of active species close to the plasma reactor 31, the active species It will also be almost completely deactivated at locations far away from the plasma reactor 31 . Therefore, in the descending step, the plasma reactor 31 is brought close to the substrate W, and the separation distance between the plasma reactor 31 and the substrate W is sufficiently reduced to allow at least the amount of active species required for the plasma treatment to act. At the level of substrate W.

In addition, any one of the starting voltage application process (step S3) and the lowering process (step S4) may be performed first, or may be performed in parallel. That is, the application of voltage to the plasma reactor 31 can be started at any time point before the plasma reactor 31 descends, during the descent, or after the plasma reactor 31 descends. As described below, the plasma treatment of the substrate W is performed with the plasma reactor 31 to which a voltage is applied being located at the plasma treatment position. By performing two steps of starting the voltage application step and the lowering step, the plasma treatment of the substrate W is started. Plasma treatment of W.

With the plasma reactor 31 to which a voltage is applied located at the plasma processing position ( FIG. 9 ), the substrate W held by the holding part 1 is irradiated from the plasma reactor 31 disposed opposite to the main surface of the substrate W. Plasma is used to perform plasma treatment on the substrate W. In this plasma treatment, the plasma generated around the plasma reactor 31 acts on the liquid film F of the processing liquid (here, sulfuric acid) formed on the main surface of the substrate W, thereby increasing the concentration of the processing liquid. processing performance. Specifically, the active species in the plasma react with sulfuric acid to generate Caro's acid (peroxymonosulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₅ )) with high processing performance (here, oxidizing power). . The carboxylic acid acts on the resist provided on the main surface of the substrate W, whereby the resist is oxidized and peeled off (removed).

[Step S5: Stop the voltage application process] When the plasma treatment is performed for a predetermined treatment time, the application of voltage from the power supply 32 to the plasma reactor 31 is stopped at an appropriate time point thereafter. Thereby, the generation of plasma is stopped (that is, the plasma is extinguished).

[Step S6: Ascending process (second moving process)] In addition, when the plasma treatment is performed for a predetermined treatment time, at an appropriate time point thereafter, the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 moves (raises) the plasma reactor 31 from the plasma treatment position to the standby position.

In addition, any one of the voltage application stopping process (step S5) and the rising process (step S6) may be performed first, or may be performed in parallel. That is, the application of voltage to the plasma reactor 31 can be stopped at any time point before the plasma reactor 31 rises, during the rise, or after the plasma reactor 31 rises. As described below, the plasma treatment of the substrate W is performed with the plasma reactor 31 to which a voltage is applied being arranged at the plasma treatment position, and is completed by performing at least one of the voltage application stop step and the rising step. For plasma treatment of substrate W.

[Step S7: Cleaning process] When the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position, the nozzle moving mechanism 23 then moves the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 from the nozzle standby position to the nozzle processing position. When the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 is arranged at the nozzle processing position, the valve 223 provided in the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 is opened. In this way, the predetermined cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid supply source 222 is supplied to the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 224 and is sprayed from the discharge port 220 . That is, the cleaning liquid is ejected toward the upper main surface of the substrate W held by the holding unit 1 , thereby supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate W.

The rotation mechanism 13 rotates the held portion 1 (together with the substrate W held by the holding portion 1 ) at a predetermined number of rotations while at least the cleaning liquid is ejected on the substrate W. Therefore, the cleaning liquid that lands on a predetermined position on the upper main surface of the substrate W (for example, the center of the upper main surface of the substrate W) quickly spreads toward the periphery of the substrate W by centrifugal force, thereby covering the upper side of the substrate W. The liquid film F of the treatment liquid over the entire main surface is gradually replaced by the cleaning liquid. That is, the liquid film F of the treatment liquid is gradually flushed.

When a predetermined time elapses after the discharge of the cleaning liquid starts, the valve 223 is closed to stop the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the discharge port 220 . On the other hand, the rotation mechanism 13 increases the rotation speed of the holding part 1 to a sufficiently high rotation speed. Thereby, the substrate W held by the holding part 1 is rotated at a high speed, thereby drying the substrate W (so-called spin drying).

Here, while at least the holding part 1 is rotating, the shield moving mechanism 52 arranges the outer shield 51 in the shield processing position and the inner shield 51 in the shield standby position. Therefore, the processing liquid, cleaning liquid, etc. scattered from the periphery of the substrate W are caught by the inner peripheral surface of the outer protective cover 51 and flow down along the inner peripheral surface of the protective cover 51 , and are provided corresponding to the protective cover 51 The bra cup (not shown) catches and drains liquid from a drain pipe (not shown) connected to the bra cup.

When the holding part 1 rotates at a sufficiently high rotation speed within a predetermined time, the rotating mechanism 13 stops rotating the holding part 1 . Next, the processing liquid nozzle 21 , the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 , the plasma reactor 31 and the protective cover 51 are arranged in their respective standby positions, and the main transfer robot 131 unloads the substrate W held by the holding part 1 .

[1-4. Formation of gas flow] As described above, in the processing unit 132 , the substrate W held by the holding part 1 is subjected to plasma processing in a state where the plasma reactor 31 to which a voltage is applied is arranged at the plasma processing position. Here, the plasma reactor 31 that receives the application of the voltage reaches a relatively high temperature, for example, about several hundred degrees Celsius. In addition, the plasma generated by applying voltage to the plasma reactor 31 also reaches a relatively high temperature. Therefore, during plasma processing, a part of the processing liquid (here, sulfuric acid) provided on the main surface of the substrate W is vaporized or Mist. That is, when plasma treatment is performed, the space between the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 and the substrate W is filled with vaporized or atomized sulfuric acid (hereinafter also referred to as "floating sulfuric acid M") (Fig. 9). In addition, when the plasma reactor 31 rises from the plasma processing position to the standby position, the space between the opposing surface 310 and the substrate W expands upward, and accordingly, the floating sulfuric acid M expands upward (Fig. 10).

There is a concern that floating sulfuric acid M adheres to surrounding members such as the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 . When the floating sulfuric acid M adheres to the opposing surface 310 and contaminates the opposing surface 310 , there is a possibility that the performance of the plasma reactor 31 will be reduced and the life of the electrode will be shortened. In particular, since sulfuric acid is a hygroscopic substance, when floating sulfuric acid M adheres to the opposing surface 310 and condenses, the condensation may absorb moisture in the air and grow into droplets of diluted sulfuric acid. When such droplets are formed, there is a concern that the droplets may fall down and contaminate the substrate W held by the holding part 1 .

In order to suppress contamination from the floating sulfuric acid M, the above-mentioned series of processes (steps S1 to S7) are performed on the substrate W, and are further performed to form the opposing surface 310 along the plasma reactor 31 Gas flow processing (gas flow formation processing). Next, the steps of such a gas flow forming process (gas flow forming step) will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like.

[Step S101: Gas flow forming process] In this embodiment, the gas flow forming step is performed with the plasma reactor 31 placed in the standby position. That is, the gas flow forming process is started by opening the valve 413 provided in the gas supply pipe 411. Here, the valve 413 is opened at an appropriate time after the rising step (step S6) is performed and the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position. Valve 413. Specifically, for example, while the rising step is performed and the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position, the valve 413 is opened. In addition, the so-called "simultaneity" here includes not only the situation in which the time points of two actions are exactly the same, but also the situation in which the time interval between two actions is so small that it can be regarded as substantially simultaneous (the so-called "immediately" ", "Just after...", etc.).

When the valve 413 is opened, the predetermined gas (herein, nitrogen gas) stored in the gas supply source 412 is supplied to the first gas nozzle 41 through the gas supply pipe 411 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 414 And ejected from the ejection port 410. The gas ejection flow rate at this time is preferably, for example, 50 L/min (liter/minute) or more and 100 L/min or less.

The gas system discharged from the discharge port 410 of the first gas nozzle 41 is discharged toward the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. The ejected gas system is blown from obliquely below the opposing surface 310 to the opposing surface 310 and flows along the opposing surface 310 . That is, a gas flow (here, a gas flow of nitrogen gas) along the opposing surface 310 is formed (Fig. 10). This gas flow is in a direction from one side to the other side across the center line of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from above (Fig. 5).

Thus, here, the gas flow forming process is performed with the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. As described above, when the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position, the floating sulfuric acid M is diffused in the space between the opposing surface 310 and the substrate W. In this state, when the gas flow along the facing surface 310 is formed, the floating sulfuric acid M system present in the vicinity of the facing surface 310 is pushed to the outside direction of the facing surface 310 (when viewed from above, it is the same as the installation direction). There is a space on the opposite side to the first gas nozzle 41). Thereby, adhesion of floating sulfuric acid M to the opposing surface 310 is suppressed. The floating sulfuric acid M pushed by the gas flow is pushed downward by the downflow formed in the chamber 6 and discharged.

When a predetermined time (gas flow formation time T1) elapses after the valve 413 provided in the gas supply pipe 411 is opened, the valve 413 is closed. Thereby, the gas ejection from the ejection port 410 of the first gas nozzle 41 is stopped, and the gas flow forming process is completed. "Gas flow formation time T1" can be set arbitrarily. The longer the gas flow formation time T1 is, the smaller the amount of floating sulfuric acid M that exists near the facing surface 310 (which also increases the effect of suppressing contamination of the facing surface 310). Originally, the following matter will be considered: the amount of floating sulfuric acid M discharged by being pushed by the gas flow (discharge amount) is the largest for about 10 seconds after the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position, and will increase accordingly thereafter. gradually decreases over time. Considering the discharge efficiency of the floating sulfuric acid M, it is preferable to start the gas flow forming process at the same time as the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position, and the gas flow forming time T1 is preferably 10 seconds or more and 10 minutes or less.

In addition, as mentioned above, when the rising process (step S6) is performed and the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position, the cleaning process (step S7) is performed. The above-mentioned gas flow forming process (step S101) may also be performed in parallel with the cleaning process. conduct. In the case where the gas flow forming process and the cleaning process are performed in parallel, it is preferable to define the gas flow forming time T1 (in In this case, the gas flow formation time T1 is preferably about two minutes, for example). The gas flow forming process and the cleaning process do not necessarily need to be performed in parallel. The other process may be started during the execution of one process, or the other process may be started after the one process is completed.

[1-5.Efficacy] The processing unit 132 (substrate processing apparatus) of the above-mentioned embodiment is provided with: the holding part 1 for holding the substrate W; the processing liquid supply part for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W held by the holding part 1; and the plasma reactor 31 (electricity). The plasma irradiation part) irradiates the substrate W held by the holding part 1 with plasma; the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 (moving mechanism) moves the plasma reactor 31 between the standby position and the plasma processing position, The standby position is a position where plasma is not irradiated to the substrate W held by the holding part 1, the plasma processing position is a position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate W held by the holding part 1; and the gas flow forming part 4 is formed along the The gas flows toward the opposing surface 310 facing the substrate W in the plasma reactor 31 .

According to this configuration, a gas flow is formed along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31, thereby vaporizing or atomizing the processing liquid (floating liquid in the above example) that is affected by the heat of the plasma processing. Sulfuric acid (S) flows to the outside direction of the opposing surface 310. Therefore, the treatment liquid that is vaporized or mist-formed is suppressed from adhering to the opposing surface 310 . That is, contamination of the treatment liquid affected by the heat of plasma treatment is reduced.

In addition, although the plasma reactor 31 accumulates heat and increases its temperature due to continuous lighting, the plasma reactor 31 can be cooled (air-cooled) by forming a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31. Therefore, the temperature rise of the plasma reactor 31 can be suppressed. By suppressing the temperature rise of the plasma reactor 31, it is expected that the life of the electrode will be extended. In addition, the plasma reactor 31 is required to set a predetermined extinguishing time after being lit for a certain time or more in a manner that the plasma reactor 31 does not excessively heat up, whereby the plasma reactor 31 is cooled by the gas flow, thereby Can shorten the extinguishing time. Therefore, for example, it is possible to increase the throughput when plasma processing is performed on a plurality of substrates W one after another.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the gas flow forming part 4 is provided with the first gas nozzle 41 that injects gas toward the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. According to this structure, the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 can be easily and reliably formed.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the gas ejection direction from the first gas nozzle 41 is a direction that is not perpendicular to the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. According to this structure, the vaporized or atomized processing liquid present in the vicinity of the facing surface 310 can be efficiently pushed to the outside direction of the facing surface 310 .

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the gas ejected from the first gas nozzle 41 is nitrogen gas. According to this configuration, it is difficult for the gas flow along the facing surface 310 to react with the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid present in the vicinity of the facing surface 310 .

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W is sulfuric acid. In this case, when the floating sulfuric acid M that is vaporized or atomized due to the thermal influence of the plasma treatment adheres to, for example, the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 and condenses, the condensation will be sucked into the air. The possibility of water growing into droplets of dilute sulfuric acid. When such droplets are formed, there is a concern that the droplets may drip down and contaminate the substrate W or the like. As described above, in such a processing unit 132, a gas flow is formed along the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31, thereby suppressing the adhesion of vaporized or atomized sulfuric acid to the facing surface 310. Therefore, the occurrence can be prevented in advance. This kind of situation.

In addition, the substrate processing method of the above-described embodiment includes: a processing liquid supply step (step S2) for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W; and a first moving step (step S4) for causing the plasma to flow after the processing liquid supply step. The reactor 31 moves from the standby position, which is a position where the substrate W is not irradiated with plasma, to a plasma processing position, which is a position where the substrate W is irradiated with plasma; the second moving process (step S6), After the substrate W is irradiated with plasma from the plasma reactor 31 arranged at the plasma processing position to perform plasma processing, the plasma reactor 31 is moved from the plasma processing position to the standby position; and the gas flow forming step (step S101), forming a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 facing the substrate W in the plasma reactor 31. According to this structure, a gas flow is formed along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31, thereby reducing contamination of the processing liquid affected by the heat of plasma processing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the gas flow is formed along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 with the plasma reactor 31 arranged in the standby position. Since the facing surface 310 faces a wider space when the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position, the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid can be fully pushed to the outside of the facing surface 310 direction. Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid to the opposing surface 310 can be sufficiently suppressed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, since the gas flow starts when the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position, the vaporized or atomized processing liquid can be pushed to the opposite surface 310 at an early stage. lateral direction. Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid to the facing surface 310 is effectively suppressed. In addition, when the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is formed at an early stage, even if it is assumed that the vaporized or atomized floating sulfuric acid M adheres to the opposing surface 310, since the floating sulfuric acid M absorbs moisture in the air and is The droplets of diluted sulfuric acid are blown away from the opposing surface 310 by the gas flow before they grow to the size of the droplets. Therefore, it is possible to fully avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the droplets of diluted sulfuric acid fall down and contaminate the substrate W.

[2. Second Embodiment] [2-1. Gas flow forming part 7] The structure of the processing unit 132a of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the processing unit 132a. Like the processing unit 132 of the first embodiment, the processing unit 132a is provided in, for example, the substrate processing system 100.

The processing unit 132a is different from the processing unit 132 in the configuration of the gas fluid forming part 7, and has other configurations (the holding part 1, the liquid supply part 2, the plasma generating part 3, the protective cover 5 and the chamber 6) It is the same as the processing unit 132. In the following, the same elements as those of the processing unit 132 are shown with the same reference numerals and the same descriptions are omitted.

Like the gas flow forming part 4 provided in the processing unit 132 of the first embodiment, the gas flow forming part 7 provided in the processing unit 132a of this embodiment is formed along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 Gas flow.

The gas flow forming part 7 is equipped with a gas nozzle (second gas nozzle 71 ), and the second gas nozzle 71 ejects gas from the inside of the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 . The structure of the second gas nozzle 71 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 . FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the second gas nozzle 71, and schematically shows the second gas nozzle 71 and the plasma reactor 31 when viewed from the side direction and the plan view direction, respectively.

Specifically, the second gas nozzle 71 is a straight nozzle with a discharge port 710 provided at one end, and is embedded in the plasma reactor 31 in an attitude such that the axial direction is along the thickness direction of the plasma reactor 31. The ejection port 710 is fixedly provided in the plasma reactor 31 so as to be exposed at a predetermined position (for example, the center) within the facing surface 310 .

The second gas nozzle 71 is connected to a gas supply source 712 via a gas supply pipe 711, and the gas supply source 712 stores a predetermined gas (herein, nitrogen gas). The gas supply pipe 711 is provided with a valve 713 and a flow rate adjusting portion 714 . The valve 713 is a valve for switching the supply of gas through the gas supply pipe 711 and stopping the supply of gas through the gas supply pipe 711, and is controlled by the control unit 140. The flow rate adjustment unit 714 is configured by, for example, a mass flow controller, and adjusts the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas supply pipe 711 under the control of the control unit 140 .

In this configuration, when the valve 713 is opened, the gas system supplied from the gas supply source 712 is supplied to the second gas nozzle 71 through the gas supply pipe 711 and is ejected from the ejection port 710 . Needless to say, the flow rate of the ejected gas is a value adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit 714 . The gas system ejected from the ejection port 710 is ejected inward of the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 . For example, when the plasma reactor 31 is disposed at the plasma processing position, as shown in FIG. 12 , the facing surface 310 is close to and opposed to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 . When the gas is ejected from the ejection port 710 , the ejected gas flows in the narrow space between the substrate W and the opposing surface 310 . That is, a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is formed. This gas flow is a direction that expands radially with the discharge port 710 as the center when viewed from above.

[2-2. Formation of gas flow] A series of processes (step S1 to step S7) performed on the substrate W in the processing unit 132a is the same as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to performing a series of processes on the substrate W, a process for forming a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 (gas flow forming process) is further performed. The steps of such a gas flow forming process (gas flow forming step) will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of processing performed in the processing unit 132a. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the gas flow forming process, and schematically shows the state of each part in the gas flow treatment process.

[Step S201: Gas flow forming process] In this embodiment, the gas flow forming step is performed in a state where the plasma treatment has been completed and the plasma reactor 31 is arranged at the plasma treatment position. That is, the gas flow forming process is started by opening the valve 713 provided in the gas supply pipe 711. Here, after the plasma process is completed by performing the voltage application stop process (step S5), the rising process (step S5) is performed. S6) Open the valve 713 at an appropriate time point before. Specifically, for example, the valve 713 is opened while stopping the voltage application to the plasma reactor 31 by stopping the voltage application process. As in the above description, "simultaneity" here includes not only the situation where the time points of two actions are exactly the same, but also the situation where the time points of two actions are so far apart that they can be regarded as substantially simultaneous ( The so-called "soon", "just after", etc.).

When the valve 713 is opened, the predetermined gas (nitrogen gas here) stored in the gas supply source 712 is supplied to the second gas nozzle 71 through the gas supply pipe 711 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 714 and is ejected from the ejection port 710. The gas ejection flow rate at this time is preferably about 10 L/min, for example.

When the plasma reactor 31 is arranged at the plasma processing position, the opposing surface 310 is close to and opposed to the substrate W held by the holding part 1 . Therefore, the gas ejected from the ejection port 710 provided in the facing surface 310 flows in the narrow space between the substrate W and the facing surface 310 to form a gas flow along the facing surface 310 (herein, Gas flow of nitrogen gas) (Fig. 14). This gas flow is a direction that expands radially with the discharge port 710 as the center when viewed from above.

Thus, here, the gas flow forming process is performed with the plasma reactor 31 arranged at the plasma processing position. As described above, when plasma processing is performed, the space between the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 and the substrate W held by the holding part 1 is filled with floating sulfuric acid M (Fig. 9). In this state, when the gas flow along the facing surface 310 is formed, the floating sulfuric acid M system present in the space filled between the substrate W and the facing surface 310 is pushed to the outside direction of the facing surface 310 (It is the space outside the peripheral edge of the facing surface 310 when viewed from above). Thereby, adhesion of floating sulfuric acid M to the opposing surface 310 is suppressed.

The floating sulfuric acid M pushed by the gas flow is guided to the inner peripheral side of the protective cover 51 through the gap (first gap G1) between the end surface of the base portion 11 and the extended portion 51c of the protective cover 51, and along the protective cover 51. The inner peripheral surface of the cover 51 flows down, is caught by the peripheral wall portion 541 , and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 542 . In addition, here, the outer diameter of the plasma reactor 31 (that is, the outer diameter of the holding member 315) is made larger than the inner diameter of the extended portion 51c of the shield 51. When the plasma reactor 31 is disposed at In the plasma processing position, the holding member 315 of the plasma reactor 31 and the extended portion 51 c of the shield 51 are arranged to face each other with a gap (second gap G2) provided. It is preferable to make the second gap G2 smaller than the first gap G1 so that the floating sulfuric acid M pushed by the gas flow does not flow out from the second gap G2 but flows toward the first gap G1. That is, it is preferable that the separation distance d2 between the lower end surface of the holding member 315 and the upper end surface of the extension part 51 c becomes longer than the end surface of the base part 11 and the inner circumference of the extension part 51 c at least while the gas flow forming process is performed. The shield 51 is arranged very close to the plasma reactor 31 so that the separation distance d1 between the surfaces is small. In addition, by appropriately adjusting the relationship between the flow rate of the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle 71, the exhaust amount of the exhaust pipe 542, the downflow flow rate of the fan filter unit 61, etc., an inward direction is formed in the second gap G2. airflow. By forming such a gas flow, the floating sulfuric acid M pushed by the gas flow is sufficiently suppressed from flowing out of the second gap G2.

When a predetermined time (gas flow formation time T2) has elapsed since the valve 713 provided in the gas supply pipe 711 was opened, the rising process is performed (step S6). That is, here, after stopping the voltage application process (step S5) and until the gas flow forming time T2 elapses, the plasma reactor 31 is placed on standby at the plasma processing position in advance (step S202: standby process). After the formation time T2, a rising step is performed to move the plasma reactor 31 to the standby position. The "gas flow formation time T2" can be set arbitrarily. The longer the gas flow formation time T2 is, the smaller the amount of floating sulfuric acid M existing in the space between the opposing surface 310 and the substrate W (which also increases the effect of suppressing contamination of the opposing surface 310). However, there is a possibility that as the gas flow formation time T2 becomes longer, the waiting time for the plasma reactor 31 to wait at the plasma processing position becomes longer, thereby reducing the throughput. In order to shorten the standby time as much as possible and fully discharge the floating sulfuric acid M, it is preferable to start the gas flow forming process at the same time as the plasma process is completed by stopping the voltage application process, and it is preferable to set the gas flow forming time T2 into about 10 seconds.

The valve 713 is closed at an appropriate time point after the gas flow formation time T2 has elapsed after the valve 713 is opened, thereby stopping the gas ejection from the ejection port 710 of the second gas nozzle 71 .

[2-3.Efficacy] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the gas flow forming part 7 is provided with the second gas nozzle 71 for ejecting gas from the inside of the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 . For example, when the gas is ejected from the second gas nozzle 71 with the plasma reactor 31 disposed at the plasma processing position, the gas system flows to the facing surface 310 and the substrate W arranged close to and facing the facing surface 310 The space between them forms a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 . In this way, according to the second gas nozzle 71 , for example, the positional relationship between the facing surface 310 and the substrate W can be used to easily and reliably form a gas flow along the facing surface 310 .

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the gas sprayed from the second gas nozzle 71 is nitrogen gas. According to this configuration, it is difficult for the gas flow along the facing surface 310 to react with the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid present in the vicinity of the facing surface 310 .

In the above-described embodiment, the gas flow is formed along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 while the plasma reactor 31 is arranged at the plasma processing position. When the plasma reactor 31 is disposed at the plasma processing position, the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid fills the relatively narrow space between the opposing surface 310 and the substrate W. In this state, the formation of The gas flow along the facing surface 310 can effectively push the vaporized or atomized processing liquid to the outer direction of the facing surface 310 . Therefore, the adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid to the opposing surface 310 can be sufficiently suppressed.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, since the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is started again after the plasma processing is completed, the plasma processing is not affected by the gas flow.

[3. Variations of the second embodiment] [3-1. Second gas nozzle 71a] The structure of the second gas nozzle 71a according to the modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 15 . FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the second gas nozzle 71a of the modified example, and schematically shows the second gas nozzle 71a and the plasma reactor 31 when viewed from the side direction and the top view direction. Hereinafter, the parts that are different from the second gas nozzle 71 of the second embodiment will be described. The same elements as those of the second gas nozzle 71 of the second embodiment will be shown with the same reference numerals and descriptions will be omitted.

Like the second gas nozzle 71 of the second embodiment, the second gas nozzle 71a is a gas nozzle for ejecting gas from within the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31, and includes a nozzle body 711a and a cover. Plate 712a.

The nozzle body 711a is a straight nozzle with an ejection port 710a provided at one end, and is embedded in the plasma reactor 31 in an attitude such that the axial direction is along the thickness direction of the plasma reactor 31, and the ejection port 710a is It is fixedly provided in the plasma reactor 31 in such a manner that it is exposed at a predetermined position (for example, the center) within the opposing surface 310 .

The cover plate 712a is, for example, a disk-shaped member having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the discharge port 710a, and is provided between the cover plate 712a and the discharge port 710a in an attitude such that the main surface is parallel to the opposing surface 310. There is a slight gap and it is arranged to face the ejection port 710a. The cover plate 712a is supported by the plasma reactor 31 (or the nozzle body part 711a) via a support member or the like.

In this modification, the second gas nozzle 71a is connected to the gas supply source 712 (see FIG. 11 ) via the gas supply pipe 711 sandwiching the valve 713 and the flow rate adjustment part 714 . The gas supply source 712 is used to store the gas. Scheduled gas. However, here, for example, a gas containing oxygen is used as the predetermined gas system. Here, "oxygen-containing gas" refers to a gas containing at least one of oxygen molecules and oxygen atoms, equivalent to air, dry air, oxygen gas, ozone gas, carbon dioxide gas, or containing at least two of these gases. Mixed gases, etc. The gas containing oxygen is supplied to the vicinity of the plasma reactor 31 to promote the generation of plasma (especially the generation of oxygen-based active species such as oxygen radicals).

In this structure, when the valve 713 is opened, the gas system supplied from the gas supply source 712 is supplied to the second gas nozzle 71a through the gas supply pipe 711, and is ejected from the discharge port 710a. The gas system ejected from the ejection port 710a collides with the cover plate 712a, thereby changing the direction of the gas by 90 degrees, and flows along the opposing surface 310. That is, a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is formed. This kind of gas flow is a direction that expands radially with the discharge port 710a as the center when viewed from above.

[3-2. Formation of gas flow] When the second gas nozzle 71a of this modification is provided instead of the second gas nozzle 71 of the second embodiment, the substrate W is subjected to a series of processes similar to those of the second embodiment in the processing unit 132a (step S1 Step S7), in addition to performing a series of processes on the substrate W, a process for forming a gas flow along the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 (gas flow forming process) is further performed. The steps of such a gas flow forming process (gas flow forming step) will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 . FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the flow of processing performed in the processing unit 132a in the case where the second gas nozzle 71a of the modified example is provided.

[Step S201a: Gas flow forming process] Like the second embodiment, in this modification, the gas flow forming step is performed with the plasma reactor 31 disposed at the plasma processing position. However, in this variation, unlike the second embodiment, the gas flow forming step is started before the plasma treatment is completed. That is, the gas flow forming process is started by opening the valve 713 provided in the gas supply pipe 711, and after performing the lowering process (step S4), the voltage application process is completed (step S5). Valve 713 is opened at an appropriate point prior to slurry processing. Specifically, for example, the valve 713 is opened at a time point that is a predetermined time (gas flow formation time T2a) earlier than the time point at which the plasma treatment is completed.

When the valve 713 is opened, a predetermined gas (here, oxygen-containing gas) stored in the gas supply source 712 is supplied to the second gas through the gas supply pipe 711 at a predetermined flow rate adjusted by the flow rate adjustment unit 714 The nozzle 71a is ejected from the ejection port 710a. The gas ejection flow rate at this time is preferably about 10 L/min, for example.

The gas system ejected from the ejection port 710 a provided in the surface of the facing surface 310 collides with the cover plate 712 a, causing the direction of the gas to change by 90 degrees, and flows along the facing surface 310 . That is, a gas flow (here, a gas flow of oxygen-containing gas) is formed along the opposing surface 310 ( FIG. 15 ). This kind of gas flow is a direction that expands radially with the discharge port 710a as the center when viewed from above. By forming such a gas flow, the floating sulfuric acid M filled in the space between the substrate W and the opposing surface 310 is pushed to the outer direction of the opposing surface 310 (toward the peripheral edge of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from above). space outside). Thereby, adhesion of floating sulfuric acid M to the opposing surface 310 is suppressed.

When a predetermined time (gas flow formation time T2a) elapses after the valve 713 provided in the gas supply pipe 711 is opened, the valve 713 is closed and the gas discharge from the discharge port 710a of the second gas nozzle 71a is stopped. With this, the gas flow forming process is completed. For example, in the case where the valve 713 is opened at a time point earlier than the time point at which the gas flow forming time T2a is completed by performing the voltage application stop process (step S5), the gas flow is completed at the same time as the plasma process is completed. Flow forming treatment. In addition, the "gas flow formation time T2a" can be set arbitrarily. As described above, the longer the gas flow formation time T2a is, the smaller the amount of floating sulfuric acid M existing in the space between the facing surface 310 and the substrate W (which also increases the effect of suppressing contamination of the facing surface 310). However, there is a possibility that as the gas flow formation time T2a becomes longer, the time period in which the plasma treatment and the gas flow formation treatment are performed in parallel becomes longer, thereby increasing the possibility of the influence of the gas flow on the plasma treatment. . In order to sufficiently shorten this time period and fully discharge the floating sulfuric acid M, it is preferable to set the gas flow formation time T2a to about 10 seconds.

In addition, as described above, after the voltage application stop step (step S5) is performed, the rising step (step S6) is performed next. Needless to say, here, since there is no need to provide a waiting process (step S202) between the voltage application stop process and the rising process (see FIG. 13), the rising process may be performed immediately after the voltage application stopping process.

[3-3.Efficacy] In the above variation, since the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 is started before the plasma treatment is completed, the throughput can be increased. In addition, since the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid continuously generated during plasma processing can be immediately pushed by the gas flow, adhesion of the vaporized or mist-formed processing liquid to the opposing surface 31 can be sufficiently suppressed.

When there is a time zone in which plasma processing and gas flow formation processing are performed in parallel, although the above effects can be obtained, there is a concern that the gas flow may affect the plasma processing. For example, there is a concern that the liquid film F provided on the substrate W is turbulent due to gas flow, thereby affecting the stability of the plasma treatment. However, in the second gas nozzle 71a of this modified example, since the cover plate 712a is provided to face the discharge port 710a that opens in the facing surface 310, the gas discharged from the discharge port 710a does not Blow directly to the liquid film F. Therefore, the liquid film F is less likely to be turbulent and thus less likely to affect the stability of the plasma treatment.

In addition, in the above modification, since the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle 71 a is a gas containing oxygen, not only the gasified or mist-formed processing liquid can be pushed by the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 , but also the gaseous or mist-formed processing liquid can be pushed. This gas flow promotes the generation of plasma. That is, in the case where there is a time zone in which the plasma processing and the gas flow forming processing are performed in parallel, the plasma processing can be accelerated by the gas flow along the opposing surface 310 .

[4.Other variations] The structure of the first gas nozzle 41 of the first embodiment is not limited to the above illustrated description.

For example, the first gas nozzle 41a as shown in FIG. 17 may be a curved nozzle curved in an arc shape, and a long and slender slit-shaped ejection port may be provided on the inner direction side of the nozzle. 410a. In this case, the length of the ejection port 410a is preferably such that the length of the chord connecting both ends of the ejection port 410a is approximately the same as the diameter of the opposing surface 310 or is slightly larger than the opposing surface 310. In addition, in this case, it is preferable to define the position of the first gas nozzle 41 a so that the center of the width direction of the wide gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410 a passes through the center of the facing surface 310 when viewed from above. . In addition, it is preferable to define the position of the first gas nozzle 41a so that the gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410a is injected from a direction that is not perpendicular to the opposing surface 310 to the vicinity of the end edge of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from the side. position and posture (see the upper section of Figure 5).

In addition, for example, the first gas nozzle may be a long linear nozzle like the first gas nozzle 41b shown in FIG. 18 , and a plurality of ejection ports 410b may be provided along the length direction of the nozzle. In this case, it is preferable to define the second direction such that the center in the width direction of the wide-width gas flow formed by the gas ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 410 b passes through the center of the facing surface 310 when viewed from above. The position of the gas nozzle 41b. In addition, for example, it is preferable to define the first gas nozzle 41 b so that the gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410 b is injected from a direction that is not perpendicular to the opposing surface 310 to the vicinity of the end edge of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from the side. position and posture (see the upper section of Figure 5). This structure can also be applied to a curved nozzle that is curved in an arc shape. That is, a plurality of ejection ports may be provided along the inner edge of the curved nozzle.

In addition, for example, the first gas nozzle may be a straight nozzle having a discharge port 410c at one end, like the first gas nozzle 41c shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 . In this case, it is preferable to provide a plurality of first gas nozzles 41c. For example, as shown in FIG. 19 , a plurality of first gas nozzles 41 c may be arranged in a direction parallel to the radial direction of the facing surface 310 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 20 , the plurality of first gas nozzles 41 c may be arranged along an arc parallel to the periphery of the facing surface 310 . In all aspects, it is preferable that the widthwise center of the wide-width gas flow formed by the gas ejected from each ejection port 410c of the plurality of first gas nozzles 41c passes through the opposing surface when viewed from above. The position of each first gas nozzle 41c is determined by the center of 310. In addition, for example, the gas flow ejected from the ejection port 410c of each first gas nozzle 41c may be injected from a direction that is not perpendicular to the opposing surface 310 to the vicinity of the end edge of the opposing surface 310 when viewed from the side. The position and posture of each first gas nozzle 41c are defined in a manner (see the upper section of FIG. 5 ).

In the case where a plurality of first gas nozzles 41c are provided, the gas supply pipe 411 is constituted by a branch pipe having one end connected to the gas supply source 412 and the other end branched, and the first gas The nozzle 41c is connected to each branch end. In addition, in this structure, it is preferable that the valve 413 and the flow rate adjustment part 414 are respectively sandwiched between the plurality of branch parts. In this way, the gas flow rates ejected from the plurality of first gas nozzles 41c can be made different from each other. For example, as long as the discharge flow rate ejected from the first gas nozzle 41c relatively arranged on the center side is set to be larger than the ejection flow rate ejected from the first gas nozzle 41c arranged oppositely on the end side, then by The strip-shaped gas flow system formed by the gas ejected from the plurality of first gas nozzles 41c increases the flow rate toward the center side in the width direction. That is, a gas flow with a larger flow rate is formed toward the center side of the facing surface 310 . Thereby, the floating sulfuric acid M present in the vicinity of the opposing surface 310 can be efficiently pushed while suppressing the usage amount of gas.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 21 , the first gas nozzle 41 of the above embodiment may be positioned and positioned so that the gas ejected from the ejection port 410 flows near the opposing surface 310 and in parallel with the opposing surface 310 . Needless to say, this structure can also be adopted in the first gas nozzles 41a, 41b, and 41c in each of the above modifications.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 22 , a plurality of first gas nozzles 41 in the above embodiment may be arranged in the vertical direction. According to this structure, since a sufficient gas flow can be formed throughout the entire opposing surface 310, the floating sulfuric acid M present in the vicinity of the opposing surface 310 can be sufficiently pushed. Needless to say, this structure can also be adopted in the first gas nozzles 41a, 41b, and 41c in each of the above modifications.

The structure of the second gas nozzle 71 of the second embodiment is not limited to the above illustrated description.

For example, the second gas nozzle 71 may be configured like the second gas nozzle 71b shown in FIG. 23 such that a plurality of ejection ports 710b are provided on the opposing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31. Needless to say, this structure can also be adopted in the second gas nozzle 71a of the above-mentioned modified example.

In addition, for example, the second gas nozzle 71a of the modified example includes a nozzle body 711a and a cover plate 712a, but this configuration is not necessarily required. For example, the second gas nozzle may be configured to have a cylindrical nozzle end with a closed front end and a plurality of ejection ports provided on the peripheral surface, and the nozzle end may be configured to protrude from the opposing surface 310 .

The structures of the gas flow forming portions 4 and 7 are not limited to the above-described examples. For example, the gas flow forming part may further include a second gas nozzle 71 in addition to the first gas nozzle 41 like the gas flow forming part 4a shown in FIG. 24 . In this case, as shown in the figure, the first gas nozzle 41 and the second gas nozzle 71 may be connected to the common gas supply source 412 via the gas supply pipes 411 and 711, or may be connected to individual gas supply sources respectively. . In the case where two types of first gas nozzles 41 and second gas nozzles 71 are provided, it is also possible to configure the plasma reactor 31 in the plasma processing position and the plasma reactor 31 in the standby position. Gas flow formation processing is performed in two states. Needless to say, the first gas nozzles 41, 41a, 41b, 41c and the second gas nozzles 71, 71a, 71b of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be freely combined.

The aspect of the gas flow forming step is not limited to the above illustrated description.

For example, in the first embodiment, the gas ejection from the first gas nozzle 41 does not necessarily need to start at the same time that the plasma reactor 31 is placed in the standby position. For example, the plasma reactor 31 may be placed in the standby position and the gas may be ejected from the first gas nozzle 41 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In addition, for example, in the second embodiment, the gas injection from the second gas nozzle 71 does not necessarily need to be started after the voltage application process. For example, the plasma processing may be deemed to be completed when the plasma processing is started and a predetermined processing time elapses, and the gas may be ejected from the second gas nozzle 71 at this time. In addition, for example, the gas can be ejected from the second gas nozzle 71 while the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position. In this case, like the second gas nozzle 71a of the modified example, it is preferable to provide a cover so as to face the ejection port 710a that opens in the facing surface 310 of the plasma reactor 31 712a et al. According to this structure, the plasma reactor 31 does not necessarily need to be arranged at the plasma processing position (that is, it does not necessarily need to be in a state where the substrate W and the opposing surface 310 are close to and facing each other), that is, it can be easily formed along the The gas flows on the opposite surface 310 .

In addition, as described above, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the gas flow formation times T1 and T2 can be arbitrarily defined. For example, in the first embodiment, the gas may be continuously ejected from the first gas nozzle 41 while the plasma reactor 31 is arranged in the standby position.

In addition, for example, in the gas flow forming process (steps S101 and S201) of the first and second embodiments, the gas sprayed from the first gas nozzle 41 and the second gas nozzle 71 is nitrogen gas. However, the gas sprayed is not nitrogen gas. Not limited to this. For example, the gas sprayed from the first gas nozzle 41 and the second gas nozzle 71 may be air, dry air, oxygen gas, ozone gas, carbon dioxide gas, rare gas, a mixed gas containing at least two of these gases, or the like. However, when sulfuric acid is used as the treatment liquid, in order to avoid moisture absorption caused by sulfuric acid, it is preferable that the gas that is ejected does not contain moisture.

Similarly, in the gas flow forming step (step S201a) of the modified example, the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle 71a is a gas containing oxygen. However, the gas ejected is not limited to this, and may also be a rare gas, nitrogen, for example. Gas etc. However, when there is a time zone in which the gas flow forming process and the plasma process are performed in parallel, the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle 71a is preferably not a gas that deactivates the plasma, but is more preferably a gas that is used to inactivate the plasma. Gases that promote the generation of plasma (such as oxygen-containing gases, rare gases, etc.). In addition, when sulfuric acid is used as the treatment liquid, in order to avoid moisture absorption caused by sulfuric acid, it is preferable that the gas that is ejected does not contain moisture.

The structure of the processing unit 132 and the flow of the processing described so far are not limited to the description illustrated in the above embodiment.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the processing liquid nozzle 21 for ejecting the processing liquid and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 for ejecting the cleaning liquid are provided separately. However, the processing liquid nozzle 21 for ejecting the cleaning liquid may be configured to selectively eject the processing liquid from one nozzle. Cleaning fluid. In this case, the processing liquid supply pipe 211 and the cleaning liquid supply pipe 221 only need to be connected to the one nozzle.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the nozzle moving mechanism 23 moves the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 integrally. However, the nozzle moving mechanism may be provided separately for the processing liquid nozzle 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22. Each processing liquid nozzle 21 and cleaning liquid nozzle 22 are moved independently. Needless to say, in this case, it is not necessary to provide the two processing liquid nozzles 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 in connection. In addition, at least one of the two processing liquid nozzles 21 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 22 may be fixedly provided. That is, the nozzle moving mechanism may be omitted for at least one nozzle.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, although the holding part 1 holds the peripheral edge of the substrate W by the clamp pins 12 to hold the substrate W in a horizontal posture, the method for holding the substrate W is not limited to this, and may be any method. . For example, the holding part 1 may hold the substrate W in a horizontal posture by attracting the back surface of the substrate W through a suction mechanism provided on the upper surface of the base part 11 .

In addition, the plasma reactor moving mechanism 33 for moving the plasma reactor 31 is not necessary, and the plasma reactor 31 can also be fixedly installed. In this case, for example, it may be configured as follows: a mechanism for raising and lowering the base part 11 is provided, and the mechanism raises and lowers the base part 11, thereby changing the substrate held on the base part 11. The separation distance between W and the plasma reactor 31. In this structure, the mechanism for raising and lowering the base portion 11 becomes a moving mechanism for moving the plasma reactor 31 between the plasma processing position and the standby position.

In addition, the protective cover moving mechanism 52 for moving the protective cover 51 is not necessary, and the protective cover 51 can also be fixedly provided. In this case, for example, it may be configured as follows: a mechanism for raising and lowering the base part 11 is provided, and the mechanism raises and lowers the base part 11, thereby changing the substrate held on the base part 11. The positional relationship between W and the protective cover 51.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, during plasma processing, the rotation mechanism 13 may also cause the rotation holding part 1 (together with the substrate W held by the holding part 1) to revolve around the main axis of the substrate W at a predetermined number of rotations. The rotation axis Q is orthogonal to the surface.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the plasma generating part 3 generates plasma under atmospheric pressure, it may generate plasma under a low pressure state. That is, a pump for depressurizing the internal space of the chamber 6 may be provided, and a voltage may be applied to the plasma generator 31 in a state where the internal space of the chamber 6 has been decompressed to a predetermined pressure by the pump. , thereby generating plasma.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, although the processing for removing the resist formed on the substrate W is performed in the processing unit 132, the processing performed in the processing unit 132 is not limited to this. For example, a process for removing organic matter (for example, organic matter particles, organic matter layers, organic matter films) existing on the substrate W may also be performed in the processing unit 132 .

In addition, in the above embodiment, sulfuric acid is used as the treatment liquid, but the treatment liquid is not limited to this. For example, a chemical solution containing at least one of sulfuric acid, sulfate, peroxosulfuric acid, and peroxosulfate can be used as the treatment liquid. In addition, a chemical solution containing hydrogen peroxide can also be used as the treatment liquid. For example, a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide water can also be used as the treatment liquid. In addition, SC1 (Standard clean-1; the first standard cleaning fluid, which is a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide) can also be used depending on the purpose of plasma treatment and the type of object to be removed. , SC2 (Standard clean-2; the second standard cleaning solution, that is, a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide (hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide mixture)) and other medicinal liquids (so-called cleaning medicinal liquids) are used as treatment liquids, also Chemical solutions (so-called etching chemicals) such as hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, and phosphoric acid can be used as the treatment liquid.

The structure of the substrate processing system 100 and the processing flow described so far are not limited to the description illustrated in the above embodiment.

For example, the number of processing units 132 provided in the substrate processing system 100 may not be twelve. In addition, for example, the number of loading ports 111 provided in the substrate processing system 100 may not be three.

In addition, the program P can also be stored in a recording medium, and the program P can also be loaded (installed) into the control unit 140 using the recording medium.

In addition, the substrate W to be processed in the substrate processing system 100 does not necessarily need to be a semiconductor substrate. For example, the substrate W to be processed may be a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for an FED (Field Emission Display), a substrate for an optical disc, Substrates for magnetic disks and optical disks, etc. In addition, the shape and size of the substrate W to be processed are not limited to the above-exemplified description. For example, the shape of the substrate W to be processed may be a rectangular plate shape.

As mentioned above, although the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method have been described in detail, the above description is only an example in all aspects, and the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method are not limited to these aspects. It should be understood that numerous modifications that are not illustrated are conceivable without departing from the scope of the present invention. The respective structures described in the above-described respective embodiments and respective modifications can be appropriately combined or omitted as long as they do not conflict with each other.

1: Maintenance department 2: Liquid supply department 3:Plasma generation part 4,4a,7: Gas flow forming part 5: Protective cover part 6: Chamber 11: Base part 12: Clamp pin 13: Rotating mechanism 13a:Shaft parts 13b: Motor 21: Treatment fluid nozzle 22:Cleaning fluid nozzle 23:Nozzle moving mechanism 31: Plasma reactor (plasma irradiation part) 32:Power supply 33: Plasma reactor moving mechanism 41,41a,41b,41c: first gas nozzle 51:Protective cover 51a: Barrel part 51b: Inclined part 51c: extension 52: Protective cover moving mechanism 53: Drainage part 54:Exhaust part 61:Fan filter unit 71,71a,71b: Second gas nozzle 100:Substrate processing system 110:interface face 111:Loading port 120:Index Department 121: Index robot 121a,131a:Hand 121b,131b: arm 130: Ontology part 131: Main handling robot 132,132a: Processing unit (substrate processing device) 140:Control Department 141:CPU 142:ROM 143: RAM 144:Memory device 145:Bus cable 210, 220, 410, 410a, 410b, 410c, 710, 710a: ejection port 211: Treatment liquid supply pipe 212: Treatment fluid supply source 213,223,413,713: valve 214,224,414,714: Traffic Adjustment Department 221:Cleaning fluid supply pipe 222: Cleaning fluid supply source 310:Opposite side 311: First electrode part 311a: First linear electrode 311b: First collective electrode 312: Second electrode part 312a: Second linear electrode 312b: Second collective electrode 313:Divider 314:Dielectric tube 315:Keep components 315a, 315b: Retaining ring 411,711:Gas supply pipe 412,712:Gas supply source 531:cup 532:Drain pipe 541: Peripheral wall 542:Exhaust pipe 711a: Nozzle body part 712a:Cover C: Carrier d1,d2: separation distance F: liquid film G1: first gap G2: Second gap M: floating sulfuric acid P:program Q:Rotation axis S1 to S7, S101, S201, S201a, S202: steps T: transfer position T1, T2, T2a: gas flow formation time U:Nozzle unit W: substrate

[Fig. 1] is a top view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing system. [Fig. 2] is a block diagram showing the structure of the control unit. [Fig. 3] is a side view schematically showing the structure of the processing unit of the first embodiment. [Fig. 4] A plan view schematically showing the structure of a plasma reactor. [Fig. 5] A side view and a top view for explaining the structure of the first gas nozzle. [Fig. 6] is a diagram showing the flow of processing executed in the processing unit. [Fig. 7] is a diagram for explaining the holding process. [Fig. 8] is a diagram for explaining the processing liquid supply process. [Fig. 9] is a diagram for explaining plasma treatment. [Fig. 10] is a diagram for explaining the cleaning process and the gas flow forming process. [Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the processing unit of the second embodiment. [Fig. 12] It is a side view and a top view for explaining the structure of a 2nd gas nozzle. [Fig. 13] is a diagram showing the flow of processing executed in the processing unit. [Fig. 14] is a diagram for explaining the gas flow forming process. [FIG. 15] It is a side view and a top view for explaining the structure of the 2nd gas nozzle of a modification. [Fig. 16] is a diagram showing the flow of processing executed in the processing unit. [Fig. 17] A diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 18] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 19] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 20] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 21] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 22] Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the structure of a first gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 23] is a diagram showing the structure of a second gas nozzle according to a modified example. [Fig. 24] Fig. 24 is a side view schematically showing the structure of a processing unit according to a modified example.

1: Maintenance department

2: Liquid supply department

3:Plasma generation part

4: Gas flow forming part

5: Protective cover part

6: Chamber

11: Base part

12: Clamp pin

13: Rotating mechanism

13a:Shaft parts

13b: Motor

21: Treatment fluid nozzle

22:Cleaning fluid nozzle

23:Nozzle moving mechanism

31: Plasma reactor (plasma irradiation part)

32:Power supply

33: Plasma reactor moving mechanism

41:First gas nozzle

51:Protective cover

51a: Barrel part

51b: Inclined part

51c: extension

52: Protective cover moving mechanism

53: Drainage part

54:Exhaust part

61:Fan filter unit

132: Processing unit (substrate processing device)

210,220: spout

211: Treatment liquid supply pipe

212: Treatment fluid supply source

213,223,413: valve

214,224,414: Traffic adjustment department

221:Cleaning fluid supply pipe

222: Cleaning fluid supply source

310:Opposite side

411:Gas supply pipe

412:Gas supply source

531:cup

532:Drain pipe

541: Peripheral wall

542:Exhaust pipe

Q:Rotation axis

U:Nozzle unit

W: substrate

Claims (16)

A substrate processing apparatus is provided with: a holding part for holding a substrate; a processing liquid supply part for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding part; and a plasma irradiation part for irradiating the substrate held by the holding part. Plasma; moving mechanism moves the plasma irradiation part between a standby position and a plasma processing position. The standby position is a position where the substrate held by the holding part is not irradiated with plasma. The plasma processing position is A position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate held by the holding part; and a gas flow forming part that forms a gas flow along an opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part facing the substrate; the gas flow forming part The system is provided with a first gas nozzle that injects gas toward the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation unit disposed in the waiting position. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas ejection direction from the first gas nozzle is a direction that is not perpendicular to the facing surface of the plasma irradiation unit disposed in the standby position. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas ejected from the first gas nozzle is nitrogen gas. A substrate processing apparatus is provided with: a holding part for holding a substrate; a processing liquid supply part for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding part; and a plasma irradiation part for irradiating the substrate held by the holding part. Plasma; moving mechanism is used to move the aforementioned plasma irradiation part between the standby position and the plasma processing position, The standby position is a position where plasma is not irradiated to the substrate held by the holding part, the plasma processing position is a position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate held by the holding part, and the gas flow forming part is formed along The gas flow in the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part that is opposite to the substrate; the gas flow forming part is equipped with: a second gas nozzle, which is provided from within the surface of the opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part. The gas is ejected from the outlet. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is nitrogen gas. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the gas ejected from the second gas nozzle is a gas containing oxygen. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second gas nozzle is provided with: the ejection port provided on the facing surface; and a cover plate disposed opposite to the ejection port; from the ejection port The ejected gas system collides with the cover plate to change the direction of the flow, thereby forming a gas flow along the opposing surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 to 7, wherein the treatment liquid is sulfuric acid. A substrate processing method includes: a processing liquid supply step for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate; and a first moving step for moving a plasma irradiation unit from a standby position to a plasma processing position after performing the processing liquid supply step. The aforementioned standby position is a position in which the aforementioned substrate is not irradiated with plasma. The aforementioned The plasma processing position is a position where plasma is irradiated to the substrate; the second moving step is to irradiate the substrate with plasma from the plasma irradiation part arranged at the plasma processing position to perform plasma processing, and then make the plasma The plasma irradiation part moves from the plasma processing position to the standby position; and a gas flow forming step is to form a gas flow along an opposing surface of the plasma irradiation part facing the substrate; the gas flow forming step This is performed in a state where the plasma irradiation unit is arranged in the standby position. The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein the gas flow forming step is started while the plasma irradiation part is arranged in the standby position. The substrate processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a gas flow of nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step. A substrate processing method includes: a processing liquid supply step for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate; and a first moving step for moving a plasma irradiation unit from a standby position to a plasma processing position after performing the processing liquid supply step. The waiting position is a position where the substrate is not irradiated with plasma, and the plasma processing position is a position where the substrate is irradiated with plasma; the second moving step is to move the substrate from the plasma irradiation part disposed at the plasma processing position. After the substrate is irradiated with plasma to perform plasma processing, the plasma irradiation part is moved from the plasma processing position to the standby position; and the gas flow forming step is to form a gas flow along a line in the plasma irradiation part opposite to the substrate. gas flow on opposite surfaces; The gas flow forming step is performed in a state where the plasma irradiation part is arranged at the plasma processing position; the gas flow forming step is started after the plasma processing is completed. The substrate processing method according to Claim 12, wherein a gas flow of nitrogen gas is formed in the gas flow forming step. A substrate processing method includes: a processing liquid supply step for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate; and a first moving step for moving a plasma irradiation unit from a standby position to a plasma processing position after performing the processing liquid supply step. The waiting position is a position where the substrate is not irradiated with plasma, and the plasma processing position is a position where the substrate is irradiated with plasma; the second moving step is to move the substrate from the plasma irradiation part disposed at the plasma processing position. After the substrate is irradiated with plasma to perform plasma processing, the plasma irradiation part is moved from the plasma processing position to the standby position; and the gas flow forming step is to form a gas flow along a line in the plasma irradiation part opposite to the substrate. The gas flow forming step is performed on the opposite surface; the gas flow forming step is performed in a state where the plasma irradiation part is arranged at the plasma processing position; the gas flow forming step is started before the plasma processing is completed; In the gas flow forming step, gas is ejected from an ejection port provided on the opposing surface, and the gas system ejected from the ejection port collides with a cover plate arranged opposite to the ejection port, thereby changing the direction of the flow. This creates a gas flow along the aforementioned opposing surfaces. The substrate processing method according to Claim 14, wherein the gas flow pattern The gas flow that forms oxygen-containing gas in the forming process. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 9, 10, 12 to 15, wherein the treatment liquid is sulfuric acid.

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