WO2004070807A1

WO2004070807A1 - Substrate treating device and substrate treating method

Info

Publication number: WO2004070807A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/000859
Authority: WO
Inventors: Riichiro Harano
Original assignee: Personal Creation Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-02-03
Filing date: 2004-01-29
Publication date: 2004-08-19

Abstract

A substrate treating device capable of increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, uniformity, and accuracy of the treatment of a substrate without affecting the environment, comprising an inert gas injection nozzle (144) injecting inert gas so as to form an inert gas atmosphere near the surface of the substrate and a baffle plate (146) receiving the flow of the inert gas injected from the inert gas injection nozzle (144) and deflecting the flow of the inert gas to a flow going toward the outside of the substrate. The baffle plate (146) comprises escape holes (148), and the escape holes (48) are formed such that inflow openings (152) for inert gas branched flow formed on the surface of the baffle plate (146) on the inert gas injection nozzle side of the baffle plate (146) are disposed offset to the outside of the inert gas injection nozzle (144) and outflow openings (154) for the inert gas branched flow formed on the surface of the baffle plate (146) on the opposite side thereof are formed on the inside of the inflow openings (152).

Description

Description Name of Invention

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus having improved processing effectiveness, efficiency, uniformity, and accuracy without adversely affecting the environment. And a method for processing a substrate. Background of the Invention

In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor substrate, a process of forming an element on the surface of the substrate has recently been called a so-called process.

It is divided into two types: F EOL processing and so-called B EOL processing. In any treatment, the washing process of the substrate, which removes foreign substances, unnecessary films or unnecessary processing liquids attached to the substrate with a chemical solution or pure water, is an indispensable process. Whether to do so will have a significant effect on the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor substrate. Substrate cleaning treatments are classified into surface treatment, bevel treatment, and side surface treatment of the substrate according to the treatment position of the substrate. Surface treatment and bevel treatment are both sides that simultaneously treat the back and front surfaces of the substrate. Processing is classified into single-sided processing, which processes one side at a time.

Regardless of the processing position of the substrate, the cleaning process of the substrate consists of the chemical treatment process of treating the portion to be cleaned with a predetermined chemical solution, the rinsing process of rinsing the chemically treated portion with pure water, and the rinsing portion. For example, it consists of a drying process step of drying with an inert gas. In each process, a separate collection process is performed in parallel in order to collect used chemical solution or pure water and to reuse it in some cases. Such a substrate cleaning process is performed by a so-called spin-type single-wafer process, in which a processing fluid such as a chemical solution, pure water, or an inert gas is supplied to a central portion of a high-speed rotating substrate, and these processing fluids are supplied. It utilizes the fact that it flows radially outward from the center toward the periphery of the substrate due to the action of centrifugal force.

In recent years, such cleaning treatments have been developed based on the element formation processing technology in terms of firstly the effectiveness of the process, the second, the efficiency of the process, the third, the uniformity of the process, and the fourth, the accuracy of the process. Some situations have not been able to keep up with progress. The following describes the technological progress of the element formation process, and then describes the cleaning process. The technical problems are specifically explained for each process.

(1) Progress of device formation processing

Due to the demand for higher performance and higher integration of ultra-LSI devices, semiconductor substrates are being miniaturized in the horizontal direction and multilayer wiring is being pursued in the vertical direction.

More specifically, especially in the wiring process during the manufacturing process, conventionally, the structure of the semiconductor substrate is determined for each layer by repeating a film forming process and a lithographic process, and a multilayer wiring structure is formed. The procedure is outlined below.

According to the lithographic process, a contact hole or a peer hole is formed in the insulating film. Next, a metal for wiring is buried in the contact hole or via hole. Next, a wiring metal is formed by the Lisodara process and is covered with an interlayer insulating film to form a wiring layer. Thus, one layer of wiring is completed.

In this case, it is necessary to completely remove the unnecessary resist film temporarily used in the lithography process from the substrate. Excess metal protruding from the contact hole or peer hole formed in the lithographic process is removed by etch-back or CMP, but cleaning of the substrate is required to completely remove the removed metal from the substrate. . Further, cleaning of the substrate is required to completely remove the processing solution used for forming the interlayer insulating film from the substrate.

Such foreign matter to be removed is diffused and adheres to the front surface, the back surface, the side peripheral surface, and the bevel portion (oblique portion of the side surface) of the substrate, that is, the entire surface of the substrate, and is completely removed from the substrate. Failure to do so will adversely affect patterning accuracy or device characteristics, as well as cause cross-contamination.

In this connection, attention has been paid to copper as a low-resistance wiring metal and 10 wk material as a low dielectric constant interlayer insulating film as a so-called wiring delay countermeasure.

However, with respect to the former wiring metal, copper atoms are representative of impurities that diffuse at a high speed into Si crystal, Si 02 and the like, deteriorating device characteristics and causing cross-contamination of equipment and facilities. In this regard, the above-described substrate cleaning steps are becoming increasingly important in order to prevent copper intrusion. On the other hand, the latter interlayer insulating film is formed by spin coating because it is almost impossible to form it by conventional CVD. In this case, the excess film goes around to the opposite surface of the substrate and adheres around the periphery of the substrate. In this regard, the cleaning step for efficiently removing the extra film adhered around the peripheral portion. There is a demand for development. .

(2) Problems in surface treatment

With respect to a conventional substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus for processing the surface of a substrate with a chemical solution or pure water is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-93891.

The substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate rotating unit for rotating the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane; a substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane; and a processing liquid toward a substantially center of the surface of the substrate. And an inert gas ejecting means for injecting an inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) toward the substrate so as to surround the treating liquid supply region on the surface of the substrate. According to such a configuration, by injecting an inert gas toward the surface of the substrate, the vicinity of the surface of the substrate is set to an inert gas atmosphere, and at a high speed in a substantially horizontal plane (for example, several thousand rpm). By supplying the processing liquid toward substantially the center of the surface of the substrate to be processed, the processing liquid scatters in the radial direction of the substrate on the surface of the substrate due to centrifugal force, thereby processing the surface of the substrate. . However, such a substrate processing apparatus has the following technical problems. In other words, the inert gas injected toward the surface of the substrate has an adverse effect on the processing of the substrate by the processing liquid. More specifically, the inert gas is used to prevent the surface of the substrate to be processed from coming into direct contact with air, so that the flow of the processing solution is substantially directed toward the center of the surface of the substrate to which the processing liquid is first supplied. It is sprayed to cover around. When the processing liquid supplied to the center of the substrate surface is deflected by hitting the surface of the substrate and trying to diffuse in the radial direction of the substrate by centrifugal force, it is obstructed by the flow of the inert gas injected toward the substrate. Therefore, it becomes difficult to uniformly treat the entire surface of the substrate with the treatment liquid.

In addition, since the flow rate of the inert gas is considerably large, the pressure suddenly rises in a substantially pulse shape on the surface of the substrate at a point where the jet of the inert gas collides. As a result, the substrate is warped during the processing step, and a decompression portion is generated on the surface of the substrate in a region radially outward from the collision point of the inert gas, and mist of the processing liquid generated at the center of the substrate is generated. Attach to the surface, which hinders more uniform processing of the substrate.

On the other hand, if the flow rate of the inert gas is reduced in order to avoid such adverse effects on the processing of the substrate, it becomes difficult to constantly maintain the vicinity of the surface in an inert gas atmosphere during the processing of the substrate. For example, the formation of war marks on the surface of a substrate can impair product quality and reduce the effectiveness of processing. (3) ^ bevel processing

Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 09-92637 and 10-229062, which are Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. JP-A-09-92637 and JP-A-10-229062, describe a conventional substrate cleaning technique. A substrate processing apparatus for processing an annular region with a processing liquid is disclosed. The apparatus has a processing liquid jet nozzle for supplying a processing liquid for processing the surface of a substrate rotatably held in a substantially horizontal plane to a desired annular area near an outer peripheral edge of the substrate. After treating the upper surface of the substrate with the processing liquid, another processing liquid was directed to the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of each of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate in order to remove unnecessary thin films formed near the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. By jetting from the processing liquid injection nozzle, the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate is processed with the processing liquid to remove unnecessary thin films.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-8192, which is a Japanese Patent Application Publication, discloses a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to a desired annular region near the outer peripheral edge of a substrate. In this system, while the substrate is rotating at a low speed or stopped, the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate is spilled to the lower surface of the substrate, and an annular liquid film utilizing the capillary phenomenon is formed on the lower surface of the substrate. Formed between the cylindrical body close to the substrate and the lower surface of the substrate to prevent the processing liquid from entering inward of the annular liquid film, thereby forming a desired annular shape near the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate. The area is being treated with the treatment liquid.

However, in the former apparatus, since the processing liquid is supplied to the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate by spraying, uniform and accurate processing such as that achieved by processing utilizing centrifugal force is performed near the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. Can't do it. In addition, since the processing liquid is sprayed to collide with the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, there is a problem that only a desired annular region near the outer peripheral edge of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate cannot be accurately processed.

In the latter device, the lower surface is processed by circulating the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface to the lower surface, so that the processing is performed only while the substrate is rotating at a low speed or stopped. Even if the rotation speed is low, the sensitivity of the amount of processing solution wraparound to the number of rotations of the substrate is too high, so that uniform and accurate processing can be achieved, for example, by processing using centrifugal force. There is a problem that control cannot be performed near the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate.

(4) Problems in side surface treatment

If a conventional substrate processing apparatus is described, a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing processing unevenness due to substrate support is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-93891. It has been disclosed.

The processing apparatus includes a rotating unit for rotating the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane, and a processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate. S Processing solution to be supplied.ft 裣 ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ スピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンスピンAnd a plurality of support members for supporting the substrate.

According to such a configuration, the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate while rotating the spin chuck about a substantially vertical axis while supporting the substrate to be processed by the support surfaces of the plurality of support members. As a result, the processing liquid is scattered outward in the radial direction of the substrate by the centrifugal force, so that the entire surface of the substrate can be processed with the processing liquid.

Furthermore, the processing liquid attached to the substrate becomes a resistance, and the substrate slides out with respect to the support surface of the support member. As a result, the support member cannot continue to support the same position on the substrate. The portion of the surface supported by the support member moves and is exposed from the support member, thereby enabling processing with the processing liquid, thereby preventing uneven processing of the side peripheral surface of the substrate due to the support of the substrate. It becomes possible.

As described above, according to this processing apparatus, not only the surface of the substrate but also the side peripheral surface of the substrate can be processed, thereby preventing processing unevenness.

However, such a substrate processing apparatus has the following technical problems.

First, since the surface of the substrate slides with respect to the support surface of the support member, the support surface of the support member, which is usually harder than the substrate, wears over time, and wear powder is generated. Such contaminants can be mixed into the surface of the substrate and adversely affect the quality of the product, or cause cross-contamination. There is a demand to minimize the occurrence of sliding parts near the substrate in the substrate processing process.

Second, in the drying process where the substrate needs to be rotated at a higher speed (for example, 2,000 to 3,000 rpm), pressing is performed while the substrate is rotating to prevent the above-mentioned sliding. The substrate fixes the substrate in cooperation with the support surface of the support member. This pressed portion of the substrate (usually, the peripheral portion of the substrate) is different from the above-described processing step. During the drying process, the substrate is always pressed at the same position by the pressing member. It is almost impossible, and as with the first problem, the quality of the product is degraded due to the incompletely dried portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate, which is the pressed portion.

(5) Problems in separation and collection processing

When processing a substrate, which is a semiconductor wafer, in a single-wafer manner, a substrate processing unit provided with an apparatus for separating and recovering a processing solution that has processed the substrate is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. It is disclosed in JP-A-5-283395.

The substrate processing unit rotates the substrate supported from below about a vertical axis, thereby processing the substrate surface with the processing liquid, and separately collects the processed processing liquid. And a treatment liquid separation and recovery device for the The treatment liquid separation / recovery device includes an annular inlet arranged to surround the periphery of the substrate for receiving the treatment liquid that is blown radially outward of the substrate by centrifugal force, and a processing liquid flowing from the annular inlet. A plurality of annular flow paths provided with an outlet from which the fluid flows out, and a drive device for vertically moving a support for supporting the substrate with respect to the plurality of annular flow paths. The plurality of annular flow paths are arranged in a vertically stacked manner, and in each of the annular flow paths, an annular wall extending in a vertical direction is provided to receive the discharged processing liquid, and the annular wall is annular. A discharge port for discharging the mist in the annular flow path is provided on the opposite side of the inlet, that is, on the side farther from the substrate. Each of the annular flow paths communicates with the annular space surrounding the plurality of annular flow paths from the outside through each outlet, and the annular space is drawn by the exhaust device, and is formed in each annular flow path through each mist outlet. Mist is sucked.

According to such a configuration, by moving the support base to the upper and lower levels of the annular flow path used for separating and collecting the processing liquid by the driving device, the processing liquid that has processed the substrate can be centrifugally moved to the radius of the substrate. It is blown outward, drips into small drops through the annular inlet and hits the annular wall, and is received in the annular channel. Drops of the processing liquid are condensed in the annular flow path, and are discharged from the outlet, for example, by a pump, so that the processing liquid can be separated and collected. Thereby, the mist of the processing liquid generated in the annular flow path can be exhausted through the annular space.

Thus, by selecting the annular flow path used for separation and recovery according to the processing solution, it is possible to prevent different processing solutions from mixing during the separation and recovery, and to reuse the separated and recovered processing solution. be able to.

However, such a processing unit has the following technical problems.

First, each of the plurality of annular channels has a fixed arrangement, and the annular inlet and mist outlet of each of the annular channels are always open. Therefore, the processing liquid or the mist that is being separated and collected from the annular inlet or the mist outlet enters the annular flow path that is not used for the separation and collection. Even if such a contaminated annular flow path is used, it is difficult to reuse the separated and recovered processing solution as it is. Secondly, since the plurality of annular flow paths are arranged in a vertically stacked manner, the space in the vertical direction of the processing unit increases, and therefore, the separation and recovery of mist is uneven in the vertical direction. Tends to occur.

Third, mist generated during the separation and collection of the processing liquid falls on the processing surface of the substrate, deteriorating the quality of the substrate. More specifically, when the processing liquid scattered in the radial direction of the substrate due to the centrifugal force hits the annular wall, a considerable amount of mist of the processing liquid is generated. The processing solution splashed back rebounds back to the substrate. For this reason, the mist of the processing liquid rides on the flow of the processing liquid that has bounced back to the substrate, floats from the annular inlet toward the substrate, and finally descends to the upper surface of the substrate. As a result, the quality of the processed substrate is deteriorated, and the separation and recovery rate of the processing liquid is reduced.

As is clear from the above description, substrate cleaning technology that can respond to recent advances in device formation technology by ensuring effectiveness, efficiency, uniformity, and accuracy without adversely affecting the environment. Is strongly desired in the industry. Summary of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a processing method capable of improving effectiveness, efficiency, uniformity, and accuracy without adversely affecting the environment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which enables uniform processing of a substrate surface while maintaining the vicinity of the substrate surface in an inert gas atmosphere.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of uniformly and precisely processing only a desired annular region on the upper surface of a substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to support a substrate without causing sliding movement between the substrate and the substrate during high-speed rotation of the substrate when contacting and supporting a plurality of circumferential positions on the side peripheral surface of the substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a processing method capable of moving these plurality of contact support portions on the side peripheral surface of the substrate while moving the substrate.

A further object of the present invention is to supply a processing fluid to a surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate at a high speed in a substantially horizontal plane, thereby treating or drying the surface of the substrate without causing deterioration of the substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a processing method capable of reliably processing or drying the side peripheral surface of a substrate using such a processing fluid.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure the separation and collection efficiency of the processing solution without deteriorating the quality of the substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus which can perform the processing.

To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention,

Substrate rotation holding means for rotating while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane,

A processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, wherein the processing liquid supply means supplies the processing liquid in a substantially vertical direction toward a substantially center of the substrate. Having a liquid supply nozzle,

Further, an inert gas injection nozzle for injecting an inert gas toward the surface so that the vicinity of the surface is an inert gas atmosphere,

A baffle plate installed between the surface and the inert gas injection nozzle so as to receive the inert gas flow injected from the inert gas injection nozzle and deflect the flow toward the outside of the substrate; Have

The baffle plate has a through hole for partially branching the deflected flow toward the outside of the substrate so as to maintain the vicinity of the surface in an inert gas atmosphere,

In the through hole, the inflow opening of the inert gas branch flow formed on the surface of the baffle plate on the side of the inert gas injection nozzle of the baffle plate is offset from the inert gas injection nozzle. The outlet opening of the branch flow of the inert gas formed on the surface opposite to the surface of the baffle plate is formed inward from the inlet opening.

In the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above, while being supplied in a substantially vertical direction from the processing liquid supply nozzle toward the substantially center of the substrate, an inert gas atmosphere is provided near the substrate surface. Inert gas is injected from the active gas injection nozzle toward the surface. At that time, the processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate rotating in a substantially horizontal plane tends to scatter outward on the substrate in the radial direction of the substrate by the action of centrifugal force. At that time, the inert gas flow is received by a baffle plate provided between the substrate surface and the inert gas injection nozzle, and is deflected to a flow toward the outside of the substrate. A portion of the deflected flow then passes through the inflow openings of the plurality of through holes in the baffle, through the outflow opening formed on the opposite surface of the baffle surface, and toward the substrate surface. At that time, the outflow opening is offset inward from the inflow opening, so that the inert gas passing through each through hole is directed toward the center of the substrate to which the processing liquid is supplied.

As described above, by receiving the inert gas jet directed toward the substrate surface by the baffle plate, it is possible to prevent the inert gas jet from directly hitting the substrate surface, prevent the substrate from being adversely affected, and reduce the pressure around the direct hit portion. The mist of the processing solution and the mist during spin drying By keeping the vicinity of the surface of the substrate in an inert gas atmosphere while preventing it from adhering to the substrate, effective and uniform treatment of the substrate surface can be achieved.

The inert gas injection nozzle has a form of an annular nozzle arranged so as to surround the processing liquid supply nozzle,

The baffle plate has a shape of a disk arranged concentrically with the annular nozzle and substantially parallel to the substrate,

The through hole has a plurality of branch flow paths each having a predetermined inclination such that the inert gas branch flow hits the processing liquid flow from the processing liquid supply nozzle just before the surface of the substrate. Preferably, the plurality of branch channels are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the baffle plate. Still further, the substrate rotating means has a spin chuck rotatable around a substantially vertical axis, and a rotation driving means for rotating the spin chuck,

The substrate support means includes a support fixed to an upper surface of the spin chuck and extending from the upper surface toward the substrate.

The baffle plate extends from the surface of the baffle plate so that the deflected flow toward the outside of the substrate is restricted to an area outside the inflow opening of the plurality of branch flow paths between the baffle plate and the upper surface. It is preferable to have a protruding ring portion protruding toward the inert gas injection nozzle.

The spin chuck has a through hole around its rotation axis,

An outer tube for supplying an inert gas, which extends through the through hole to the upper surface of the spin chuck in a non-contact manner with the through hole; An inner pipe extending to protrude from the upper surface of the spin chuck, for supplying a processing liquid;

The inner tube and the outer tube are disposed concentrically around a rotation axis of the spin chuck, and the processing liquid supply nozzle is formed by an upper peripheral edge of the inner tube;

The inert gas annular nozzle is formed between an upper peripheral edge of the outer tube and an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube, and the baffle plate is fixed to an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube above the inert gas annular nozzle. It is better to be done.

To achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention,

Processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid for processing the upper surface of the substrate rotatably held in a substantially horizontal plane to the upper surface of the substrate; A processing region limiting means for limiting the supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate;

The processing liquid supply means includes: a fixed lower surface that forms a gap through which a fluid flows between the upper surface of the substrate; and a processing liquid provided to the fixed lower surface so as to face the gap. An annular outflow opening;

An annular flow path extending obliquely downward toward the upper surface of the substrate and radially outward to the annular outflow opening;

The processing region limiting means has an inert gas outlet opening for injecting an inert gas, provided in a region of the fixed lower surface surrounded by an inner peripheral edge of the annular outlet opening so as to face the gap. And

From the fixed lower surface of the gap to the upper surface of the substrate, an inert gas atmosphere facing inward from the annular processing liquid flow toward the upper surface of the substrate so as to form a gas barrier along the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge. The pressure is maintained at a predetermined value.

The substrate processing apparatus further includes a vertical moving means for vertically moving the fixed lower surface, and adjusts a distance between the fixed lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate by the vertical moving means. It is preferable to adjust the annular area of the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate as desired. The substrate processing apparatus also has a concave portion that is depressed from the fixed lower surface,

The inert gas outflow opening is formed by a peripheral edge that forms a boundary with the recess on the fixed lower surface, and preferably has a circular opening substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening.

Processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid for processing the upper surface of the substrate rotatably held in a substantially horizontal plane to the upper surface of the substrate;

A processing region limiting means for limiting supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate; anda substrate processing apparatus for processing a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate having

The processing liquid supply means includes: a fixed lower surface that forms a gap through which a fluid flows between the upper surface of the substrate; and a processing liquid provided to the fixed lower surface so as to face the gap. An annular outflow opening,

The processing region limiting means includes: a region on the fixed lower surface surrounded by an inner peripheral edge of the annular outflow opening so as to inject the first inert gas outward from the inside of the annular outflow opening through the gap. A first inert gas provided to face the gap for injecting a first inert gas An outflow opening, and a second inert gas outflow opening for injecting a second inert gas, provided in a region of the fixed lower surface surrounding the outer peripheral edge of the annular flow fil opening so as to face the gap. The processing liquid supplied from the annular outflow opening is entrained toward the outside of the substrate by the first inert gas ejected from the first inert gas outflow opening, and the second inert gas outflow opening is The structure is such that the substrate is drawn outward from the substrate by the second inert gas injected from the mouth. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a vertical direction moving means for moving the fixed lower surface in a vertical direction, and the distance between the fixed lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate is adjusted by the vertical direction moving means. Thus, the annular region of the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate is preferably adjusted as desired. The substrate processing apparatus further has an annular flow path extending obliquely downward toward the upper surface of the substrate and radially outward to the second inert gas outflow opening,

The second inert gas outflow opening is preferably in the form of an annular outflow opening substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the annular flow path is tapered toward the annular outflow opening.

A rotating means for rotating the substrate in a horizontal plane, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, a spin chuck rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and an axis on the spin chuck. A plurality of support pins for supporting the substrate substantially horizontally, and a plurality of support pins for supporting the substrate substantially horizontally, and supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate rotating in a substantially horizontal plane, thereby providing a substrate. In a substrate processing apparatus for processing

Each of the plurality of support pins has a support side surface for supporting the side peripheral surface of the substrate from the side, and a horizontal cross section of the support side forms an arc centered on the axis of each support pin. Each of the side surfaces can rotate around the axis,

Further, there is a rotation driving means for rotating the plurality of support pins in the same direction around the respective axes while synchronizing the plurality of support pins,

Thereby, by rotating each of the plurality of support pins by a predetermined angle during rotation of the spin chuck, the substrate is relatively rotated with respect to the spin chuck in a manner of rolling contact with each of the support side surfaces. The configuration is such that

According to such a configuration, while supporting the side peripheral surface of the substrate from the side by the support member, the substrate is rotated in a substantially horizontal plane, and the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate, whereby the centrifugal force is increased. Due to the action of the above, the processing liquid scatters outward in the radial direction of the substrate, and as a result, it becomes possible to process the entire surface of the substrate.

At this time, during rotation of the substrate, a point or a line contact position of the side peripheral surface with respect to the support is rotated relative to the support in a rolling motion, thereby exposing the support from the rotary support without causing a sliding portion. By treating the exposed point or line contact position with the treatment liquid, it is possible to reliably treat the side surface of the substrate and to prevent processing unevenness due to the support of the substrate. In addition, it is preferable that each of the plurality of support pins has a cutout portion that extends laterally and upward with respect to the axis.

Further, the rotation driving means is connected to each support pin concentrically with the axis of each of the plurality of support pins, and is capable of rotating about the axis, a plurality of first gears;

A second gear meshing with each of the first small gears, connected to the spin chuck concentrically with the rotation axis of the spin chuck, and rotatable integrally with the spin chuck about the rotation axis; A second gear having a cam follower having an inclined surface arranged to be inclined in the rotational tangential direction;

A cam having a curved profile so as to make point contact with the inclined surface, and movable vertically, and rotatable about the rotation axis of the spin chuck integrally with the spin chuck;

By moving the cam in the vertical direction, it is preferable that the cam follower is pushed out in the rotation direction via the inclined surface, and the second gear is relatively rotated with respect to the spin chuck.

Still further, the inclined surface has a circular cross section with respect to the inclination direction of the inclined surface, and the cam is formed of a cylindrical roller, and is arranged in such a direction as to bring its peripheral side surface into point contact with the inclined surface. Is good.

It is preferable that the plurality of support pins are arranged at equal angular intervals in a circumferential direction around a rotation axis of the spin chuck.

In a substrate processing apparatus for processing by supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a substrate rotatably arranged in a horizontal plane,

A pot disposed to surround the periphery of the substrate and having an annular opening facing inward toward the periphery of the substrate; An annular partition extending inside the pot from near the annular opening toward the bottom of the pot 1;

An annular partition vertical moving means for vertically moving the annular partition, and by positioning the annular partition at an upper level of the annular opening, an inner peripheral surface of the annular partition is processed liquid from a substrate. A guide surface for guiding the oil from the annular opening to the bottom of the pot,

By positioning the annular partition at a level below the annular opening, the outer peripheral surface of the annular partition forms another guide surface for guiding the processing liquid from the substrate from the annular opening to the bottom of the pot. It has a configuration.

Further, when the inner peripheral edge of each of the adjacent annular partitions is positioned at the annular opening, the gap between the inner peripheral edges of the other adjacent annular partitions can be prevented from inflow of mist generated from the scattering of the processing liquid. The other adjacent annular partitions should be positioned close to each other in the up-down direction so that the size is as large as possible.

Further, each of the plurality of annular partitions includes an umbrella portion inclined inward and upward toward the annular opening, and a cylindrical portion having an upper peripheral end connected to the umbrella portion and extending upward from the bottom of the pot. It is better to have

Still further, the umbrella portion has an annular protrusion extending outward from a connection portion with the cylindrical portion, and is disposed above the bottom of the pot so as to surround the cylindrical portion below the annular protrusion. An annular partition wall is provided extending to

Thereby, the annular flow path is formed by an oblique flow path formed by the head portions of adjacent annular partitions, and an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the outer annular partition and an outer peripheral surface of the annular partition. And an inner flow path formed by an inner peripheral surface of the partition wall and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the outer annular partition. Alternatively, an inverted U-shaped channel may be formed.

In addition to the above, in the substrate processing apparatus, the outer flow path communicates with a processing liquid outlet at a lowermost end thereof, and the inner flow path communicates with a mist outlet at a lowermost end thereof. It is preferable that the inside of the annular flow path is drawn by an exhaust device through an outlet. The outermost annular partition of the plurality of annular partitions may form an annular flow path between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall of the pot. Further, the innermost annular partition of the plurality of annular partitions forms an annular flow path between its inner peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall of the pot. May be.

The above-described substrate processing apparatus may further include a plurality of through-holes distributed in a circumferential direction in a mist inflow opening formed by an upper peripheral edge of the partition and an inner peripheral surface of the annular partition adjacent to the inside. It is preferable that an annular conductance adjusting plate having holes is provided, and the size of each of the plurality of through-holes is reduced as it approaches the mist outlet. Further, it has a rotary support ^ for supporting the substrate and an annular receiver for receiving the processing liquid for paddling in the innermost clean flow path substantially below the outer peripheral edge of the rotary support base. Good.

Rotation holding means for rotating while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane,

Processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate,

In a substrate processing apparatus having:

A pot having an inwardly facing annular opening disposed so as to surround the periphery of the substrate; and an upward and inward direction from the bottom toward the annular opening to partition the bottom of the pot into an annular shape, respectively. A plurality of annular partitions extending and spaced apart in the pot;

And an annular partition vertical moving means for vertically moving the annular partition, wherein the inner peripheral edge of each of the adjacent annular partitions is formed into an annular shape so that the processing liquid flowing from the annular opening can be received. By positioning at the opening, the inner peripheral surface of the outer annular partition and the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular partition form an annular flow passage communicating with the bottom. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a first embodiment of a substrate processing unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a substrate supporting portion of the substrate supporting device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the support pins of the substrate support device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the substrate supporting device of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view from the line VI—VI in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the upper surface bevel processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is in a standby position.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing opening and closing of the shirt shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the top bevel processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration around a baffle plate of the lower surface processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the treatment liquid separation / recovery device of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the operation of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the operation of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a partial vertical sectional view showing the operation of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the substrate processing unit according to the present invention. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment operation of the beveled annular region by the upper surface bevel processing apparatus of FIG. Preferred Embodiments of the Invention ''

Hereinafter, a substrate processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment of a substrate processing unit according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a substrate supporting portion of the substrate supporting device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view showing the operation of the support pins of the substrate support device of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the substrate supporting device of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view from the line VI—VI in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the upper-side bevel processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is in a standby position. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing opening and closing of the shirt shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the top bevel processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG. FIG. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration around a baffle plate of the lower surface processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 12 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG. FIG. 13 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the treatment liquid separation / recovery device of FIG. FIGS. 14 to 16 are partial longitudinal sectional views showing the operation of the apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid of FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the adjustment operation of the beveled annular region by the upper surface beveling apparatus of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing unit 10 includes a substrate rotating device 12, a substrate support device 14, a processing liquid supply device 16 for the substrate, and a processing liquid separation and recovery device. It is roughly composed of 18. Here, in this specification, the term “substrate treatment” is used to include a substrate cleaning process using a processing fluid, a drying process, a rinsing process, and an etching process.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate rotating device 12 is a spinning rotatable about a substantially vertical axis X. It has a chuck 20 and a drive unit 22 that rotationally drives the spin chuck 20. The spin chuck 20 faces the lower surface A2 of the substrate A, and has a disk portion 24 centered on the axis X and a shaft portion 26 connected to the lower side of the disk portion 24. The disk portion 24 has a substantially horizontal upper surface 28 forming a so-called chuck surface, and a central portion of the upper surface 28 faces a gap 30 between the lower surface A 1 of the substrate A and the upper surface 28. A through hole 32 is provided. The size of the upper surface 28 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate A, and the outer diameter of the substrate A is, for example, 8 inches; or 12 inches. As will be described later, a support pin 34 for supporting the substrate A is provided on the upper surface 28 so that the support pin 34 for supporting the substrate A rotates about the axis X.

The shaft portion 26 extends downward concentrically with the disk portion 24, and its side surface is supported by a housing 38 via a bearing 36. The diameter of the shaft portion 26 is smaller than the diameter of the disk portion 24, so that an annular opening space below the disk portion 24 has a support pin driving device 3 for relatively rotating a support pin 34 described later. 9 are provided. A bearing 40 is arranged below the shaft portion 26, and the bearing 40 supports the shaft portion 26, that is, the spin chuck 20 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis X.

The driving section 22 has a mechanism for rotating the shaft section 26, and includes a motor 42, a pulley 44 connected to the motor 42, a pulley 46 connected to the shaft section 26, and a portion between the pulleys. And a power transmission belt 48 for transmitting the rotation of the motor. The drive section 22 rotates the shaft 26, the disk section 24, and thus the support pin 34 supporting the substrate A, about the rotation axis X. The rotation speed of the substrate A is determined according to the process of the substrate A, and is generally 200 to 3,000 rpm in the case of the treatment process, and is higher than 3,000 to 5,000 rpm in the case of the drying process. 000 rpm. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the support device 14 for the substrate A has six support pins 34 for supporting the substrate A substantially horizontally on the upper surface 28 as described above. The disk 24 is substantially upright by being penetrated through the disk portion 24, and is rotatably mounted on the disk 24. Four support pins 50 are provided inside the support pins 34 in a substantially upright state, respectively. Fixed for 4. The six support pins 34 are arranged on the circumference at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis X according to the size of the substrate A to be processed, while four support pins 50 are provided. Are similarly fixedly arranged on the circumference at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the axis X. The number of support pins is at least three or more.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of support pins 34 has a support side surface 54 that supports the side peripheral surface 52 of the substrate A from the side, and a horizontal cross section of the support side surface 54 is Each support pin 34 forms an arc centered on the axis Y (in this embodiment, a semicircle), and the support side surfaces 54 are each centered on the axis Y. It can rotate. The support pins 50 contact and support the lower surface A2 of the substrate A from below when the substrate A is not supported by the support pins 34, respectively. Each of the plurality of support pins 34 has a cutout 56 that extends laterally and upward with respect to the axis Y, and as described later, by rotating each support pin 34 about the axis Y, The notch 56 is directed toward the side peripheral surface 52 of the board A, thereby releasing the support of the board A by the support pins 34 and supporting the board A by the support pins 50. «A can be lifted directly from below by a transfer robot arm, for example.

To explain the support pin driving device 39, as shown in FIG. 4, below the disk portion 24 of the spin chuck 20, the same number of first gears 58 as the number of the support pins 34 and the first A gear mechanism 62 including a second gear 60 meshing with each of the gears 58 is provided. The plurality of first gears 58 are respectively connected to the lower ends of the corresponding support pins 34 concentrically with the axis Y, and are rotatable about the axis Y. On the other hand, the second gear 60 is connected to the spin chuck 20 concentrically with the rotation axis X of the spin chuck 20, and is rotatable integrally with the spin chuck 20 about the rotation axis Y.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second gear 60 is formed by a cam mechanism 72 comprising a cylindrical cam 64 and a cam follower 70 having an inclined surface 68 which is in contact with a side peripheral surface 66 of the cylindrical cam 64. The first gear 58 rotates around the axis X, whereby each of the plurality of first gears 58 rotates, and thus each of the support pins 34 rotates relative to the spin chuck 20.

As for the cam mechanism 72, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cylindrical cam 64 is provided at the upper end of a shaft 73 extending in a substantially vertical direction and rotatable about the axis X. The lower surface of the second gear 60 is provided with a cam follower 70 extending downward from the lower surface thereof and having a slope 68 at the lower end so as to be inclined in the rotational tangential direction of the second gear 60. . As will be described later, the cylindrical cam 64 can move up and down, and can rotate about the rotation axis X integrally with the spin chuck 20. The inclined surface 68 is a curved surface having a circular cross section with respect to the inclination direction of the inclined surface 68, and is arranged in such a direction that the side peripheral surface 66 of the cylindrical cam 64 comes into point contact with the inclined surface 68. It is preferable that the cam follower 70 and the cylindrical cam 64 have a curved profile that makes point contact with each other. As long as they make point contact or line contact, for example, the inclined surface 68 is made flat, and the cam is formed. It may be in the form of a pole.

A spring (not shown) having one end fixed to the lower surface of the second gear 60 and the other end fixed to the lower surface of the disk portion 24 is attached to the lower surface of the second gear 60, 60 corresponds to spin chuck 20 Then, when the relative rotation is made by a predetermined angle, the urging force of the panel acts to rotate the second gear 60 in the reverse direction.

To explain the vertical movement mechanism of the cylindrical cam 64, as shown in FIG. 4, the screw shaft 74 is connected to the motor 78 through the coupling 76, and the screw nut 74 is fixed to the screw shaft 74. 0 is screwed. The outer annular member 82 to which the fixing nut 80 is fixed is connected to the inner annular member 86 to which the lower end of the shaft 73 is fixed via a bearing 84, and the upper end of the shaft 73 is a linear bearing. 8 Vertically movable by 8 As a result, when the motor 78 is driven, the fixing nut 80, and thus the shaft 73, which is connected to the fixing nut 80 via the bearing 84, moves in the vertical direction, and the shaft portion 26 moves along the axis. By rotating about X, the shaft 73 also rotates integrally with the shaft part 26 via the member 90.

According to the above configuration, by moving the cylindrical cam 64 in the vertical direction by the motor 78, the cam follower 70 is pushed out in the rotational direction through the inclined surface 68, and the second gear 60 is spun. The substrate A is rotated relative to the chuck 20 by rotating the spin chuck 20 in the same direction about the respective axis Y while synchronizing the plurality of support pins 34 with each other. The support pin 34 can be rotated relative to the spin chuck 20 in a manner of rolling contact with each of the support side surfaces. When the second gear 60 rotates relative to the spin chuck 20 by a predetermined angle, the biasing force of the panel overcomes and rotates the second gear 60 in the reverse direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate A can be rotated within the range of the angle. Next, referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the apparatus for supplying a processing liquid 16 to a substrate will be described. The substrate processing unit 10 includes a substrate processing unit 10 disposed above the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A. It has a bevel processing unit 16A on the upper surface of the substrate A and a processing unit 16B for the entire lower surface of the substrate installed below the lower surface A2 of the substrate A. The processing liquid is an acid, alkali or organic solvent or other chemical liquid, pure water or deionized water, etc., the processing content, for example, which foreign matter such as particles, polymers, metals, etc., or oxidation It may be determined as appropriate depending on which film, such as a film, a nitrided film, and an altered film generated by CMP.

First, the bevel processing unit 16A will be described.

As shown in Fig. 6, the bevel processing unit 16A of the board A has a holding position above the shutter 92 (see Fig. 7) that can be opened and closed horizontally, and an operation below the shutter 92. It is connected to a motor 96 through a gear mechanism 94 so that it can move up and down between In order to prevent the processing solution from dripping at the position and dropping onto the surface of the substrate A, the shirt 92 is provided with a processing liquid receiving groove 98 corresponding to the position at which the processing liquid hangs.

As shown in FIG. 8, the bevel processing unit 16A has a main body 102 in which an annular flow path 100 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate A is formed. Unlike the spin chuck 20, the main body 102 is settled without rotating in the operating position. The distance from the upper surface A1 of the substrate A at the operating position is from 0.5 mm to 31. The main body Γ02 has an annular-flat lower surface 104, and the lower surface 104 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the substrate A, and a fluid flows between the lower surface 104 and the upper surface A1 of the substrate A. The gap 31 is formed. An annular outflow port 106 for the processing liquid is provided on the lower surface 104 so as to face the gap 31, and an annular outflow opening 1 diagonally downward and radially outward toward the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A. An annular channel 100 is formed so as to extend to 06. The annular flow path 100 is tapered toward the annular discharge opening 106. As shown in FIG. 9, the inclination angle j3 of the annular flow passage 100 around the annular outflow opening 106 is such that the processing liquid flowing out from the annular outflow opening 106 is directed to the outside of the substrate A. The angle is at least an acute angle, and is determined in detail according to the type of the processing solution, the flow rate, the outlet opening area, and the like, and is preferably from 10 ° to 30 °. On the upstream side of the annular flow path 100, an annular storage section 108 for temporarily storing the processing liquid is provided so as to circulate with the annular flow path 100, and the upstream side of the annular storage section 108 is provided with: A plurality of pipes 114 communicating with the processing liquid inlets 112 provided in the upper surface 110 of the main body 102 in the circumferential direction are provided in communication with the annular reservoir 108. . Each processing solution inlet 1 1 2 is connected to a processing solution supply source (not shown) of a chemical solution or pure water via a flow meter, a regulating valve, and a branch pipe (not shown) (see FIG. 1). ). As a result, the processing liquid that has flowed in from each processing liquid inlet 1 12 reaches the annular reservoir 108 through each pipe 114, and the processing liquid that has been once stored therein flows into the annular flow path. The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate A by flowing in a direction from the annular outflow opening 106 to the outside of the substrate A through 100. In the region of the lower surface 104 surrounded by the inner peripheral edge 1 16 (FIG. 9) of the annular outflow opening 106, a concave portion 1 18 having a circular horizontal cross section recessed from the lower surface 104 is provided. Peripheral edge that forms a boundary with concave portion 1 18 on lower surface 104 so that first inert gas outflow opening 120 for injecting nitrogen gas, which is the first inert gas, faces gap 31. It has a form of a circular opening substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening 106. As a result, the first inert gas flows into the concave portion 118 through the inlet opening 117 communicating with the inert gas supply source (not shown) via the flow controller, the regulating valve, and the filter. The gas flows radially outward of the substrate A through the gap 31 through the inert gas outflow opening 120. In the area of the lower surface 104 between the outer peripheral edge 124 of the annular outlet opening 106 and the outer peripheral edge 125 of the main body 102, a second inert gas outlet opening 126 (FIG. ) Is formed inside the main body 102, and an annular flow path 1 2 extends obliquely downward toward the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A and radially outward to the second inert gas outflow opening 1 26. 8 is formed. The second inert gas outflow opening 126 has a form of an annular outflow opening that is substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening 106. As shown in FIG. 9, the inclination angle まわり of the annular flow path around the second inert gas outflow opening 126 is “second inert gas-outflow opening 126”. The angle is at least an acute angle so as to be directed outward, and is determined in detail according to the type of gas, flow rate, outlet opening area, etc., and is preferably from 10 ° to 30 °. On the upstream side of 8, an annular reservoir 1 27 for temporarily storing an inert gas is provided so as to circulate through the annular flow path 128, and on the upstream side of the annular reservoir 1 27, the main body 10 A plurality of pipes 131, which communicate with each of a plurality of second inert gas inlets 1229 provided in the circumferential direction on the upper surface 110 of the second 2, are provided so as to circulate with the annular reservoir 127. The second inert gas inlet 1 29 connects a branch pipe (not shown) to an inert gas supply source (not shown) via a flow controller, a regulating valve, and a filter. (See Fig. 1.) As a result, the second inert gas that has flowed in from each second inert gas inlet port 12 9 passes through each pipe 13 1 and the annular reservoir 1 2 7, the second inert gas once stored therein flows through the annular flow path 128 to the outside of the substrate A from the annular outflow opening 126, and flows to the substrate A. With such a configuration, when only the first inert gas is used, the annular processing liquid flows from the annular outflow opening 1 26 to the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A. The first inert gas from the first inert gas outflow opening 120 is supplied to the outside of the substrate A through the gap 31 so that the inert gas atmosphere facing from the inside is maintained at a predetermined pressure which is at least a negative pressure. Flow from the lower surface 104 of the gap 31 to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A along the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge 116. To form A, that the supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A Do can be limited to a desired annular region of the upper surface of the substrate A.

In the case where both the first inert gas and the second inert gas are used, the processing liquid supplied from the annular outlet opening 106 receives the first inert gas ejected from the first inert gas outlet opening 120. While being entrained by the gas toward the outside of the substrate A, the gas is drawn outward from the substrate A by the second inert gas injected from the second inert gas outflow opening 126. As in the case where only the first inert gas is used, the supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A can be limited to a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate A. As described above, in any case, by selecting the diameter of the annular outflow opening 106 of the processing liquid, it becomes possible to determine the annular region for processing the upper surface A1 of the substrate A.

As a modification, when the substrate A is beveled, the vertical driving mechanism of the main body 102 shown in FIG. Projection of the annular outflow opening 106 onto the upper surface A1 of the substrate A held vertically in the horizontal direction, that is, by moving the position so that the position does not change. The distance between the substrate and the upper surface A 1 of the substrate may be adjusted. In this case, by changing the distance between the lower surface 104 and the upper surface A1 of the substrate, it becomes possible to adjust the width of the beveled annular region to be treated with the treatment liquid. More specifically, as can be easily understood by comparing FIG. 18 (A) and FIG. 18 (B), the processing liquid is discharged at a constant inclination angle j8 (see FIG. 9). It is possible to flow the upper surface A1 of the substrate from the opening 106 radially outward of the substrate A to process the entire annular area extending to the outer peripheral edge of the substrate A. As the distance h (h _x <h ₂ ) from the upper surface A 1 of the substrate is reduced, the inner peripheral edge of the beveled annular region can be made more inward of the substrate A. it is possible to increase the width t (t E> t _2). In addition to the moving means (motor 96 in FIG. 6) for moving the bevel processing unit 16A in the vertical direction between the holding position and the processing position, the bevel processing unit 16A is exclusively used for adjusting the bevel processing annular area. Driving means for precisely moving 102 in the vertical direction may be provided.

As described above, by simply moving the main body 102 in the vertical direction, it is possible to adjust the desired width of the beveled annular region and thus the area of the beveled annular region. It should be noted that the smaller the inclination angle i3, the higher the sensitivity of the width change of the beveled annular region to the vertical movement of the main body 102 can be. In addition, when the vertical position of the main body 102 is fixed, by adjusting the flow rate V of the second inert gas from the second inert gas outflow opening 126, the pepel-treated annular area is adjusted. it is also possible to adjust the width, the more increase the flow rate (V _X <V _2), reducing the width of Beperu treatment annular region (t!> t ₂₎ becomes possible. In some cases, the beveled annular region may be adjusted by simultaneously changing the vertical movement of the main body 102 and the flow rate of the second inert gas.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 10, the processing unit 16 B on the lower surface of the substrate A will be described. An outer pipe 130 for supplying an inert gas (nitrogen gas) and an inner pipe 130 are provided. And an inner tube 132 for supplying the processing liquid. The outer tube 130 extends to the upper surface 28 of the spin chuck 20 through the through holes 3 and 2 in a non-contact manner with the through hole 3 2, and the inner tube 13 2 has a lower end surface of the outer tube 130. It extends through the outer tube 130 through the outer tube 130 so as to protrude from the upper surface of the spin chuck 20. The inner tube 13 2 and the outer tube 130 are arranged concentrically around the rotation axis X of the spin chuck 20, and are moved toward the approximate center of the substrate A by the upper peripheral edge 1 36 of the inner tube 13 2. A processing liquid supply nozzle 138 for supplying the processing liquid in a substantially vertical direction is formed, while a processing liquid supply nozzle 1380 is formed between the upper peripheral edge 140 of the outer pipe 130 and the outer peripheral surface 142 of the inner pipe 132. Then, an inert gas injection nozzle 14-4 for injecting an inert gas toward the lower surface A2 is formed so that the vicinity of the lower surface A2 of the substrate A is in an inert gas atmosphere. The inert gas injection nozzle 144 has a form of an annular nozzle arranged so as to surround the processing liquid supply nozzle 138.

A baffle plate 16 is provided between the lower surface A 2 of the substrate A and the inert gas injection nozzle 14 4, and the outer peripheral surface 1 of the inner pipe 1 3 2 is provided above the inert gas annular nozzle 1 4 4. 42, and has the form of a disk arranged concentrically with the annular nozzle and substantially parallel to the substrate A. As shown in FIG. 11, the baffle plates 1 4 6 are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the baffle plates 1 4 6. Each of the through holes 1 4 8 has an inflow opening 1 5 2 for an inert gas branch flow formed on the baffle plate surface 150 on the side of the inert gas injection nozzle of the baffle plate 1 46. The outlet opening 15 4 of the inert gas branch flow formed on the surface opposite to the baffle plate surface 150 is offset from the gas injection nozzle 1 4 4 and is located inward from the inlet opening 1 5 2. Each of them has a predetermined inclination such that the inert gas branch flow hits the processing liquid flow from the processing liquid supply nozzle 138 in front of the surface of the substrate A, as shown in FIG. Prepare. The number of the through holes 144 and the opening area may be selected according to the flow rate of the inert gas from the inert gas injection nozzle 144.

The baffle plate 1 4 6 is arranged in a region outside the inflow openings 1 5 2 of the plurality of branch flow paths so that the deflected flow toward the outside of the substrate A is restricted between the upper surface 28 and the baffle plate. It has a projecting ring portion 156 projecting from the surface of the substrate 146 toward the inert gas injection nozzle 144. This prevents the inert gas flow deflected by the baffle plate 146 from causing a diffuser effect such as drawing the inert gas flow toward the partially branched substrate A.

According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 10, the baffle plate 146 receives the flow of the inert gas injected from the inert gas injection nozzle 144 and changes the flow toward the outside of the substrate A. In addition to the deflection, the flow deflected toward the outside of the substrate A is partially branched by the through hole 148, and the direct flow to the substrate A by the jet flow of the inert gas injection nozzle 144 is avoided, and the substrate A In addition to preventing adverse effects on the substrate, a decompression part is created around the direct hit part, and mist of the processing liquid adheres to the surface of the substrate. By keeping the lower surface A2 of the substrate A, especially the center where the processing liquid is first supplied, in an inert gas atmosphere, it is possible to treat the substrate surface effectively and uniformly It becomes.

Next, referring to FIG. 12, the treatment liquid separation / collection device 18 will be described. A pot 16 having an inwardly facing annular opening 158 arranged to surround the periphery of the substrate A is described. 0 is provided. The pot 160 includes an annular upper wall 162 extending obliquely inward and upward, an annular lower wall 166 having a substantially flat bottom surface 164, an annular upper wall 162, and an annular lower wall. An outer peripheral wall 1668 and an inner peripheral wall 170 between the wall 1166 and an annular eave 1 74 of a predetermined length from the upper peripheral edge 172 of the annular upper wall 162 is substantially vertical In the direction of the ring, eaves of circular eaves 1 7 4

The upper peripheral edge 178 of the 170 forms an annular opening 158. The inside of the pot 160 extends upwardly and inward from the bottom 16 4 toward the annular opening 1 58 so as to partition the bottom 16 4 of the pot 160 into an annular shape. Three annular partitions spaced apart within 60 0 180 A,

180 B and 180 C are nested. Each of the annular partitions 180A, 180B, and 180C can be vertically moved independently of each other by a vertical drive mechanism 182, as described later.

By positioning the inner peripheral edges 1 8 3 of the adjacent annular partitions 1 8 3 in the annular openings 1 58 so that the processing liquid flowing from the annular openings 1 5 8 can be received, the outer annular partitions 1 8 0 The inner peripheral surface 184 of the inner wall 18 and the outer peripheral surface 1886 of the inner annular partition 180 form an annular flow path 189 communicating with the bottom surface 164. From the viewpoint of one annular partition, the annular partition 180 is positioned above the annular opening 158, that is, above the level at which the processing liquid from the substrate A scatters outward. The inner peripheral surface 1803 of 180 forms a guide surface for guiding the processing liquid from the substrate A from the annular opening 158 to the bottom surface 164 of the pot 160, and the annular partition 180 is formed. By positioning the lower surface of the annular opening 158 below the level at which the processing liquid from the substrate A scatters outward, the outer peripheral surface 186 of the annular partition 180 is processed from the substrate A. It forms another guide surface for guiding the liquid from the annular opening 158 to the bottom surface 164 of the pot 160. When positioning the inner peripheral edge 1 8 3 of each adjacent annular partition 1 8 0 to the annular opening 1 8 8, processing is performed by positioning the other adjacent annular partitions 1 8 0 vertically adjacent to each other. It is possible to prevent the mist generated from the scattering of the liquid from flowing into the annular flow path from the gap between the inner peripheral edges 183 of the other adjacent annular partitions 180. '

The vertical length of the circular eaves 1 7 4 is three circular partitions 180 A, 180 B, 180 C When each is positioned at the highest position in the pot 160 by the vertical drive mechanism 18 2, the length such that all the upper peripheral edges 18 3 of the three annular partitions 180 are hidden by the annular eaves 1 74 It is preferred that This makes it possible to prevent the processing liquid from the substrate A or the mist generated from the processing liquid from entering between the inner peripheral edges 183 of the adjacent annular partitions 180.

Each of the plurality of annular partitions 180 is provided with an umbrella portion 188 that is inclined inward and upward toward the annular opening 158, and an upper peripheral end is connected to the umbrella portion 188, and And a cylindrical portion 190 extending upward from the bottom. The inclination of the umbrella portion 188 is substantially parallel to the upper peripheral wall 162 of the pot 160. A fixed cylindrical portion 192 extends upward from the bottom surface 164 so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 190. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 190 and the inner peripheral surface of the fixed cylindrical portion 192 have a predetermined clearance, for example, 0.5 mm, and the fixed cylindrical portion 192 has an umbrella portion 188 at the top. It has such a height that the cylindrical portion 190 and the fixed cylindrical portion 192 overlap each other even when reaching the position.

Each of the umbrella portions 188 has an annular protrusion 194 extending outward from a connection portion with the cylindrical portion 190, and the cylindrical portion 190 is provided below the annular protrusion 194. An annular partition 196 extending upward from the bottom surface 164 of the port 160 is provided so as to surround the annular partition 189 so that the annular flow path 189 is formed by an umbrella 1 of an adjacent annular partition 180. An oblique flow path 1 98 formed by 8 8 and an outer flow path 2 0 formed by an inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical portion 190 of the outer annular partition 180 and an outer peripheral surface of the annular partition 196. 4, an inner flow path 2 10 formed by the inner peripheral surface of the annular partition wall 1 96 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 1 90 of the outer annular partition 1 80, and the outer flow path 2 0 4 The inner flow path 210 forms an inverted U-shaped flow path.

The outer flow path 204 communicates with a processing liquid outlet (not shown) at its lowermost end, and the inner flow path 210 communicates with a mist outlet (not shown) at its lowermost end. The inside of the annular flow passage 189 is drawn by an exhaust device (not shown) through the outlet.

Of the plurality of annular partitions 180, the outermost annular partition 180A is provided between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface 2 12 of the outer peripheral wall 16 8 of the pot 16 0. On the other hand, among the plurality of annular partitions 180, the innermost annular partition 180 C located between the inner peripheral surface thereof and the inner peripheral wall 170 of the pot 160 is formed. To form an annular flow path. In the innermost annular flow path, an annular receiver 218 is provided substantially immediately below the outer peripheral edge of the spin chuck 20 for receiving a processing liquid for paddling, thereby providing a low-speed rotation like paddling processing. Even if the processing liquid cannot flow into the annular opening 206 due to (for example, a few or several tens of rpm), the processing liquid can be Separation and recovery, and in particular, mixing with the processing liquid separated and recovered in the innermost annular flow path can be prevented.

The mist inflow opening formed by the upper peripheral edge of the annular bulkhead 196 and the inner peripheral surface of the fixed cylindrical portion 192 adjacent to the inside has a plurality of through holes 224 distributed in the circumferential direction. An annular conductance adjusting plate 226 is provided, and the size of each of the plurality of through holes 224 is made smaller as it is closer to the mist outlet. As a result, it is possible to prevent the mist collection from being biased in the circumferential direction.

Next, the vertical drive mechanism 182 of the annular partition 180 will be described. A shaft connecting member 228 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the annular partition 180, and the upper end of the shaft connecting member 228 is provided. The part is fixed to the inner peripheral surface 184, the lower end is open, and the hollow part faces downward. Immediately below the hollow cylindrical member 228, there is provided a hollow cylindrical member 230 extending upward from the bottom surface 164, and the hollow cylindrical member 230 has a diameter such that the hollow cylindrical member 230 fits in the hollow portion of the shaft connecting member 228. Having. A shaft 23 extending upwardly through the lower wall 1666 and the hollow cylindrical member 230 passes through the hollow portion, and the upper end of the shaft 2332 is at the upper end of the shaft connecting member 228. Connect with The lower end of the shaft 2 3 2 is connected to the shaft 2 3 6 via a coupling 2 3 4, the lower end of the shaft 2 3 6 is screwed into a nut 2 3 8, and the nut 2 3 8 is a pair of gears 2 40 is fixed to one of the gears, and the other gear is connected to the motor. With such a configuration, the rotation of the motor 2 42 causes the shaft 2 36 screwed to the nut 2 38 via the pair of gear wheels 240 to rotate, thereby moving up and down, thus moving the shaft 2 32, Thus, the annular partition 180 can be moved in the vertical direction via the shaft connecting member 222.

As shown in FIG. 13, a cam mechanism may be used as a modification of the above-described vertical drive mechanism. The cam mechanism 250 is fixed to a shaft 252 rotatable by a motor 251, and follows three flat cams 25 4 substantially parallel to each other, and follows the respective profiles of the flat cams 2 54. It has a cylindrical cam follower 258 fixed to the lower end of a vertically extending shaft 256 connected to each annular partition 180. According to this, each annular partition 180 can move up and down in a predetermined relative positional relationship through a different cam profile by a single motor.

The material of the member of the processing unit 10 that comes into contact with the processing liquid is preferably selected from synthetic resins such as Teflon, polypropylene, PVDF, and pinyl chloride according to the processing liquid to be used. The operation of the processing unit for the substrate having the above-described configuration includes the steps of loading the board A, the processing step of the base A, the rinsing step of the substrate A, the drying step of the substrate A, and the processing step, the rinsing step, and the drying step. The process will be described separately for the process of recovering the processing liquid, rinsing liquid, and drying gas that is performed in conjunction with the process. In the following, the substrate A is arranged such that the upper surface of the substrate A where the elements are formed is on the upper surface and the lower surface where the elements are not formed is the lower surface, and the upper surface includes the bevel portion where the elements are not formed. An example will be described in which the outer peripheral edge is processed in parallel with the entire lower surface and the side peripheral surface.

(1) Board A loading process

Before loading the board A, position the top bevel processing unit 16 A in the standby position. Next, the substrate A to be processed is transferred to the upper surface of the spin chuck 20 by a transfer port pot (not shown). At this time, as shown in FIG. 3B, each support pin 34 is rotated, and the notch 56 is placed inward toward the center of the substrate A. Next, the substrate A is supported from below by the respective support pins 50 by a transfer port pot (not shown), and the respective support pins 34 are rotated by themselves, and the arc-side peripheral surface 54 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge 52 of the substrate A. Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the substrate A is supported substantially horizontally. Next, the shutter 92 is opened, and the upper bevel processing unit 16A is moved downward from the standby position to the operating position. Thus, the positioning of the upper surface bevel processing unit to the operating position and the process of loading the substrate A are completed.

(2) Processing steps for substrate A

The spin chuck 20 is rotated by the motor 42 to rotate the substrate A about the axis X at a predetermined rotation speed. As a result, the substrate A rotates at a predetermined rotational speed about the vertical axis X while being supported by the support pins 34. Next, while performing the bevel processing on the upper surface of the substrate A, the processing on the entire lower surface and the side peripheral surface is performed in parallel.

First, the processing of the lower surface A2 will be described with reference to FIG. A processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply nozzle 1338 and a nitrogen gas is supplied from the inert gas supply nozzle 144 toward the approximate center of the lower surface A2 of the substrate A. At this time, the nitrogen gas jetted from the inert gas supply nozzle 144 toward the lower surface A2 of the substrate A is received by the baffle plate 146, and the flow is deflected radially outward, and A part of the gas flow passes through the through hole 1 4 8 to the lower surface A 2 of the substrate A, and on the way, it hits the flow of the processing solution and covers the area around the flow of the processing solution. At the same time, it flows along the lower surface A2 on the lower surface A2 of the substrate A. This prevents the nitrogen gas from directly hitting the lower surface A2 of the substrate A, thereby avoiding adverse effects on the substrate A, and maintaining the vicinity of the center of the substrate A in an inert gas atmosphere. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a warm and dark mark on 2. The nitrogen gas flow deflected by the baffle plate 1 46 flows backward from the through hole 1 48 by preventing the diffuser effect by restricting the flow between the projecting ring 15 6 and the upper surface 28. Without drawing in, flows outwardly of the substrate A substantially parallel to the upper surface 28, meets the lower surface A 2 of the substrate A, and merges with the inert gas flow deflected by the lower surface A 2. As a result, while avoiding the direct flow of the inert gas jet on the substrate A, the inert gas atmosphere is maintained around the center of the substrate A, and the processing liquid on the substrate A is obstructed by the inert gas jet. Without this, the fluid flows outward in the radial direction of the substrate A due to the centrifugal force, so that the entire surface of the substrate A can be uniformly treated.

On the other hand, if the bevel processing of the upper surface A1 of the substrate A is described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, when only the first inert gas is flown, the processing liquid from the annular outflow opening 106 is While forming an annular flow toward the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A, the nitrogen gas from the first inert gas outflow opening 120 flows outward through the gap 31 from inside the annular outflow opening 106. Flows. At this time, from the lower surface 104 of the gap 31 to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A, an annular processing solution toward the upper surface A1 of the substrate A so as to form a gas barrier along the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge 116. By maintaining the inert gas atmosphere facing the flow from at least a predetermined pressure that is not a negative pressure, the supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A is limited to a desired annular region of the upper surface A1 of the substrate A. It is possible to do.

When both the first inert gas and the second inert gas are flowed, the processing liquid supplied from the annular outlet opening 106 receives the first inert gas jetted from the first inert gas outlet opening 120. While being entrained by the active gas toward the outside of the substrate A, the second inert gas ejected from the second inert gas outflow opening 126 pulls the substrate A outward by the second inert gas. As in the case of flowing only the inert gas, the supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A can be limited to a desired annular region of the upper surface A1 of the substrate A.

Rotating speed, gas flow rate, treatment liquid flow rate, position of annular opening, half of opening, when using only the first inert gas or the case where both the first inert gas and the second inert gas are used It may be appropriately selected from the viewpoint of precisely processing a desired annular region near the outer peripheral edge of the substrate A according to conditions such as a radial width and a processing liquid discharge angle.

In any case, the main body 102 is different from the spin chuck 20 in that the substrate A is not rotated during the processing of the substrate A, so that the processing liquid and the inert gas are separated from the processing liquid and the inert gas. It is possible to easily supply from each supply source to each of the rectangular flow paths 100 and 128 provided inside the main body 102 via a branch pipe. As described above, only the desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate A can be uniformly and accurately processed in the circumferential direction.

In this case, by moving the main body portion 102 in the vertical direction and adjusting the distance between the lower surface 104 and the upper surface A1 of the substrate, the width of the bevel annular processing region, that is, the bevel annular processing region Can be adjusted to a desired width and area.

Finally, regarding the processing of the side peripheral surface of the substrate A, as shown in FIG. 4, while the substrate A is rotating at a high speed, the cylindrical follower 64 is moved upward by the motor 780 so that the cam follower 70 is moved. The second chuck 60 is pushed out in the direction of rotation of the substrate A, and the first gear 58 engaging with the second gear 60, and thus each support pin 34 is rotated together with the spin chuck 20 at a high speed. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact support portion on the side peripheral surface of the substrate A, which is supported from the side by the support pins 34, is exposed from the support pins. The substrate A can be rotationally moved within the angular range α by the urging force of the panel. As a result, the exposed contact support portion can be treated with the processing solution for the upper surface treatment or the processing solution for the lower surface treatment, and the portion of the side peripheral surface 54 of the support pin 34 supporting the substrate Α is removed. Washing is also possible. This makes it possible to prevent uneven processing on the side peripheral surface of the substrate A and to suppress cross contamination caused by the support pins 34. At this time, since the board A moves in a rolling contact manner without sliding on the side peripheral surface 54 of the support pin 34, the generation of abrasion powder due to the sliding as in the prior art is reduced. It is possible to avoid.

Next, a process of collecting the processing liquid will be described.

As shown in Fig. 14, the annular partitions 180A, 180B, and 180C are all positioned at the uppermost positions, so that the inner peripheral surface of the annular partition 180C and the pot 160 An annular channel is formed with the inner peripheral wall of the pipe. The processing liquid and the inert gas that have processed the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate A scatter outward in the radial direction of the substrate A, and flow into the inside of the pot 160 through the annular opening 158. The inflowing processing liquid is first received by the inner peripheral surface of the outer annular partition 180 C of the umbrella 180 C, and is not rebounded and returned to the substrate A from the annular opening 158. From there, it is guided into the inside of the pot 160, passes through the oblique flow path, and generates mist every time it hits the wall of the annular partition 180, while the annular overhang portion 19 4C and the annular partition wall 19 are formed. By preventing short circuit to the inner flow path 210 by 6C, the flow first flows through the outer flow path 204, and the processing liquid is separated and collected from the processing outlet. Next, the mist flows through the internal flow path 210 while being drawn by the suction device through the mist outlet, passes through the through-holes 224 of the conductance adjusting plate 226 of the pot 166, and rotates around the circumference. Directional It is finally recovered from the mist outlet while preventing the mist flow from being biased. At this time, the other annular partitions 180A and 180B are positioned at positions close to each other, so that the liquid and the mist generated therefrom enter the other annular flow passages 189. Inflow can be prevented. As described above, the inner flow path 210 and the outer flow path 204 are formed as inverted U-shaped flow paths, and priority is given to recovering a mist generated from the flow of the processing liquid as a liquid rather than recovering the mist as a mist. Thereby, the recovery yield of the processing liquid can be improved.

As described above, by selecting the annular flow path to be used according to the type of the processing liquid, it becomes possible to perform the fractional recovery without mixing with other processing liquids. After performing an appropriate process, for example, a process of removing foreign substances in the processing solution, the substrate A can be returned to the processing solution supply source of the processing unit and reused as appropriate.

(3) Rinsing and drying processes for substrate A

First, the rinsing step and the drying step of the substrate A use pure water in the rinsing step and use an inert gas in the drying step. Second, since the drying process requires high-speed rotation, the process is substantially the same as the process for substrate A described above except that the rotation speed of substrate A is different from the process. For each of the drying steps, the processing liquid recovery step will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 15, from the position of the annular partition 180 in FIG. 14, the annular partition 180 C is moved down to the level of the upper surface 28, while the annular partition 180 B is moved. Move to the bottom level of the circular eaves 1 7 4. As a result, an annular flow path of the rinsing liquid is formed by the inner peripheral surface 1884 of the annular partition 180B and the outer peripheral surface 186 of the annular partition 180C.

In this state, if the upper surface A1 of the substrate A is rinsed with a rinsing liquid, the rinsing liquid scattered in all directions from the upper surface A1 of the substrate A becomes annular, similarly to the recovery of the processing liquid in the processing step of the substrate A. It flows into the annular channel 189 through the opening 158. More specifically, first, the rinsing liquid is received by the inner peripheral surfaces of the umbrella portions 188B, C of the outer annular partitions 180B, C, flows through the oblique flow path 198, and flows into the outer flow path 2 Leads to 0 4. At this time, the annular projecting portion 1994C prevents the rinsing liquid flowing in the oblique flow path 198 from being short-circuited directly to the outflow opening. Every time the rinse liquid hits the inner wall of the flow path, mist is generated, and the generated mist is drawn to the mist discharge port of the inner flow path 210 by the exhaust device. The rinsing liquid is then recovered through the outlet and reused.

As described above, according to the processing fluid recovery process according to the present embodiment, the space, particularly, the vertical direction It is possible to collect the processing solution independently depending on the processing solution used without occupying a large amount of space, and to reuse the processing solution under appropriate processing known to those skilled in the art. It comes out.

In the drying step, as shown in FIG. 16, the annular partition 180 B is moved downward to the level of the upper surface 28 from the arrangement of the annular partition 180 in FIG. 8 OA Move down Wakasen. Thus, an annular flow path is formed by the inner peripheral surface 183 of the annular partition 180 and the outer peripheral surface 186 of the annular partition 180B. Subsequent steps are the same as those in the case of the processing step or the rinsing step, and a description thereof is omitted.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the inner peripheral edge 18 3 of the annular partition 180 is used as the lower edge 17 of the annular eave 17 4 regardless of which annular flow path 18 is used. 6, or by positioning it on the upper periphery of the spin chuck 20, it becomes possible to prevent the processing liquid or mist from entering the unrecovered annular channel 189.

(4) Substrate A unloading process

Basically, the process reverse to the process of loading substrate A is performed. First, after the supply of the processing liquid and the inert gas is stopped, the upper surface bevel processing unit 16A is moved upward from the operating position to the holding position. Next, the support pins 34 are rotated by a predetermined angle, and the support of the substrate A is released by turning the cylindrical peripheral surface 54 supporting the substrate A outward. Thus, the substrate A is supported in contact with the support pins 50 from below. In this state, the board A can be lifted from the support pins 34 and unloaded by extending the fork of the transfer port pot (not shown) below the board A and moving the fork upward. Become. Thus, the unloading process of the substrate A is completed. Thus, the single wafer processing of the substrate A is completed.

The apparatus for separating and recovering treatment liquid according to the present embodiment is capable of vertically moving the three annular partitions independently with respect to the pot 160, and the bot 1 is formed by these annular partitions 180. Although the inside of the bot is partitioned, in order to prevent foreign substances such as abrasion powder from entering the separated and collected processing solution, all the components inside the bot 160, including the three annular partitions, are An interval is ensured so that sliding parts do not occur. As described above, since the inside of each annular flow path partitioned by the three annular partitions is sucked from the outside, the gap between the members is large enough to separate and collect the processing liquid or mist. Just do it. The substrate processing unit 10 described above is particularly effective for the following steps. First, it is particularly effective in the process of processing substrate A for copper wiring. That, S i crystals while preventing cross-contamination Ne one Chillon with copper to diffuse at a high speed S i 〇 _2, while recycling the treatment liquid was fractionally recovered, accurate and reliable bevel of the top surface of the substrate A The processing, the processing on the side peripheral surface of the substrate A, and the uniform processing on the entire lower surface can be performed at one time, thereby greatly improving the processing efficiency.

Second, it is effective in a spin-coat film forming process in which an interlayer insulating film is formed using a so-called low-k material or high-k material. In other words, since an extra film is formed around the back surface of the substrate by spin coating, an interlayer insulating film is formed to remove the extra film attached around the periphery of the substrate. By treating only the desired peripheral portion with the front surface as the upper surface and simultaneously treating the entire back surface where no elements are formed, efficient processing is possible. Next, a second embodiment of the substrate processing unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The characteristic parts will be described below.

FIG. 17 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the substrate processing unit according to the present invention. The characteristic of the substrate processing unit 300 is that a processing unit similar to the processing unit 16 B for the lower surface A 2 of the substrate A is provided on the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A instead of the upper surface bevel processing unit 16 A of FIG. It is also adopted. This upper surface processing unit has exactly the same configuration as the processing unit in the first embodiment.

According to such a configuration, by supplying the same processing liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate A at the same time, the entire upper and lower surfaces can be processed simultaneously. After the process, it is effective to efficiently remove particles or impurities adhering to the entire both surfaces of the substrate.

Regarding the treatment of the upper surface A1 of the substrate A, as in the treatment of the lower surface A2 in the first embodiment, the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface A1 of the substrate A that rotates at a high speed and approximately at the center of the substrate A By injecting an inert gas so as to cover the surrounding area, the processing liquid is blown radially outward of the substrate A by centrifugal force, thereby processing the entire upper surface from the center of the substrate A to the peripheral edge of the substrate A. It becomes possible to process with a liquid. At that time, the inert gas injected toward the upper surface is once received by the baffle plate 1 4 6 ′, and is deflected to the flow toward the outside of the substrate A, and a part of such a deflected flow is branched. By flowing toward the upper surface A 1, the upper surface A 1 is uniformly processed, and at the same time, the jet of the inert gas is prevented from directly flowing on the upper surface A 1 of the substrate A. An inert gas atmosphere is formed around the center of the upper surface A1, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a war mark on the upper surface A1. Further, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, it is possible to separate and collect at once the processing liquid obtained by processing the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate A.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention described in the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces are processed at the same time, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, only the inert gas may be supplied to the substrate A without supplying the processing liquid to any of the upper and lower surfaces. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from flowing to the opposite surface.

Also, in the supporting device for the substrate A, the substrate is held from the side while supporting the substrate in a non-contact manner from below the substrate A by using a Bernoulli chuck or air bearing without employing a support pin for supporting the substrate from below. It is also possible.

Furthermore, in the separation and recovery apparatus for the treatment liquid, the number of annular partitions may be determined according to the type of chemical solution or the like to be used. For example, the pot may be divided into two by one annular partition.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the processing apparatus and processing method of the board | substrate by this invention, it becomes possible to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, uniformity, and precision of processing, without giving a bad influence on an environment.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to uniformly process the substrate surface while maintaining the vicinity of the substrate surface in an inert gas atmosphere.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to uniformly and precisely process only the desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the board | substrate processing apparatus by this invention, when contacting and supporting the several circumferential position of the side peripheral surface of a board | substrate, a board | substrate does not generate | occur | produce a sliding motion with a board | substrate during high-speed rotation of a board | substrate. It is possible to move these plurality of contact supports on the side peripheral surface of the substrate while supporting the substrate.

According to the substrate processing apparatus and the processing method of the present invention, when the substrate is processed or dried by supplying a processing fluid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a high speed in a substantially horizontal plane, deterioration of the substrate can be prevented. It is possible to reliably process or dry the side peripheral surface of the substrate using such a processing fluid without causing the generation.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the board | substrate processing apparatus by this invention, the separation and collection efficiency of a processing liquid can be ensured, without deteriorating the quality of a board | substrate.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. a substrate rotation holding means for rotating the substrate while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal plane;

A processing liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate, wherein the processing liquid supply unit supplies the processing liquid in a substantially vertical direction toward a substantially center of the substrate. Having a liquid supply nozzle,

An obstruction installed between the surface and the inert gas injection nozzle so as to receive the inert gas flow injected from the inert gas injection nozzle and deflect the flow toward the outside of the substrate. Further having a plate,

The through hole is formed such that the inflow opening of the inert gas branch flow formed on the surface of the baffle plate on the side of the inert gas injection nozzle of the baffle plate is offset outside the inert gas injection nozzle. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outlet opening of the branch flow of the inert gas formed on a surface opposite to a surface of the baffle plate is formed inside the inlet opening.

2. The inert gas injection nozzle has a form of an annular nozzle disposed so as to surround the processing liquid supply nozzle,

The baffle plate has the form of a disk arranged concentrically with the annular nozzle and substantially parallel to the substrate,

The through hole has a plurality of branch flow paths, each having a predetermined inclination such that the inert gas branch flow hits the processing liquid flow from the processing liquid supply nozzle in front of the surface of the substrate, 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of branch passages are arranged at equal angular intervals in a circumferential direction of the baffle plate.

3. The substrate rotating means includes: a spin chuck rotatable around a substantially vertical axis; and a rotation driving means for rotating the spin chuck.

The substrate support means includes a support fixed to an upper surface of the spin chuck and extending from the upper surface toward the substrate, The baffle plate is formed from the surface of the baffle plate so that the deflected flow toward the outside of the substrate is confined to an area outside the inflow opening of the plurality of branch flow paths between the baffle plate and the upper surface. The processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a projecting ring portion projecting toward the inert gas injection nozzle.The spin chuck has a through hole around a rotation axis thereof.

An outer tube for supplying an inert gas, extending through the through hole to the upper surface of the spin chuck in non-contact with the through hole, and penetrating a lower end surface of the outer tube; And an inner tube for supplying a processing liquid.The inner tube and the outer tube are arranged concentrically around the rotation axis of the spin chuck. The processing liquid supply nozzle is formed by an upper peripheral edge of the inner tube,

The inert gas annular nozzle is formed between an upper peripheral edge of the outer tube and an outer peripheral surface of the inner tube,

The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the baffle plate is fixed to an outer peripheral surface of the inner pipe above the inert gas annular nozzle.

. A processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid for processing the upper surface of the substrate rotatably held in a substantially horizontal plane to the upper surface of the substrate;

A processing region restricting means for restricting supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate; and a substrate processing apparatus for processing a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate, comprising: A fixed lower surface forming a gap through which a fluid flows between the upper surface of the substrate, an annular outflow opening provided on the fixed lower surface so as to face the gap, and for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate;

The processing region limiting means includes an inert gas outflow opening for injecting an inert gas, provided in a region of the fixed lower surface surrounded by an inner peripheral edge of the annular outflow opening and facing the gap. Have

From the fixed lower surface of the gap to the upper surface of the substrate, an inert gas atmosphere facing inward from the annular processing liquid flow toward the upper surface of the substrate so as to form a gas barrier along the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the apparatus is maintained at a predetermined pressure.

The apparatus further includes a vertical moving means for vertically moving the fixed lower surface. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the direction moving means adjusts a distance between the fixed lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate to thereby adjust an annular region of the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate as desired. Further comprising a recess recessed from the fixed lower surface,

The substrate according to claim 5, wherein the inert gas outflow opening is formed by a peripheral edge forming a boundary with the recess on the fixed lower surface, and has a form of a circular opening substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening. Processing equipment.

A processing region restricting means for restricting supply of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate; and a substrate processing apparatus for processing a desired annular region on the upper surface of the substrate, comprising: Has a fixed lower surface forming a gap through which a fluid flows with the upper surface of the substrate, and an annular outflow opening provided on the fixed lower surface so as to face the gap for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate. Have

The processing area limiting means is arranged in the area of the fixed lower surface surrounded by the inner peripheral edge of the annular outflow opening so as to inject the first inert gas outward from the inside of the annular outflow opening through the gap. A first inert gas outflow opening for injecting a first inert gas, which is provided so as to face the gap, and the fixed lower surface surrounding an outer peripheral edge of the annular outflow opening; A second inert gas outlet opening for injecting a second inert gas, which is provided so as to face

The processing liquid supplied from the annular outflow opening is ejected from the second inert gas outflow opening while being entrained toward the outside of the substrate by the first inert gas ejected from the first inert gas outflow opening. The substrate processing apparatus is drawn toward the outside of the substrate by the second inert gas.

The apparatus further comprises a vertical moving means for vertically moving the fixed lower surface, and the vertical moving means adjusts a distance between the fixed lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate, so that the upper surface of the substrate is formed on the upper surface of the substrate. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an annular region of the supplied processing liquid is adjusted as desired.

0. It further has an annular flow path extending obliquely downward toward the upper surface of the substrate and radially outward to the second inert gas outflow opening, 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second inert gas outflow opening is in the form of an annular outflow opening substantially concentric with the annular outflow opening.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the annular flow path is tapered toward the annular outflow opening.

2. A rotating means for rotating the substrate in a horizontal plane, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, a spin chuck rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and an axis on the spin chuck. And a plurality of support pins for supporting the substrate in a substantially horizontal direction, wherein the plurality of support pins are provided on the circumference of the substrate, and the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate rotating in a substantially horizontal plane. In a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate,

Each of the plurality of support pins has a support side surface for supporting and supporting a side peripheral surface of the substrate from the side, and a horizontal cross section of the support side forms an arc around the axis of each support pin, and the support side surface Are each capable of rotating around the axis,

Accordingly, by rotating each of the plurality of support pins by a predetermined angle during rotation of the spin chuck, the substrate is relatively rotated with respect to the spin chuck in a manner of rolling contact with each of the support side surfaces. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that:

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of support pins has a cutout portion that extends laterally and upward with respect to the axis.

4. The rotation drive means is connected to each support pin concentrically with the axis of each of the plurality of support pins, and is capable of rotating about the axis, a plurality of first gears;

A second gear meshing with each of the first small gears and connected to the spin chuck concentrically with the rotation axis of the spin chuck, and rotatable integrally with the spin chuck about the rotation axis; A second gear having a cam follower having an inclined surface arranged to be inclined in the rotational tangential direction;

A cam having a curved profile so as to make point contact with the inclined surface, being movable up and down, and being rotatable about the rotation axis of the spin chuck integrally with the spin chuck;

By moving the cam in the vertical direction, the cam follower is pushed out in the rotational direction through the inclined surface, and the second gear is relatively rotated with respect to the spin chuck. The processing device according to claim 12.

5. The inclined surface has an arc-shaped cross section with respect to the inclined direction of the inclined surface, and the cam is formed of a cylindrical roller, and is arranged in such a direction as to bring its peripheral side surface into point contact with the inclined surface. Item 15. A processing apparatus according to Item 14.

6. The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of support pins are arranged at equal angular intervals in a circumferential direction around a rotation axis of the spin chuck.

7. A substrate processing method in which a substrate is rotated in a substantially horizontal plane while supporting the periphery of the substrate, and a processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate for processing.

Providing a support that supports the side peripheral surface of the substrate from the side by point or line contact,

Rotating the substrate about an axis passing through the center of the substrate integrally with the support; and moving a point or a line contact position on the side peripheral surface relative to the support during the rotation of the substrate. By exposing from the support,

Treating the exposed point or line contact position with a treatment liquid.

8. In a substrate processing apparatus for processing by supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a substrate rotatably arranged in a horizontal plane,

It is arranged to surround the periphery of the substrate and has an annular opening facing inward toward the periphery of the substrate:

An annular partition extending inside the pot from near the annular opening toward the bottom of the pot;

An annular partition vertical moving means for vertically moving the annular partition, and by positioning the annular partition at an upper level of the annular opening, an inner peripheral surface of the annular partition is processed from a substrate. Forming an inner surface for guiding the liquid from the annular opening to the bottom of the pot,

By positioning the annular partition at a level below the annular opening, the outer peripheral surface of the annular partition guides another guide surface for guiding the processing liquid from the substrate from the annular opening to the bottom of the pot. Forming a substrate processing apparatus.

9. When positioning the inner peripheral edge of each of the adjacent annular partitions in the annular opening, the gap between the inner peripheral edges of the other adjacent annular partitions can be prevented from inflow of mist generated from the scattering of the processing liquid. The other adjacent annular partitions are vertically 19. The processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processing apparatus is positioned in close proximity.

0. Each of the plurality of annular partitions includes an umbrella portion inclined inward and upward toward the annular opening, and a cylindrical portion having an upper peripheral end connected to the umbrella portion and extending upward from the bottom of the pot. The processing device according to claim 18, comprising:

1. The umbrella portion has an annular protrusion extending outward from a connection portion with the cylindrical portion, and the bottom portion of the pot is formed so as to surround the cylindrical portion below the annular protrusion. An annular partition wall extending upward from is provided,

Thereby, the annular flow path is formed by an oblique flow path formed by the head portions of the adjacent annular partitions, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the outer peripheral surface of the annular partition of the outer annular partition. An outer channel formed by an inner channel formed by an inner peripheral surface of the partition and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the outer annular partition,

The processing device according to claim 18, wherein the outer flow path and the inner flow path form an inverted U-shaped flow path. 2. The outer flow path communicates with a processing liquid outlet at a lowermost end thereof. 19. The processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the inner flow path communicates with a mist outlet at a lowermost end thereof, and the inside of the annular flow path is drawn by the exhaust device through the mist outlet.

10. The annular partition according to claim 19, wherein the outermost annular partition among the plurality of annular partitions forms an annular flow path between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall of the pot. Processing of the substrate 4. The innermost annular partition of the plurality of annular partitions forms an annular flow path between its inner peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall of the pot. 19. The processing apparatus according to item 9. 5. An annular conductance adjustment having a plurality of through holes distributed in the circumferential direction at a mist inflow opening formed by an upper peripheral edge of the partition and an inner peripheral surface of the annular partition adjacent to the inside. Set up a board,

The processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the size of each of the plurality of through holes is reduced as the size is closer to the mist outlet.

6. A rotating support for supporting a substrate, and an annular receiver for receiving a paddling treatment liquid substantially immediately below an outer peripheral edge of the rotating support in the innermost annular flow path. Item 19. A processing apparatus according to Item 19.

7. Rotation holding means for rotating the substrate while holding it in a substantially horizontal plane, and treating liquid on the surface of the substrate A processing liquid supply means for supplying

A pot having an inwardly facing annular opening disposed so as to surround the periphery of the substrate, and extending upwardly and inward from the bottom toward the annular opening to partition the bottom of the pot into an annular shape, respectively. A plurality of annular partitions spaced apart in the pot;

An annular partition vertical moving means for moving each annular partition in the vertical direction, wherein the inner peripheral edge of each of the adjacent annular partitions is annularly formed so as to be able to receive the processing liquid flowing from the annular opening. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that an annular flow path communicating with the bottom is formed by an inner peripheral surface of an outer annular partition and an outer peripheral surface of an inner annular partition by being positioned at an opening.