WO2012111602A1

WO2012111602A1 - Wet etching apparatus and wet etching method

Info

Publication number: WO2012111602A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/053250
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亮村田; 直義山本; 公一柄谷
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2011-02-17
Filing date: 2012-02-13
Publication date: 2012-08-23

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to execute wet etching of the entire surface of a substrate as uniformly as possible. Provided is a wet etching apparatus (100) for executing wet etching to a substrate (110), and which is provided with spray nozzles (14) for spraying etching liquid to the substrate (110), and spray piping (10) onto which the spray nozzles (14) are mounted, and which is for supplying the etching liquid to the spray nozzles (14). The spray nozzles (14) are arranged above the substrate (110), and the substrate (110) comprises a circumferential edge section (122) along the outer edge (75) of the substrate (110), and a center section (121) not including the circumferential edge section (122). The spray nozzles (14) are not arranged at the circumferential edge section (122), but arranged at the center section (121) not including the circumferential edge section (122).

Description

Wet etching apparatus and wet etching method

The present invention relates to a wet etching apparatus and a wet etching method. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for performing wet etching on a substrate such as mother glass for a liquid crystal panel.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-32162 filed on February 17, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. .

A liquid crystal panel, which is a component of a liquid crystal display device (LCD), has a structure in which a pair of glass substrates are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap secured. With the increase in size and mass production of liquid crystal panels, glass substrates (mother glass) used in the manufacturing process of liquid crystal panels are becoming larger year by year. In the liquid crystal panel production line, wet etching is performed in the state of the glass substrate (mother glass) thus enlarged.

The wet etching in the liquid crystal panel production line is performed by spraying an etching solution on a glass substrate (mother glass) on which a metal film is formed, or immersing the glass substrate in the etching solution. A wet etching apparatus is used to perform wet etching. With a wet etching apparatus, a metal film on a glass substrate can be wet etched, and a desired circuit pattern can be formed on the glass substrate (see Patent Document 1).

Recent mother glass, for example, has a side exceeding 1 m (for example, from 1100 mm × 1300 mm (fifth generation substrate) to 2880 mm × 3130 mm (tenth generation substrate)). Accordingly, it is important to uniformly etch the entire surface of the substrate of such a large mother glass.

One method of uniformly etching the mother glass is to slide the substrate. In a wet etching apparatus having a function of sliding the substrate, the entire mother glass is uniformly etched by moving the mother glass forward and backward with respect to the traveling direction. There is also a method for uniformly etching the mother glass by a sliding function of a spray pipe to which an etching solution is supplied. Further, an endpoint sensor that determines the etching state of a metal film or the like may be mounted by transmitting light through the mother glass and converting the amount of transmitted light into voltage.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a wet etching apparatus (etching apparatus) 1000 disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. A wet etching apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a transport means 103 for transporting a substrate (mother glass) 102 and a spray pipe 104 to which a spray nozzle 104a for spraying an etching solution onto the substrate 102 is attached. The spray pipe 104 supplies an etching solution to the spray nozzle 104a.

The illustrated etching apparatus 1000 is provided with an end point sensor 105 that determines an etching state of an object to be etched. The end point sensor 105 includes a projector 105b that emits light from below the substrate 102, and a light receiver 105a that receives light emitted from the projector 105b on the upper side of the substrate 102.

JP 2008-198633 A

The inventor of the present application has found that the wet etching apparatus studied by the present inventor has the following problems.

The wet etching apparatus examined by the inventors of the present application is an apparatus that can wet-etch a mother glass of a 10th generation substrate (2880 mm × 3130 mm). FIG. 2 schematically shows the upper surface of a 10th generation mother glass. Here, each panel region 115 in the mother glass 110 corresponds to a 40-inch liquid crystal panel. When a part of each panel region 115 is enlarged, when the panel region 115 is a part of the array substrate (TFT substrate) after pattern formation, for example, a pattern as shown in FIG. 3 is included. . In order to form such a pattern (for example, a metal wiring pattern), a wet etching apparatus is used.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, a switching element (for example, TFT) 144 and an upper surface of the array substrate 112 (a surface on the liquid crystal layer side of the array substrate 112, that is, a surface facing the color filter substrate) A pixel electrode 146 is provided. A source wiring 141 and a gate wiring 142 are provided around the switching element 144 and the pixel electrode 146 so as to form a lattice pattern. The source wiring 141 and the gate wiring 142 are connected to the source electrode and the gate electrode of the switching element 144, respectively. The pixel electrode 146 is made of, for example, ITO (indium tin oxide). For example, the pixel electrode 146 is formed in a rectangular shape, and in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the pixel electrode 146 is formed in an elongated rectangular shape along the direction in which the source wiring 141 extends.

The following phenomenon was observed when the mother glass was wet etched by the wet etching apparatus examined by the present inventors. FIG. 4 shows an upper surface of the mother glass 110 obtained by performing wet etching on the metal film. In the mother glass 110 shown in FIG. 4, after wet etching, it was observed that the thickness of the metal wiring in the central portion 111a was thick and the thickness of the metal wiring in the peripheral portion 111c was thin. That is, it was observed that the etching rate with respect to the metal film increases toward the central part 111a, the intermediate part 111b, and the peripheral part 111c.

In the wet etching apparatus, like the wet etching apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 1, spray nozzles are arranged evenly over the entire surface of the mother glass 110 so that the etching solution is sprayed evenly over the entire surface of the mother glass 110. It is composed. The wet etching apparatus also has a function (such as a substrate sliding function) for uniformly etching the entire surface of the substrate. Even if such a function is used, the wet etching apparatus is compared with the metal wiring in the central portion 111a. Thus, it has not been possible to eliminate the tendency that the metal wiring in the peripheral portion 111c becomes thin. Furthermore, even if the flow rate of the etchant from the spray nozzle located above the peripheral portion 111c and the flow rate of the etchant from the spray nozzle located above the central portion 111a are adjusted, the metal of the peripheral portion 111c is adjusted. The tendency for the wiring to become thin could not be resolved.

On the other hand, the importance of uniformly wet-etching the entire substrate surface of the mother glass 110 (for example, 10th generation mother glass) using a wet etching apparatus is increasing. Therefore, it is required to solve the problem that the metal wiring in the peripheral portion 111c is formed thin.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and a main object thereof is to provide a wet etching apparatus capable of performing wet etching on the entire surface of a substrate as uniformly as possible.

A wet etching apparatus according to the present invention is a wet etching apparatus that performs wet etching on a substrate, and includes a spray nozzle that sprays an etching solution onto the substrate, and the spray nozzle is attached, and the etching solution is supplied to the spray nozzle. The spray nozzle is arranged above the substrate, and the substrate includes a peripheral portion along an outer edge of the substrate and a central portion other than the peripheral portion, and the spray nozzle Are not arranged in the peripheral portion, and are arranged in a central portion other than the peripheral portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the spray pipe is composed of a main pipe and a branch pipe branched from the main pipe.

In a preferred embodiment, the main pipe in the spray pipe is one, a plurality of the branch pipes are connected to the one main pipe, and the plurality of branch pipes are At least three types of branch pipes having different lengths are provided.

In a preferred embodiment, there are a plurality of main pipes in the spray pipe, and a plurality of the branch pipes are connected to each of the plurality of main pipes.

In a preferred embodiment, a further branch pipe is connected to the branch pipe.

In a preferred embodiment, the spray pipe has one main pipe, and the one main pipe has a plurality of branch pipes connected in a radial pattern.

In a preferred embodiment, the spray pipe to which the spray nozzle is attached is disposed in a first processing tank including a transport roller capable of transporting the substrate, and the first processing tank includes a second A processing tank is connected, and the transport roller from the first processing tank extends in the second processing tank.

In a preferred embodiment, the peripheral portion is a portion within ¼ from the outer edge of the substrate when the distance between the center point of the substrate and the outer edge of the substrate is 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel.

The wet etching method according to the present invention is a wet etching method in which an etching solution is sprayed onto the substrate from above, the substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel, and the substrate is a peripheral edge along the outer edge of the substrate. And the central part other than the peripheral part, and the etching solution is not sprayed directly on the peripheral part and is sprayed on the central part other than the peripheral part.

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel, and a metal laminated film is formed on the mother glass as a material to be etched.

In the wet etching apparatus of the present invention, the spray nozzle for spraying the etching solution onto the substrate is not disposed at the peripheral portion of the substrate and is disposed at the central portion other than the peripheral portion. Therefore, compared with a structure in which the spray nozzles are evenly arranged above the substrate, the amount of the etching solution that contacts the peripheral portion of the substrate can be reduced, and the etching laser at the peripheral portion of the substrate can be reduced. it can. As a result, a wet etching apparatus that can wet-etch the entire surface of the substrate as uniformly as possible can be realized.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional wet etching apparatus 1000. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the upper surface of the mother glass 110 by which many faces are taken. It is a top view which expands and shows a part of array substrate 112 after pattern formation. It is a figure which shows the upper surface of the mother glass 110 which performed wet etching. It is a top view which shows the structure of the wet etching apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a wet etching apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a top view for explaining a peripheral edge portion 122 of a substrate 110. FIG. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 200 provided with the wet etching apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a top view showing a modified example of the wet etching apparatus 100. FIG. 6 is a top view showing a modified example of the wet etching apparatus 100. FIG. 6 is a top view showing a modified example of the wet etching apparatus 100.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, components having substantially the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals for the sake of brevity. In addition, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view schematically showing the configuration of the wet etching apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the wet etching apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

The wet etching apparatus 100 of this embodiment is an apparatus that performs wet etching on the substrate 110. The substrate 110 of this embodiment is, for example, a liquid crystal panel substrate, a PDP (plasma display panel) substrate, or the like. The substrate 110 in the example shown in FIG. 5 is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel (for example, 8th generation to 10th generation mother glass).

The wet etching apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes a spray nozzle 14 that sprays an etching solution onto a substrate 110 and a spray pipe 10 to which the spray nozzle 14 is attached. The spray pipe 10 is a pipe that supplies an etching solution to the spray nozzle 14. As the etching solution (etchant), a suitable material for the material to be etched formed on the surface of the substrate 110 is selected. For example, when an aluminum film (Al film) is formed on the substrate 110 and the Al film is wet-etched, a phosphoric acid solution of H ₃ PO ₄ : HNO ₃ can be used as an etchant. Further, an etching solution suitable for the copper film (Cu film) is used, and an etching solution suitable for the material (for example, an insulating material or a semiconductor material) other than the metal is selected and used.

In the configuration of this embodiment, the spray nozzles 14 are arranged above the substrate 110. In FIG. 5, the arrangement position of the spray nozzle 14 is represented by an “X” mark. The spray nozzle 14 of the present embodiment can spray the etching solution onto the surface of the substrate 110 in a shower shape. Here, the substrate of the present embodiment includes a peripheral portion 122 along the outer edge 75 (75a, 75b) of the substrate 110 and a central portion 121 other than the peripheral portion. And the spray nozzle 14 of this embodiment is not arrange | positioned in the area | region where the peripheral part 122 of a board | substrate is located, but is arrange | positioned in the area | region in which the center part 121 of a board | substrate is located.

Further, the spray pipe 10 of the present embodiment is composed of a main pipe 11 and a branch pipe 12 branched from the main pipe 11. The main pipe 11 is connected to an etching solution supply device (not shown) arranged outside. The etching solution is supplied from the etching solution supply device to the main pipe 11, and then the etching solution is introduced from the main pipe 11 to the branch pipe 12. In the configuration of the present embodiment, the main pipe 11 and the branch pipe 12 have a cylindrical shape. The main pipe 11 and the branch pipe 12 are made of stainless steel, and the main pipe 11 and the branch pipe 12 are connected to each other by welding. In the illustrated configuration, a spray nozzle 14 is attached to the lower surface of the branch pipe 12 (downward along the vertical direction). Then, the etchant is sprayed from the spray nozzle 14 onto the surface of the substrate 110.

In the illustrated configuration example, a plurality of branch pipes 12 are connected to one main pipe 11. Specifically, a plurality of branch pipes 12 (12a to 12e) extend from one main pipe 11 in the horizontal direction (here, in the left-right direction). Here, five branch pipes 12 (12a to 12e) are attached to the main pipe 11, and the branch pipe 12c located at the center extends the longest. Then, the

branch pipes

12b and 12d located on the outer side extend the next longest, and the

branch pipes

12a and 12e located on the outermost side extend the shortest.

One spray nozzle 14 is attached to each of the left and right sides of the branch pipe 12a, and the same applies to the branch pipe 12e. Further, two spray nozzles 14 are attached to the branch pipe 12b on the left and right sides, and the same applies to the branch pipe 12d. Three spray nozzles 14 are attached to the branch pipe 12c on the left and right. As described above, the spray nozzle 14 is not disposed in the region where the peripheral edge 122 of the substrate is located (outside the boundary 70), but is disposed in the region where the central portion 121 of the substrate is located (inside the boundary 70). Yes. Further, in the configuration example of the present embodiment, the spray nozzle 14 is disposed in a region inside the substantially elliptical boundary 72.

As shown in FIG. 6, a substrate (mother glass) 110 to be wet-etched is placed on a transfer device (for example, a roller conveyor) 20. The substrate 110 can be transported along the traveling direction 50 by the transport device 20. The transport device 20 is installed in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing system (in the factory).

The substrate 110 placed at a predetermined position by the transfer device 20 is wetted by a shower of etchant (see arrow 15) discharged from the wet etching device 100 of the present embodiment. Specifically, wet etching of a material (for example, a metal film) formed on the surface of the substrate 110 is performed by an etching solution 15 sprayed from a spray nozzle 14 attached to the spray pipe 10.

Here, since the spray nozzle 14 is not disposed at the peripheral edge portion 122 and is disposed in a region within the substantially elliptical boundary 72 in the illustrated example, the etching solution is substantially more than the peripheral edge portion 122. The spray is concentrated on the range within the elliptical boundary 72. Although the etching solution sprayed on the surface of the substrate 110 exists on the surface of the substrate 110 for a while, it subsequently flows out toward the peripheral edge 122 as indicated by an arrow 80. And the wet etching of the peripheral part 122 can be performed by this flowing-out etching liquid.

According to the study of the present inventor, when the spray nozzles 14 are arranged uniformly over the entire surface of the mother glass 110 and wet etching is performed, the etching rate of the peripheral portion 122 is compared with the central portion 121 (particularly, the central portion). Was found to be large. That is, when the etchant is sprayed evenly over the entire surface of the mother glass 110, the etchant from the spray nozzle 14 (see arrow 15) and the etchant flowing from the central part 121 (arrow 80) at the peripheral edge 122. Both) and wet etching is performed.

When the area of the substrate 110 is not so large, the influence of the etching solution (see arrow 80) flowing from the central portion 121 may not have been large. However, in a large mother glass 110 as in this embodiment, when a large amount of etching solution flows to the peripheral portion 122 (arrow 80), in addition to etching of the etching solution of the spray nozzle 14, etching of the flowing etching solution is performed. The influence of can not be ignored.

In addition, there is compatibility between the material to be etched (for example, a metal film) and the etching solution. For example, in the case where a plurality of materials are wet-etched with one etching solution such as a laminated film (for example, a metal laminated film. In one example, Ti / Cu / Ti or Mo / Al / Mo), It is necessary to select an appropriate etching solution. In such a case, wet etching can be performed on the laminated film, but it is difficult to control the etching rate and it may be more difficult to adjust the in-plane uniformity. In the case where it is difficult to control the etching rate, in addition to the etching of the etching solution sprayed on the peripheral portion 122, the influence of the etching of the etching solution flowing from the central portion 121 to the peripheral portion 122 may not be ignored. .

Based on such knowledge, the inventor of the present application has a configuration in which the spray nozzle 14 is not disposed in the peripheral portion 122 in the wet etching apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The wet etching of the peripheral portion 122 is performed by etching an etching solution (see arrow 80) flowing from the central portion 121 to the peripheral portion 122. With the configuration in which the spray nozzle 14 is selectively disposed in the central portion 121 without being disposed in the peripheral portion 122, the in-plane uniformity of the wet etching of the substrate 110 can be improved.

In addition, in order to improve the in-plane uniformity of wet etching of the substrate 110, in addition to not arranging the spray nozzle 14 at the peripheral portion 122, a combination of a material to be etched (for example, a metal film) and an etching solution, a spray nozzle It is desirable to select a suitable one for the arrangement of the nozzle 14, the flow rate of the etching solution from the spray nozzle 14, the etching time, and the like.

In this embodiment, the peripheral edge 122 of the substrate 110 is a portion having a higher etching rate than other portions (center portion), specifically, a portion along the outer edge 75 (75a, 75b) of the substrate 110. However, the magnitude of the etching rate between the peripheral portion 122 and the central portion 121 of the substrate 110 may be changed continuously in a gradation, so that the region shown in FIG. Is possible.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the substrate (mother glass) 110. Here, the distance from the center point C of the substrate 110 to the long side 75a is L1 + L2 (L1 = L2), and the range from the long side 75a to L2 / 2 (= L5) is the peripheral edge 122. be able to. Similarly, the distance from the center point C of the substrate 110 to the short side 75b is L3 + L4 (L3 = L4), and within the distance range of L4 / 2 (= L6) with the short side 75b as a reference, the peripheral edge portion 122 is used. be able to. In other words, when the distance between the center point C of the substrate 110 and the outer edge 75 (75a, 75b) is 1, the peripheral edge 122 is a portion within 1/4 of the outer edge 75 (75a, 75b). be able to.

Further, the central part 121 other than the peripheral part 122 is distinguished from the first central part (or central part) 121a and the second central part (or intermediate part) 121b, and the arrangement of the spray nozzle 14 and the etching liquid from the spray nozzle 14 are distinguished. It may be one of the conditions for setting the flow rate. Here, the first central portion (or the central portion 121a) is a region inside the boundary 71 where L1 = L2, and the second central portion (or the intermediate portion 121b) has a peripheral edge with the first central portion 121a. This is an area located between the part 122 and the part 122. For example, the ratio (or the number) of the spray nozzles 14 disposed in the upper region of the first central portion 121a is designed to be larger than the ratio (or the number) of the spray nozzles 14 disposed in the upper region of the second central portion 121b. Can be adopted.

As described above, in the wet etching apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the spray nozzle 14 that sprays the etching solution onto the substrate 110 is not disposed at the peripheral portion 122 of the substrate 110 and is disposed at the central portion 121 other than the peripheral portion. Has been. Therefore, compared with the structure in which the spray nozzles 14 are evenly arranged above the substrate 110, the amount of the etchant that contacts the peripheral edge 122 of the substrate 110 can be reduced, and the etching at the peripheral edge 122 of the substrate 110 can be reduced. The laser can be lowered. That is, by not spraying the etching solution directly on the peripheral portion 122, wet etching using etching of the etching solution (see arrow 80) flowing from the central portion 121 to the peripheral portion 122 can be performed. As a result, the wet etching apparatus 100 that can wet-etch the entire surface of the substrate as uniformly as possible can be realized.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 200 including the wet etching apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. In the substrate processing apparatus 200 illustrated in FIG. 8, the spray pipe 10 to which the spray nozzle 14 is attached is disposed in a first processing tank 30 </ b> A including a transport roller (transport apparatus) 20 that can transport the substrate 110. A second processing tank 30B is connected to the first processing tank 30A. In the second treatment tank 30B, the conveyance roller 20 from the first treatment tank 30A is extended.

The first treatment tank 30A and the second treatment tank 30B in the present embodiment each have a box shape. The first treatment tank 30A has an opening 31A on the second treatment tank 30B side, while the second treatment tank 30B has an opening 31B on the first treatment tank 30A side. The

openings

31A and 31B have a shape through which the substrate 110 can pass, and a substrate conveyor including the transport rollers 20 is provided through the first processing tank 30A and the second processing tank 30B.

The transport roller 20 is rotatable as indicated by an arrow 55, and the substrate 110 can be moved on the transport roller 20 from the second processing tank 30B to the first processing tank 30A along the rotation (arrow 50). ). An opening 32 is provided on the upstream side of the second processing tank 30B, and an opening 34 is provided on the downstream side of the first processing tank 30A. In this example, the substrate conveyor composed of the transport rollers 20 extends both to the upstream side of the second processing tank 30B and to the downstream side of the first processing tank 30A.

The first treatment tank 30A of the present embodiment is the wet etching apparatus 100 as described above. That is, when the substrate 110 is stopped at a predetermined position in the first processing tank 30 </ b> A, the spray nozzle 14 is not disposed at the peripheral edge 122 of the substrate 110 and is disposed at the central portion 121. After the wet etching for a predetermined time is performed in the first treatment tank 30A, the substrate 110 rides on the flow of the transport roller 20 (arrow 50) and moves downstream. Then, the substrate 110 is subjected to substrate processing in the next step (post-step).

The second treatment tank 30B of the present embodiment is a place where a pretreatment process of the wet etching apparatus 100 is performed. In the second treatment tank 30 </ b> B, a process of cleaning the substrate 110 or adjusting the wettability of the substrate 110 can be performed. In this example, a chemical solution is sprayed onto the substrate 110 from the nozzle 24 of the second processing tank 30B.

In addition, the duct 35 is provided in the 1st processing tank 30A and the 2nd processing tank 30B, and the air in each processing tank can be sucked out. In addition, a pair of liquid curtain devices 26 are disposed in the boundary region between the first treatment tank 30A and the second treatment tank 30B. The liquid curtain device 26 is an air knife that blows out air to create an air wall. The movement of the floating mist can be blocked by discharging gas (air) from the liquid cutting curtain device (air knife) 26.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the second processing tank 30B is connected to the upstream side of the first processing tank 30A including the spray pipe 10 of the present embodiment. It is also possible to connect the treatment tanks. As such a processing tank, not only a wet type substrate processing tank but also a dry type substrate processing tank (for example, a processing tank for drying) can be used.

Next, a modified example of the wet etching apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the wet etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 9, the main pipe 11 is composed of a plurality of pieces (11a, 11b). In this example, branch pipes 12 (12a to 12e) extend from each of the two main pipes 11 (11a, 11b). The spray nozzle 14 is attached to the branch pipe 12.

In the wet etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 10, the first branch pipe 12 is connected to the main pipe 11, and the second branch pipe 13 (13 a, 13 b) is connected to the first branch pipe 12. In this example, the spray nozzle 14 is attached to the main pipe 11, the first branch pipe 12, and the second branch pipe 13.

In the wet etching apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 11, a branch pipe 12 is connected to the main pipe 11, and an oblique pipe 16 extending obliquely is connected to the main pipe 11. In this example, the spray nozzle 14 is attached to a main pipe 11, a branch pipe 12, and an oblique pipe (oblique branch pipe) 16. The branch pipes 12 and the diagonal pipes (oblique branch pipes) 16 extend the pipes radially.

As mentioned above, although this invention has been demonstrated by suitable embodiment, such description is not a limitation matter and, of course, various modifications are possible. In addition to the configuration of the wet etching apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, other configurations can be adopted. Further, a mechanism for sliding the substrate 110, a sliding mechanism for the spray nozzle 14, and an end point sensor can be mounted on the wet etching apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wet etching apparatus capable of performing wet etching on the entire substrate surface as uniformly as possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Spray piping 11 Main piping 12 Branch piping 13 2nd branch piping 14 Spray nozzle 15 Etching liquid 16 Diagonal piping (oblique branch piping)
20 Conveying device (conveying roller)
26 Liquid curtain device 30A First treatment tank 30B Second treatment tank 35 Duct 75 Outer edge 100 Wet etching device 102 Substrate 104 Spray piping 104a Spray nozzle 105 Endpoint sensor 110 Substrate (mother glass)
112 array substrate 115 panel region 121 central portion 122 peripheral portion 141 source wiring 142 gate wiring 144 switching element 146 pixel electrode 200 substrate processing apparatus 1000 wet etching apparatus

Claims

A wet etching apparatus for performing wet etching on a substrate,
A spray nozzle for spraying an etchant on the substrate;
The spray nozzle is attached, and includes a spray pipe for supplying the etching liquid to the spray nozzle,
The spray nozzles are arranged above the substrate;
The substrate includes a peripheral portion along an outer edge of the substrate, and a central portion other than the peripheral portion,
The wet etching apparatus, wherein the spray nozzle is not disposed in the peripheral portion and is disposed in a central portion other than the peripheral portion.
The wet etching apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spray pipe includes a main pipe and a branch pipe branched from the main pipe.
The main pipe in the spray pipe is one,
A plurality of the branch pipes are connected to the one main pipe,
The wet etching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of branch pipes have branch pipes having at least three different lengths.
The main pipe in the spray pipe is a plurality,
The wet etching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the branch pipes are connected to each of the plurality of main pipes.
The wet etching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a further branch pipe is connected to the branch pipe.
The main pipe in the spray pipe is one,
The wet etching apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the branch pipes are radially connected to the one main pipe.
The spray pipe to which the spray nozzle is attached is disposed in a first processing tank including a transport roller capable of transporting the substrate,
A second treatment tank is connected to the first treatment tank,
The wet etching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the second processing tank, the transport roller from the first processing tank is extended.
8. The peripheral edge according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion is a portion within 1/4 of the outer edge of the substrate when the distance from the center point of the substrate to the outer edge of the substrate is 1. Wet etching apparatus as described in one.
The wet etching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel.
A wet etching method of spraying an etching solution from above on a substrate,
The substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel,
The substrate includes a peripheral portion along an outer edge of the substrate, and a central portion other than the peripheral portion,
The wet etching method, wherein the etching solution is not sprayed directly on the peripheral portion but is sprayed on a central portion other than the peripheral portion.
The substrate is a mother glass for a liquid crystal panel,
The wet etching method according to claim 10, wherein a metal laminated film is formed on the mother glass as a material to be etched.