WO2016175233A1

WO2016175233A1 - Substrate liquid processing method and substrate liquid processing device

Info

Publication number: WO2016175233A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/063162
Authority: WO
Inventors: 洋介川渕; 章一郎日高; 央河野
Original assignee: 東京エレクトロン株式会社
Priority date: 2015-04-30
Filing date: 2016-04-27
Publication date: 2016-11-03
Also published as: JP2016213252A; JP6301281B2

Abstract

A substrate liquid processing method is provided with, after a step of forming a liquid film of a first processing liquid (DIW) on a surface of a substrate, a substitution step of substituting the first processing liquid, present on the surface of the substrate including the inside of a recess (R), with a second processing liquid (IPA). According to an embodiment, the substitution step includes: a liquid film formation stage in which the second processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate covered with the liquid film of the first processing liquid while the substrate is rotated at a first rotational speed, and in which, on the substrate surface, a liquid film of the second processing liquid including the first processing liquid is formed; and, thereafter, a substitution promotion stage for promoting the substitution with the second processing liquid in which the second processing liquid is supplied with the rotational speed of the substrate being decreased to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, and in which the point of landing of the second processing liquid on the surface of the substrate is moved between a center portion and a peripheral portion of the substrate.

Description

Substrate liquid processing method and substrate liquid processing apparatus

The present invention relates to a technique for replacing a processing liquid in a recess on a substrate surface with another processing liquid when performing a liquid processing on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

The manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes liquid processing such as chemical cleaning processing or wet etching processing. In such a liquid treatment, the chemical solution is supplied to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and the chemical solution and reaction products remaining on the substrate are washed away using a rinse solution such as pure water after the chemical treatment step. A rinsing step, a displacing step of replacing the rinsing liquid remaining on the substrate after the rinsing step with an organic solvent for drying assistance such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), and a drying step of drying the substrate after the displacing step are included.

In the above liquid processing, when shifting from the chemical processing step to the rinsing step, and when shifting from the rinsing step to the replacement step, the first processing liquid supplied to the substrate in the previous step and remaining on the substrate is It is replaced with the second processing liquid supplied to the substrate in the process (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, when replacing pure water with IPA, if the replacement is not completely performed and pure water remains at the bottom of the concave portion of the pattern formed on the substrate surface, the pure water is discharged from the concave portion in the drying process. When going, there is a risk that the pattern collapses due to the surface tension of pure water. Further, for example, when the chemical solution is replaced with pure water, if the chemical solution remains in the recess without being completely replaced, corrosion may occur due to the chemical component.

Therefore, it is desirable to perform liquid replacement with the second processing liquid so that the first processing liquid does not remain in the recess. Moreover, it is also desired that the liquid replacement be performed efficiently and in a short time so as not to impair the throughput of the substrate liquid processing apparatus. Furthermore, with the further miniaturization of patterns in recent years, it has become more difficult to replace the first processing liquid that has entered the pattern recesses with the second processing liquid.

Japanese Patent No. 5016525

The present invention provides a technique capable of efficiently replacing the first processing liquid present in the recess formed on the substrate surface with the second processing liquid.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a step of preparing a substrate having a recess formed on the surface, and supplying a first processing liquid to the surface of the substrate to cover the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess. A step of forming a liquid film of the first treatment liquid, and a substitution step of substituting the second treatment liquid for the first treatment liquid present on the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess. Supplies the second processing liquid to the surface of the substrate covered with the liquid film of the first processing liquid while rotating the substrate at the first rotational speed, and includes the second processing liquid containing the first processing liquid. Forming a liquid film on the surface of the substrate, and then supplying the second processing liquid in a state in which the rotational speed of the substrate is reduced to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed. In addition, the point of landing of the second treatment liquid on the surface of the substrate is a center portion of the substrate. Moves between the edges, including the substitution accelerating stage to promote the substitution with the second processing liquid, the substrate solution processing method is provided.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates a substrate, a first processing liquid supply unit that supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, Control a second processing liquid supply unit that supplies the second processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the substrate holding unit, the first processing liquid supply unit, and the second processing liquid supply unit. Then, there is provided a substrate liquid processing apparatus including a control unit that executes the substrate liquid processing method.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a step of preparing a substrate having a recess formed on the surface, a first processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate, and the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess Forming a liquid film of the first treatment liquid covering the substrate, and replacing the first treatment liquid present on the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess with a second treatment liquid, and In the replacement step, the second processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate covered with the liquid film of the first processing liquid, and the liquid film of the second processing liquid containing the first processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate. Forming a liquid film on the substrate surface in a state in which the liquid film is formed and then forming the liquid film, and having a component in a direction opposite to the flow of the second processing liquid. A substitution promoting step of applying a force to the liquid film, and the flow of the second treatment liquid Giving a force having a component in the opposite direction to the liquid film, moving the liquid treatment point in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the second treatment liquid while moving the second treatment liquid to the liquid film, There is provided a substrate liquid processing method including supplying the second processing liquid toward the liquid film.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate, a first processing liquid supply unit that supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and the substrate A second processing liquid supply unit that supplies the second processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit, and supplies the second processing liquid for forming a flow of the second processing liquid on the substrate surface to the substrate. A second supply element that includes a first supply element and a second supply element that supplies the second processing liquid to the substrate while moving a landing point of the second processing liquid in a direction opposite to the flow of the second processing liquid. There is provided a substrate liquid processing apparatus comprising: a processing liquid supply unit; and a control unit that controls the first processing liquid supply unit and the second processing liquid supply unit to execute the substrate liquid processing method. .

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the first processing liquid at the bottom of the recess on the substrate surface can be efficiently replaced with the second processing liquid.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing system concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a processing unit. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the process liquid supply part of the process unit used in 1st Embodiment. It is a time chart for demonstrating the solvent substitution process and drying process of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the wafer for demonstrating the solvent substitution process of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the wafer for demonstrating the drying process of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the process liquid supply part of the process unit used by 2nd Embodiment. It is a time chart for demonstrating the solvent substitution process and drying process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the wafer for demonstrating the solvent substitution process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic expanded sectional view of the wafer for demonstrating the solvent substitution process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the flow of the liquid on a wafer surface, and the direction of a nozzle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment. In the following, in order to clarify the positional relationship, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis that are orthogonal to each other are defined, and the positive direction of the Z axis is the vertically upward direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a carry-in / out station 2 and a processing station 3. The carry-in / out station 2 and the processing station 3 are provided adjacent to each other.

The loading / unloading station 2 includes a carrier placement unit 11 and a conveyance unit 12. A plurality of carriers C that accommodate a plurality of wafers W in a horizontal state are placed on the carrier placement unit 11.

The transfer unit 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placement unit 11 and includes a substrate transfer device 13 and a delivery unit 14 inside. The substrate transfer device 13 includes a substrate holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. Further, the substrate transfer device 13 can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and turn around the vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the carrier C and the delivery unit 14 using the substrate holding mechanism. Do.

The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the transfer unit 12. The processing station 3 includes a transport unit 15 and a plurality of processing units 16. The plurality of processing units 16 are provided side by side on the transport unit 15.

The transfer unit 15 includes a substrate transfer device 17 inside. The substrate transfer device 17 includes a substrate holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. Further, the substrate transfer device 17 can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and can turn around the vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the delivery unit 14 and the processing unit 16 using the substrate holding mechanism. I do.

The processing unit 16 performs predetermined substrate processing on the wafer W transferred by the substrate transfer device 17.

Further, the substrate processing system 1 includes a control device 4. The control device 4 is a computer, for example, and includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. The storage unit 19 stores a program for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 18 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 19.

Note that such a program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium and installed in the storage unit 19 of the control device 4 from the storage medium. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

In the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above, first, the substrate transfer device 13 of the loading / unloading station 2 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placement unit 11 and receives the taken-out wafer W. Place on the transfer section 14. The wafer W placed on the delivery unit 14 is taken out from the delivery unit 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 of the processing station 3 and carried into the processing unit 16.

The wafer W loaded into the processing unit 16 is processed by the processing unit 16, then unloaded from the processing unit 16 by the substrate transfer device 17, and placed on the delivery unit 14. Then, the processed wafer W placed on the delivery unit 14 is returned to the carrier C of the carrier platform 11 by the substrate transfer device 13.

Next, a schematic configuration of the processing unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the processing unit 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing unit 16 includes a chamber 20, a substrate holding mechanism 30, a processing fluid supply unit 40, and a recovery cup 50.

The chamber 20 accommodates the substrate holding mechanism 30, the processing fluid supply unit 40, and the recovery cup 50. An FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 21 is provided on the ceiling of the chamber 20. The FFU 21 forms a down flow in the chamber 20.

The substrate holding mechanism 30 includes a holding part 31, a support part 32, and a driving part 33. The holding unit 31 holds the wafer W horizontally. The support | pillar part 32 is a member extended in a perpendicular direction, a base end part is rotatably supported by the drive part 33, and supports the holding | maintenance part 31 horizontally in a front-end | tip part. The drive unit 33 rotates the column unit 32 around the vertical axis. The substrate holding mechanism 30 rotates the support unit 32 by rotating the support unit 32 using the drive unit 33, thereby rotating the wafer W held by the support unit 31. .

The processing fluid supply unit 40 supplies a processing fluid to the wafer W. The processing fluid supply unit 40 is connected to a processing fluid supply source 70.

The recovery cup 50 is disposed so as to surround the holding unit 31, and collects the processing liquid scattered from the wafer W by the rotation of the holding unit 31. A drain port 51 is formed at the bottom of the recovery cup 50, and the processing liquid collected by the recovery cup 50 is discharged from the drain port 51 to the outside of the processing unit 16. Further, an exhaust port 52 for discharging the gas supplied from the FFU 21 to the outside of the processing unit 16 is formed at the bottom of the recovery cup 50.

<First Embodiment>
First, the processing fluid supply unit 40 used in the first embodiment will be described. The processing fluid supply unit 40 includes a chemical nozzle 41, a rinse nozzle 42, a solvent nozzle 43, and a dry gas nozzle 44.

The chemical nozzle 41 supplies, for example, DHF (dilute hydrofluoric acid) to the wafer W as a chemical. The rinse nozzle 42 supplies, for example, DIW (pure water (deionized water)) as a rinse liquid to the wafer W. The solvent nozzle 43 supplies IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to the wafer W as an organic solvent as a drying auxiliary fluid that has higher volatility and lower surface tension than DIW, which is a rinsing liquid. The dry gas nozzle 44 supplies nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas, which is a dry gas having a lower humidity and oxygen concentration than air. By supplying such a drying gas, a water mark is hardly generated when the wafer W is dried. The chemical solution is not limited to DHF, and may be any one used in the field of semiconductor device manufacture, such as SC-1, SC-2, and buffered hydrofluoric acid.

Each of the nozzles 41 to 44 is supplied from a corresponding processing fluid supply source (tank, gas cylinder, etc.) through a corresponding processing fluid supply mechanism (not shown), that is, DHF, DIW, IPA, N ₂ is supplied. Each processing fluid supply mechanism includes a processing fluid supply line composed of piping and the like, and flow control devices such as a pump, an on-off valve, and a flow rate adjustment valve.

The chemical solution nozzle 41, the rinse nozzle 42, the solvent nozzle 43, and the dry gas nozzle 44 are supported by the tip of a common nozzle arm 45. The nozzle arm 45 can be moved up and down by an arm drive mechanism 46 and can be swung around a vertical axis. Accordingly, the nozzles 41 to 44 can move between a position directly above the center of the wafer W and a position directly above the peripheral edge. Further, it is possible to move to a standby position (home position) deviated from directly above the wafer W.

The arm drive mechanism may be of a type that linearly translates the nozzle arm along the guide rail, for example.

Depending on the type of chemical liquid, a chemical liquid supply mechanism and a rinse liquid supply mechanism may be connected to the chemical liquid nozzle 41 so that either the chemical liquid or the rinse liquid can be selectively discharged from the chemical liquid nozzle 41. In this case, the rinse nozzle 42 can be eliminated.

Next, a series of steps performed in the processing unit 16 will be described. The following steps are automatically executed under the control of the control device 4 as described above.

First, an unprocessed wafer W is loaded into the processing unit 16 by the arm (see FIG. 1) of the substrate transfer device 17, and the wafer W is held by the substrate holding mechanism 30 as shown in FIG.

<Chemical solution treatment process>
The chemical nozzle 41 is located directly above the center of the wafer W. The wafer W is rotated around the vertical axis, and a chemical solution nozzle 41 supplies a chemical solution, for example DHF, to the center of the wafer W. The chemical liquid spreads due to centrifugal force, and the entire surface of the wafer W is covered with a chemical liquid film, whereby the surface of the wafer W is treated with the chemical liquid. The chemical solution containing the reaction product is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. The scattered chemical is collected by the collection cup 50 (see FIG. 2).
<Rinse process>
After completion of the chemical treatment process, DIW rinse is supplied from the rinse nozzle 42 (the chemical supply is stopped) as a rinse liquid to the center of the wafer W while the wafer W is continuously rotated. A rinse treatment is performed to wash away the chemical solution and reaction product remaining on the substrate.

<Solvent replacement step>
After completion of the rinsing process (the supply of the rinsing liquid is stopped), IPA is supplied from the solvent nozzle 43 to the wafer W, and a solvent replacement process is performed in which the rinsing liquid existing on the surface of the wafer W is replaced with IPA.

<Drying process>
After the IPA replacement process, a drying process for drying the wafer W is executed. Thus, a series of liquid processing for one wafer W is completed. Thereafter, the wafer W is carried out of the processing unit 16.

Note that the solvent replacement step and the drying step may be collectively referred to as a “drying step”, but in this specification, the DIW, that is, the first processing liquid that has been on the wafer W until then is the IPA, that is, the second step. The process until the treatment liquid is replaced is called a (solvent) replacement process, and the process of removing IPA on the wafer W from the wafer is called a drying process.

Next, a procedure executed from the end of the rinsing process to the drying process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the time chart of FIG. 4, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is, in order from the top, wafer rotation speed (rpm), discharge from DIW from rinse nozzle 42 (ON) / discharge stop (OFF), solvent nozzle. IPA discharge (ON) / discharge stop (OFF) from 43, N ₂ gas discharge (ON) / discharge stop (OFF) from the dry gas nozzle 44, positions of the nozzles 41 to 44 (NPos: C is the wafer center; E indicates the wafer periphery; H indicates the home position).

<End of rinsing process>
At the end of the rinsing process, that is, before the time point t1 (first period), DIW is supplied from the rinse nozzle 42 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W at a first rotation speed (for example, about 1000 rpm). . At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the entire surface of the wafer W is covered with a liquid film of DIW, and the inside of the recess R formed on the surface of the wafer W is also filled with DIW.

During the period from the time point t1 to the time point t2 (second period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is reduced from the first rotation speed to the second rotation speed (for example, 300 to 800 rpm). The second rotation speed is determined in consideration of the coverage at the peripheral edge of the wafer W (that is, the liquid film does not break at the peripheral edge).

Next, a solvent replacement step is performed. This solvent replacement step includes a plurality of steps described below.

<Surface part substitution stage (solvent liquid film formation stage)>
IPA is supplied to the center of the wafer W in a state where the rotation speed of the wafer W is maintained at the second rotation speed from the time t2 to the time t3 (third period). At time t2, the discharge of IPA from the solvent nozzle 43 is started. The discharge of IPA from the solvent nozzle 43 is continued until time t9. If DIW discharge is stopped immediately after the start of IPA discharge, the surface of the wafer W may be exposed near the interface between DIW and IPA due to the Marangoni effect. For this reason, the discharge of DIW from the rinse nozzle 42 stops slightly after time t2.

By time t3, DIW on the surface of the wafer W is replaced with IPA. That is, the entire surface of the wafer W outside the recess R is covered with the IPA liquid film. However, DIW remains at the bottom of the recess R on the wafer surface. Specifically, the surface of the wafer W is covered with a liquid film containing DIW and IPA, and this liquid film has a lower layer having a high DIW concentration and an upper layer having a high IPA concentration. This state is shown in FIG. The procedure for quickly replacing the DIW at the bottom of this recess continues.

<Stirring stage>
Between time t3 and time t4 (fourth period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is reduced from the second rotation speed to the third rotation speed (for example, 0 to 50 rpm). Due to the deceleration (negative acceleration) at the time of deceleration, stirring of the liquid (DIW and IPA) in the recess R is promoted. In the fourth period, the rotation of the wafer W may be accelerated, or acceleration and deceleration may be combined. From the viewpoint of promoting stirring, it is better that the absolute value of the acceleration (deceleration) acceleration / deceleration is large (rapid acceleration, rapid deceleration). Regardless of how acceleration / deceleration is performed, the rotational speed of the wafer W is set to the third rotational speed at time t4.

<Replacement promotion stage>
Next, the replacement of DIW remaining in the recess R with IPA is promoted. Between time t4 and time t5 (fifth period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is maintained at a third rotation speed, for example, 100 rpm or less, preferably about 30 to 50 rpm. When the wafer W is rotated at an extremely low speed as described above, a gentle flow of IPA from the center of the wafer toward the peripheral edge occurs on the surface of the wafer W. However, the force acting on the IPA on the surface of the wafer W is dominated by gravity, and the force caused by the rotation of the wafer W such as centrifugal force is very small. That is, the horizontal force acting on the IPA is very small, and a downward force in the vertical direction is applied. This downward force in the vertical direction promotes mixing (mutual diffusion) of DIW and IPA in the recess R.

However, since the specific gravity of IPA is smaller than that of DIW, in order to further promote the mixing of DIW and IPA, it is preferable to further positively load the IPA with a downward force in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the fifth period, an operation of pushing the IPA into the concave portion R is performed by the solvent nozzle 43 that discharges the IPA downward in the vertical direction. In order to push the IPA into all the recesses R on the surface of the wafer W, the solvent nozzle 43 that discharges the IPA is placed at the center of the wafer W while the wafer W is rotated at an extremely low speed as described above. And the wafer peripheral edge (scanning operation of the solvent nozzle 43). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the solvent nozzle 43 is moved from the center of the wafer W to the periphery of the wafer W while IPA is being discharged. Further, in the present embodiment, after the solvent nozzle 43 reaches the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the solvent nozzle 43 is moved to the wafer central portion in a state where IPA is discharged (reciprocating movement). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5D, DIW is replaced with IPA in all the recesses. Thus, the solvent replacement step is completed.

Incidentally, the replacement with IPA depends on the width and depth of the recess R, the state of the wafer surface, and the like. For this reason, the solvent nozzle 43 that discharges IPA is moved from the wafer center to the wafer periphery, or the solvent nozzle 43 that has started discharging IPA at the wafer periphery is moved to the wafer center. In other words, when DIW in the recess R is replaced with IPA by moving the solvent nozzle 43 discharging IPA one way, it is necessary to reciprocate the solvent nozzle 43 in the replacement promotion stage. No. In the case of one-way movement, the consumption of IPA can be reduced as compared with the case of two-way movement.

In addition, when the reciprocating movement of the solvent nozzle 43 does not sufficiently replace DIW in the recess with IPA, the solvent nozzle 43 that discharges IPA downward in the vertical direction is connected to the wafer W center portion and the wafer peripheral portion. May be reciprocated a plurality of times.

As for the moving speed of the solvent nozzle 43, it is preferable to make the moving speed of the solvent nozzle 43 relatively small in a state where IPA is discharged from the viewpoint of effectively pushing the IPA into all the recesses R. In order to push in the IPA, a slit nozzle having a discharge port extending in the radial direction of the wafer W, which is different from the solvent nozzle 43, or a solvent nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports may be provided.

During the fifth period (for example, at the beginning of the fifth period), when the solvent nozzle 43 discharging IPA is not performing the scanning operation, the rotational speed of the wafer W may be temporarily set to zero. By doing so, the horizontal force does not act on the IPA on the surface of the wafer W, but only the downward force in the vertical direction acts, and the DIW in the recess R is efficiently replaced by the IPA.

During the fifth period, the rotation speed (third rotation speed) of the wafer W may be maintained at zero (0 rpm). In this case, an IPA paddle is formed on the surface of the wafer W. By doing so, the horizontal force does not act on the IPA on the surface of the wafer W, and only the downward force in the vertical direction acts, and the replacement of the DIW in the recess R with IPA is further promoted. . In this case, the entire surface of the wafer W can be replaced by taking measures such as providing a slit nozzle having a discharge port having a length corresponding to the diameter of the wafer as a solvent nozzle for performing the scanning operation, in addition to the solvent nozzle 43. Promoted.

The surface portion replacement step, the stirring step and the replacement promotion step constituting the solvent replacement step may be repeated a plurality of times.

When the solvent replacement process is completed, the process proceeds to a drying process in which IPA on the surface of the wafer W is removed and the surface of the wafer W is dried. This drying process includes a plurality of stages described below.

<Solvent discharge stage>
First, a solvent discharging step for thinning the IPA liquid film on the surface of the wafer W is performed. At time t5, DIW in the recess R is replaced with IPA. Thereafter, during the period from the time point t5 to the time point t6 (sixth period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased from the third rotation speed to the fourth rotation speed (for example, 300 to 800 rpm), and thereafter, from the time t6 to the time t7. In the meantime (seventh period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is maintained at the fourth rotation speed. As a result, the IPA that has formed a liquid film (which is relatively thick) on the surface of the wafer W flows toward the peripheral edge of the wafer W by centrifugal force, and a substantial portion of the IPA on the wafer W is exposed to the wafer. W is removed from above. That is, the IPA liquid film on the surface of the wafer W becomes thin. In this solvent discharge stage, if the surface of the wafer W is not exposed from the liquid film of IPA, the discharge of IPA from the solvent nozzle 43 may be stopped.

<Exposure stage>
Next, an exposure step of removing the IPA from the surface of the wafer W and exposing the surface of the wafer W is performed. Between time t7 and time t8 (eighth period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased from the fourth rotation speed to the fifth rotation speed (for example, 500 to 1000 rpm), and thereafter from time t8 to time t9. During the period (the ninth period), the rotation speed of the wafer W is maintained at the fifth rotation speed. From time t8, the solvent nozzle 43 and the dry gas nozzle 44 are moved toward the peripheral edge of the wafer W while discharging the IPA and the N ₂ gas from the solvent nozzle 43 and the dry gas nozzle 44 located immediately above the center of the wafer W, respectively. I will let you. The solvent nozzle 43 and the dry gas nozzle 44 start moving toward the peripheral edge of the wafer W at time t8, and move so that the dry gas nozzle 44 is positioned almost directly above the peripheral edge of the wafer W at time t9. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the position where the N ₂ gas discharged from the dry gas nozzle 44 collides with the surface of the wafer W is larger in radius than the position where the IPA discharged from the solvent nozzle 43 collides with the surface of the wafer W. Keep it slightly inward with respect to direction. The dry gas nozzle 44 is preferably attached to the nozzle arm 45 so as to inject N ₂ gas obliquely downward so that a vector indicating the gas injection direction has a radially outward component. By the above operation, the IPA on the surface of the wafer W is blown away by the N ₂ gas and driven outward in the radial direction, and finally the IPA is removed from the entire surface of the wafer W.

As described above, the drying process may not be performed by simultaneous supply of IPA and N ₂ gas. For example, the supply of IPA to the wafer W may be stopped at the time t5, and the rotation speed of the wafer W may be increased to the fifth rotation speed at once to perform shake-off drying.

When the drying process is completed at time t9, the rotation of the wafer is stopped (time t10). Thus, the drying process is completed.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The processing fluid supply unit 40 according to the second embodiment includes a chemical nozzle 41, a rinse nozzle 42, two solvent nozzles 43, and a dry gas nozzle 44. That is, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that two solvent nozzles 43 for supplying IPA are provided. Hereinafter, in order to distinguish the two solvent nozzles, they are referred to as a first solvent nozzle 43 and a second solvent nozzle 43A. Here, it should be noted that the ordinal numbers “first” and “second” attached to the solvent nozzle do not always coincide with the description in the claims.

The chemical solution nozzle 41, the rinse nozzle 42, the first solvent nozzle 43, and the dry gas nozzle 44 are supported by a common nozzle arm 45 as in the first embodiment. The second solvent nozzle 43A is supported by another nozzle arm 45A. The nozzle arm 45A can be moved up and down by an arm drive mechanism 46A, and can turn around a vertical axis. The second solvent nozzle 43A is arranged such that the vector indicating the discharge direction of IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A has a component inward in the radial direction of the wafer W in a plan view (for example, the center portion of the wafer The discharge port is attached to the nozzle arm 45A with the axis of the discharge port facing obliquely downward.

Next, the procedure executed from the end of the rinsing process to the drying process in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Although the time chart of FIG. 8 is described in the same manner as FIG. 4, the number of items is increased because the number of solvent nozzles is increased to two. IPA-1 shows the operation of the first solvent nozzle 43, and IPA-2 shows the operation of the second solvent nozzle 43A. N1Pos represents the position of the first solvent nozzle 43 (nozzles 41 to 44), and N2Pos represents the position of the second solvent nozzle 43A.

Also in the second embodiment, the surface portion replacement step is executed. In the surface portion replacement stage of the second embodiment, processing similar to that from time t1 to time t3 of the first embodiment is performed. That is, at the time t3, the surface of the wafer W is in the state shown in FIG. 9A (this is the same as the state shown in FIG. 5B). Similar to the first embodiment, an agitation step by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the wafer W may be provided after the surface portion replacement step.

<Replacement promotion stage>
After the surface portion replacement step, a replacement promotion step is performed. The replacement promotion stage of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the rotation speed of the wafer is maintained at the second rotation speed (for example, 300 to 800 rpm) after time t3. Then, in a state where IPA is continuously supplied from the first solvent nozzle 43 to the central portion of the wafer W, supply of IPA from the second solvent nozzle 43A positioned in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the wafer W toward the peripheral portion of the wafer W is performed. Start. Thereafter, while the IPA is continuously supplied from the first solvent nozzle 43 to the center of the wafer W, the nozzle arm 45A is driven so that the landing point of the IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A onto the wafer W is the wafer. It gradually approaches the center of W (see FIG. 9B).

When the landing point of the IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A reaches the center of the wafer W (see FIG. 9C), the discharge of IPA from the second solvent nozzle 43A is stopped, and the second solvent The nozzle 43A is returned to the home position H (standby position) outside the wafer W in plan view. While the IPA is being discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A, the second solvent nozzle 43A is moved so that the IPA landing point reciprocates once or a plurality of times between the peripheral edge and the center of the wafer W. Also good.

In the case where the second solvent nozzle 43A is moved so as to reciprocate a plurality of times, when the second solvent nozzle 43A is moved from the center of the wafer W toward the peripheral side, the IPA from the second solvent nozzle 43A. May be stopped. As a result, it is possible to reduce the consumption of IPA compared to reciprocating the second solvent nozzle while discharging IPA. As can be understood from the following description, when the second solvent nozzle 43A is moved toward the center of the wafer W, the kinetic energy of the second solvent nozzle 43A is discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A described later. The replacement is promoted by adding to the horizontal component of the discharged energy of the IPA. On the other hand, when the wafer W is moved toward the peripheral edge side, such an effect is small.

The state of FIG. 9B will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The surface of the wafer W is covered with a liquid film of IPA that is supplied from the first solvent nozzle 43 to the center of the rotating wafer W and flows outwardly due to centrifugal force. The main force acting on the liquid film of the IPA liquid film present at the liquid landing point P of IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A (P is shown in FIG. 10 only) is discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A. Centrifugal force Fc and gravity Fg (excluding those caused by IPA). Centrifugal force Fc is Fc = mrω ² (where “m” is the weight of the IPA present at the landing point P, “r” is the distance from the center of the wafer W at the landing point P, and “ω” is the rotation of the wafer W) (Angular velocity). Gravity Fg is Fg = mg (where g is gravitational acceleration). When the rotation speed of the wafer W is relatively high (for example, in the case of the second rotation speed described above), the centrifugal force Fc is significantly larger than the gravity Fg (Fc >> Fg), so the direction of the combined force of Fc and Fg is almost horizontal. It is. For this reason, it becomes difficult for IPA to enter the recess R. This tendency becomes stronger as it approaches the periphery of the wafer W where the centrifugal force Fc becomes larger.

The IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A gives a downward force Fj to the IPA at the landing point P. The force Fj can be decomposed into a horizontal component Fjr and a vertical component Fjv. Since the second solvent nozzle 43A is arranged so that the horizontal component Fjr of the force Fj is substantially directed toward the center of the wafer W, at least a part of the centrifugal force Fc is canceled by the horizontal component Fjr of the force Fj. The degree of cancellation depends on the magnitude of the force Fj (depending on the discharge flow rate of IPA from the second solvent nozzle 43A) and the direction (depending on the discharge angle), but almost all of the centrifugal force Fc can be canceled. preferable. By canceling the centrifugal force in this way, the force acting on the IPA existing at the liquid landing point P is predominantly the downward force in the vertical direction, and the IPA easily enters the recess R. For this reason, DIW existing at the bottom of the recess R is easily mixed with IPA, and the replacement of DIW with IPA in the recess R is promoted.

In other words, the IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A has a component in the direction opposite to the flow of IPA along the surface of the wafer W at the landing point P with respect to the IPA at the landing point P. It only has to give the power to have. As a result, the flow rate of IPA in the direction along the surface of the wafer W at the landing point P becomes small, and the IPA easily enters the recess R. For example, not only when the wafer W is rotated around the vertical axis as described above, but when the replacement liquid (for example, IPA as the second processing liquid) is supplied to the higher side of the substrate inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. In addition, the flow of the substitution liquid toward the lower side occurs along the surface of the substrate. In this case, the substitution liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate from another substitution liquid supply means (nozzle, etc.) so as to give a force having a component in the direction opposite to the flow of the substitution liquid flowing from the high side to the low side of the substrate. Supply. As a result, the replacement of the liquid to be replaced (for example, DIW as the first processing liquid) in the recess formed on the surface of the substrate with the replacement liquid is promoted. At this time, the other replacement liquid supply means and the substrate move relatively, and the replacement liquid supplied from the other replacement liquid supply means in the direction opposite to the flow of the replacement liquid flowing from the higher side to the lower side of the substrate. Move the landing point. Further, when the replacement liquid is sprayed obliquely with respect to the surface of the substrate, the flow of the replacement liquid along the surface of the substrate is generated. In this case as well, the substrate is formed on the substrate surface by supplying the replacement liquid to the surface of the substrate from another replacement liquid supply means (nozzle, etc.) so as to give a force having a component in the direction opposite to the flow of the replacement liquid. The replacement of the liquid to be replaced (for example, DIW) in the recessed portion with the replacement liquid is promoted. At this time, the other replacement liquid supply means and the substrate move relatively, and the replacement liquid supplied from the other replacement liquid supply means in the direction opposite to the flow of the replacement liquid sprayed obliquely with respect to the surface of the substrate. Move the landing point.

Note that, when the wafer W is rotated around the vertical axis, the centrifugal force Fc increases as it approaches the periphery of the wafer W. Therefore, in order to appropriately cancel the centrifugal force Fc, the discharge flow rate from the second solvent nozzle 43A is increased as the IPA landing point P from the second solvent nozzle 43A is closer to the periphery of the wafer W, or The IPA discharge direction of the two solvent nozzle 43A is made closer to the horizontal direction as the IPA landing point P from the second solvent nozzle 43A is closer to the periphery of the wafer W (in this case, the direction of the second solvent nozzle 43A is changed). It is necessary to provide the nozzle arm 45A with a mechanism for Instead of the above, the rotational speed of the wafer W may be decreased as the distance between the IPA landing point P from the second solvent nozzle 43A and the periphery of the wafer W becomes smaller.

Since the second solvent nozzle 43A is moved by the nozzle arm 45A turning around the vertical axis, as shown in FIG. 11, depending on the relative positional relationship between the solvent nozzle 43A and the center of the wafer W, The direction of the vector of the horizontal component of IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A changes. On the other hand, the IPA existing on the rotating wafer W receives a force dragged by the surface of the wafer W in addition to the centrifugal force Fc described above, so that the surface of the wafer W spirals as indicated by an arrow Fs. Flowing.

Considering the above, as shown in FIG. 11, the horizontal component of the vector indicating the discharge direction of IPA from the second solvent nozzle 43A in the plan view is the radius of the second solvent nozzle 43A on the wafer W. It is preferable that the rotation direction of the wafer W and the swivel direction of the nozzle arm are set so that the direction is substantially opposite to the direction of the spiral flow of the IPA regardless of the direction position. By doing so, the force with which the IPA is pushed into the recess R can be largely maintained by the IPA discharged from the second solvent nozzle 43A.

When the replacement promotion stage is completed at time t7 ', thereafter, the exposure stage of the drying process is performed as in the first embodiment. Time points t7 ′, t8 ′, t9 ′, and t10 ′ in the second embodiment correspond to t7, t8, t9, and t10 in the first embodiment, and the state of the surface of the wafer W at each time point is substantially the same as in the first embodiment. It is. In the second embodiment, since the rotation speed of the wafer during the replacement promotion stage is relatively high and the IPA liquid film on the wafer W is relatively thin, it is not necessary to perform the solvent discharge stage.

According to the first and second embodiments, the IPA sprayed from the nozzle is applied to the IPA liquid film by pushing the IPA constituting the liquid film into the recess R on the surface of the wafer W. For this reason, mixing of remaining DIW with IPA is promoted, and DIW remaining at the bottom of the recess R can be efficiently replaced with IPA. Moreover, after the IPA liquid film is once formed on the surface of the wafer W (that is, after the replacement of the DIW on the wafer W surface outside the recess R with the IPA is completed), the IPA liquid film is applied to the IPA liquid film. The IPA sprayed from the nozzle gives a force to push the IPA forming the liquid film into the recess R on the surface of the wafer W. For this reason, since the IPA having a high concentration is pushed into the bottom of the recess R (not the IPA diluted with DIW), the replacement efficiency is greatly improved. For this reason, when the wafer W is dried while remaining at the bottom of the concave portion R, it is possible to prevent the collapse of the pattern, which may occur due to the high surface tension of the DIW.

In the first embodiment, since the replacement promotion stage is executed while the rotation of the wafer W is stopped or the wafer W is rotated at an extremely low speed, a vertical force is more reliably applied to the IPA liquid film. There is an advantage that can be. Moreover, since it is not necessary to add a solvent nozzle, the increase in apparatus cost is suppressed. On the other hand, the second embodiment has an advantage that a series of processes can be completed in a shorter time because the time required for stopping or decelerating and accelerating the wafer W is not required.

In the above embodiment, the DIW on the wafer W having a recess on the surface is replaced with IPA. However, the processing liquid to be replaced is not limited to the combination of IPA and DIW, and may be a combination of other types of processing liquid. For example, the method according to the above embodiment may be used in order to promote the replacement of the chemical solution with the rinse solution. In addition, the method according to the embodiment is particularly effective when the replacement processing solution is replaced with a replacement processing solution having a specific gravity lower than that of the replacement processing solution.

The substrate to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be another type of substrate such as a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate.

W substrate (wafer)
R recess 4 control device (control unit)
42 1st process liquid supply part (nozzle)
43, 43A Second processing liquid supply unit (nozzle)
43 First supply element (nozzle)
43A Second supply element (nozzle)

Claims

Preparing a substrate having a recess formed on the surface;
Supplying a first treatment liquid to the surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the first treatment liquid covering the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess;
A replacement step of replacing the first processing liquid present on the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess with a second processing liquid,
The replacement step includes
A second processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate covered with the liquid film of the first processing liquid while rotating the substrate at a first rotational speed, and the liquid of the second processing liquid containing the first processing liquid A liquid film forming step of forming a film on the surface of the substrate;
Thereafter, the second processing liquid is supplied in a state where the rotational speed of the substrate is reduced to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, and the second processing liquid is deposited on the surface of the substrate. A substitution promoting step of promoting substitution by the second treatment liquid, in which a liquid spot moves between a central portion and a peripheral portion of the substrate,
Substrate liquid processing method.
The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the substrate is not exposed from the second processing liquid during the substitution promoting step.
The second processing liquid is supplied to the liquid film of the second processing liquid containing the first processing liquid between the liquid film formation stage and the replacement promotion stage, and the rotation speed of the substrate is set. The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 2, further comprising a stirring step of decelerating to the second rotational speed that is lower than the first rotational speed.
In the stirring step,
The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 3, wherein the speed is reduced to the second rotational speed while combining acceleration and deceleration.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: after the replacing step, a drying step of shaking off the second processing liquid at a third rotational speed higher than the second rotational speed to expose a surface of the substrate from the second processing liquid. Substrate liquid processing method.
The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein the second rotational speed is 0 rpm.
The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein the second rotational speed is greater than 0 rpm and equal to or less than 100 rpm.
Preparing a substrate having a recess formed on the surface;
Supplying a first treatment liquid to the surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the first treatment liquid covering the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess;
A replacement step of replacing the first processing liquid present on the surface of the substrate including the inside of the recess with a second processing liquid,
The replacement step includes
A liquid that supplies the second processing liquid to the surface of the substrate covered with the liquid film of the first processing liquid, and forms a liquid film of the second processing liquid containing the first processing liquid on the surface of the substrate. A film formation stage;
Thereafter, in a state where the liquid film is formed, the flow of the second treatment liquid is formed on the substrate surface, and a force having a component in a direction opposite to the flow of the second treatment liquid is applied to the liquid film. A replacement promotion stage,
Giving the liquid film a force having a component in a direction opposite to the flow of the second processing liquid is performed while moving a liquid landing point on the liquid film in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the second processing liquid. A substrate liquid processing method comprising supplying the second processing liquid toward the liquid film of the second processing liquid.
The replacement promotion step is performed while rotating the substrate around a vertical axis,
Forming the flow of the second treatment liquid on the substrate surface is performed by supplying the second treatment liquid to the center of the substrate,
The movement of the landing point on the liquid film in a direction opposite to the direction of the flow of the second processing liquid is to move the landing point from a peripheral part to a central part of the substrate. 8. The substrate liquid processing method according to 8.
Supplying the second processing liquid toward the liquid film of the second processing liquid while moving the landing point on the liquid film in the direction opposite to the flow direction of the second processing liquid is from a nozzle. Discharging the second processing liquid obliquely downward with respect to the surface of the substrate, and a component in a direction in which the discharge direction of the second processing liquid from the nozzle faces the rotation center of the substrate. The substrate liquid processing method according to claim 9.
A substrate holder for holding and rotating the substrate;
A first processing liquid supply unit that supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
A second processing liquid supply unit for supplying the second processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
The substrate liquid processing apparatus provided with the control part which controls the said substrate holding part, the said 1st process liquid supply part, and the said 2nd process liquid supply part, and performs the substrate liquid processing method of Claim 1. .
A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
A first processing liquid supply unit that supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
A second processing liquid supply unit for supplying a second processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, wherein the second processing liquid for forming a flow of the second processing liquid on the substrate surface is applied to the substrate; A first supply element for supplying, and a second supply element for supplying the second processing liquid to the substrate while moving a landing point of the second processing liquid in a direction opposite to the flow of the second processing liquid. A second processing liquid supply unit;
A control unit that controls the first processing liquid supply unit and the second processing liquid supply unit to execute the substrate liquid processing method according to claim 8;
A substrate liquid processing apparatus comprising: