WO2020054440A1

WO2020054440A1 - Coating apparatus and coating method

Info

Publication number: WO2020054440A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/033840
Authority: WO
Inventors: 良則五十川
Original assignee: タツモ株式会社
Priority date: 2018-09-12
Filing date: 2019-08-29
Publication date: 2020-03-19
Also published as: JP2020043244A; CN112514038A; TWI726414B; JP7112917B2; CN112514038B; TW202030803A

Abstract

This coating apparatus is provided with: a processing chamber; a nozzle for coating, with a crystallization material solution, a surface to be coated, while relatively moving along the surface to be coated in the processing chamber; an inner pressure adjusting unit for adjusting an inner pressure of the processing chamber; and a control unit. In addition, when coating with the solution by the nozzle is performed, the control unit causes the solution coated on the surface being coated to be sequentially dried and causes the crystallization material to be crystal-grown, by adjusting the inner pressure of the processing chamber by means of the inner pressure adjusting unit.

Description

Coating device and coating method

の一 One embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for forming a crystallized film by applying a solution.

(4) As a technique for forming a crystallized film, a technique has been proposed in which a semiconductor material in a solution is crystal-grown by applying and drying a solution of a semiconductor material to form a semiconductor film. For example, in Patent Document 1, a coating film is formed behind a liquid pool by moving the nozzle in a state in which a liquid pool is formed between a discharge portion of the nozzle and a surface of a substrate (a surface to be coated). In addition, it discloses a technique of sequentially drying the coating film to grow a semiconductor material in crystal.

More specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses that a space sandwiched between these surfaces is formed between the lower end surface of the nozzle body and the surface of the substrate by providing an overhang portion in the nozzle body. It is proposed to form a liquid pool in the space. By forming such a space, the inside of the space (that is, the vicinity of the liquid pool) is filled with a solvent evaporating from the liquid pool to form a solvent atmosphere, whereby the solvent continues to evaporate from the liquid pool, resulting in supersaturation. The state (ie, crystallization of the semiconductor material in the liquid pool) is suppressed. In addition, by moving the nozzle while maintaining such a state of the liquid pool, the coating film is formed behind the liquid pool, and the coating film is moved to a position where it is released from the solvent atmosphere (a position at which the film comes out of the space). The semiconductor material is relatively moved, whereby the solvent is sequentially evaporated from the coating film at that position, and the semiconductor material is crystal-grown. As described above, Patent Document 1 discloses a degree of crystal orientation of a semiconductor film to be formed (a degree (degree of orientation) indicating how much the crystal direction is aligned in a crystallized film such as a semiconductor film, and the like). Trying to raise it.

Japanese Patent No. 5891956

However, in Patent Literature 1, the atmosphere in the space must be accurately controlled so that the liquid pool does not become oversaturated. On the other hand, at the position where the semiconductor material crystal grows (that is, the position where the coating film comes out of the space), no special control is performed on the atmosphere, the temperature, and the like. For this reason, although the change in the atmosphere, temperature, and the like at the position where the semiconductor material grows crystal has a great effect on the state of the semiconductor film (such as the degree of crystal orientation), the change in the atmosphere, the temperature, and the like at that position does not. I can not cope. Therefore, it is difficult to stably form a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation by the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Therefore, an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to stably form a crystallized film having a high degree of crystal orientation in a technique of forming a crystallized film by applying a solution.

A coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processing chamber, a nozzle that applies a solution of a crystallization material to the coating target surface while relatively moving along the coating target surface in the processing chamber, and an internal pressure of the processing chamber. And a control unit for adjusting the pressure. Then, when performing application of the solution by the nozzle, the control unit adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjusting unit, thereby sequentially drying the solution applied to the application target surface and growing the crystallized material.

According to the coating apparatus, the drying speed of the solution applied to the surface to be applied can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber. Specifically, by lowering the internal pressure of the processing chamber, the evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be promoted to increase the drying rate. Further, by increasing the internal pressure of the processing chamber, evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be suppressed and the drying speed can be reduced. By adjusting the drying rate to a desired rate, the degree of crystal orientation of the crystallized film can be increased under control.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a crystallized film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be stably formed.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and also illustrates a configuration inside a processing chamber. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the coating apparatus viewed from a direction in which the nozzle is relatively moved with respect to the substrate (predetermined direction D1), and also shows a configuration inside the processing chamber. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process (coating process) executed by the coating device. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of a liquid pool (meniscus) formed at the time of coating.

The coating technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is a technique for forming a crystallized film by applying a solution of a crystallized material to a surface to be coated and drying the crystallized material in the solution to grow crystals. . Here, the crystallization material is a material that can be crystallized, such as a semiconductor material, and is a material that can be crystallized while being precipitated by drying a solution formed by dissolving in a liquid (solvent). . The inventor of the present invention has proposed that the drying speed of the solution and the evaporation direction of the solvent can be adjusted according to the state of the semiconductor film formed by crystal growth of the semiconductor material, which is one of the crystallized materials (mainly, the degree of crystal orientation and the film thickness). It has been found through research that it has a significant effect on the uniformity). Further, the present inventors have further found that a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be stably formed by controlling the drying speed of the solution and the evaporation direction of the solvent. The coating technique described below is based on such research results.

In the following, a case where a semiconductor film is formed on a surface of a substrate as a surface to be coated will be described. The application technique according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where the surface of the substrate is used as the application target surface, and can be applied to the case where various surfaces on which a semiconductor film can be formed are used as the application target surface. Further, the coating technique according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where a semiconductor film is formed from a solution of a semiconductor material, and the crystallization is performed by using a crystallizable material capable of growing crystals by drying the solution. The present invention is also applicable to the case where a crystallized film is formed from a solution of a material.

[1] Configuration of Coating Apparatus FIGS. 1 and 2 are conceptual views showing a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating apparatus includes a processing chamber 1, a chuck section 2, a solution supply section 3, an internal pressure adjustment section 4, a control section 5, and a storage section 6. FIG. 2 is a view of the coating apparatus viewed from a direction (predetermined direction D1) in which the nozzle 31 is relatively moved with respect to the substrate Tm. 1 and 2 also show the configuration inside the processing chamber 1. FIG.

<Processing room 1>
The processing chamber 1 is a chamber used for forming a semiconductor film. The processing chamber 1 is divided into an upper part and a lower part so that a substrate Tm on which a semiconductor film is to be formed can be carried in and out, and these can be vertically separated from each other. (Not shown). The processing chamber 1 is hermetically sealed by bringing the upper part and the lower part close to each other and uniting them.

<Chuck part 2>
The chuck unit 2 includes a stage 21 and a stage driving unit 22.

The stage 21 is installed in the processing chamber 1 with the mounting surface 21a on which the substrate Tm is mounted facing upward, and sucks the substrate Tm mounted on a predetermined position on the mounting surface 21a, thereby the substrate Tm is suctioned. Tm is fixed so as not to deviate from a predetermined position. Note that the stage 21 is not limited to one that fixes the substrate Tm at a predetermined position by a suction force, and can be changed to various stages that can fix the substrate Tm at a predetermined position, such as one that fixes the substrate Tm by an electrostatic force.

The stage driving unit 22 is a mechanism that enables the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1, and controls the operation (moving direction, moving speed, and the like) of the stage 21 according to a command from the control unit 5.

In the present embodiment, the stage 21 is slidably guided by two guide rails 210 extending in the predetermined direction D1 (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 1, illustration of the guide rail 210 is omitted. The stage driving section 22 includes a ball screw 221 and a motor 222 for rotating a shaft 221a of the ball screw 221 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, the shaft portion 221a of the ball screw 221 is positioned at a position between the two guide rails 210 in a state where the axial direction thereof matches the moving direction of the stage 21 (that is, the predetermined direction D1). 21 is passed underneath. Both ends of the shaft portion 221a are supported by the

side walls

11A and 11B of the processing chamber 1, respectively, and one end thereof is connected to the motor 222 outside the processing chamber 1. The nut portion 221b of the ball screw 221 is fixed to the back surface 21b of the stage 21 (the surface opposite to the mounting surface 21a).

According to this configuration, the rotational movement of the motor 222 can be converted into the translation movement of the nut portion 221b, whereby the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1 is realized. Then, the stage drive unit 22 controls the operation (moving direction, moving speed, and the like) of the stage 21 by controlling the rotation of the motor 222 according to a command from the control unit 5. Further, according to the above configuration, since the motor 222 can be disposed outside the processing chamber 1, a normal motor can be used as the motor 222. That is, if the motor 222 is disposed in the processing chamber 1, a motor applicable to the environment (vacuum state, pressurized state, etc.) in the processing chamber 1 is required. Does not require a simple motor.

<Solution supply unit 3>
The solution supply unit 3 includes a nozzle 31, a nozzle driving unit 32, and a liquid sending pump 33.

The nozzle 31 applies the solution of the semiconductor material to the surface of the substrate Tm while moving relatively within the processing chamber 1 along the surface (application surface) of the substrate Tm. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is fixed at a predetermined position in the processing chamber 1 when the coating apparatus is viewed from above, and the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1 causes a relationship with the stage 21 (that is, the stage 31). Relative to the substrate Tm placed on the substrate 21).

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port 31a (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a is parallel to the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21 (that is, parallel to the surface (application target surface) of the substrate Tm mounted on the mounting surface 21a), and This is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle 31 moves relative to 21 (that is, the predetermined direction D1). That is, the nozzle 31 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the applied solution (coating film).

The nozzle drive unit 32 is a mechanism that allows the nozzle 31 to move in the vertical direction, and adjusts the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm according to a command from the control unit 5.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle driving unit 32 rotates the nozzle support 321 that supports the nozzle 31, the ball screw 322, the screw support 323 that supports the ball screw 322, and the shaft 322 a of the ball screw 322. And a motor 324 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, the nozzle support portion 321 is supported by the top wall 11C of the processing chamber 1 in a state where the nozzle support portion 321 can slide vertically. The nozzle 31 is fixed to the end of the nozzle support 321 inside the processing chamber 1. The ball screw 322, the screw support 323, and the motor 324 are arranged outside the processing chamber 1, and the shaft 322 a of the ball screw 322 moves its axial direction in the moving direction of the nozzle 31 (that is, the vertical direction). In the aligned state, the screw support portion 323 is pivotally supported at two upper and lower positions. One end of the shaft 322 a is connected to the motor 324. A nut 322b of a ball screw 322 is fixed to an end of the nozzle support 321 (an end opposite to the end to which the nozzle 31 is fixed) outside the processing chamber 1.

According to this configuration, the rotational motion of the motor 324 can be converted into the translational motion of the nut portion 322b, whereby the vertical movement of the nozzle 31 is realized through the nozzle support portion 321. Then, the nozzle drive unit 32 controls the rotation of the motor 324 according to a command from the control unit 5 to adjust the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm. Further, according to the above configuration, since the motor 324 can be disposed outside the processing chamber 1, a normal motor can be used as the motor 324, similarly to the motor 222.

液 The liquid sending pump 33 sends the solution of the semiconductor material to the nozzle 31. Specifically, the liquid sending pump 33 adjusts the amount of solution supplied to the nozzle 31 according to a command from the control unit 5, thereby adjusting the amount of solution discharged from the nozzle 31.

<Internal pressure adjustment unit 4>
The internal pressure adjusting unit 4 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 according to a command from the control unit 5. In the present embodiment, the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 includes a pressure increasing / decreasing pump 41, a pressure regulator 42, and a pressure gauge 43 for measuring the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (see FIG. 1). Specifically, the pressurizing / depressurizing pump 41 selectively executes pressurization and depressurization in the processing chamber 1 according to a command from the control unit 5. The pressure regulator 42 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 to a value according to a command from the control unit 5 based on the measurement result of the pressure gauge 43.

<Control unit 5>
The control unit 5 includes a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microcomputer, and various operation units (a processing chamber 1, a chuck unit 2, a solution supply unit 3, an internal pressure adjustment unit 4) included in the coating device. Control). Specifically, the control unit 5 reads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 6 to function as a processing unit that controls each operation unit according to the program. That is, the processing unit is realized by software in the control unit 5. Thereby, in the coating apparatus, various operations necessary for forming the semiconductor film are realized. The program is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 6 in the coating apparatus, but may be stored in an external storage medium (such as a flash memory) in a readable state. Further, the processing unit may be realized by hardware by configuring the control unit 5 with a circuit.

(4) After the substrate Tm is fixed to the stage 21 and the processing chamber 1 is sealed, the control unit 5 executes a control process for forming a semiconductor film (hereinafter, referred to as “coating process”). The details of the coating process will be described later.

<Storage unit 6>
The storage unit 6 is configured by, for example, a flash memory, and stores various information. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 6 stores not only the above-described program but also various information necessary for forming the semiconductor film (the height position of the nozzle 31, the discharge amount of the solution, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, the temperature of the heater, and the like). (Including the set values of the parameters of the above).

[2] Control process (coating process) executed by coating device
Next, a coating process performed by the control unit 5 in the coating device will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the coating process.

When the coating process is started, the control unit 5 controls the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 to adjust the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (Step S11 in FIG. 3). Then, the control unit 5 adjusts the drying speed of the solution to be applied to the surface (application surface) of the substrate Tm in step S13 described later, by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. Specifically, when the drying speed of the solution at normal pressure is lower than the desired speed, the control unit 5 promotes the evaporation of the solvent in the solution by reducing the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by reducing the pressure. To increase the drying speed. On the other hand, when the drying speed of the solution at normal pressure is higher than the desired speed, the control unit 5 increases the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by applying pressure, thereby suppressing evaporation of the solvent in the solution and drying. Decrease speed.

After step S11, the control unit 5 sets the nozzle 31 at the coating start position on the substrate Tm by controlling the stage driving unit 22 and the nozzle driving unit 32 (step S12 in FIG. 3). Step S12 may be executed before step S11.

After steps S11 and S12, the control unit 5 controls the stage drive unit 22 and the liquid feed pump 33 to relatively move the nozzle 31 in the predetermined direction D1 while discharging the solution from the discharge port 31a of the nozzle 31. (Step S13 in FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 relatively moves in a relationship with the stage 21 (that is, with the substrate Tm placed on the stage 21) by the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1. Thus, while forming a liquid pool Sp (meniscus; see FIG. 4) between the discharge port 31a and the substrate Tm, the liquid pool Sp is moved in a predetermined direction D1 along the surface (application target surface) of the substrate Tm. Move.

Thereby, in step S13, the solution applied to the surface of the substrate Tm (application surface) is dried in sequence, and the semiconductor material grows in crystal. Then, the drying speed of the solution at that time is regulated to a desired speed by the adjusted internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. That is, in the above steps S11 to S13, the control unit 5 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by the internal pressure adjusting unit 4, thereby sequentially drying the solution applied on the surface (application target surface) of the substrate Tm at a desired speed. Then, the semiconductor material is crystal-grown.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of a liquid pool Sp formed at the time of coating. In step S13, the control unit 5 controls the liquid feed pump 33 so that the solution dries immediately after the application (immediately after the solution is discharged from the discharge port 31a of the nozzle 31) and crystallization of the semiconductor material proceeds. By adjusting the discharge amount of the solution, the volume of the liquid pool Sp is reduced to such an extent that the shape of the liquid pool Sp does not become unstable (see FIG. 4). Thus, the time during which the applied solution is left wet on the surface of the substrate Tm is shortened, for example, as compared with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1. Therefore, there is no need to control the wet state of the solution on the surface of the substrate Tm, and thus the control required for the coating process is simplified.

In the case where the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by reducing the pressure, the solution in the nozzle 31 is likely to ooze out of the discharge port 31a due to the pressure difference and form a liquid pool even before the application is started. When the application is started with the solution exuding, the liquid pool Sp formed between the discharge port 31a and the substrate Tm is increased by the amount of the solution exuding before the application in an initial stage immediately after the application is started. Become. When the pool Sp becomes large, the drying of the solution is delayed and the crystal growth of the semiconductor material becomes unstable. As a means for solving such a problem, it is possible to suck the solution that has oozed out by rotating the liquid feed pump 33 in the reverse direction before starting the coating. Other examples include removing the exuded solution with a liquid absorbing material such as cloth before starting the application, and performing application on the dummy substrate until the liquid pool Sp becomes small.

{Circle around (4)} The control unit 5 controls the stage driving unit 22 to adjust the relative speed of the nozzle 31 to a speed corresponding to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material that crystallizes immediately after coating. Specifically, the control unit 5 has correlation data between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is adjusted (that is, the semiconductor material is adjusted through the adjustment of the internal pressure). (When the crystal growth speed is adjusted), the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted to be a speed derived from the adjusted internal pressure based on the correlation data. As an example, the correlation data is obtained by quantifying the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31 satisfying a condition that the degree of crystal orientation of a semiconductor film to be formed is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. Note that the correlation data may be stored in the storage unit 6. In this case, the control unit 5 reads out the correlation data from the storage unit 6 and uses it.

On the other hand, when the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted before adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or when the relative speed is set in advance), the control unit 5 controls the processing chamber 1 in step S11. When adjusting the internal pressure, the internal pressure may be adjusted to be the internal pressure derived from the adjusted or set relative speed based on the correlation data.

As described above, when any one of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted, the control unit 5 sets the other to a value derived from one of the adjusted values based on the correlation data. Can be adjusted. This allows the semiconductor material in the applied solution to grow in the predetermined direction D1 at the same speed as the relative speed of the nozzle 31. That is, the crystal growth of the semiconductor material can follow the nozzle 31 that moves relatively.

結晶 By causing the crystal growth to follow the nozzle 31, the formed semiconductor film can be prevented from being interrupted, and the thickness of the formed semiconductor film can be prevented from becoming unstable. When crystal growth follows the nozzle 31, most of the solvent in the applied solution evaporates immediately after the nozzle 31 immediately after the application. Therefore, the evaporated solvent is easily guided backward in the moving direction of the nozzle 31 by using the nozzle 31 as a guide. Accordingly, the evaporation direction of the solvent is easily aligned, and as a result, the crystal directions are aligned and the degree of crystal orientation of the semiconductor film is easily increased. In FIG. 4, the evaporation direction is indicated by an arrow illustrated behind the liquid pool Sp.

In the present embodiment, the nozzles 31 are arranged such that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the applied solution (coating film). Therefore, in the entire solution in the width direction, the solvent to be evaporated is guided by the nozzle 31 and guided backward. Therefore, the evaporation direction of the solvent is more likely to be uniform.

During the execution of step S13, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the nozzle 31 has reached the coating end position (step S14 in FIG. 3), and continues until it is determined in step S14 that the nozzle 31 has arrived (Yes). S13 and S14 are repeated. If the controller 5 determines that “reached (Yes)” in step S14, the controller 5 controls the stage driving unit 22 and the liquid sending pump 33 to stop discharging the solution and move the nozzle 31 upward. It is moved backward (step S15 in FIG. 3). Thus, a series of flow of the coating process ends.

According to the above coating process, the drying speed of the solution applied on the surface of the substrate Tm (the surface to be coated) can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. By adjusting the drying rate to a desired rate, the degree of crystal orientation of the semiconductor film can be increased under control, and as a result, a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be formed stably.

Further, by adjusting the relative speed of the nozzle 31 so as to be a speed corresponding to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material that crystallizes immediately after coating, the uniformity of the film thickness of the semiconductor film is reduced. Level (ie, at the molecular level). According to the present embodiment, even when a semiconductor film having the number of molecules in the thickness direction of about 2 to 5 is formed, the number of molecules in the thickness direction can be made uniform in the entire semiconductor film.

(4) In step S11, when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by reducing the pressure, the evaporation speed of the solvent in the solution is promoted and the drying speed is increased, so that the relative speed of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm can be increased. Thus, the formation speed of the semiconductor film can be improved. When the semiconductor solution is crystal-grown by successively drying the applied solution as in the present embodiment, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is set to a solid value while the coating film is wet (for example, 300 mm / sec). In comparison, under normal pressure, it must be significantly reduced to about 0.02 mm / sec. Therefore, by slightly increasing the relative speed of the nozzle 31, the formation speed of the semiconductor film can be significantly improved.

In step S11, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 may be reduced by the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 until the processing chamber 1 is evacuated. By setting the inside of the processing chamber 1 in a vacuum state, the fluctuation of the solvent evaporated from the applied solution can be suppressed. Therefore, the moving direction (that is, the evaporation direction) of the evaporated solvent is more easily aligned, and as a result, the crystal direction is easily aligned in the entire semiconductor film to be formed.

[3] Modification Example [3-1] First Modification Example The coating apparatus may further include a heater (not shown) for heating the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, the controller 5 adjusts the temperature of the solution by controlling the heater, in addition to adjusting the drying speed of the solution by the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and controls the drying speed of the solution through the adjustment of the temperature. Can be adjusted. Specifically, when the drying speed of the solution at room temperature is lower than the desired speed, the control unit 5 increases the temperature of the solution by heating, thereby promoting the evaporation of the solvent in the solution to increase the drying speed. Can be increased.

The coating apparatus may include a cooler (not shown) for cooling the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, the controller 5 adjusts the temperature of the solution by controlling the cooler, in addition to adjusting the drying speed of the solution by the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and adjusts the drying speed of the solution through the adjustment of the temperature. Can be adjusted. Specifically, when the drying speed of the solution at normal temperature is higher than the desired speed, the control unit 5 suppresses the evaporation of the solvent in the solution by lowering the temperature of the solution by cooling, thereby controlling the drying speed. Can be reduced.

In the above two examples, the control unit 5 may have correlation data between the temperature of the solution (or the temperature of the nozzle 31) and the relative speed of the nozzle 31. Then, when one of the temperature of the solution and the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted, the control unit 5 adjusts the other to a value derived from one of the adjusted values based on the correlation data. Is also good. Thereby, the drying speed of the solution can be adjusted by the two parameters of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution, so that more precise control can be performed.

In addition, when the drying speed is adjusted only by the temperature of the solution, the temperature of the solution must be increased to a temperature at which the semiconductor material can be deteriorated, and the drying speed cannot be adjusted to a desired speed only by the temperature of the solution. is there. Even in such a case, it is possible to adjust the drying speed of the solution to a desired speed while limiting the temperature rise of the solution by combining the adjustment of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1.

[3-2] Second Modification When the relative speed of the nozzle 31 during coating is set to a constant relative speed V0, the film thickness of the semiconductor film to be formed becomes smaller than a desired film thickness at the coating start position. Phenomena (first phenomenon) may occur. Alternatively, a phenomenon (second phenomenon) may occur in which the film thickness of the semiconductor film becomes larger than a desired film thickness at a coating start position, and then gradually decreases and becomes stable.

Therefore, when these phenomena occur, the control unit 5 may control the nozzle driving unit 32 to control the relative speed of the nozzle 31 as follows. That is, the controller 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at the first relative speed V1 for a predetermined period after the application of the solution by the nozzle 31 is started. Here, the first relative speed V1 is a speed adjusted from the coating start position so that the film thickness of the semiconductor film becomes a desired film thickness. Specifically, when the first phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed smaller than the constant relative speed V0. On the other hand, when the second phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed higher than the constant relative speed V0.

After that, the control unit 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at a second relative speed V2 different from the first relative speed V1. As an example, the second relative speed V2 is set to a speed equal to the constant relative speed V0. Note that the control unit 5 may gradually increase or decrease the first relative speed V1 so as to become the second relative speed V2 when a predetermined period has elapsed.

According to such control, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 immediately after the start of coating can be reduced or increased in accordance with the above-described phenomenon (first phenomenon or second phenomenon) that occurs at the application start position. Therefore, the semiconductor material can be crystal-grown to a desired thickness even immediately after the start of application, and as a result, the thickness of the entire semiconductor film to be formed can be made uniform.

In the coating process, the control unit 5 changes various parameters such as the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution, not only the relative speed of the nozzle 31, so that the state of the semiconductor film to be formed is improved. You may.

[3-3] Third Modification The coating apparatus may further include a detachable slave pump (such as a diaphragm pump) that can be driven by the liquid sending pump 33 using the liquid sending pump 33 as a master pump. Thereby, when increasing the discharge amount, the solution is supplied to the nozzle 31 by the liquid sending pump 33 with the slave pump removed, and when the discharge amount is reduced, the slave pump is attached. The solution can be supplied to the nozzle 31 by the slave pump. That is, the pump can be used properly according to the application.

Further, according to this configuration, a pump (such as a diaphragm pump) that does not need to take heat measures against heating by a heater or the like is used as a slave pump, so that only the slave pump is heated without heating the master pump. , The temperature of the solution can be increased. In this case, since it is not necessary to take heat countermeasures for the master pump, an ordinary pump driven by a motor or the like that is not subjected to heat countermeasures can be used as the master pump.

[3-4] Fourth Modification In the above-described coating apparatus, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 with respect to the stage 21 is not limited to the case where the nozzle 31 is moved without moving the stage 21. It may be realized by moving the nozzle 31 without moving the stage 21. Further, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 may be realized by moving both the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. The relative movement of the nozzle 31 is not limited to one-dimensional movement, but may be two-dimensional movement along the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21.

[3-5] Fifth Modified Example The coating apparatus may be an apparatus that performs only one of decompression and pressurization on the processing chamber 1. Further, the nozzle 31 is not limited to the slit nozzle, and can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the semiconductor film to be formed.

The above-described coating process is not limited to the case where various parameters are controlled based on the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or the temperature of the solution) and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, but the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution (the nozzle 31). Temperature), a solution drying rate, a solution supersaturation degree, a crystal growth rate, a relative speed of the nozzle 31 and the like. Various parameters may be controlled based on this.

[3-6] Other Modifications The above-described coating apparatus capable of adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 can also be applied to a case where the coating film is formed by solid coating while the coating film is in a wet state. It can be uniform. Such a coating apparatus is suitable for forming a functional film (a color filter, a conductive film, a polyimide film, or the like) whose film thickness is preferably uniform.

説明 The above description of the embodiments is illustrative in all aspects and should not be construed as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the embodiments described above. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Reference Signs List 1 processing chamber 2 chuck unit 3 solution supply unit 4 internal pressure adjustment unit 5 control unit 6

storage unit

11A, 11B side wall 11C top wall 21 stage 21a mounting surface 21b back surface 22 stage drive unit 31 nozzle 31a discharge port 32 nozzle drive unit 33 Liquid pump 41 Pressurizing / depressurizing pump 42 Pressure regulator 43 Pressure gauge 210 Guide rail 221 Ball screw 221a Shaft 221b Nut 222 Motor 321 Nozzle support 322 Ball screw 322a Shaft 322b Nut 323 Screw support 324 Motor D1 Predetermined direction D2 Longitudinal Direction Sp Liquid pool Tm Substrate V0 Constant relative speed V1 First relative speed V2 Second relative speed

Claims

Processing room,
A nozzle for applying a solution of a crystallization material to the application surface while relatively moving along the application surface in the processing chamber;
An internal pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber,
When the solution is applied by the nozzle, the internal pressure of the processing chamber is adjusted by the internal pressure adjusting unit, so that the solution applied to the application target surface is sequentially dried to control the crystal growth of the crystallized material. Department and
A coating device comprising:
4. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when performing the application of the solution by the nozzle, the control unit reduces the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjusting unit until the processing chamber is in a vacuum state.
The control unit has correlation data between the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle,
The controller, when adjusting one of the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle, adjusts the other to a value derived from the one of the adjusted values based on the correlation data. The coating device according to claim 1, wherein the coating device performs coating.
4. The correlation data according to claim 3, wherein a correlation between an internal pressure of the processing chamber and a relative speed of the nozzle that satisfies a condition that a degree of crystal orientation of a crystallized film to be formed is equal to or higher than a predetermined level is used. The coating device according to the above.
The nozzle is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port,
5. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal direction of the discharge port is parallel to the surface to be coated and perpendicular to a direction in which the nozzle relatively moves.
The control unit includes:
After the application of the solution by the nozzle is started, the nozzle is relatively moved at a first relative speed for a predetermined period,
The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the nozzle is relatively moved at a second relative speed different from the first relative speed.
The coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the crystallization material is a semiconductor material.
Adjust the internal pressure of the processing chamber used to form the crystallized film,
Applying a solution of the crystallization material to the application target surface while relatively moving the nozzle along the application target surface in the processing chamber,
Thereby, the solution applied to the application target surface is sequentially dried to grow the crystallized material in a crystal.