WO2020209127A1

WO2020209127A1 - Substrate processing method and substrate processing system

Info

Publication number: WO2020209127A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/014571
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正一寺田; 淳司中村
Original assignee: 東京エレクトロン株式会社
Priority date: 2019-04-12
Filing date: 2020-03-30
Publication date: 2020-10-15

Abstract

This substrate processing method is for processing a substrate and includes: a step for forming a protective layer on a surface of the substrate; a subsequent step for dicing the substrate on which the protective layer was formed; and a subsequent step for removing the protective layer from the surface of the substrate. This substrate processing system is for processing a substrate and includes: a protective layer forming device for forming a protective layer on a surface of the substrate before the substrate is diced; and a protective layer removing device for removing the protective layer from the surface of the substrate after the substrate was diced.

Description

Substrate processing method and substrate processing system

This disclosure relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for cleaning a wafer after dicing. In this cleaning method, the wafer is cleaned by rotating the wafer and supplying cleaning water to the wafer from a nozzle that reciprocates along the surface of the wafer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-310395

The technology related to this disclosure improves the yield of products after dicing.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing method for processing a substrate, which comprises a step of forming a protective layer on the surface of the substrate, a step of dicing the substrate on which the protective layer is formed, and then a step of dicing the substrate. It has a step of removing the protective layer from the surface.

According to the present disclosure, the yield of the product after dicing can be improved.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the structure of the wafer processing system which concerns on this embodiment schematically. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of a wafer. It is a top view which shows the outline of the structure of a wafer. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of the cleaning module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the main process of the wafer processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each process of the wafer processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the partial cross section of the wafer W in each step of a wafer processing. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the main process of the wafer processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each process of the wafer processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the state of the protective film after performing the partial removal process of a protective film. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of the cleaning module which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of the cleaning module which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of the cleaning module which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the structure of the cleaning module which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically each step of the protective film removal process which concerns on other embodiment.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer") in which devices such as a plurality of electronic circuits are formed on the surface is diced. Dicing is a process of cutting a wafer using, for example, a dicing saw, cutting it out, and converting it into chips. The cutting chips generated in the dicing step are discharged using grinding water during dicing, and after dicing, a cleaning step is added to remove the cutting chips from the wafer.

However, there are many cutting chips generated in the dicing process, and the removal of cutting chips is not satisfactory either with the grinding fluid during dicing or by cleaning after dicing. Especially in CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and CIS (CMOS Image Sensor), cutting chips are a factor that leads to pixel defects, and since their size is also miniaturized, the residue of cutting chips that becomes a problem is also reduced. , Higher cleanliness is required.

For example, in the cleaning method disclosed in Patent Document 1, in the cleaning after dicing, the rotation speed of the wafer is switched between the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed, and the wafer is repeatedly washed a plurality of times. To do. Then, a load is applied to the cutting chips adhering to the wafer during acceleration / deceleration of the rotation speed to remove the cutting chips.

Here, in the conventional method, since the surface (device surface) of the wafer is exposed during dicing, it is certain that the grinding debris adheres to the device. Then, even if the cleaning power is improved as in the cleaning method disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the problem of residual grinding debris that stochastically leads to product defects cannot be solved. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the conventional method.

The technology related to this disclosure improves the yield of products after dicing. Specifically, a protective film as a protective layer is formed in advance on the surface (device surface) of the wafer before dicing to eliminate the exposure of the device surface, and then in the cleaning step after dicing, it is protected together with the generated grinding dust. Peel off the film.

Hereinafter, the wafer processing system as the substrate processing system and the wafer processing method as the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate description.

<Structure of Wafer Processing System 1>
First, the configuration of the wafer processing system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an outline of the configuration of the wafer processing system 1.

In the wafer processing system 1, the wafer W as a substrate is processed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The wafer W is a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer, and a device layer (not shown) including a plurality of devices is formed on the surface Wa.

Further, the wafer W is fixed to the dicing frame F via the dicing tape P. Specifically, the wafer W is arranged in the opening Fa of the dicing frame F, and the dicing tape P is attached to the back surface Wb of the wafer W and the back surface of the dicing frame F so as to close the opening Fa from the back surface. As a result, the wafer W is in a state of being fixed (held) to the dicing frame F.

The dicing frame F is a substantially annular member having an opening Fa having a diameter larger than that of the wafer W in the center, and is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The thickness of the dicing frame F is, for example, about 1 mm. Further, for the dicing tape P, for example, an organic resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PO (polyolefin) and the like are used.

The wafer processing system 1 includes a protective film forming device 10 for forming a protective film on the surface of the wafer W before dicing, and a protective film removing device 20 for removing the protective film from the surface of the wafer W after dicing. ing.

Further, the wafer processing system 1 is provided with a control device 30. The control device 30 is, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, a memory, or the like, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program that controls the processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1. Further, the program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of the wafer processing system 1 to realize the wafer processing described later in the wafer processing system 1. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H and may be installed on the control device 30 from the storage medium H.

<Structure of protective film forming apparatus 10>
As shown in FIG. 1, the protective film forming apparatus 10 includes, for example, an loading / unloading station 40 in which a cassette C capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W is loaded / unloaded from the outside, and various processing modules that process the wafer W. It has a configuration in which the processing station 41 provided with the above is integrally connected.

The loading / unloading station 40 is provided with a cassette mounting stand 42. In the illustrated example, a plurality of cassettes C, for example, four cassettes C can be freely mounted in a row in the X-axis direction on the cassette mounting table 42. The number of cassettes C mounted on the cassette mounting table 42 is not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily determined.

The loading / unloading station 40 is provided with a wafer transport area 43 adjacent to the cassette mounting table 42. In the wafer transfer region 43, a wafer transfer mechanism 44 that transfers the wafer W is arranged. The wafer transfer mechanism 44 includes a transfer arm portion (not shown) capable of moving in the horizontal direction, raising and lowering in the vertical direction, and turning around the vertical direction, and a wafer holding attached to the tip of the transfer arm portion. It is provided with a part (not shown). The wafer transfer mechanism 44 is configured to transfer the wafer W to the cassette C of the cassette mounting table 42, the coating module 50, the heat treatment module 60, and the ultraviolet irradiation module 70, which will be described later.

In the processing station 41, the coating module 50, the heat treatment module 60, and the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction on the Y-axis positive direction side of the wafer transfer region 43. The number and arrangement of the coating module 50, the heat treatment module 60, and the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 are not limited to this embodiment, and can be arbitrarily determined.

In the coating module 50, a protective liquid is applied to the surface Wa of the wafer W to form a protective film by a so-called capillary coating method. In the capillary coating method, the protective liquid discharged from the coating nozzle as the coating portion is brought into contact with the surface Wa of the wafer W, and the coating nozzle and the wafer W are relatively moved in the horizontal direction to protect the surface Wa. This is a method of applying a liquid. For the coating module 50, a known coating device that executes a capillary coating method is used.

An alkali-soluble resin such as acrylic or styrene is used for the protective film of the present embodiment. The protective film can be used as long as the dicing tape P does not dissolve in the release liquid. For example, when the dicing tape P has resistance to an organic solvent, an organic solvent-soluble resin can be used as the protective film. However, in order to increase the degree of freedom of the material of the dicing tape P, it is preferable to use an alkali-soluble resin for the protective film.

The heat treatment module 60 heat-treats the wafer W. The heat treatment module 60 has, for example, a hot plate that holds the wafer W, and the wafer W is heat-treated by the hot plate. As a result, the protective film on the wafer W is fired. A known heat treatment apparatus is used for the heat treatment module 60.

In the ultraviolet irradiation module 70, the surface Wa of the wafer W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet irradiation module 70 has an ultraviolet irradiation unit provided above the wafer W, and irradiates the surface Wa of the wafer W with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation unit. As a result, the protective film on the wafer W is cured. A known ultraviolet irradiation device is used for the ultraviolet irradiation module 70.

<Structure of protective film removing device 20>
The protective film removing device 20 includes, for example, an loading / unloading station 80 in which a cassette C capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W is carried in / out from the outside, and a cleaning module that peels and removes the protective film from the surface Wa of the wafer W. It has a configuration in which the processing station 81 provided is integrally connected.

The loading / unloading station 80 is provided with a cassette mounting stand 82. In the illustrated example, a plurality of cassettes C, for example, four cassettes C can be freely mounted in a row in the X-axis direction on the cassette mounting table 82. The number of cassettes C mounted on the cassette mounting table 82 is not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily determined.

The loading / unloading station 80 is provided with a wafer transport area 83 adjacent to the cassette mounting table 82. A wafer transfer mechanism 84 that transfers the wafer W is arranged in the wafer transfer region 83. The wafer transfer mechanism 84 includes a transfer arm portion (not shown) capable of moving in the horizontal direction, ascending / descending in the vertical direction, and turning around the vertical direction, and a wafer holding attached to the tip of the transfer arm portion. It is provided with a part (not shown). The wafer transfer mechanism 84 is configured to transfer the wafer W to the cassette C of the cassette mounting table 82 and the cleaning module 90 described later.

The processing station 81 is provided with a plurality, for example, four cleaning modules 90 on the Y-axis positive direction side of the wafer transfer region 43. Two cleaning modules 90 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction, and are arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. The number and arrangement of the cleaning modules 90 are not limited to this embodiment, and can be arbitrarily determined. The detailed configuration of the cleaning module 90 will be described later.

<Structure of cleaning module 90>
Next, the configuration of the cleaning module 90 described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of the cleaning module 90. The cleaning module 90 cleans the surface Wa of the wafer W held by the dicing frame F via the dicing tape P. Specifically, the protective film is peeled off and removed from the surface Wa of the wafer W after dicing.

The cleaning module 90 has a processing container 100 whose inside can be closed. A wafer W carry-in outlet (not shown) is formed on the side surface of the processing container 100 on the wafer transport region 83 side, and an open / close shutter (not shown) is provided at the carry-in outlet.

A wafer holding portion 110 for holding the wafer W and a frame holding portion 120 for holding the dicing frame F are provided in the central portion of the processing container 100.

The wafer holding unit 110 sucks and holds the back surface Wb side of the wafer W via the dicing tape P. For the wafer holding portion 110, for example, a porous chuck is used. The wafer holding portion 110 includes a disk-shaped main body portion 111 and a support column member 112 that supports the main body portion 111.

The main body 111 is made of a metal member such as aluminum. A suction surface 113 is provided on the surface of the main body 111. The suction surface 113 has substantially the same diameter as the wafer W, and is formed of, for example, a porous body such as silicon carbide or a porous ceramic.

Inside the main body 111, a suction space 114 that communicates with the outside is formed via the suction surface 113. The suction space 114 communicates with an intake device (not shown) such as a vacuum pump. The wafer holding unit 110 sucks and holds the wafer W by sucking the back surface Wb of the wafer W to the suction surface 113 via the dicing tape P by utilizing the negative pressure generated by the intake of the intake device.

A frame holding portion 120 that holds the dicing frame F from below is arranged on the side of the wafer holding portion 110. The frame holding portion 120 includes a plurality of suction pads 121 that suck and hold the dicing frame F, a support member 122 that supports the suction pad 121, and a moving mechanism 123 that moves the support member 122 in the vertical direction.

The suction pad 121 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and is provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of the dicing frame F shown in FIG. 3, for example. A suction port (not shown) is formed on the suction pad 121. The suction port communicates with an intake device (not shown) such as a vacuum pump.

The frame holding unit 120 holds the dicing frame F by adsorbing the dicing frame F by utilizing the negative pressure generated by the intake air of the intake device. Further, the frame holding portion 120 moves the support member 122 and the suction pad 121 in the vertical direction by the moving mechanism 123, thereby moving the dicing frame F sucked and held by the suction pad 121 in the vertical direction.

The wafer holding portion 110 and the frame holding portion 120 are supported from below by the lower base portion 130. Further, the lower base portion 130 is supported by a rotary elevating mechanism 131 fixed to the floor surface of the processing container 100.

The rotary elevating mechanism 131 rotates the lower base portion 130 around the vertical axis to integrally rotate the wafer holding portion 110 and the frame holding portion 120 supported by the lower base portion 130. Further, the rotary elevating mechanism 131 integrally raises and lowers the wafer holding portion 110 and the frame holding portion 120 supported by the lower base portion 130 by moving the lower base portion 130 in the vertical direction.

A cup (not shown) is provided around the wafer holding portion 110 and the frame holding portion 120 to receive and collect the liquid scattered or dropped from the wafer W. An exhaust pipe (not shown) for discharging the collected liquid and an exhaust pipe (not shown) for exhausting the atmosphere inside the cup are connected to the lower surface of the cup.

Above the wafer holding portion 110, a nozzle block 140 that supplies various liquids and gases to the surface Wa of the wafer W held by the wafer holding portion 110 is provided. The nozzle block 140 can be moved from the standby portion 142 provided on the outside of the frame holding portion 120 to the upper part of the center portion of the wafer W by the moving mechanism 141, and further on the surface Wa of the wafer W in the radial direction of the wafer W. It is configured to be movable.

The nozzle block 140 has a release liquid nozzle 150 as a release liquid supply unit, a two-fluid nozzle 160 as a rinse liquid supply unit, and an N ₂ gas nozzle 170 as a gas supply unit. Stripping liquid nozzle 150,2 fluid nozzle 160, and _{N 2} gas nozzle 170 is supported by the moving mechanism 141 is movably configured together.

A supply pipe 151 for supplying the stripping liquid to the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is connected to the stripping liquid nozzle 150. The supply pipe 151 communicates with a stripping liquid supply source 152 that stores the stripping liquid inside. Further, the supply pipe 151 is provided with a supply equipment group 153 including a valve for controlling the flow of the stripping liquid, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

The stripping liquid nozzle 150 supplies the stripping liquid to the surface Wa of the wafer W. The stripping solution is a chemical solution for stripping the protective film formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W. Since an alkali-soluble resin is used for the protective film as described above, an alkaline solution is used as the stripping solution, and for example, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) is used.

A supply pipe 161 for supplying, for example, pure water (DIW), which is a rinse liquid, is connected to the two-fluid nozzle 160. The supply pipe 161 communicates with a pure water supply source 162 that stores pure water inside. Further, the supply pipe 161 is provided with a supply equipment group 163 including a valve for controlling the flow of pure water, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

Further, a supply pipe 164 for supplying an inert gas such as N ₂ (nitrogen) to the two-fluid nozzle 160 is connected to the two-fluid nozzle 160. The supply pipe 164 communicates with a gas supply source 165 that stores N ₂ gas inside. Further, the supply pipe 161 is provided with a supply equipment group 166 including a valve for controlling the flow of N ₂ gas, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

Pure water and N ₂ gas supplied to the two-fluid nozzle 160 is mixed in the two-fluid nozzle 160, it is discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 160 as a mist. In this way, the two-fluid nozzle 160 supplies atomized pure water to the protective film on the surface Wa of the wafer W.

The two-fluid nozzle 160 may supply of N ₂ gas is stopped by controlling the supply equipment group 166, supplying only pure water to the surface Wa of the wafer W. In other words, two-fluid nozzle 160 includes a supply of fluid mixture of pure water and N ₂ gas, and is configured to be freely switched between the supply of only pure water.

The N ₂ gas nozzle 170, a supply pipe 171 for supplying an inert gas such as _{N 2} gas nozzle 170, for example, _{N 2} (nitrogen) is connected. The supply pipe 171 communicates with a gas supply source 172 that stores N ₂ gas inside. Further, the supply pipe 171 is provided with a supply equipment group 173 including a valve for controlling the flow of N ₂ gas, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like. Then, the N ₂ gas nozzle 170 supplies N ₂ gas to the surface Wa of the wafer W.

<First Embodiment of Wafer Processing>
Next, the wafer processing according to the first embodiment performed in the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a main process of wafer processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the wafer processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a partial cross section of the wafer W in each step of wafer processing.

In the wafer processing according to the first embodiment, a step of forming a protective film on the surface Wa of the wafer W in the protective film forming apparatus 10, a step of dicing the wafer W outside the wafer processing system 1, and a protective film removing apparatus. In 20, the step of removing the protective film from the surface Wa of the wafer W is sequentially performed.

First, in the protective film forming apparatus 10, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is placed on the cassette mounting table 42 of the loading / unloading station 40. At this time, the wafer W is fixed to the dicing frame F via the dicing tape P. Further, the back surface Wb of the wafer W is ground and polished, and the wafer W is thinned.

Next, the wafer W in the cassette C is taken out by the wafer transfer mechanism 44 and transferred to the coating module 50. In the coating module 50, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, a protective film Q is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W by the capillary coating method (step A1 in FIG. 5). The thickness of the protective film Q is, for example, 5 μm. Specifically, in step A1, the slit-shaped discharge port formed on the lower end surface of the coating nozzle 51 is brought close to the wafer W, and a state in which a desired gap is formed between the discharge port and the wafer W is maintained. .. Then, a pool of protective liquid discharged from the discharge port is formed between the wafer W and the discharge port, and in that state, the coating nozzle 51 and the wafer W are relatively relative to each other in the horizontal direction, for example, in the radial direction of the wafer W. Move it. Then, the protective liquid discharged from the discharge port is sequentially supplied to the surface of the wafer W by the action of its own weight and the capillary phenomenon, and the protective liquid is applied to the surface Wa of the wafer W to form the protective film Q.

Since the wafer W of the present embodiment is fixed to the dicing frame F via the dicing tape P, if the protective liquid is applied by the spin coating method, it is placed on the dicing tape P between the wafer W and the dicing frame F. Protective liquid may collect. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the protective film Q is formed only on the surface Wa of the wafer W by using the capillary coating method.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment module 60 by the wafer transfer mechanism 44. In the heat treatment module 60, the wafer W is held on the hot plate 61 as shown in FIG. 6B. Then, the protective film Q on the surface Wa of the wafer W is heated to a desired temperature by the hot plate 61 and fired (step A2 in FIG. 5). The desired temperature is a temperature at which the protective film Q can be fired, and is a temperature at which the dicing tape P is not damaged, for example, 60 ° C. or lower.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 by the wafer transfer mechanism 44. In the ultraviolet irradiation module 70, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the protective film Q of the surface Wa of the wafer W from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 71 provided above the wafer W as shown in FIG. 6 (c) (step A3 in FIG. 5). ). In the present embodiment, an ultraviolet curable resin is used for the protective film Q, and the protective film Q is cured by the ultraviolet irradiation in step A3.

Note that the heating of the protective film Q in step A2 and the irradiation of the protective film Q in step A3 with ultraviolet rays may be performed both as in the present embodiment, or either one may be performed. It can be appropriately selected depending on the material of the protective film Q. Further, for example, when the heating of the protective film Q in step A2 is omitted, the heat treatment module 60 may be omitted, and when the ultraviolet irradiation to the protective film Q in step A3 is omitted, the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 may be omitted. Good.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the cassette C of the cassette mounting table 42 by the wafer transfer mechanism 44. In this way, a series of protective film forming processes in the protective film forming apparatus 10 are completed.

Next, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is carried out from the loading / unloading station 40 and transported to a dicing device (not shown) provided outside the wafer processing system 1.

In the dicing apparatus, the wafer W is diced as shown in FIGS. 6 (d) and 7 (b) (step A4 in FIG. 5). In step A4, while supplying pure water (DIW) D which is cutting water from a plurality of nozzles 200, for example, two nozzles 200, the wafer W is cut and cut out by using a dicing saw 201 to make chips. At this time, the dicing tape P is also cut in order to completely divide the wafer W. Then, a large number of organic cutting chips such as the silicon base material of the wafer W, the scraps of the dicing tape P, the scraps of the adhesive material that adheres the wafer W and the dicing tape P, and the scraps of the device material are generated. In the present embodiment, since the protective film Q that protects the device is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W, it is possible to prevent cutting chips from adhering to the device.

Next, in the dicing apparatus, the surface Wa of the wafer W is washed as shown in FIG. 6 (e) (step A5 in FIG. 5). In step A5, while rotating the wafer W, pure water D is supplied from the nozzle 202 to the central portion of the wafer W to clean the surface Wa.

However, organic cutting chips are adhesive, and it is difficult to remove cutting chips simply by removing pure water. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the wafer W is transported from the dicing device to the protective film removing device 20, and the protective film removing device 20 removes the protective film Q together with cutting chips from the surface Wa of the wafer W.

The protective film Q is removed by supplying a release liquid to the protective film Q. Here, as a result of diligent studies by the present inventors, since cutting chips are attached to the protective film Q, cutting chips may not be completely removed when trying to remove them with a single supply of the release liquid. It was. Therefore, in the protective film removing device 20, the removal of the protective film Q is divided into two stages, the protective film Q is partially removed in the first stage, and the protective film Q is completely removed in the second stage. That is, after the protective film Q is partially removed in the first step to remove cutting chips to some extent, the protective film Q is completely removed together with the cutting chips in the second step.

In the protective film removing device 20, first, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is placed on the cassette mounting table 82 of the loading / unloading station 80.

Next, the wafer W in the cassette C is taken out by the wafer transfer mechanism 44 and transferred to the cleaning module 90. The wafer W conveyed to the cleaning module 90 is held by the wafer holding portion 110 and the frame holding portion 120. Hereinafter, the process of removing the protective film Q in the cleaning module 90 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the protective film removing process.

First, the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is performed. As shown in FIG. 8A, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion by the moving mechanism 141 while rotating the wafer W by the rotary elevating mechanism 131. While the nozzle block 140 is moving, the stripping liquid S is supplied from the stripping liquid nozzle 150 to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W, and pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 (step A6 in FIG. 5). .. N ₂ gas is not supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, and only pure water D is supplied.

In step A6, the release liquid S diffuses on the protective film Q, and as shown in FIGS. 6 (f) and 7 (c), the protective film Q is dissolved by the release liquid S and partially removed. At this time, the surface Wa of the wafer W is not exposed. Further, with the partial removal of the protective film Q, the cutting chips adhering to the removed protective film Q are also removed. The film thickness of the protective film Q left on the surface Wa in step A6 is not particularly limited, and at least the surface Wa may not be exposed.

In step A6, the pure water D is supplied together with the stripping liquid S in order to dilute the stripping liquid S. If the concentration of the stripping liquid S is high, the removal rate of the protective film Q becomes high, and the surface Wa of the wafer W may be exposed in step A6. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the stripping solution S is diluted to adjust the concentration. In the present embodiment, the two-fluid nozzle 160 constitutes the diluent supply unit in the present disclosure, and pure water D is used as the diluent.

Next, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 8 (b) (step A7 in FIG. 5). The pure water D diffuses on the protective film Q, the remaining stripping liquid S is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is washed. Further, when the release liquid S is discharged, the removal of the protective film Q is also stopped.

Next, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 8C, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the center portion of the wafer W to above the outer peripheral portion. During this movement of the nozzle block 140, the pure water D and _{N 2} mixed fluid Dm gases from two-fluid nozzle 160 for injecting atomized (step A8 in FIG. 5). By injecting the mixed fluid Dm, the remaining cutting chips are discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is more strongly cleaned.

The surface of the protective film Q with pure water D in step A7 and the surface of the protective film Q with the mixed fluid Dm in step A8 may both be cleaned as in the present embodiment, or either of them. One may be done.

Further, after step A7 and before step A8, the rotation of the wafer W is continued in a state where the supply of all the liquids from the nozzle block 140 is stopped, and the pure water D on the surface of the protective film Q is continued. (So-called shake-off step) is desirable (step A20 in FIG. 5). In step A7, the pure water D on the surface of the protective film Q contains a large amount of cutting chips, and in this step A20, the contaminated pure water D containing the cutting chips is promptly removed from the wafer W. Can be discharged. In step A20 in this case, the pure water D on the surface of the protective film Q may or may not be completely dried.

Next, the second step of completely removing the protective film Q (complete peeling) is performed. As shown in FIG. 8D, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W. During the movement of the nozzle block 140, the stripping liquid S is supplied from the stripping liquid nozzle 150 to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W, and pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 (step A9 in FIG. 5). .. N ₂ gas is not supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, and only pure water D is supplied.

In step A8, the release liquid S diffuses on the protective film Q, and the protective film Q is completely removed by the release liquid S as shown in FIG. 7 (d). Further, with the complete removal of the protective film Q, the cutting chips adhering to the removed protective film Q are also completely removed. Then, the surface Wa of the wafer W is exposed.

Next, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 8 (e) (step A10 in FIG. 5). This step A10 is the same as in step A7, and the stripping liquid S remaining by the pure water D is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is washed. Further, when the release liquid S is discharged, the removal of the protective film Q is also stopped.

Next, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 8 (f), the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the center portion of the wafer W to above the outer peripheral portion. During this movement of the nozzle block 140, the pure water D and _{N 2} mixed fluid Dm gases from two-fluid nozzle 160 for injecting atomized (step A11 in FIG. 5). This step A11 is the same as in step A8, and by injecting the mixed fluid Dm, the remaining cutting chips are discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is more strongly cleaned.

Next, the surface Wa of the wafer W is washed. As shown in FIG. 8 (g), the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W. While the nozzle block 140 is moving, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 (step A12 in FIG. 5). Pure water D diffuses on the surface Wa of the wafer W, and the surface Wa is washed. N ₂ gas is not supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, and only pure water D is supplied.

Next, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 8H, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the center portion of the wafer W to above the outer peripheral portion. During the movement of the nozzle block 140 supplies pure water D from the two-fluid nozzle 160 in the center of the wafer W, for injecting _{N 2} gas _{N 2} gas nozzle 170 (step A13 in FIG. 5). Here, when the wafer W is cut in the dicing step of step A4 described above, a groove is formed in the wafer W. Since the stripping solution S in the groove can be inhibited from remaining, by spraying N ₂ gas, blow stripping solution S. Then, the release liquid S is completely removed from the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Next, in a state where the injection was stopped the N ₂ gas from the supply and N ₂ gas nozzle 170 for pure water D from the two-fluid nozzle 160 as shown in FIG. 8 (i), to continue the rotation of the wafer W. Then, the surface Wa of the wafer W is spin-dried (step A14 in FIG. 5). Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (g), the protective film Q is completely removed from the surface of the wafer W together with the cutting chips.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the cassette C of the cassette mounting table 82 by the wafer transfer mechanism 84. In this way, a series of protective film removing processes in the protective film removing device 20 are completed.

According to the above embodiment, since the protective film Q is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W in steps A1 to A3, even if cutting chips are generated during dicing of the wafer W in step A4, the cutting chips are the wafer W. It is possible to suppress the adhesion of the surface Wa to the device. Further, after dicing, the protective film Q can be removed together with the cutting chips from the surface Wa of the wafer W in steps A6 to A14. As a result, the yield of the product can be improved.

In order to verify the effect of the present embodiment, the present inventors conducted experiments in the case where the protective film Q was formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W and in the case where the protective film Q was not formed, and after the final cleaning was performed. The number of defects such as cutting chips remaining on the surface Wa was compared. As a result, the non-defective product rate was 88% when the protective film Q was not formed, whereas the non-defective product rate was improved to 93% when the protective film Q was formed. Therefore, it was confirmed that by forming the protective film Q as in the present embodiment, cutting chips can be removed while protecting the device on the surface Wa.

Further, since the protective film Q is removed in two steps, the cutting chips are partially removed in the first steps A6 to A8, and then the cutting chips are completely removed in the second steps A9 to A11. can do. As a result, the yield of the product can be further improved.

<Second Embodiment of Wafer Processing>
Next, the wafer processing according to the second embodiment performed in the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

In the first embodiment, after forming the protective film Q on the surface Wa of the wafer W in step A1, the wafer W was heat-treated at a temperature of, for example, 60 ° C. or lower in step A2. In this step A2, the heating temperature is set to 60 ° C. or lower as a temperature at which the dicing tape P is not damaged, but the heating temperature may be increased depending on the material of the protective film Q. In this case, it is necessary to form the protective film Q on the surface Wa of the wafer W before the wafer W is fixed to the dicing tape P and the dicing frame F. Therefore, in the wafer processing according to the second embodiment, the protective film Q is formed on the wafer W, the protective film Q is fired at a high heating temperature, and then the wafer W is passed through the dicing tape P to the dicing frame F. Fix to.

In the second embodiment, the wafer W processed by the protective film forming apparatus 10 is not fixed to the dicing tape P and the dicing frame F. That is, the wafer transfer mechanism 44 conveys the wafer W that is not fixed to the dicing frame F, and the

processing modules

50, 60, and 70 process the wafer W that is not fixed to the dicing frame F. In particular, in the coating module 50, a protective liquid is applied to the surface Wa of the wafer W to form a protective film by a so-called spin coating method.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a main process of wafer processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the wafer processing according to the second embodiment.

First, in the protective film forming apparatus 10, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is placed on the cassette mounting table 42 of the loading / unloading station 40.

Next, the wafer W in the cassette C is taken out by the wafer transfer mechanism 44 and transferred to the coating module 50. In the coating module 50, as shown in FIG. 10A, a protective film Q is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W by a spin coating method (step B1 in FIG. 9). Specifically, in step B1, the protective liquid L is supplied from the coating nozzle 52 as the coating portion to the central portion of the wafer W in a state where the wafer W is rotated. Then, due to the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the wafer W, the protective liquid L diffuses the surface Wa of the wafer W, and the protective film Q is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment module 60 by the wafer transfer mechanism 44. In the heat treatment module 60, the wafer W is held on the hot plate 62 as shown in FIG. 10 (b). Then, the protective film Q on the surface Wa of the wafer W is heated to a desired temperature by the hot plate 62 and fired (step B2 in FIG. 9).

The heating temperature of the wafer W in step B2 is a temperature at which the protective film Q can be fired, for example, 150 ° C. Unlike the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, the dicing tape P is not attached to the wafer W in the heat treatment module 60. Therefore, the wafer W can be heated at a high heating temperature of, for example, 60 ° C. or higher.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 by the wafer transfer mechanism 44. In the ultraviolet irradiation module 70, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the protective film Q of the surface Wa of the wafer W from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 72 provided above the wafer W as shown in FIG. 10 (c) (step B3 in FIG. 9). .. The protective film Q is cured by this ultraviolet irradiation.

Note that the heating of the protective film Q in step B2 and the irradiation of the protective film Q in step B3 with ultraviolet rays may be performed both as in the present embodiment, or either one may be performed. It can be appropriately selected depending on the material of the protective film Q. Further, for example, the heat treatment module 60 may be omitted when the heating of the protective film Q in step B2 is omitted, and the ultraviolet irradiation module 70 may be omitted when the ultraviolet irradiation to the protective film Q in step B3 is omitted. Good.

Next, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is carried out from the loading / unloading station 40 and transported to a processing device (not shown) provided outside the wafer processing system 1.

In the processing apparatus, the back surface Wb of the wafer W is ground by the grinding wheel 210 as shown in FIG. 10 (d) (step B4 in FIG. 9). By grinding (back grinding) the back surface Wb, the wafer W is thinned to a desired film thickness. Further, in step B4, in order to support the thinned wafer W, a back grind tape G (hereinafter, referred to as “BG tape G”) is attached to the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Next, in the processing apparatus, mounting processing is performed on the wafer W as shown in FIG. 10 (e), and the wafer W is fixed to the dicing frame F via the dicing tape P (step B5 in FIG. 9). ..

Next, in the processing apparatus, the BG tape G is peeled from the surface Wa of the wafer W as shown in FIG. 10 (f) (step B6 in FIG. 9). Then, the protective film Q on the surface Wa of the wafer W is exposed. That is, the state is the same as the state in which step A3 in the first embodiment is completed.

Next, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is conveyed to a processing device (not shown) provided outside the wafer processing system 1. In the dicing apparatus, the wafer W is diced as shown in FIG. 10 (g) (step B7 in FIG. 9), and then the surface Wa of the wafer W is washed as shown in FIG. 10 (h) (FIG. 9). Step B8). Note that these steps B7 and B8 are the same processes as steps A4 and A5 of the first embodiment, respectively.

Next, the cassette C containing the plurality of wafers W is conveyed to the protective film removing device 20. In the protective film removing device 20, as shown in FIG. 10 (i), the protective film Q is partially removed in the first stage (steps B9 to B11, B20 in FIG. 9) in the second stage, as in the first embodiment. (Steps B12 to B14 in FIG. 9) and cleaning of the surface Wa of the wafer W (steps B15 to B17 in FIG. 9) are sequentially performed. It should be noted that these steps B9 to B17 are the same processes as steps A6 to A14 of the first embodiment, respectively. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (j), the protective film Q is completely removed from the surface of the wafer W together with the cutting chips.

Even in the above embodiments, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be enjoyed. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the heating temperature in step B2 can be as high as 150 ° C., so that it can correspond to various protective films Q.

<Other Embodiments of Protective Film Removal Treatment>
Next, another embodiment of the protective film Q removal treatment (steps A6 to A14, B9 to B17) performed by the protective film removing device 20 will be described.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the stripping liquid S is supplied from the stripping liquid nozzle 150 while rotating the wafer W in step A6 and moving the nozzle block 140 from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W. It was. In such a case, the release liquid S is supplied to the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W at the start of movement, and the release liquid S flows toward the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W due to centrifugal force even during movement or at the end of movement. Therefore, in the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W, the time for the protective film Q to come into contact with the stripping liquid S is longer than in the central portion. Then, the film thickness of the protective film Q after performing step A6 is such that the outer peripheral portion is small and the central portion is large.

In this regard, the present inventors conducted an experiment and confirmed the shape of this protective film Q. FIG. 11 shows the results of the experiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 11 indicates the position on the wafer W, and the vertical axis indicates the thickness of the protective film Q. Further, in FIG. 11, “●” indicates the protective film Q before the step A6 is performed, and “◯” indicates the protective film Q after the step A6 is performed. Also in this experiment, it was found that the film thickness of the protective film Q after performing step A6 was small in the outer peripheral portion and large in the central portion.

Here, since the protective film Q is completely removed in the second step steps A9 to A11, when the protective film Q is partially removed in the first step steps A6 to A8, the protective film Q is in-plane. It does not have to be uniform.

However, the film thickness of the protective film Q may be made uniform in the plane after the partial removal of the protective film Q in the first step. In such a case, the rotation speed of the wafer W and the moving speed of the nozzle block 140 are controlled according to the position of the release liquid nozzle 150. For example, when the release liquid nozzle 150 is located above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W, the rotation speed of the wafer W is slowed down and the moving speed of the nozzle block 140 is slowed down. On the other hand, when the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is located above the center of the wafer W, the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased to increase the moving speed of the nozzle block 140. Then, the release liquid S can be uniformly supplied to the protective film Q, and the film thickness of the protective film Q can be made uniform in the plane.

The method of making the film thickness of the protective film Q uniform in the plane may be another method. For example, with the rotation speed of the wafer W and the moving speed of the nozzle block 140 constant, the concentration of the stripping liquid S supplied to the surface Wa of the wafer W is controlled according to the position of the stripping liquid nozzle 150. May be good.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the release liquid S was supplied from the release liquid nozzle 150 while the nozzle block 140 was moving in step A6, but the release liquid nozzle 150 was separated above the center of the wafer W. The release liquid S may be supplied from the liquid nozzle 150. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the protective film removing treatment according to another embodiment.

In the present embodiment, in step A6, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 12A, the two-fluid nozzle 160 is arranged above the center of the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is transferred from the two-fluid nozzle 160. Pure water D is supplied to the center of Wa. At this time, N ₂ gas is not supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, and only pure water D is supplied. Then, a paddle of pure water D is formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Next, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 12B, the release liquid nozzle 150 is arranged above the center of the wafer W, and the release liquid nozzle 150 is moved from the release liquid nozzle 150 to the center of the surface Wa of the wafer W. The stripping liquid S is supplied. The stripping liquid S is supplied into the paddle of pure water D and diluted. Then, the diluted release liquid S diffuses the surface Wa of the wafer W by centrifugal force, and the protective film Q is dissolved by the release liquid S and partially removed.

The processes after step A6, that is, steps A7 to A14 of FIGS. 12 (c) to (j) of this embodiment are the steps A7 to A14 of FIGS. 8 (b) to 8 (i) of the above embodiment, respectively. It is the same process.

Even in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can be enjoyed. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q in the first stage, the stripping liquid S is removed while moving the stripping liquid nozzle 150 from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W. By supplying the protective film Q, the protective film Q could be partially removed. Similarly, even when the release liquid S was supplied to the central portion of the surface Wa of the wafer W as in the present embodiment, the protective film Q could be partially removed.

Further, the method of diluting the stripping solution S in step A6 is different between the present embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the stripping liquid S was diluted by supplying the stripping liquid S and the pure water D at the same time, but in the present embodiment, the pure water D formed on the surface Wa of the wafer W By supplying the release liquid S to the paddle, the release liquid S is diluted. Also in this embodiment, the stripping solution S can be appropriately diluted.

In the cleaning module 90 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, three

nozzles

150, 160 and 170 are integrally provided, but the method of providing these

nozzles

150, 160 and 170 is not limited to this. FIG. 13 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of the cleaning module 90 according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the stripping liquid nozzle 150 alone provided, providing a two-fluid nozzle 160 and _{N 2} gas nozzle 170 as a unit. The method of providing the three

nozzles

150, 160 and 170 is arbitrary, and for example, the three

nozzles

150, 160 and 170 may be provided independently.

As shown in FIG. 13, the release liquid nozzle 150 can be moved from the standby portion 301 provided on the outside of the frame holding portion 120 to the upper part of the center of the wafer W by the moving mechanism 300, and further on the surface Wa of the wafer W. Is configured to be movable in the radial direction of the wafer W.

The stripping solution nozzle 150 supplies a diluted stripping solution Sd obtained by diluting the stripping solution S with pure water D. A supply pipe 302 for supplying the diluted stripping liquid Sd to the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is connected to the stripping liquid nozzle 150. The supply pipe 302 communicates with the stripping liquid supply source 303 for storing the stripping liquid S inside and the pure water supply source 304 for storing the pure water D inside. Further, the supply pipe 302 is provided with a mixer 305 that mixes the stripping liquid S supplied from the stripping liquid supply source 303 and the pure water D supplied from the pure water supply source 304. The mixer 305 produces a diluted stripping solution Sd having a desired concentration by diluting the stripping solution S with pure water D. Further, the mixer 305 also includes a valve for controlling the flow of the diluting stripping solution Sd, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

2 fluid nozzle 160 and _{N 2} gas nozzle 170 together constitute the nozzle block 310. The nozzle block 310 can be moved from the standby portion 312 provided on the outside of the frame holding portion 120 to the upper part of the center of the wafer W by the moving mechanism 311, and further on the surface Wa of the wafer W in the radial direction of the wafer W. It is configured to be movable.

Similar to the cleaning module 90 shown in FIG. 4, the two-fluid nozzle 160 includes a supply pipe 161, a pure water supply source 162, a supply equipment group 163, a supply pipe 164, a gas supply source 165, and a supply equipment group 166. Provided. Further, the N ₂ gas nozzle 170 is provided with a supply pipe 171, a gas supply source 172, and a supply equipment group 173.

Next, the removal process of the protective film Q performed by the cleaning module 90 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the protective film removing process.

First, partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q in the first stage is performed. In step A6, the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is moved from above the center portion to above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W by the moving mechanism 300 while rotating the wafer W by the rotary elevating mechanism 131 as shown in FIG. 14A. During the movement of the release liquid nozzle 150, the diluted release liquid Sd is supplied from the release liquid nozzle 150 to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W. At this time, the moving mechanism 311 moves the nozzle block 310 from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W.

In step A6, the diluting stripping solution Sd diffuses on the protective film Q, and the protective film Q is dissolved by the diluting stripping solution Sd and partially removed. At this time, the surface Wa of the wafer W is not exposed. Further, with the partial removal of the protective film Q, the cutting chips adhering to the removed protective film Q are also removed.

Next, in step A7, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14 (b). The pure water D diffuses on the protective film Q, the remaining stripping liquid S is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is washed. Further, when the release liquid S is discharged, the removal of the protective film Q is also stopped.

Next, in step A8, the nozzle block 310 is moved from above the center portion of the wafer W to above the outer peripheral portion while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14C. While the nozzle block 310 is moving, the mixed fluid Dm of pure water D and N ₂ gas is injected in a mist form from the two-fluid nozzle 160. By injecting the mixed fluid Dm, the remaining cutting chips are discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is more strongly cleaned. At this time, the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W to above the central portion.

Next, the second stage protective film Q is completely removed (completely peeled off). In step A9, the stripping liquid nozzle 150 is moved from above the center portion to above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14D. During the movement of the release liquid nozzle 150, the diluted release liquid Sd is supplied from the release liquid nozzle 150 to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W. At this time, the moving mechanism 311 moves the nozzle block 310 from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W.

In step A9, the diluting stripping solution Sd diffuses on the protective film Q, and the protective film Q is completely removed by the diluting stripping solution Sd. Further, with the complete removal of the protective film Q, the cutting chips adhering to the removed protective film Q are also completely removed. Then, the surface Wa of the wafer W is exposed.

Next, in step A10, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14 (e). The pure water D diffuses on the protective film Q, the remaining stripping liquid S is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is washed. Further, when the release liquid S is discharged, the removal of the protective film Q is also stopped.

Next, in step A11, the nozzle block 310 is moved from above the center portion to above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14 (f). While the nozzle block 310 is moving, the mixed fluid Dm of pure water D and N ₂ gas is injected in a mist form from the two-fluid nozzle 160. This step A11 is the same as in step A8, and by injecting the mixed fluid Dm, the remaining cutting chips are discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is more strongly cleaned.

Next, the surface Wa of the wafer W is washed. In step A12, the nozzle block 310 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14 (g). During the movement of the nozzle block 310, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160. Pure water D diffuses on the surface Wa of the wafer W, and the surface Wa is washed. N ₂ gas is not supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, and only pure water D is supplied.

Next, in step A13, the nozzle block 310 is moved from above the center portion to above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 14 (h). During the movement of the nozzle block 310 supplies the pure water D in the center of the wafer W from the two-fluid nozzle 160 injects _{N 2} gas _{N 2} gas nozzle 170. Then, the release liquid S is completely removed from the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Then, in step A14, in a state where the injection was stopped the _{N 2} gas from the supply and _{N 2} gas nozzle 170 for pure water D from the two-fluid nozzle 160 as shown in FIG. 14 (i), the rotation of the wafer W continue. Then, the surface Wa of the wafer W is spin-dried. Then, the protective film Q is completely removed from the surface of the wafer W together with the cutting chips.

Even in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can be enjoyed. That is, after the cutting chips are partially removed in the first step steps A6 to A8, the cutting chips can be completely removed in the second step steps A9 to A11.

Further, the method of diluting the stripping solution S in step A6 is different between the present embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the stripping liquid S is diluted by supplying the stripping liquid S and the pure water D at the same time, but in the present embodiment, the diluted stripping liquid Sd is supplied to the stripping liquid nozzle 150. .. Also in this embodiment, the stripping solution S can be appropriately diluted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the diluted stripping liquid Sd was supplied while moving the stripping liquid nozzle 150 in step A6, but the stripping liquid nozzle 150 was placed above the center of the wafer W. Diluted stripping solution Sd may be supplied from. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing each step of the protective film removing treatment according to another embodiment.

In the present embodiment, in step A6, while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 15A, the release liquid nozzle 150 is arranged above the center of the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is removed from the release liquid nozzle 150. The diluted stripping solution Sd is supplied to the center of the Wa. The diluting stripping solution Sd diffuses the surface Wa of the wafer W by centrifugal force, and the protective film Q is dissolved by the diluting stripping solution Sd to be partially removed.

In the present embodiment, the diluted stripping liquid Sd is supplied from the stripping liquid nozzle 150, but after the pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160, the stripping liquid S is supplied to the paddle of the pure water D from the stripping liquid nozzle 150. You may.

Further, the processes after step A6, that is, steps A7 to A14 of FIGS. 15 (b) to (i) of the present embodiment are the steps A7 to A14 of FIGS. 14 (b) to 14 (i) of the above embodiment, respectively. It is the same process.

Even in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 can be enjoyed. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, in the partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q in the first stage, the protective film Q is partially removed by supplying the diluted release liquid Sd while moving the release liquid nozzle 150. Was able to be removed. Similarly, even when the diluted stripping solution Sd was supplied to the central portion of the surface Wa of the wafer W as in the present embodiment, the protective film Q could be partially removed.

In the cleaning module 90 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle block 140 may be provided with the ultrasonic oscillating unit 320 as shown in FIG. For example, in step A8, after cleaning the surface of the protective film Q with the mixed fluid Dm from the two-fluid nozzle 160, the surface Wa of the wafer W (ultrasonic waves are applied to further surface the protective film Q from the ultrasonic oscillating unit 320). Similarly, after step A11, the surface Wa of the wafer W may be ultrasonically cleaned using the ultrasonic oscillating unit 320. In such a case, the surface Wa of the wafer W may be cleaned more appropriately. can do.

Further, in the cleaning module 90 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, CO ₂ may be dissolved in pure water D supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160. Alternatively, the pure water D supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 may be heated to a high temperature. By adding CO ₂ to the pure water D or raising the temperature to a high temperature in this way, the surface Wa of the wafer W can be cleaned more appropriately.

In the cleaning module 90 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a cover 330 that covers the dicing frame F supported by the frame holding portion 120 may be provided as shown in FIG. The cover 330 covers at least the upper surface of the dicing frame F and is provided in a ring shape. In such a case, the cover 330 can prevent the dicing liquid S supplied from the release liquid nozzle 150 from being applied to the dicing frame F, and the dicing frame F can be prevented from being damaged.

In the above embodiment, in the protective film removing device 20, partial removal of the protective film Q in the first stage (steps A6 to A8, B9 to B11) and complete removal of the protective film Q in the second stage (steps A9 to A11, The protective film removal treatment was performed in two steps of B12 to B14), but there may be three or more steps. By performing partial removal of the protective film Q a plurality of times, the protective film Q and cutting chips can be removed more reliably.

In the above embodiments, the protective film Q is formed as the protective layer, but the type of the protective layer is not limited to this. For example, a protective tape may be attached to the surface Wa of the wafer W.

Here, as a result of diligent studies by the present inventors, the protective film Q and cutting chips are removed by strengthening the treatment of partial removal of the protective film Q in the first stage (steps A6 to A8, B9 to B11). We found that the effect was further improved. Specifically, after partially removing the protective film Q with the release liquid S, the process of cleaning the surface of the protective film Q is strengthened. Examples of the method for strengthening this cleaning treatment include lengthening the partial removal treatment time, that is, rotating the wafer W to lengthen the time for discharging the release liquid S together with the cutting chips. Further, for example, by injecting a mixed fluid from a two-fluid nozzle onto the protective film Q, the physical detergency of the protective film Q can be improved.

The strengthening of the cleaning treatment of the protective film Q described above can be carried out in any of the cleaning modules 90 of the above embodiments, but here, the cleaning modules 90 according to the other embodiments shown in FIG. 18 are used. The case where it is used will be described.

The cleaning module 90 of the present embodiment further has a release liquid spray nozzle 340 for the configuration of the cleaning module 90 shown in FIG. The stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 is supported by, for example, the moving mechanism 141 of the nozzle block 140, and is configured to be movable integrally with the stripping liquid nozzle 150, the _two- fluid nozzle 160, and the N2 gas nozzle 170.

A supply pipe 341 for supplying a diluted stripping solution Sd obtained by diluting the stripping solution S with pure water D is connected to the stripping solution spray nozzle 340 to the stripping solution spray nozzle 340. The supply pipe 341 communicates with the stripping liquid supply source 342 that stores the stripping liquid S inside and the pure water supply source 343 that stores the pure water D inside. Further, the supply pipe 341 is provided with a mixer 344 that mixes the stripping liquid S supplied from the stripping liquid supply source 342 and the pure water D supplied from the pure water supply source 343. The mixer 344 produces a diluted stripping solution Sd having a desired concentration by diluting the stripping solution S with pure water D. Further, the mixer 344 also includes a valve for controlling the flow of the diluting stripping solution Sd, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

Further, a supply pipe 345 for supplying an inert gas such as N ₂ (nitrogen) to the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 is connected to the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340. The supply pipe 345 communicates with a gas supply source 346 that stores N ₂ gas inside. Further, the supply pipe 345 is provided with a supply equipment group 347 including a valve for controlling the flow of N ₂ gas, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

The diluted stripping liquid Sd and N ₂ gas supplied to the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 are mixed in the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 and discharged in a mist form from the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340. In this way, the stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 supplies the atomized diluted stripping liquid Sd to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W.

The stripping liquid spray nozzle 340 can also control the supply equipment group 347 to stop the supply of N ₂ gas and supply only the diluted stripping liquid Sd to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W. That is, the stripping solution spray nozzle 340 includes a supply of fluid mixture of diluted stripping solution Sd and N ₂ gas, is configured to freely switch between supply of only dilute stripping solution Sd.

Next, the method of removing the protective film Q performed by the cleaning module 90 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. 19 to 22 are explanatory views schematically showing each step of the protective film removing process. In FIGS. 19 to 22, the cleaning treatment of the surface of the protective film Q in the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is different.

The protective film removing treatment shown in FIG. 19 will be described. First, the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is performed. In step A6, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the outer peripheral portion to above the central portion by the moving mechanism 141 while rotating the wafer W by the rotary elevating mechanism 131 as shown in FIG. 19A. During the movement of the nozzle block 140, the diluted release liquid Sd is supplied from the release liquid spray nozzle 340 to the surface Wa (protective film Q) of the wafer W. Incidentally, N ₂ gas from the stripping solution spray nozzle 340 is not supplied, only diluted stripping solution Sd is supplied.

Next, in step A7, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the center of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 19B. The pure water D diffuses on the protective film Q, the remaining stripping liquid S is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is washed. Further, when the release liquid S is discharged, the removal of the protective film Q is also stopped. The rotation speed of the wafer W in step A7 is 500 rpm to 1200 rpm, and in this embodiment, it is 1000 rpm. The processing time in step A7 is 0 to 60 seconds, which is 20 seconds in the present embodiment. In such a case, the cleaning time of the protective film Q becomes long, so that the surface of the protective film Q can be cleaned more appropriately.

Next, in step A8, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the center portion of the wafer W to above the outer peripheral portion while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 19C. While the nozzle block 140 is moving, a mixed fluid Dm of pure water D and N ₂ gas is injected in a mist form from the two-fluid nozzle 160. By injecting the mixed fluid Dm, the remaining cutting chips are discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is more strongly cleaned. The rotation speed of the wafer W in step A8 is 500 rpm to 1200 rpm, and in this embodiment, it is 1000 rpm. The processing time in step A8 is 30 seconds to 90 seconds, which is 60 seconds in the present embodiment.

The second-stage protective film Q complete removal steps (steps A9 to A11) shown in FIGS. 19 (d) to 19 (f) and the wafer W cleaning steps (steps) shown in FIGS. 19 (g) to 19 (i). Since A12 to A14) are the same as the steps shown in FIG. 8 of the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The protective film removing treatment shown in FIG. 20 will be described. First, the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is performed. In step A6, as shown in FIG. 20A, the wafer W is rotated, and the nozzle block 140 is moved from the upper part of the outer periphery to the upper part of the center of the wafer W from the release liquid spray nozzle 340 to the surface Wa of the wafer W. The diluted stripping solution Sd is supplied to the protective film Q) to partially remove the protective film Q. Since this step A6 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 19A, the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, step A7 is omitted.

Next, in step A8, as shown in FIG. 20B, the wafer W is rotated, and the nozzle block 140 is moved from the upper part of the center portion to the upper part of the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W, while the two-fluid nozzle 160 is used to move the pure water D and a mixed fluid Dm of N ₂ gas was injected into mist, to clean the surface of the protective film Q. Since this step A8 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 19C, the description thereof will be omitted.

The second-stage protective film Q complete removal steps (steps A9 to A11) shown in FIGS. 20 (c) to 20 (e) and the wafer W cleaning steps (steps) shown in FIGS. 20 (f) to 20 (h). Since A12 to A14) are the same as the steps shown in FIG. 8 of the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The protective film removing treatment shown in FIG. 21 will be described. First, the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is performed. In step A6, the wafer W is rotated as shown in FIG. 21A, and the nozzle block 140 is moved from the upper part of the outer peripheral portion to the upper part of the central portion of the wafer W from the release liquid spray nozzle 340 to the surface Wa of the wafer W. The diluted stripping solution Sd is supplied to the protective film Q) to partially remove the protective film Q. Since this step A6 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 19A, the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, step A7 is omitted.

Next, in step A8, the nozzle block 140 is moved from above the center portion to above the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 21B. During the movement of the nozzle block 140, the mixed fluid of the dilution stripping solution Sd and N ₂ gas is injected into mist from stripping solution spray nozzle 340. In the present embodiment, the mixed fluid of the diluted stripping solution Sd and N ₂ gas is equivalent to the rinse liquid. By injecting the diluted stripping solution Sd, the remaining stripping solution S is discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the cutting chips suspended by the diluted stripping solution Sd are also discharged to the outside of the wafer W, and the surface of the protective film Q is cleaned. Will be done. The rotation speed of the wafer W in step A8 is 500 rpm to 1200 rpm, and in this embodiment, it is 1000 rpm. The processing time in step A8 is 30 seconds to 90 seconds, which is 60 seconds in the present embodiment.

The second-stage protective film Q complete removal steps (steps A9 to A11) shown in FIGS. 21 (c) to 21 (e) and the wafer W cleaning steps (steps) shown in FIGS. 21 (f) to 21 (h). Since A12 to A14) are the same as the steps shown in FIG. 8 of the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The protective film removing treatment shown in FIG. 22 will be described. First, the first step of partial removal (partial peeling) of the protective film Q is performed. In step A6, the wafer W is rotated as shown in FIG. 22A, and the nozzle block 140 is moved from the upper part of the outer periphery to the upper part of the center of the wafer W from the release liquid spray nozzle 340 to the surface Wa of the wafer W. The diluted stripping solution Sd is supplied to the protective film Q) to partially remove the protective film Q. Since this step A6 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 19A, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, in step A7, pure water D is supplied from the two-fluid nozzle 160 to the central portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W as shown in FIG. 22B to clean the surface of the protective film Q. Since this step A7 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 19B, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, in step A8, the wafer W is rotated as shown in FIG. 22C, and the nozzle block 140 is moved from the upper part of the center portion to the upper part of the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the diluting release fluid is diluted from the release liquid spray nozzle 340. a mixed fluid of the mixed fluid of the Sd and N ₂ gas was injected into the mist, to clean the surface of the protective film Q. Since this step A8 is the same as the step shown in FIG. 21B, the description thereof will be omitted.

The second-stage protective film Q complete removal steps (steps A9 to A11) shown in FIGS. 22 (d) to 22 (f) and the wafer W cleaning steps (steps) shown in FIGS. 20 (g) to 20 (i). Since A12 to A14) are the same as the steps shown in FIG. 8 of the above embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

In any of the protective film removing treatments shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 above, the treatment of partial removal of the protective film Q in the first step (steps A6 to A8) is strengthened, and the surface of the protective film Q is cleaned. It is strengthening. That is, in FIGS. 19B and 22B, since the spin cleaning time of the protective film Q is lengthened, the surface of the protective film Q can be cleaned more appropriately. Further, in FIGS. 19 (c), 20 (b), 21 (b), and 22 (c), the mixed fluid Dm of pure water D or the mixed fluid of the diluted stripping solution Sd is sprayed in a mist form. Therefore, the physical detergency of the protective film Q can be improved. As a result of strengthening the process of partially removing the protective film Q in the first stage in this way, the effect of removing the protective film Q and cutting chips can be further improved.

In the first-stage partial removal treatment of the protective film Q shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, the following (1) to (3) were performed, but the combination of the cleaning treatments (1) to (3) is , Not limited to FIGS. 19 to 22, and is arbitrary. For example, the following cleaning processes (1) to (3) may be sequentially performed.
(1) Cleaning treatment of the protective film Q with pure water D shown in FIGS. 19 (b) and 22 (b).
(2) Cleaning treatment of the protective film Q with the mixed fluid Dm of pure water D and N ₂ gas shown in FIGS. 19 (c) and 20 (b).
(3) FIG. 21 (b), the cleaning process of the protective layer Q by the fluid mixture of diluted stripping solution Sd and _{N 2} gas as shown in FIG. 22 (c).

The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered to be exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced or modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims and their gist.

The following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1) A substrate processing method for processing a substrate, which is a step of forming a protective layer on the surface of the substrate, then a step of dicing the substrate on which the protective layer is formed, and then the protection from the surface of the substrate. A substrate processing method comprising a step of removing a layer.
According to the above (1), since the protective layer is formed on the surface of the substrate before dicing, even if cutting chips are generated during dicing of the substrate, the cutting chips are suppressed from adhering to the device on the surface of the substrate. be able to. Further, after dicing, the protective layer can be removed together with cutting chips from the surface of the substrate. As a result, the yield of the product can be improved.
(2) The step of removing the protective layer includes a step of supplying a stripping liquid to the surface of the substrate and a step of supplying a rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the stripping liquid is supplied. The step of supplying the stripping liquid and the step of supplying the rinse liquid are performed a plurality of times, and in the step of supplying the stripping liquid prior to the final step among the plurality of times, the protective layer is partially covered so that the surface of the substrate is not exposed. The substrate processing method according to (1) above, wherein the protective layer is removed from the surface of the substrate in the final step of supplying the release liquid.
(3) The step described in (2) above, wherein in the step of supplying the stripping solution, the stripping solution is supplied from the stripping solution supply unit to the surface of the substrate, and the diluent is supplied from the diluent supply section to the surface of the substrate. Substrate processing method.
(4) In the step of supplying the stripping solution, the stripping solution and the diluting solution are mixed to generate a diluted stripping solution, and the diluted stripping solution is supplied from the stripping solution supply unit to the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method described in 1.
(5) In the step of supplying the release liquid, the release from the release liquid supply unit to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate and moving the release liquid supply unit from the outer peripheral portion to the center portion of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of (2) to (4) above, which supplies a liquid.
(6) In the step of supplying the stripping liquid before the final round, the rotation speed of the substrate and the moving speed of the stripping liquid supply unit are controlled to remain on the surface of the substrate after the stripping liquid is supplied. The substrate processing method according to (5) above, which controls the thickness of the protective layer.
(7) In the step of supplying the stripping liquid, the stripping liquid is supplied from the stripping liquid supply portion to the surface center portion of the substrate in a state where the stripping liquid supply portion is arranged above the center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of (2) to (4) above, which is supplied.
(8) In the step of supplying the rinse liquid, either the step of supplying only the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate or the step of supplying the rinse liquid mixed with gas to the surface of the substrate in the form of a mist. The substrate processing method according to any one of (2) to (7) above, wherein the step (2) to (7) is performed.
(9) In the step of supplying the rinse liquid, which is performed after the step of supplying the release liquid before the final round, after performing the step of supplying only the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate, the rinse liquid is used. The substrate processing method according to (8) above, wherein the substrate is rotated with the supply stopped to discharge the rinse liquid on the surface of the substrate.
(10) The rinsing solution is a diluted stripping solution in which the stripping solution and the diluent are mixed, and in the step of supplying the rinsing solution, the diluted stripping solution mixed with the gas is atomized on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of (2) to (9) above, which is supplied.
(11) After the step of removing the protective layer, there is a step of cleaning the surface of the substrate, and the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed on the surface of the substrate while supplying the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of (2) to (10) above, which comprises a step of supplying a gas and then a step of rotating the substrate to dry the surface of the substrate.
(12) The step of forming the protective layer includes a step of applying a protective liquid to the surface of the substrate attached to the dicing frame, and then a step of heating the substrate to which the protective liquid is applied. The substrate processing method according to any one of (1) to (11).
(13) In the step of applying the protective liquid, while the protective liquid discharged from the coating portion is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate, the coating portion and the substrate are relatively moved in the horizontal direction to obtain the substrate. The substrate processing method according to (12) above, wherein the protective liquid is applied to the surface.
(14) The step of forming the protective layer is performed before attaching the dicing frame to the substrate, and the step of forming the protective layer is a step of applying a protective liquid to the surface of the substrate by a spin coating method, and thereafter. The substrate processing method according to any one of (1) to (11) above, which comprises a step of heating a substrate coated with the protective liquid.
(15) The substrate processing method according to any one of (12) to (14) above, wherein the step of forming the protective layer includes a step of irradiating the surface of the substrate with ultraviolet rays.
(16) The substrate treatment method according to any one of (1) to (15) above, wherein the protective layer is an alkali-soluble resin.
(17) A substrate processing system for processing a substrate, a protective layer forming device for forming a protective layer on the surface of the substrate before dicing, and a protective layer removing device for removing the protective layer from the surface of the substrate after dicing. , Has a substrate processing system.
(18) The protective layer removing device according to (17) above, wherein the protective layer removing device has a peeling liquid supply unit that supplies a stripping liquid to the surface of the substrate and a rinse liquid supply unit that supplies the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate. Board processing system.
(19) The rinse liquid supply unit has a two-fluid nozzle that supplies the rinse liquid mixed with a gas in a mist form, and the two-fluid nozzle supplies the rinse liquid mixed with the gas. The substrate processing system according to (18), wherein the supply of only the rinsing fluid can be switched freely.
(20) The rinse liquid supply unit has a two-fluid nozzle that mixes the stripping liquid and the diluting liquid and supplies the diluted stripping liquid with a gas in the form of a mist, according to the above (18) or (19). The substrate processing system described.
(21) The substrate processing system according to any one of (18) to (21) above, wherein the protective layer removing device has a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the surface of the substrate.
(22) The substrate processing system according to any one of (18) to (21) above, wherein the protective layer removing device has an ultrasonic oscillating unit that applies ultrasonic waves to the surface of the substrate.

1 Wafer processing system 10 Protective film forming device 20 Protective film removing device W wafer

Claims

It is a substrate processing method that processes a substrate.
The process of forming a protective layer on the surface of the substrate and
After that, a step of dicing the substrate on which the protective layer is formed and
A substrate processing method comprising a step of removing the protective layer from the surface of the substrate after that.
The step of removing the protective layer is
The process of supplying the release liquid to the surface of the substrate and
After that, it has a step of supplying a rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the stripping liquid is supplied.
The step of supplying the release liquid and the step of supplying the rinse liquid are performed a plurality of times.
In the step of supplying the release liquid before the final round of the plurality of rounds, the protective layer is partially removed so that the surface of the substrate is not exposed.
The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is removed from the surface of the substrate in the final step of supplying the release liquid.
The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein in the step of supplying the stripping solution, the stripping solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate from the stripping solution supply section, and the diluent is supplied to the surface of the substrate from the diluent supply section. ..
The substrate according to claim 2, wherein in the step of supplying the stripping solution, the stripping solution and the diluting solution are mixed to generate a diluted stripping solution, and the diluted stripping solution is supplied from the stripping solution supply unit to the surface of the substrate. Processing method.
In the step of supplying the release liquid, the release liquid is supplied from the release liquid supply unit to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate and moving the release liquid supply unit from the outer peripheral portion to the center portion of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 4.
In the step of supplying the release liquid before the final round, the rotation speed of the substrate and the moving speed of the release liquid supply unit are controlled, and the protective layer remaining on the surface of the substrate after the release liquid is supplied. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the substrate is controlled.
In the step of supplying the release liquid, the release liquid is supplied from the release liquid supply unit to the surface center portion of the substrate in a state where the release liquid supply unit is arranged above the center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 4.
In the step of supplying the rinse liquid, either one of a step of supplying only the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate and a step of supplying the rinse liquid mixed with gas to the surface of the substrate in the form of a mist or The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein both steps are performed.
In the step of supplying the rinse liquid, which is performed after the step of supplying the stripping liquid before the final round.
The eighth aspect of the present invention, wherein after performing the step of supplying only the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate, the substrate is rotated in a state where the supply of the rinse liquid is stopped, and the rinse liquid on the surface of the substrate is discharged. Substrate processing method.
The rinse solution is a diluted stripping solution in which the stripping solution and the diluent are mixed.
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein in the step of supplying the rinse liquid, the diluted stripping liquid mixed with gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate in the form of mist.
After the step of removing the protective layer, there is a step of cleaning the surface of the substrate.
The process of cleaning the surface of the substrate is
A process of supplying gas to the surface of the substrate while supplying the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate.
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 10, further comprising a step of rotating the substrate to dry the surface of the substrate.
The step of forming the protective layer is
The process of applying a protective liquid to the surface of the substrate attached to the dicing frame, and
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a step of heating the substrate coated with the protective liquid.
In the step of applying the protective liquid, the protective liquid discharged from the coating portion is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate, and the coating portion and the substrate are relatively moved in the horizontal direction to reach the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein a protective liquid is applied.
The step of forming the protective layer is performed before attaching the dicing frame to the substrate.
The step of forming the protective layer is
The process of applying a protective liquid to the surface of the substrate by the spin coating method,
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a step of heating the substrate coated with the protective liquid.
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the step of forming the protective layer includes a step of irradiating the surface of the substrate with ultraviolet rays.
The substrate treatment method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the protective layer is an alkali-soluble resin.
A substrate processing system that processes substrates
A protective layer forming device that forms a protective layer on the surface of the substrate before dicing,
A substrate processing system comprising a protective layer removing device for removing the protective layer from the surface of the substrate after dicing.
The protective layer removing device is
A stripping liquid supply unit that supplies the stripping liquid to the surface of the substrate,
The substrate processing system according to claim 17, further comprising a rinse liquid supply unit for supplying a rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate.
The rinse liquid supply unit has a two-fluid nozzle that supplies the rinse liquid mixed with gas in the form of mist.
The substrate processing system according to claim 18, wherein the two-fluid nozzle is configured to be able to switch between supplying the rinse liquid mixed with the gas and supplying only the rinse liquid.
The substrate processing system according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the rinsing liquid supply unit has a two-fluid nozzle that mixes a diluted stripping solution in which the stripping solution and the diluent is mixed with a gas and supplies the diluted solution in a mist form.
The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the protective layer removing device has a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the surface of the substrate.
The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the protective layer removing device has an ultrasonic oscillator that applies ultrasonic waves to the surface of the substrate.