WO2021020136A1

WO2021020136A1 - Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate treatment method

Info

Publication number: WO2021020136A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/027566
Authority: WO
Inventors: 和也 ▲高▼山; 宏展百武
Original assignee: 東京エレクトロン株式会社
Priority date: 2019-07-26
Filing date: 2020-07-15
Publication date: 2021-02-04

Abstract

This substrate treatment apparatus has: a treatment tank that forms a storage chamber for a treatment liquid in which a substrate is immersed; a substrate holder that holds the substrate; a raising/lowering mechanism that raises and lowers the substrate holder between the storage chamber in the treatment tank and a drying chamber above the treatment tank; a dried gas supply unit that supplies, onto a liquid level of the treatment liquid stored in the storage chamber, dried gas containing vapor of a dry liquid; and a control unit that controls the raising/lowering mechanism and the dried gas supply unit, wherein the control unit controls at least one among the pull-up speed of the substrate, the flow rate of the dried gas, the temperature of the dried gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the dry liquid in the dried gas such that when the substrate is pulled up from the liquid level, the height of a boundary line between a dry region and an immersion region of the substrate from the horizontal plane of the liquid level is within an allowable range.

Description

Substrate processing equipment and substrate processing method

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

The washing / drying unit described in Patent Document 1 raises and lowers a washing tank for storing a rinse solution (for example, pure water), a drying chamber located above the washing tank, a substrate holder for holding a substrate, and a substrate holder. It has an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering. The substrate holder holds a plurality of substrates in an upright position in a horizontally arranged state. The elevating mechanism raises and lowers the substrate holder between the inside of the washing tank and the drying chamber. The plurality of substrates are immersed in the rinse liquid stored in the washing tank, then pulled up from the surface of the rinse liquid and dried in the drying chamber.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-9727

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a technique capable of suppressing the collapse of the surface pattern of the substrate when the substrate immersed in the treatment liquid is pulled up.

The substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is
A treatment tank that forms a storage chamber for the treatment liquid in which the substrate is immersed,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate and
An elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate holder between the storage chamber in the treatment tank and the drying chamber above the treatment tank.
A drying gas supply unit that supplies a drying gas containing vapor of the drying liquid above the liquid level of the processing liquid stored in the storage chamber,
It has a control unit that controls the elevating mechanism and the dry gas supply unit.
When the substrate is pulled up from the liquid level, the control unit sets the substrate so that the height of the boundary line between the dry region and the immersion region of the substrate from the horizontal plane of the liquid level is within an allowable range. At least one of the pulling speed of the dry gas, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas is controlled.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the collapse of the surface pattern of the substrate when the substrate immersed in the treatment liquid is pulled up.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the liquid level when the substrate according to the embodiment is pulled up. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a main part of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a boundary line when the pulling speed of the substrate according to the embodiment is the first speed. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a boundary line when the pulling speed of the substrate according to one embodiment is the second speed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding configurations may be designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof may be omitted. In the present specification, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are perpendicular to each other. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 immerses the substrate 2 in the treatment liquid 3, treats the substrate 2 with the treatment liquid 3, then pulls the substrate 2 from the treatment liquid 3 and dries the substrate 2. The substrate processing device 1 includes, for example, a processing tank 10, a drying container 20, a substrate holder 30, an elevating mechanism 40, a drying gas supply unit 50, and a control unit 90.

The treatment tank 10 forms a storage chamber for the treatment liquid 3 in which the substrate 2 is immersed. The treatment tank 10 is, for example, a double tank, and has an inner tank 11 for storing the treatment liquid 3 and an outer tank 12 for collecting the treatment liquid 3 overflowing from the inner tank 11. The outer tank 12 surrounds the upper part of the inner tank 11. The substrate 2 is immersed in the treatment liquid 3 in the inner tank 11, and is treated by the treatment liquid 3. The treatment liquid 3 is not particularly limited, but includes a rinse liquid such as pure water.

A nozzle 13 for discharging a treatment liquid 3 such as a rinse liquid toward the substrate 2 is provided in the tank of the inner tank 11. The nozzle 13 discharges the processing liquid 3 toward the substrate 2 above the nozzle 13. A discharge pipe 14 for discharging the treatment liquid 3 is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 11. Further, a discharge pipe (not shown) for discharging the treatment liquid 3 is also provided at the bottom of the outer tank 12.

The drying container 20 forms a drying chamber above the processing tank 10. The drying container 20 includes a base portion 21 fixed to the processing tank 10 and a hood portion 24 that moves up and down with respect to the base portion 21. The base portion 21 has a tubular portion 22 and an upper flange portion 23 formed at the upper end of the tubular portion 22. On the other hand, the hood portion 24 has a ceiling portion 25 having a dome shape in cross section and a lower flange portion 26 formed at the lower end of the ceiling portion 25. The lower flange portion 26 is brought into close contact with the upper flange portion 23 via a ring-shaped seal 27.

The board holder 30 holds a plurality of boards 2. Of course, the substrate holder 30 can hold only one substrate 2. The substrate holder 30 has a plurality of holding rods 31 that hold the outer periphery of the substrate 2 at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a connecting plate (not shown) that is connected to one end of each of the plurality of holding rods 31. Each of the plurality of holding rods 31 extends from the connecting plate in the X-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the substrate 2, and has a plurality of holding grooves at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof. The plurality of holding rods 31 vertically hold the substrate 2 in the holding grooves.

The lifting mechanism 40 raises and lowers the substrate holder 30 between the storage chamber in the inner tank 11 and the drying chamber above the inner tank 11. The elevating mechanism 40 has, for example, a rod 41 extending vertically upward from the connecting plate and a drive source 42 for elevating and lowering the rod 41. The rod 41 is inserted into a through hole at the top of the hood portion 24 of the drying container 20. The through hole is provided with an inflatable seal 28 that expands due to the supply of gas. The inflatable seal 28 seals the gap between the hood portion 24 and the rod 41.

When the substrate holder 30 receives the substrate 2 from an external transfer device (not shown) and the external transfer device exits with the drying chamber open, the hood portion 24 is lowered and comes into close contact with the base portion 21 via the seal 27. And the drying chamber is closed. Next, the elevating mechanism 40 lowers the substrate holder 30 from the drying chamber to the storage chamber, and immerses the substrate 2 in the treatment liquid 3 previously stored in the storage chamber. When the processing of the substrate 2 is completed, the elevating mechanism 40 raises the substrate holder 30 from the storage chamber to the drying chamber. Next, when the substrate 2 is dried in the drying chamber, the hood portion 24 rises and the drying chamber is opened. After that, the external transfer device receives the substrate 2 from the substrate holder 30 and carries out the received substrate 2 to the outside.

The dry gas supply unit 50 supplies the dry gas containing the vapor of the dry liquid onto the liquid level 5 of the treatment liquid 3 stored in the inner tank 11. The desiccant is an alcohol such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol). The dry liquid may have a smaller surface tension and a lower density than, for example, a rinse liquid. The drying gas may include a carrier gas such as nitrogen gas in addition to the vapor of the drying liquid.

The drying gas supply unit 50 heats, for example, a steam generator 51 that generates steam of the drying liquid, a drying liquid supply device 52 that supplies the drying liquid in a liquid state to the steam generator 51, and a carrier gas to generate steam. It includes a carrier gas supply device 53 that supplies the device 51. The drying liquid supply device 52 includes a flow rate controller 521 that controls the supply flow rate of the drying liquid. Further, the carrier gas supply device 53 includes a flow rate controller 531 that controls the supply flow rate of the carrier gas, and a heater 532 that heats the carrier gas. The dry liquid is vaporized by the heat of the carrier gas inside the steam generator 51 to become steam. As a result, a dry gas, which is a mixed gas of the vapor of the dry liquid and the carrier gas, is generated. The dry gas is sent from the steam generator 51 to the nozzle 55 described later. The dry gas supply unit 50 may further include a line heater 54 for heating the dry gas in the middle of the supply line extending from the steam generator 51 to the nozzle 55.

The dry gas supply unit 50 includes, for example, a nozzle 55 that discharges dry gas toward the dry region A1 exposed from the processing liquid 3 of the substrate 2 when the substrate 2 is pulled up from the liquid level 5 of the processing liquid 3. The nozzle 55 is arranged, for example, between the processing tank 10 and the drying container 20. The nozzle 55 is a hollow rod extending in the X-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the substrate 2, and has a plurality of discharge ports 56 at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof. The plurality of discharge ports 56 discharge dry gas in the Y-axis direction, which is a horizontal direction, for example. Since the flow of the dry gas does not directly hit the liquid level 5 of the treatment liquid 3, the fluctuation of the liquid level 5 can be suppressed. A pair of nozzles 55 may be provided with the substrate 2 interposed therebetween. The pair of nozzles 55 are arranged at intervals in the Y-axis direction, and discharge dry gas toward the substrate 2.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 55 discharges the dry gas in the horizontal direction so as not to cause the liquid level 5 to undulate, but if the discharge flow rate is suppressed, the dry gas is discharged toward the liquid level 5. The dry gas may be discharged diagonally downward, for example. Further, a nozzle different from the nozzle 55 may discharge the dry gas upward.

A discharge port 211 for discharging dry gas from the drying chamber is provided on the side wall of the base portion 21 of the drying container 20. An exhaust device 60 is connected to the exhaust port 211. The exhaust device 60 includes an exhaust source 61 such as a vacuum pump and a barometric pressure controller 62. When the exhaust source 61 is operated, gas is discharged from the drying chamber. The air pressure in the drying chamber is controlled by the air pressure controller 62, and may be higher, lower, or the same as the outside air pressure.

The control unit 90 controls the elevating mechanism 40 and the dry gas supply unit 50. The control unit 90 is, for example, a computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 and a storage medium 92 such as a memory. The storage medium 92 stores programs that control various processes executed by the substrate processing device 1. The control unit 90 controls the operation of the substrate processing device 1 by causing the CPU 91 to execute the program stored in the storage medium 92. Further, the control unit 90 includes an input interface 93 and an output interface 94. The control unit 90 receives a signal from the outside through the input interface 93, and transmits the signal to the outside through the output interface 94.

The above program is stored in, for example, a computer-readable storage medium, and is installed from the storage medium in the storage medium 92 of the control unit 90. Examples of the storage medium that can be read by a computer include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnet optical desk (MO), and a memory card. The program may be downloaded from the server via the Internet and installed on the storage medium 92 of the control unit 90.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the liquid level when the substrate according to the embodiment is pulled up. When the substrate 2 is pulled up from the liquid level 5 of the processing liquid 3, the substrate processing apparatus 1 supplies the drying gas from the nozzle 55 above the liquid level 5. Since the dry gas condenses on the liquid surface 5 which is colder than the dry gas, a thin dry liquid layer 6 is formed on the liquid surface 5. Since the dry liquid has a lower density than the rinse liquid, the dry liquid layer 6 continues to be formed on the rinse liquid layer 7. The boundary between the dry liquid layer 6 and the rinse liquid layer 7 is not really clear, and the deeper the depth from the liquid surface 5, the lower the concentration of the dry liquid.

Since the drying liquid has a lower surface tension than the rinsing liquid, when the substrate 2 passes through the drying liquid layer 6, the rinsing liquid and particles adhering to the substrate 2 can be taken into the drying liquid layer 6 by the Marangoni effect and dried. Can be promoted. Moreover, since the dry liquid has a smaller surface tension than the rinse liquid, pattern collapse due to the surface tension can be suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 2 may have an uneven pattern on its surface 2a. As described above, since the drying liquid has a surface tension smaller than that of the rinsing liquid, it is possible to suppress pattern collapse due to the surface tension when the substrate 2 passes through the drying liquid layer 6.

By the way, the liquid level 5 has a horizontal plane 5a and a curved meniscus 5b. Since the meniscus 5b is formed by contact with the substrate 2, it is formed in the vicinity of the substrate 2. The meniscus 5b is formed above the horizontal plane 5a and has a concave curved surface above.

The present inventor has determined the height from the horizontal surface 5a of the liquid surface 5 to the boundary line B between the dry region A1 exposed from the treatment liquid 3 of the substrate 2 and the immersion region A2 immersed in the treatment liquid 3 by experiments or the like. It was found that the pattern collapse can be suppressed by controlling the H. The height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a is equal to the height of the meniscus 5b.

Further, the present inventor has found that the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 and the drying speed VB are important for controlling the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a. The drying speed VB is the speed at which the boundary line B moves downward in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate 2 when the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is tentatively zero.

If the pulling speed VA is too faster than the drying speed VB, the meniscus 5b is stretched vertically, the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes too large, the treatment liquid 3 is torn, and two points are shown in FIG. As shown by the chain line, the droplet 4 is left behind in the dry region A1 above the boundary line B. The droplet 4 causes pattern collapse and particles. Further, if the pulling speed VA is too faster than the drying speed VB, the thin drying liquid layer 6 is disturbed and a sufficient Marangoni effect cannot be obtained, which also causes pattern collapse and particles.

On the other hand, if the pulling speed VA is too slower than the drying speed VB, the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes too small, and is above the boundary line B due to the shaking of the substrate 2 or the shaking of the liquid level 5. The dry region A1 gets wet again with the treatment liquid 3. As a result, pattern collapse and particles may be generated.

Based on the above findings, the present inventor has found that pattern collapse can be suppressed by controlling the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a. The allowable range of height H is defined by an upper limit value and a lower limit value. Both the upper limit value and the lower limit value are larger than zero. If the height H is maintained below the upper limit value, it is possible to prevent the droplet 4 from being left behind in the dry region A1 above the boundary line B. Further, if the height H is maintained at or above the lower limit value, it is possible to prevent the dry region A1 above the boundary line B from getting wet again due to the shaking of the substrate 2 or the shaking of the liquid level 5. As a result, the collapse of the uneven pattern on the surface 2a of the substrate 2 can be suppressed, and the generation of particles can also be suppressed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a main part of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment. When the control unit 90 pulls up the substrate 2 from the liquid level 5, for example, the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the dry gas, and the drying so that the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a is within the allowable range. Control the temperature of the gas and at least one of the vapor concentrations of the dry liquid in the dry gas. The flow velocity of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas affect the drying rate VB.

The faster the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the vertically stretched the meniscus 5b, and the higher the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a. The pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 can be changed by the lifting mechanism 40. When the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is changed, the shape of the meniscus 5b changes immediately, so that the height H changes immediately. The pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is superior in responsiveness to other physical quantities, and is therefore suitable for feedback control described later.

The faster the flow velocity of the drying gas, the easier it is for the drying to proceed, so the drying speed VB increases and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a decreases. The flow rate of the dry gas can be changed by at least one of the flow rate controller 521 of the desiccant supply device 52 and the flow rate controller 531 of the carrier gas supply device 53. The larger the supply flow rate of the drying liquid, the faster the flow rate of the drying gas. Further, the larger the supply flow rate of the carrier gas, the faster the flow rate of the dry gas.

The higher the temperature of the drying gas, the easier the drying progresses, so the drying speed VB becomes faster, and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes lower. The temperature of the drying gas can be changed by, for example, the line heater 54. The temperature of the dry gas can also be changed by the heater 532 of the carrier gas supply device 53. The higher the temperature of the carrier gas, the higher the temperature of the dry gas.

The higher the concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas, the easier the drying progresses, so the drying speed VB becomes faster and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes lower. The concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas can be changed by at least one of the flow rate controller 521 of the drying liquid supply device 52 and the flow rate controller 531 of the carrier gas supply device 53.

The physical quantities that affect the drying rate VB include the flow rate of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, the concentration of the steam of the drying liquid in the drying gas, the number of substrates 2 per batch, and the drying chamber. The pressure and the elapsed time from the start of continuous operation can be mentioned.

The smaller the number of substrates 2 per batch, the easier it is for drying to proceed, so the drying speed VB becomes faster and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes lower. The number of substrates 2 per batch is the number of substrates 2 received by the substrate holder 30 from the external transfer device, and is usually constant but may vary.

The lower the pressure in the drying chamber is, the easier it is for drying to proceed, so the drying speed VB becomes faster and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a becomes lower. The air pressure in the drying chamber can be changed by the air pressure controller 62. As described above, the pressure in the drying chamber may be higher than the atmospheric pressure. Even if the pressure in the drying chamber is higher than the atmospheric pressure, the drying speed VB changes according to the pressure.

Continuous operation means that the batch processing of the substrate 2 is repeatedly performed. Further, the batch processing of the substrate 2 refers to a series of treatments in which the substrate 2 is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1, immersed in the processing liquid 3, then dried, and then carried out from the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The longer the elapsed time from the start of continuous operation, the more heat is stored in the components of the substrate processing device 1, and the temperature of the components rises. Therefore, drying is facilitated, the drying speed VB is increased, and the horizontal plane 5a of the boundary line B is used. Height H becomes lower. However, if the elapsed time from the start of continuous operation becomes long, the heat storage and heat dissipation can be balanced, so that the temperature of the component parts becomes constant.

As described above, the control unit 90 sets the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 and the drying gas so that the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a is within the allowable range when the substrate 2 is pulled up from the liquid level 5. Controls the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and at least one of the vapor concentrations of the dry liquid in the dry gas. As a result, the collapse of the uneven pattern on the surface 2a of the substrate 2 can be suppressed, and the generation of particles can also be suppressed.

The allowable range of height H is determined in advance by experiments or the like. In the experiment, for example, the presence or absence of pattern collapse, the presence or absence of particles, and the like are examined. After being determined by an experiment or the like, the allowable range of the height H is input by an input unit 81 such as a touch panel or an operation button that accepts a user's input operation, is transmitted from the input unit 81 to the control unit 90, and is transmitted to the storage medium 92. Is remembered in.

The allowable range of the height H is determined in advance by the user, but may be determined by the control unit 90. The control unit 90 determines the allowable range of the height H based on, for example, at least one of the material and the pattern shape of the surface 2a of the substrate 2.

Since the wettability of the treatment liquid 3 with respect to the substrate 2 changes depending on the material of the surface 2a of the substrate 2, the drying speed VB changes. Further, the more complicated the pattern shape of the surface 2a of the substrate 2, the more difficult it is for the substrate 2 to dry, so that the drying speed VB becomes slower.

The control unit 90 stores at least one of the material and pattern shape of the surface 2a of the substrate 2 in advance in the storage medium 92 in association with the allowable range of the height H. The allowable range of the height H is stored for each material of the surface 2a of the substrate 2. Further, the allowable range of the height H is stored for each pattern shape of the surface 2a of the substrate 2.

The control unit 90 reads from the storage medium 92 an allowable range associated with at least one of the material and pattern shape of the surface 2a of the substrate 2 input by the input unit 81, and determines the allowable range.

The setting values of the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas are determined in advance by experiments or the like, and are input by the user in the input unit 81. .. The input set value is transmitted from the input unit 81 to the control unit 90 and stored in the storage medium 92. The control unit 90 controls the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas according to the set values input by the input unit 81.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate processing device 1 may have a height detector 71 that detects the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a. The height detector 71 includes, for example, an image sensor 72 such as a CCD or CMOS that images the meniscus 5b, and an image processing device 73 that processes an image captured by the image sensor 72 and detects the height H. Further, the substrate processing device 1 may further have a light source 74 that irradiates the meniscus 5b whose height H is detected by the height detector 71 with light. An interferometer may be used as the height detector 71. The interferometer uses the interference of light to detect the surface shape of the meniscus 5b and detect the height of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a.

The control unit 90 sets the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the drying liquid in the drying gas so that the height H detected by the height detector 71 is within the permissible range. Control at least one of the vapor concentrations of. When the height H fluctuates due to a disturbance, the height detector 71 can immediately detect the fluctuation, so that feedback control for correcting the physical quantity that affects the height H is possible in order to suppress the fluctuation.

As described above, the physical quantity corrected by the feedback control is, for example, at least one of the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas. .. Among these, the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is excellent in responsiveness. Further, the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is also excellent in that the liquid level 5 does not undulate and the change in height H is large as compared with other physical quantities.

For example, the control unit 90 monitors the height H by the height detector 71, and corrects the set value input by the user in the input unit 81 so that the height H is within the permissible range. The control unit 90 controls at least one of, for example, the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas according to the set value after correction. ..

The control unit 90 of the present embodiment monitors the height H by the height detector 71, and sets the set value input by the user in the input unit 81 so that the height H is within the allowable range. Although the correction is performed, the control unit 90 may determine the set value before the correction. For example, the control unit 90 may use the set value corrected by the past feedback control as a new set value. Further, the control unit 90 may receive a set value corrected by feedback control from a board processing device 1 different from the board processing device 1, and use the received set value as a new set value.

Further, the control unit 90 of the present embodiment monitors the height H by the height detector 71, and for example, the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 and the flow velocity of the dry gas so that the height H is within the permissible range. It corrects for at least one of the temperature of the dry gas and the concentration of vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas, but the techniques of the present disclosure are not limited to this. If the fluctuation of the height H is small, the above correction is unnecessary, and therefore the monitoring of the height H is also unnecessary.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a boundary line when the pulling speed of the substrate according to one embodiment is the first speed. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a boundary line when the pulling speed of the substrate according to one embodiment is the second speed.

Before the start of pulling up the substrate 2, the entire substrate 2 is immersed in the treatment liquid 3 so that the entire substrate 2 is treated with the treatment liquid 3. Therefore, at the start of pulling up the substrate 2, there is no dry region A1 and there is no boundary line B between the dry region A1 and the immersion region A2, so that the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a cannot be controlled.

When the control unit 90 pulls up the substrate 2 from the liquid level 5, the control unit 90 pulls up the substrate 2 until the upper end of the substrate 2 is exposed from the liquid level 5 and the boundary line B is formed on the surface 2a of the substrate 2. The speed VA is controlled to the first speed VA1. After that, when the boundary line B is formed and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a can be controlled, the control unit 90 sets the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 so as to make the height H equal to or higher than the lower limit value. The second speed VA2, which is faster than the first speed VA1, is controlled.

Since the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 is slow immediately before the boundary line B is formed on the surface 2a of the substrate 2, the time for forming the dry region A1 can be secured, and from the horizontal plane 5a of the boundary line B formed at the initial stage. Height H can be kept within the permissible range. If the pulling speed VA of the substrate 2 immediately before the boundary line B is formed on the surface 2a of the substrate 2 is too fast, the substrate 2 rises before the drying of the substrate 2 proceeds, so that the boundary line formed at the initial stage is formed. The height H of B from the horizontal plane 5a exceeds the upper limit of the allowable range.

When the boundary line B is formed and the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a can be controlled, the control unit 90 pulls up the substrate 2 in order to maintain the height H above the lower limit value and below the upper limit value. The VA is controlled to the second speed VA2, which is faster than the first speed VA1. The control unit 90 may perform feedback control for appropriately correcting the second speed VA2 based on the detection result of the height detector 71.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the boundary line B is a curved line, the control unit 90 raises and lowers the mechanism so that both the maximum value and the minimum value of the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a are within the allowable range. 40 and the dry gas supply unit 50 may be controlled. However, the control unit 90 controls the elevating mechanism 40 and the dry gas supply unit 50 so that the height H of a specific portion (for example, a portion where the pattern collapses easily) in the boundary line B is within an allowable range. May be good.

It should be noted that the boundary line B becomes a concave curve upward immediately after the upper end of the substrate 2 is exposed from the liquid level 5. At this time, only the central portion of the substrate 2 in the Y-axis direction is exposed, and only the exposed portion is intensively dried by the drying gas. After that, as the substrate 2 rises and the dry region A1 of the substrate 2 becomes larger, the boundary line B becomes a horizontal straight line.

Although the embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and the like. Various changes, modifications, replacements, additions, deletions, and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims. These also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the substrate 2 is dried by pulling up the substrate 2 from the liquid level 5, but the substrate 2 is removed by discharging the treatment liquid 3 from the inside of the treatment tank 10 and lowering the liquid level 5. It is also possible to dry. In this case, if the discharge speed of the treatment liquid 3 is controlled instead of the pulling speed of the substrate 2, the height H of the boundary line B from the horizontal plane 5a can be controlled.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-138217 filed with the Japan Patent Office on July 26, 2019, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-138217 are incorporated in this application. ..

1 Substrate processing device 2 Substrate 3 Treatment liquid 5 Liquid level 5a Horizontal surface 10 Treatment tank 30 Substrate holder 40 Elevating mechanism 50 Dry gas supply unit 90 Control unit A1 Drying area A2 Immersion area B Boundary line

Claims

A treatment tank that forms a storage chamber for the treatment liquid in which the substrate is immersed,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate and
An elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate holder between the storage chamber in the treatment tank and the drying chamber above the treatment tank.
A drying gas supply unit that supplies a drying gas containing vapor of the drying liquid above the liquid level of the processing liquid stored in the storage chamber,
It has a control unit that controls the elevating mechanism and the dry gas supply unit.
When the substrate is pulled up from the liquid level, the control unit sets the substrate so that the height of the boundary line between the dry region and the immersion region of the substrate from the horizontal plane of the liquid level is within an allowable range. A substrate processing apparatus that controls at least one of a pulling speed, a flow velocity of the dry gas, a temperature of the dry gas, and a concentration of vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the allowable range based on at least one of the surface material and the pattern shape of the substrate.
The control unit
The pulling speed of the substrate, the flow velocity of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas so that the height of the boundary line from the horizontal plane is within the allowable range. Determine the set value of at least one of the concentrations of
A claim that controls at least one of the pulling speed of the substrate, the flow rate of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas according to the determined set value. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1 or 2.
It has a height detector that detects the height of the boundary line from the horizontal plane.
The control unit occupies the pulling speed of the substrate, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the dry gas so that the height detected by the height detector is within the allowable range. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which controls at least one of the vapor concentrations of the drying liquid.
When the control unit pulls up the substrate from the liquid surface, the pulling speed of the substrate is until the upper end of the substrate is exposed from the liquid surface and the boundary line is formed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first speed is controlled, and then the second speed is controlled to be faster than the first speed.
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the dry gas supply unit includes a nozzle for discharging the dry gas toward the dry region of the substrate.
Immersing the substrate in the treatment liquid stored in the storage chamber of the treatment tank and
When the substrate is pulled up from the liquid level of the treatment liquid,
A drying gas containing vapor of the drying liquid is supplied above the liquid level of the treatment liquid.
Pulling the substrate from the liquid surface means that the pulling speed of the substrate is such that the height of the boundary line between the dry region and the immersion region of the substrate from the horizontal plane of the liquid level is within an allowable range. A substrate processing method comprising controlling at least one of a flow velocity of a dry gas, a temperature of the dry gas, and a concentration of vapor of the dry liquid in the dry gas.
The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the allowable range is determined based on at least one of the surface material and the pattern shape of the substrate.
The pulling speed of the substrate, the flow velocity of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas so that the height of the boundary line from the horizontal plane is within the allowable range. To determine the setting value of at least one of the concentrations of
In accordance with the determined set value, at least one of the pulling speed of the substrate, the flow rate of the drying gas, the temperature of the drying gas, and the concentration of the vapor of the drying liquid in the drying gas is controlled.
7. The substrate processing method according to claim 7 or 8.
The height of the boundary line from the horizontal plane is detected, and the pulling speed of the substrate, the flow velocity of the dry gas, the temperature of the dry gas, and the temperature of the dry gas are adjusted so that the detected height is within the allowable range. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, which comprises controlling at least one of the vapor concentrations of the drying liquid in the drying gas.
When the substrate is pulled up from the liquid surface, the pulling speed of the substrate is set to the first speed until the upper end of the substrate is exposed from the liquid surface and the boundary line is formed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising controlling and then controlling to a second speed higher than the first speed.
The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, which comprises discharging the dry gas toward the dry region of the substrate.