JP2002361186A - Treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a treatment apparatus capable of supporting or holding a substrate so as not to leave an untreated part on the substrate. SOLUTION: In one embodiment of the treatment apparatus, a washing treatment unit (CLU) 21a for washing a semiconductor wafer W is equipped with support pins 25b for supporting the wafer W, holding pins 25a for holding the wafer W, a freely rotatable spin plate 26 and washing liquid discharge orifices 41 for discharging the washing liquid to the wafer W. Each of the support pins 25b has a fixing member 73, a support member 71 having a support part 72 and a connection member 74 for connecting the fixing member 73 and the support member 71. When the spin plate 26 is rotated while supplying the washing liquid to the wafer W, the connection member 74 is deformed by the centrifugal force applied to the support member 71 so that the support part 72 is moved to the outside of rotation. By this constitution, the support part 72 does not always come into contact with the wafer W to eliminate an untreated part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process such as a liquid process on various substrates such as a CD substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a semiconductor wafer (wafer) as a substrate is washed with a predetermined chemical solution or a cleaning solution such as pure water, and contaminants such as particles, organic contaminants and metal impurities are removed from the wafer. A wafer cleaning apparatus that removes a polymer and the like after the etching process and the etching process is used. As such a wafer cleaning apparatus, a single-wafer-type wafer cleaning apparatus that performs a cleaning process by rotating a wafer held substantially horizontally is known.

In this single wafer type wafer cleaning apparatus,
First, the wafer is placed on a rotatable spin plate, and a predetermined processing liquid is supplied to the wafer while rotating the wafer. At this time, if necessary, a brush or the like is brought into contact with the surface of the wafer for cleaning. Processing is performed. Next, the cleaning liquid attached to the wafer is shaken off by rotating the wafer at a high speed without supplying the cleaning liquid, and the wafer is dried.

As the spin plate, for example, support pins for supporting the wafer W when the spin plate is stationary, such as when the wafer is placed on the spin plate, and centrifugal force acts when the spin plate is rotated. In this case, a holding member called a balancer designed to apply a force for holding the wafer from the end face of the wafer toward the center is provided at a predetermined position on the periphery of the spin plate.

[0005]

However, when the wafer is supported or held by using such support pins and the balancer, the wafer is also held on the support pins at the same time even when the wafer is held by the balancer. It will be in contact. In this way, there is a problem that the processing liquid is not applied to the portion where the wafer W is always in contact with the support pins during the processing, and the unprocessed portion remains, deteriorating the quality of the wafer.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a processing apparatus capable of supporting or holding a substrate so that an unprocessed portion does not remain on the substrate.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a support mechanism having a plurality of support portions for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate, a holding mechanism for holding the substrate,
A processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process on the substrate supported or held by the support mechanism or the holding mechanism, and the support unit has a support position for supporting the substrate and the substrate held by the holding mechanism. A processing apparatus that is movable between a retracted position and a separated position from the substrate in a state where the substrate is located.

Further, according to the present invention, a support mechanism having a plurality of support portions for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate, a holding mechanism for holding the substrate, and a rotating plate provided with the support mechanism and the holding mechanism are provided. A rotating device that rotates the rotating plate, and a processing mechanism that performs a predetermined process on a substrate supported or held by the support mechanism or the holding mechanism, wherein the holding mechanism includes the rotating plate. The support portion holds the substrate when rotating the support plate, and the support portion is located at a retracted position separated from the substrate held by the holding mechanism from a support position supporting the substrate due to a centrifugal force generated when the rotating plate is rotated. A processing device characterized by being movable to

Further, according to the present invention, there are provided a support mechanism for supporting a substrate at a plurality of locations on a peripheral portion of the substrate, a holding mechanism for holding the substrate, a rotating plate provided with the support mechanism and the holding mechanism, A rotating device that rotates the rotating plate, and a processing mechanism that performs a predetermined process on the substrate supported or held by the support mechanism or the holding mechanism,
The support mechanism, a fixed member fixed to the rotating plate,
A supporting member having a supporting portion for supporting the substrate, the fixing member and the supporting member being connected to each other, and the supporting portion moves to the outside of rotation due to centrifugal force applied to the supporting member when the rotating plate is rotated. And a connecting member that deforms as described above.

According to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the position of the supporting member for supporting the substrate can be moved to a position where the supporting member does not come into contact with the substrate during processing. Can be eliminated. Thus, a predetermined process can be performed on the entire substrate without an unprocessed portion. Further, even if the support member is separated from the substrate in this manner, the substrate is held by the holding member, so that the substrate does not fall off. Thus, processing can be performed on the entire substrate, and the quality of the substrate can be improved.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate while holding the substrate substantially horizontally, for example, a cleaning processing apparatus, a coating film forming apparatus, a developing processing apparatus, and the like. In the embodiment, a cleaning processing system provided with a cleaning processing unit for simultaneously cleaning both surfaces of a semiconductor wafer (wafer) will be described as an example.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a cleaning system 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. These figures 1
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
The cleaning unit 3 includes a cleaning unit 3 for performing a cleaning process on the wafer W and a thermal process after the cleaning process, and a loading / unloading unit 2 for loading / unloading the wafer W from / to the cleaning unit 3. The loading / unloading unit 2
An input / output port 4 provided with a mounting table 11 for mounting a container (a hoop F) capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W, for example, 25 wafers W at predetermined intervals substantially horizontally;
And a wafer transfer unit 5 provided with a wafer transfer unit (CRA) 13 for transferring a wafer between the FOUP F placed on the wafer and the cleaning processing unit 3.

In the hoop F, the wafer W is the one in the hoop F
It is carried in and out through a side surface, and this side surface is provided with a lid that can be opened and closed. A shelf for holding the wafers W at predetermined intervals is provided on the inner wall, and slots 1 to 25 for accommodating the wafers W are formed. The wafer W is placed in each slot in a state where the front surface (refers to the surface on which the semiconductor device is formed) is the upper surface (refers to the upper surface when the wafer W is held horizontally). One by one is accommodated.

On the mounting table 11 of the in / out port 4, for example, three hoops F can be mounted at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction in the Y direction. Hoop F is the in / out port 4 on the side with the lid
Is placed toward the boundary wall 91 between the wafer transfer section 5 and the wafer transfer section 5. A window 92 is formed in the boundary wall 91 at a position corresponding to the place where the hoop F is placed. Is provided.

The window opening and closing mechanism 12 can also open and close a lid provided on the hoop F.
The lid of the hoop F is also opened and closed simultaneously with the opening and closing of. The window opening / closing mechanism 12 is preferably provided with an interlock so that it does not operate when the hoop F is not placed at a predetermined position on the placing table. When the window 92 is opened to allow the wafer loading / unloading port of the FOUP F to communicate with the wafer transport unit 5, the wafer transport unit (CRA) 13 provided in the wafer transport unit 5 can access the FOUP F, The wafer W can be transferred. A wafer inspection device (not shown) is provided above the window 92 so that the number and state of the wafers W stored in the hoop F can be detected for each slot. Such a wafer inspection apparatus can be mounted on the window opening / closing mechanism 12.

The wafer transfer device (CRA) 13 provided in the wafer transfer section 5 is movable in the Y and Z directions and is rotatable in the XY plane (θ direction). I have. The wafer transfer device (CRA) 13 has a transfer arm 13a for holding the wafer W, and the transfer arm 13a is slidable in the X direction. In this manner, the wafer transfer device (CRA) 13 accesses the slots of any heights of all the FOUPs F mounted on the mounting table 11 and transfers the two wafers provided in the cleaning unit 3. By accessing the units (TRS) 14a and 14b, the wafer W can be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the cleaning processing unit 3 side, and conversely, from the cleaning processing unit 3 side to the in / out port 4 side. It has become.

The cleaning unit 3 includes two wafer transfer units (TRS) 14a.1 for temporarily placing the wafers W thereon for transferring the wafers W to and from the wafer transfer unit 5.
4b, and simultaneously cleaning the front and back surfaces of the wafer W 4
Cleaning units (CLU) 21a to 21d, three hot plate units (HP) 16a to 16c for heating the cleaned wafer W, and a cooling unit (COL) 16d for cooling the heated wafer W Heating / cooling unit (HP / COL) 16, wafer transfer units (TRS) 14a and 14b, cleaning processing units (CLU) 21a to 21d, and heating / cooling unit (H
A main wafer transfer device (PRA) 15 is provided so as to be accessible to all units of the P / COL (P / COL) 16 and transfers the wafer W between these units.

The cleaning unit 3 includes an electrical unit (EB) as a power supply for operating the entire cleaning system 1.
18, a machine control unit (MCB) 19 for operating and controlling the various units disposed in the cleaning processing system 1 and the entire cleaning processing system 1, and a predetermined liquid for sending to the cleaning processing units (CLU) 21a to 21d. And a chemical liquid storage unit (CTB) 17 for storing the cleaning liquid. The electrical unit (EB) 18 is connected to a main power supply (not shown). Each unit for handling the wafer W and the main wafer transfer device (PRA) 1
5 is provided with a filter fan unit (FFU) 20 for down-flowing clean air.

Chemical storage unit (CTB) 17, electrical unit (EB) 18 and machine control unit (MCB) 19
The wafer is transferred from the surface (Y-direction side surface) to the wafer transfer units (TRS) 14a and 14b, the main wafer transfer device (PRA) 15, and the heating / cooling by placing the wafer outside the cleaning processing unit 3 or pulling the wafer outside. Part (HP / C
OL) 16 can be easily maintained.

FIG. 3 shows a wafer transfer unit (TRS) 14.
a, 14b and a wafer transfer unit (TRS) 14a.
Main wafer transfer device (PRA) adjacent in the X direction of 14b
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic arrangement of a heating unit 15 and a heating / cooling unit (HP / COL) 16. Wafer delivery unit (TRS)
14a and 14b are stacked and arranged in two upper and lower tiers, for example, a lower wafer transfer unit (TRS) 1
4a is used for mounting a wafer W to be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the cleaning processing unit 3 side, while the upper wafer transfer unit (TRS) 14b is used for the cleaning processing unit 3
It can be used to place a wafer W transferred from the side to the in / out port 4 side.

Filter fan unit (FFU) 20
A part of the down flow from the wafer transfer unit (T
RS) 14a and 14b, and flows out toward the wafer transfer section 5 through the space above them. This prevents particles and the like from entering the cleaning processing unit 3 from the wafer transfer unit 5 and maintains the cleanliness of the cleaning processing unit 3.

The main wafer transfer device (PRA) 15 extends in the Z direction, has a cylindrical support 51 having vertical walls 51a and 51b and side openings 51c therebetween, and a cylindrical support 51 inside the cylindrical support 51. And a wafer transfer body 52 provided so as to be able to move up and down in the Z direction along 51. The cylindrical support 51 is rotatable by the rotational driving force of a motor 53, and accordingly, the wafer carrier 52 is also integrally rotated.

The wafer transfer body 52 includes a transfer base 54 and three main wafer transfer arms 55, 56 and 57 movable back and forth along the transfer base 54. 57 are the side openings 5 of the cylindrical support 51.
1c. The main wafer transfer arms 55 to 57 can be independently advanced and retracted by a motor and a belt mechanism built in the transfer base 54. The wafer carrier 52 is
The belt 59 is moved up and down by driving a belt 59 by a motor 58. Reference numeral 60 denotes a driving pulley, and 61 denotes a driven pulley.

In the heating / cooling section (HP / COL) 16, a cooling unit (CO) for forcibly cooling the wafer W is provided.
L) One hot plate unit (HP) 16a to 16d for performing forced heating / natural cooling thereon
c are stacked and arranged. Note that a heating / cooling unit (HP / COL) 16 may be provided in a space above the wafer transfer units (TRS) 14a and 14b. In this case, the position of the heating / cooling unit (HP / COL) 16 shown in FIG. 1 can be used as another utility space.

Cleaning unit (CLU) 21a-21
As for d, two units are arranged in each of the upper and lower stages. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21a
・ 21c and cleaning unit (CLU) 21b ・ 21d
Has a symmetrical structure with respect to the wall surface 93 forming the boundary, but the cleaning unit (CLU) 21a
There is no difference in the operation of the various mechanisms that constitute 〜21d. Therefore, taking the cleaning unit (CLU) 21a as an example,
The structure will be described in detail below.

FIG. 4 shows a cleaning unit (CLU) 21a.
5 and FIG. 6 show a processing cup 2 disposed in a cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21a.
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wafer 2 and its internal structure. FIG. 5 shows a state at the time of a cleaning process of the wafer W, and FIG.

In the cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21a, a window 94 through which the main wafer transfer arms 55 to 57 enter or exit is formed on the boundary wall 93 side.
The window 94 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown). In addition, the cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21
a has a processing cup 22 and a lid 80 which can be arranged and moved so as to cover the surface of the wafer W held in the processing cup 22.

A spin chuck 23 for holding the wafer W substantially horizontally is provided inside the processing cup 22, and a stage 24 is provided so as to be located below the wafer W held by the spin chuck 23. . Spin chuck 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a spin plate 26, a holding member 25a and a support pin 25b which are respectively attached at three positions on a peripheral edge of the spin plate 26, and a hollow rotary shaft 27 rotatable by a rotary mechanism (not shown). Have.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the holding member 25a and its operation form, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the support pin 25b and its operation form. The holding member 25a
Two columns 65 fixed to the spin plate 26 (the columns located on the near side of the drawing are not shown);
It has a rotating shaft 65 a bridged between the five and a movable pin 62. A weight 63 is attached to a lower portion of the movable pin 62, and a holding portion 64 having a substantially L-shaped cross section having a bottom surface 64 a and a cliff wall 64 b is formed at an upper portion of the movable pin 62. Are formed with through holes 62a. The rotating shaft 65a passes through the through hole 62a,
2 is supported by the rotating shaft 65a and the rotating shaft 65a
It is rotatable around.

The support pin 25b has a bottom surface 7 having a substantially L-shaped cross section.
A supporting member 71 having a supporting portion 72 having a 2a and a cliff wall surface 72b, a fixing member 73 fixed to the spin plate 26 and having a concave portion 73a formed thereon, and connecting the supporting member 71 and the fixing member 73. And a connecting member 74.

When the wafer W is not placed on the holding member 25a and the support pins 25b, the holding member 25a
As shown in FIG. 7A, the movable pin 62 is
It is supported by 5a and held in a posture balanced by its own weight. Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, the supporting member 25 is held in a posture in which the supporting member 71 stands upright above the fixing member 73 by the connecting member 74.

When the wafer W is placed so that the wafer W comes into contact with the bottom surface 72a of the support portion 72 formed on the support member 71, the support member 71 is placed on the bottom surface 72a as shown in FIG. W is supported in contact. At this time, it is also preferable that the cliff wall surface 72b abuts on the end face of the wafer W to hold the wafer W. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, for example, the holding member 25a is configured so that the holding portion 64 of the movable pin 62 does not abut on the wafer W or lightly touches the bottom surface 64a.

FIG. 7 with the spin plate 26 stationary
From the state shown in FIG. 8B and FIG.
Starts rotating, the holding member 25a and the support pin 25b
Change to the states shown in FIGS. 7C and 8C, respectively. That is, the holding member 25a moves the weight 63 toward the outer peripheral side of the spin plate 26 under the centrifugal force,
The entire movable pin 62 is inclined so that the holding portion 64 moves toward the center of the spin plate 26. Thus, the holding unit 64 holds the wafer W by applying a strong pressing force to the wafer W.

On the other hand, the support pin 25b is configured such that the connecting member 74 bends when the supporting member 71 receives centrifugal force, and the supporting member 71 moves outside the spin plate 26 when the connecting member 74 bends. The state is separated from the wafer W. It is preferable that the support member 71 of the support pin 25b be separated from the wafer W after the holding member 25a has held the wafer W. When the rotation of the spin plate 26 is stopped, the holding member 25a and the support pin 25b
Returns to the states shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, respectively.

A stepped cover 28 is provided below the spin plate 26 so as to surround the rotation shaft 27, and the cover 28 is fixed to a pedestal 29. An exhaust port 31 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the cover 28, and particles or the like generated by the rotation of the spin chuck 23 are drawn above the wafer W by sucking air in the processing cup 22 by an exhaust pump or the like (not shown). In addition, it is prevented that the mist generated by the cleaning liquid shaken off from the wafer W is diffused out of the processing cup 22.

The stage 24 is mainly composed of the stage body 3
6 and screws 34 so as to cover the upper surface of the stage body 36.
Disk 35 attached by the
6 and a lifting mechanism (not shown) attached below the pivot 37. By operating the lifting mechanism, the stage 24 can be moved up and down by a predetermined height. I have.

When transferring the wafer W between the spin chuck 23 and the main wafer transfer arms 55 to 57,
As shown in FIG. 6, an annular projection 36a formed on the lower surface of the stage body 36 contacts the upper surface of the spin plate 26, and an annular projection 26a formed on the upper surface of the spin plate 26. Is in a state where the stage 24 is lowered to a position (retreat position) where the stage 24 contacts the lower surface of the stage body 36. In this way, by increasing the gap width between the wafer W and the disk 35, the main wafer transfer arms 55 to 57 can easily enter and exit.

An annular groove 38 is formed on the upper surface of the stage main body 36, and a space 39 is formed by the disk 35 covering the groove 38. A cylindrical concave portion is formed in the lower central portion of the stage main body 36, and a cylindrical member 44 is attached so as to fit into the concave portion. The lower surface of the cylindrical member 44 is in contact with the upper surface of the pivot 37. Are joined. A cleaning liquid supply hole 41 is formed so as to penetrate substantially the center of the disk 35, the stage main body 36, and the column member 44, and a predetermined cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipes 45 a to 45 c attached to the column member 44. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the gap between the surface of the disk 35 and the wafer W.

As the cleaning liquid, for example, aqueous ammonia (NH ₄ OH), aqueous hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) and pure water (D
IW) and a chemical solution called SC-1 which is mainly used for removing particles and an aqueous solution containing a predetermined amount of hydrogen fluoride (HF), and is mainly used for removing oxide films. A chemical solution commonly called DHF and pure water (DIW) are used. In the cleaning unit (CLU) 21a, SC-1 is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe 45a, and pure water (DIW) is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe 45b.
However, DHF is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe 45c. It is preferable that a heater is attached to each of the cleaning liquid supply pipes 45a to 45c so that the temperature of the chemical solution to be sent can be controlled. 6, illustration of details of the cleaning liquid supply pipes 45a to 45c is omitted.

In the space 39, a heater 46 is attached to the back surface of the disk 35, and the heater 46 makes it possible to control the temperature of the cleaning liquid supplied to the gap between the disk 35 and the wafer W. I have. A cable 47 for supplying electric power to the heater 46 is passed through an electric wiring hole 42 formed so as to communicate the space 39 with the hollow portion of the pivot 37.

In the stage 24, a gas supply hole 43 is formed so as to communicate the space 39 and the hollow portion of the pivot 37, and a gas supply pipe 48 is attached to the gas supply hole 43. By supplying a dry inert gas such as nitrogen gas to the space 39 using the gas supply holes 43, a sealing portion 49 between the disk 35 and the stage main body 36 is formed through a gap between the screw 34 and the disk 35. The cleaning liquid can be prevented from entering the space 39 through the opening.

The processing cup 22 includes an inner cup 22a which can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and a fixed under cup 22b. Inner cup 2
2a is held at the position (upper position) shown in FIG. 5 during the cleaning processing of the wafer W, and prevents the cleaning liquid shaken off from the wafer W from scattering to the outside. Further, when the wafer W is transferred between the main wafer transfer arms 55 to 57 and the spin chuck 23, the wafer W is held at the position (lower position) shown in FIG.
57 can enter and exit. Under cup 2
At the bottom of 2b, a drain 32 for exhausting and discharging the cleaning liquid is provided.

As described above, SC-1 was used as a cleaning solution.
When DHF or pure water (DIW) is used, SC-1 is an alkaline aqueous solution containing ammonia.
Since F is an acidic aqueous solution containing hydrogen fluoride, when the cleaning liquid is collected from the drain 32, at least SC
In order to avoid a chemical reaction between -1 and DHF, it is preferable to switch the drainage path so that these can be separated and recovered.

In a state where the cleaning process of the wafer W is not performed, as shown in FIG.
Has been retracted to a position away from above. Lid 80
Is held by a lid holding arm 82, which is connected to an arm holding member 83 fitted with a guide 84. The arm holding member 83 can be slid in the X direction along a guide 84 by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the lid 80 can be moved up and down in the Z direction by a lifting mechanism (not shown).

A cleaning liquid supply hole 81 for supplying a predetermined cleaning liquid to the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 23 is formed substantially at the center of the lid 80. Wafer W
5, the lid 80 is positioned and held such that the gap between the front surface of the wafer W and the back surface of the lid 80 has a predetermined width, as shown in FIG. In this state, a predetermined cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 23 from a cleaning liquid supply hole 81 provided substantially at the center of the lid 80.

By incorporating a heater inside the lid 80, it is possible to control the temperature of the chemical supplied to the wafer W. It is also preferable to supply a cleaning liquid whose temperature has been adjusted to the cleaning liquid supply hole 81. By maintaining the cleaning liquid at a predetermined temperature, the performance of the cleaning liquid can be brought out, and more accurate cleaning processing can be performed.

Next, one embodiment of the cleaning process of the wafer W using the above-described cleaning system 1 will be described below. Here, the wafer delivery unit (TRS) 14
a is used for mounting a wafer W to be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the cleaning processing unit 3 side, and the wafer delivery unit (TRS) 14b is used from the cleaning processing unit 3 side to the in / out port 4 side. It is used to place the wafer W to be transferred.

First, a hoop F containing a predetermined number of wafers W in a state where the front surface is on the upper surface is placed on the mounting table 1.
Place on 1. Next, the window 9 is opened and closed by the window opening and closing mechanism 12.
2 and the lid of the hoop F are opened, the wafer W in a predetermined slot in the hoop F is unloaded from the hoop F using the wafer transfer device (CRA) 13 and is sent to the wafer delivery unit (TRS) 14a. It is transported and placed on the spot. Subsequently, the main wafer transfer device (PRA) 15 unloads the wafer W from the wafer transfer unit (TRS) 14a, and loads the wafer W into one of the cleaning processing units (CLU) 21a to 21d, for example, the cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21a. I do.

The wafer W carried into the cleaning processing unit (CLU) 21a has at least the support pins 25 as described with reference to FIGS. 7 (b) and 8 (b).
The state is supported by b. Thereafter, the lid 80 and the stage 24 are aligned with respect to the wafer W such that the state shown in FIG.

For example, SC-1 is supplied to the gap between the disk 35 and the wafer W from the cleaning liquid supply hole 41 to form a layer of SC-1 in the gap between the disk 35 and the wafer W. SC-1 is supplied to the gap between the lid 80 and the wafer W to form a layer of SC-1 in the gap between the lid 80 and the wafer W. When the SC-1 layer is formed, the supply of SC-1 is stopped, and the spin plate 26 is rotated without rotation or at a low rotation speed at which a centrifugal force is not applied to the SC-1 layer. It is left for a predetermined time while the front and back surfaces are in contact with SC-1. At this time, the portion of the wafer W that is in contact with the support member 71 is not processed because SC-1 does not spread. The holding portion 64 of the movable pin 62 of the holding member 25a is not in contact with the wafer W, or
Since a is lightly in contact with the wafer W, it is not an unprocessed portion.

Thereafter, when the spin plate 26 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions while the supply of SC-1 is restarted, the weight 63 moves to the outer peripheral side of the spin plate 26 by centrifugal force, and the holding portion 64 rotates. The entire movable pin 62 rotates so as to move to the center side of the plate 26 and the holding member 25
a holds the wafer W. On the other hand, the support pins 25
b, the connecting member 74 is bent by the centrifugal force applied to the support member 71, and the support member 71 is
6 and is separated from the wafer W. Thus,
SC-1 spreads over the unprocessed portion of wafer W, and liquid processing is performed.

Next, the disk 35 is returned to a state where the rotation of the spin plate 26 is stopped or a state where the rotation is performed at a low rotation speed such that a centrifugal force is not applied to the holding member 25a.
A rinsing process for supplying pure water (DIW) to the gap between the wafer W and the lid 80 and the gap between the lid 80 and washing the SC-1 is performed. Subsequently, by rotating the spin chuck 23 at a predetermined rotation speed, for example, 5000 rpm,
Pure water (DIW) is removed from the surface of the wafer W. By temporarily supplying pure water (DIW) toward the wafer W during the rotation process for removing the pure water (DIW), the wafer W against which the support member 71 has abutted while the spin plate 26 is stationary. The rinsing process can be performed by spreading pure water (DIW) to the abutting portion.

When this rinsing process is completed, the SC-
1 and the subsequent rinsing treatment,
And a rinsing treatment for removing DHF,
Thus, the cleaning process of the front and back surfaces of the wafer W is completed. The wafer W after the cleaning process is transferred to the main wafer transfer device (PR
A) The hot plate unit (HP) 1 according to 15
The sheet is conveyed to any one of 6a to 16c and subjected to heat drying processing on the spot, and then conveyed to a cooling unit (COL) 16d to be cooled. Wafer W after cooling process
Is transferred from the cooling unit (COL) 16d to the wafer delivery unit (TR) by the main wafer transfer device (PRA) 15.
S) The sheet is transported to 14b and placed there. The wafer W placed on the wafer delivery unit (TRS) 14b is
The wafer is returned to a predetermined slot in the FOUP F by the wafer transfer device (CRA) 13. Such an operation is performed for all the wafers W stored in the FOUP F, and when the processing of all the wafers W is completed, the FOUP F is transferred from the mounting table 11 to an apparatus for performing the next processing.

Next, another embodiment of the support pin 25b used in the spin chuck 23 will be described. 9A and 9B are explanatory views showing a schematic structure of the support pin 25c and an operation form thereof. FIG. 9A shows a state where the spin plate 26 is stationary, and FIG. 9B shows a state when the spin plate 26 is rotated. Each state is shown.

The support pin 25c includes a support member 71 having the support portion 72 (having the same structure as the support member 71 of the support pin 25b), a fixing member 76 fixed to the spin plate 26, and a support member 71. And a connecting member 77 that connects the fixing member 76. The connecting member 77 has a bent shape bent into a hairpin curve shape,
It has elasticity (spring property) such that the width of the gap 77a changes. As shown in FIG. 9B, the spin plate 2
When the rotating member 6 is rotated, the width of the gap portion 77a is widened so that the supporting portion 72 of the supporting member 71 moves outside the rotation, so that the supporting portion 72 is separated from the wafer W.

Although the processing apparatus of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as long as the connection members 74 and 77 can be deformed by bending or the like so that the support portion 72 of the support member 71 can move, the shape is not limited to a bar shape or a hairpin curve shape. It may be. Further, guides are provided on the fixing members 73 and 76, and the support members 71 are fitted to the guides, and the support members 71 are fixed to the fixing members 7 by a balance between a stretching force of a spring or the like and a centrifugal force applied to the support members 71.
It may be configured to slide horizontally with respect to 3.76.

Further, in the support pins 25b and 25c, the description has been given of the mode in which the support portion 72 moves in a substantially horizontal direction of the wafer W. However, the support portion 72 may be configured to move downward. The centrifugal force generated by rotating the spin plate 26 can also be used when moving the support portion 72 downward. For example, the force of a member heavier than the support member 71 moving to the outside of rotation due to centrifugal force can be converted into a downward force by the multi-joint mechanism, and the support member 71 can be moved downward.

In the above description, the support pin has a structure including a support member, a fixing member, and a connecting member, such as the support pins 25b and 25c. It may be an integral structure. Further, the connecting members 74 and 77 are directly connected to the spin plate 26 without providing the fixing members 73 and 76.
It is also possible to fix to. Further, as the support pin, an elastic body that can bend the entire support when a single support having a spring property is subjected to centrifugal force and the holding portion formed on the upper support can move to the outside of rotation. It can also be used.

The shape of the supporting portion for supporting the wafer W may be any shape as long as the movement of the wafer W in the outer peripheral direction can be suppressed and the wafer W can be supported. The shape is not limited to the L-shape. In the above embodiment, a semiconductor wafer is taken as a substrate, but the substrate is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be an LCD substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like.

[0060]

As described above, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the position of the supporting portion for supporting the substrate can be moved to a position where the supporting portion does not come into contact with the substrate during processing. Can be eliminated. As a result, a remarkable effect is obtained in that the predetermined processing can be performed on the entire substrate by eliminating the unprocessed portion, thereby improving the quality of the substrate. Further, even if the support portion is separated from the substrate, the substrate is held by the holding mechanism at that time, so that the substrate does not fall off.
In an apparatus for processing by rotating a substrate, the structure of the support mechanism can be simplified by utilizing centrifugal force, and thus, it can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a cleaning system including a cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic structure of the cleaning processing system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the cleaning processing system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a cleaning unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state during a cleaning process of a wafer W in the cleaning processing unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a state when a wafer W is loaded and unloaded in the cleaning processing unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a structure of a holding member used in the spin chuck shown in FIG. 5 and an operation form thereof.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a structure of a support pin used in the spin chuck shown in FIG. 5 and an operation form thereof.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of a support pin used for a spin chuck and an operation form thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1; cleaning processing system 21a to 21d; cleaning processing unit (CLU) 22; processing cup 23; spin chuck 24; stage 25a; holding members 25b and 25c; support pins 26; 76; fixing members 74 and 77; connecting members F; hoops (storage containers) W; semiconductor wafers (substrates)

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H01L 21/304 643 H01L 21/68 N 5F043 21/306 21/306 J 5F046 21/68 21/30 572B F term (reference) 2H088 FA21 FA24 FA30 HA06 MA20 2H090 JC19 2H096 AA25 AA27 AA28 GA17 GA29 GA32 3B201 AA01 AB33 AB47 BB22 BB82 BB92 CC01 CC13 CD33 5F031 CA02 CA05 DA08 EA14 FA01 FA11 FA12 FA15 GA04 GA42 GA27 HA29 MA24 HA32 NA02 NA04 NA14 NA16 NA17 NA18 5F043 BB27 DD13 EE07 EE08 EE35 EE36 EE40 GG10 5F046 MA06 MA10

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A supporting mechanism having a plurality of supporting portions for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate, a holding mechanism for holding a substrate, and a predetermined process for the supporting mechanism or the substrate supported or held by the holding mechanism. Wherein the support unit is movable between a support position for supporting the substrate and a retracted position separated from the substrate in a state where the substrate is held by the holding mechanism. A processing device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A support mechanism having a plurality of support portions for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate; a holding mechanism for holding the substrate; a rotating plate provided with the supporting mechanism and the holding mechanism; A rotating device for rotating, and a processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process on a substrate supported or held by the support mechanism or the holding mechanism, wherein the holding mechanism rotates the rotating plate when the rotating plate is rotated. Holding the substrate, wherein the support portion is movable from a support position for supporting the substrate to a retracted position separated from the substrate held by the holding mechanism by a centrifugal force generated when the rotating plate is rotated. A processing device characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. A support mechanism for supporting a substrate at a plurality of locations on a peripheral portion of the substrate, a holding mechanism for holding the substrate, a rotating plate provided with the supporting mechanism and the holding mechanism, and rotating the rotating plate. And a processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process on the substrate supported or held by the support mechanism or the holding mechanism, wherein the support mechanism comprises: a fixing member fixed to the rotating plate; A supporting member having a supporting portion for supporting a substrate, the fixing member and the supporting member being connected, and the centrifugal force applied to the supporting member when rotating the rotating plate causes the supporting portion to move outward from the rotation. A processing apparatus, comprising: a connecting member that deforms so as to move. 4. The fixing member has a concave portion on the support member side, and the connecting member connects a bottom surface of the concave portion and a bottom surface of the support member, and is provided between an inner peripheral surface of the concave portion. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing apparatus is a bendable rod-shaped member having a predetermined gap. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connecting member is a leaf spring that connects the supporting member and the fixing member. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the leaf spring has a bent shape. 7. The holding mechanism has a pin member for holding a substrate, a weight joined to the pin member, and a base portion for supporting the pin member, and when the rotating plate is rotated. The portion in which the weight moves to the outside of the rotation by centrifugal force, and at the same time, the portion of the pin member that contacts the substrate moves to the inside of the rotation to increase the force for holding the substrate. Item 7. The processing device according to any one of items 6.