JP3352865B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for generating and supplying clean air (local downflow) to a plurality of processing units applied to a process for manufacturing a liquid crystal display substrate or a semiconductor substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a substrate processing apparatus applied to a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display substrate or a semiconductor substrate, a building (a ceiling of a clean room) is designed to prevent particles such as floating dust from adhering to the substrate surface and causing defects. ) Is assumed to be operated in a downflow supply environment.

That is, a substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate surface processing unit using a chemical such as a resist coating unit (coater) and a developing unit (developer), a substrate cleaning unit, and a bake unit (a pre-processing and a post-processing before and after such cleaning and chemical processing). Dehydration bake after washing, pre-bake after coating and post-bake after development) are used, and are integrated into each unit considering the basic processing steps of each processing unit. It is arranged in. Then, the substrate transfer robot having two hands travels and moves between them, and the required processing is executed by sequentially supplying and discharging the substrates one by one. By supplying a clean downflow to these processing units, measures are taken to prevent floating particles and the like from re-adhering to the substrate. Since the downflow supplied to these processing units requires high-quality cleaning, they are supplied after being processed by a filter, activated carbon, or the like. In particular, the down flow in a coater, a developer, or the like has been used not only for cleaning but also for controlling the temperature and humidity.

[0004] In recent years, as the size of a substrate has increased, the size of a manufacturing apparatus has also increased, and the amount of downflow consumed has increased. Therefore, the running cost for maintaining the clean room has increased. The downflow in the clean room consumed by the device has been exhausted to the atmosphere via an exhaust duct. In this case, in the exhausted downflow, those containing a chemical solution such as an alkali solution and a solvent are detoxified (post-treated) through a separate pipe duct having an exhaust scrubber, and then exhausted.

[0005]

However, the exhaust gas from the bake unit, the cleaning unit, the controller, etc., which does not contain a chemical solution, is also connected to an independent exhaust duct and is exhausted. The flow must be generated and supplied, which causes an extra cost, resulting in a problem that the equipment for generating the downflow is enlarged and the running cost is further increased.

[0006] In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of efficiently supplying a downflow and reducing running costs by effectively utilizing exhaust gas not containing a chemical solution. With the goal.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus having an opening at an upstream end of a main body, and a supply path for supplying a downflow sucked into an introduction portion through the opening to the inside of the main body. A return path for communicating the downstream side of the downflow supplied to the main body with the introduction section, an air filter provided in the middle of the return path, the supply path and the return path And a blower interposed in a circulation path comprising:

According to this configuration, the downflow from the building is guided into the inside of the main body from the opening at the upstream end of the main body, and is directed to the downstream side. The introduced downflow air generates an airflow going downstream, carries particles such as dust generated inside due to the operation of the device, carries it to the downstream side with this airflow, and from the downstream side to the return path section Lead. The air containing particles is cleaned through an air filter in the return path, and then returned to the introduction section. The blower installed at the appropriate position in the circulation path sucks downflow from the building and takes it into the main body, recirculates the air cleaned by the air filter via the return path, and combines the two together with an appropriate amount of local To get the target downflow. Such an apparatus can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus as each processing unit. By doing so, effective reuse of downflow in each processing unit can be achieved.

When the cleaning unit is used, air containing dust and moisture that is washed off during cleaning is guided from the downstream side to the return path, where the dust and moisture are removed by an air filter. After that, it is returned to reusable air.

Further, according to the present invention, the main body is constituted by combining a cleaning unit, a plurality of baking units and a chemical solution processing unit, and has an opening at an upstream end of the main body, and sucks into the introduction portion through this opening. Having a supply path section for dispersing and supplying the downflow to each unit, and a downstream side of the downflow supplied to a unit capable of reusing and using the downflow exhaust in each of the units and the introduction section. A return path communicating therewith, an air filter provided in the middle of the return path, and a blower provided in a circulation path including the supply path and the return path. .

According to this configuration, the downflow from the building is guided into the substrate processing apparatus from the opening at the upstream end of the main body.
In the substrate processing apparatus, the units are integrally combined, and the introduced down-flow air is dispersed and supplied to the units via the supply path. On the other hand, the air supplied to the bake unit and the cleaning unit is guided from the downstream side to the return path, is cleaned via the air filter, and is returned to the introduction section. Since the blower is provided at an appropriate position in the circulation path, the downflow from the building is sucked and taken into the main body, and the air cleaned by the air filter is recirculated through the return path. Then, the air that does not contain the chemical supplied to the cleaning unit or the baking unit that can be used for recirculation is recirculated through the return path, mixed with the downflow from the building, and reused. On the other hand, the air supplied to the chemical solution processing unit and the bake unit containing the chemical solution that cannot be recirculated is guided to the outside of the apparatus and is not provided for reuse.

If a temperature / humidity changing means is provided in the middle of the return path, the air heated by the bake unit or the air humidified by the cleaning unit becomes the same temperature and humidity as the downflow from the building. .

When the blower is provided in the introduction section, downflow from the building is also effectively sucked,
Further, the upper space is effectively used, and the space for disposing the substrate processing apparatus is reduced. In addition, operation of substrate processing equipment
A control unit for controlling the
If you try to lead the low to the return path, it will be a downflow
Reuse is more efficient.

[0014]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus, and FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is for manufacturing a liquid crystal display substrate or a semiconductor substrate, and includes a plurality of processing steps, for example,
Spin scrubber (washing unit) 12 using washing water
And a spin coater 13 and a spin developer 15,
16 and a bake unit 3 (hot plate HP
HP1 to HP3 and cool plates CP1 to CP3), and these processing units are arranged in a line in consideration of basic processing steps. The transport robot 4 that supplies and discharges the substrate to and from each processing unit on the front side has a basic configuration in which the transport robot 4 travels in parallel.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4,
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an ultraviolet irradiation unit 1 from the upstream side.
1 (indicated by UV in the figure), a spin scrubber 12 (indicated by SS in the figure), and a spin coater 13 (SC in the figure)
Indicated by ), Edge rinse processing unit 14 (ER in the figure)
Indicated by ) And developing units 15 and 16 (indicated by SD in the figure) are arranged, and a planar air filter 2 is disposed on the ceiling immediately above them, and the planar air filters 2 are arranged in a plane.
Above the air filter 2, a plurality of bake units 3 are arranged via a hollow air chamber having a required height as described later.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bake units 3 are arranged in two stages, and a hot plate HP1 for dehydration bake after the cleaning process is performed.
And cool plate CP1, hot plate HP2 for pre-baking after resist coating and cool plate CP
2, and a required number of hot plates HP3 and cool plates CP3 for post-baking after development processing are provided corresponding to the respective processing units. The numbers of the hot plates HP and the cool plates CP are set so that efficient processing can be performed in consideration of the tact time, heating and heat radiation time of the corresponding processing unit.

The transfer robot 4 includes a pair of guide rails 40 laid in parallel with the arrangement direction of the processing units.
a), a required procedure was performed by sequentially feeding and discharging substrates one by one with each processing unit by using two hands as described later, while being provided so as to be able to reciprocate on the a. Substrate processing is performed.

FIG. 2 shows a spin scrubber 12 and a spin coater 13 as a part of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and a bake unit 3 is mounted on an upper portion thereof via an air chamber 62, and further, on the upper portion thereof. Is provided with an air introduction section 61. In addition, as described later, the air introduction unit 61 and the air chamber 62 are members constituting the downflow supply unit 6.

Next, the respective processing units will be described. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 (see FIG. 1) includes a table in which the processing surface (front surface) of the substrate is arranged upward,
An ultraviolet light source is provided above the light source and irradiates a required amount of ultraviolet light to the substrate to activate the surface of the substrate.

The spin scrubber 12 is open at the top and the front (see FIG. 2), and each member is provided in the lower half. That is, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, the lower half portion is surrounded by a ring-shaped hood 121, and inside the hood 121, a rotary table 122 that adsorbs and supports the substrate and allows the substrate to move up and down. A mechanism 123 for rotating and elevating the table 122 is provided.
There is a basic configuration in which a dropping portion of cleaning water and a brush portion (both not shown) are disposed so as to be able to retreat when the substrate is supplied and discharged. Then, by rotating the rotary table 122 at a predetermined speed and using the centrifugal force, the substrate adsorbed and placed on the rotary table 122 is driven, and the brush is driven while the cleaning water is spread to the peripheral edge of the substrate. The surface is cleaned. A collecting hole 124 and a suction means 125 such as a pump or a blower communicating with the collecting hole 124 are provided below the annular hood 121 so that water containing dust and the like after washing scattered to the surroundings is removed together with air. The air is sucked and guided to the exhaust duct 126 downstream.

As shown in FIG. 2, the spin coater 13 has an upper part and a front part opened, and each member is provided in a lower half part. That is, the lower half portion is surrounded by an annular hood 131, and a rotary table 132 inside which a substrate is sucked and supported to be able to move up and down, and a mechanism unit 133 which rotates and moves this rotary table 132 up and down And a basic configuration in which a drip portion (not shown) for dropping a required resist solution at the center of the rotating shaft is disposed on the turntable 132 so as to be able to retract when the substrate is supplied and discharged. Then, a uniform resist film is formed on the surface of the substrate by rotating the rotary table 132 at a predetermined speed and utilizing the centrifugal force on the substrate suction-mounted on the rotary table 132. Below the annular hood 131, an exhaust duct (not shown) for sucking down flow F, which is communicated with a suction unit for collecting the resist solution scattered around, is provided. Is extended outside the building via a filter for removing a chemical solution from the atmosphere, and the air after the filtering is discharged to the atmosphere.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, partitions 51 to 55 (partition plates 51, 52, 53 in FIG. 2) are provided between the processing units 11 to 16 such as the spin scrubber 12 and the spin coater 13. Is visible.) Note that these partition plates 51 to 55 may be side plates constituting each processing unit.

The edge rinsing processing unit 14 is configured to remove the resist film formed on the substrate surface by the spin coater 13 from the edge of the substrate and the edge of the back surface in consideration of the wraparound of the resist solution toward the back surface. That is, the edge cleaning is performed by discharging the rinsing liquid except for the effective area which is the central part of the substrate surface. Edge rinse unit 14
A liquid ejecting member having upper and lower liquid ejecting members having vertically arranged slot-like ejection holes formed so as to face the front and back edges of four sides of the substrate, and a support portion for horizontally mounting the substrate in a hollow space, and being formed in parallel with the inside thereof. It has a slot-shaped discharge hole, and has an edge cleaning portion that can advance and retreat with respect to the substrate edge, and discharges the rinsing liquid from the discharge hole to the front and back edges of the mounted substrate,
The solution dissolved by the rinsing liquid is blown out of the substrate by jetting a gas from a gas discharge hole.

The spin developers 15 and 16 are:
The substrate subjected to the exposure processing by the exposure unit is subjected to development processing to form a required pattern on the substrate surface. In the present embodiment, two spin developers 15 and 16 are provided, and the tact time with another processing unit is adjusted by processing the substrates alternately. The spin developers 15 and 16 and the edge rinsing unit 14 have the same exhaust duct as the spin coater 13, and exhaust air to the atmosphere via a filter for removing a chemical solution.

An unillustrated exposure unit (not shown) is disposed adjacent to the present apparatus, and an edge rinsing unit 14 is provided.
The substrate subjected to the formation of the effective area and the drying process in the baking unit 3 is fed by the transfer robot 4. When the exposure process is completed, the transfer robot 4 sends the substrate to the spin developers 15 and 16. , For example, alternately. The exposure unit is for printing a pattern on a resist film formed in an effective area on the substrate by using a predetermined mask, and internally includes, for example, a pattern exposure transfer section on the resist film, for additional exposure. Each processing section is provided for an edge exposure section and a character printing section.

Each of the bake units 3 is formed of a box, and is mounted in two stages. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a substrate B is provided on the front surface of a box constituting each of the hot plates HP1 to HP3 and the cool plates CP1 to CP3.
Supply / discharge windows 31a, 32a so that
Are formed on each side, and a rear surface portion is connected to a return duct 71a (see FIG. 3) through which heat generated inside is exhausted outward through a small hole formed in a part thereof. .
The bake units 3 are arranged at required intervals in the juxtaposed direction, and a duct 63 of the downflow supply unit 6 described below is arranged between them.

Next, the transfer robot 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer robot 4 is provided with a parallel guide rail 40 a extending in the left-right direction on the gantry 1 a so that the substrate transfer operation is performed by the two substrate transfer mechanisms 41 and 42. Has become.

The structure of the substrate transfer mechanism 41 will be briefly described. A pair of arm columns 411 are provided upright on the main body.
A multi-joint type including a first arm 412 for raising and lowering the tip, a second arm 413 for performing forward and backward movements, and a third arm 414 for horizontally pointing the hollow housing 415 at the tip. Be a robot. Then, by driving a motor (not shown), the hollow housing 415 at the distal end can be moved up and down and advance and retreat while maintaining the horizontal posture. Also, inside the hollow housing 415,
As shown partially in FIG. 2, a substrate advance / retreat mechanism unit having two arms 416, 417 of a SCARA robot type that are flexibly extended and retracted, and a hand 418 at the tip thereof is housed so as to be able to protrude and retract. The substrate moving mechanism is a hollow housing 4
15 are provided side by side in the vertical direction, and when one is for carrying out the substrate, the other functions alternately for carrying in the substrate. Further, the hand 418 at the tip of the substrate moving mechanism is bifurcated and has a pair of support arms, on which the substrate B is placed. Then, the two arms 416 and 417 are bent and extended by driving a motor (not shown) on the hand 418 on which the substrate B is supported by both end edges thereof.
As shown in FIG. 2, the supply / discharge windows 31a and 32a of the hot plate CP1 are maintained while maintaining the posture of the hot plate 18 in the traveling direction.
It is possible to enter or retreat from.

The other substrate transfer mechanism 42 basically operates in the same manner, and a description thereof will be omitted. The substrate transfer mechanism units 41 and 42 share the supply and discharge of the substrate with respect to each processing unit. Since these points are not particularly important, description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the structure of the downflow supply unit 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. The downflow supply unit 6 includes an air introduction unit 61 serving as an upper-end upstream end, an air chamber 62, and a duct 63 communicating these, and a blower 64 is incorporated in the air introduction unit 61. The air introducing portion 61 is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow housing having a required height and a surface shape covering the entire upper surface of the bake unit 3. Downflow RF from
Can be effectively guided inside. A blower 64 is provided in the housing of the air introducing portion 61 at a position on the front side of the front edge of the opening 611 and is arranged in a required number at a substantially equal interval toward the front.

The blower 64 has a horizontal cylindrical frame 641 having a required thickness, a blower opening 642 opened in one tangential direction to the cylinder of the frame 641, and a number of suction holes for sucking air into both sides of the cylinder. 643, and a number of blades (not shown) provided radially around the central axis are rotated at a high speed by a motor (not shown). Then, the air sucked from the suction holes 643 on both side surfaces by the rotation of the blades is blown out by the blower 6
It blows out vigorously from 42 so that a local downflow F of a required flow rate can be obtained from the downflow RF of the building.

The air chamber 62 is formed below the baking unit 3, that is, the ceiling portion of each of the processing units 11 to 16 with a space having a required height, and a planar air filter is formed below this space. 2 is stretched horizontally over the entire ceiling surface. The air chamber 62 is provided so that air can be spread over the entire upper surface of the air filter 2 as much as possible. The air filter 2 has a required thickness, for example, a thickness of several tens of mm, and a non-woven fabric, a laminate of meshes, or a porous material can be used as a material.
By having such a composition structure, it is possible to exhibit a function of cleansing air.

The upper sides of the partition plates 51 to 55 are set to reach the air filter 2, whereby
The air supplied downward from the air filter 2 is prevented from mixing with the air on the other processing unit side.

The duct 63 communicates the air introduction portion 61 and the air chamber 62, and has a rectangular cylindrical body extending downward from a proper front portion of the bottom surface of the housing of the air introduction portion 61. The duct 63 is disposed in a gap between the plurality of bake units 3 arranged side by side, and has a cross-sectional shape having the size of the gap and a required thickness in the front-rear direction. As the blowing capacity of the blower 64, a blower capable of obtaining a suitable air volume corresponding to such a cross-sectional shape is employed. And
The lower end of the duct 63 faces the inner space of the air chamber 62.

An air filter 2a is also provided on the ceiling above the substrate transfer robot 4 so as to supply the downflow F to the transfer robot 4 and generate air when the transfer robot 4 is operated. The generated dust is forcibly blown downward so as not to be blown into the processing units 11 to 16. Then, the bake unit 3 takes in the down flow F from the front part and pulls it out to the return duct 71a on the rear part.

Next, the configuration of the feedback processing unit 7 constituting a part of the downflow supply unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. The return processing unit 7 includes return ducts 71, 71.
a, a filter 70 and an air conditioner 72 interposed in the return duct 71. The return duct 71 has an upstream end connected to an exhaust duct 124 of the spin scrubber 12 at a position rearward of the apparatus main body 1 and a downstream end connected to the air introduction unit 61. The return end of the return duct 71 a is communicated with the return duct 71 in front of the air conditioning unit 72. Note that, of the baking units 3, a baking unit for performing a baking process on the substrate immediately after the chemical solution processing is excluded.

Then, a return port 612 having a required diameter is formed on the rear surface of the housing constituting the air introduction portion 61.
The downstream end of the return duct 71 communicates with the air inlet 61 through the return port 612. The filter 70 includes the baking unit 3 and the spin scrubber 12.
This is for removing such impurities from air containing dust, moisture, etc., from the air to generate purified reused air having a degree of cleanness substantially equal to the downflow RF from the building.

The air conditioner 72 comprises a radiator / dehumidifier 72a and a temperature / humidity adjusting means 73 for changing and adjusting the temperature and humidity of the radiator / dehumidifier 72a, and supplies the returned air from the building. The temperature and the humidity of the downflow RF are made to match.

The radiator of the radiator / dehumidifier 72a is provided inside the air conditioner 72, for example, in a meandering manner around the return duct 71, and a water supply pipe is provided in a double-pipe structure along the pipe. At both ends thereof are circulatingly connected to a chiller for waste heat via a pump provided outside the building, and water for heat absorption is circulated in this pipe. When the temperature is to be increased, hot water may be circulated to apply heat to the air in the return duct 71. As the dehumidifier of the radiator / dehumidifier 72a, a known device such as one using a dehumidifying filter or a vaporizer can be applied.

The adjustment of temperature and humidity can be performed as follows. That is, when the temperature and humidity data of the downflow RF is known, the data can be set, and the temperature / humidity sensor 8 is provided at the downstream end of the return duct 71, that is, at the suction port 612. What is necessary is just to make it adjust automatically by control. If the temperature and humidity data of the downflow RF is unknown, for example, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor are provided at an appropriate place above the substrate processing apparatus 1, and a temperature / humidity sensor 8 is provided also at the suction port 612. In this case, the temperature and humidity adjustment means 73 may be feedback-controlled so that the temperature and humidity data from both sensors match each other.

The temperature / humidity adjusting means 73 compares the measured temperature information with a preset temperature, and outputs a temperature increase instruction signal if the measured temperature is lower, and a temperature decrease instruction signal if the measured temperature is lower. Output a signal. When the temperature increase instruction signal or the temperature decrease instruction signal is output, the driving force of the pump is changed, and the circulation speed of water and the rotation speed of the fan of the chiller for waste heat are changed. For example, when the temperature measured by the temperature / humidity sensor 8 exceeds the set temperature, the circulation rate of water is increased, and the rotation speed of the fan of the waste heat chiller is increased, so that the heat absorption efficiency from the downflow F is increased. And the temperature of the airflow can be reduced.

Here, the operation of the downflow supply unit 6 will be described together with the operation of the feedback processing unit 7 with reference to FIG.

When the blower 64 is operated and the blades start rotating, suction force is generated at the suction holes 643 on both side surfaces from the outside to the inside. Therefore, the opening 6 of the air introduction section 61
From 11, the downflow RF (indicated by a white arrow) is forcibly started to be sucked in, a part of the downflow RF is sucked into the inside from the suction hole 643, and is blown out vigorously from the air outlet 642 (indicated by the arrow). .), Is supplied to the duct 63. The air guided to the duct 63 is sent downward in the cylinder, and then spreads over the entire region in the horizontal direction in the air chamber 62, and passes through the air filter 2 from above each of the processing units 11 to 16. To form an airflow. As a result, a local downflow F having a required flow rate is obtained from the downflow RF of the building. Since the air filter 2 has a cleaning function, the duct 63
The air flow uniformized over the entire surface becomes a purified air flow via the air filter 2. As a result, the turbulence of the air flow can be suppressed as much as possible.
To 16 can be suitably performed.

Of the downflow F, the downflow F supplied to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the spin coater 13, the edge rinsing unit, and the spin developers 15 and 16 passes through the downstream exhaust duct and through the filter to the atmosphere. Released outside. On the other hand, of the spin scrubber 12 and the bake unit 3, the down flow supplied to the bake unit that can be recirculated is returned to the return duct 71 a,
Guided to the return duct 71 via the exhaust duct 126,
After being guided by the filter 70 and cleaned, and further adjusted to an appropriate temperature and humidity by the air conditioning unit 72 while passing through the return duct 71, the air is returned to the return port 612 of the air introduction unit 61. Then, the mixture with the downflow RF from the building is supplied to each of the processing units 3, 11 to 16. In this way, the downflow supplied to the bake unit 3 and the spin scrubber 12 is regenerated and reused, so that the exhaust gas not containing the chemical solution can be effectively used, and accordingly, the downflow generation and supply can be performed accordingly. The required running cost can be reduced. Further, even when a larger substrate processing apparatus is installed in an existing building, by employing the present downflow supply device, it is not necessary to change the equipment for increasing the downflow capacity.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4A shows a case where components other than the return duct are provided above the bake unit, and FIG.
The case where a part other than the return duct is interposed between the processing units.

FIG. 4A shows a configuration in which the components of the return processing unit 7 except for the return duct 71, that is, the air-conditioning unit 72, are collectively disposed above the bake unit 3. With such a configuration, there is no need for a space for separately providing an air conditioner, and there is an advantage that the space can be saved accordingly. FIG. 4B shows the return processing unit 7 excluding the return duct 71.
, That is, the air conditioner 72 is interposed between the substrate rinsing unit 14 and the spin developer 15. With such a configuration, there is no need to separately provide an air conditioning unit, so that there is an advantage that the size of the return duct can be reduced accordingly. Note that the feedback processing unit 7 is not limited to the central position of the processing units 11 to 16, but may be, for example, a position adjacent to the spin scrubber 12.

4 (a) and 4 (b), the blower 64
Is not arranged above the bake unit 3, so that the upstream end of the piping duct 63 functions as the air introduction part 61, and the air returned from the return duct 71 and the downflow RF from the building are preferably used. For mixing, the downstream end of the return duct 71 may be arranged close to the upstream end of the piping duct 63.

The present invention may employ the following modified embodiments.

(1) In the first embodiment, the return duct 71
Is connected to the return port 612 of the air introduction section 61. However, in the present invention, instead of returning the air to be reused directly to the substrate processing apparatus, for example, the air to be reused is returned above the opening 611. A downflow for circulation may be mixed and supplied downward from above, and the downflow can be effectively used even in this manner.

(2) In the first to third embodiments, the reuse of the downflow F supplied to the processing unit that does not use a chemical solution has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The downflow RF corresponding to the control unit for controlling the operation may be guided to the return duct 71 without exhausting the gas. In this case, the downflow RF can be reused more efficiently.

(3) In this embodiment, the return path unit 71 is configured for the combined substrate processing apparatus 1. However, the return path unit is provided for each of the reusable processing units. In this case, there is an advantage that it is possible to easily cope with various arrangements of a plurality of processing units according to the use of the processing substrate. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view for explaining a spin scrubber as an example in which the present invention is applied to a single processing unit not using a chemical solution.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the internal configuration.

The spin scrubber 12 'has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, is surrounded by side plates except for a central front surface, and is provided with each member in a lower half portion, and a processing space is provided in a central portion, as described later. It has a basic configuration in which a front surface thereof is opened for supply and discharge of a substrate, and a downflow supply unit 120 'is further provided on an upper portion thereof. In the lower half,
The periphery of which is surrounded by an annular hood 121 ′, and a turntable 1 inside which a substrate is sucked and supported to be able to move up and down.
22 ′ and a mechanism 123 ′ for rotating and lifting the rotary table 122 ′.
A nozzle for dropping cleaning water and a cleaning brush (both not shown) are provided on 22 'so as to be able to retreat when the substrate is supplied and discharged. Then, the substrate adsorbed and placed on the rotary table 122 ′ rotates the rotary table 122 ′ at a predetermined speed and uses centrifugal force to distribute the washing water dropped from the nozzles to the peripheral edge of the substrate. At the same time, the surface of the substrate is cleaned by driving the brush. An appropriate number of recovery holes 124 'are formed in the bottom of the annular hood 121' in the circumferential direction, and these recovery holes 124 'communicate with the exhaust duct 126'. The exhaust duct 126 'is integrated into one, and a suction means 125' including a pump, a blower, and the like is provided downstream thereof. As a result, an airflow is generated in the gap between the hood 121 'and the turntable 122' via the recovery hole 124 'toward the exhaust duct 126'. Then, at the time of cleaning the substrate, water or air containing dust and the like scattered around the substrate after cleaning is put on the airflow and guided to the exhaust duct 126 ′.

On the other hand, the downflow supply section 12 in the upper part of the main body
0 ′ is a horizontal top plate 120 having an opening 1201 ′.
2 ′ and a bottom plate 1203 ′ are provided below the top plate 1202 ′ with a required interval.
Air filter 120 is provided at a required interval below 3 ′.
4 'is provided. An air inlet 1205 'is provided between the top plate 1202' and the bottom plate 1203 '.
Air chamber 12 between 3 'and air filter 1204'
06 ′ is formed. Further, an air supply hole 1203a 'having a predetermined width in the left and right direction is formed at a proper position of the bottom plate 1203', for example, on the front side, while the opening 1201 'is formed at a proper position of the top plate 1202', for example, the rear side. It is formed to have a predetermined width in the left-right direction. Then, the downflow RF from the building is guided to the air introduction unit 1205 'through the opening 1201'. The air filter 1204 ′ and the air chamber 1206 ′ have basically the same configuration as the air filter 2 and the air chamber 62 shown in FIG. A blower 120 is provided at a substantially central position of the air introduction portion 1205 'so as to blow air forward.
7 'is attached. The blower 1207 'has the same configuration as the blower 64 shown in FIGS.

Incidentally, on the rear surface of the air introduction portion 1205 ',
A return hole 120 through which a return duct 71 'described later communicates.
8 'is formed.

Next, the feedback processing section will be described. The downstream end of the exhaust duct 126 'is connected to a return duct 71', and an air conditioner 72 'is provided in the return duct 71'. The return end of the return duct 71 ′ is guided to a return hole 1208 ′ of the spin scrubber 12 ′ so that air can be returned forward to the air inlet 1205 ′. The configuration of the filter 70 ', the temperature / humidity adjusting means 73', the radiator / dehumidifier 72a ', and the temperature / humidity sensor 8' in the air conditioner 72 'is shown in FIG.
Since the configuration is the same as that of the air conditioner 72 shown in FIG.

With this configuration, the downflow RF from the building is introduced into the air introducing portion 1205 'through the opening 1201', blows out the inside of the air introducing portion 1205 'forward by the blower 1207', and supplies the air to the bottom plate 1203 '. Hole 12
After passing through 03a ', it is led to the air chamber 1206'. The air guided to the air chamber 1206 'is diffused here and supplied as a local downflow F to the processing space via the air filter 1204'. The downflow F is applied to the hood 1 by suction means 125 'at the bottom of the main body.
Through the gap between the rotary table 122 'and the rotary table 122'.
It is guided to 24 'and further guided to return duct 71' via exhaust duct 126 '. Then, the air is cleaned to a required degree of cleanliness in the air conditioning unit 72 ', and the temperature and humidity are adjusted as necessary. After that, the air is passed from the return hole 1208' to the air introduction unit 1205 'through the return duct 71'. Will be returned.

The air conditioner 72 'and the spin scrubber 1
2 'and the structure that can be assembled together, in the assembled state,
You may comprise so that the return duct 71 'may not be exposed outside. Also, the downstream end of the return duct 71 ′ is
08 'instead of returning to 08', it may be returned so as to face the air introduction part 1205 'from the opening 1201'. For this purpose, a structure is provided in which the downstream end of the return duct 71 'is attached to the top plate 1202'. May be.

[0059]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus having an opening at an upstream end of a main body, and a supply path for supplying a downflow sucked into an introduction portion through the opening to the inside of the main body. A return path that communicates the downstream side of the downflow supplied to the main body with the introduction section, an air filter provided in the middle of the return path, the supply path, and the return path. And a blower interposed in the circulation path.By recirculating the air cleaned by the air filter via the return path, the down flow can be reduced by effectively utilizing the air that does not contain chemicals. Supply can be performed efficiently, and running costs can be reduced. Further, the air having the same cleanness as the downflow from the building can be mixed with the downflow from the building through the filter to be provided again as the downflow. Further, since the present invention is applied to the substrate processing apparatus as each processing unit, it is possible to effectively reuse the downflow in each processing unit.

Since the downflow supplied to the cleaning unit is circulated and reused, the downflow can be used efficiently.

According to the present invention, a return path for communicating the downstream side of the downflow supplied to the unit capable of reusing the downflow exhaust gas in each unit with the introduction section, and the return path An air filter interposed in the middle of
With a configuration that includes a blower interposed in a circulation path consisting of a supply path section and a return path section, downflow can be efficiently supplied by effectively utilizing air that does not contain chemicals, and running Cost can be reduced. Further, the air having the same cleanness as the downflow from the building can be mixed with the downflow from the building through the filter to be provided again as the downflow.

Since the temperature / humidity adjusting means is provided in the middle of the return path, the air heated by the bake unit or humidified by the cleaning unit is supplied to the same temperature and humidity as the downflow from the building. The air can be adjusted to the same air flow as the down flow from the building, and can be mixed with the down flow from the building so as to be provided again as a down flow.

Since the blower is provided in the introduction section, downflow from the building can be effectively sucked.
Further, since the upper space is effectively used, the arrangement space of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced correspondingly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an internal configuration of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from a spin scrubber position.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A shows a case where components other than the return duct are provided above the bake unit, and FIG. This is a case where it is interposed between the processing units.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a single processing unit not using a chemical solution.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an internal configuration of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 11 Ultraviolet irradiation unit 12 Spin scrubber 12 'Spin scrubber (substrate processing apparatus) 120' Downflow supply part 1201 'Opening 1204' Air filter 1205 'Air introduction part 1206' Air chamber 1207 'Blower 1208' Return hole 121 , 121 'Hood 122, 122' Rotary table 123, 123 'Elevating mechanism 124, 124' Exhaust duct 125, 125 'Suction means 126, 126' Exhaust duct 13 Spin coater 14 Edge rinsing processing unit 15, 16 Spin developer 2 Air filter 3 Bake unit HP1-3, Hot plate CP1-3, Cool plate 4 Transfer robot 51-55 Partition plate 6 Downflow supply unit 61 Air introduction unit 611 Opening 612 Suction Port 62 Air chamber 63 Duct 64 Blower 7, Return processing unit 70, 70 'Filter 71, 71a, 71' Return duct 72, 72 'Air conditioning unit 72a, 72a' Radiator / dehumidifier 73, 73 'Temperature / humidity adjusting means 8, 8 'Temperature / humidity sensor RF downflow F Local downflow B Substrate

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-201798 (JP, A) JP-A-58-199349 (JP, A) JP-A-7-263172 (JP, A) JP-A-5-1993 129269 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Hei 5-48330 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 648 H01L 21/02 H01L 21/027

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A baking unit comprising : a plurality of baking units;
And an opening at the upstream end of the main body, and a supply path for distributing the downflow sucked into the inlet through the opening to each unit.
Part, the chemical solution in the plurality of bake units
Bake on the substrate immediately after chemical processing by the processing unit
A return path that communicates the downstream side of the downflow supplied to the bake unit excluding the bake unit that performs the processing with the introduction section; an air filter provided in the middle of the return path; and the return path section Is installed in the middle of
Return the temperature and humidity of the air through the opening
Match the temperature and humidity of the downflow sucked into the inlet
Temperature and humidity adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate, a blower provided in a circulation path including the supply path section and the return path section, and a down flow supplied to the chemical solution processing unit.
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: an exhaust duct that exhausts air into the atmosphere . 2. The blower is provided in the introduction section.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The operation control of the substrate processing apparatus.
And a down flow corresponding to this control unit.
Claims characterized in that it is guided to the return path.
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 .