JP5346643B2 - Substrate coating apparatus and substrate coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A substrate coating unit and a method are provided to proceed a coating process from the tip end of a substrate while preventing the drying of a nozzle tip end. CONSTITUTION: A substrate coating unit comprises the following: a flotation stage(10) elevating a substrate using a pressure vapor layer, after forming the pressure vapor layer on a stage surface penetrated by a gas streams passing through gas holes on the stage surface; a treatment solution supplier spreading a treatment solution on the substrate using a nozzle; and a gas streams controller.

Description

  The present invention can be applied to the surface of a substrate for precision electronic devices such as a glass square substrate for liquid crystal, a semiconductor substrate, a flexible substrate for film liquid crystal, a substrate for photomask, a substrate for color filter, or a variety of similar substrates. The present invention relates to a substrate coating apparatus for coating a liquid.

  Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of various substrates, a substrate coating apparatus for coating a processing liquid on the surface of the substrate has been used. As such a substrate coating apparatus, there is known a slit coater that applies a processing liquid to the entire substrate by discharging the processing liquid from the slit nozzle and moving the slit nozzle linearly relative to the substrate. In particular, in the application of a treatment liquid to a large substrate, it is difficult to adopt a spin method in which the treatment liquid is applied while rotating the substrate, and such a slit coater is mainstream.

  In such a straight type (linear coating type) substrate coating apparatus, it is preferable to perform the coating process by floating and transporting rather than performing the coating process by sucking and holding the substrate from the viewpoint of shortening the tact time.

  Further, when performing the resist coating process by the linear coating method, since the nozzle is damaged due to the contact between the slit nozzle and the foreign substance on the substrate surface or the coating is defective, the nozzle needs some kind of protection mechanism.

  In Patent Document 1, when a coating process is performed on a substrate held by suction on a suction stage, a protective mechanism is installed in front of the nozzle in the traveling direction, and the front surface of the substrate is scanned from the end of the substrate. A substrate coating apparatus capable of detecting the foreign matter and protecting the tip of the nozzle is described.

JP 2007-105623 A

  However, when applying a processing solution such as a resist solution to the substrate by the levitation transport method, when the substrate surface is scanned from the edge of the substrate using the nozzle protection mechanism, the nozzle is in a state where the substrate does not exist below. , You have to descend to the levitation stage. For this reason, the treatment liquid at the tip of the nozzle is dried by the flow of air ejected and exhausted from the levitation stage, and there is a risk of poor coating when performing coating processing on the substrate.

  In addition, if the nozzle is lowered in a state where the edge of the substrate is present directly under the nozzle, the above problem does not occur, but the actual flying height of the edge of the substrate at which application is started cannot be measured. Further, as shown in FIG. 28, foreign matter cannot be detected on the substrate surface between the end portion of the substrate and the protection mechanism.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and firstly prevents application failure due to drying of the treatment liquid at the tip of the nozzle when the treatment liquid is applied to the substrate by the floating conveyance method. The purpose.

  The second object of the present invention is to prevent defective coating due to drying of the treatment liquid at the nozzle tip while enabling detection of foreign matter at the tip of the substrate.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a substrate coating apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a substrate, and a pressure gas is applied on the stage surface by a gas flow passing through a gas hole provided on the stage surface. Forming a layer and floating the substrate with the pressure gas layer, and discharging a predetermined processing liquid onto the substrate from a nozzle that moves relative to the substrate, thereby processing the substrate on the substrate. A treatment liquid supply means for applying a liquid, and a gas flow control means for switching between the formation state and the stop state of the gas flow, and before the treatment liquid is discharged in parallel with the relative movement, In a state where the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle is stopped, an idle running period is set in which the nozzle is relatively moved from a position outside the substrate existing area on the levitation stage to the substrate existing area. Ri, the gas flow control means, at least part of the period of said idling-run period, characterized by temporarily stopping the formation of the gas flow in the region immediately below the nozzle.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising elevating means for elevating and lowering the nozzle in the space above the levitation stage, wherein the idle running period includes the nozzle Has a descent period in which the nozzle descends from a predetermined standby height, and a horizontal movement period in which the nozzle is moved relatively close to the substrate in the horizontal direction after the nozzle is in the descent state. The treatment liquid is applied onto the substrate in the lowered state, and the formation of the gas flow is stopped in at least the horizontal movement period of the idle running period. .

  A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate coating apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein, in the levitation stage, a plurality of gas flow forming regions each having a gas hole are formed on different plates or 1 It is adjacently arranged as another part of one plate, and an opening / closing mechanism of a gas flow path is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of gas flow forming regions, and the gas flow control means uses the opening / closing mechanism. The temporary stop of the formation of the gas flow is performed only in a region of the plurality of gas flow formation regions that exists immediately below the nozzle and does not have the substrate thereon.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the substrate coating apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein after the gas flow is temporarily stopped, the nozzle is moved from the coating start position of the substrate. Before the liquid discharge is started, the formation of the gas flow using all the gas holes of the levitation stage is resumed.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a flying height measuring means for measuring the flying height of the substrate, and the processing liquid The supply means further includes a protection member that is attached to a side corresponding to the front in the relative movement of the nozzles and protects the tip of the nozzle, and the flying height measurement means applies the coating of the substrate end. The protective member enters the substrate end earlier than the nozzle by moving the nozzle and the substrate relative to each other after lowering the nozzle while detecting the flying height of the start position. It is characterized by.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the substrate coating apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein an allowable value of a temperature variation of the substrate due to a temporary stop of the formation of the gas flow is determined in advance. The duration of the temporarily stopped state of the formation of the gas flow is determined as a time during which the temperature fluctuation is equal to or less than the allowable value.

Plurality invention according to claim 7, a substrate coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the floating stage, which sucks a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting a gas body, the gas and suction holes of which are formed by mixing, the gas flow, the gas ejected from the plurality of ejection holes are generated in the process of being sucked from the plurality of suction holes, the gas flow control means Is characterized in that the gas flow formation state and the stop state are switched by opening and closing a gas supply path to the plurality of ejection holes and opening and closing a gas suction path from the plurality of suction holes.

The invention according to claim 8 is a method for applying a processing liquid discharged from a predetermined nozzle to a substrate, and a pressure gas layer is formed on the stage surface by a gas flow passing through a gas hole provided in the stage surface. and, a more engineering which Ru is floating the substrate by the pressure gas layer, of the stage surface, and out of the substrate existing area, and temporarily stopping the gas flow for a specific region which is immediately below the nozzle A step, a step of lowering the nozzle toward the specific area from a predetermined standby height, the nozzle and the substrate are moved relative to each other, and the nozzle reaches the application start position of the substrate, And a step of starting the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle and a step of restarting the formation of the gas flow for the specific region before the discharge of the processing liquid is started.

According to the first to eighth aspects of the invention, in a state where the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle is stopped, the nozzle is moved from a position off the substrate existing area on the levitation stage to above the substrate existing area. In at least a part of the idle running period that is relatively moved, the formation of the gas flow is temporarily stopped in a range that includes at least a region immediately below the nozzle in a region outside the substrate existence region. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the possibility of uneven coating on the substrate when the treatment liquid at the tip of the nozzle is dried and the coating process is performed due to the influence of the gas flow for forming the gas pressure layer.

In particular according to the invention described in claim 2, in order to stop the formation of the gas flow in the susceptible horizontal moving period of the most gas flow, effect of preventing the drying of the treatment liquid is particularly high.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 3, individual control can be performed such that the temporary stop of the formation of the gas flow is performed for the region immediately below the nozzle among the plurality of gas flow formation regions. For this reason, when making a nozzle approach a board | substrate, it is possible to change the distribution condition of a gas hole with a gas flow formation area | region, and a partially cheap plate or plate division can be utilized.

  According to the invention described in claim 4 in particular, when the substrate reaches the coating start position, the pressure gas layer is formed on all the floating stages, so that the substrate is transported to perform the coating process. However, there is no fear that the substrate bends.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the substrate surface can be scanned from the edge of the substrate using the protective member at the tip of the nozzle, it is possible to detect foreign matter on the entire surface of the substrate.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 6, since the influence of the temperature fluctuation of the substrate due to stopping the formation of the pressure gas layer on the levitation stage can be suppressed more quantitatively, when the coating process is performed Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of coating unevenness due to temperature fluctuations on the substrate side.

  Further, particularly according to the invention described in claim 7, since the formation of the pressure gas layer by the gas flow on the levitation stage is performed by the ejection and suction of the gas, the pressure of the pressure gas layer is balanced, It is possible to float the substrate more stably.

1 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 when a nozzle unit and a nozzle cleaning standby unit are removed. It is a block diagram showing the control mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus. It is YZ sectional drawing of the transfer unit at the time of a raise. It is YZ sectional drawing of the transfer unit at the time of a fall. It is XZ side view of a roller conveyor and a transfer unit. It is a top view of a raising / lowering conveyor support frame. It is a top view of the coating stage which concerns on this Embodiment. FIG. 9 is an XZ sectional view showing air supply and suction flow paths to the application stage shown in FIG. 8. It is YZ sectional drawing of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a time chart showing operation of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is XZ sectional drawing which showed partially the flow of the process of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is the top view which showed partially the flow of processing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning the present invention. It is a top view of the application | coating stage which concerns on a modification. It is the elements on larger scale which show ON / OFF switching of the airflow by the positional relationship of a nozzle and a board | substrate. It is the elements on larger scale which show ON / OFF switching of the airflow by the positional relationship of a nozzle and a board | substrate. It is the elements on larger scale which show the condition at the time of dropping a nozzle on a board | substrate.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the following description, three-dimensional XYZ orthogonal coordinates shown in the drawing are used as appropriate when indicating the direction and orientation. Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions indicate the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction indicates the vertical direction (the + Z side is the upper side and the -Z side is the lower side). For convenience, the X-axis direction is the left-right direction (with respect to substrate transport, the + X side is the downstream side and the -X side is the upstream side), and the Y-axis direction is the depth direction (+ Y side, -Y side).

<1. Outline of substrate processing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention when the nozzle unit 5 and the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 are removed.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured as an apparatus (slit coater) that applies a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate by relatively moving a long nozzle formed with a slit for discharging the processing liquid and the substrate. The apparatus 1 is used for a process of applying a resist solution as a processing solution to a substrate as a pretreatment for selectively etching an electrode layer or the like formed on the surface of the substrate. The substrate to be coated with the slit coater is typically a rectangular glass substrate for manufacturing a screen panel in a liquid crystal display device, but is a semiconductor substrate, a flexible substrate for a film liquid crystal, a photomask substrate, a color filter substrate. Other substrates may be used.

  The mechanical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a substrate transfer apparatus 2 that receives a rectangular substrate W in a horizontal posture transferred from an upstream unit and transfers it in the (+ X) direction, and a coating apparatus 3 that applies a processing liquid to the substrate W. And the exit levitation stage 11. The substrate W after the processing liquid is applied by the substrate processing apparatus 1 is transferred from the exit floating stage 11 to one of the vacuum drying units 37 and 38 by the transfer robot 36, and the applied processing liquid is vacuum-dried. Receive. Thereafter, the substrate W is transferred to a delivery position 39 that is stacked with the vacuum drying unit 38 in the vertical direction, and is further delivered to another apparatus for the next process.

  The substrate transfer device 2 transfers the substrate W from the roller conveyor 30 to the inlet floating stage 10, the roller conveyor 30 that transfers the substrate W sent from the upstream unit, the inlet floating stage 10 that floats the substrate W by compressed air. The transfer unit 6 and the substrate transport chuck 8 for transporting downstream by sucking and holding both side ends of the substrate W are roughly classified. The substrate coating apparatus 3 is roughly divided into a nozzle unit 5 having a slit nozzle 55 for discharging a processing liquid, a nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 for cleaning the slit nozzle 55, and a coating stage 4 for performing a coating process. .

  The substrate transport section TR when viewed through the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 is roughly divided into three sections depending on the substrate support method.

(1) Contact support section TA:
The upstream contact support section TA is a “roller transport system” in which the substrate W is transported by the rotation of each roller while supporting the substrate W in a roller arrangement in contact with the lower surface of the substrate W. Substrate support in this “roller transport method” is one mode of “contact support type” in which the substrate W is supported by contacting the lower surface of the substrate W. The conveyance in the upstream unit existing on the upstream side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is also a roller conveyance system.

(2) Levitation support section TC1, TC2:
The levitation support sections TC1 and TC2 on the downstream side of the contact support section TA across the support type conversion section TB described later support the substrate W by levitating the substrate with compressed air. In general, the type of supporting the substrate by levitating the substrate is the “floating support type”. In this embodiment, the floating support type is realized by pressurized gas (specifically, compressed air), and both sides of the substrate are supported. It is a levitation transport system in which the substrate is moved by suction and holding the end. Of the sections TC1 and TC2, the section TC1 is an application transport section that is directly related to the application of the treatment liquid, and the section TC2 is an exit section for transferring the substrate to the transfer robot 36.

(3) Support format conversion section: TB
The support type conversion section TB provided between the two types of sections TA and (TC1, TC2) is used to switch the substrate support method between the contact support section TA and the floating support sections TC1 and TC2. It is a section. From the viewpoint of the transport method, not the substrate support format, the support format change section TB is composed of the “roller transport system” as the “contact transport system” in the contact support section TA and the “supporting transport system” in the floating support sections TC1 and TC2. This is a section in which the substrate transfer method is changed between the “floating transfer method”.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the control unit 7 and each functional unit mainly controlled by the control unit 7. The control unit 7 is configured by using a computer, and controls each part of the apparatus according to a program installed in the computer, characteristic data of each part of the apparatus, and a processing procedure (recipe) of each substrate, and a series of continuous processing of the substrate is performed. Done. The function of each part that is a control target will be described later in each related part.

<2. Configuration of each part>
<● Roller conveyor 30>
The roller conveyor 30 is a contact-type transfer device that applies a driving force to the substrate W and moves the substrate W in the downstream direction by the uppermost portions of the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotating rollers 301 contacting the lower surface of the substrate W. Since the timing belt 32 (see FIG. 6) is stretched between the motor 35, which is a driving source, and one rotating shaft 302, and between the adjacent rotating shafts 302, each rotation is performed at the same timing and at the same timing. It can be applied to the shaft 302. Unlike the rollers 601 of the transfer unit 6 which will be described later, the plurality of rollers 301 constitute a group of rollers that are provided at a fixed height and come into contact with the lower surface of the substrate.

  In this roller conveyor 30, a deceleration sensor (not shown) is installed at one of both end portions parallel to the X-axis direction, and further on the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W from the installation position of this deceleration sensor. A stop sensor (not shown) is installed. When the tip WE (see FIG. 12) of the substrate W to be conveyed is detected by the deceleration sensor, the rotation speed of the roller 301 is reduced, and when the stop sensor detects the tip WE of the substrate W, the roller 301 rotates. Is stopped. By reducing the speed of the substrate W transported in advance in this way, it is possible to stop the substrate W while minimizing the impact applied to the substrate W.

<● Transfer unit 6>
A transfer unit 6 is installed on the downstream side of the roller conveyor 30. The transfer unit 6 is installed in a space between the roller conveyor 30 and the entrance floating stage 10, and includes a floating pad 64 and a transfer lifting roller conveyor 60.

  The floating pad 64 is a floating mechanism that jets a compressed gas, for example, air, from each upper surface to the lower surface of the substrate W to float the substrate W and supports the substrate W in a non-contact state. The levitation pad 64 is composed of a rectangular member provided with a large number of ejection holes 64a (see FIG. 12) for ejecting air distributed on the upper surface, and the upper surface serves as a gas ejection surface. Air is always ejected from the ejection holes 64a. A plurality of the floating pads 64 are provided at predetermined intervals along the Y-axis direction so that the longitudinal direction is parallel to the transport direction of the substrate W. An assembly of the plurality of floating pads 64 functions as a floating stage for the substrate W, and each floating pad 64 is a unit floating stage as a constituent element thereof.

  In a gap between the floating pads 64 arranged at a predetermined interval, a group of rollers composed of a plurality of rollers 601 of the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 includes a rotation direction at the top of the outer peripheral surface of each roller 601 and the floating pads. The rotary shaft 602 penetrates the center of rotation of the roller 601. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 described later, the floating pad 64 exists above the rotation shaft 602, and the rotation shaft 602 penetrating through the rotation centers of the plurality of rollers 601 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the floating pad 64. They are lined up almost horizontally.

  Regarding the driving of the roller 601 and the rotating shaft 602, similarly to the roller conveyor 30, the timing belt 62 (see FIG. 5) is provided between the motor 65 and the rotating shaft 602 that are driving sources, and the rotating shafts 602 adjacent to each other substantially horizontally. 6), and the same rotational speed can be given to each rotary shaft 602 constituting the transfer elevator roller conveyor 60 at the same timing.

  An elevating mechanism 66 (see FIG. 4) such as a cylinder is installed below the rotating shaft 602 of each roller 601. The elevating mechanism 66 and the rotating shaft 602 of each roller 601 are interposed via members. It is connected. Therefore, in accordance with the driving of the lifting mechanism 66, the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 moves up and down in the Z-axis direction while maintaining substantially horizontal.

  FIG. 4 is a YZ sectional view of the transfer unit 6 when the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 is raised. FIG. 5 is a YZ sectional view of the transfer unit 6 when the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 is lowered.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the position of the roller 601 at the time of ascending is a position where the uppermost part of the outer peripheral surface is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, and from the height at which the substrate W floats by the ejection of air from the ejection holes 64a. Is also a high position. As shown in FIG. 5, when descending, the uppermost part of the outer peripheral surface of the roller 601 is lowered to a position lower than the upper surface of the floating pad 64. At the time of ascent, similarly to the roller conveyor 30, the uppermost part of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating roller 601 abuts the lower surface of the substrate W, thereby applying a driving force to the substrate W and moving the substrate W in the downstream direction.

  The substrate W is transported from the roller conveyor 30 to the entrance floating stage 10 by rotating the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 in the raised state. When the substrate W passes through the roller conveyor 30, the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 is lowered below the upper surface of the flying pad 64. Therefore, the support of the substrate W by the transfer unit 6 is only the levitation force by the levitation pad 64, and the substrate W is levitated in cooperation with the levitation force at the entrance levitation stage 10, and is not in contact with the lower mechanism such as a roller. Migrate to

  The length of the transfer unit 6 in the transport direction (+ X direction), that is, the length of the support type changing section TB in FIG. 1 is shorter than the length of the substrate W in the transport direction. In other words, in the apparatus 1 that processes the substrate W having a predetermined length in the transport direction (+ X direction), the length of the transfer unit 6 in the transport direction (+ X direction) is shorter than the predetermined length. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the overall length of the substrate processing line.

  FIG. 6 is a side view of the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer unit 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer unit 6 are arranged adjacent to each other but are not connected, and are spatially separated as completely separate devices. At this time, although the lifting conveyor support frame 69 seems to be connected when viewed from the side, it is not actually connected spatially as in the top view of the portion A shown in FIG. Therefore, the vibration accompanying the roller driving of the roller conveyor 30 is not transmitted downstream from the transfer unit 6. As a result, it is possible to prevent coating unevenness due to unnecessary vibrations in the processing liquid coating process described later.

<Inlet levitation stage 10>
An entrance levitation stage 10 is installed on the downstream side of the transfer unit 6. The entrance levitation stage 10 has a large number of air ejection holes 10a distributed over the entire surface of one plate-like stage surface. The upper surface of the inlet levitation stage 10, that is, the gas ejection surface can be brought into a non-contact state. The flying height of the substrate W at this time is 10 to 500 micrometers. Such a substrate floating principle in the entrance floating stage 10 is the same as the parallel arrangement of the floating pads 64 in the transfer unit 6.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the substrate transport path of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a position outside the two sides of the substrate W parallel to the transport direction of the substrate W along the Y-axis direction (hereinafter referred to as “side position”). ”) Are provided with guide rollers 102p to 102s. The transfer roller 6 has a guide roller 102p on the (+ Y) side, a guide roller 102r on the (−Y) side, a guide roller 102q on the (+ Y) side of the inlet floating stage 10, and a (−Y) side. A guide roller 102s is installed. The guide rollers 102p to 102s are in a retracted position (a position away from a line corresponding to the movement locus of the side of the substrate W) when the substrate W is not transported to the entrance floating stage 10, but the substrate transport Sometimes, two sides of the substrate W parallel to the transport direction are pressed from both sides toward the center line of the substrate W parallel to the X axis by guide roller cylinders (not shown) attached to the guide rollers 102p to 102s. To touch. The guide rollers 102p to 102s are installed so that the rotation axis thereof is parallel to the Z axis, and thus when the transfer roller 6 is transferred to the entrance floating stage 10, the roller 601 of the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 is rotated. Therefore, it is possible to transmit the propulsive force applied by only in the transport direction, so that the lateral displacement of the substrate W can be prevented.

  As with the roller conveyor 30, a deceleration sensor (not shown) and a stop sensor (not shown) are installed on one of both ends of the entrance levitation stage 10 parallel to the X-axis direction. After the transport speed is decelerated, the transport of the substrate W can be stopped at a predetermined stop position in the entrance levitation stage 10.

  As shown in FIG. 15, alignment processing pins 105 c to 105 f for aligning the substrates W stopped by the stop sensor of the entrance levitation stage 10 are installed around the transfer unit 6 and the entrance levitation stage 10. . Specifically, the alignment processing pins 105g to 105j in contact with the two sides of the substrate W parallel to the X-axis direction are 105g on the (+ Y) side at the side position between the transfer unit 6 and the inlet levitation stage 10. 105h are disposed on the (−Y) side and touch two sides parallel to the X-axis direction of the substrate W. Alignment processing pins 105e and 105f in contact with one side of the substrate W at the rear end with respect to the transport direction are installed along the Y-axis direction at the boundary between the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer unit 6. The alignment processing pins 105c and 105d that are in contact with one side of the substrate W at the front end in the transport direction are on the inlet levitation stage further downstream than the one side of the front end of the substrate W at the stop position on the inlet levitation stage 10. 10 is installed in a recess having a size suitable for the alignment processing pins 105c and 105d, and is provided along the Y-axis direction. With respect to the alignment processing pins 105c to 105f that are in contact with the two sides of the front end WE and the rear end of the substrate W parallel to the Y-axis direction, the roller conveyor 30 It is retracted below the boundary with the transfer unit 6 and a recess formed in the entrance levitation stage 10. When performing alignment processing, the alignment processing pin cylinder (not shown) operates to extend above the substrate transport path to a position where it can contact the substrate W, and the uppermost portion that contacts the substrate W extends in the substrate direction. By changing the position, the two sides parallel to the Y-axis direction of the substrate W are contacted. In this way, the substrate W is positioned at an accurate stop position by operating the alignment processing pins 105c to 105f installed in a total of eight places.

<● Dispensing stage 4>
A coating stage 4 is present downstream of the inlet floating stage 10. On the coating stage 4, the substrate W is coated with a resist solution as a processing solution from the slit nozzle 55.

  Similar to the inlet floating stage 10, the coating stage 4 has a large number of small holes distributed on the stage surface. However, in the entrance levitation stage 10, only small air is ejected from the small holes, but in the coating stage 4, not only air is ejected but also small holes for air suction are formed. That is, a large number of small holes (gas holes) existing on the coating stage 4 are classified into compressed air ejection holes 40a and 41a and suction holes 40b and 41b, as shown in FIG. As a result of air ejection and suction being performed in this manner, the air flow of compressed air ejected from the ejection holes 40a and 41a onto the stage surface spreads in the horizontal direction and then adjoins these ejection holes 40a and 41a. The pressure balance in the air layer (pressure gas layer) between the floating substrate W and the upper surface of the coating stage 4 becomes more stable because the suction holes 40b and 41b are sucked.

  The application stage 4 is divided into two parts, and FIG. 8 is a top view of the application stage 4 divided into two parts.

  The substrate W that has been stopped at the entrance floating stage 10 is transported in the (+ X) direction while the side end of the substrate W is sucked and held by the substrate transport chuck 8 and is temporarily stopped on the coating stage 4. The position immediately below the leading edge WE of the stopped substrate W is a plate boundary St, and the plate constituting the coating stage 4 is divided into two at the plate boundary St. A plate located in the (−X) direction from the plate boundary St is referred to as a pre-application stage 40, and a plate located in the (+ X) direction is referred to as a post-application stage 41.

  FIG. 9 shows an air supply channel and a suction channel in the pre-application stage 40 and the post-application stage 41. The air supply flow paths are the flow paths of the pre-application stage 40 and the post-application stage 41 after the air compressed by the compression mechanism 201 such as a compressor has reached a predetermined temperature by the temperature control unit 202. Fork. The reason why the air is set to a predetermined temperature by the temperature control unit 202 is to keep the air at a constant temperature state regardless of the outside air temperature. The branched air is purified through the filters 12 and 22 in the respective flow paths, and after the pressure is adjusted by the needle valves 13 and 23, the flow meters 14 and 24, the pressure gauges 15 and 25, the air operation valve 16 and 26 and is ejected from ejection holes 40a and 41a in the pre-application stage 40 and the post-application stage 41. The start and stop of the supply of air are performed by opening and closing the air operation valves 16 and 26 according to a command signal from the control unit 7 (FIG. 3). The control unit 7 also performs pressure control of the compressed air.

  For air suction, blowers 18 and 28 are used as suction means, and a drive motor (not shown) is inverter-controlled. Pressure gauges 17 and 27 are installed in the suction channels from the suction holes 40b and 41b provided on the pre-application stage 40 and the post-application stage 41, and the pressure in the suction channel can be measured. Relief valves 19 and 29 are provided in the suction flow path. Thus, when the pressure in the suction flow path is higher than the suction pressure obtained by the rotation of the blowers 18 and 28, the air in the suction flow path is discharged from the relief valves 19 and 29 to the outside. Fine adjustment to keep the internal pressure constant can be performed.

  There is one compression mechanism 201 as air supply means, and the flow path can be divided for each stage by branching. On the other hand, the blowers 18 and 28 as suction means are installed for each suction flow path in each stage.

  As described above, the application stage 4 is divided into two, and the internal flow path is divided into the pre-application stage 40 and the post-application stage 41, so that air ejection and suction are adjusted for each stage. It is possible. That is, the pressure gas layer (air flow) in the two stages 40 and 41 can be individually controlled, and not only can both the compressed air ejection and the suction be performed simultaneously, but only one of them can be temporarily performed. Air ejection and suction can also be stopped.

  For example, when it is desired to stop the air ejection and suction of the stage 41 after coating independently, the air operation valve 26 is fully closed for ejection, and the inverter connected to the drive motor (not shown) of the blower 28 for suction. Such single control can be realized by stopping (not shown). The air operation valve 26 and the inverter function as gas flow control means for controlling the air flow for forming the pressure gas layer.

<Nozzle unit 5>
FIG. 10 is a YZ sectional view of the substrate transport chuck 8, the nozzle unit 5, and the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9.

  The nozzle unit 5 for applying a resist solution to the surface of the substrate W is installed above the application stage 4 and has a cross-linking structure shown in FIG. Such a bridging structure includes, for example, a nozzle support portion that uses carbon fiber reinforced resin as an aggregate, and an elevating mechanism that supports and lifts both ends thereof. A slit nozzle 55 is installed in the nozzle support portion. The slit nozzle 55 discharges a resist solution supplied from a processing solution supply mechanism (not shown) to the upper surface of the substrate W from a slit-like discharge port 55a formed at the lower end thereof. The discharge port 55a is substantially horizontal to the coating stage 4 and extends along the Y-axis direction.

  The nozzle raising / lowering mechanism is installed at both ends of the nozzle support portion, and is mainly composed of a servo motor 59 as a driving source and a ball screw 58. By this servo motor 59, the nozzle support is driven up and down along a ball screw 58 extending in the vertical direction with respect to the coating stage 4, and the distance between the discharge port 55 a of the slit nozzle 55 and the substrate W is adjusted.

  In this lifting mechanism, nozzle unit travel guides 51 are installed along the X-axis direction at positions that do not contact the substrate at both ends (−Y side, + Y side) of the substrate transport path.

  The stators of the two nozzle unit linear motors (−Y side and + Y side) are provided along the X-axis direction on the side surface in the Y-axis direction of the main unit, and the respective movers are located outside the lifting mechanism. It is fixed. The nozzle unit 5 moves along the nozzle unit travel guide 51 by magnetic interaction generated between the stator and the mover.

  The two nozzle unit linear scales 52 are also installed at both ends (−Y side and + Y side) of the main body device, respectively. Since the nozzle unit linear scale 52 detects the movement position of the nozzle unit 5, the control unit 7 controls the drive of the nozzle unit linear motor 53 based on the detection result, and the movement of the nozzle unit 5 in the X-axis direction, that is, Controls the scanning of the substrate surface by the slit nozzle 55.

  When performing the coating process, the substrate transport chuck 8 holds both ends of the substrate W and horizontally moves in the (+ X) axial direction at a predetermined speed while the resist solution is discharged from the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55. .

  The substrate transport chuck 8 is an apparatus for transporting the substrate W in the downstream direction while holding the edge of the substrate W whose lower surface is in a non-contact state. In the origin state, the substrate transport chuck 8 is located immediately below both ends parallel to the X-axis direction of the substrate W stopped across the floating pad 64 and the entrance floating stage 10. That is, the transfer unit 6 and the entrance levitation stage 10 are positioned inside the position where the substrate W is chucked.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the substrate transport chuck 8 is disposed not only on both sides of the inlet levitation stage 10, the coating stage 4 and the outlet levitation stage 11 but also on both sides of the transfer unit 6 along the substrate transport path. It is extended. And the conveyance speed of the board | substrate W by the board | substrate conveyance chuck | zipper 8, the board | substrate conveyance speed by rotation of each roller 301 of the roller conveyor 30, and the board | substrate conveyance speed by rotation of each roller 601 of the transfer unit 6 in a raising state are the same. Speed, which is standardized to a predetermined reference speed. However, the “transport speed” here is defined as a speed in a steady speed section excluding an acceleration / deceleration period at the start and end of transport. Accordingly, in the period in which the plurality of previous and subsequent substrates are simultaneously moved in the apparatus 1, it is not necessary to provide an extra space between the substrates in order to prevent the substrates from colliding with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate transport chuck 8 has a bilaterally symmetric structure (symmetrical on the + Y side and the −Y side), and a chuck portion 88 that holds and holds the substrate W on the left and right sides in the X-axis direction. A transport chuck travel guide 81 for moving, a transport chuck linear motor 83 for generating a driving force for the movement, and a transport chuck linear scale 82 for detecting the position of the substrate W are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the chuck portion 88 can be moved up and down by the operation of the chuck lifting cylinder 85. As the chuck portion 88 is raised, the lower surfaces of both ends of the + Y side and −Y side substrates W are supported and held by suction.

  Below the chuck portion 88, a conveyance chuck travel guide 81 is installed along the X-axis direction at a position inside the nozzle unit travel guide 51 at both ends (−Y side, + Y side) of the substrate transport path. It is.

  The respective stators of the two transfer chuck linear motors (−Y side and + Y side) are provided along the X-axis direction on the innermost side surface in the Y-axis direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Each mover is fixed to the substrate transfer chuck 8. The substrate transfer chuck 8 moves along the transfer chuck travel guide 81 by the magnetic interaction generated between the stator and the mover.

  The two transfer chuck linear scales 82 are also installed at both ends (−Y side and + Y side) of the substrate processing apparatus 1, respectively. Since the transport chuck linear scale 82 detects the movement position of the substrate transport chuck 8, the control unit 7 controls the substrate position based on the detection result.

  After the slit nozzle 55 performs the coating process on the surface of the substrate W, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 cleans the nozzle tip contaminated with the resist solution and prepares the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 for the next coating process. It is a device for adjusting the state. Therefore, a substantially cylindrical roller 95 that is a target for discharging the resist solution from the slit nozzle 55 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 is installed at a position outside the substrate transport path and inside the nozzle unit 5 along the X-axis direction. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 also includes a nozzle cleaning standby unit travel guide 91, a nozzle cleaning standby unit linear motor 93, and a nozzle cleaning standby unit linear scale 92 on each of the left and right sides (−Y side and + Y side).

  The nozzle cleaning standby unit travel guide 91 is located between the nozzle unit travel guide 51 and the transport chuck travel guide 81 when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and extends along the X-axis direction at both ends of the substrate transport path. (−Y side, + Y side).

  In the two linear motors 93 of the nozzle cleaning standby unit provided at both ends (−Y side, + Y side), each stator is provided along the X-axis direction on the inner side surface in the Y-axis direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1. It has been. Each moving element is fixed to the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 moves along the nozzle cleaning standby unit travel guide 91 by magnetic interaction generated between the stator and the mover.

  The two nozzle cleaning standby unit linear scales 92 are also installed at both ends (−Y side and + Y side) of the substrate processing apparatus 1, respectively. Since the nozzle cleaning standby unit linear scale 92 detects the movement position of the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9, the control unit 7 can control the position of the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 based on the detection result.

  The nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 mainly includes a roller 95, a cleaning unit 99, a roller butt 96, and the like. In the cleaning unit 99, the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 after the coating process is performed is cleaned. When a certain resist solution is discharged from the discharge port 55a in a state where the slit nozzle 55 is brought close to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 95, a pool of resist solution is formed at the discharge port 55a. Thus, if a liquid pool is uniformly formed in the discharge outlet 55a, it will become possible to perform a subsequent coating process with high accuracy. Thus, the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 is initialized and prepared for the next coating process (hereinafter referred to as “preliminary discharge”). The roller 95 is rotated by driving a roller rotation motor 98. The resist solution adhering to the roller 95 is removed by immersing the lower end in the cleaning solution stored in the roller bat 96 when the roller 95 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a protective member 57 for protecting the nozzle tip is attached to the slit nozzle 55 of the nozzle unit 5. This is to suppress the possibility of the slit nozzle 55 being damaged when the nozzle unit 5 scans the surface of the substrate and the foreign material is present on the substrate and the tip of the nozzle comes into contact with the foreign material. Therefore, when the slit nozzle 55 scans on the substrate, the plate-shaped protection member 57 is placed at a position where the slit nozzle 55 enters the substrate W before the nozzle tip, and the slit nozzle so that the plate surface is orthogonal to the substrate surface. Attach so that the lower surface of the plate is positioned below the tip of 55. When there is a foreign object, the protective member 57 comes into contact with the vibration, and vibration is generated, and the vibration is transmitted to the slit nozzle 55. The slit nozzle 55 is provided with a vibration sensor 55S for detecting vibration, and the detected electrical signal is input to the control unit 7 to recognize the presence of foreign matter, and the scanning of the slit nozzle 55 is forced. To be stopped.

  Further, when the substrate W and the slit nozzle 55 are relatively moved in the horizontal direction, the slit nozzle 55 floats the substrate W at a position where the substrate W enters the upper region of the substrate W before the protection member 57. A flying height detection sensor 58 for detecting the height in a non-contact manner is provided. The flying height detection sensor 58 can measure the separation distance between the floating substrate W and the upper surface of the coating stage 4, and the slit nozzle 55 via the control unit 7 according to the detected value. Can be adjusted. As the detection sensor 58, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like can be used.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the application stage 4 is divided into two, and the air supply channel and the suction channel can be individually adjusted in each stage. Therefore, at the stage where the front end WE of the substrate W has moved directly above the pre-application stage 40, the substrate W has still reached the upper side while maintaining the air ejection / suction at the pre-application stage 40. With respect to the post-application stage 41 that is not in the region, the ejection and suction of air at the post-application stage 41 can be stopped. Therefore, even if the slit nozzle 55 is lowered to the coating start height in the state where the substrate W does not exist immediately below the nozzle, the ejection of the slit nozzle 55 is caused by the ejection and suction of air in that region (the region where the post-application stage 41 exists). It is possible to prevent the treatment liquid at the outlet 55a from drying. For this reason, the discharge failure of the processing liquid due to the partial drying of the processing liquid at the nozzle tip is prevented, and the coating failure of the substrate W can be prevented.

  Since the slit nozzle 55 can be moved horizontally toward the substrate W after the slit nozzle 55 is lowered, the actual accurate flying height of the front end WE of the substrate at which the slit nozzle 55 starts coating is first determined. A nozzle height detection sensor 58 entering the tip WE of the substrate can be detected. Therefore, the nozzle unit 5 finely adjusts the descending height of the slit nozzle 55, and the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 has a height corresponding to a predetermined distance between the nozzle tip and the substrate surface when the coating process is actually performed. Thus, it is possible to enter the front end WE of the substrate and reach the coating start position SP. The application start position SP is usually a position slightly closer to the center of the substrate W than the front end WE of the substrate, but may be substantially the same position as the front end WE of the substrate. In addition, since the slit nozzle 55 can start scanning from the end of the substrate W, foreign matter can be detected by the protective member 57 and the vibration sensor 55S for foreign matter on the entire surface of the substrate.

  An outlet levitation stage 11 is installed downstream of the coating stage 4. The exit levitation stage 11 is formed with an ejection hole 11a for ejecting a gas in the same manner as the entrance levitation stage 10, and a lift pin 115 is sewn between the ejection holes 11a at a predetermined interval, and the entire surface of the substrate W is formed. It arrange | positions so that it may oppose. The lift pin 115 is driven up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a lift pin lifting mechanism (not shown) installed below the outlet floating stage 11. When lowered, the tip of the lift pin 115 is below the upper surface of the outlet levitation stage 11, and when lifted, the tip of the lift pin 115 rises to a position where the substrate W is transferred to the transfer robot 36. As the lift pins 115 are raised, the lower surface of the substrate W is supported and lifted, so that the substrate W is peeled off from the upper surface of the outlet floating stage 11. The transfer robot 36 installed downstream of the outlet floating stage 11 inserts a transfer fork between the lift pins 115, and the substrate W is transferred from the lift pins 115.

<3. Operation of substrate processing apparatus>
Next, a basic operation flow of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a time chart regarding the operation of the main functional units according to the processing status of the substrate W. This time chart represents the interlocking of the functional units of each apparatus in the situation where the substrate W is continuously processed.

  The steps in the time chart are divided into five steps from (A) to (E).

● First stage = (A) to (B):
-For the substrate W0, the process from stopping at the coating start position SP and starting the coating process;
-About the board | substrate W which is due to be processed next, it is the process until it begins to be conveyed by the transfer unit 6 from the state stopped at the stop position of the roller conveyor 30.

● Second stage = (B) to (C):
-For the substrate W0, the process when the coating process is being performed;
-For the substrate W, the process up to the transfer to the entrance levitation stage 10.

● Third stage = (C) to (D):
-For the substrate W0, the process from the end of the coating process to the stop on the exit floating stage 11;
-For the substrate W, an alignment process is performed.

● Fourth stage = (D) to (E):
-About the board | substrate W0, the process conveyed to the downstream apparatus;
-For the substrate W, a preparation process in which the coating process is performed while being aligned.

● 5th stage = (E) to (A):
-For the substrate W, this corresponds to the process of moving to the coating start position SP;
-In the roller conveyor 30, the board | substrate in which the next process is performed is carried in to a stop position.

  The operations of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described in detail below. For the purpose of facilitating understanding, the steps in FIG. 11 are described in order to explain the process until the substrate W is carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Repeat (A) to (E) twice. In the first cycle, the substrate Wb with the right-up hatching in FIG. 11 corresponds to the target substrate W, and in the second cycle, the substrate Wa with the right-down hatching corresponds to the target substrate W.

<3-1. 1st time: 1st stage (A)-(B)>
FIG. 12 is a top view showing a state where the substrate W is transported by the roller conveyor 30. However, in addition to FIG. 12, in FIG. 13, FIG. 15, FIG. 17, FIG. 23, and FIG. 24, for convenience of illustration, the substrate preceding the target substrate W is not drawn.

  In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the substrate W processed in the upstream unit is transferred to the downstream process, and is transferred to the fixed roller conveyor 30. The rotation of the roller conveyor 30 brings the lower surface of the substrate W into contact with the uppermost portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roller, so that a driving force is applied in the (+ X) direction and the substrate W is transported in the downstream direction. A deceleration sensor and a stop sensor are installed on one end of the roller conveyor 30 parallel to the X-axis direction. When the tip WE of the substrate W to be transported is detected by the deceleration sensor, the rotational speed of the roller conveyor 30 is decelerated and the transport speed of the substrate W is slowed down. When the front end WE of the substrate W is detected by the stop sensor, the rotation of the roller conveyor 30 stops and the conveyance of the substrate W is stopped.

  The rotation of the roller conveyor 30 is resumed immediately before step (B). At this time, the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 is in an elevated state, and in step (B), the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 are simultaneously driven to rotate in order to transport the substrate W. In FIG. 11, the nozzle-related operation at this stage in the first cycle relates to the application of the processing liquid to the preceding substrate Wa, and thus is not related to the processing for the substrate of interest W.

<3-2. First time: Second stage (B) to (C)>
FIG. 13 is a top view showing a state where the substrate W is carried into the entrance floating stage 10 through the transfer unit 6. FIG. 14 is an XZ sectional view showing a state in which the substrate W is carried into the entrance floating stage 10 through the transfer unit 6.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the air is always ejected from the floating pad 64 of the transfer unit 6, and the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 is in the ascending position during the steps (B) to (C). The roller conveyor 30 and the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 rotate at the same rotational speed, and transport the substrate W to the inlet floating stage 10 installed downstream of the transfer unit 6. Although not shown in FIG. 11, the air in the inlet levitation stage 10 is also constantly ejected. Accordingly, the portion of the substrate W that has entered the entrance levitation stage 10 proceeds in a state where it floats on the entrance levitation stage 10.

  At this time, the guide rollers 102p to 102s installed on the sides of the transfer unit 6 and the entrance floating stage 10 advance and contact two sides parallel to the X-axis direction of the substrate W. Since two sides parallel to the X-axis direction of the substrate W are pressed by the guide rollers 102p to 102s, the position of the substrate W is regulated with respect to the direction crossing the substrate transport path, and the substrate W is transported in the downstream direction without being shifted in that direction. . As a result of the presence of the guide rollers 102p to 102s, the propulsive force transmitted to the substrate W by the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer elevator roller conveyor 60 are all aligned in the downstream direction, and the substrate W is shifted. To prevent that.

  At this time, since the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer unit 6 are completely separated as separate devices (that is, spatially non-contact), the vibration of the roller conveyor 30 is transmitted to the transfer unit 6. Never happen. For this reason, it is possible to prevent adverse effects on the preceding substrate coating process due to unnecessary vibration.

  Similar to the roller conveyor 30, a deceleration sensor and a stop sensor are installed on the entrance floating stage 10. When the tip WE of the substrate W to be conveyed is detected by the deceleration sensor, the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 of the transfer unit 6 reduces the rotation speed.

  At the stage where the rear end of the substrate W to be transferred has passed the stop sensor of the roller conveyor 30, the driving of the roller conveyor 30 is stopped. Then, the substrate W is transported to the entrance floating stage 10 only by driving the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 until the leading edge WE of the transported substrate W is detected by the stop sensor of the entrance floating stage 10. The rotation of the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 is stopped by being detected by the stop sensor of the entrance floating stage 10.

  Since the movement of the substrate transfer chuck 8 in steps (B) to (D) in the first cycle is for transferring the preceding substrate, description at this stage is omitted.

<3-3. First time: Third stage (C) to (D)>
FIG. 15 is a top view showing a state in which the substrate W is transferred to the transfer unit 6 and stopped. FIG. 16 is an XZ sectional view showing a state where the transfer unit 6 is lowered and the substrate W is in a non-contact state.

  When the rear end of the substrate W to be transferred has completely transferred to the transfer unit 6 and stopped in a state where the substrate W straddles the transfer unit 6 and the entrance floating stage 10, the transfer transfer roller conveyor 60 that has been lifted is The uppermost part of the outer peripheral surface of the roller 601 is lowered to a position below the upper surface of the floating pad 64. In this way, the entire surface of the substrate W is floated by the ejection of air from the floating pad 64 and the inlet floating stage 10 and is brought into a non-contact state with the floating pad 64 and the inlet floating stage 10.

  Since the transfer unit 6 is shorter than the length of the substrate W, in the substrate W on the transfer unit 6, the degree of the temperature drop due to the air current is different between the transfer elevator roller conveyor 60 and the floating pad 64. The non-uniformity of the temperature of the substrate W due to is reduced. Therefore, coating unevenness due to the temperature distribution (temperature nonuniformity) of the substrate W can be suppressed.

  Alignment processing pins 105c to 105j for positioning at a predetermined stop position are provided on the front and rear and the left and right in the transport direction of the substrate W stopped in a non-contact state. The alignment processing pins 105g and 105h installed on the (+ Y) side and the alignment processing pins 105i and 105j installed on the (−Y) side at the side position of the substrate W are directed toward the substrate W. (Not shown) is moved in the horizontal direction and contacts two sides parallel to the X-axis direction of the substrate W. Since the alignment processing pins 105c to 105f used for the front-rear positioning stand by below the conveyance path of the substrate W, the alignment processing pins are lifted to a position where they come into contact with the substrate W on the upper surface of the stage by the ascending drive of the lift cylinder. In addition, the uppermost end portion that comes into contact with the substrate W changes its position in the substrate direction, thereby contacting the two sides of the front end WE and the rear end of the substrate W. As the alignment processing pins 105c to 105j operate in this manner, the substrate W is positioned at an accurate stop position.

<3-4. First time: Fourth stage (D) to (E)>
The substrate W is aligned by the alignment processing pins 105c to 105j. In the meantime, in the substrate transport chuck 8 that transported the substrate W0 (the substrate Wa in FIG. 11) that has been previously subjected to the coating process, the chucking of the chuck portion 88 is stopped and the chuck portion 88 is lower than the edge of the substrate W0. In the state where it is lowered to the height, it moves in the (−X) direction toward the initial position in order to carry the substrate W. In the operation of the substrate transport chuck 8 in FIG. It should be noted that the period indicated by the (+) sign in step (C) of the operation of the substrate transport chuck 8 is a movement period of the substrate transport chuck 8 in the (−X) direction.

  The slit nozzle 55 on which the substrate W0 has been applied moves horizontally in the (+ X) direction and moves above the post-application stage 41 in order to perform nozzle cleaning and preliminary discharge.

<3-5. 1st: 5th stage (E)-(A)>
FIG. 17 is a top view showing a state in which the substrate W stops at the application start position SP and the substrate W1 scheduled for the next processing is at the stop position of the roller conveyor 30. FIG.

  The substrate transport chuck 8 moved in the (−X) direction is accurately positioned by the alignment pins 105c to 105f, and below the two sides of the substrate W that are stopped and parallel to the transport direction. Stop at the position. Then, the substrate transport chuck 8 raises the chuck portion 88 by the operation of the chuck raising / lowering cylinder 85 and attracts it to both ends of the lower surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 11, the suction for the suction is started before hitting the substrate W. As a result, the substrate W is held by the chuck portion 88, the substrate transport chuck 8 moves in the (+ X) direction, and the substrate W is transported to the coating stage 4 while floating.

  The application stage 4 is divided into a pre-application stage 40 and a post-application stage 41 by dividing the plate constituting the stage into two. The substrate W is transported by the substrate transport chuck 8 until the tip WE is located above the boundary line St of the two plates.

  FIG. 18 is an XZ sectional view showing a state in which preliminary ejection is performed on the slit nozzle 55. FIG. 19 is an XZ sectional view showing how the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 moves to the retracted position.

  The nozzle unit 5 is stopped at a position where the slit nozzle 55 exists above the stage 41 after application. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 moves in accordance with the position of the slit nozzle 55, and cleaning and preliminary discharge of the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 are performed. When the tip of the slit nozzle 55 is initialized by the preliminary discharge, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 moves in the (−X) direction and retracts.

  Further, the roller conveyor 30 is also driven in synchronization with the movement of the substrate transport chuck 8 for moving the substrate W to the coating start position SP, and the substrate W1 to be processed next in the upstream unit shown in FIG. Is conveyed to a stop position on the roller conveyor 30.

<3-6. Second time: First stage (A) to (B)>
FIG. 20 is an XZ sectional view showing a state in which the slit nozzle 55 is lowered to the coating start height. FIG. 21 is an XZ sectional view showing a state in which the slit nozzle 55 moves horizontally to the application start position SP. A partial enlarged view of FIG. 21 is shown in FIG. 26, which corresponds to a partially enlarged view when the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP and starts the ejection and suction of the compressed air of the stage 41 after application. A diagram to do is shown in FIG. In FIG. 11 viewed as the second cycle, the preceding substrate Wa corresponds to the substrate W of interest here.

  By retracting the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9, a space is created between the slit nozzle 55 and the post-application stage 41. In this space, the slit nozzle 55 descends to a set lowering position, that is, the coating start height. The slit nozzle 55 lowered to the coating start height moves in the (−X) direction to the coating start position SP in the vicinity of the tip WE of the substrate W.

  When the slit nozzle 55 moves to the application start position SP, the nozzle height detection sensor 58 first enters the application start position SP, which is the tip WE of the substrate W. Since the actual flying height of the application start position SP can be detected by the nozzle height detection sensor 58, the slit nozzle 55 is (-) while performing fine adjustment to make the slit nozzle 55 the actual application height. X) Move in direction. Subsequently, the plate-shaped protection member 57 enters from the front end WE of the substrate and scans the surface of the substrate. Since scanning is performed from the front edge WE of the substrate, it is possible to detect foreign matter on the entire surface of the substrate. The height of the slit nozzle 55 at this time is a position equivalent to the height at the time of actual application. When the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP, the movement of the slit nozzle 55 in the (−X) direction stops.

  During the period from when the slit nozzle 55 starts to descend until it reaches the coating start position SP, the compressed air is ejected from the ejection holes 41a of the post-application stage 41, which has been performed so far to keep the ambient temperature constant. The suction of air from the suction hole 41b is temporarily stopped. Thereby, the formation of the air flow (gas flow) (and hence the formation of the pressure gas layer) is also temporarily stopped.

  That is, a period of time from when the slit nozzle 55 starts to descend from the standby position to the completion of the descent, and after the completion of the descent, the slit nozzle 55 starts to move horizontally without discharging the processing liquid. Both the horizontal movement period until the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP of the substrate W belongs to the “idle running period” in which the slit nozzle 55 moves without discharging the processing liquid. The formation of the air flow (formation of the pressure air layer) at the post-application stage 41 corresponding to the region immediately below the slit nozzle 55 is stopped (set to the OFF state) during at least a part of the period.

  Preferably, the ejection and suction of air are shifted to the OFF state until the lowering of the slit nozzle 55 is completed in the lowering period, and until the slit nozzle 55 moves horizontally and reaches the coating start position SP of the substrate W. Continue the air flow OFF state.

  More preferably, both the descent period and the horizontal movement period are set as a temporary stop period of the air flow.

  The air flow is temporarily stopped in a range including at least a region immediately below the nozzle in a region outside the substrate existing region.

  By doing so, when the slit nozzle 55 descends and approaches the post-application stage 41, the treatment liquid at the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 is dried due to the influence of air ejection and suction. Can be prevented. Therefore, when the coating process is actually performed on the substrate surface, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of streaky irregularities and ejection defects.

  As shown in FIG. 28, if the slit nozzle 55 is lowered from the upper standby position directly above the front end WE of the substrate, the slit can be formed without temporarily stopping the formation of the air flow by the post-application stage 41. The processing liquid is not dried at the tip of the nozzle 55. However, in this case, since the protective member 57 does not scan immediately above the vicinity of the front end WE of the substrate W, even if there is a foreign object near the front end WE, it cannot be excluded or detected by the protective member 57. Therefore, there is a possibility that the tip of the slit nozzle 55 is soiled by foreign matter. Therefore, it is desirable that the slit nozzle 55 is lowered at a position horizontally separated from the front end WE of the substrate W and then entered into the front end WE of the substrate W. In doing so, the air in the post-application stage 41 as described above is used. It is particularly effective to pause the flow.

  On the other hand, the air flow is turned on in a period before the descending period. This is because if the air ejection stop time is too long, the environmental temperature fluctuates and the temperature of the substrate W changes, which may lead to thermal deformation of the substrate W and unevenness during coating. Therefore, preferably, the duration of the temporarily stopped state of the formation of the air flow is experimentally determined in advance as a time such that the temperature fluctuation of the substrate is equal to or less than a predetermined allowable value. Application failure due to temperature fluctuation can be prevented.

  In view of the fact that the closer the slit nozzle 55 is to the post-application stage 41, the more easily it is affected by the air flow ejected from the post-application stage 41. Of these descent periods and horizontal movement periods, the horizontal movement period is preferably included in the air flow pause period.

  When the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP, the ejection and suction of air from the post-application stage 41 that has been stopped, that is, turned off until then, is resumed and turned on. For this reason, the formation of the pressure air layer using all the air holes of the application stage 4 is performed again, and in this state, the application of the treatment liquid from the application start position SP by the slit nozzle 55 is started. Further, the substrate transport chuck 8 starts moving toward the stage 41 side (+ X direction) after application, and thereby the relative movement of the substrate W with respect to the slit nozzle 55 starts. Therefore, a pressure air layer is formed over the entire area of the coating stage 4 during the actual coating operation of the processing liquid, and the floating support of the substrate W is stably performed.

  Simultaneously with the start of the movement of the substrate transport chuck 8, the roller conveyor 30 and the transfer elevator roller conveyor 60, which is the lift position, start driving in order to transport the substrate W1 to be processed next.

<3-7. Second time: Second stage (B) to (C)>
FIG. 22 is an XZ sectional view showing a state in which the coating process is performed. FIG. 23 is a top view showing a state in which the coating process is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the substrate transport chuck 8 is moved in the downstream direction at a predetermined speed in a state where the chuck portions 88 hold both ends of the substrate W. The slit nozzle 55 is fixed from the application start position SP, continues to supply the resist solution from the discharge port 55a, and moves to the downstream side in a floating state, so that the coating process is performed on the surface of the substrate W. I do. That is, the substrate W floats and stops until the slit nozzle 55 moves down to the application start position SP, and the slit nozzle 55 moves in the (−X) direction, but the slit nozzle 55 moves to the application start position SP. Then, the substrate W moves in the (+ X) direction, and thereby, application scanning by relative movement between the slit nozzle 55 and the substrate W is started.

  At this time, the substrate W1 to be processed next is transferred from the roller conveyor 30 through the transfer unit 6 to the entrance floating stage 10. And it stops over the entrance floating stage 10 and the transfer unit 6.

<3-8. Second time: Third stage (C) to (D)>
Substrate W1 to be processed next is in a state where the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 is lowered and the entire surface is floated. Then, alignment processing is performed by the alignment processing pins 105c to 105j.

  When the substrate W passes under the slit nozzle 55 and the coating process is completed, the substrate W passes through the post-application stage 41 by the drive of the substrate transport chuck 8 and is transported to the exit floating stage 11.

<3-9. Second time: Fourth stage (D) to (E)>
After the coating process is performed, the slit nozzle 55 moves horizontally in the (+ X) direction to the first lowered position, and then rises to the original nozzle height. Then, the retracted nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 moves in the (+ X) direction, and cleaning and preliminary discharge of the slit nozzle 55 are performed for the next coating process.

  FIG. 24 is a top view showing a state in which the substrate W is transported to the outlet floating stage 11. When the substrate W is transferred to the outlet floating stage 11, the chuck portion 88 is lowered to the lowered position by the operation of the chuck lifting cylinder 85 of the substrate transfer chuck 8, and the suction and holding of both ends of the substrate W is released. Then, the substrate transport chuck 8 moves to the initial position in order to transport the substrate W1 to be processed next in a state where the chuck portion 88 is in the lowered position. Since the transfer interval between the substrate W and the substrate W1 scheduled for the next process is close, the substrate W1 scheduled for the next process waits for the substrate transfer chuck 8 with the entire surface already floating. For this reason, when the chuck portion 88 is raised, the chuck portion 88 is lowered to return to the initial position because the chuck portion 88 is lowered to hit the substrate W1 to be processed next in the floating state.

  The air ejection holes 11a provided on the outlet levitation stage 11 raise the lift pins 115 arranged at a predetermined interval with respect to the substrate W in a non-contact state, supporting the lower surface of the substrate W. lift. The transfer fork of the transfer robot 36 installed downstream enters the space between the lift pins 115 to receive the substrate W and transfer it to the vacuum drying unit 37. The transfer robot 36 transfers the substrate W to the reduced-pressure drying unit 37, the reduced-pressure drying unit 38, the reduced-pressure drying unit 38 and the downstream delivery position 39 which is a laminated structure.

  Thereafter, the substrate W1 is coated in the same manner as the substrate W, and is transported in the downstream direction. The above is the flow of processing performed in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

<4. Modification>
In the above embodiment, the substrate W1 to be processed next is loaded after the substrate W passes through the transfer unit 6. However, the present invention is not limited to such a form.

  The substrate W1 to be processed next may be transported in a state where the rear end of the substrate W transported by the substrate transport chuck 8 and subjected to the coating process does not pass through the transfer unit 6. In this case, since the rear end of the substrate W on which the coating process is performed still remains on the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60 that should have been raised, the substrate W1 to be processed next in the lowered state. Must be accepted by the transfer unit 6.

  Therefore, at the stage where the rear end of the substrate W being coated passes through the transfer unit 6, the roller 601 of the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 is raised while rotating at the same rotational speed as the rotation of the roller conveyor 30. The At first, the substrate W1 scheduled to be processed next only by the propulsion force generated by the rotation of the roller conveyor 30 is supported on the lower surface by the rollers 601 of the transfer lifting roller conveyor 60 that has been raised from the middle. Propulsive force is given by the rotation of the roller 601. And the board | substrate W1 is conveyed to the position which the stop sensor of the entrance floating stage 10 detects.

  As described above, the rotation of the roller 301 of the roller conveyor 30, the rotation of the roller 601 of the transfer elevating roller conveyor 60, and the transfer speed of the substrate transfer chuck 8 can be set equally. While the operation is performed, the substrate W <b> 1 scheduled for the next processing can be carried into the transfer unit 6. As a result, the transfer interval between the substrate W and the substrate W1 can be made closer, so that the processing time can be further shortened.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plate of the coating stage 4 was divided into two, it is not restricted to this. FIG. 25 shows a coating stage 130 composed of three divided plates. At this time, the respective plates are referred to as a pre-application stage 110, a main application stage 118, and a post-application stage 120.

  The application stage 118 has a configuration in which air ejection holes 118a and suction holes 118b are densely formed as gas holes provided on the stage surface. On the other hand, in the pre-application stage 110 and the post-application stage 120 at both ends, the density of the ejection holes 110a and the suction holes 110b and the ejection holes 120a and the suction holes 120b are lower than the main application stage 118, and the distance between the holes is smaller. Long configuration.

  In this case, the substrate W stops so that the front end WE of the substrate W in the transport direction is positioned at the area boundary Sc of the main coating stage 118. The area boundary Sc is not a boundary between different plates but a conceptual area boundary defined in the approximate center of one plate. The slit nozzle 55 is located above the post-application stage 120 on the downstream side of the area boundary Sc of the main application stage 118. At this time, the plate is divided into three parts, but the internal air flow path is divided into two systems on the upstream side and the downstream side of the section boundary Sc.

  Similar to the above embodiment, the slit nozzle 55 descends from the stop position to the coating start height, and then moves horizontally in the (−X) direction. From the start of the descent until the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position on the substrate W, air is ejected and sucked from the ejection holes 118a and 120a and the suction holes 115b and 120b located on the downstream side of the area boundary Sc. Is temporarily suspended. In this manner, similarly to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 from drying during lowering.

  As for the plate, increasing the density of the ejection holes and the suction holes makes it possible to float the substrate W more stably, but the processing costs more. In this case, it is an area where the coating process is applied to the substrate W to be transported, in particular, where it is desired to stably float the substrate W. Therefore, by using a precise plate with high density of the ejection holes 118a and the suction holes 118b only in the main coating stage 118 located below this region, it is possible to sufficiently obtain the necessary effects. In this way, by dividing the plate into three parts and using them properly, the air ejection holes 110a and 120a and the suction holes 110b and 120b in the pre-application stage 110 and the post-application stage 120 at both ends are more than in the plate of the main application stage 118. An inexpensive plate with a low density can be used.

  The application stage 130 has a configuration in which the plate is divided into three parts. However, the plate may be divided into any number of parts, and generally can be divided into a plurality of parts. As for the internal air flow path, until the slit nozzle 55 descends from the ascending position and reaches the application start position on the substrate W, the ejection of air in the region downstream of the position of the tip of the substrate W in the transport direction and Any number of flow paths may be used as long as the suction can be temporarily stopped.

  Further, the plate may not be physically divided as long as the flow path of the internal air is divided and can be controlled ON / OFF independently.

  Generally speaking, a plurality of gas flow forming regions each having a gas hole formed are arranged adjacent to each other as a separate plate or another part of one plate, and correspond to each of the plurality of gas flow forming regions. The gas channel opening / closing mechanism is provided. Then, the temporary stop of the formation of the gas flow using the opening / closing mechanism is performed only on the region of the plurality of gas flow formation regions that exists immediately below the nozzle and does not have a substrate thereon. Results similar to those in the embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the slit nozzle 55 is lowered and moved in the (−X) direction to reach the application start position SP of the substrate W. However, the slit nozzle 55 is lowered and the substrate W is moved. May move in the (+ X) direction so that the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP. In this case, while the slit nozzle 55 is lowered, the ejection and suction of air from the coating stage 4 in the region where the substrate W does not exist above is stopped. Then, when the substrate W moves in the (+ X) direction toward the slit nozzle 55 and the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 reaches the application start position SP, the ejection and suction of air are resumed. In this way, drying of the discharge port 55a of the slit nozzle 55 is prevented.

  In addition, air is typically used as a compressed gas for floating the substrate W, but nitrogen gas or the like can be compressed and used as an inert gas for transporting the substrate in a process that does not like oxidation.

  In the substrate processing apparatus of the above embodiment, the transfer unit is used when the substrate received by the roller transport mechanism is transferred to the levitation transport mechanism. However, the substrate received by the levitation transport mechanism is transferred to the transfer unit (support). The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus which is transferred to the roller transport mechanism side by means of a format conversion means.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 is a mechanism that can move in the X-axis direction, but it may not be able to move. That is, if the nozzle unit 5 moves, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 may be fixed. In this case, the nozzle cleaning standby unit linear scale 92 and the nozzle cleaning standby unit linear motor 93 of the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 are not installed. Only the nozzle cleaning standby unit travel guide 91 is installed so that the nozzle cleaning standby unit 9 can be moved manually, and is fixed by a lock mechanism so as not to move during conveyance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Substrate transport apparatus 3 Substrate coating apparatus 4 Coating stage 5 Nozzle unit 6 Transfer unit 7 Control unit 8 Substrate transport chuck 9 Nozzle cleaning standby unit 10 Inlet floating stage 11 Outlet floating stage 16, 26 Air operation valve 18, 28 Blower 40 Pre-application stage 40a, 41a Ejection hole 40b, 41b Suction hole 41 Post-application stage 55 Slit nozzle 57 Protection member 55S Vibration sensor 60 Transfer elevator roller conveyor 64 Floating pad W, W0, W1, Wa, Wb Substrate WE Substrate Tip SP coating start position St Stage boundary

Claims (8)

A substrate coating apparatus for applying a treatment liquid to a substrate,
Forming a pressure gas layer on the stage surface by a gas flow passing through a gas hole provided in the stage surface, and a floating stage for levitating the substrate by the pressure gas layer;
Processing liquid supply means for applying the processing liquid onto the substrate by discharging a predetermined processing liquid onto the substrate from a nozzle that moves relative to the substrate;
Gas flow control means for switching between the gas flow formation state and the stop state;
With
Before discharging the processing liquid performed in parallel with the relative movement, the nozzle is moved away from the substrate existing area on the floating stage in a state where the discharging of the processing liquid from the nozzle is stopped. , A free running period is set for relative movement to the substrate presence area,
The gas flow control means temporarily stops the formation of the gas flow in a region immediately below the nozzle during at least a part of the idle running period. The substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1,
Elevating means for elevating and lowering the nozzle in the space above the levitation stage,
Further comprising
The idle running period includes a descent period in which the nozzle descends from a predetermined standby height, and a horizontal movement period in which the nozzle relatively approaches the substrate in the horizontal direction after the nozzle is in the descent state. And
Application of the treatment liquid on the substrate is performed in the lowered state,
The substrate coating apparatus, wherein the formation of the gas flow is stopped during at least the horizontal movement period of the idle running period. The substrate coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
In the levitation stage, a plurality of gas flow forming regions each having a gas hole are disposed adjacent to each other as another plate or another portion of one plate,
A gas flow path opening / closing mechanism is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of gas flow forming regions,
The gas flow control means includes
Temporarily stopping the formation of the gas flow using the opening / closing mechanism is performed only in a region of the plurality of gas flow formation regions that exists immediately below the nozzle and does not have the substrate thereon. A substrate coating apparatus characterized by the above. A substrate coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
After the gas flow is temporarily stopped, the formation of the gas flow using all the gas holes of the levitation stage is resumed from the application start position of the substrate until the nozzle starts to discharge the processing liquid. A substrate coating apparatus. A substrate coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
A flying height measuring means for measuring the flying height of the substrate;
And further comprising
The treatment liquid supply means includes
A protective member that is attached to a side corresponding to the front in the relative movement of the nozzle and protects the tip of the nozzle;
The protective member is moved by moving the nozzle and the substrate relatively after the flying height measuring means lowers the nozzle while detecting the flying height at the application start position of the substrate end. A substrate coating apparatus, wherein the substrate coating apparatus enters the substrate end portion before the nozzle. A substrate coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An allowable value of the temperature variation of the substrate due to the temporary stop of the formation of the gas flow is determined in advance;
The duration of the temporary stop state of the formation of the gas flow is determined as a time during which the temperature fluctuation is equal to or less than the allowable value. A substrate coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein the floating stage includes a plurality of ejection holes for ejecting a gas body, a plurality of suction holes for sucking the gas are formed in a mixed manner,
The gas flow is generated in the process of the gas ejected from the plurality of jet holes is sucked from the plurality of suction holes,
The gas flow control means switches between a gas flow forming state and a stopped state by opening and closing a gas supply path to the plurality of ejection holes and opening and closing a gas suction path from the plurality of suction holes. A substrate coating apparatus. A method for applying a processing liquid discharged from a predetermined nozzle to a substrate,
Forming a pressure gas layer on the stage surface by a gas flow through the gas hole provided on the stage surface, as engineering where Ru is floating the substrate by the pressure gas layer,
Of the stage surface, the step of temporarily stopping the gas flow for a specific region that is out of the substrate existing region and is directly under the nozzle;
Lowering the nozzle from a predetermined standby height toward the specific area;
Relatively moving the nozzle and the substrate to cause the nozzle to reach the application start position of the substrate, and starting the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle;
Resuming the formation of the gas flow for the specific region before starting the discharge of the treatment liquid;
A substrate coating method comprising:

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