JP5300464B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and method for treating a substrate capable of uniformly treating a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: This device for treating a substrate includes: a spin chuck for horizontally holding a substrate W; a treatment liquid nozzle 4 for supplying a treatment liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W held to the spin chuck; and a ring 6 surrounding the circumference of the substrate W held to the spin chuck with a space, and imparting resistance to the treatment liquid drained to the outside from a peripheral part of the upper surface of the substrate W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate etc. are included.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device is used. A single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one includes a spin chuck that horizontally holds and rotates a substrate, and a processing liquid nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. Some are provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus, for example, the processing liquid is continuously discharged from the processing liquid nozzle toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate by a spin chuck. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid nozzle is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate, and spreads instantaneously toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. Thereby, the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and the processing with the processing liquid is performed on the upper surface of the substrate (continuous discharge processing).

Further, as a substrate processing apparatus of another configuration, a processing liquid nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to the upper surface of a horizontally held substrate and a frame that is disposed close to the top of the substrate and covers a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate in plan view (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). In the processing of the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus, for example, the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle toward the inside of the frame. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid nozzle accumulates inside the frame and forms a liquid film of the processing liquid. In addition, a part of the processing liquid supplied to the inside of the frame enters between the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate and the lower surface of the frame. In this way, the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and the processing with the processing liquid is performed on the upper surface of the substrate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-125648 JP 2003-273054 A

  However, when continuous discharge processing is performed by the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the upper surface of the substrate may not be processed uniformly. Specifically, for example, a case where a large substrate having a hydrophobic surface (for example, a circular substrate having a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm) is processed. In such continuous discharge processing of the substrate, the processing liquid is sufficiently supplied to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate, which is the landing point of the processing liquid, or the vicinity thereof, but the position away from the landing point (periphery of the upper surface of the substrate) Part), the treatment liquid may be repelled and the treatment liquid may not be sufficiently supplied. Therefore, the upper surface of the substrate may not be processed uniformly.

  On the other hand, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 can form a liquid film of the processing liquid on the substrate. Therefore, even if the surface is a large hydrophobic substrate, the processing liquid is applied to the entire upper surface. It is considered that the upper surface of the substrate can be processed uniformly by supplying. However, in the processing of the substrate by such a substrate processing apparatus, since the supply state of the processing liquid to the substrate is different between the inside of the frame and directly under the frame, the processing of the substrate may be uneven. Further, since the processing liquid is accumulated inside the frame to form a liquid film of the processing liquid, as shown in FIG. 15, foreign matters such as particles floating on the liquid film may stay along the inner peripheral surface of the frame. is there. Therefore, there is a possibility that the foreign matter adheres to the substrate and the substrate is contaminated.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of processing a substrate uniformly.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is the substrate holding means (3) for horizontally holding the substrate (W), the rotating means (9) for rotating the substrate, and the substrate holding means. has been the treatment liquid supplying means (4) for supplying a treatment liquid cleaning liquid or etching liquid on the upper surface of the substrate, taken at intervals around the substrate held by the substrate holding means enclose rings (6,106, and 206,306,406), look including an elevating means for elevating the vertical direction (18) between the lower position below the upper position and the on position the ring, said lifting means, said substrate When the processing liquid is supplied to form a liquid film of the processing liquid, the ring is positioned at the upper position to provide resistance to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, The substrate is rotated by the drying means. When drying the substrate reduces the resistance to the treatment liquid discharged outward from the top rim portion of said substrate by positioning the ring down position, a substrate processing apparatus (1).

In this section, alphanumeric characters in parentheses indicate corresponding components in the embodiments described later.
According to this invention, the ring for imparting resistance to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is disposed around the substrate held by the substrate holding means. Therefore, by supplying the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply means to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means, the supplied processing liquid is given resistance from the ring, and a part of the processing liquid can be stored on the substrate. it can. Thereby, a liquid film of the processing liquid can be formed on the substrate, and the processing liquid can be reliably supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate. Therefore, for example, even when a large substrate having a hydrophobic surface is processed, the upper surface of the substrate can be processed uniformly.

Further, since the ring is disposed around the substrate, the supply state of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate can be made more uniform than when the ring is disposed on the substrate. Furthermore, since the space is provided between the ring and the substrate, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate can be inserted between the substrate and the ring, and the processing liquid can be supplied to the peripheral end surface of the substrate. it can. Thereby, not only the upper surface of the substrate but also the peripheral end surface of the substrate can be processed with the processing liquid. Furthermore, by appropriately setting the height of the ring, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate can flow along the ring. Thereby, even when foreign matters such as particles are drifting on the liquid film of the processing liquid, such foreign substances can be discharged from the substrate together with the processing liquid that moves on the ring. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent foreign matters such as particles from staying along the inner peripheral surface of the ring. Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that a board | substrate is contaminated with a foreign material.
Further, according to the present invention, the height of the ring can be changed by moving the ring up and down by the lifting means. Thereby, the ring can be disposed not only around the substrate but also above and below the substrate. Further, by changing the height of the ring, a plurality of film thicknesses of the processing liquid formed on the substrate can be set.
Moreover, according to this invention, the said board | substrate can be rotated in the state which located the ring below. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the processing liquid from rebounding from the ring that the processing liquid discharged from the substrate hits the ring and bounces back to the substrate side, and a decrease in the dischargeability of the processing liquid from the substrate. Thereby, the processing liquid can be smoothly discharged from the substrate, and the substrate can be quickly dried.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the ring is disposed in the upper position, the height of the upper end (6a, 206e, 306e) is higher than that of the substrate held by the substrate holding means over the entire circumference. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is arranged as described above.
According to the present invention, the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate can collide with the ring, and resistance can be given to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. Thereby, the processing liquid can be stored inside the ring, and a liquid film of the processing liquid can be formed on the substrate. Further, since the processing liquid is accumulated inside the ring to form a liquid film of the processing liquid, the film thickness of the processing liquid formed on the substrate can be changed by changing the height of the ring.

A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the ring has a liquid contact surface (6a) having higher liquid repellency to the processing liquid than that of the substrate.
According to this invention, the liquid contact surface that comes into contact with the processing liquid discharged from the substrate is provided on the ring, and the liquid repellency of the liquid contact surface with respect to the processing liquid is higher than that of the substrate. Therefore, resistance due to the liquid repellency of the liquid contact surface can be given to the processing liquid that moves from the substrate to the liquid contact surface. As a result, the processing liquid can be stored on the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid. In addition, since resistance due to liquid repellency can be given to the processing liquid discharged from the substrate, a liquid film of the processing liquid is formed on the substrate without making the upper end of the ring higher than the substrate held by the substrate holding means. can do.

The invention according to claim 4 further includes height control means (10) for controlling the elevating means to adjust the height of the ring in accordance with the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply means to the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the processing liquid is a cleaning liquid, the height control means can lower the position above the ring than when the processing liquid is an etching liquid. Good.
According to the present invention, the height of the ring can be adjusted according to the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply means to the substrate by controlling the elevating means by the height control means. Thereby, the film thickness of the process liquid formed on a board | substrate can be adjusted according to the kind of process liquid, the viscosity of a process liquid, etc.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the ring is arranged at the lower position, the ring is arranged such that the height of the upper end is lower than the substrate held by the substrate holding means over the entire circumference. May be.

The invention described in claim 7 is a substrate processing method in which a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid is supplied as a processing liquid to the upper surface of a horizontally held substrate, and a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate is formed and processed. A step of holding the substrate horizontally, a step of arranging a ring surrounding the horizontally held substrate with a space therebetween, and a liquid repellent property of the liquid contact surface of the ring with respect to the treatment liquid And when the former is equal to or less than the latter, the ring is disposed at a position higher than the substrate, and the treatment liquid is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate. supplies, by providing a resistance by the ring against the processing solution discharged outwardly from the top rim portion of the substrate, and a step of forming the treatment liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate Including substrate processing It is the law.
According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those described in relation to the invention of claim 1.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method in which a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid is supplied as a processing liquid to an upper surface of a horizontally held substrate to form a processing liquid film covering the entire upper surface of the substrate. A step of holding the substrate horizontally, a step of arranging a ring surrounding the horizontally held substrate with a space therebetween, and a liquid repellent property of the liquid contact surface of the ring with respect to the treatment liquid Comparing the substrate and the liquid repellency of the substrate with respect to the processing liquid, and when the former is higher than the latter, placing the ring at a higher position, lower position, or equal height position than the substrate; The processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and resistance is given to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate by the liquid repellency of the ring. Treatment liquid And a processing step of forming a film, a substrate processing method.
According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those described in relation to the invention of claim 1.
As in the invention described in claim 9, in the substrate processing method according to claim 7 or 8, the substrate is rotated in a state where the ring is disposed at a lower position than that during the processing step, and the substrate is rotated. A substrate drying step for drying the substrate may be further included.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single wafer processing apparatus that processes substrates W one by one. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a circular substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs processing on a spin chuck 3 (substrate holding means) that horizontally holds and rotates a substrate W in a processing chamber 2 partitioned by partition walls, and an upper surface of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3. And a processing liquid nozzle 4 (processing liquid supply means) for supplying the liquid. Around the spin chuck 3, a cup 5 for receiving and capturing the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W and a ring 6 for imparting resistance to the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W are disposed.

  The spin chuck 3 has a spin shaft 7 extending in a vertical direction, an adsorption base 8 attached to the upper end of the spin shaft 7 and adsorbing and holding the lower surface (back surface) of the substrate W in a horizontal posture, A spin motor 9 (drying means) having a rotation shaft coupled coaxially with the shaft 7 is provided. The substrate W can be rotated around a vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W by driving the spin motor 9 while the substrate W is attracted and held on the suction base 8. The spin motor 9 is controlled by a control unit 10 (drying control means).

  The treatment liquid nozzle 4 is disposed above the spin chuck 3 with its discharge port directed downward. Connected to the treatment liquid nozzle 4 are a chemical liquid supply pipe 12 in which a chemical liquid valve 11 is interposed and a rinse liquid supply pipe 14 in which a rinse liquid valve 13 is interposed. A chemical liquid and a rinse liquid are selectively supplied to the treatment liquid nozzle 4. The treatment liquid nozzle 4 can discharge the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. As the treatment liquid nozzle 4, for example, a so-called fixed nozzle form in which the treatment liquid landing position on the substrate W is fixed is adopted.

  When the chemical liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 3, the discharged chemical liquid is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate W and receives the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate W to receive the substrate W. It spreads instantly toward the periphery of the. Thereby, the chemical solution is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, and the chemical solution treatment is performed on the upper surface of the substrate W. Similarly, when the rinsing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 3, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, and the processing liquid, particles, etc. adhering to the substrate W are discharged. Foreign objects are washed away. Thereby, the rinsing process is performed on the upper surface of the substrate W.

  The cup 5 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open upper end, and includes a cylindrical outer wall 15 and an inner wall 16, and a bottom portion 17. The outer wall 15 surrounds the suction base 8, and the processing liquid discharged around the substrate W is received by the cup 5. Thus, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3 can be received and captured by the cup 5.

  The ring 6 is a plate-like member having an annular shape in plan view. The ring 6 has a rectangular longitudinal section (a section along the vertical plane). The ring 6 has a flat upper surface 6a (a liquid contact surface) and a lower surface 6b along the horizontal direction, and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 6c and an outer peripheral surface 6d along the vertical direction. The inner diameter of the ring 6 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3. The ring 6 is disposed on the inner side of the outer wall 15 and is supported from below by a cylinder 18 (elevating means) disposed on the inner side of the outer wall 15. The ring 6 is supported in a horizontal posture so as to be coaxial with the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3. The ring 6 may be formed of a material having water repellency (liquid repellency with respect to the processing liquid) equal to or lower than that of the substrate W, or a material having higher water repellency than the substrate W (for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)). ). When the ring 6 is formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate W, the water repellency of all outer surfaces of the ring 6 is higher than that of the substrate W.

  The cylinder 18 has a main body 18a and a rod 18b that moves forward and backward with respect to the main body 18a. The cylinder 18 is held so that the rod 18b is in a vertical posture. The cylinder 18 can move the rod 18b between two positions (top dead center and bottom dead center). In this embodiment, the cylinder 18 is used that can stop the rod 18b at the two positions and cannot stop the rod 18b at the intermediate position. The cylinder 18 is formed of, for example, a material (for example, synthetic resin) that has resistance to the processing liquid. Therefore, even if the processing liquid that has entered the cup 5 adheres to the cylinder 18, corrosion or the like of the cylinder 18 is suppressed or prevented. The cylinder 18 is controlled by the control unit 10.

  The controller 10 controls the cylinder 18 so that the upper position where the ring 6 is located around the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3 (the position of the ring 6 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), and the spin chuck 3 The ring 6 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction between the lower position (the position of the ring 6 shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) positioned below the held substrate W. When the ring 6 is formed of a material having water repellency equal to or less than that of the substrate W, the upper position is a position where the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 is slightly higher than the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3 (for example, The upper surface 6a of the ring 6 is set to be higher than the substrate W in a range of 3 mm or less.

  When the ring 6 is moved to the upper position while the substrate W is held on the spin chuck 3, the periphery of the substrate W is surrounded by the ring 6. Further, since the ring 6 and the substrate W are arranged so as to be coaxial, a gap having a constant interval is formed between the ring 6 and the substrate W as shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the ring 6 is set so that the size of the gap between the ring 6 and the substrate W is, for example, about 0.3 mm to 2 mm. Therefore, when the ring 6 is moved to the upper position while the substrate W is held on the spin chuck 3, the inner peripheral surface 6 c of the ring 6 comes close to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

3 and 4 are state diagrams when the processing liquid is supplied to the rotating substrate W with the ring 6 formed of a material having water repellency equal to or less than that of the substrate W positioned at the upper position. .
As described above, when the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 3, the processing liquid moves from the center of the upper surface of the substrate W toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface. Then, the processing liquid that has reached the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is discharged to the outside of the substrate W. At this time, if the ring 6 is positioned at the upper position, the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 is higher than the substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The collision with the inner peripheral surface 6c of the ring 6 impedes the progress of the processing liquid. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W is divided into two flows, a part of which flows outward along the upper surface 6a of the ring 6, and the rest flows between the ring 6 and the substrate. It enters and flows down with W.

  The processing liquid supplied to the substrate W receives resistance due to collision between the processing liquid and the ring 6, and a part of the processing liquid accumulates inside the ring 6. Thereby, a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed on the substrate W. Therefore, for example, even when there is a part where the processing liquid is repelled on the substrate W at the beginning of the supply of the processing liquid, the processing liquid can be reliably supplied to this part. Therefore, even when a substrate W having a hydrophobic surface and a large diameter is processed, the processing liquid can be reliably supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W can be processed uniformly. In addition, since the processing liquid can be supplied between the ring 6 and the substrate W to supply the processing liquid to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, not only the upper surface of the substrate W but also the peripheral end surface of the substrate W is processed. Treatment with a liquid can be performed.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the size of the gap between the ring 6 and the substrate W is uniform over the entire circumference, the flow of the processing liquid at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is uniform over the entire circumference. ing. Thereby, the supply state of the processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W can be made uniform, and the uniformity of processing on the upper surface of the substrate W can be improved. Furthermore, since the liquid film of the processing liquid is formed by storing the processing liquid inside the ring 6, the film thickness of the processing liquid can be changed by changing the height setting of the upper position. Thereby, a plurality of film thicknesses of the treatment liquid can be set.

5 to 7 are state diagrams when the processing liquid is supplied to the rotating substrate W with the ring 6 formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate W positioned at the upper position.
When the ring 6 is formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate W, the upper position is not set to a position where the upper surface 6 a of the ring 6 is higher than the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. Good. Specifically, for example, the upper position may be set at a position where the upper surface 6 a of the ring 6 is lower than the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing liquid reaching the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is discharged from the substrate W through the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 and the space between the ring 6 and the substrate W as the liquid contact surface. The At this time, the processing liquid that moves onto the ring 6 is repelled by the water repellency of the ring 6 and receives resistance. Accordingly, a part of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W accumulates on the substrate W due to the resistance of the ring 6 due to water repellency. Thereby, a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed on the substrate W.

  Thus, if the ring 6 is formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate W, the upper position is set at a position where the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 is lower than the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. Even if it is, the liquid film of the processing liquid can be formed on the substrate W. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6, even when the upper position is set at a position where the heights of the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 and the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3 are equal, the process is performed on the substrate W. A liquid film of liquid can be formed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, when the upper position is set at a position where the upper surface 6 a of the ring 6 is higher than the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3, the water repellency is equal to or less than that of the substrate W. As in the case where the ring 6 is formed of a material, the processing liquid can be accumulated on the inside of the ring 6 to form a liquid film of the processing liquid on the substrate W. Further, in this case, since the processing liquid moving on the ring 6 receives resistance due to the water repellency of the ring 6, compared with the case where the ring 6 is formed of a material having a water repellency equal to or less than that of the substrate W. A large resistance can be given to the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W. Thereby, the processing liquid can be reliably stored on the substrate W.

FIG. 8 is a process diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1. Hereinafter, an example of processing of the substrate W will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8.
The unprocessed substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 2 by a transfer robot (not shown), and is transferred to the spin chuck 3 with the surface, which is a device formation surface, facing upward (step S1). At this time, the ring 6 is disposed at the lower position so that the transfer robot and the substrate W do not collide with the ring 6.

  Next, a chemical solution process for treating the substrate W with the chemical solution is performed. Specifically, the cylinder 18 is controlled by the control unit 10 and the ring 6 is disposed at the upper position (step S2). Then, the control unit 10 controls the spin motor 9 to rotate the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3 at a predetermined rotation speed (step S3). Thereafter, the chemical liquid valve 11 is opened by the control unit 10, and the chemical liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 toward the upper surface of the substrate W (step S4).

  The chemical liquid discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, and spreads outward on the substrate W under the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate W. And the chemical | medical solution which reached the upper surface peripheral part of the board | substrate W is discharged | emitted through the upper surface 6a of the ring 6, or between the ring 6 and the board | substrate W (refer FIG. 4). At this time, a part of the chemical solution supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W receives resistance from the ring 6 and accumulates on the substrate W. Thereby, a liquid film of a chemical solution covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed on the substrate W, and the chemical solution is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W. Further, the chemical liquid that has entered between the ring 6 and the substrate W is supplied to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Thereby, the chemical treatment is performed on the entire upper surface and the peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

  In the chemical liquid processing, when a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate W is used as the chemical liquid, the upper position of the ring 6 is set low so that the film thickness of the cleaning liquid formed on the substrate W is thin. Also good. If the upper position of the ring 6 is set in this way, the amount of cleaning liquid that accumulates on the substrate W is reduced, so that the cleaning liquid on the substrate W can be immediately replaced by the subsequent cleaning liquid. Thereby, it is possible to suppress or prevent foreign matter from staying on the substrate W, and to immediately wash away the foreign matter.

  Further, in the chemical treatment, when an etching solution for etching the substrate W is used as the chemical solution, the upper position of the ring 6 is set so that the thickness of the etching solution formed on the substrate W is increased. You may set it high. If the upper position of the ring 6 is set in this way, a large amount of etching solution can be accumulated on the substrate W, and the etching process on the upper surface of the substrate W can be reliably advanced.

Next, a rinsing process in which the substrate W is washed away with pure water (deionized water) as a rinsing liquid is performed. Specifically, after the chemical liquid valve 11 is closed by the control unit 10, the rinsing liquid valve 13 is opened, and the processing liquid is directed toward the upper surface of the rotating substrate W while the ring 6 is positioned at the upper position. Pure water is discharged from the nozzle 4 (step S5).
As described above, the pure water discharged from the treatment liquid nozzle 4 is supplied to the entire upper surface and the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, passes through the upper surface 6a of the ring 6 or between the ring 6 and the substrate W, and then onto the substrate W. Discharged from. As a result, the chemical solution on the substrate W and the chemical solution adhering to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W are washed away with pure water and removed from the substrate W (rinsing treatment of the substrate W). Further, the liquid film of the chemical liquid held on the substrate W is replaced with the liquid film of pure water. Furthermore, since the pure water discharged from the substrate W is supplied to the upper surface 6a and the inner peripheral surface 6c of the ring 6, the chemical solution adhering to the ring 6 is also washed away by the pure water and removed from the ring 6 (ring 6 rinse treatment).

  Next, a drying process (spin drying) for drying the substrate W is performed. Specifically, the cylinder 18 is controlled by the control unit 10 and the ring 6 is disposed at the lower position (step S6). Then, the spin motor 9 is controlled by the control unit 10, and the substrate W is rotated at a high rotation speed (for example, several thousand rpm) (step S7). As a result, a large centrifugal force acts on the pure water on the substrate W or the pure water adhering to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, and the pure water is shaken off around the substrate W. At this time, since the ring 6 is disposed below the substrate W, the splash of pure water from the ring 6 and the decrease in the drainability of pure water from the substrate W are suppressed or prevented. Thereby, the pure water can be smoothly discharged from the substrate W, and the substrate W can be quickly dried.

After the high speed rotation of the substrate W is continued for a predetermined time, the rotation of the spin motor 9 is stopped, and the rotation of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is stopped (step S8). Thereafter, in a state where the ring 6 is disposed below the substrate W, the processed substrate W is unloaded from the processing chamber 2 by the transfer robot (step S9).
As described above, in this embodiment, by disposing the ring 6 around the substrate W, resistance can be given to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. Accordingly, a part of the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 4 to the substrate W is accumulated on the substrate W, and a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W can be formed on the substrate W. . Therefore, for example, even when a large substrate W having a hydrophobic surface is processed, the processing liquid can be reliably supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W can be processed uniformly. Further, since the ring 6 is arranged around the substrate W, the processing liquid can be supplied more uniformly to the upper surface of the substrate W than when the ring 6 is arranged on the substrate W. Furthermore, by setting the upper position of the ring 6 to an appropriate position, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W can be made to flow along the upper surface 6 a of the ring 6. Therefore, even when foreign matters such as particles are drifting on the liquid film of the processing liquid, such foreign substances can be discharged from the substrate W together with the processing liquid that moves on the ring 6. Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that a foreign material retains along the internal peripheral surface 6c of the ring 6. FIG. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress or prevent foreign substances from adhering to the substrate W and contaminating the substrate W.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are given the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 8, and description thereof is omitted.
In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a flat plate-like member having a rectangular longitudinal section and a circular shape in plan view is used as the ring 6, but the shape of the ring 6 is not limited thereto. Specifically, for example, rings 106, 206, 306, and 406 having shapes as shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 may be used.

  The ring 106 shown in FIG. 9 is a plate-like member having an annular shape in plan view, and the upper end portion of the inner peripheral surface 106c of the ring 106 is formed along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W over the entire periphery. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the longitudinal section of the peripheral end surface of the substrate W is, for example, a curved shape that protrudes outward over the entire periphery, the upper end portion of the inner peripheral surface 106c of the ring 106 The vertical cross section of each is curved so as to protrude outward over the entire circumference. The ring 106 is moved up and down in the vertical direction, and the innermost diameter of the ring 106 (in FIG. 9, the inner diameter of the upper end of the ring 106) is larger than the outermost diameter of the substrate W. Therefore, the ring 106 does not collide with the substrate W when the ring 106 is moved up and down between the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W. Moreover, the position of the upper surface 6 a can be made higher than the substrate W by raising and lowering the ring 106.

  In this embodiment, since the inner peripheral surface 106 c of the ring 106 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the gap between the ring 106 and the substrate W is raised by raising and lowering the ring 106 around the substrate W. Can be changed (see the gap G1 and the gap G2 in FIG. 9). Therefore, if the size of the gap between the ring 106 and the substrate W is changed when the processing liquid is discharged from the substrate W, the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing on the ring 106 (see arrow A1 in FIG. 9). And the flow rate of the processing liquid (see arrow A2 in FIG. 9) flowing between the ring 106 and the substrate W can be changed. Thereby, the ratio between the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing on the ring 106 and the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing between the ring 106 and the substrate W can be adjusted. Therefore, for example, the flow rate of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W can be controlled.

  A ring 206 shown in FIG. 10 is a plate-like member having an annular shape in plan view, and an upper surface 206a of the ring 206 is inclined to be inclined upward toward the outside. The ring 206 has an upper surface 206a, a flat lower surface 206b along the horizontal direction, and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 206c and outer peripheral surface 206d along the vertical direction. The ring 206 is moved up and down in the vertical direction, whereby the position of the upper end 206e of the ring 206 (in FIG. 10, the outermost peripheral portion of the upper surface 206a of the ring 206) is higher than the substrate W over the entire circumference. can do.

  In this embodiment, since the upper surface 206a of the ring 206 is inclined so as to incline upward toward the outside, the substrate 206 in a rotating state is placed with the upper end 206e of the ring 206 positioned above the substrate W. When the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of W, a force (component force of gravity) directed toward the substrate W can be applied to the processing liquid that has moved from the substrate W to the upper surface 206a of the ring 206. Therefore, not only the resistance due to the collision with the ring 206 but also the resistance due to the force toward the substrate W can be given to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. Thereby, the processing liquid can be reliably stored on the substrate W.

  A ring 306 shown in FIG. 11 is a plate-like member having an annular shape in plan view, and its longitudinal section is a triangle that is convex upward. The ring 306 has a flat bottom surface 306b along the horizontal direction, and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 306c and an outer peripheral surface 306d that are inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The ring 306 is raised and lowered in the vertical direction, and the innermost diameter of the ring 306 (in FIG. 11, the inner diameter of the lower end of the ring 306) is larger than the outermost diameter of the substrate W. Therefore, the ring 306 does not collide with the substrate W when the ring 306 is moved up and down between the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W. Further, by raising and lowering the ring 306, the position of the upper end 306e can be made higher than the substrate W over the entire circumference.

  In this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 306c of the ring 306 is inclined so as to incline upward toward the outer side. Therefore, like the ring 206 shown in FIG. Not only resistance due to collision with the ring 306 but also resistance due to the force toward the substrate W (component of gravity) can be given to the discharged processing liquid. Further, similarly to the ring 106 shown in FIG. 9, the size of the gap between the ring 306 and the substrate W can be changed by raising and lowering the ring 306 around the substrate W. Thereby, the ratio between the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing on the ring 306 and the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing between the ring 306 and the substrate W can be adjusted.

  The ring 406 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a plate-like member having an annular shape in plan view. The longitudinal section of the ring 406 is rectangular, and a groove 19 is formed on the upper surface 6a thereof. As shown in FIG. 13, the groove 19 is formed in a spiral shape in a plan view, for example. The ring 406 is moved up and down in the vertical direction. Thereby, the upper surface 6a of the ring 406 can be made higher than the substrate W.

In this embodiment, the groove 19 formed on the upper surface 6 a of the ring 406 can provide resistance to the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W and flowing on the ring 406. Moreover, the magnitude | size of the resistance given to a process liquid can be adjusted by changing the number, shape, etc. of the groove | channel 19.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case where a so-called vacuum chuck that sucks and holds the lower surface (back surface) of the substrate W is used as the spin chuck 3 is described. It may be a chuck of the type.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where a so-called fixed nozzle is used as the processing liquid nozzle 4 has been described. However, the position where the processing liquid is deposited on the substrate W is between the rotation center and the peripheral edge of the substrate W. A so-called scan nozzle that can be moved may be used as the treatment liquid nozzle 4. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid are selectively discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 4 has been described. However, two nozzles corresponding to the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid may be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the cylinder 18 is formed of a material having resistance to the processing liquid has been described. However, the cylinder 18 may be formed of a material other than this (for example, metal). In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the main body 18 a of the cylinder 18 may be disposed outside the cup 5 and the rod 18 b may be disposed inside the cup 5. Then, the bellows 20 formed of a material having resistance to the processing liquid (for example, synthetic resin) may be disposed around the rod 18b to protect the rod 18b from the processing liquid.

In the example of the processing of the substrate W described above, the case where the height setting of the upper position of the ring 6 is changed between the cleaning process using the cleaning liquid and the etching process using the etching liquid has been described. The setting may be changed according to not only the type of processing liquid but also the viscosity of the processing liquid and the wettability of the substrate surface.
That is, when the substrate W is processed by forming a liquid film of the processing liquid on the substrate W as in the above-described example of the processing of the substrate W, the upper position of the ring 6 is lowered if a highly viscous processing liquid is used. Even if it is set, a relatively thick liquid film of the processing liquid can be formed on the substrate W. On the other hand, when the viscosity of the processing liquid is low, a thick liquid film of the processing liquid cannot be formed unless the upper position of the ring 6 is set high. Accordingly, when a processing liquid having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate W to process the substrate W, the upper position of the ring 6 is set low when a processing liquid having a high viscosity is used. In the case of using a processing solution having a low value, the upper position of the ring 6 may be set high.

  Similarly, when the wettability of the substrate surface is high, that is, when the substrate surface is hydrophobic, a relatively thick liquid film of a processing solution is formed on the substrate W even if the upper position of the ring 6 is set low. can do. On the other hand, when the wettability of the substrate surface is low, a thick liquid film of the processing solution cannot be formed unless the upper position of the ring 6 is set high. Accordingly, when a liquid film of a processing liquid having a predetermined film thickness is formed on the substrate W and the substrate W is processed, the upper position of the ring 6 is set low when processing the substrate W having high wettability. When the substrate W having low wettability is processed, the upper position of the ring 6 may be set high.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rod 18 b that cannot stop the rod 18 b at the intermediate position is used as the cylinder 18. However, as the cylinder 18, the rod 18 b can be stopped at the intermediate position. A thing may be used. And the cylinder 18 may be controlled by the control part 10 as a height control means, and the height of the ring 6 may be adjusted suitably. For example, the film thickness of the processing liquid formed on the substrate W may be adjusted by adjusting the height of the upper position of the ring 6. Further, the height of the upper position of the ring 6 may be appropriately adjusted according to the type of the processing liquid, the viscosity of the processing liquid, the wettability of the substrate surface, and the like. Furthermore, when the height of the ring 6 is adjusted, if it is desired to precisely control the height of the ring 6, other lifting means such as a ball screw mechanism may be used instead of the cylinder 18.

  In the above-described example of the processing of the substrate W, the case where the processing liquid is continuously supplied to the rotating substrate W and the processing liquid is distributed on the substrate W has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Absent. For example, the liquid film of the processing liquid is held on the substrate W in a stopped state or a low-speed rotation state (for example, a state where the processing liquid is rotated at a rotational speed of about 10 to 30 rpm), and the processing liquid is hardly circulated on the substrate W. In addition, paddle processing (liquid piling processing) for processing the substrate W may be performed.

Specifically, in an example of the processing of the substrate W described above, paddle processing with a chemical solution may be performed between the chemical processing and the rinsing processing (between step S4 and step S5), or the rinsing processing and the drying processing. The paddle processing with the rinse liquid may be performed between the two (step S5 and step S6). Moreover, it may replace with a rinse process and may perform the paddle process by a rinse liquid.
When performing the paddle process, the ring 6 may be disposed at the upper position (around the substrate W) or may not be disposed at the upper position. When the paddle process is performed, the ring 6 is disposed at the upper position, thereby providing resistance to the processing liquid that spills from the substrate W and reducing the amount of the processing liquid that spills.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the substrate W is a circular substrate has been described. However, the substrate W is not limited to a circular substrate, and may be a polygonal substrate such as a rectangular substrate. In this case, the ring 6 may not be circular in plan view but may be a polygon that follows the contour shape of the substrate W.
In the above-described embodiment, the semiconductor wafer is taken up as the substrate W to be processed. However, the substrate is not limited to the semiconductor wafer, but is used for a liquid crystal display device substrate, a plasma display substrate, an FED substrate, an optical disk substrate, and a magnetic disk substrate. Other types of substrates such as a substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, and a photomask substrate may be processed.

  In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

It is a typical side view showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing apparatus concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical top view which shows schematic structure of a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a state diagram when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate with a ring formed of a material having water repellency equal to or less than that of the substrate positioned at the upper position. FIG. 5 is a state diagram when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate with a ring formed of a material having water repellency equal to or less than that of the substrate positioned at the upper position. FIG. 5 is a state diagram when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate with a ring formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate positioned at an upper position. FIG. 5 is a state diagram when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate with a ring formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate positioned at an upper position. FIG. 5 is a state diagram when a processing liquid is supplied to a rotating substrate with a ring formed of a material having higher water repellency than the substrate positioned at an upper position. It is process drawing for demonstrating an example of the process of the board | substrate by a substrate processing apparatus. It is an illustration sectional view of a ring concerning other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ring according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ring according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ring according to still another embodiment of the present invention. It is an illustration top view of a ring concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is an illustration side view of the cylinder concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a schematic side view which shows a part of conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 3 Spin chuck 4 Process liquid nozzle 6 Ring 6a Upper surface 9 Spin motor 10 Control part 18 Cylinder 106 Ring 206e Upper end 306 Ring 306e Upper end 406 Ring W Substrate

Claims (9)

Substrate holding means for holding the substrate horizontally;
Rotating means for rotating the substrate;
A processing liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means;
And enclose the ring taken at intervals around the substrate held by the substrate holding means,
Look including an elevating means for elevating the vertical direction between a lower position below the upper position and the on position the ring,
When the processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid, the elevating means positions the ring at an upper position and is discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. A treatment liquid that gives resistance to the treatment liquid and is discharged outwardly from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate by rotating the substrate by the rotating means to dry the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus that reduces resistance to the substrate. 2. The ring according to claim 1, wherein when the ring is arranged at the upper position , the ring is arranged such that the height of the upper end is higher than that of the substrate held by the substrate holding means over the entire circumference. Substrate processing equipment.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ring has a liquid contact surface in which liquid repellency with respect to the processing liquid is higher than that of the substrate. By controlling the elevating means, the treatment liquid in accordance with the processing liquid supplied from the supply means to the substrate further comprising a height control means for adjusting the height of the ring, any one of the preceding claims 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1.   5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the processing liquid is a cleaning liquid, the height control unit lowers the upper position of the ring than when the processing liquid is an etching liquid.   The said ring is arrange | positioned so that the height of an upper end may become lower than the board | substrate hold | maintained at the said board | substrate holding means over the perimeter when it arrange | positions in the said lower position. The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of these. A substrate processing method for supplying a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface of a horizontally held substrate to form a processing liquid film covering the entire upper surface of the substrate ,
A substrate holding step for holding the substrate horizontally;
Placing a ring surrounding the periphery of the horizontally held substrate at an interval;
The liquid repellency of the liquid contact surface of the ring with respect to the treatment liquid is compared with the liquid repellency of the substrate with respect to the treatment liquid, and when the former is equal to or less than the latter, the ring is positioned higher than the substrate. Arranging, and
Supplies the treatment liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, by providing a resistance by the ring against the processing solution discharged outwardly from the top rim portion of the substrate, the liquid of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate A substrate processing method including a processing step of forming a film .   A substrate processing method for supplying a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface of a horizontally held substrate to form a processing liquid film covering the entire upper surface of the substrate,
  A substrate holding step for holding the substrate horizontally;
  Placing a ring surrounding the periphery of the horizontally held substrate at an interval;
  The liquid repellency of the liquid contact surface of the ring with respect to the treatment liquid is compared with the liquid repellency of the substrate with respect to the treatment liquid. If the former is higher than the latter, the ring is positioned higher and lower than the substrate. Arranging at a position or an equal height position;
  The processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and resistance is given to the processing liquid discharged outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate by the liquid repellency of the ring. And a processing step of forming a liquid film of the processing liquid.   9. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, further comprising a substrate drying step of drying the substrate by rotating the substrate in a state where the ring is disposed at a height position lower than that in the processing step.

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