KR101689619B1 - Apparatus for treating substrate and System for treating substrate with the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing, a processing vessel disposed in the housing and having a top open processing space therein, a substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space, Wherein the processing vessel includes a sidewall surrounding the substrate support unit and an upper wall extending from the upper end of the sidewall to an inner direction of the cup, Wherein the upper wall is formed with an inflow hole through which the airflow supplied from the airflow providing unit passes. The downward flow introduced into the processing vessel is separated and introduced into the upper openings at the central portion of the processing vessel and the respective inlet holes formed at the edge portion. The speed of the airflow provided to the edge region of the substrate can be controlled.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus,

The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing a substrate.

Various processes such as photolithography, etching, ashing, thin film deposition, and cleaning process are performed on the semiconductor device and the flat panel display panel. Among these processes, the photolithography is performed sequentially with the application, the exposure, and the development process. The coating step is a step of applying a photosensitive liquid such as a resist to the surface of the substrate. The exposure process is a process for exposing a circuit pattern on a substrate having a photosensitive film formed thereon. The developing step is a step of selectively developing the exposed region of the substrate.

Among them, the coating process largely includes a liquid coating process and an edge bead removal (EBR) process. Here, the liquid application step is a step of forming a photosensitive film on the entire upper surface of the substrate, and the edge bead removing step is a step of removing the photosensitive film formed on the edge area of the substrate.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a general substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged partial area of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus generally includes a housing 2, a processing container 4, and a substrate supporting unit 6. [ A processing vessel 4 is placed in the housing 2 and a substrate supporting unit 6 supports and rotates the substrate W in the processing vessel 4. [ In the interior of the housing 2, a downward flow is formed, which is recovered together with the treatment liquid supplied on the substrate W.

The processing vessel 4 includes an outer cup 7, an inner cup 8, and an airflow guide plate 9. The outer cup 7 surrounds the substrate support unit 6 and the inner cup 8 is positioned between the substrate support unit 6 and the outer cup 7. The airflow guide plate 9 guides the downward flow between the inner cup 8 and the outer cup 7. The downward flow is separated and collected by the airflow guide plate 9 into the upper region and the lower region thereof. However, the amount of the airflow flowing into the upper region of the airflow guide plate 9 and the amount of the airflow flowing into the lower region are nonuniformly provided. Particularly, when the amount of the airflow flowing into the upper region is larger than the amount of the airflow flowing into the lower region, the diffusion of the processing liquid is unevenly provided. This is because the thickness of the photoresist layer applied to the substrate W can be uniformly applied to each region as the air flow formed in the central region of the substrate W and the air flow formed in the edge region become different from each other.

Further, the processing liquid recovered in the processing vessel 4 can reverse-contaminate the substrate W. The treatment liquid can be scattered from the airflow guide plate 9 in the process of being recovered or flow in the direction opposite to the direction in which it is recovered by the upward flow generated in the treatment vessel 4. [ As a result, the treatment liquid is not uniformly applied to the edge region of the substrate W, or is not completely removed.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2012-0004921

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for uniformly supplying a treatment liquid onto a substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for preventing reverse contamination of a substrate in the process of recovering a processing liquid supplied on a substrate.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing, a processing vessel disposed in the housing and having a top open processing space therein, a substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space, Wherein the processing vessel includes a sidewall surrounding the substrate support unit and an upper wall extending from the upper end of the sidewall to an inner direction of the cup, Wherein the upper wall is formed with an inflow hole through which the airflow supplied from the airflow providing unit passes.

The upper wall is provided in a ring shape, and a plurality of the inlet holes may be provided so as to be spaced apart from each other. Each of the inlet holes may be provided in a slit shape whose longitudinal direction is provided along the circumferential direction of the upper wall. The processing vessel further includes a guide wall extending from a bottom surface of the upper wall in a direction toward the side wall, wherein the guide wall may be provided in a ring shape. When viewed from above, the guide wall may extend from the top wall to overlap the inlet hole. And an area extending from the guide wall at the upper wall may be positioned inside the processing vessel than the inlet hole. And an end of the guide wall may be positioned apart from the side wall. The upper end of the upper wall may be positioned higher than the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit. The processing vessel may further include an outer projection extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall, wherein the outer projection is provided in a ring shape, and the outer projection may be positioned outside the processing vessel with respect to the inlet hole. And the outer projection may be positioned so as to overlap with the guide wall when viewed from above. The guide wall may extend from the upper wall so that its end is aligned with the outer protrusion with respect to the up-and-down direction. The processing vessel may further include an inner protrusion extending downward from an end of the upper wall, wherein the inner protrusion may be provided in a ring shape. The treatment liquid may include a sensitizing solution.

The substrate processing apparatus further includes a housing, a processing vessel disposed in the housing and having a top open processing space therein, a substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space, Wherein the processing vessel includes a side wall surrounding the substrate support unit, an inner wall extending from an upper end of the side wall toward the inner side of the cup, and an inflow And an inner protrusion extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall and having a ring shape, wherein the inner protrusion is positioned inside the processing vessel with respect to the inflow hole.

The inner protrusion may extend from an end of the upper wall. The processing vessel may further include an outer projection extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall and having a ring shape, wherein the outer projection may be positioned outside the processing vessel with respect to the inlet hole. The outer protrusion may be positioned adjacent to the inflow hole. The processing vessel further includes a guide wall extending in a direction from the bottom surface of the upper wall toward the side wall and having a ring shape, and the guide wall may be positioned between the inner projection and the outer projection. As viewed from above, the guide wall may overlap the inflow hole and extend from the top wall to a region below the outer protrusion.

The substrate processing apparatus having the above-described substrate processing apparatus includes a load port in which a substrate is accommodated, a coating and developing module for coating and developing the photosensitive liquid on the substrate, an index module for conveying the substrate to the load port and the coating and developing module, And an interface module for transferring the substrate between the application and development module and the exposure apparatus, wherein the application and development module includes a coating module for performing a coating process of applying a photosensitive liquid onto the substrate, and a coating module for removing a part of the photosensitive liquid on the substrate The coating module includes a coating chamber having a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a photosensitive liquid onto a substrate, a baking chamber for baking the photosensitive liquid supplied onto the substrate, and a developing chamber for applying a developing solution to the coating chamber and the developing chamber. And a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate between the baking chambers, wherein the substrate processing apparatus A substrate support unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space, a liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate support unit, And an air flow providing unit for supplying a downward flow in the housing, wherein the processing vessel includes a side wall surrounding the substrate support unit and an upper wall extending inward of the cup from an upper end of the side wall, An inflow hole through which the airflow supplied from the airflow providing unit passes is formed.

The upper wall is provided in a ring shape, and a plurality of the inlet holes may be provided so as to be spaced apart from each other. The processing container further includes a ring-shaped guide wall extending in a direction from the bottom surface of the upper wall toward the side wall, wherein when viewed from above, the guide wall extends from the upper wall to overlap the inlet hole . Wherein the processing container further includes an outer protrusion extending downward from the upper wall and having a ring shape and an inner protrusion extending downward from the upper wall and having a ring shape, wherein the outer protrusion and the inner side The projections can be positioned so that the inlet holes are provided therebetween.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the downward flow introduced into the processing vessel is separated and introduced into each of the openings formed in the upper portion and the edge portion opened in the center of the processing vessel. The speed of the airflow provided to the edge region of the substrate can be controlled.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, inner and outer protrusions are formed on the upper wall of the processing vessel, and vortices are formed in the respective inner regions. Thus, it is possible to prevent reverse flow of the substrate while flowing in the reverse direction while the treatment liquid is being recovered.

1 is a sectional view showing a general substrate processing apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged partial area of the substrate processing apparatus of Fig. 1;
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing equipment.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the facility of FIG.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the facility of Fig. 3 viewed from the BB direction.
6 is a cross-sectional view of the equipment of FIG. 3 viewed from the CC direction.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the application chamber of FIG. 3;
8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the processing container of Fig.
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a part of the processing container of Fig. 8 cut vertically. Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Thus, the shape of the elements in the figures has been exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

The facilities of this embodiment can be used to perform a photolithography process on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel display panel. In particular, the apparatus of this embodiment can be used to perform a coating process and a developing process on a substrate, which is connected to an exposure apparatus. Hereinafter, a case where a wafer is used as a substrate will be described as an example.

3 to 9, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

3 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 viewed from the direction AA, FIG. 5 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 viewed from the BB direction, FIG. 6 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 In the CC direction.

3 to 6, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a load port 100, an index module 200, a first buffer module 300, a coating and developing module 400, a second buffer module 500 An exposure pre- and post-processing module 600, and an interface module 700. The load port 100, the index module 200, the first buffer module 300, the application and development module 400, the second buffer module 500, the pre-exposure processing module 600, and the interface module 700, Are sequentially arranged in one direction in a single direction.

Hereinafter, the load port 100, the index module 200, the first buffer module 300, the coating and developing module 400, the second buffer module 500, the pre-exposure processing module 600, 700 are referred to as a first direction 12 and a direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 as viewed from above is referred to as a second direction 14 and a direction in which the first direction 12 and the second And a direction perpendicular to the direction 14 is referred to as a third direction 16.

The substrate W is moved in a state accommodated in the cassette 20. At this time, the cassette 20 has a structure that can be sealed from the outside. For example, as the cassette 20, a front open unified pod (FOUP) having a door at the front can be used.

Hereinafter, the load port 100, the index module 200, the first buffer module 300, the application and development module 400, the second buffer module 500, the pre-exposure processing module 600, 700 will be described in detail.

The load port 100 has a mounting table 120 on which the cassette 20 accommodating the substrates W is placed. A plurality of mounts 120 are provided, and the mounts 200 are arranged in a line along the second direction 14. [ In Fig. 2, four placement tables 120 are provided.

The index module 200 transfers the substrate W between the cassette 20 placed on the table 120 of the load port 100 and the first buffer module 300. The index module 200 has a frame 210, an index robot 220, and a guide rail 230. The frame 210 is provided generally in the shape of an inner rectangular parallelepiped and is disposed between the load port 100 and the first buffer module 300. The frame 210 of the index module 200 may be provided at a lower height than the frame 310 of the first buffer module 300 described later. The index robot 220 and the guide rail 230 are disposed within the frame 210. The index robot 220 is moved in the first direction 12, the second direction 14 and the third direction 16 so that the hand 221 that directly handles the substrate W can be moved and rotated in the first direction 12, the second direction 14, . The index robot 220 has a hand 221, an arm 222, a support 223, and a pedestal 224. The hand 221 is fixed to the arm 222. The arm 222 is provided with a stretchable structure and a rotatable structure. The support base 223 is disposed along the third direction 16 in the longitudinal direction. The arm 222 is coupled to the support 223 to be movable along the support 223. The support 223 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 224. The guide rails 230 are provided so that their longitudinal direction is arranged along the second direction 14. The pedestal 224 is coupled to the guide rail 230 so as to be linearly movable along the guide rail 230. Further, although not shown, the frame 210 is further provided with a door opener for opening and closing the door of the cassette 20.

The first buffer module 300 has a frame 310, a first buffer 320, a second buffer 330, a cooling chamber 350, and a first buffer robot 360. The frame 310 is provided in the shape of an inner rectangular parallelepiped and is disposed between the index module 200 and the application and development module 400. The first buffer 320, the second buffer 330, the cooling chamber 350, and the first buffer robot 360 are located within the frame 310. The cooling chamber 350, the second buffer 330, and the first buffer 320 are sequentially disposed in the third direction 16 from below. The second buffer 330 and the cooling chamber 350 are located at a height corresponding to the coating module 401 of the coating and developing module 400 described later and the coating and developing module 400 at a height corresponding to the developing module 402. [ The first buffer robot 360 is spaced apart from the second buffer 330, the cooling chamber 350 and the first buffer 320 by a predetermined distance in the second direction 14.

The first buffer 320 and the second buffer 330 temporarily store a plurality of substrates W, respectively. The second buffer 330 has a housing 331 and a plurality of supports 332. The supports 332 are disposed within the housing 331 and are provided spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16. One substrate W is placed on each support 332. The housing 331 is constructed so that the index robot 220, the first buffer robot 360 and the developing robot 482 of the developing module 402 described later mount the substrate W on the support 332 in the housing 331 (Not shown) in the direction in which the index robot 220 is provided, in the direction in which the first buffer robot 360 is provided, and in the direction in which the developing robot 482 is provided, so that the developing robot 482 can carry it in or out. The first buffer 320 has a structure substantially similar to that of the second buffer 330. The housing 321 of the first buffer 320 has an opening in a direction in which the first buffer robot 360 is provided and in a direction in which the application unit robot 432 located in the application module 401 described later is provided. The number of supports 322 provided in the first buffer 320 and the number of supports 332 provided in the second buffer 330 may be the same or different. According to one example, the number of supports 332 provided in the second buffer 330 may be greater than the number of supports 322 provided in the first buffer 320.

The first buffer robot 360 transfers the substrate W between the first buffer 320 and the second buffer 330. The first buffer robot 360 has a hand 361, an arm 362, and a support base 363. The hand 361 is fixed to the arm 362. The arm 362 is provided in a stretchable configuration so that the hand 361 is movable along the second direction 14. The arm 362 is coupled to the support 363 so as to be linearly movable along the support 363 in the third direction 16. The support base 363 has a length extending from a position corresponding to the second buffer 330 to a position corresponding to the first buffer 320. The support member 363 may be provided longer in the upward or downward direction. The first buffer robot 360 may be provided so that the hand 361 is simply driven in two directions along the second direction 14 and the third direction 16.

The cooling chamber 350 cools the substrate W, respectively. The cooling chamber 350 has a housing 351 and a cooling plate 352. The cooling plate 352 has an upper surface on which the substrate W is placed and a cooling means 353 for cooling the substrate W. [ As the cooling means 353, various methods such as cooling with cooling water and cooling using a thermoelectric element can be used. In addition, the cooling chamber 350 may be provided with a lift pin assembly (not shown) for positioning the substrate W on the cooling plate 352. The housing 351 is provided with an index robot 220 so that the developing robot 482 provided in the index robot 220 and a developing module 402 to be described later can carry the substrate W into or out of the cooling plate 352 (Not shown) in the direction provided and the direction in which the developing robot 482 is provided. Further, the cooling chamber 350 may be provided with doors (not shown) for opening and closing the above-described opening.

The application and development module 400 performs a process of applying a photoresist on the substrate W before the exposure process and a process of developing the substrate W after the exposure process. The application and development module 400 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The coating and developing module 400 has a coating module 401 and a developing module 402. The application module 401 and the development module 402 are arranged so as to be partitioned into layers with respect to each other. According to one example, the application module 401 is located on top of the development module 402.

The application module 401 includes a process of applying a photosensitive liquid such as a photoresist to the substrate W and a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling for the substrate W before and after the resist application process. The application module 401 has a resist application chamber 410, a bake chamber 420, and a transfer chamber 430. The resist application chamber 410, the bake chamber 420, and the transfer chamber 430 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. [ The resist application chamber 410 and the bake chamber 420 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 430 interposed therebetween. A plurality of resist coating chambers 410 are provided, and a plurality of resist coating chambers 410 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. In the figure, six resist coating chambers 410 are provided. A plurality of bake chambers 420 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. In the drawing, six bake chambers 420 are provided. Alternatively, however, the bake chamber 420 may be provided in a greater number.

The transfer chamber 430 is positioned in parallel with the first buffer 320 of the first buffer module 300 in the first direction 12. In the transfer chamber 430, a dispenser robot 432 and a guide rail 433 are positioned. The transfer chamber 430 has a generally rectangular shape. The applicator robot 432 is connected to the bake chambers 420, the resist application chambers 400, the first buffer 320 of the first buffer module 300, and the first buffer module 500 of the second buffer module 500 And transfers the substrate W between the cooling chambers 520. The guide rails 433 are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are parallel to the first direction 12. The guide rails 433 guide the applying robot 432 to move linearly in the first direction 12. The applicator robot 432 has a hand 434, an arm 435, a support 436, and a pedestal 437. The hand 434 is fixed to the arm 435. The arm 435 is provided in a stretchable configuration so that the hand 434 is movable in the horizontal direction. The support 436 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is disposed along the third direction 16. The arm 435 is coupled to the support 436 so as to be linearly movable in the third direction 16 along the support 436. The support 436 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 437 and the pedestal 437 is coupled to the guide rail 433 so as to be movable along the guide rail 433.

The resist coating chambers 410 all have the same structure. However, the types of the photoresist used in each of the resist coating chambers 410 may be different from each other. As an example, a chemical amplification resist may be used as the photoresist. The resist application chamber 410 is provided with a substrate processing apparatus for applying a photoresist on the substrate W. [ The substrate processing apparatus 800 performs a liquid application process and an edge bead removal (EBR) process. The substrate processing apparatus 800 includes a housing 810, an airflow providing unit 820, a substrate supporting unit 830, a liquid supply unit 840, a processing vessel 850, and a lift unit 890.

The housing 810 is provided in a rectangular tubular shape having a space 812 therein. An opening (not shown) is formed at one side of the housing 810. The opening serves as an inlet through which the substrate W is carried in and out. The opening is provided with a door, and the door opens and closes the opening. When the substrate processing process is performed, the door is closed to seal the inner space 812 of the housing 810. An inner exhaust port 814 and an outer exhaust port 816 are formed on the lower surface of the housing 810. The airflow formed in the housing 810 is exhausted to the outside through the inner exhaust port 814 and the outer exhaust port 816. According to one example, the airflow provided in the processing vessel 850 is exhausted through the inner exhaust port 814, and the airflow provided outside the processing vessel 850 can be exhausted through the outer exhaust port 816.

The airflow providing unit 820 forms a downward flow in the inner space of the housing 810. The airflow providing unit 820 includes an airflow supply line 822, a fan 824, and a filter 826. The airflow supply line 822 is connected to the housing 810. The air supply line 822 supplies external air to the housing 810. The filter 826 links the air provided from the airflow supply line 822 to the filter 826. The filter 826 removes impurities contained in the air. The fan 824 is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 810. The fan 824 is located in a central region in the upper surface of the housing 810. The fan 824 forms a downward flow in the inner space of the housing 810. When air is supplied to the fan 824 from the airflow supply line 822, the fan 824 supplies air in a downward direction.

The substrate support unit 830 supports the substrate W in the inner space of the housing 810. The substrate support unit 830 rotates the substrate W. The substrate support unit 830 includes a spin chuck 832, a rotation axis 834, and a driver 836. The spin chuck 832 is provided to have a circular plate shape. The substrate W contacts the upper surface of the spin chuck 832. The spin chuck 832 is provided so as to have a smaller diameter than the substrate W. [ According to one example, the spin chuck 832 can vacuum-suck the substrate W and chuck the substrate W. Alternatively, the spin chuck 832 may be provided with an electrostatic chuck for chucking the substrate W using static electricity. The spin chuck 832 can also chuck the substrate W by physical force. The rotating shaft 834 supports the spin chuck 832 below the spin chuck 832. The rotary shaft 834 is provided such that its longitudinal direction is directed up and down. The rotation shaft 834 is provided so as to be rotatable about its central axis. The driver 836 provides a driving force such that the rotation shaft 834 is rotated. For example, the driver 836 may be a motor.

The liquid supply unit 840 supplies the first processing solution and the second processing solution onto the substrate W. [ The liquid supply unit 840 includes a first nozzle 842 and a second nozzle 844. The first nozzle 842 supplies the first processing liquid onto the substrate W and the second nozzle 844 supplies the second processing liquid onto the substrate W. [ For example, the first treatment liquid may be a liquid for diluting the second treatment liquid. The first treatment liquid may be a solvent, and the second treatment liquid may be a photosensitizing liquid such as a resist. The first nozzle 842 supplies the first processing liquid at the center position and the edge position, and the second nozzle 844 supplies the second processing liquid at the center position. The center position is a position where each of the nozzles 842 and 844 faces the central area of the substrate W and the edge position is a position where the first nozzle 842 faces the edge area of the substrate W.

The processing vessel 850 is located in the interior space 812 of the housing 810. The processing vessel 850 provides a processing space therein. The processing vessel is provided so that the upper portion thereof has an open cup shape. The processing vessel includes an inner cup and an outer cup.

The inner cup 852 is provided in the shape of a circular plate surrounding the rotation shaft 834. The inner cup 852 is positioned to overlap the inner vent 814 when viewed from above. The upper surface of the inner cup 852 is provided such that its outer and inner regions are inclined at different angles from each other. According to one example, the outer region of the inner cup 852 is oriented downwardly away from the substrate support unit 830, and the inner region is oriented in an upward sloping direction away from the substrate support unit 830 Lt; / RTI > A point where the outer region and the inner region of the inner cup 852 meet with each other is vertically provided in correspondence with the side end portion of the substrate W. [ The upper surface area of the inner cup 852 is provided to be rounded. The upper surface area of the inner cup 852 is provided downwardly concave. The upper surface area of the inner cup 852 may be provided in a region where the processing liquid flows.

The outer cup 862 is provided to have a cup shape that encloses the substrate support unit 830 and the inner cup 852. The outer cup 862 has a bottom wall 864, a side wall 866, a top wall 870, an inner projection 872, an outer projection 874, and a guide wall 878. The bottom wall 864 is provided to have a circular plate shape having a hollow. A collection line 865 is formed in the bottom wall 864. The recovery line 865 recovers the treatment liquid supplied on the substrate W. [ The treatment liquid recovered by the recovery line 865 can be reused by an external liquid recovery system. The side wall 866 is provided to have a circular tubular shape surrounding the substrate supporting unit 830. The side wall 866 extends in a vertical direction from the side edge of the bottom wall 864. The side wall 866 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 864.

The top wall 870 extends from the top of the side wall 866 inward of the outer cup 862. [ The upper wall 870 is provided so as to be close to the substrate supporting unit 830. The upper wall 870 is provided to have a ring shape. The upper end of the upper wall 870 is positioned higher than the substrate W supported on the substrate supporting unit 830. [ A plurality of inlet holes 876 are formed in the upper wall 870. An inflow hole 876 is provided in the through-hole 876 passing through the upper and lower surfaces of the upper wall 870. The inflow hole 876 functions as an inlet through which the downward flow formed by the airflow providing unit flows into the processing space. According to an example, the downward flow that passes through the inflow hole 876 and flows into the processing space may be an airflow that flows through the substrate W without passing through the substrate W. [ Each inflow hole 876 is spaced apart from one another along the circumferential direction of the upper wall 870. Two adjacent inflow holes 876 are spaced equidistantly apart. Each of the inlet holes 876 is provided in the shape of a slit whose longitudinal direction faces the circumferential direction of the upper wall 870. Optionally, the inlet holes 876 may be circular in shape.

The inner protrusion 872 extends downward from the end of the upper wall 870. The inner protrusion 872 extends in the direction of vertically descending from the inner end of the upper wall 870. The inner protrusion 872 is provided so as to have a ring shape. The lower end of the inner projection 872 is positioned higher than the substrate W supported on the substrate supporting unit 830. [ The space between the inner protrusion 872 and the inner cup 852 is provided to the processing liquid inflow space 854 into which the processing liquid flows. The outer protrusion 874 extends downward from the bottom surface of the upper wall 870. The outer protrusion 874 is provided so as to have a ring shape. The outer protrusion 874 is positioned in the region of the upper wall 870 (hereinafter referred to as the outer region of the upper wall) corresponding to the outer side of the inflow hole 876 when viewed from above. The outer protrusion 874 is positioned adjacent to the inflow hole 876. According to one example, the inner diameter of the outer protrusion 874 may correspond to the outer diameter of the circle formed by the combination of the plurality of inflow holes 876. The outer protrusion 874, the outer region of the upper wall 870, and the side wall 866 can be combined with each other to form an outer circulation space 874a in which a vortex is formed.

The guide wall 878 guides the flow of the downward flow through the inflow hole 876. The guide wall 878 extends downward from the bottom surface of the top wall 870. The guide wall 878 extends from the bottom surface of the top wall 870 in a direction toward the side wall 866. The guide wall 878 is provided so as to face downwardly inclined direction away from the substrate supporting unit 830. [ The guide wall 878 is provided to have a ring shape. The guiding wall 878 is positioned over the inlet hole 876 when viewed from above. The lower end of the guide wall 878 is spaced apart from the side wall 866. The guide wall 878 extends from the upper wall 870 so that the lower end of the guide wall 878 coincides with the outer protrusion 874 along the up-down direction. The inner protrusion 872, the inner area of the upper wall 870, and the guide wall 878 can be combined with each other to form an inner circulation space 872a in which a vortex is formed.

The lift unit 890 lifts the inner cup 852, 862 and the outer cup 862, 852, respectively. The elevating unit 890 includes an inside moving member 892 and an outside moving member 894. The inner moving member 892 lifts the inner cups 852 and 862 and the outer moving member 894 lifts and moves the outer cups 862 and 852.

Next, a method of processing the substrate W using the above-described substrate processing apparatus 800 will be described. As a method of processing the substrate W, a liquid application step and an edge bead removal step are sequentially performed.

The liquid application step is a step of applying the second treatment liquid to the entire area of the upper surface of the substrate W. In the liquid application step, the first processing liquid is supplied to the central region of the substrate W by the first nozzle 842. [ The first treatment liquid is diffused to the entire upper surface region of the substrate W by the centrifugal force. When the supply of the first process liquid is completed, the first nozzle 842 is moved to the standby position and the second nozzle 844 is moved to the center position. The second processing liquid is supplied to the central region of the substrate W by the second nozzle 844 and is applied to the entire area of the upper surface of the substrate W. [ When the supply of the second treatment liquid is completed, an edge bead removing step is performed.

The edge bead removing step is a step of removing the second treatment liquid applied to the upper surface edge region of the substrate W. In the edge bead removing step, the first processing liquid is supplied to the edge region of the substrate W by the first nozzle 842. [ The second treatment liquid applied onto the substrate W is removed by the first treatment liquid.

In this embodiment, a process of processing the substrate W by supplying the process liquid while rotating the substrate W is performed. Accordingly, the airflow provided on the top of the substrate W has a different speed depending on the region. For example, the rotational speed of the substrate W may be provided differently depending on the region, and the velocity of the airflow corresponding to the edge region of the substrate W may be provided faster than the velocity of the airflow corresponding to the central region of the substrate W have. As a result, the photoresist film applied on the substrate W is formed non-uniformly over the entire region. The above-described substrate processing apparatus 800 separates and flows a downward flow introduced into the processing space through the inlet hole 876 and the open central region of the processing vessel 850. The downward flow through the inlet hole 876 may affect the airflow corresponding to the edge region of the substrate W. [ The operator can manufacture the processing vessel 850 so as to change the size and position of the inlet hole 876 to uniformly adjust the velocity of the airflow over the entire area of the substrate W. [ For example, the operator can adjust the length and width of the inlet hole 876. [ Also, the operator can adjust the inflow hole 876 to be positioned close to the lower end of the upper wall 870 or close to the upper end.

An inner circulation space 872a is formed in a region adjacent to the process liquid inflow space 854 and an outer circulation space 874a is formed in an area adjacent to the inflow hole 876. [ Accordingly, even if part of the treatment liquid flows backward or scattered, it is possible to prevent reverse contamination of the substrate W by vortices formed in the outer circulation space 874a and the inner circulation space 872a.

3 to 6, the bake chamber 420 heat-treats the wafer W. As shown in FIG. For example, the bake chambers 420 may be formed by a prebake process in which the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature to remove organic matter and moisture on the surface of the wafer W before the photoresist is applied, A soft bake process is performed after coating the wafer W on the wafer W, and a cooling process for cooling the wafer W after each heating process is performed. The bake chamber 420 has a cooling plate 421 or a heating plate 422. The cooling plate 421 is provided with a cooling means 423 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. The heating plate 422 is also provided with a heating means 424, such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The cooling plate 421 and the heating plate 422 may be provided in a single bake chamber 420, respectively. Optionally, some of the bake chambers 420 may include only the cooling plate 421, and the other portions may include only the heating plate 422.

The developing module 402 includes a developing process of supplying a developing solution to obtain a pattern on the wafer W to remove a part of the photoresist and a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling performed on the wafer W before and after the developing process . The development module 402 has a development chamber 460, a bake chamber 470, and a transfer chamber 480. The development chamber 460, the bake chamber 470, and the transfer chamber 480 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. The development chamber 460 and the bake chamber 470 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 480 therebetween. A plurality of developing chambers 460 are provided, and a plurality of developing chambers 460 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. In the drawing, six development chambers 460 are provided. A plurality of bake chambers 470 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. In the drawing, six bake chambers 470 are provided. Alternatively, however, the bake chamber 470 can be provided in greater numbers.

The transfer chamber 480 is positioned in parallel with the second buffer 330 of the first buffer module 300 in the first direction 12. In the transfer chamber 480, the developing robot 482 and the guide rail 483 are positioned. The delivery chamber 480 has a generally rectangular shape. The development robot 482 is connected to the bake chambers 470 and the development chambers 460 and the second buffer 330 and the cooling chamber 350 of the first buffer module 300 and the second buffer module 500, The wafer W is transferred between the second cooling chambers 540 of the wafer W. The guide rail 483 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12. The guide rail 483 guides the developing robot 482 to linearly move in the first direction 12. The developing sub-robot 482 has a hand 484, an arm 485, a supporting stand 486, and a pedestal 487. The hand 484 is fixed to the arm 485. The arm 485 is provided in a stretchable configuration to allow the hand 484 to move in a horizontal direction. The support 486 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is disposed along the third direction 16. The arm 485 is coupled to the support 486 such that it is linearly movable along the support 486 in the third direction 16. The support table 486 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 487. The pedestal 487 is coupled to the guide rail 483 so as to be movable along the guide rail 483.

The development chambers 460 all have the same structure. However, the types of developers used in the respective developing chambers 460 may be different from each other. The development chamber 460 removes a region of the photoresist on the wafer W irradiated with light. At this time, the area of the protective film irradiated with the light is also removed. Depending on the type of selectively used photoresist, only the areas of the photoresist and protective film that are not irradiated with light can be removed.

The development chamber 460 has a container 461, a support plate 462, and a nozzle 463. The container 461 has a cup shape with its top opened. The support plate 462 is placed in the container 461 and supports the wafer W. [ The support plate 462 is rotatably provided. The nozzle 463 supplies the developer onto the wafer W placed on the support plate 462. The nozzle 463 has a circular tube shape and can supply developer to the center of the wafer W. [ Alternatively, the nozzle 463 may have a length corresponding to the diameter of the wafer W, and the discharge port of the nozzle 463 may be provided as a slit. Further, the developing chamber 460 may further be provided with a nozzle 464 for supplying a cleaning liquid such as deionized water to clean the surface of the wafer W to which the developer is supplied.

The bake chamber 470 heat-treats the wafer W. For example, the bake chambers 470 may include a post-bake process for heating the wafer W before the development process is performed, a hard bake process for heating the wafer W after the development process is performed, And a cooling step for cooling the wafer. The bake chamber 470 has a cooling plate 471 or a heating plate 472. The cooling plate 471 is provided with a cooling means 473 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. Or the heating plate 472 is provided with a heating means 474 such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The cooling plate 471 and the heating plate 472 may be provided in one bake chamber 470, respectively. Optionally, some of the bake chambers 470 may have only a cooling plate 471, while the other may have only a heating plate 472. [

As described above, in the application and development module 400, the application module 401 and the development module 402 are provided to be separated from each other. In addition, the application module 401 and the development module 402 may have the same chamber arrangement as viewed from above.

The second buffer module 500 is provided as a path through which the wafer W is transferred between the application and development module 400 and the pre- and post-exposure processing module 600. The second buffer module 500 performs a predetermined process on the wafer W such as a cooling process or an edge exposure process. The second buffer module 500 includes a frame 510, a buffer 520, a first cooling chamber 530, a second cooling chamber 540, an edge exposure chamber 550, and a second buffer robot 560 I have. The frame 510 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The buffer 520, the first cooling chamber 530, the second cooling chamber 540, the edge exposure chamber 550, and the second buffer robot 560 are located within the frame 510. The buffer 520, the first cooling chamber 530, and the edge exposure chamber 550 are disposed at a height corresponding to the application module 401. The second cooling chamber 540 is disposed at a height corresponding to the development module 402. The buffer 520, the first cooling chamber 530, and the second cooling chamber 540 are sequentially arranged in a row along the third direction 16. The buffer 520 is disposed along the first direction 12 with the transfer chamber 430 of the application module 401. [ The edge exposure chamber 550 is spaced a certain distance in the second direction 14 from the buffer 520 or the first cooling chamber 530.

The second buffer robot 560 carries the wafer W between the buffer 520, the first cooling chamber 530, and the edge exposure chamber 550. A second buffer robot 560 is positioned between the edge exposure chamber 550 and the buffer 520. The second buffer robot 560 may be provided in a structure similar to that of the first buffer robot 360. The first cooling chamber 530 and the edge exposure chamber 550 perform a subsequent process on the wafers W that have been processed in the application module 401. The first cooling chamber 530 cools the wafer W processed in the application module 401. The first cooling chamber 530 has a structure similar to the cooling chamber 350 of the first buffer module 300. The edge exposure chamber 550 exposes its edge to the wafers W that have undergone the cooling process in the first cooling chamber 530. The buffer 520 temporarily stores the wafers W before the wafers W processed in the edge exposure chamber 550 are transferred to the preprocessing module 601 to be described later. The second cooling chamber 540 cools the wafers W before the wafers W processed in the post-processing module 602 described below are conveyed to the developing module 402. The second buffer module 500 may further have a buffer added to the height corresponding to the development module 402. In this case, the wafers W processed in the post-processing module 602 may be temporarily stored in the added buffer and then transferred to the developing module 402. [

The pre- and post-exposure processing module 600 can process a process of applying a protective film for protecting the photoresist film applied to the wafer W during liquid immersion exposure when the exposure apparatus 900 performs the liquid immersion exposure process. Further, the pre- and post-exposure processing module 600 may perform a process of cleaning the wafer W after exposure. In addition, when the coating process is performed using the chemically amplified resist, the pre- and post-exposure processing module 600 can process the post-exposure bake process.

The pre-exposure post-processing module 600 has a pre-processing module 601 and a post-processing module 602. The pre-processing module 601 processes the wafer W before the exposure process, and the post-processing module 602 processes the wafer W after the exposure process. The pre-processing module 601 and the post-processing module 602 are arranged so as to be partitioned into layers with respect to each other. According to one example, the preprocessing module 601 is located on top of the post-processing module 602. The preprocessing module 601 is provided at the same height as the application module 401. The post-processing module 602 is provided at the same height as the developing module 402. The pretreatment module 601 has a protective film application chamber 610, a bake chamber 620, and a transfer chamber 630. The protective film application chamber 610, the transfer chamber 630, and the bake chamber 620 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. The protective film application chamber 610 and the bake chamber 620 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 630 therebetween. A plurality of protective film application chambers 610 are provided and are arranged along the third direction 16 to form layers. Alternatively, a plurality of protective film application chambers 610 may be provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. A plurality of bake chambers 620 are provided and are disposed along the third direction 16 to form layers. Alternatively, a plurality of bake chambers 620 may be provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively.

The transfer chamber 630 is positioned in parallel with the first cooling chamber 530 of the second buffer module 500 in the first direction 12. In the transfer chamber 630, a pre-processing robot 632 is located. The transfer chamber 630 has a generally square or rectangular shape. The preprocessing robot 632 is connected between the protective film application chambers 610, the bake chambers 620, the buffer 520 of the second buffer module 500 and the first buffer 720 of the interface module 700, The wafer W is transferred. The preprocessing robot 632 has a hand 633, an arm 634, and a support 635. The hand 633 is fixed to the arm 634. The arm 634 is provided with a retractable structure and a rotatable structure. The arm 634 is coupled to the support 635 so as to be linearly movable along the support 635 in the third direction 16.

The protective film applying chamber 610 applies a protective film for protecting the resist film on the wafer W during immersion exposure. The protective film application chamber 610 has a housing 611, a support plate 612, and a nozzle 613. The housing 611 has a cup shape with its top opened. The support plate 612 is located in the housing 611 and supports the wafer W. [ The support plate 612 is rotatably provided. The nozzle 613 supplies a protective liquid for forming a protective film onto the wafer W placed on the support plate 612. The nozzle 613 has a circular tube shape and can supply the protective liquid to the center of the wafer W. [ Alternatively, the nozzle 613 may have a length corresponding to the diameter of the wafer W, and the discharge port of the nozzle 613 may be provided with a slit. In this case, the support plate 612 may be provided in a fixed state. The protective liquid includes a foamable material. The protective liquid may be a photoresist and a material having a low affinity for water. For example, the protective liquid may contain a fluorine-based solvent. The protective film application chamber 610 supplies the protective liquid to the central region of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W placed on the support plate 612.

The bake chamber 620 heat-treats the wafer W coated with the protective film. The bake chamber 620 has a cooling plate 621 or a heating plate 622. The cooling plate 621 is provided with a cooling means 623 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. Or heating plate 622 is provided with a heating means 624, such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The heating plate 622 and the cooling plate 621 may be provided in a single bake chamber 620, respectively. Optionally, some of the bake chambers 620 may have only the heating plate 622, while others may only have the cooling plate 621.

The post-processing module 602 has a cleaning chamber 660, a post-exposure bake chamber 670, and a delivery chamber 680. The cleaning chamber 660, the transfer chamber 680, and the post-exposure bake chamber 670 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. Accordingly, the cleaning chamber 660 and the post-exposure baking chamber 670 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 680 therebetween. A plurality of cleaning chambers 660 are provided and may be disposed along the third direction 16 to form layers. Alternatively, a plurality of cleaning chambers 660 may be provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. A plurality of post-exposure bake chambers 670 are provided and may be disposed along the third direction 16 to form layers. Alternatively, a plurality of post-exposure bake chambers 670 may be provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively.

The transfer chamber 680 is positioned in parallel with the second cooling chamber 540 of the second buffer module 500 in the first direction 12 as viewed from above. The transfer chamber 680 has a generally square or rectangular shape. A post processing robot 682 is located in the transfer chamber 680. The post-processing robot 682 is connected to the cleaning chambers 660, post-exposure bake chambers 670, the second cooling chamber 540 of the second buffer module 500, and the second And carries the wafer W between the buffers 730. The postprocessing robot 682 provided in the postprocessing module 602 may be provided with the same structure as the preprocessing robot 632 provided in the preprocessing module 601. [

The cleaning chamber 660 cleans the wafer W after the exposure process. The cleaning chamber 660 has a housing 661, a support plate 662, and a nozzle 663. The housing 661 has a cup shape with an open top. The support plate 662 is located in the housing 661 and supports the wafer W. [ The support plate 662 is rotatably provided. The nozzle 663 supplies the cleaning liquid onto the wafer W placed on the support plate 662. As the cleaning liquid, water such as deionized water may be used. The cleaning chamber 660 supplies the cleaning liquid to the central region of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W placed on the support plate 662. The nozzle 663 can linearly or rotationally move from the central region to the edge region of the wafer W while the wafer W is selectively rotated.

The post-exposure baking chamber 670 heats the wafer W subjected to the exposure process using deep ultraviolet light. The post-exposure bake step heats the wafer W and amplifies the acid generated in the photoresist by exposure to complete the property change of the photoresist. The post-exposure bake chamber 670 has a heating plate 672. The heating plate 672 is provided with a heating means 674 such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The post-exposure bake chamber 670 may further include a cooling plate 671 therein. The cooling plate 671 is provided with a cooling means 673 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. Further, a bake chamber having only the cooling plate 671 may be further provided.

As described above, the pre-processing module 601 and the post-processing module 602 in the pre-exposure processing module 600 are provided to be completely separated from each other. The transfer chamber 630 of the preprocessing module 601 and the transfer chamber 680 of the postprocessing module 602 are provided in the same size and can be provided so as to completely overlap each other when viewed from above. Further, the protective film application chamber 610 and the cleaning chamber 660 may be provided to have the same size as each other and be provided so as to completely overlap with each other when viewed from above. Further, the bake chamber 620 and the post-exposure bake chamber 670 are provided in the same size, and can be provided so as to completely overlap each other when viewed from above.

The interface module 700 transfers the wafer W between the exposure pre- and post-processing module 600 and the exposure apparatus 900. The interface module 700 has a frame 710, a first buffer 720, a second buffer 730, and an interface robot 740. The first buffer 720, the second buffer 730, and the interface robot 740 are located within the frame 710. The first buffer 720 and the second buffer 730 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and are stacked on each other. The first buffer 720 is disposed higher than the second buffer 730. The first buffer 720 is positioned at a height corresponding to the preprocessing module 601 and the second buffer 730 is positioned at a height corresponding to the postprocessing module 602. The first buffer 720 is arranged in a line along the first direction 12 with the transfer chamber 630 of the preprocessing module 601 while the second buffer 730 is arranged in the postprocessing module 602, Are arranged in a line along the first direction 12 with the transfer chamber 630 of the transfer chamber 630. [

The interface robot 740 is spaced apart from the first buffer 720 and the second buffer 730 in the second direction 14. The interface robot 740 carries the wafer W between the first buffer 720, the second buffer 730 and the exposure apparatus 900. The interface robot 740 has a structure substantially similar to that of the second buffer robot 560.

The first buffer 720 temporarily stores the wafers W processed in the preprocessing module 601 before they are transferred to the exposure apparatus 900. [ The second buffer 730 temporarily stores the processed wafers W in the exposure apparatus 900 before they are transferred to the post-processing module 602. The first buffer 720 has a housing 721 and a plurality of supports 722. The supports 722 are disposed within the housing 721 and are provided spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16. One wafer W is placed on each support 722. The housing 721 is movable in the direction in which the interface robot 740 is provided and in the direction in which the interface robot 740 and the preprocessing robot 632 transfer the wafer W to and from the support table 722, 632 are provided with openings (not shown) in the direction in which they are provided. The second buffer 730 has a structure substantially similar to that of the first buffer 720. However, the housing 4531 of the second buffer 730 has an opening (not shown) in the direction in which the interface robot 740 is provided and in a direction in which the postprocessing robot 682 is provided. The interface module may be provided with only buffers and robots as described above without providing a chamber to perform a predetermined process on the wafer.

Next, an example of performing the process using the above-described substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

The cassette 20 in which the wafers W are accommodated is placed on the mount 120 of the load port 100. [ The door of the cassette 20 is opened by the door opener. The index robot 220 removes the wafer W from the cassette 20 and transfers it to the second buffer 330.

The first buffer robot 360 carries the wafers W stored in the second buffer 330 to the first buffer 320. The application robot 432 takes the wafer W from the first buffer 320 and transfers the wafer W to the bake chamber 420 of the application module 401. The bake chamber 420 sequentially performs a pre-bake and a cooling process. The application part robot 432 removes the wafer W from the bake chamber 420 and transfers it to the resist application chamber 410. The resist coating chamber 410 applies a photoresist on the wafer W. [ Thereafter, when the photoresist is applied onto the wafer W, the application part robot 432 carries the wafer W from the resist application chamber 410 to the bake chamber 420. The bake chamber 420 performs a soft bake process on the wafer W. [

The applicator robot 432 takes the wafer W out of the bake chamber 420 and transfers it to the first cooling chamber 530 of the second buffer module 500. A cooling process is performed on the wafer W in the first cooling chamber 530. The wafer W processed in the first cooling chamber 530 is transported to the edge exposure chamber 550 by the second buffer robot 560. The edge exposure chamber 550 performs a process of exposing an edge region of the wafer W. [ The wafer W that has been processed in the edge exposure chamber 550 is transferred to the buffer 520 by the second buffer robot 560.

The preprocessing robot 632 takes the wafer W from the buffer 520 and transfers the wafer W to the protective film application chamber 610 of the preprocessing module 601. The protective film applying chamber 610 applies a protective film on the wafer W. Thereafter, the pre-processing robot 632 carries the wafer W from the protective film application chamber 610 to the bake chamber 620. The bake chamber 620 performs heat treatment on the wafer W such as heating and cooling.

The preprocessing robot 632 takes the wafer W out of the bake chamber 620 and transfers it to the first buffer 720 of the interface module 700. The interface robot 740 carries the wafer from the first buffer 720 to the inversion unit 840 of the processing module 800. The inversion unit 840 inverts the wafer so that the first side (pattern side) of the wafer faces downward. The inverted wafer is loaded on the spin chuck 810, and the loaded wafer is chucked by the pin members 811a and 811b.

An inert gas such as nitrogen gas is injected onto the first surface of the wafer through the injection holes 852 formed in the support plate 812 of the spin chuck 810 and then is injected into the first surface of the wafer through the injection holes 852 with deionized water The rinsing liquid is sprayed. The rinse liquid may be sprayed onto the first side of the wafer through the injection holes 852 with the gas. Upon injection of the gas and / or rinse liquid to the first side of the wafer, the spin chuck 810 may be rotated and otherwise not rotated. Then, the rinse liquid spray unit 860 sprays rinsing liquid onto the second surface of the wafer.

The wafer is then transferred from the processing module 800 to the first buffer 720 by the interface robot 740 and then transferred from the first buffer 720 to the exposure apparatus 900. The exposure apparatus 900 performs an exposure process, for example, a liquid immersion exposure process, on the first surface of the wafer. The interface robot 740 carries the wafer W from the exposure apparatus 900 to the second buffer 730 when the exposure process for the wafer W in the exposure apparatus 900 is completed.

The postprocessing robot 682 takes the wafer W from the second buffer 730 and transfers it to the cleaning chamber 660 of the postprocessing module 602. The cleaning chamber 660 supplies a cleaning liquid to the surface of the wafer W to perform a cleaning process. When the cleaning of the wafer W using the cleaning liquid is completed, the postprocessing robot 682 immediately removes the wafer W from the cleaning chamber 660 and transports the wafer W to the post-exposure bake chamber 670. The cleaning liquid adhered on the wafer W is removed by heating the wafer W on the heating plate 672 of the post-exposure bake chamber 670. At the same time, the acid generated in the photoresist is amplified, The property change of the resist is completed. The postprocessing robot 682 carries the wafer W from the post-exposure bake chamber 670 to the second cooling chamber 540 of the second buffer module 500. The cooling of the wafer W in the second cooling chamber 540 is performed.

The developing robot 482 takes the wafer W from the second cooling chamber 540 and transfers it to the bake chamber 470 of the developing module 402. [ The bake chamber 470 sequentially performs post bake and cooling processes. The developing robot 482 takes the wafer W from the bake chamber 470 and transfers it to the developing chamber 460. [ The developing chamber 460 supplies a developing solution on the wafer W to perform a developing process. The developing robot 482 then transfers the wafer W from the developing chamber 460 to the bake chamber 470. [ The bake chamber 470 performs a hard bake process on the wafer W. [

The developing robot 482 removes the wafer W from the bake chamber 470 and transfers the wafer W to the cooling chamber 350 of the first buffer module 300. [ The cooling chamber 350 performs a process of cooling the wafer W. [ The index robot 360 carries the wafers W from the cooling chamber 350 to the cassette 20. The development robot 482 removes the wafer W from the bake chamber 470 and transports the wafer W to the second buffer 330 of the first buffer module 300 and then transfers the wafer W to the cassette 20). ≪ / RTI >

The substrate processing apparatus 800 for separating and introducing the airflow introduced into the processing vessel 850 in the above embodiment is described as being provided in the resist coating chamber 410. [ However, the substrate processing apparatus 800 can be variously applied as long as the substrate W is subjected to liquid processing.

820: airflow providing unit 830: substrate supporting unit
840: liquid supply unit 850: processing vessel
866: Side wall 870: Upper wall
872: inner protrusion 874: outer protrusion
876: inlet hole 878: guide wall

Claims (23)

A housing;
A processing vessel positioned within the housing and providing a processing space having an open upper portion therein;
A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit;
And an airflow providing unit for providing a downward flow in the housing,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
A side wall surrounding the substrate support unit;
An upper wall extending from an upper end of the side wall in an inward direction of the side wall;
And a guide wall extending in a direction from the bottom surface of the upper wall toward the side wall,
Wherein the upper wall is formed with an inflow hole through which the airflow supplied from the airflow providing unit passes,
The upper wall is provided in a ring shape,
Wherein a plurality of the inlet holes are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of said inlet holes is provided in a slit shape whose longitudinal direction is provided along the circumferential direction of said upper wall. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the guide wall is provided in a ring shape. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the guide wall extends from the top wall to overlap the inlet hole when viewed from the top. 6. The method of claim 5,
And an area extending from the guide wall at the upper wall is positioned inside the processing vessel than the inlet hole. The method according to claim 6,
And an end of the guide wall is positioned apart from the side wall. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein an upper end of the upper wall is positioned higher than a substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit. 8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
And an outer protrusion extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall,
Wherein the outer protrusion is provided in a ring shape,
Wherein the outer protrusion is located outside the processing vessel with respect to the inflow hole. 10. The method of claim 9,
And the outer projection is positioned so as to overlap with the guide wall when viewed from above. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the guide wall extends from the upper wall such that an end of the guide wall coincides with the outer projection with respect to the up-and-down direction. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
Further comprising an inner protrusion extending downward from an end of the upper wall,
Wherein the inner protrusions are provided in a ring shape. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the processing liquid includes a photosensitive liquid. A housing;
A processing vessel positioned within the housing and providing a processing space having an open upper portion therein;
A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit;
And an airflow providing unit for providing a downward flow in the housing,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
A side wall surrounding the substrate support unit;
An upper wall extending from an upper end of the side wall to an inner side of the side wall, the upper wall having an inlet hole;
An inner protrusion extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall and having a ring shape;
An outer protrusion extending downward from a bottom surface of the upper wall and having a ring shape,
Wherein the inner protrusion is positioned inside the processing vessel with respect to the inflow hole and extends from an end of the upper wall,
Wherein the outer protrusion is located outside the processing vessel with respect to the inflow hole. delete delete 15. The method of claim 14,
And the outer projection is located adjacent to the inlet hole. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
Further comprising a guide wall extending in a direction from the bottom surface of the upper wall toward the side wall, the guide wall having a ring shape,
Wherein the guide wall is positioned between the inner projection and the outer projection. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the guide wall overlaps the inlet hole and extends from the upper wall to a region below the outer protrusion when viewed from above. A load port for accommodating the substrate;
A coating and developing module for applying a photosensitive liquid on a substrate and developing the same;
An index module for transferring the substrate to the load port and the application and development module;
And an interface module for transferring the substrate between the coating and developing module and the exposure apparatus,
Wherein the coating and developing module comprises:
An application module for performing a coating process of applying a photosensitive liquid onto a substrate;
And a developing module for performing a developing process of removing a part of the photosensitive liquid on the substrate,
The coating module includes:
An application chamber having a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a photosensitive liquid onto a substrate;
A baking chamber for baking the sensitizing solution supplied onto the substrate;
And a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate between the application chamber and the baking chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus includes:
A housing;
A processing vessel positioned within the housing and providing a processing space having an open upper portion therein;
A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the processing space;
A liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit;
And an airflow providing unit for providing a downward flow in the housing,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
A side wall surrounding the substrate support unit;
A top wall provided in a ring shape and extending from an upper end of the side wall in an inward direction of the side wall;
And a guide wall extending in a direction from the bottom surface of the upper wall toward the side wall and having a ring shape,
Wherein a plurality of inflow holes through which the airflow supplied from the airflow providing unit passes are spaced apart from each other,
Wherein the guide wall extends from the top wall to overlap the inlet hole when viewed from the top. delete delete 21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the processing vessel includes:
An outer protrusion extending downward from the upper wall and having a ring shape;
Further comprising an inner protrusion extending downward from the upper wall and having a ring shape,
Wherein the outer protrusion and the inner protrusion are positioned such that the inlet hole is provided therebetween when viewed from above.

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