Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method stably perform a process based on light irradiation to a back surface of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes a substrate holding section that holds the substrate in a processing chamber; a light irradiation section that includes a light source, a housing that houses the light source inside and forms a light source chamber partitioned from the processing chamber, and a window that forms a part of the housing and is used to transmit light irradiated from the light source to the back surface of the substrate in the processing chamber to perform a process; a processing chamber side gas supply section that supplies a non-active gas to the processing chamber; a processing chamber side exhaust section that exhausts the non-active gas from the processing chamber; a light source chamber side gas supply section that supplies a non-active gas to the light source chamber; and a light source chamber side exhaust section that exhausts the non-active gas from the light source chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, sometimes the back side of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) is irradiated with light such as ultraviolet light onto the substrate processing apparatus. Patent Document 1 describes that after forming a friction-reducing film on the back side of the wafer to reduce friction relative to the exposure stage on which the wafer is placed, the friction-reducing film is removed by irradiating with ultraviolet light.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-121683 Summary of the Invention

[0006] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0007] This disclosure provides a technique for stably performing light-based processing on the back side of a substrate.

[0008] [Methods used to solve problems]

[0009] The substrate processing apparatus disclosed herein includes: a substrate holding section that holds the substrate in a processing chamber; a light irradiation section that includes: a light source; a housing that houses the light source and forms a light source chamber defined relative to the processing chamber; and a window that forms part of the housing and allows light irradiated from the light source to pass through and supply it to the back side of the substrate in the processing chamber for processing; a processing chamber-side gas supply section that supplies an inactive gas to the processing chamber; a processing chamber-side exhaust section that exhausts the inactive gas from the processing chamber; a light source chamber-side gas supply section that supplies an inactive gas to the light source chamber; and a light source chamber-side exhaust section that exhausts the inactive gas from the light source chamber.

[0010] [Invention Effects]

[0011] This disclosure enables stable light-based processing of the back side of a substrate. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional top view of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0014] Figure 3This is a cross-sectional top view of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic side view of a system including the substrate processing apparatus.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing operations of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a side view showing the processing operation of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a side view showing the processing operation of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0020] Figure 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing the gas supply and exhaust status of the system.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view showing the exhaust path of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a modified example of the first embodiment.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional top view of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment.

[0027] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

[0028] Figure 17 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of a substrate processing apparatus, which is another variation of the first embodiment.

[0029] Figure 18 This is a longitudinal sectional front view of the substrate processing apparatus of the modified example.

[0030] Figure 19 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of the irradiation section of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0031] [Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures]

[0032] W, wafer; V1, V2, valves; 22, substrate holding section; 30, light source chamber; 34, gas supply pipe; 36, exhaust pipe; 37, exhaust pipe on the light source chamber side; 38, gas outlet; 39, gas supply pipe; 5, exhaust path forming section; 69, exhaust pipe on the processing chamber side; 70, processing chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0033] [First Embodiment]

[0034] Reference Figure 1 Longitudinal sectional side view and Figure 2 , Figure 3 The substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure will be described using a cross-sectional top view. Figure 3 Showing with Figure 2 Cross-sections at different heights. The substrate processing apparatus 1, set in an atmospheric atmosphere, processes a wafer W, which is a circular substrate. Regarding the wafer W, a resist film with a predetermined pattern is formed on its surface, for example, and a film of an organic material (organic film) is formed on its back side. A specific example of this organic material is HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane), a film formed to form a pattern on the resist film. The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs a process of irradiating the entire back side of the wafer W from below to remove the organic film. This light includes ultraviolet light (i.e., vacuum ultraviolet light) with a wavelength of 10 nm to 200 nm, and more specifically, ultraviolet light with an irradiation peak wavelength, for example, 172 nm.

[0035] However, atmospheric oxygen is activated by the aforementioned light, generating O3 (ozone) gas on the back side of wafer W. This O3 gas attenuates light, so if the concentration of O3 gas between the light source (ultraviolet irradiation source) and wafer W is relatively high, sufficient film removal may not be achieved. Furthermore, when O3 gas spreads to the surface side of wafer W, the resist film is damaged and removed by the O3 gas. As described in detail later, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured to prevent these adverse conditions by supplying and venting inactive gases. Figure 2 , Figure 3 The dashed arrow indicates the exhaust flow.

[0036] The structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will now be described in detail. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a housing 11, which is roughly the shape of a forming device and is a rectangular shape. The length direction of the housing 11 will be described as the front-back direction. Therefore, the left-right direction is the width direction of the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the figure, the X direction represents the horizontal direction (left-right), the Y direction represents the horizontal direction (front-back), and the Z direction represents the vertical direction. A wafer W transport port 12 is provided on the front side wall of the housing 11. A stage 13, a moving unit 2, a light irradiation unit 3, and a power supply unit 4 are provided inside the housing 11. The light irradiation unit irradiates the wafer W with light including the aforementioned ultraviolet light, and the moving unit 2 holds and moves the wafer W to perform this light irradiation.

[0037] The stage 13 is disposed within the housing 11 at a position forward of the light irradiation section 3, adsorbing the center of the back side of the wafer W and supporting it horizontally. The transport mechanism 81 (in...) Figures 1-3 (Not shown) The wafer W is transferred relative to the stage 13. The stage 13 is connected to the rotation mechanism 14. The rotation mechanism 14 is used to rotate the stage 13 and the adsorbed wafer W together about a vertical rotation axis, changing the orientation of the wafer W within the housing 11. This change in the orientation of the wafer W is performed to change the holding position of the moving unit 2 on the back side of the wafer W when processing the entire back side of the wafer W.

[0038] The moving unit 2 includes: a moving part 20, which has a light-shielding plate 23, an annular main body 21 surrounding the periphery of the wafer W, and a substrate holding part 22 protruding from the main body 21 toward the area surrounded by the main body 21; and a moving mechanism 25 connected to the moving part 20. Multiple substrate holding parts 22 are provided circumferentially on the main body 21, for example, four, and are used to adsorb and hold the peripheral portion of the back side of the wafer W by suction from the suction hole 24.

[0039] An outlet for an inactive gas (not shown) is provided on the inner periphery of the main body 21. This outlet supplies the inactive gas into the gap between the side surface of the wafer W held in the substrate holding portion 22 and the side surface of the main body 21, suppressing the spread of O3 gas to the surface of the wafer W. A light-shielding plate 23 is formed in an arc shape when viewed from above, along the circumference of the main body 21, and is provided to connect the base ends of the substrate holding portions 22 to each other. This light-shielding plate 23 prevents light irradiated from the aforementioned lower side from being diffracted and supplied to the surface of the wafer W.

[0040] The moving mechanism 25 enables the moving part 20 to move vertically up and down and horizontally back and forth. Through the vertical movement of the moving part 20, the wafer W can be transferred between the stage 13 and the substrate holding part 22 of the moving part 20. Furthermore, by moving the moving part 20 back and forth, the wafer W, together with the moving part 20, is fed into the processing chamber 70 (described later) and moved on the light irradiation part 3, thereby changing the light irradiation position on the back side of the wafer W. That is, light is irradiated at different positions on the front and back of the back side of the wafer W for processing.

[0041] The light irradiation unit 3 includes a housing 31 and a light source 32. The housing 31 is a rectangular parallelepiped that extends longitudinally in the left-right direction and is disposed within the housing 11 of the device along its entire width. Furthermore, the upper wall constituting the housing 31 is formed horizontally, and a portion of this upper wall is formed as a window 33 that allows light irradiated from the light source 32 to pass upwards. Therefore, a portion of the housing 31 is configured as a window 33. The window 33 is, for example, made of quartz, and its left-right width is larger than the diameter of the wafer W, so that light can be irradiated onto the entire diameter of the wafer W. The space within the housing 31 is configured as a light source chamber 30. In the light source chamber 30, the light source 32 is positioned below the window 33, away from it, and irradiates light of the wavelength described above upwards.

[0042] The power supply unit 4, which is connected to the light irradiation unit 3, will be described. Light irradiation is achieved by supplying power to the light source 32 from the power supply unit 4, which is located below the light irradiation unit 3. An exhaust pipe 41 is connected to the upstream end of the power supply unit 4, and the downstream end of the exhaust pipe 41 is connected to an exhaust source (not shown). Due to the exhaust from the exhaust source, a negative pressure is created inside the exhaust pipe 41 and the power supply unit 4 relative to the surrounding environment of the power supply unit 4. Therefore, the surrounding atmosphere of the power supply unit 4 flows into and out of the power supply unit 4 through the exhaust pipe 41, cooling the equipment installed inside the power supply unit 4. Furthermore, the exhaust sources that vent the power supply unit 4 in this way, and the exhaust sources described later, are, for example, exhaust paths installed in a factory including the wafer processing system 8 (described later) of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and are set at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The flow paths connected to each exhaust source are vented.

[0043] Returning to the description of the light irradiation unit 3. The downstream end of the gas supply pipe 34 is connected to the housing 31, opening into the light source chamber 30. A valve V1 is clamped in the gas supply pipe 34, and the upstream end of the gas supply pipe 34 is connected to the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 35, which is equipped with a regulator R2 serving as a pressure adjustment unit. Inert gas is supplied to the gas supply pipe 35, and the regulator R2 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the downstream side of the gas supply pipe 35 to maintain a constant pressure on the downstream side of the gas supply pipe 35. Furthermore, as described later, a regulator R1 is provided upstream of the regulator R2 as a primary regulator, and the regulator R2 is a secondary regulator.

[0044] Furthermore, the upstream ends of two exhaust pipes 36 are connected to the housing 31 of the light irradiation unit 3. These exhaust pipes 36 open at the left and right ends of the light source chamber 30, respectively. The downstream side of each exhaust pipe 36 extends rearward within the housing 11 of the device, and the downstream end of each exhaust pipe 36 connects to the rear side wall of the housing 11. A pipe 37 is provided, connecting to the side wall from the outside of the housing 31 and extending horizontally to the left and right. The downstream end of each exhaust pipe 36 opens into a flow path within this pipe 37. The pipe 37 connects to the exhaust source 80 (in... Figures 1-3 (Not shown in the image) is connected, and the exhaust source 80 is used to exhaust air into the pipe 37.

[0045] With the configuration described above, the light source chamber 30 can be supplied with inactive gas when valve V1 is opened, and exhaust is continuously provided via the exhaust source through pipe 37 and exhaust pipe 36. When inactive gas is supplied, it is exhausted through pipe 37; when inactive gas is not supplied, the atmosphere flowing into the light source chamber 30 from outside the housing 31 is exhausted through pipe 37. The supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 occurs during light irradiation from the light source 32. This gas supply and exhaust during light irradiation is to prevent a significant attenuation of the light irradiated from the light source 32 due to an increased concentration of O3 gas generated between the window 33 and the light source 32 caused by light irradiation. Furthermore, it aims to prevent oxidation of the metal components within the light source chamber 30 due to the O3 gas, which could cause defects.

[0046] As described above, multiple exhaust paths (two exhaust paths in this example) are formed by the exhaust pipes 36 arranged to the left and right from the light source chamber 30. Alternatively, three or more exhaust pipes 36 may be arranged in a left-right configuration, with three or more locations in the light source chamber 30 connected to the pipe 37. These exhaust pipes 36 and pipe 37 constitute the exhaust section on the light source chamber side. Furthermore, valve V1 and gas supply pipe 34 constitute the gas supply section on the light source chamber side.

[0047] Furthermore, a pressure sensor 15 is installed in the light source chamber 30. The control device 100, described later, can detect the pressure in the light source chamber 30 based on the detection signal output from the pressure sensor 15. If the pressure deviates from the allowable range when valve V1 is opened, the control device 100 determines that an abnormality has occurred and outputs a control signal to close valve V1, for example, ending the processing of wafer W. By closing valve V1, the supply of inactive gas is stopped, preventing adverse conditions such as damage to window 33 due to excessive pressurization.

[0048] On the upper surface of the housing 31 of the light irradiation section 3, a gas outlet 38 is provided on the side forward of the window 33. The gas outlet 38 opens obliquely upward in a rearward manner, for example, it is formed as a slit extending in the left-right direction. The downstream end of the gas supply pipe 39, which is fitted with valve V2, is connected to the housing 31, and the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 39 communicates with the gas outlet 38 through a flow path provided in the housing 31.

[0049] Furthermore, the upstream end of the gas supply pipe 39 is connected to the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 35. Therefore, the piping structure of gas supply pipes 34 and 39 is formed by a downstream branch of the gas supply pipe 35, which houses the regulator R2, and the regulator R2 is shared by both gas supply pipes 34 and 39. Inactive gas is ejected from the gas outlet 38 by opening valve V2. The portion of the gas outlet 38, valve V2, and gas supply pipe 39 downstream of the location where valve V2 is installed constitutes the processing chamber-side gas supply section.

[0050] Above the gas outlet 38, a wind direction limiting plate 51, serving as a first limiting member, is provided with an opening gap relative to the gas outlet 38. The wind direction limiting plate 51 is supported horizontally by a support portion 52 located on the front side of the gas outlet 38. The wind direction limiting plate 51 is situated on the extension line of the gas ejection direction of the gas outlet 38, thus causing the inactive gas ejected from the gas outlet 38 to collide with the wind direction limiting plate 51. Furthermore, the inactive gas flows horizontally along the lower surface of the wind direction limiting plate 51, moving rearward.

[0051] An exhaust path forming section 6 is provided behind the light irradiation section 3 to form an exhaust path for inactive gas ejected from the gas outlet 38. The exhaust path forming section 6 includes a lower plate 61 and an upper plate 62 disposed above the lower plate 61. The lower plate 61 is configured as a horizontal plate that vertically divides the area behind the light irradiation section 3 within the housing 11, and the upper plate 62 is configured as a plate whose rear side is bent at 90° relative to its front side. The front side of the upper plate 62 forms a horizontal section 63, which vertically divides the area behind the light irradiation section 3 and is located opposite the lower plate 61 with a small gap. The rear side of the upper plate 62 forms a vertical section 64, which is located opposite the side wall of the rear side of the housing 11 to divide the area above the lower plate 61 within the housing 11 from front to back.

[0052] The area surrounded by the lower plate 61, the upper plate 62, and the housing 11 is an exhaust passage defined by the perimeter, in which gas flows rearward as described later. This exhaust passage is L-shaped when viewed in a left-right direction, and includes a horizontal exhaust passage 65 formed by the horizontal portion 63 of the upper plate 62 and extending horizontally from front to rear, and a longitudinal exhaust passage 66 connected to the downstream end of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 and formed by the side wall of the housing 11 and extending vertically upward.

[0053] When viewed from the left-right, front-back, and top-bottom directions, the horizontal exhaust passage 65 and the vertical exhaust passage 66 are both rectangular in shape. For example, the width of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 in the left-right direction is equal to the width of the vertical exhaust passage 66. Furthermore, the height D1 of the horizontal exhaust passage 55 is greater than the front-back length D2 of the vertical exhaust passage 56 (refer to...). Figure 1 The cross-sectional area of ​​the transverse exhaust passage 65 is smaller than that of the longitudinal exhaust passage 56. Therefore, compared to the longitudinal exhaust passage 66, the pressure loss of the gas (atmosphere and inactive gas) flowing through the transverse exhaust passage 65 is greater. Furthermore, regarding the front-to-back length, the length D2 of the longitudinal exhaust passage 66 is smaller than the front-to-back length of the transverse exhaust passage 65. The lateral width of the longitudinal exhaust passage 66 is larger than its front-to-back length D2, thus forming a strip-like shape extending laterally when viewed from above.

[0054] The upper surface of the aforementioned upper plate 62 is configured to be continuous with the upper surface of the housing 31 of the light irradiation section 3. That is, the upper surface of the upper plate 62 is in contact with the upper surface of the housing 31 and is at the same height. Furthermore, on the front side of the upper plate 62, a plurality of exhaust ports 67 are formed facing the vertical direction and open into the horizontal exhaust passage 65. The plurality of exhaust ports 67 are formed in a row on the left and right with a gap between them.

[0055] An opening 68 extending in the left-right direction is provided on the side wall of the rear side of the housing 11, opening into the longitudinal exhaust passage 66. Furthermore, a pipe 69 is provided, connecting to this side wall from the outside of the housing 31. The pipe 69 is located below the pipe 37 and extends horizontally in the left-right direction. The pipe 69, like the pipe 37, is connected to the exhaust source 80, thereby allowing internal exhaust. The aforementioned opening 68 also opens within this pipe 69. Therefore, the inactive gas ejected from the gas outlet 38 flows sequentially through the exhaust port 67, the transverse exhaust passage 65, the longitudinal exhaust passage 66, and the pipe 69, and is thus exhausted.

[0056] Furthermore, support portions 71 are respectively provided at the left and right ends of the housing 11 of the device, extending upward from the front end of the housing 31 of the light irradiation section 3 toward the rear end of the horizontal portion 63 of the exhaust path forming section 6. These support portions 71, together with the horizontal plate 72 supported by each support portion 71, constitute a cavity forming member 73. The space surrounded by the cavity forming member 73 is configured as a processing chamber 70 for feeding the wafer W supported on the moving part 20 for light irradiation. Therefore, the processing chamber 70 is a space formed above the light source chamber 30 and is divided relative to the light source chamber 30. The moving part 20 transports the wafer W to the processing chamber 70 for processing. And, since the processing chamber 70 is formed as described above, the gas outlet 38 sprays inactive gas into the processing chamber 70, and the exhaust port 67 exhausts gas from the processing chamber 70. Furthermore, atmospheric air can flow into the processing chamber 70 from the front side.

[0057] Furthermore, exhaust is continuously carried out through the exhaust port 67 via the pipe 69. Additionally, flow paths for each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 are formed between the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30 to increase the exhaust volume of the processing chamber 70. Whether or not inactive gas is supplied from the gas outlet 38, the atmosphere of the processing chamber 70 is also exhausted through the exhaust port 67. The exhaust path forming section 6 and the pipe 69 described above constitute the processing chamber-side exhaust section.

[0058] Above the exhaust port 67, a wind direction limiting plate 53, serving as a second limiting member, is provided with an opening gap relative to the exhaust port 67. This wind direction limiting plate 53 is supported horizontally by a support portion 54 located on the rear side of the exhaust port 67. The wind direction limiting plate 53, the exhaust port 67, the aforementioned wind direction limiting plate 51, and the gas outlet 38 will be described in further detail. When processing the wafer W, light is irradiated onto the back side of the wafer W located above the window 33. As already described, this light irradiation generates O3 gas from the atmosphere. If the concentration of this O3 gas is high, the removal of the film on the back side of the wafer W is weakened.

[0059] To prevent this, during light irradiation, an inactive gas is ejected from the gas outlet 38 and O3 gas is purged towards the exhaust port 67. A wind direction limiting plate 51 restricts the flow of the inactive gas in a manner that directs it backward, thereby preventing the inactive gas from flowing towards the wafer W along with the O3 gas.

[0060] As described above, venting is always performed from exhaust port 67. Therefore, during the purging of O3 gas with this inactive gas, suction is also performed from exhaust port 67, and the purged O3 gas flows into exhaust port 67 and is removed. During this O3 gas removal, if exhaust port 67 vents around the wafer W, the generated O3 gas easily flows towards the wafer W. That is, an exhaust flow of O3 gas is formed in a manner that passes around the wafer W, and the resist film on the surface of the wafer W is removed.

[0061] Therefore, by configuring the airflow direction limiting plate 53, the exhaust direction of the exhaust port 67 is prevented from becoming upward, and exhaust is carried out from the front side of the exhaust port 67. That is, the O3 gas that is swept backward by the inactive gas is drawn forward along with the inactive gas and flows into the exhaust port 67, thereby preventing the O3 gas and inactive gas from being supplied to the top of the processing chamber 70. In this example, in order to more reliably achieve the effect of the airflow direction limiting plate 53, the length of the airflow direction limiting plate 53 in the front-to-back direction is relatively large. In detail, as... Figure 2 As shown, the length L2 from the front end of the exhaust port 67 to the front end of the wind direction limiting plate 53 is greater than the length L1 from the rear end of the gas outlet 38 to the rear end of the wind direction limiting plate 51.

[0062] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, with dashed arrows indicating the flow of inactive gas supplied from the gas supply source. The supply path for this inactive gas is divided downstream of the regulator R2 into a supply path toward the processing chamber 70 and a supply path toward the light source chamber 30. Furthermore, the exhaust path from the processing chamber 70 is formed separately as the exhaust path and pipe 69 of the exhaust path forming section 6, and the exhaust path from the light source chamber 30 is formed separately as the exhaust pipe 36 and pipe 37. Hereinafter, for the purpose of mutual distinction, pipe 37 and pipe 69 will sometimes be referred to as the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 and the processing chamber side exhaust pipe 69.

[0063] Next, refer to Figure 5 A schematic side view is provided to illustrate an example of a wafer processing system 8 comprising multiple substrate processing devices 1. In the wafer processing system 8, the substrate processing devices 1 are arranged in multiple layers in the vertical direction, and each layer of substrate processing devices 1 is arranged in a row in the left-right direction (X direction). Figure 5 In the example shown, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured with 3 layers, and 3 substrate processing apparatus 1 are provided on each layer, thereby providing a total of 9 substrate processing apparatus 1 in the wafer processing system 8. Furthermore, these substrate processing apparatus 1 are arranged in a 3×3 matrix when viewed from the side.

[0064] The wafer processing system 8 includes a transport mechanism (transport device) 81. The transport mechanism 81 transports the wafer W between a transport container holding the wafer W, such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), and any substrate processing device 1, and processes the wafer W in the substrate processing device 1 at its destination. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, one transport mechanism 81 is shown for three substrate processing devices 1 sharing the same transport mechanism, but the number of substrate processing devices 1 that use one transport mechanism 81 for wafer W transfer and the number of transport mechanisms 81 are arbitrary. For example, it is also possible to provide a transport mechanism 81 for each layer, with the same transport mechanism 81 transporting wafer W to three substrate processing devices 1 on the same layer.

[0065] The aforementioned exhaust duct 37 on the light source chamber side and exhaust duct 69 on the processing chamber side are shared by three substrate processing devices 1 located on the same layer. More specifically, as described above, ducts 37 and 69 are configured to extend horizontally in the left-right direction. At different positions along the length (left-right direction) of ducts 37 and 69, the housings 11 of the three substrate processing devices 1 are connected respectively. Therefore, in the wafer processing system 8, the exhaust duct 37 on the light source chamber side and the exhaust duct 69 on the processing chamber side are respectively arranged in three layers, vertically and horizontally.

[0066] The left and right ends of each of the exhaust ducts 37 and 69 on the light source chamber side are sealed. Furthermore, the left and right ends (right ends in the figure) of each exhaust duct 37 on the light source chamber side are connected to a downwardly extending longitudinal duct 82, and the left and right ends (right ends in the figure) of each exhaust duct 69 on the processing chamber side are connected to a downwardly extending longitudinal duct 83. The lower ends of the longitudinal ducts 82 and 83 are respectively connected to an exhaust source 80, which is used for exhaust. Therefore, exhaust is discharged from the left and right ends of each exhaust duct 37 and each exhaust duct 69 on the processing chamber side via the longitudinal ducts 82 and 83. The exhaust sources 80 connected to the longitudinal ducts 82 and 83 are shown as independent exhaust sources, but they can also be shared exhaust sources. In the figures, reference numeral 84 indicates O3 gas removal filters respectively installed in the longitudinal ducts 82 and 83.

[0067] Furthermore, the wafer processing system 8 includes multiple gas supply pipes 85 each equipped with a regulator R1, through which an inert gas is supplied from an inert gas supply source 86. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply source 86 is, for example, N2 (nitrogen) gas. Each regulator R1 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas supplied downstream of the gas supply pipe 85 to maintain a constant pressure within the gas supply pipe 85 downstream of the regulator R1.

[0068] The downstream branch of the gas supply pipe 85 is located where the ratio regulator R1 is positioned, and the regulators R2 of the two adjacent substrate processing devices 1 in the left-right or up-down directions are respectively located (see reference). Figure 1 The two substrate processing devices 1 share the regulator R1. However, since the number of substrate processing devices 1 provided in the wafer processing system 8 is 9, each substrate processing device 1 is configured not to share the regulator R1 with other substrate processing devices 1.

[0069] The wafer processing system 8 described above includes a control device 100 as a control unit. The control device 100 is, for example, a computer, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1. Furthermore, the program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of the drive systems of the various processing devices, transport devices, etc., described above to perform wafer processing in the wafer processing system 1. This program includes a set of steps required to perform the transport and processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 8. Using the program, the control device 100 outputs control signals to each part of the wafer processing system 8, controlling each part as described above, thereby performing the transport and processing. In addition, the control device 100 determines whether an abnormality has occurred, and if an abnormality is detected, it outputs this information as an alarm through sound and visual display.

[0070] Alternatively, the aforementioned program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from that storage medium H onto the control device 100. The storage medium H may include ROM, RAM, or a hard disk, but its structure and type are not limited; it can be temporary or non-temporary. Furthermore, the control device 100 can include components for storing, reading, and executing programs used to implement wafer processing, as well as related communication. The location of each component can be configured either inside or outside the wafer processing system 1. The control device 100 can be one or more circuits, or it can be integrally centralized or partially separated. Additionally, the control device 100 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and can also be considered as being located within the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0071] Since the wafer processing system 8 has the structure described above, the gas supply system (gas supply source 86, gas supply pipe 85, regulator R1) is shared among the multiple substrate processing devices 1, and the exhaust pipe 37 on the light source chamber side and the exhaust pipe 69 on the processing chamber side are also shared as exhaust systems. That is, the multiple substrate processing devices 1 are interconnected via the gas supply system and the exhaust system, respectively, and the supply pressure of inactive gas from the gas supply system and the exhaust pressure from the factory are applied to each substrate processing device 1.

[0072] Therefore, due to the start or stop of wafer W processing in a substrate processing apparatus 1, or the cessation of the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 due to a judgment of an anomaly, the balance between the supply pressure and exhaust pressure of the aforementioned inactive gas changes, which may affect the gas supply and exhaust in other substrate processing apparatuses 1. It is assumed that, assuming this effect is significant, in other substrate processing apparatuses 1, anomalies may occur in the processing of wafer W due to large changes in the flow rate of the gas (atmosphere and inactive gas) in the processing chamber 70, or the pressure in the light source chamber 30 may deviate from the permissible range due to large changes in the flow rate of the inactive gas, leading to an inappropriate judgment of an anomaly. However, the wafer processing system 8 described above is configured to prevent such adverse situations.

[0073] To explain how to prevent this adverse situation, please refer to... Figure 6 Timing diagram and Figure 7 , Figure 8 The side view showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 illustrates the processing operation of the wafer W performed in each substrate processing apparatus 1. Figure 6 The timing diagram shows the period during which inactive gas is supplied to the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30, and therefore also shows the opening and closing times of valves V1 and V2. Figure 7 , Figure 8 In the diagram, dashed arrows indicate the direction of gas flow, and dotted arrows indicate the direction of light irradiation from light source 32.

[0074] With valves V1 and V2 closed, and atmospheric air flowing into the processing chamber 70 through pipe 69 and into the light source chamber 30 through pipe 37 at certain exhaust volumes, when the conveying mechanism 81 places the wafer W onto the stage 13, the moving part 20 of the moving unit, which is waiting below the stage 13, rises to receive and hold the wafer W. Furthermore, Figure 1 The state of the moving part 20 holding the wafer W is shown. Then, valves V1 and V2 are both opened (time t1 in the diagram), and inactive gas is supplied to the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30. The gas flowing from the light source chamber 30 to the pipe 37 changes from atmospheric gas to inactive gas. Regarding the gas flowing from the processing chamber 70 to the pipe 69, it becomes a mixture of inactive gas and atmospheric gas, and the flow rate of atmospheric gas flowing into the pipe 69 decreases by an amount corresponding to the flow rate of inactive gas flowing into the pipe 69. Furthermore, light irradiation of the processing chamber 70 from the light source 32 of the light irradiation unit 3 begins.

[0075] The moving part 20 retracts, and wafer W enters processing chamber 70. Then, the rear end side of wafer W is positioned on window 33, as... Figure 7 As shown, the first light irradiation begins (time t2). The moving part 20 continues to retract, as... Figure 8As shown, light illuminates the area from the back end to the front end of wafer W. Then, when the moving part 20 moves to a predetermined position, the retraction stops, and the moving part 20 begins to move forward. During this forward movement, the wafer W is also illuminated. Wafer W exits the processing chamber 70, the light source 32 is turned off, and the first illumination ends. The moving part 20 moves towards... Figure 1 Return to the indicated position. Additionally, continue supplying inactive gas to the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30 at this time.

[0076] Afterwards, the moving part 20 descends and transfers the wafer W to the stage 13, which then rotates 90°. Next, the moving part 20 rises and holds the wafer W again, performing the same operation as during the first light irradiation, thereby subjecting the wafer W to a second light irradiation. That is, the second light irradiation is performed by the moving part 20 moving forward and backward, irradiating the unprocessed areas, including the portion that overlapped with the substrate holding part 22 of the moving part 20 during the first light irradiation, and processing them. Then, by the retraction of the moving part 20, the wafer W exits from the processing chamber 70, the light source 32 is turned off, and the second light irradiation ends (time t3). At this time, the entire back side of the wafer W has been irradiated, and the film is removed from the entire back side.

[0077] Subsequently, by closing valves V1 and V2 (at time t4), the supply of inactive gas to the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30 is stopped. The gas flowing from the light source chamber 30 to the pipe 37 becomes atmospheric air, and the gas flowing from the processing chamber 70 to the pipe 69 becomes separate atmospheric air, and the flow rate of the atmospheric air flowing in the pipe 69 increases by an amount corresponding to the stopped flow rate of the inactive gas. Then, the moving part 20 descends, the wafer W is transferred to the stage 13, and output from the substrate processing apparatus 1 using the transport mechanism 81.

[0078] Regarding the above Figures 6-8 The structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 associated with the processing of wafer W described herein will be further explained in detail. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the gas supply pipe 35 (see reference 1)... Figure 4 The regulator R2 is set to keep the pressure of the light source chamber 30 within the allowable range. However, when keeping the pressure of the light source chamber 30 within the allowable range, the regulator R2 may not be set on the gas supply pipe 35, but on the gas supply pipe 34 that branches off from the gas supply pipe 35 and connects to the light source chamber 30.

[0079] Furthermore, in Figure 6In the process illustrated in the diagram, inactive gas is continuously supplied to the processing chamber 70 from the start to the end of the processing of wafer W. However, during periods when wafer W is not located in the processing chamber 70, such as when the orientation of wafer W is changed by the stage 13, the processing of wafer W will not be affected even if inactive gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 70. From the viewpoint of reducing the consumption of inactive gas and thus lowering the operating cost of the apparatus, it is preferable to stop the supply of inactive gas to the processing chamber 70 during such periods when wafer W is not located in the processing chamber 70.

[0080] However, as in Figure 6 As illustrated in the diagram, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the wafer W is processed in such a manner that the supply period of the inactive gas to the processing chamber 70 is consistent with the supply period of the inactive gas to the light source chamber 30. That is, the inactive gas is supplied even if the wafer W is not located in the processing chamber 70. When processing is performed with the supply period of the inactive gas consistent in both the processing chamber 70 and the light source chamber 30, the regulator R2 is configured to adjust the flow rate of the supplied gas for both the gas supply pipe 34 connected to the light source chamber 30 and the gas supply pipe 39 connected to the processing chamber 70. Therefore, the regulator R2 is not provided in the gas supply pipe 34, but rather as follows: Figure 4 As shown, a gas supply pipe 35, which serves as a branch source for these gas supply pipes 34 and 39, is provided upstream of the gas supply pipe 34 that forms a flow path toward the light source chamber 30 and the gas supply pipe 39 that forms a flow path toward the processing chamber 70.

[0081] Referring to the three substrate processing devices 1 of the same layer in the wafer processing system 8 Figure 9 The explanation continues. For convenience, the three substrate processing devices 1 will be referred to as 1a, 1b, and 1c from the left. Assume that an abnormal pressure is detected in the light source chamber 30 in substrate processing device 1a, and the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 is stopped by closing valve V1.

[0082] The substrate processing apparatus 1a and substrate processing apparatus 1b share a gas supply pipe 85. By stopping the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the pressure of the gas supply pipe 85 changes, and the flow rate of the inactive gas flowing in the gas supply pipe 85 changes. However, in the substrate processing apparatus 1b, as described above, the regulator R2 is provided in the gas supply pipe 35, which serves as a branch source of the gas supply pipe 34 forming a flow path toward the light source chamber 30 and the gas supply pipe 39 forming a flow path toward the processing chamber 70. Therefore, fluctuations in the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the light source chamber 30 and the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 are suppressed, respectively. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1b, the pressure of the light source chamber 30 is prevented from deviating from the allowable range and being judged as abnormal. Furthermore, in the processing chamber 70 of the substrate processing apparatus 1b, the gas (atmosphere and inactive gas) continues to flow at a stable flow rate, thus preventing the spread of O3 gas flow disturbances caused by light irradiation to the surface of the wafer W and other abnormalities during the processing of the wafer W.

[0083] Furthermore, the gas supply pipes 85 connected to each substrate processing apparatus 1 are interconnected upstream of the location where the regulator R1 is installed. Therefore, by stopping the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 of the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the pressure of the gas supply pipes 85 connected to the substrate processing apparatus 1 (1c, etc.) other than substrate processing apparatus 1a and 1b also changes, and the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied downstream may change. However, for the substrate processing apparatus 1 other than substrate processing apparatus 1b, the regulator R2 is also provided as described above, thereby suppressing the change in gas flow rate flowing in the light source chamber 30 and the processing chamber 70 in the same way as in substrate processing apparatus 1b.

[0084] Furthermore, by stopping the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the flow rate of the inactive gas flowing through the exhaust pipe 36 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 changes, resulting in a pressure change within the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37. However, the processing chambers 70 of the substrate processing apparatuses 1a-1c are connected to the processing chamber side exhaust pipe 69, which is separately provided from the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37, via the horizontal exhaust path 55 and the vertical exhaust path 56. That is, the exhaust path of the processing chambers 70 of the substrate processing apparatuses 1a-1c is formed separately from the exhaust path of the light source chambers 30 of the substrate processing apparatuses 1a-1c.

[0085] Therefore, even if pressure changes occur in the exhaust duct 37 on the light source chamber side due to variations in gas inflow, changes in the flow rate of gas flowing from the processing chambers 70 of the substrate processing apparatuses 1a to 1c to the processing chamber-side exhaust duct 69 are suppressed. That is, in each processing chamber 70, inactive gas and atmosphere continue to flow at stable flow rates. Therefore, in each substrate processing apparatus 1b and 1c, processing abnormalities of the wafer W can be prevented.

[0086] For ease of explanation, the case where the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 of the substrate processing apparatus 1a is stopped due to an abnormality is described. However, since wafer W is processed independently in substrate processing apparatuses 1a to 1c, during wafer W processing in substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c, the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 of substrate processing apparatus 1a may sometimes be stopped as wafer W processing in substrate processing apparatus 1a ends. Furthermore, the pressures of the gas supply system and exhaust system change as wafer W processing begins. In the case of the start or end of wafer W processing, changes in gas flow rates in the light source chamber 30 and processing chamber 70 of substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c connected to substrate processing apparatus 1a are prevented, similar to the case where an abnormality occurs. Furthermore, as a representative of the wafer processing system 8, the case where the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 of substrate processing apparatus 1a is stopped is described, but in the case where the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 of substrate processing apparatus 1 other than 1a is stopped, abnormalities in other substrate processing apparatus 1 are also prevented.

[0087] As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, inactive gases are supplied and exhausted from the light source chamber 30. Therefore, attenuation of light irradiated from the light source 32 onto the wafer W is suppressed, enabling stable processing of the wafer W. More specifically, it prevents residual film on the back side of the wafer W due to insufficient light intensity.

[0088] Furthermore, when each substrate processing apparatus 1 is interconnected via a gas supply system and an exhaust system in a manner constituting a wafer processing system 8, the configuration of the aforementioned regulator R2 and the simultaneous supply of inactive gas to both the light source chamber 30 and the processing chamber 70 suppress variations in the flow rate of the inactive gas to both chambers. Moreover, by separately providing exhaust pipes 37 on the light source chamber side and 69 on the processing chamber side, the exhaust paths of the light source chamber 30 and the processing chamber 70 are separated, thereby suppressing variations in the gas flow rate within the processing chamber 70. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inactive gas supply to the light source chamber 30 from inappropriately ceasing due to pressure changes even when the apparatus is functioning normally, and to prevent turbulence in the flow of O3 gas within the processing chamber 70. Thus, wafer W is processed stably within the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0089] Additionally, when venting the light source chamber 30, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, such as Figure 3 As shown, the light source chamber 30 is connected to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 via two exhaust pipes (pipes) 36, which are connected in a manner that exhausts gas from the light source chamber 30 at positions that are separated to the left and right in the width direction. Alternatively, instead of using two exhaust pipes 36 to connect the housing 31 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37, a single exhaust pipe (referred to as a hypothetical exhaust pipe for convenience) can be used to connect the light source chamber 30 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37. For example, the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe inside the exhaust pipe 36 is A, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the hypothetical exhaust pipe is 2A. That is, the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipes is made the same as the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the hypothetical exhaust pipe and the two exhaust pipes 36.

[0090] However, even if the cross-sectional area of ​​the hypothetical exhaust pipe and the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust pipe 36 are related in this way, for each of the two exhaust pipes 36, the gas flow is difficult due to the small cross-sectional area of ​​each pipe, resulting in a relatively large pressure loss for the gas flowing from the light source chamber 30 towards the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37. It is preferable that the pressure loss is relatively large for the gas flow path from the light source chamber 30 towards the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37; therefore, compared to providing a hypothetical exhaust pipe, it is preferable to have such a large pressure loss. Figure 3 Two exhaust pipes (36) are set up as shown.

[0091] In explaining in more detail the increase in pressure loss between the light source chamber 30 and the exhaust pipe 37 on the light source chamber side, please refer again to... Figure 9 The following explanation will be based on the case where the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30 is stopped in apparatus 1a of the substrate processing apparatus 1a-1c. By stopping the supply of inactive gas in this way, the flow rate of the gas flowing from the light source chamber 30 of the substrate processing apparatus 1a to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 changes, and the pressure in the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 changes.

[0092] At this time, in substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c, if the pressure loss in the flow path between the light source chamber 30 and the light source chamber-side exhaust pipe 37 is large and the gas flowability is low, the flow rate of the gas flowing in the light source chamber 30 of these substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c and the pressure of the light source chamber 30 are suppressed from changing with the pressure change in the light source chamber-side exhaust pipe 37. That is, even if the pressure in the light source chamber-side exhaust pipe 37 changes relatively rapidly and significantly, the changes in the flow rate and pressure of the inactive gas in the light source chamber 30 of the substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c are relatively slow and small. Therefore, for substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c, it is more reliable to prevent situations where the pressure of the light source chamber 30 deviates from the allowable range and is judged as abnormal even when there is no abnormality.

[0093] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of preventing deviations in the exhaust from the light source chamber 30 and preventing O3 gas from easily remaining locally, it is preferable to use the exhaust pipe 36 to exhaust the light source chamber 30 from multiple locations. That is, in addition to suppressing pressure changes in the light source chamber 30, from the viewpoint of more reliably suppressing light attenuation from the light source 32 and oxidation of metal components in the light source chamber 30, it is preferable to use the exhaust pipe 36 to connect the light source chamber 30 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37, rather than using the aforementioned imaginary exhaust pipe to connect the light source chamber 30 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37.

[0094] The structure of the exhaust pipe 37 and exhaust pipe 36 on the light source chamber side is further explained. Figure 10 This refers to the cross-section of the exhaust pipe 36 orthogonal to the flow path direction and the cross-section of the exhaust pipe 37 on the light source chamber side in the flow path direction. As described above, the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust pipe 36 is A. Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust pipe 37 on the light source chamber side in the flow path direction is set to B. As described above, the pressure loss of the gas in the flow path from the light source chamber 30 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 is relatively high; more specifically, the pressure loss in the flow path from the light source chamber 30 to the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 is set to be greater than the pressure loss in the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 36 and the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 are formed such that the cross-sectional area B of the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 is larger than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the two exhaust pipes 36, i.e., 2A.

[0095] Furthermore, when the cross-sectional area in the flow path direction of the exhaust pipe 69 on the processing chamber side is set to C, 2A < C. In the substrate processing apparatus 1B of the second embodiment described later, the two exhaust pipes 36 are connected to the exhaust pipe 69 on the processing chamber side via an exhaust path provided in the exhaust path forming section 6. However, similar to the first embodiment, the pressure loss of the gas in the flow path formed by the two exhaust pipes 36 is set to be higher than the pressure loss of the gas in the pipe connected to the destination. By setting it in this way, the influence of pressure changes in the exhaust pipe 69 on the light source chamber 30 is suppressed.

[0096] Returning to the description of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. (As follows) Figure 1 As explained, the height D1 of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 constituting the exhaust passage relative to the processing chamber 70 and the length D2 of the longitudinal exhaust passage 66 are set to D1 < D2. Therefore, the horizontal exhaust passage 65 is narrower than the longitudinal exhaust passage 66, resulting in high gas pressure loss in the horizontal exhaust passage 65. Therefore, similar to the light source chamber 30, changes in the flow rate and pressure of the gas flowing through the processing chamber 70 are also suppressed due to pressure fluctuations in the pipe (processing chamber side exhaust pipe 69) where the gas flows into its destination.

[0097] Refer again Figure 9The suppression of changes in the processing chamber 70 will be explained in detail. For example, if the processing of wafer W is stopped in substrate processing apparatus 1a, and the supply of inactive gas to processing chamber 70 is stopped, the pressure in the processing chamber-side exhaust duct 69 will change drastically and significantly. However, in the flow path from processing chamber 70 to processing chamber-side exhaust duct 69, there is a section in the cross exhaust path 65 where the gas pressure loss is relatively high. Therefore, in the processing chamber 70 of substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c, the changes in gas flow rate and pressure (atmosphere and inactive gas) are slow and small. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the processing of wafer W in the processing chamber 70 of substrate processing apparatuses 1b and 1c from being affected by the aforementioned pressure changes in the processing chamber-side exhaust duct 69.

[0098] Next, refer to Figure 11 The following describes in more detail matters related to the use of the substrate processing apparatus 1 other than when processing wafer W. As one of the checks on the substrate processing apparatus 1, the illuminance of the light source 32 illuminating through window 33 is measured. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the illuminance measurement is performed by an operator placing an inspection fixture 19 above the window 33. A predetermined height gap is provided between the fixture and the window 33 to prevent damage or dirt buildup. Additionally, although not shown, any components in the substrate processing apparatus 1 that obstruct the placement of the fixture 19 can be appropriately removed by the operator.

[0099] During the illumination for this illuminance measurement, valve V1 is opened in the light source chamber 30 to supply inert gas, similar to when processing wafer W. However, if inert gas is ejected from gas outlet 38 as during wafer W processing, creating a flow of inert gas between gas outlet 38 and exhaust port 67, the amount of O3 gas on window 33 continues to fluctuate due to this flow, sometimes resulting in unstable illuminance measurements. In other words, if inert gas is supplied to processing chamber 70, accurate illuminance measurements may not be possible.

[0100] Therefore, considering that during this illuminance measurement, valve V1 is closed and inactive gas is not ejected from gas outlet 38 (i.e., inactive gas is not supplied to processing chamber 70). However, as Figure 6 As explained, multiple substrate processing devices 1 are interconnected via a gas supply system. Therefore, when valve V1 is opened or closed during illuminance measurement, the flow rate and pressure of the gas in the processing chamber 70 and light source chamber 30 of other substrate processing devices 1 that are not performing illuminance measurement change, which may cause obstacles to the processing of wafer W.

[0101] To prevent influence on other substrate processing devices 1 that have not performed such illuminance measurements, Figure 11In the example shown, the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 39, which is connected to the housing 31 of the light irradiation unit 3 during wafer W processing, is connected to the power supply unit 4 to supply inert gas to the power supply unit 4. Therefore, during illuminance measurement, in addition to setting up the fixture 19, the operator also changes the connection of the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 39 from the housing 31 to the power supply unit 4. After this operation performed by the operator, valves V1 and V2 are opened during light irradiation for illuminance measurement, so that inert gas is supplied to the light source chamber 30 and the power supply unit 4, respectively. In addition, the inert gas supplied to the power supply unit 4 is removed from the exhaust pipe 41 connected to the power supply unit 4. Furthermore, the illuminance measured by the fixture 19 is corrected based on a prescribed calculation formula to eliminate the light attenuation effect caused by the O3 gas present between the fixture 19 and the window 33, thereby enabling the calculation of the illuminance during wafer W processing.

[0102] in addition, Figure 12 A longitudinal sectional side view of a substrate processing apparatus 1A, a variant of the substrate processing apparatus 1, is shown. The difference between this substrate processing apparatus 1A and the substrate processing apparatus 1 lies in the following structure: [The text abruptly ends here, likely due to an incomplete sentence or missing information.] Figure 11 During the illuminance measurement described herein, the operator does not need to connect or replace the gas supply pipe 39. The upstream end of the gas supply pipe 18 is connected to the upstream side of the location where valve V2 is installed in the gas supply pipe 39. Valve V3 is clamped onto the gas supply pipe 18, and the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 18 is connected to the power supply unit 4. When processing wafer W, by setting valve V3 to closed and valve V1 to open, inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply source 86 is supplied to the processing chamber 70. During illuminance measurement, by setting valve V1 to closed and valve V3 to open, inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply source 86 is supplied to the power supply unit 4.

[0103] As described above, the flow path formed by the gas supply pipe 18 is a bypass flow path: it does not flow through the gas outlet 38 of the gas supply section on the forming processing chamber side, but supplies gas to an exhaust path (the pipe of exhaust pipe 41) that is different from the exhaust path from the horizontal exhaust path 65 to the pipe 69 of the exhaust section on the forming processing chamber side and the exhaust path from the exhaust pipe 36 to the pipe 37 of the exhaust section on the forming light source chamber side. Regarding this substrate processing apparatus 1A, by using valves V1 and V3, which serve as switching units, the destination of the supply of inactive gas is switched between the gas supply section of the processing chamber and the gas supply pipe 18 as described above, thereby reducing the trouble for the operator when performing illuminance measurement.

[0104] [Second Implementation]

[0105] Next, taking the point of difference from substrate processing apparatus 1 as the center, refer to the longitudinal sectional side view, i.e. Figure 13 , cross section top view Figure 14The substrate processing apparatus 1B of the second embodiment will be described. In this substrate processing apparatus 1B, the exhaust pipe 37 on the light source chamber side is not provided; the gas from the light source chamber 30 is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 36 via the buffer chamber 75, etc., which will be described later, and flows into the pipe 69. Figure 13 In the diagram, arrows with dotted lines indicate the flow of gas.

[0106] A flow path forming member 74, extending longitudinally from left to right, is provided on the rear end of the horizontal portion 63 of the exhaust path forming section 6. This flow path forming member 74 is configured in a roughly inverted U-shape when viewed from the left and right, thereby enclosing the upper region of the rear end portion of the horizontal portion 63 together with the left and right sidewalls of the housing 11. This enclosed region forms a buffer chamber 75 defined by its perimeter. Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 76 opening in the vertical direction are formed in the horizontal portion 63. These through holes 76 are arranged at intervals and spaced apart from each other, forming a row along the left and right sides. The buffer chamber 75 communicates with the horizontal exhaust path 65 via the through holes 76, allowing exhaust to pass from the buffer chamber 75 towards the horizontal exhaust path 65.

[0107] Regarding the buffer chamber 75, which serves as a diffusion space for gas diffusion, it is rectangular in shape when viewed from the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions, respectively. Its left-right width is the same as the left-right width of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 of the exhaust passage forming section 6. Furthermore, the front-back length D3 of the buffer chamber 75 is greater than the vertical height D1 of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 (see reference). Figure 1 Therefore, the pressure loss of the gas in the buffer chamber 75 is smaller than that in the horizontal exhaust passage 65. In addition, since the buffer chamber 75 is a longitudinal space along the left and right sides and forms a strip-shaped space when viewed from above, the width of the buffer chamber 75 from left to right is greater than the length D3 from front to back.

[0108] In the illustrated example, the downstream side of the exhaust pipe 36 is led out to a position further rearward than the buffer chamber 75. Then, gas flows forward from the downstream end of the exhaust pipe 36 through the flow path 77 provided in the housing 11 and is introduced into the buffer chamber 75. The downstream end of the flow path 77 opens at the left and right ends of the buffer chamber 75, respectively, thus allowing gas to be introduced to different positions on the left and right sides of the buffer chamber 75. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, gas is configured to flow into the buffer chamber 75 from the rear side via the exhaust pipe 36 and the flow path 77, but this is not limited to flowing from the rear side; gas could also flow into the buffer chamber 75 from the upper side or the front side.

[0109] As described above, the gas in the light source chamber 30 is exhausted sequentially through the exhaust pipe 36, the flow path 77 of the housing 11, the buffer chamber 75, and the through hole 76 towards the horizontal exhaust path 65, where it merges with the gas flowing from the processing chamber 70. Furthermore, the merged gas from the light source chamber 30 and the gas from the processing chamber 70 flow into the pipe 69 via the vertical exhaust path 66 and are then exhausted. Therefore, the buffer chamber 75 constitutes part of the exhaust section on the light source chamber side.

[0110] As described in the first embodiment, the vertical height D1 of the horizontal exhaust passage 65 is relatively small, resulting in a relatively large pressure loss of the gas in the horizontal exhaust passage 65. Since the gas flowing in from the exhaust pipe 36 flows into the pipe 69 after passing through the horizontal exhaust passage 65 with such a large pressure loss, changes in the flow rate of the gas flowing in the light source chamber 30 and the pressure in the light source chamber 30 caused by pressure changes within the pipe 69 are more reliably suppressed. Therefore, this second embodiment, like the first embodiment, suppresses pressure changes and gas flow rate changes in the light source chamber 30 and processing chamber 70 in other substrate processing apparatuses when the flow rate of the gas flowing into the pipe 69 changes due to an anomaly, the start or stop of wafer W processing in one substrate processing apparatus.

[0111] Furthermore, the gas flowing from the exhaust pipe 36 does not flow directly into the horizontal exhaust path 65, which is configured to have a large pressure loss, but instead flows into the buffer chamber 75, which is configured to have a smaller pressure loss than the horizontal exhaust path 65. Therefore, the gas flow rate from the light source chamber 30 to the buffer chamber 75 is prevented from becoming excessively low. Consequently, the O3 gas generated in the light source chamber 30 can be quickly and reliably removed from the light source chamber 30.

[0112] Furthermore, the buffer chamber 75 is a device structure that exhausts gas from the light source chamber 30 along its left-right transverse length via an exhaust pipe 36, which is connected to different positions on the left and right sides of the buffer chamber 75 via a flow path 77. As described above, the pressure loss of the gas in the buffer chamber 75 is small (i.e., the gas flowability is relatively high), thus exhausting gas with high uniformity in all parts of the buffer chamber 75 in the left-right direction. Therefore, as gas is exhausted through the buffer chamber 75, the left and right exhaust pipes 36 are respectively exhausted with high uniformity, resulting in the light source chamber 30 being exhausted with high uniformity from its left and right separated positions using the exhaust pipes 36. Therefore, this device structure can also quickly and reliably remove O3 gas generated in the light source chamber 30, and is therefore preferred.

[0113] Furthermore, the longitudinal exhaust path 66, located at the rear of the buffer chamber 75, is also horizontally elongated and has high gas flowability, similar to the buffer chamber 75. Therefore, it can be considered as a buffer chamber that performs the same function as the buffer chamber 75. That is, for the light source chamber 30, exhaust is uniformly and efficiently discharged from different positions on the left and right using the buffer chamber 75 and the longitudinal exhaust path 66; for the processing chamber 70, exhaust is uniformly and efficiently discharged from different positions on the left and right using the longitudinal exhaust path 66. Thus, when the buffer chamber 75 is provided at the front of the longitudinal exhaust path 66 on the rear side of the flow path as a buffer chamber in two sections, space saving of the device is achieved by placing the buffer chamber 75 in front of the longitudinal exhaust path 66 so that the buffer chamber 75 overlaps with the transverse exhaust path 65 that connects them.

[0114] [Third Implementation]

[0115] Next, focusing on the differences from the substrate processing apparatus 1B of the second embodiment, referencing the schematic diagram... Figure 15 The substrate processing apparatus 1C according to the third embodiment will be described. In this substrate processing apparatus 1C, the light source chamber side exhaust pipe 37 is not provided; the light source chamber 30 is vented via the exhaust pipe 36 and the pipe 69. The exhaust pipe 36 is connected to the downstream end of the gas supply pipe 91. Furthermore, a valve V4 and a mass flow controller (MFC) 92 are sequentially installed on the upstream side of the gas supply pipe 91, and the upstream end of the gas supply pipe 91 is connected to an atmospheric supply source 93. The MFC 92 is a flow rate adjustment unit that allows the atmospheric air supplied from the supply source 93 to flow downstream of the gas supply pipe 91 at a preset flow rate.

[0116] Then, when valve V1, which was opened due to an abnormality and termination of wafer W processing, closes to stop the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30, valve V4 is opened simultaneously with closing valve V1. As a result, instead of supplying inactive gas to the pipe 69 via the light source chamber 30, atmospheric air is supplied to the pipe 69 via the gas supply pipe 91. This suppresses changes in the flow rate of the gas supplied to the pipe 69 and suppresses pressure changes within the pipe 69. Therefore, changes in the flow rate and pressure of the gas in the light source chamber 30 and processing chamber 70 of other substrate processing apparatus 1 that share the pipe 69 with the substrate processing apparatus 1C, where valve V1 is closed in this manner, are suppressed.

[0117] [Fourth Implementation]

[0118] Next, focusing on the differences from the substrate processing apparatus 1B of the second embodiment, referencing the schematic side view... Figure 16The substrate processing apparatus 1D according to the fourth embodiment will be described. Similar to the example shown so far, a common conduit 69 is shared among multiple substrate processing apparatuses 1D, for example, three. However, unlike the example shown so far, an opening 94 is provided near the location where the housing 11 of each substrate processing apparatus 1D is connected to the conduit 69. Specifically, for example, the opening 94 is provided in the conduit 69 on the side opposite to the location where the housing 11 is connected. Furthermore, a damper 95 is provided in the conduit 69 as an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the opening 94 respectively.

[0119] The damper 95 near the location where the housing 11 is connected acts as a damper corresponding to the substrate processing apparatus 1D including the housing 11, and operates in accordance with the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1D. Normally, each opening 94 is closed by the damper 95. Then, when an abnormality is detected in a substrate processing apparatus 1D and the processing of wafer W is terminated, causing the open valve V1 to close and stopping the supply of inactive gas to the light source chamber 30, the damper 95 corresponding to the substrate processing apparatus 1D is activated to open the opening 94 while closing the valve V1.

[0120] Therefore, near the location where a substrate processing apparatus 1D is connected within the conduit 69, atmospheric flow is introduced through the opening 94 instead of supplying inactive gas through the light source chamber 30. As a result, pressure changes within the conduit 69 are suppressed, thus suppressing flow rate and pressure changes in the gas within the light source chamber 30 and the processing chamber 70 in other substrate processing apparatus 1Ds that share the conduit 69 with the substrate processing apparatus 1D.

[0121] Furthermore, the positions of the opening 94 and the damper 95 are arbitrary, and it is not limited to one damper 95 corresponding to one substrate processing device 1D. For example, in the length direction of the pipe 69, the damper 95 and the opening 94 are provided between two substrate processing devices 1D. Therefore, in such cases... Figure 16 In the case where three substrate processing devices 1D share the pipe 69 as in the example, two dampers 95 and two openings 94 are provided, one on the left and one on the right. Furthermore, the damper 95 on the left can be driven by closing the valve V1 of the left and center substrate processing devices 1D, and the damper 95 on the right can be driven by closing the valve V1 of the right and center substrate processing devices 1D.

[0122] Alternatively, the conduit 69 may be connected to the housing 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 1D via a flow path forming member, and the longitudinal exhaust path 66 formed by the exhaust path forming section 6 of the substrate processing apparatus 1D and the flow path within the conduit 69 may be connected via the flow path provided on the flow path forming member. In such a case, a damper 95 may also be provided on the flow path forming member. Therefore, the damper 95 is not limited to being provided on the conduit 69.

[0123] [Other structures of the substrate holding section]

[0124] Reference Figure 17 Top view, Figure 18 The longitudinal sectional front view, focusing on the differences from the substrate processing apparatus 1, describes the substrate processing apparatus 1E, which is another variation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 18 yes Figure 17 A cross-sectional view from direction AA′. In this substrate processing apparatus 1E, a protrusion 26 is provided at the upper end of the side surface of the substrate holding portion 21, which is a ring member. The protrusion 26 is a plate-shaped member that protrudes horizontally from the entire circumference of the substrate holding portion 21 toward the outside of the substrate holding portion 21. Therefore, the protrusion 26 protrudes to the left and right from the entire left side surface and the entire right side surface of the substrate holding portion 21, respectively. The protrusion 26 is rectangular in shape when viewed from above, and the left and right edges of the protrusion 26 extend along the moving direction (i.e., the front-to-back direction) of the moving portion 20. A moving mechanism 25 is connected to the portion of the protrusion 26 that protrudes forward from the substrate holding portion 21, so as to move the substrate holding portion 21 forward and backward.

[0125] The left and right support portions 71 in the cavity forming member 73 that forms the processing space 70 also extend in the front-rear direction, respectively. When the wafer W is irradiated with light, as... Figure 17 , Figure 18 As shown, the protrusion 26 enters the processing space 70 together with the substrate holding part 21, and the left and right ends of the protrusion 26 are close to the left support part 71 and the right support part 71, respectively.

[0126] The protrusion 26, like the aforementioned wind direction limiting plate 53, serves to restrict the flow of inactive gases and prevent the resist film on the surface of the wafer W from being removed. Specifically, during wafer W processing, the substrate holding portion 21 moves back and forth, sometimes resulting in the substrate holding portion 21 and the wafer W not being located at the exhaust port 67. In this state, assuming the protrusion 26 and wind direction limiting plate 53 are not provided, as described in the explanation of wind direction limiting plate 53, the exhaust port 67 draws in the atmosphere from the upper region of the processing space 70, thus the inactive gases ejected from the gas ejection port 38 may be supplied upwards to the wafer W along with the O3 gas generated by light irradiation.

[0127] However, as already stated, by setting up wind direction limiting plate 53 (in Figure 17 , Figure 18 (The image is omitted). Suction in the area above the processing space 70 is suppressed. Furthermore, by configuring the protrusion 26 to approach the cavity forming member 73, suction is suppressed. Figure 19As indicated by the dashed arrow, the inactive gas ejected from the gas outlet 38 spreads from the left and right sides of the substrate holding section 21 toward the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, in this substrate processing apparatus 1E, as described above, the removal of the resist film is prevented.

[0128] [Structure of the irradiation section]

[0129] As the irradiation unit 3, it can also be configured such that one of the components constituting the window frame of the window 33 and the housing 31 is pressed relative to the other by a leaf spring acting as an elastic member, thereby sealing the light source chamber 30 (forming a closed space). Figure 19 In the specific structural example shown, on the upper surface of the side wall of the housing 31 constituting the window frame, the inner peripheral side is formed to be lower than the outer peripheral side, thus forming a step portion 31A, and the peripheral portion of the window 33 is supported on the step portion 31A. An annular member 31B formed along the peripheral portion of the window 33 is stacked on the outer peripheral side of this side wall, and a leaf spring 31C between the annular member 31B and the window 33 is used to press the peripheral portion of the window 33 toward the downward step portion 31A to seal the light source chamber 30.

[0130] Leaf springs 31C are provided on each side of the square window 33 and extend along each side, thereby pressing on the straight area along each side of the window 33. By using such leaf springs, it is possible to suppress the application of excessive force to the window 33 that would cause it to break.

[0131] In this configuration where the light source chamber 30 is sealed using a leaf spring, it is assumed that the inactive gas supplied to the light source chamber 30 passes through the sealing surface of the window 33 (which is the contact surface of the window 33 pressed against the window frame by the leaf spring). ​ In the example, the window 33 (the contact surface with the step portion 31A) leaks slightly into the processing chamber 70 outside the housing 31. However, even if such leakage occurs, by adjusting the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied from the gas outlet 38 to the processing chamber 70, it is possible to maintain an environment with the appropriate oxygen concentration for processing the wafer W in the processing chamber 70.

[0132] Furthermore, the pressure (set as internal pressure value) of the light source chamber 30 is detected by the pressure sensor 15 of the light source chamber 30 according to the change in the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the light source chamber 30. Also, the amount of inactive gas flowing out of the processing chamber 70 through the sealing surface of the window 33 (set as the leakage amount of inactive gas) varies according to this internal pressure value.

[0133] Therefore, relevant data regarding the internal pressure value and the appropriate flow rate of the inert gas supplied from the gas outlet 38 to the processing chamber 70 are obtained in advance. Furthermore, a flow adjustment mechanism, such as a mass flow controller, is provided, for example, in the gas supply pipe 39 used to supply the inert gas to the gas outlet 38. The operation of this flow adjustment mechanism is controlled by a control signal from the control device 100, and the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 can be changed according to the control signal.

[0134] The control device 100 monitors the internal pressure value and controls the operation of the flow adjustment mechanism based on this internal pressure value and the aforementioned related data, so that the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 corresponds to the internal pressure value. That is, the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 is automatically adjusted in accordance with the leakage state from the light source chamber 30 via the sealing surface. By adjusting the flow rate in this way, the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 70 can be stabilized.

[0135] For example, the following data can be obtained: when the leakage of gas from the light source chamber 30 is at its maximum, the appropriate range of the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 is 5 L / min to 25 L / min; when the leakage of gas from the light source chamber 30 is at its minimum, the appropriate range of the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the processing chamber 70 is 10 L / min to 30 L / min. In this case, for example, the range of 10 L / min to 25 L / min can be used as a reference range for the flow rate of the inactive gas supplied to the processing chamber 70. That is, when the obtained internal pressure value is relatively large or relatively small within the allowable range, the above-mentioned relevant data can be set in a way that is a supply flow rate deviating from the reference range.

[0136] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the substrate to be processed is not limited to a wafer; for example, it can be a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display or a mask substrate for manufacturing an exposure mask. Therefore, square substrates can also be processed. It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects. The above embodiments can also be omitted, substituted, modified, and combined in various ways without departing from the appended claims and their spirit.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein, The substrate processing apparatus includes: A substrate holding section holds the substrate in a processing chamber; The light irradiation unit includes: a light source; a housing that houses the light source and forms a light source chamber separated from the processing chamber; and a window that forms part of the housing and allows light irradiated from the light source to pass through and supply the light to the back side of the substrate in the processing chamber for processing. A gas supply unit on the processing chamber side supplies inactive gas to the processing chamber; A processing chamber-side exhaust section, which discharges the inactive gas from the processing chamber; A gas supply unit on the light source chamber side, which supplies inactive gas to the light source chamber; and The exhaust section on the light source chamber side discharges the inactive gas from the light source chamber.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The exhaust section on the light source chamber side has multiple exhaust paths that separate from the left and right sides of the light source chamber.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The substrate processing apparatus is equipped with: A bypass path is provided, which prevents the inactive gas supplied from the inactive gas supply source from flowing through the gas supply section on the processing chamber side, but instead supplies it to an exhaust path formed independently of the exhaust section on the processing chamber side and the exhaust section on the light source chamber side; and The switching unit switches the destination of the inactive gas supplied from the inactive gas supply source between the processing chamber-side gas supply unit and the bypass flow path.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The processing chamber-side exhaust section is equipped with a processing chamber-side exhaust pipe connected to an exhaust source. The light source chamber-side exhaust section is equipped with a light source chamber-side exhaust pipe connected to an exhaust source. The exhaust pipes on the processing chamber side and the exhaust pipes on the light source chamber side are set up independently.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The exhaust section on the light source chamber side has a buffer chamber on its downstream side connected to the exhaust section on the processing chamber side.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The exhaust section on the light source chamber side has multiple exhaust paths that separate from the left and right sides of the light irradiation section. The buffer chamber is a space defined by its left-right length being greater than its front-back length, relative to the surrounding area. Gas is introduced from the multiple exhaust paths to different positions on the left and right sides of the buffer chamber.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The gas supply unit on the processing chamber side has an outlet that is disposed on one side relative to the window and opens at an angle to the other side to eject the inactive gas. The exhaust section on the processing chamber side has an exhaust port disposed on the opposite side of the window to exhaust the inactive gas ejected from the nozzle and passing through the surface of the window. The substrate processing apparatus is provided with: A first limiting member, which gap-covers the nozzle, restricts the flow of the inactive gas; and The second limiting member covers the exhaust port with an open gap, thereby restricting the flow of the inactive gas.

8. A substrate processing method, wherein, The substrate processing method includes the following steps: The substrate is held in the processing chamber using a substrate holding section; Light is irradiated from a light irradiation section comprising a light source, a housing containing the light source and forming a light source chamber that is divided relative to the processing chamber, and a window forming part of the housing, and the light is transmitted through the window and supplied to the back side of the substrate for processing. Inactive gas is supplied to the processing chamber via a gas supply unit on the processing chamber side. The inactive gas is discharged from the processing chamber using the exhaust section on the processing chamber side. Inactive gas is supplied to the light source chamber via a gas supply unit on the light source chamber side; and The inactive gas is discharged from the light source chamber using the exhaust section on the light source chamber side.

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