Apparatus and method for processing a substrate

Abstract

A lamp house is located face to face with a substrate which is transferred by a conveyer means. A dielectric barrier discharge lamp is provided in the lamp house to irradiate the substrate with ultraviolet light, while a moistened inert gas, consisting of an inert gas and water vapor, is supplied to a space between the substrate and the dielectric barrier discharge lamp from a moistened inert gas generating means. Under irradiation of ultraviolet light from the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, water vapor in the moistened inert gas is split into a reducing active member [H.] and an oxidative active member [.OH].

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Art[0002] This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for treating surfaces of substrates such as of LCD panels, semiconductor wafers, magnetic storage disks and optical storage disks which are formed of glass, semiconductor, synthetic resin, ceramics, metals or a composite material of these materials, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for treating substrate surfaces by irradiation of ultraviolet light in a washing or etching stage of a fabrication process.[0003] 2. Prior Art[0004] For instance, a circuit pattern including transparent electrodes is formed on a TFT substrate which constitutes a transparent substrate of an LCD panel by the use of a film-forming means. In suc a substrate fabrication process, surfaces of substrates are processed by washing and etching treatments. In a processing of this sort, it has been the general practice to employ a wet process in which treating liquids are applied or injected on substrate surfaces. Ho...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for producing an oxidative active member and a reducing active member by irradiating substrate surfaces with ultraviolet light rays in a mixed atmosphere of an inert gas and, thereby ensuring reactions with decomposition products of organic substances to proceed efficiently in an assured manner.

[0018] According to a more specific form of the present invention, the method for treating substrate surfaces comprises the steps of: horizontally transferring a substrate into a mixed atmosphere of an inert gas and water vapor under irradiation of ultraviolet light from a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, thereby decomposing organic substances deposited on a surface of the substrate and at the same time splitting water vapor into a reducing active member [H.] and an oxidative active member [.OH]; dry-washing and minimizing contact angle of a surface of the substrate by subjecting the reducing and oxidative active members [H.] and [.OH] to reactions with decomposition products of the organic substances; wet-washing the substrate by supplying a wash liquid thereto; and drying the substrate.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, of various organic compounds which have deposited on substrate surfaces, the ultraviolet light may not be able to decompose those compounds which have chemical bonds of strong energy like double bonds.

However, since ultraviolet light is consumed for cracking oxygen in the air, an air layer between the discharge lamp and a substrate is increased in thickness to cause an exponential attenuation to the amount of ultraviolet light rays which can reach a substrate surface.

Consequently, there occur conspicuous degradations in the capacities of activating organic substances on substrate surfaces and producing active oxygen in the vicinity of substrate surfaces, that is, in the capacity of removing contaminant organic substances by ultraviolet light.

Therefore, depending upon the kinds of organic substances which have deposited on substrate surfaces, it is often found difficult to remove deposited organic contaminants from substrate surfaces simply by oxidative reactions.

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