Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

This invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium, which prevents film-forming liquid ejected from the substrate from leaking to the outside of a liquid receiving section without increasing the exhaust pressure. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding and rotating section for holding and rotating the substrate; a supply section for supplying film-forming liquid to the substrate; a liquid receiving section for receiving film-forming liquid ejected from the substrate due to rotation; and a control section for controlling the substrate processing. The liquid receiving section has an opening at its upper part through which the substrate passes and opens upwards. The interior of the liquid receiving section is vented. The substrate processing includes a supply process and a drying process. The substrate processing apparatus also includes an annular member that can move freely forward and backward relative to the upper surface of the liquid receiving section. The control section controls the annular member to be positioned on the upper surface of the liquid receiving section during the supply process, such that it blocks the periphery of the opening in the liquid receiving section, and to retract from the upper surface of the liquid receiving section during the drying process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] A coating apparatus that forms a coating film on a substrate is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. In this apparatus, while a processing atmosphere in which the substrate is placed is exhausted, an antireflection liquid diluted with a solvent is sprayed to a surface of the substrate that rotates around a vertical axis, and a coating film composed of the antireflection liquid is formed. Next, the exhaust of the processing atmosphere is stopped, the substrate is rotated around the vertical axis in a state in which a solvent atmosphere generated in the antireflection liquid flung from an outer edge portion of the substrate is formed at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate, and the antireflection liquid on the surface of the substrate is dried.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 6206316 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] The technology of the present disclosure does not prevent the leakage of the film formation processing liquid that becomes mist by colliding with the liquid receiving portion from the substrate flung by rotation to the outside of the liquid receiving portion without increasing the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the liquid receiving portion is exhausted.

[0008] SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

[0009] One technical solution of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding rotation portion that holds the substrate and rotates the substrate; a supply portion that supplies a film formation processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding rotation portion; a liquid receiving portion that receives the film formation processing liquid flung from the substrate due to the rotation of the holding rotation portion, the liquid receiving portion having a hole in an upper portion, the hole passing through the substrate held by the holding rotation portion and becoming an opening to a space above, the inside of the liquid receiving portion being exhausted, the substrate processing including a supply process of supplying the film formation processing liquid to the substrate and rotating the substrate, and a drying process of rotating the substrate after the supply process and drying the film formation processing liquid on the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus further including a circular ring member that is circular ring-shaped and is configured to be freely advanced and retracted with respect to an upper surface of the liquid receiving portion, the control portion controlling in such a manner that, at the supply process, the circular ring member is disposed on the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion in such a manner as to block a periphery of the hole of the liquid receiving portion, and, at the drying process, the circular ring member is retracted from the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent leakage of film formation treatment liquid, which collides with the liquid receiving portion after being flung out of the substrate due to self-rotation, to the outside of the liquid receiving portion in a mist state without increasing the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the liquid receiving portion is exhausted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view that schematically shows the structure of a resist film formation device as a substrate processing device of the present embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view that schematically shows the structure of a resist film formation device as a substrate processing device of the present embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 is a schematic partially enlarged sectional view that schematically shows the structure of a resist film formation device as a substrate processing device of the present embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of mist particles of film formation treatment liquid in a conventional substrate processing device.

[0016] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement of mist particles of film formation treatment liquid in a substrate processing device of the present embodiment.

[0017] Figure 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the exhaust pressure of an exhaust mechanism and the number of particles of mist film formation treatment liquid detected outside of a cup.

[0018] Figure 7 is a diagram showing another example of a circular ring member.

[0019] Figure 8 is a diagram showing another example of a circular ring member.

[0020] Figure 9 is a diagram showing another example of a circular ring member.

[0021] Figure 10 is a diagram showing another example of a circular ring member.

[0022] Figure 11 is a diagram showing another example of a cup.

[0023] Figure 12 is a diagram showing another example of a cup. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or the like, there is a process of forming a desired film such as a resist film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") by supplying a coating liquid or the like film forming treatment liquid to the substrate. In this process, a so-called spin coating in which the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate and the substrate is rotated to coat the coating liquid on the entire substrate by centrifugal force is widely used (see Patent Literature 1). In addition, as the film forming treatment liquid, in addition to the coating liquid, a pre-wetting liquid that is supplied to the substrate before the coating liquid is sometimes used.

[0025] A substrate processing apparatus used for the spin coating includes a holding rotation section that holds and rotates a substrate, a supply section that supplies a film forming treatment liquid to the substrate held by the holding rotation section, and a liquid receiving section that receives the film forming treatment liquid spun from the substrate due to the rotation of the holding rotation section. A hole that becomes an opening to a space above is provided to an upper portion of the liquid receiving section, and the substrate is placed and held to the holding rotation section through the hole that becomes the opening. In addition, the inside of the liquid receiving section is exhausted for the purpose of generating a desired air flow or the like on the surface of the substrate held by the holding rotation section.

[0026] In addition, the film forming treatment liquid spun from the substrate due to the rotation collides with the liquid receiving section to become mist, and sometimes the mist of the film forming treatment liquid leaks to the outside of the liquid receiving section through the hole that becomes the above-described opening. The mist of the film forming treatment liquid that leaks out adheres to the substrate outside the liquid receiving section to become a cause of a defect or the like, and thus it is necessary to prevent the above-described leakage. The above-described leakage can be prevented by increasing the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the liquid receiving section is exhausted, but if the exhaust pressure is increased, the operating cost increases.

[0027] Thus, the technology of the present disclosure prevents the leakage of the film forming treatment liquid that collides with the liquid receiving section to become mist from the substrate spun due to the rotation to the outside of the liquid receiving section without increasing the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the liquid receiving section is exhausted.

[0028] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described. Furthermore, in the present specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are attached to elements having substantially the same functional structure, and thus repeated description is omitted.

[0029] Figures 1-3 Each is a schematic longitudinal sectional view, a plan view, and a partially enlarged sectional view that schematically represent the structure of a resist film forming apparatus 1 as a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

[0030] The resist film forming apparatus 1 includes a rotary chuck 11 as a holding rotation section. The rotary chuck 11 holds a wafer W, specifically, by vacuum-sucking a back central portion of a circular wafer W of, for example, 300 mm in diameter, thereby holding the wafer W horizontally. The rotary chuck 11 is connected to a rotation mechanism 12 having an actuator such as a motor. The rotary chuck 11 is rotated about a vertical axis by the rotation mechanism 12, so that the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11 is also rotated similarly.

[0031] In addition, a cup 14 as a liquid receiving section is provided in a manner of surrounding the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11. The cup 14 can receive and recover a film forming liquid such as a coating liquid, a pre-wetting liquid, which is flung from the wafer W due to rotation of the rotary chuck 11.

[0032] A drain port 15 is provided at a bottom portion of the cup 14. In addition, an exhaust pipe 16 is provided at the bottom portion of the cup 14, and an exhaust mechanism 30 having an exhaust pump or the like is connected to the exhaust pipe 16. In the processing of the wafer W, the inside of the cup 14 is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 30 via the exhaust pipe 16. By the exhaust within the cup 14, the exhaust on the surface of the wafer W is performed from the periphery of the wafer W.

[0033] Further, the cup 14 has a hole 17 of a circular shape in plan view concentric with the rotary chuck 11 at an upper portion. The hole 17 becomes an opening of the cup 14 with respect to a space above. The wafer W is placed and held toward the rotary chuck 11 through the hole 17 which becomes the opening.

[0034] In addition, the cup 14 has a side wall 18 which is collided with by a processing liquid flung from the wafer W to a side direction due to rotation of the rotary chuck 11. The side wall 18 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall 18a extending in a vertical direction and an inclined wall 18b extending to an inner side upper portion from an upper end of the peripheral wall 18a to extend over the entire circumference. The inclined wall 18b is positioned at a side of the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11, and the processing liquid flung from the wafer W to the side direction collides with the inclined wall 18b.

[0035] Further, the cup 14 has a top wall 19 of a circular ring shape in plan view extending horizontally to the inner side over the entire circumference from the side wall 18 and forming the hole 17. In the example of the drawing, the top wall 19 is connected to the upper end of the inclined wall 18b. The top wall 19 can also be a shape extending to the inner side upper portion over the entire circumference from the side wall 18 at an angle closer to horizontal than the side wall 18.

[0036] In addition, a convex portion 20 extending vertically upward is provided at an inner peripheral end of the top wall 19 of the circular ring shape in plan view along the inner peripheral end over the entire circumference.

[0037] Inside the cup 14, around the rotating chuck 11, is a ring-shaped guide member 21 with beveled portions 21a and 21b on both the inside and outside. An angled cleaning nozzle 24 is provided at the top of the guide member 21. The angled cleaning nozzle 24 sprays resist solvent onto the periphery of the back side of the wafer W, cleaning the beveled portion of the wafer W. The angled cleaning nozzle 24 is connected to a solvent supply mechanism (not shown). This solvent supply mechanism includes a pump, valves, etc., to supply resist solvent to the angled cleaning nozzle 24.

[0038] Additionally, a lifting pin 31 is arranged around the rotary chuck 11. This lifting pin 31 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction using a lifting mechanism 32 with actuators such as cylinders, thereby supporting and raising / lowering the wafer W. Thus, the wafer W can be transferred between the rotary chuck 11 and the wafer transport mechanism (not shown).

[0039] Above the hole 17 of the cup 14, a fan filter unit (FFU) 31, serving as an airflow forming section, is provided. This fan filter unit 31 forms a downward airflow of clean air as clean gas and supplies this air into the cup 14 through the hole 17. The clean air supplied to the wafer W from inside the cup 14 is exhausted to the outside of the cup 14 by an exhaust mechanism 30.

[0040] Moreover, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the resist film forming apparatus 1 includes a resist supply nozzle 41 and a solvent supply nozzle 51 as a supply section for supplying film forming solution to the wafer W held by the rotating chuck 11.

[0041] The resist supply nozzle 41 sprays the resist, which serves as a coating liquid, downwards in a vertical direction, for example. This resist supply nozzle 41 is connected to the resist supply mechanism 42. The resist supply mechanism 42 includes a pump, valves, etc., and supplies the resist to the resist supply nozzle 41.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the resist supply nozzle 41 is supported at the top end of the arm 43, and the base end of the arm 43 is connected to the moving mechanism 44. The moving mechanism 44 is movable along the guide rail 45 in the direction of the reciprocating arrow in the figure using an actuator such as a motor. In addition, the resist supply nozzle 41 supported by the arm 43 is movable in the vertical direction. The resist supply nozzle 41 can be in standby mode in the standby section 46 located on the outside of the cup 14.

[0043] The solvent supply nozzle 51 sprays an organic solvent, which serves as a pre-wetting liquid, downwards in a vertical direction. This solvent supply nozzle 51 is connected to a solvent supply mechanism 52. The solvent supply mechanism 52 includes a pump, valves, etc., to supply organic solvent to the solvent supply nozzle 51.

[0044] The solvent supply nozzle 51 is supported at the tip end portion of the arm 53, and the base end side of the arm 53 is connected to a moving mechanism 54. The moving mechanism 54 is moved freely in the direction of the to-and-fro arrow in the drawing along a guide rail 55 by means of an actuator such as a motor. In addition, the solvent supply nozzle 51 supported by the arm 53 is moved freely in the vertical direction. The solvent supply nozzle 51 can be placed in standby in a standby portion 56 provided outside the cup 14.

[0045] In addition, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a circular ring member 60 in the shape of a circular ring in plan view is provided in the resist film forming apparatus 1.

[0046] In the conventional resist film forming apparatus without the circular ring member 60, if the exhaust pressure for exhausting the inside of the cup 14 is not increased, the film forming treatment liquid that has become mist by being flung from the wafer W by rotation and colliding with the inner peripheral surface of the inclined wall 18b of the cup 14 leaks to the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 17.

[0047] With regard to this leakage, the present inventors have conducted simulations repeatedly in depth, and as a result, the following aspects have been clarified. That is, it has been clarified that in the above-described conventional resist film forming apparatus, if the diameter of the hole 17 of the cup 14 is made smaller than the wafer W, for example, 240 mm, even if the above-described exhaust pressure is not increased, it is possible to prevent the mist-like film forming treatment liquid from leaking to the outside of the cup 14. However, in practice, it is not possible to make the diameter of the hole 17 of the cup 14 smaller than the wafer W. This is because it is not possible to place the wafer W from the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 17 and onto the rotary chuck 11 or the like.

[0048] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the circular ring member 60 is provided as described above.

[0049] The circular ring member 60 is formed with a hole 60a in the center thereof, the diameter of which is smaller than the hole 17 of the cup 14. In addition, the circular ring member 60 is connected to a lifting mechanism 62 as a retreat mechanism having an actuator such as a cylinder by means of a support member 61. By means of the lifting mechanism 62, the circular ring member 60 is freely liftable with respect to the upper surface of the cup 14, and specifically, is freely liftable between a first position indicated by a dotted line in Figure 1 and a second position indicated by a solid line in Figure 1 . The first position is a position in which the circular ring member 60 is disposed on the upper surface of the cup 14 in such a manner as to block the entire periphery of the hole 17 of the cup 14. The second position is a position above the first position, and is a position in which the wafer W does not interfere when the wafer W is transferred between the wafer transport mechanism (not shown) and the rotary chuck 11 by means of the lifting pin 31. Furthermore, in the present example, the circular ring member 60 is concentric with the hole 17 of the cup 14 and the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11 in both the first position and the second position.

[0050] AsFigure 3 As shown, when the film formation processing liquid in the mist form is generated, the annular member 60 is disposed on the upper surface 14a (specifically, the upper surface of the top wall 19) of the cup 14, that is, in the above-mentioned first position (lower position). When disposed in the first position as such, the annular member 60 blocks the periphery of the hole 17 of the cup 14, and becomes in a state of extending from the inner peripheral end of the top wall 19 forming the hole 17 to the inner peripheral side. That is, the position of the annular member 60 is disposed in the first position (lower position), and thus the opening of the cup 14 with respect to the upper space is reduced in diameter from the hole 17 of the cup 14 to the hole 60a of the annular member 60 having a smaller diameter than the hole 17. Thus, the cup 14 having a smaller diameter of the hole 17 can be simulatedly realized.

[0051] Further, when the wafer W is exchanged between the wafer conveying mechanism (not shown) and the rotary chuck 11 by means of the lift pin 31, the annular member 60 is disposed in the above-mentioned second position (upper position). Thus, the annular member 60 does not interfere with the wafer W when the above-mentioned wafer W is exchanged. Further, the annular member 60 is disposed in the second position (upper position) when the film formation processing liquid in the mist form is not generated.

[0052] Further, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the annular member 60 is disposed in the above-mentioned first position (lower position) when the film formation processing liquid in the mist form is generated. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the annular member 60 has a peripheral edge covering portion 100 and a connecting portion 110.

[0053] The peripheral edge covering portion 100 is formed in a circular plate shape, and is disposed in a horizontal manner. The outer diameter of the peripheral edge covering portion 100 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole 17 of the cup 14, and the inner diameter of the peripheral edge covering portion 100 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, for example, 140 mm to 260 mm. Further, the peripheral edge covering portion 100 is disposed in a manner that the rotary chuck 11 (the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11) and the hole 17 of the cup 14 become concentric in plan view. Thus, when the annular member 60 is disposed in the above-mentioned first position, the peripheral edge covering portion 100 blocks the periphery of the hole 17 of the cup 14 throughout the entire circumference, and becomes in a state of extending from the inner peripheral end of the top wall 19 forming the hole 17 to the inner peripheral side. Further, the lower surface of the peripheral edge covering portion 100 in this example becomes horizontal.

[0054] The connecting portion 110 connects the peripheral edge covering portion 100 and the support member 61. This connecting portion 110 is formed so as to extend in a manner that it reaches the entire circumference from the outer peripheral end of the peripheral edge covering portion 100 toward the outside in the plan view. Further, the connecting portion 110 has a shape that follows the portion of the inner periphery side of the upper portion of the cup 14 when the circular ring member 60 is set in the above-mentioned first position (specifically, a shape that follows the inner periphery side upper surface of the top wall 19 and the outer peripheral surface, upper surface, and inner peripheral surface of the protrusion 20). Specifically, for example, the connecting portion 110 has a curved surface 110a that is curved in correspondence with the shape of the portion of the inner periphery side of the upper portion of the cup 14, and a recess formed by the curved surface 110a is capable of accommodating the protrusion 20 of the cup 14. The connecting portion 110 is configured as described above, and thus, when the circular ring member 60 is set in the above-mentioned first position, the gap between the circular ring member 60 and the cup 14 is small.

[0055] Further, the resist film forming apparatus 1 is provided with a control portion U. The control portion U is, for example, a computer provided with a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a program storage portion (not shown). A program for controlling the processing of the wafer W in the resist film forming apparatus 1 is stored in the program storage portion. The stored program is programmed with commands (steps) in a manner that controls the operation of each portion of the resist film forming apparatus 1 by sending a control signal thereto. For example, the control portion U controls the change in the rotation speed of the spin chuck 11, that is, the rotation speed (rotation rate) of the wafer W, using the rotation mechanism 12, the movement of the resist liquid supply nozzle 41 and the solvent supply nozzle 51. Further, the control portion U also controls the supply and stop of the resist liquid from the resist supply mechanism 42 to the resist liquid supply nozzle 41, the supply and stop of the solvent from the solvent supply mechanism 52 to the solvent supply nozzle 51, the supply and stop of the solvent of the resist liquid from the solvent supply mechanism (not shown) to the bevel cleaning nozzle 24. Further, the control portion U also controls the raising and lowering of the circular ring member 60, the exhaust amount of the exhaust mechanism 30, and the like. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program can also be stored in a non-transitory storage medium that can be read by a computer, and loaded to the control portion U from the storage medium. Part or all of the program can also be implemented by a dedicated hardware (circuit board).

[0056] Next, one example of a resist film forming method using the resist film forming apparatus 1 will be described.

[0057] (Placement and adsorptive holding of the wafer W)

[0058] First, the wafer W is placed and adsorptively held on the spin chuck 11. Specifically, a wafer transport apparatus (not shown) that holds the wafer W is inserted into the inside of the resist film forming apparatus 1, and the wafer W is exchanged between the wafer transport apparatus and the spin chuck 11 by means of the raising pin 31, whereby the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 11. Then, the wafer W is adsorptively held on the spin chuck 11.

[0059] In this process, the circular ring member 60 is positioned at the above-mentioned second position (upward position). Further, the second position (upward position) is a position at which the wafer W and the wafer transport device do not interfere with the circular ring member 60 at the time of the handover of the wafer W, and is a position at which the circular ring member 60 does not interfere with the FFU 31. The second position (upward position) is, for example, a position at which the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11 is spaced apart by 40 mm to 70 mm.

[0060] (Premoistening)

[0061] Next, the wafer W is subjected to a premoistening process. Specifically, the solvent supply nozzle 51 is moved above the center portion of the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11, and the organic solvent is supplied from the solvent supply nozzle 51 to the wafer W. At the same time, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed of, for example, 2000 rpm or more. In this example, the rotation speed of the wafer W is set to 2000 rpm. Further, in this process, the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the cup 14 is exhausted is, for example, 21 Pa.

[0062] At the time of the premoistening process, the rotation speed of the wafer W is high as described above, and therefore the premoistening liquid that is flung from the wafer W collides with the cup 14, and mist-like premoistening liquid is generated. Therefore, in this process, the circular ring member 60 is positioned at the above-mentioned first position (lower position). Thus, the opening of the cup 14 with respect to the space above is reduced, and the mist-like premoistening liquid is prevented from leaking through the above-mentioned opening.

[0063] (Remoistening)

[0064] Next, the wafer W is subjected to a remoistening process. Specifically, the solvent supply nozzle 51 is moved above the center portion of the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11, and the organic solvent is supplied from the solvent supply nozzle 51 to the wafer W. At the same time, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed of, for example, 2000 rpm or more. In this example, the rotation speed of the wafer W is set to 2000 rpm. Further, in this process, the exhaust pressure at which the inside of the cup 14 is exhausted is, for example, 21 Pa.

[0065] At the time of the remoistening process, the rotation speed of the wafer W is high as described above, and therefore the remoistening liquid that is flung from the wafer W collides with the cup 14, and mist-like remoistening liquid is generated. Therefore, in this process, the circular ring member 60 is positioned at the above-mentioned first position (lower position) after the process of the premoistening process. Thus, the diameter of the opening of the cup 14 with respect to the space above is reduced, and the mist-like remoistening liquid is prevented from leaking through the above-mentioned opening.

[0066] (Drying)

[0067] Next, the wafer W is subjected to a process of drying the liquid film of the resist to form a resist film on the wafer W. Specifically, the resist supply nozzle 41 is retracted, and the wafer W is rotated at a relatively low speed, for example, 1500 rpm or less. Thus, the liquid film of the resist on the wafer is dried while the excess resist is spun off, and a resist film is formed. In this example, the rotation speed of the wafer W is set to 1500 rpm. Also, the exhaust pressure in the interior of the cup 14 in this process is, for example, 21 Pa. In other words, the exhaust pressure does not change in the pre-wetting process, the resist film forming process, and the drying process.

[0068] In the drying process, the rotation speed of the wafer W is relatively low as described above, and thus the resist spun off from the wafer W does not collide with the cup 14, and mist-like resist is not generated. Also, in the drying process, the air current formed on the surface of the wafer W by the exhaust of the air from the FFU 31 affects the shape of the resist film. Thus, if the annular member 60 is set to the first position (lower position) described above in the drying process, adverse effects such as the film thickness of the resist film being thicker on the peripheral side of the resist film only are caused. Therefore, in this process, the position of the annular member 60 is set to the second position (upper position) described above.

[0069] (Oblique angle cleaning)

[0070] Then, a cleaning process of the oblique angle portion of the wafer W is performed. Specifically, the resist solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the back surface of the wafer W by the oblique angle cleaning nozzle 24. At the same time, the wafer W is rotated. Thus, the unnecessary resist film on the peripheral side of the back surface and the oblique angle portion of the wafer W is removed.

[0071] (Transport)

[0072] Then, the wafer W is transported from the resist film forming apparatus 1 in a step opposite to the process of placing and adsorbing the wafer W.

[0073] As described above, in the present embodiment, the resist film forming apparatus 1 includes the annular member 60 which is annular and configured to be liftable with respect to the upper surface of the cup 14.

[0074] In the supply process of the wafer W in which the film forming treatment liquid is supplied to the wafer W and the wafer W is rotated in the resist film forming apparatus 1 (i.e., the pre-wetting process and the resist film forming process described above), it is necessary to diffuse the film forming treatment liquid to the entire upper surface of the wafer W, and the like, and thus the rotation speed of the wafer W is relatively high. Therefore, in the above supply process, the film forming treatment liquid spun off from the wafer W sometimes collides with the cup 14 and becomes mist.

[0075] In the case where the annular member 60 is not provided unlike the present embodiment, as described above, the film forming treatment liquid spun off from the wafer W collides with the cup 14 and becomes mist in the supply process of the wafer W in which the film forming treatment liquid is supplied to the wafer W and the wafer W is rotated. Figure 4As shown, the distance from the point where the film-forming liquid collides with the cup 14, i.e., the point where the misty film-forming liquid is generated, to the edge of the hole 17, which serves as an opening relative to the space above, in this case, is relatively short. Furthermore, the gap between the lower surface of the top wall 19 and the surface of the wafer W is relatively large; therefore, the flow rate of clean air from the FFU 31 passing through this gap tends to be relatively slow. Therefore, during the aforementioned supply process, if the exhaust pressure of the exhaust mechanism 30 is not increased, the mist particles M of the film-forming liquid will not be discharged along with the gas discharged from the inside of the cup 14, and may reach the edge of the opening (i.e., the edge of the hole 17). Consequently, sometimes the misty film-forming liquid leaks to the outside of the cup 14 through the opening, i.e., the hole 17.

[0076] In contrast, in this embodiment, a ring member 60 is provided, which is positioned in the first position (lower position) during the aforementioned supply process. That is, during the supply process, the ring member 60 is positioned on the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 to block the periphery of the hole 17. Therefore, during the supply process, the opening of the cup 14 relative to the upper space becomes a hole 60a formed by the ring member 60, which is smaller than the hole 17. As a result, as... Figure 5 As shown, the distance from the location where the mist of the film-forming liquid is generated to the edge of the opening of the cup 14 relative to the space above (i.e., the edge of the hole 60a) is relatively long. Furthermore, the gap between the lower surface of the annular member 60 (specifically, the lower surface of the peripheral cover 100) and the surface of the wafer W is small, thus the flow rate of clean air from the FFU 31 passing through this gap tends to be faster. Therefore, during the supply process, even without increasing the exhaust pressure of the exhaust mechanism 30, the mist particles M of the film-forming liquid will not reach the edge of the opening (i.e., the edge of the hole 60a) and will be discharged together with the gas discharged from the inside of the cup 14. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even without increasing the exhaust pressure of the exhaust mechanism 30 (i.e., the exhaust pressure for venting the inside of the cup 14), the mist-like film-forming liquid will not leak to the outside of the cup 14 during the supply process. Furthermore, if the exhaust pressure of the exhaust mechanism 30 during the supply process is increased, leakage of the mist-like film-forming liquid to the outside of the cup 14 during the supply process can be prevented more reliably. In other words, according to this embodiment, leakage of the mist-like film-forming liquid to the outside of the cup 14 during the above-described supply process can be effectively prevented.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during the drying process, the annular member 60 is positioned at the second position (upper position) described above, separating from the upper surface 14a of the cup 14. Therefore, the annular member 60 does not adversely affect the thickness distribution of the resist film on the wafer W.

[0078] Furthermore, when a circular plate member with a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the circular member 60 is used instead of the circular member 60, clean air from the FFU 31 cannot be introduced into the interior of the cup 14 during processes such as resist film formation. As a result, the thickness of the resist film becomes uneven in-plane. Therefore, the circular plate member described above is not used, and the circular member 60 is used instead.

[0079] The results obtained by the inventors from actual experiments regarding the annular component 60 are presented in... Figure 6 The diagram shows that, in the inventor's experiments, both the pre-wetting treatment and the resist film formation treatment described above were performed. Furthermore, the wafer W's rotation speed was set to 4000 rpm during both the pre-wetting treatment and the resist film formation treatment. Figure 6 In the chart, the horizontal axis represents the exhaust pressure of the exhaust mechanism 30, and the vertical axis represents the number of particles of the mist-like film-forming treatment liquid (both organic solvent and resist) detected outside the cup 14.

[0080] like Figure 6 As shown, even with the exhaust pressure increased to 60 Pa without the annular member 60, mist particles of the film-forming treatment liquid were still detected outside the cup 14. According to the experiments conducted by the present invention, a very high exhaust pressure of 65 Pa or higher is required to prevent the detection of mist particles of the film-forming treatment liquid outside the cup 14 without the annular member 60.

[0081] In contrast, if a ring member 60 with an inner diameter of 240 mm is provided, and the ring member 60 is placed in the first position (lower position) mentioned above during the pre-wetting treatment and the anti-corrosion film formation treatment, then even if the exhaust pressure is low, such as 15 Pa or 10 Pa, no mist particles of the film-forming treatment liquid are detected on the outside of the cup 14.

[0082] Furthermore, when the annular member 60 with an inner diameter of 260 mm is provided, even with a low exhaust pressure of 25 Pa to 30 Pa, no mist particles of the film-forming treatment liquid are detected outside the cup 14. Conversely, when the annular member 60 with an inner diameter of 280 mm is provided, a relatively high exhaust pressure of 35 Pa or higher is required to prevent the detection of mist particles of the film-forming treatment liquid outside the cup 14.

[0083] Therefore, the inner diameter of the ring member 60 is preferably 260 mm or less.

[0084] In addition, according to the experiments conducted by the present inventors, even in the case where the inner diameter of the annular member 60 is less than 240 mm, the film- forming treatment liquid in mist form was not detected outside the cup 14 even at a lower exhaust pressure, as in the case where the inner diameter was set to 240 mm. However, in the case where the annular member 60 having an inner diameter of less than 140 mm was provided, the film thickness distribution of the resist film formed on the wafer W after the drying process was deteriorated. This is considered to be because, at the time of the drying process, the clean air from the FFU 31 could not sufficiently enter the inside of the cup 14, and a desired air flow could not be formed on the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0085] Thus, the inner diameter of the annular member 60 is preferably 140 mm or more.

[0086] Further, as the material of the annular member 60, for example, a resin material is used. By setting the material of the annular member 60 to a resin material, the temperature drop of the annular member 60 due to the vaporization of the film-forming treatment liquid in mist form at the time of repeated processing can be suppressed compared to the case where a metal material is used, and the annular member 60 can be prevented from dewing.

[0087] In addition, in the present embodiment, the connecting portion 110 of the annular member 60 has a shape in which, when the annular member 60 is set to the above-described first position (lower position), the portion along the inner circumferential side of the upper portion of the cup 14 (specifically, the shape along the inner circumferential side upper surface of the top wall 19 and the outer circumferential surface, upper surface, and inner circumferential surface of the convex portion 20). Thus, when the annular member 60 is set to the above-described first position (lower position), the gap between the annular member 60 and the cup 14 is small. In this way, if the gap is small, the film-forming treatment liquid in mist form can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the cup 14 through the gap. When the annular member 60 is set to the above-described first position (lower position), it is preferable that the annular member 60 be in close contact with the cup 14 to more reliably prevent the leakage through the above-described gap. However, in this way, if it is in close contact, dusting can occur due to the friction with the cup 14 at the time of raising and lowering of the annular member 60.

[0088] Further, in the above example, the annular member 60 is advanced and retracted by being raised and lowered with respect to the above-described first position (lower position) (i.e., with respect to the upper surface of the cup 14). That is, in the above example, the advancing and retracting direction of the annular member 60 with respect to the above-described first position is the vertical direction. The advancing and retracting direction can also be the substantially horizontal direction. Further, as long as the advancing and retracting direction is not the vertical direction, and the position of the annular member 60 when it is retracted from the above-described first position is a position where the annular member 60 does not interfere with the clean gas from the FFU 31 to the cup 14, the inner diameter of the annular member 60 can be less than 140 mm.

[0089] Figures 7-9 Each is a view showing another example of the annular member.

[0090] In the above example, the lower surface of the annular member 60 (specifically, the lower surface 100a of the peripheral covering portion 100) is horizontal, that is, the surface opposite to the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11. The shape of the lower surface of the annular member 60 is not limited to this. For example, like the lower surface 201a of the peripheral covering portion 201 of the annular member 200, it can be an inclined surface inclined in a manner that gradually decreases from the outer peripheral side (in the example, the outer peripheral end) toward the inner peripheral end. Thus, when the annular member 200 is placed in the above-described first position (lower position), the gap between the annular member 200 and the wafer W is small. As a result, the flow rate of the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 is fast when the clean air flows in the above-described gap. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the fog-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 200 and leaking to the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 60a. Figure 7 Figure 7 In the above example, the lower surface of the annular member 60 (specifically, the lower surface 100a of the peripheral covering portion 100) is horizontal, that is, the surface opposite to the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11. The shape of the lower surface of the annular member 60 is not limited to this. For example, like the lower surface 201a of the peripheral covering portion 201 of the annular member 200, it can be an inclined surface inclined in a manner that gradually decreases from the outer peripheral side (in the example, the outer peripheral end) toward the inner peripheral end. Thus, when the annular member 200 is placed in the above-described first position (lower position), the gap between the annular member 200 and the wafer W is small. As a result, the flow rate of the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 is fast when the clean air flows in the above-described gap. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the fog-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 200 and leaking to the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 60a.

[0091] In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the annular member 210 can have a convex portion 212 formed on the inner peripheral side of the lower surface 211a of the peripheral covering portion 211 of the annular member 210, the convex portion 212 being formed in a circular ring shape concentric with the annular member 210 and protruding toward the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11. Thus, when the annular member 210 is placed in the above-described first position (lower position), the gap between the annular member 210 and the wafer W is small. As a result, the flow rate of the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 is fast when the clean air flows in the above-described gap. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the fog-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 210 and leaking to the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 60a. Figure 8 In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, the annular member 210 can have a convex portion 212 formed on the inner peripheral side of the lower surface 211a of the peripheral covering portion 211 of the annular member 210, the convex portion 212 being formed in a circular ring shape concentric with the annular member 210 and protruding toward the wafer W held by the rotary chuck 11. Thus, when the annular member 210 is placed in the above-described first position (lower position), the gap between the annular member 210 and the wafer W is small. As a result, the flow rate of the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 is fast when the clean air flows in the above-described gap. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the fog-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 210 and leaking to the outside of the cup 14 through the hole 60a.

[0092] Figure 9 ​​As shown, the inner end of the peripheral edge covering portion 221 of the annular member 220 can be formed to have a wall thickness that is greater than that of the convex portion 20 in the vertical direction, and the entire upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 can be formed as a horizontal flat surface. Also, the inner peripheral end of the upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 can be positioned inward of the outer peripheral end of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 11, and the outer peripheral end of the upper surface 222 can be positioned outward of the outer peripheral end of the hole 17 of the cup 14. Thus, the downward flow regulation at the inner end of the peripheral edge covering portion 221 is strong, and air in the vicinity thereof is easily drawn in, so the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 does not remain on the upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 and move in the outward peripheral direction, but is easily introduced into the interior of the cup 14. As a result, the amount of air among the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 that is introduced into the interior of the cup 14 is large. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the mist-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 220 and leaking outside the cup 14 via the hole 60a.

[0093] Figure 10 FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of an annular member.

[0094] Even when the annular member 60 is positioned at the above-described first position (lower position) and the peripheral edge of the hole 17 of the cup 14 is blocked by the peripheral edge covering portion 100, there is a case in which the mist-like film formation processing liquid leaks outside the cup 14 via the gap between the annular member 60 and the cup 14. In order to suppress this leakage, as shown in FIG. 5, the surface 60a of the annular member 60 that faces the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 and the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 can form a labyrinth structure R. In other words, the surface (hereinafter referred to as "facing surface") 60a of the annular member 60 that faces the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 and the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 can form a labyrinth structure R. The labyrinth structure R of the example of the drawing is composed of a plurality of (specifically, two) recesses that are recessed upward from the facing surface 60a of the annular member 60 and a plurality of (specifically, two) convex portions 300 that protrude upward from the upper surface 14a of the cup 14 so as to be respectively housed in the recesses. Figure 10 As shown, the inner end of the peripheral edge covering portion 221 of the annular member 220 can be formed to have a wall thickness that is greater than that of the convex portion 20 in the vertical direction, and the entire upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 can be formed as a horizontal flat surface. Also, the inner peripheral end of the upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 can be positioned inward of the outer peripheral end of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 11, and the outer peripheral end of the upper surface 222 can be positioned outward of the outer peripheral end of the hole 17 of the cup 14. Thus, the downward flow regulation at the inner end of the peripheral edge covering portion 221 is strong, and air in the vicinity thereof is easily drawn in, so the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 does not remain on the upper surface 222 of the annular member 220 and move in the outward peripheral direction, but is easily introduced into the interior of the cup 14. As a result, the amount of air among the clean air supplied from the FFU 31 that is introduced into the interior of the cup 14 is large. Thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the mist-like film formation processing liquid from reaching the hole 60a formed by the annular member 220 and leaking outside the cup 14 via the hole 60a.

[0095] Figure 11 FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of an annular member.

[0096] Figure 11The cup 400 has a seal portion 401. The seal portion 401 seals between the outer peripheral side of the annular member 240 and the upper surface 14a (specifically, the upper surface of the top wall 19) of the cup 400, and is formed in the above-mentioned upper surface 14a. The seal portion 401 has a groove 402 that receives the outer peripheral side lower end of the annular member 240 provided at the above-mentioned first position (lower position), and the groove 402 is filled with water 403. The groove 402 is formed to be concentric with the hole 17 of the cup 14 in plan view. By providing such a seal portion 401, it is possible to prevent the film formation treatment liquid in mist form from leaking to the outside of the cup 400 via the gap between the annular member 240 and the cup 400.

[0097] Figure 12 FIG. 6 is a view showing another example of a cup.

[0098] Figure 12 The cup 500 has a suction passage 501 as a suction portion. The suction passage 501 is used to suction gas from the gap between the annular member 240 and the cup 500. The suction passage 501 is formed in the wall that forms the cup 500, and specifically, is formed in the top wall 19 and the inclined wall 18b in a manner so as to span the top wall 19 and the inclined wall 18b. One end of the suction passage 501 is open to the space between the annular member 240 and the cup 500, and the other end of the suction passage 501 is connected to a gas suction mechanism (not shown) that has a gas suction pump.

[0099] Further, the cup 500 has a groove 502 that receives the outer peripheral side lower end of the annular member 240 provided at the above-mentioned first position (lower position). The groove 502 is formed to be concentric with the hole 17 of the cup 14 in plan view. The above-mentioned one end of the suction passage 501 is in communication with the groove 502, for example.

[0100] By providing such a suction passage 501, it is possible to prevent the film formation treatment liquid in mist form from leaking to the outside of the cup 500 via the gap between the annular member 240 and the cup 500.

[0101] Further, the suction portion for suctioning gas from the gap between the annular member and the cup can also be provided to the annular member.

[0102] It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The above-described embodiments can be omitted, substituted, changed, and the like in various modes without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the spirit thereof.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding rotation section that holds a substrate and rotates the substrate; a supply section that supplies a film formation processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding rotation section; a liquid receiving section that receives the film formation processing liquid thrown from the substrate due to rotation of the holding rotation section; and a control section that performs control relating to processing of the substrate, the liquid receiving section has a hole in an upper portion, the hole is passed through by the substrate held by the holding rotation section and becomes an opening to a space above, an inside of the liquid receiving section is exhausted, the substrate processing includes a supply processing of supplying the film formation processing liquid to the substrate and rotating the substrate, and a drying processing of rotating the substrate after the supply processing and drying the film formation processing liquid on the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a circular ring member that is circular ring-shaped and is configured to be freely advanced and retracted with respect to an upper surface of the liquid receiving section, the control section controls in such a manner that, at the time of the supply processing, the circular ring member is disposed on the upper surface of the liquid receiving section in a manner of blocking a periphery of the hole of the liquid receiving section, and at the time of the drying processing, the circular ring member is retracted from the upper surface of the liquid receiving section, and a surface of the circular ring member that opposes the substrate held by the holding rotation section is an inclined surface that is inclined in a manner of gradually decreasing from an outer peripheral side toward an inner peripheral end.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving section has a top wall that forms the hole, and the circular ring member is disposed in a state of extending from an inner peripheral end of the top wall toward an inner peripheral side when disposed on the upper surface of the liquid receiving section.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid receiving section has a side wall that is collided by the processing liquid thrown from the substrate toward a side, and the top wall extends from the side wall at an angle closer to horizontal than the side wall.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the circular ring member is formed flat, an inner peripheral end of the upper surface is located at a position closer to an inner side than an outer peripheral end of the substrate held by the holding rotation section, and an outer peripheral end of the upper surface is located at a position closer to an outer side than an outer peripheral end of the hole of the liquid receiving section.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gas flow forming section that forms a descending gas flow of a cleaning gas.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an inner diameter of the circular ring member is 140 mm or more and 260 mm or less.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a labyrinth structure is formed by an upper surface of the liquid receiving section and a surface of the circular ring member that opposes the upper surface when disposed on the upper surface.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving section has a sealing section that seals between an outer peripheral side of the circular ring member and the liquid receiving section.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The substrate processing apparatus has a suction portion that suctions gas of a gap between the annular member and the liquid receiving portion.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The rotation speed of the substrate at the time of the drying process is lower than the rotation speed of the substrate at the time of the supply process.

11. A substrate processing method of processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus, wherein The substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding rotation portion that holds and rotates the substrate; a supply portion that supplies a film formation treatment liquid to the substrate held by the holding rotation portion; and a liquid receiving portion that receives the film formation treatment liquid flung from the substrate due to the rotation of the holding rotation portion, The liquid receiving portion has a hole in an upper portion, the hole passing through the substrate held by the holding rotation portion and becoming an opening to a space above, The substrate processing apparatus further includes an annular member that is annular and is configured to be freely advanced and retracted with respect to an upper surface of the liquid receiving portion, The substrate processing method includes: with the annular member disposed on the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion in a manner of blocking a periphery of the hole, supplying the film formation treatment liquid to the substrate and rotating the substrate while exhausting the inside of the liquid receiving portion; and after that, with the annular member retracted from the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion, rotating the substrate and drying the film formation treatment liquid on the substrate while exhausting the inside of the liquid receiving portion, wherein a surface of the annular member that opposes the substrate held by the holding rotation portion is an inclined surface that is inclined in a manner of gradually decreasing from an outer circumferential side toward an inner circumferential end.

12. A storage medium that is a computer-readable storage medium, wherein The storage medium stores a program that causes a control portion to operate on a computer, the control portion controlling the substrate processing apparatus in such a manner that the substrate processing method of claim 11 is executed by the substrate processing apparatus.

Images