Substrate water vapor treatment method and substrate water vapor treatment system

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate water vapor treatment method and a substrate water vapor treatment system capable of more stably performing substrate treatment using water vapor. The substrate water vapor treatment method performs treatment using water vapor on a substrate in a treatment container. A supply section including at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer and a discharge section including at least a gas-liquid separation section are connected to the treatment container. The substrate water vapor treatment method includes: a storage step of storing liquid water in a water storage tank; a gas removal step of removing gas from a transfer passage; a water vapor generation step of generating water vapor in a vaporizer; and a water vapor treatment step of performing treatment using water vapor on a substrate. The substrate water vapor treatment method includes: an exhaust separation step of separating exhaust discharged from the treatment container into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid; and an exhaust and exhaust liquid discharge step of separately discharging the exhaust gas and the exhaust liquid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a substrate water vapor treatment method and a substrate water vapor treatment system. Background Art

[0002] In the substrate processed by the chlorine-containing processing gas, chlorine remains. Therefore, in the substrate processing step, after the substrate is processed by the processing gas, the substrate is exposed to water vapor to perform water vapor treatment to remove chlorine from the substrate.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for supplying water vapor (substrate water vapor treatment method) in which water vapor is supplied into a load lock chamber to remove chlorine from a substrate accommodated in the load lock chamber.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-86253 Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0008] The present invention provides a technology capable of more stably performing substrate processing using water vapor.

[0009] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate water vapor treatment method is provided, wherein a substrate that has been treated with a treatment gas in a substrate processing device is treated with water vapor in a processing container, wherein the processing container is connected to a supply portion that includes at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer and a discharge portion that includes at least a gas-liquid separation portion, and the substrate water vapor treatment method comprises: step (a) feeding the substrate into the processing container; step (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank, storing the liquid water in the water storage tank; and step (c) transferring liquid water from the water storage tank to the vaporizer. (d) transferring the liquid water from the water storage tank to the vaporizer via the transfer passage to generate the water vapor in the vaporizer; (e) supplying the water vapor generated in the vaporizer to the processing container to subject the substrate to the processing using the water vapor; (f) separating the exhaust discharged from the processing container by the processing using the water vapor into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid by using the gas-liquid separation part; and (g) discharging the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage and discharging the exhaust liquid from the exhaust passage.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to one embodiment, substrate processing using water vapor can be performed more stably. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a substrate water vapor treatment system according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the supply section of the substrate water vapor treatment system.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the exhaust portion of the substrate water vapor treatment system.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a flow chart showing the processing flow of the substrate water vapor treatment method.

[0017] Figure 5 It is a timing chart showing the supply step of the substrate water vapor treatment method.

[0018] Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram showing the flow state of liquid water in the supply part in the supply step.

[0019] Figure 7 It is a timing chart showing the exhaust step of the substrate water vapor treatment method.

[0020] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow state of exhaust in the exhaust step of the substrate water vapor treatment method.

[0021] Description of Reference Numerals

[0022] 1. Substrate water vapor treatment system

[0023] 10 Processing device body

[0024] 11. Processing Container

[0025] 20 Supply Department

[0026] 22 Water storage tank

[0027] 23 Vaporizer

[0028] 27 Supply side water level detection unit

[0029] 31 Transfer channel

[0030] 40 Air extraction passage

[0031] 50 Discharge unit

[0032] 52 Heat exchanger

[0033] 53 Discharge side tank

[0034] 54 Displacement pump

[0035] 60 Discharge side liquid level detection unit

[0036] 64 Drainage passage

[0037] 67 Exhaust passage

[0038] 69 Dew point meter

[0039] 70 Control Department. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Hereinafter, the mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and overlapping descriptions may be omitted.

[0041] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a substrate water vapor treatment system 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the substrate G is processed in a factory to form a light-emitting element or the like, and a treatment using water vapor (hereinafter also referred to as water vapor treatment) is performed on the substrate G as a step in the formation of the light-emitting element or the like on the substrate G. For example, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 is combined in a post-step of a substrate processing device 2 using a treatment gas containing chlorine (Cl) in the substrate processing system 100, and is used to remove chlorine from the substrate G.

[0042] As an example of the substrate G to be subjected to the water vapor treatment, a glass substrate suitable for a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) can be cited. In this case, a thin film transistor is formed on the substrate G. Regarding the thin film transistor, a metal film of an insulator layer stacked on the substrate G is dry-etched using a treatment gas such as chlorine (Cl2), boron trichloride (BCl3), and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to form a predetermined electrode. Therefore, chlorine remains on the substrate G after the electrode is formed.

[0043] The substrate water vapor treatment system 1 includes a treatment device main body 10, which performs water vapor treatment on the substrate G as a post-treatment after electrode formation. The treatment device main body 10 exposes the substrate G to water vapor during the water vapor treatment, so that chlorine and chlorine compounds remaining on the substrate G react with the water vapor to generate hydrogen chloride (HCl). The generated hydrogen chloride leaves the substrate G. Thus, chlorine and chlorine compounds are removed from the substrate G, and the generation of aluminum hydroxide that causes corrosion can be suppressed.

[0044] In order to perform the above-mentioned water vapor treatment, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 includes, in addition to the treatment device body 10, a supply unit 20 for supplying water vapor to the treatment device body 10, a discharge unit 50 for discharging discharge from the treatment device body 10, and a control unit 70 for controlling the entire substrate water vapor treatment system 1. Hereinafter, each structure of the treatment device body 10, the supply unit 20, and the discharge unit 50 will be specifically described.

[0045] The processing device body 10 has a processing container 11 (processing chamber) for performing water vapor treatment on the substrate G. The processing container 11 has a loading table capable of loading the substrate G in the processing space, and has a delivery port capable of loading and unloading the substrate G between the outside of the processing container 11 and the processing space, and a gate for opening and closing the delivery port (both not shown). The substrate G is held by a conveying device (not shown) of the substrate processing system 100, and is delivered into the processing container 11 through the delivery port and loaded on the loading table. Moreover, after the water vapor treatment, the substrate G is held by the conveying device and delivered from the processing container 11 to another device of the substrate processing system 100 or to the outside of the substrate processing system 100. In addition, the processing container 11 may be a structure that accommodates a plurality of substrates G at a time and performs water vapor treatment on each substrate G together.

[0046] The processing apparatus body 10 preferably has a shower head (water vapor release portion, not shown) in the processing container 11, which can release water vapor over the entire surface of the substrate G. In addition, the mounting table may also have a temperature adjustment mechanism (not shown) that can adjust the temperature of the mounted substrate G to a temperature corresponding to the water vapor treatment.

[0047] In addition, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 includes: a supply passage 12 that connects the processing container 11 and the supply unit 20 and can supply water vapor from the supply unit 20 to the processing container 11; and an exhaust passage 14 that connects the processing container 11 and the exhaust unit 50 and can exhaust the exhaust from the processing container 11 to the exhaust unit 50. In a state where the processing space of the processing container 11 is adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere by the exhaust unit 50, the processing device body 10 performs water vapor treatment on the substrate G accommodated in the processing space based on the supply of water vapor from the supply unit 20, and exhausts the water vapor in the processing space and the product generated by the treatment, such as hydrogen chloride, to the exhaust unit 50. In addition, in addition to the structure for supplying and exhausting water vapor, an inert gas unit (not shown) that supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) can be connected to the processing container 11.

[0048] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram showing the supply unit 20 of the substrate water vapor treatment system 1. Figure 2As shown, the supply unit 20 generates water vapor from liquid water (hereinafter referred to as liquid water) and supplies the water vapor to the processing device body 10, forming an upstream part of the substrate water vapor processing system 1. The supply unit 20 is provided with a factory water supply source 21, a water storage tank 22 and a vaporizer 23 in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the flow direction of the liquid water.

[0049] The factory water supply source 21 supplies liquid water from the upstream side to the downstream side of the supply unit 20 in a factory in which the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 is installed. The factory water supply source 21 can apply various structures for generating liquid water with no impurities or pure water with few impurities. For example, the factory water supply source 21 is connected to an external supply source that supplies city tap water, and has an impurity removal unit such as a filter (not shown) and a pump for pressurizing the liquid water (not shown). The factory water supply source constructed in this way can stably send the liquid water with impurities removed from the city tap water from the upstream side to the downstream side of the supply unit 20 by means of a pump. In addition, in most cases, the liquid water sent from the factory water supply source 21 can contain gases such as air.

[0050] In the supply unit 20, the factory water supply source 21 and the water storage tank 22 are connected by a liquid water supply passage 24. The liquid water supply passage 24 is composed of a liquid water supply pipe 25 having a flow path through which liquid water can flow. In addition, a liquid water supply side valve 26 is provided in the liquid water supply passage 24 to open and close the flow path of the liquid water supply pipe 25 based on the control of the control unit 70. That is, the liquid water of the factory water supply source 21 is supplied to the water storage tank 22 when the liquid water supply side valve 26 is opened, and its supply is blocked when the liquid water supply side valve 26 is closed. In addition, usually, since liquid water is supplied from the factory water supply source 21 to the end of the pipe in the factory in a pressurized state, the liquid water flows out of the pipe naturally due to the pressure difference with the factory environment. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a pump for pressurizing the liquid water, and the liquid water can be supplied to the water storage tank 22 by natural outflow.

[0051] The water storage tank 22 has a storage space 22a formed with a predetermined volume, and has a function of temporarily storing liquid water in the supply unit 20. For example, the water storage tank 22 is formed as a bottomed cylindrical body extending long in the vertical direction, and its upper end is closed with a cover, thereby sealing the storage space 22a. The liquid water supply passage 24 is connected to the cover at the upper end of the water storage tank 22, for example.

[0052] The water storage tank 22 has a supply-side water level detection unit 27, which detects the water level of the liquid water stored in the storage space 22a and sends the detection result to the control unit 70. For example, the supply-side water level detection unit 27 has a supply judgment sensor 28 for judging the supply and stop of the liquid water and an upper and lower limit sensor 29 for detecting the system limit value of the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22. The supply judgment sensor 28 can detect the lower value (refer to Figure 2L in) and the upper value (refer to Figure 2 In the case where the control unit 70 detects that the water level has reached a lower value, the control unit 70 opens the liquid water supply side valve 26 to supply liquid water to the water storage tank 22. Conversely, when the control unit 70 detects that the water level has reached an upper value, the control unit 70 closes the liquid water supply side valve 26 to stop supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22. In addition, for example, when the upper and lower limit sensors 29 detect the upper limit value of the water storage (see Figure 2 HH) or water storage lower limit (refer to Figure 2 In the LL) case, the control unit 70 stops the operation of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 as an abnormality.

[0053] The supply unit 20 includes a pressure regulating unit 30, which supplies and discharges pressurized gas such as air to the water storage tank 22 and squeezes the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22. The pressure regulating unit 30 is connected to the control unit 70, and supplies and discharges pressurized gas to and from the water storage tank 22 under the control of the control unit 70.

[0054] In the supply unit 20, the water storage tank 22 and the vaporizer 23 are connected by a transfer passage 31. The transfer passage 31 includes a delivery pipe 32 extending between the storage space 22a and the outside of the water storage tank 22, and a transfer pipe 33 connected to the delivery pipe 32 and having a flow path inside which liquid water can flow. The delivery pipe 32 extends in the vertical direction in the storage space 22a through a cover at the upper end of the water storage tank 22, and its lower end is arranged near the bottom surface of the water storage tank 22 (below the lower limit side of the upper and lower limit sensor 29). The delivery pipe 32 allows liquid water to flow in from an opening provided at the lower end, and allows the liquid water to flow through the flow path in the delivery pipe 32 to the flow path of the transfer pipe 33.

[0055] The transfer pipe 33 includes, for example, an upper lateral extension portion 34 extending in the lateral direction (horizontal direction) from the upper end of the outlet pipe 32, a longitudinal extension portion 35 extending downward in the vertical direction from the upper lateral extension portion 34, and a lower lateral extension portion 36 extending in the lateral direction from the lower end of the longitudinal extension portion 35. The upper lateral extension portion 34 is located above the water storage tank 22, and an on-off valve 37 is provided in the middle of the upper lateral extension portion 34. The on-off valve 37 is opened when the water vapor treatment is normally performed, and is closed when the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 is maintained or abnormal, thereby blocking the transfer of liquid water to the vaporizer 23.

[0056] The longitudinal extension portion 35 has an upper end connected to the upper lateral extension portion 34 and a lower end connected to the lower lateral extension portion 36, and extends linearly to the side of the outer side of the water storage tank 22. The upper end of the longitudinal extension portion 35 is connected to the upper lateral extension portion 34 through a T-shaped connector 38 together with the piping of the air extraction passage 40 described later.

[0057] A vaporizer front-stage valve 39 is provided at a midway position of the lower lateral extension portion 36. The vaporizer front-stage valve 39 can open and close the flow path in the transfer pipe 33, and switches the supply and stop of liquid water to the vaporizer 23 under the control of the control unit 70.

[0058] Furthermore, the supply unit 20 of the present embodiment has an exhaust passage 40 (exhaust unit) for extracting the gas (air) in the flow path of the transfer passage 31. Specifically, the exhaust passage 40 is connected to the connection portion (T-type connector 38) between the lateral extension portion 34 and the longitudinal extension portion 35. The exhaust passage 40 includes: an exhaust pipe 41 having a flow path through which gas and liquid water can flow; and a waste tank 42 connected to the exhaust pipe 41.

[0059] The exhaust pipe 41 extends from the T-connector 38 to the upper side in the vertical direction by a predetermined length, and extends in the horizontal direction via a curved portion to be connected to the waste tank 42. In addition, an exhaust side valve 43 is provided at a midway position of the exhaust pipe 41 to open and close the flow path in the exhaust pipe 41 based on the control of the control unit 70. The exhaust side valve 43 is provided at, for example, a portion of the exhaust pipe 41 extending in the horizontal direction.

[0060] The waste tank 42 is formed as a concave container with an upper opening, and stores the liquid water flowing in through the exhaust passage 40 and releases air from the container. In addition, the supply unit 20 may not have the waste tank 42, and the exhaust passage 40 may extend to an appropriate drainage location provided in the factory (for example, the factory drainage unit 55 described later). Alternatively, the supply unit 20 may circulate the liquid water through the exhaust passage 40 to the factory water supply source 21 or the water storage tank 22. The exhaust unit is not limited to the exhaust passage 40, and for example, a ventilation structure may be provided in the transfer passage 31 that allows gas to pass but blocks the passage of liquid water.

[0061] On the other hand, the vaporizer 23 of the supply section 20 heats the liquid water supplied from the transfer passage 31 (lower lateral extension portion 36) to vaporize it into water vapor, and causes the water vapor to flow out to the supply passage 12. The vaporizer 23 can use a known structure. For example, the vaporizer 23 can adopt the following structure: an internal pump for sucking liquid water, a closed tank capable of storing the liquid water sucked by the internal pump, and a temperature regulating section capable of adjusting the temperature of the liquid water (all not shown). The liquid water is heated by the temperature regulating section. In addition, the vaporizer 23 controls the amount of liquid water introduced and the amount of heating by using the control section 70, thereby adjusting the supply amount of water vapor supplied to the processing container 11. In addition, it is also possible not to provide an internal pump, and to guide the liquid water into the vaporizer 23 by using the pressure difference between the evacuated processing container 11 and the transfer passage 31.

[0062] The supply passage 12 is composed of a supply pipe 13 having a flow path through which water vapor can flow, and is connected to, for example, the upper portion of the sealed tank of the vaporizer 23, and extends to the processing device body 10. Thus, water vapor generated in the sealed tank naturally flows into the supply passage 12. The water vapor flows through the supply passage 12 and flows into the processing container 11. The supply unit 20 of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 is basically configured as described above.

[0063] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram showing the exhaust unit 50 of the substrate water vapor treatment system 1. Figure 3 As shown, the discharge section 50 forms a downstream portion of the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 for discharging the exhaust including the water vapor used in the treatment apparatus main body 10. The exhaust of the treatment apparatus main body 10 contains, in addition to the water vapor, hydrogen chloride generated from the chlorine removed from the substrate G, or an inert gas. The discharge section 50 includes a dry pump 51, a heat exchanger 52, a discharge side tank 53, a drainage pump 54, a factory drainage section 55, and a factory exhaust section 56 in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the flow direction of the exhaust.

[0064] The discharge passage 14 connecting the processing device body 10 and the dry pump 51 is composed of a discharge pipe 15 having a flow path through which the discharge can flow. In addition, the discharge pipe 15 is provided with a discharge side valve 57 that opens and closes the flow path of the discharge pipe 15 based on the control of the control unit 70. That is, the discharge of the processing device body 10 is discharged to the discharge unit 50 when the discharge side valve 57 is opened, and the discharge to the discharge unit 50 is blocked when the discharge side valve 57 is closed.

[0065] The dry pump 51 is connected to the processing apparatus main body 10 via the discharge pipe 15, and thus has a function of sucking the processing space of the processing container 11 under the control of the control unit 70. Thus, the dry pump 51 forms a vacuum atmosphere in the processing space of the processing container 11 and causes the discharge to flow out from the processing apparatus main body 10 to the discharge unit 50. In addition, the dry pump 51 pressure-feeds the discharge flowing out of the processing apparatus main body 10 to the downstream side of the dry pump 51.

[0066] The discharge unit 50 connects the dry pump 51 and the heat exchanger 52 via a common discharge passage 58. The common discharge passage 58 is composed of a common discharge pipe 59 having a flow path inside which a discharge substance can flow.

[0067] The heat exchanger 52 functions as a gas-liquid separation unit that cools the exhaust flowing in from the common exhaust passage 58, thereby separating the exhaust into exhaust gas (gas) and exhaust liquid (liquid). The heat exchanger 52 can be applied to a known structure. For example, the heat exchanger 52 can adopt the following structure, which includes: a main body portion that performs heat exchange using a refrigerant and is arranged around the common exhaust pipe 59; a cooling unit that cools the refrigerant; and a circulation path that has a pump that circulates the refrigerant between the main body portion and the cooling unit (both are not shown). In addition, the heat exchanger 52 can adjust the temperature of the exhaust based on the control of the control unit 70. Alternatively, instead of setting the main body portion around the common exhaust pipe 59, a flow path through which the exhaust directly flows can be set in the main body portion, so that heat exchange can be performed efficiently. In addition, the gas-liquid separation unit is not limited to the heat exchanger 52, and various structures that separate the exhaust into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid can be applied.

[0068] The discharge side tank 53 is provided at the lower side of the heat exchanger 52 in the vertical direction, and is connected to a common discharge passage 58 passing through the heat exchanger 52. The discharge side tank 53 is formed as a bottomed cylindrical body extending long in the vertical direction similarly to the water storage tank 22, and has a cover at the upper end portion to seal the internal space 53a. For example, the common discharge pipe 59 is connected to the center position of the cover.

[0069] In the discharge side tank 53, the exhaust gas and the drain liquid separated by the heat exchanger 52 flow into the internal space 53a of the discharge side tank 53 from the cover (upper end) via the common discharge passage 58. The exhaust gas and the drain liquid are kept separated in the internal space 53a, the drain liquid accumulates on the bottom side, and the exhaust gas accumulates on the upper end side. A coating for suppressing corrosion caused by hydrogen chloride is formed on the inner surface of the discharge side tank 53. In addition, the discharge side tank 53 may also have various gas-liquid separation structures (labyrinth structure, etc.) for capturing water vapor coming out of the heat exchanger 52 at the portion connected to the common discharge piping 59.

[0070] The discharge side tank 53 has a discharge side liquid level detection unit 60, which detects the liquid level of the discharge liquid stored in the internal space 53a and sends the detection result to the control unit 70. For example, the discharge side liquid level detection unit 60 has a discharge determination sensor 61 for determining the discharge and discharge stop of the discharge liquid, and a water storage upper limit value (see Figure 3 The discharge upper limit sensor 62 is configured to detect the upper value (refer to Figure 3 H) and the lower value (refer to Figure 3 In the case where the water level becomes an upper value, the discharge unit 50 discharges the discharge liquid of the discharge side tank 53. On the contrary, when the water level becomes a lower value, the discharge unit 50 stops the discharge liquid of the discharge side tank 53.

[0071] The discharge section 50 connects the discharge side tank 53 and the plant drain section 55 via a discharge passage 64. The discharge passage 64 is connected to the vicinity of the bottom of the discharge side tank 53 and is composed of a discharge pipe 65 having a flow path inside which the liquid accumulated in the discharge side tank 53 can flow. In addition, the inner surface of the discharge pipe 65 is preferably coated with a coating that can suppress corrosion even when water containing hydrogen chloride flows.

[0072] The drainage passage 64 is provided with a drainage pump 54 that sucks drainage stored in the drainage tank 53 and delivers it to the plant drainage section 55. The drainage pump 54 is controlled by the control section 70 to operate, stop, and deliver the drainage.

[0073] The factory drainage section 55 is a place or device that can continue to store the drainage discharged from the discharge side tank 53. The factory drainage section 55 is set inside or outside the factory, for example, and can be applied with a drainage treatment device that can treat the liquid discharged (drained) from other equipment in the factory together, or a drainage pipe connected to the outside of the factory.

[0074] Furthermore, the discharge section 50 connects the discharge side tank 53 and the factory exhaust section 56 through an exhaust passage 67. The exhaust passage 67 is connected to the upper portion of the discharge side tank 53 and is composed of an exhaust pipe 68 having a flow path therein that can flow the gas accumulated in the discharge side tank 53. In addition, a dew point meter 69 for detecting the dew point temperature in the exhaust passage 67 is provided in the exhaust passage 67. The dew point meter 69 is connected to the control section 70, detects the dew point temperature of the moisture condensed in the exhaust passage 67, and transmits the detection result to the control section 70.

[0075] The factory exhaust section 56 is a place or device that can continue to store the gas exhausted from the exhaust side tank 53. The factory exhaust section 56 is installed inside or outside the factory, and can be an exhaust treatment device that can treat the gas exhausted from other equipment in the factory.

[0076] return Figure 1 The control unit 70 of the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 is a control computer, which includes one or more processors 71, a memory 72, an input / output interface and an electronic circuit (not shown). The one or more processors 71 are a structure formed by combining one or more of a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a circuit composed of multiple discrete semiconductors, etc., and execute and process the program stored in the memory 72. The memory 72 includes a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory (computer storage medium, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, and other storage media), and stores programs and schemes.

[0077] The control unit 70 is connected to the processing device body 10, each valve, vaporizer 23, dry pump 51, and liquid discharge pump 54 of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 via the input and output interface so as to be communicable. In addition, the control unit 70 is connected to the supply side water level detection unit 27 (see Figure 2 ), the discharge side liquid level detection unit 60 and the dew point meter 69 (refer to Figure 3 ) etc. can receive signals. Moreover, the control unit 70 is connected to an input / output device (touch panel, monitor, speaker, keyboard, mouse, etc.) not shown in the figure via an input / output interface. The control unit 70 outputs control instructions to each structure of the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 based on the scheme input by the user via the input / output device to perform water vapor treatment.

[0078] The substrate water vapor treatment system 1 of one embodiment is basically constructed as described above, and the following reference is made to Figure 4 Describe its operation and effects. Figure 4 It is a flow chart showing the processing flow of the substrate water vapor treatment method.

[0079] The substrate water vapor treatment system 1 performs water vapor treatment on the substrate G that has been dry-etched using a chlorine-containing treatment gas. In the substrate water vapor treatment method, the control unit 70 performs a feeding step of feeding the substrate G into the treatment container 11 of the treatment apparatus main body 10. In addition, the control unit 70 simultaneously performs a supply step, a treatment step, and a discharge step, so that water vapor flows in the order of the supply unit 20, the treatment container 11, and the discharge unit 50.

[0080] Specifically, the following step (a) is performed in the feeding step, the following steps (b) to (d) are performed in the supplying step, the following step (e) is performed in the processing step, and the following steps (f) and (g) are performed in the discharging step.

[0081] Step (a) The step of placing the substrate G into the processing container 11 and placing it opposite to the water vapor release portion [Step S11]

[0082] Step (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22, storing the liquid water in the water storage tank 22 [Step S12]

[0083] Step (c) A gas removal step of removing the gas (air) from the transfer passage 31 from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 [Step S13]

[0084] Step (d) a step of transferring liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 via the transfer passage 31 to generate water vapor in the vaporizer 23 [step S14]

[0085] Step (e) The water vapor generated in the vaporizer 23 is supplied to the processing container 11, and the substrate G is subjected to a water vapor treatment step using the water vapor [Step S15]

[0086] Step (f) Effluent separation step of separating the effluent discharged from the processing container 11 into exhaust gas and effluent using the heat exchanger 52 and the discharge side tank 53 [Step S16]

[0087] Step (g) Exhaust and liquid discharge step of discharging exhaust gas from the exhaust passage 67 and discharging liquid from the liquid discharge passage 64 [Step S17]

[0088] The feeding step (feeding configuration step) is a step performed before the treatment step (steam treatment step). Figure 4 As shown, the control unit 70 performs the feeding step before performing the supply step, and arranges the substrate treated by the chlorine-containing treatment gas in the substrate processing device 2 in the processing container 11. In addition, when there is a substrate G treated with water vapor in advance in the processing container 11, the control unit 70 sends out the treated substrate G and then sends in a new substrate G. Alternatively, in the substrate water vapor treatment method, the feeding step can be performed while the supply step (storage step, gas removal step) is being performed. As a result, the processing period as the entire processing can be shortened.

[0089] In addition, the supply step is related to the operation of the supply unit 20, the processing step is related to the operation of the processing device body 10, and the discharge step is related to the operation of the discharge unit 50. Therefore, the following description is divided into the operation of the supply unit 20, the operation of the processing device body 10, and the operation of the discharge unit 50.

[0090] Figure 5 It is a timing chart showing the supply step of the substrate water vapor treatment method. Figure 6 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow state of liquid water in the supply unit 20 in the supply step, (a) shows the storage step, (b) shows the gas removal step, and (c) shows the water vapor generation step. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the control unit 70 controls the opening and closing of each valve of the supply unit 20 to implement the storage step, the gas removal step, and the water vapor generation step.

[0091] Specifically, the control unit 70 opens the liquid water supply side valve 26 when the water level of the water storage tank 22 is detected to be at a lower value by the supply side water level detection unit 27 or when the water level has not reached an upper value at the start of the supply step. As a result, liquid water is supplied from the factory water supply source 21 to the water storage tank 22 via the liquid water supply side valve 26, and liquid water is stored in the storage space 22a (see Figure 6Even if air is mixed in the liquid water of the factory water supply source 21 or air exists in the liquid water supply passage 24, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can remove the air in the water storage tank 22 by temporarily storing the liquid water in the storage space 22a of the water storage tank 22.

[0092] Moreover, in Figure 5 At time ta, the supply-side water level detection unit 27 detects that the water level of the water storage tank 22 has reached the upper value. The control unit 70, which receives the detection signal of the supply-side water level detection unit 27, closes the liquid water supply-side valve 26 to stop supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22 (storage step). As a result, the storage space 22a of the water storage tank 22 can maintain a static water state in which the liquid water and the air are separated, and can store the amount of liquid water required for the water vapor treatment of the substrate G.

[0093] At time ta, the control unit 70 determines that the amount of liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22 is sufficient to transfer the liquid water to the vaporizer 23. However, in the substrate water vapor processing method of this embodiment, before the liquid water is injected from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23, a gas removal step for extracting the gas existing in the transfer path 31 is performed.

[0094] When the gas removal step is started, the control unit 70 closes the vaporizer front-stage side valve 39 of the transfer passage 31, opens the exhaust side valve 43, and then supplies pressurized gas from the pressure regulating unit 30 to the storage space 22a. Since the storage step is stopped and the liquid water supply side valve 26 is closed, when the pressurized gas is supplied from the pressure regulating unit 30, the internal pressure of the water storage tank 22 rises, and the liquid water accumulated in the storage space 22a is pressure-transferred from the outlet pipe 32 to the transfer pipe 33 (see Figure 6 (b)). The liquid water flowing into the outlet pipe 32 flows in the order of the outlet pipe 32 and the transfer pipe 33, but accumulates in the longitudinal extension portion 35 of the transfer pipe 33 (see Figure 2 At this time, the air present in the transfer passage 31 or the air mixed in the liquid water is extracted from the transfer passage 31 to the exhaust passage 40.

[0095] The air squeezed from the transfer passage 31 into the exhaust passage 40 is discharged to the waste tank 42 through the exhaust passage 40. Furthermore, the control unit 70 continues the gas removal step until the liquid water fills the transfer passage 31. For example, a flow meter (not shown) is provided at the connection portion between the exhaust passage 40 and the waste tank 42, and the control unit 70 ends the gas removal step based on the liquid water becoming a stable flow rate without gas mixing. Thus, the liquid water fills the transfer passage 31 and the exhaust passage 40, and the air is reliably removed from the transfer passage 31. In addition, the flow meter may be omitted, and the control unit 70 may remove the air from the transfer passage 31 by performing the gas removal step for a specified period of time.

[0096] exist Figure 5 At time tb, the control unit 70 shifts from the gas removal step to the water vapor generation step. The control unit 70 opens the vaporizer front-stage valve 39 of the transfer passage 31, closes the exhaust side valve 43, and then operates the vaporizer 23 (see Figure 6 (c)). When the vaporizer 23 starts to work, liquid water is introduced from the transfer passage 31 by the rotation of the internal pump or by using the pressure difference, and the introduced liquid water is vaporized (water vaporized). By performing the gas removal step in advance, no air is mixed in the liquid water transferred from the transfer passage 31. Therefore, the vaporizer 23 can stably generate water vapor without air, and send the generated water vapor to the treatment device body 10 through the supply passage 12.

[0097] The control unit 70 continuously performs the water vapor generation step in the supply unit 20 during the water vapor processing step of the treatment device body 10. At this time, the control unit 70 monitors the water level of the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22 using the supply side water level detection unit 27. When the water level becomes lower than the lower value ( Figure 5 At time tc), the water vapor generation step is stopped and the storage step is performed again. Furthermore, after the storage step, the gas removal step and the water vapor generation step are repeated, so that the supply unit 20 can stably generate water vapor.

[0098] In addition, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can also simultaneously implement the supply of liquid water to the water storage tank 22 (storage step), the removal of gas in the transfer passage 31 (gas removal step), and the transfer of liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 (water vapor generation step) in the supply step.

[0099] Furthermore, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 removes chlorine from the substrate G using water vapor supplied from the vaporizer 23 to the treatment container 11 via the supply passage 12 in the treatment step (water vapor treatment step) of the treatment device main body 10. At this time, in the treatment space of the treatment container 11, since air is removed from the liquid water in the gas removal step, water vapor with a constant supply amount per unit time and suppressed pressure fluctuations can be supplied. Therefore, the treatment device main body 10 supplies water vapor in a manner uniformly distributed on the treated surface of the substrate G, and uniformly removes chlorine from the substrate G. Thus, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can make the chlorine removal amount of each substrate G constant. In other words, the treatment device main body 10 can perform water vapor treatment stably (without treatment fluctuations).

[0100] Figure 7 It is a timing chart showing the exhaust step of the substrate water vapor treatment method. Figure 8 The diagrams are explanatory diagrams showing the flow state of exhaust in the exhaust step of the substrate water vapor treatment method, wherein (a) shows the exhaust separation step, and (b) shows the exhaust and liquid discharge step.

[0101] The control unit 70 performs the steam treatment step while Figure 7 and Figure 8 The embodiment shown is a discharge step for discharging the discharge of the treatment container 11 by the discharge unit 50. In the discharge step, the control unit 70 opens the discharge side valve 57 and drives the dry pump 51, thereby discharging the discharge mainly composed of gas used in the water vapor treatment from the treatment container 11 to the discharge unit 50 side. The discharge contains water vapor and hydrogen chloride, and flows out of the treatment device body 10 at a high temperature. The discharge moves from the dry pump 51 to the heat exchanger 52 via the common discharge passage 58.

[0102] In addition, the control unit 70 cools the exhaust gas moved to the heat exchanger 52 by driving the heat exchanger 52. The heat exchanger 52 lowers the temperature of the exhaust unit 50 to about room temperature (25°C), for example. As a result, the exhaust gas is separated into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid. The exhaust gas contains water vapor and some hydrogen chloride, while the exhaust liquid contains liquid water and more hydrogen chloride than the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas is mainly composed of water vapor, and the liquid water does not contain mist that becomes fine particles, so it can be treated as a dry gas. The exhaust unit 50 allows the separated exhaust gas and exhaust liquid to flow into the exhaust side tank 53 on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 52 (refer to Figure 8 (a)).

[0103] The exhaust gas is retained in the upper part of the exhaust side tank 53, and flows out to the exhaust passage 67 connected to the exhaust side tank 53. The exhaust gas flowing out to the exhaust passage 67 is discharged to the factory exhaust part 56 through the dew point meter 69. Since the exhaust gas is a gas containing a small amount of hydrogen chloride and no liquid, it flows to the factory exhaust part 56 without corroding the exhaust passage 67. That is, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 does not require a corrosion countermeasure for the exhaust passage 67, and the maintenance frequency of the exhaust passage 67 can be reduced.

[0104] On the other hand, the control unit 70 operates the discharge pump 54 based on the detection result of the discharge side liquid level detection unit 60 of the discharge side tank 53 to discharge the discharge liquid stored in the discharge side tank 53. Figure 7 At time td, when the liquid level of the discharge liquid stored in the discharge side tank 53 reaches the upper value, the control unit 70 starts to drive the discharge pump 54 to make the discharge liquid in the discharge side tank 53 flow into the discharge passage 64. In the discharge passage 64, the discharge liquid passes through the discharge pump 54 and is sent to the downstream side as it is, and is discharged to the factory discharge unit 55 (refer to Figure 8 (b)). As described above, the drain pipe 65 of the drain passage 64 is coated with a coating to prevent corrosion caused by hydrogen chloride. Therefore, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can smoothly discharge the drain containing hydrogen chloride to the factory drain unit 55.

[0105] In addition, Figure 7 At time te in the above, when the control unit 70 detects that the discharge liquid stored in the discharge side tank 53 reaches the lower value by the discharge side liquid level detection unit 60, the control unit 70 stops driving the discharge pump 54. At this time, the control unit 70 performs a residual operation to operate the discharge pump 54 for a predetermined period (for example, 30 seconds), and stops the discharge pump 54 after the residual operation. By performing the residual operation, the residual discharge liquid in the discharge pipe 65 is reduced, and the corrosion of the discharge passage 64 can be more reliably suppressed.

[0106] Furthermore, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 detects the dew point temperature of the exhaust gas condensation using the dew point meter 69 during the exhaust step. When the exhaust gas temperature reaches a predetermined dew point temperature value (see Figure 7 At time tf in the figure, the discharge side valve 57 is closed, and the driving of the dry pump 51 and the heat exchanger 52 is stopped, thereby limiting (prohibiting) the discharge of the exhaust from the treatment device body 10. As a result, since the inflow of the exhaust gas into the exhaust passage 67 is suppressed, it is possible to avoid condensation in the exhaust passage 67. In addition, since the heat exchanger 52 does not operate, the temperature of the structure downstream of the dry pump 51 rises, and the temperature of the exhaust gas can be made higher than the predetermined dew point temperature value.

[0107] The technical ideas and effects of the present invention described in the above embodiments are described below.

[0108] The first mode of the present invention is a substrate water vapor treatment method, which treats a substrate G treated with a treatment gas in a substrate processing device 2 by using water vapor inside a treatment container 11, and the treatment container 11 is connected to a supply unit 20 including at least a water storage tank 22 and a vaporizer 23 and a discharge unit 50 including at least a gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52). The method comprises: step (a) feeding the substrate G into the treatment container 11; step (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22, and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank 22; step (c) c) removing gas from the transfer passage 31 from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23; step (d) transferring liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 via the transfer passage 31 to generate water vapor in the vaporizer 23; step (e) supplying the water vapor generated in the vaporizer 23 to the processing container 11 to perform a treatment using the water vapor on the substrate G; step (f) separating the exhaust from the processing container 11 into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid using a gas-liquid separation unit; and step (g) discharging the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage 67 and discharging the exhaust liquid from the exhaust passage 64.

[0109] According to the above, the substrate water vapor treatment method can remove the gas in the transfer path 31 and transfer the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23, and can stabilize the supply amount of water vapor supplied from the vaporizer 23 to the processing container 11. In addition, the substrate water vapor treatment method uses the gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52) to separate the exhaust from the processing container 11 into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid and discharge them separately, thereby suppressing the corrosion of the exhaust path 67 and reducing the maintenance frequency. Therefore, the substrate water vapor treatment method can more stably perform the treatment of the substrate G using water vapor.

[0110] In addition, the substrate G to which the water vapor treatment is applied is a substrate that has been treated using a treatment gas containing chlorine. Therefore, the substrate water vapor treatment method can remove chlorine from the substrate G by the water vapor treatment.

[0111] In addition, the transfer passage 31 is connected to the exhaust passage 40, and in step (c), the gas in the transfer passage 31 is exhausted to the exhaust passage 40 to fill the transfer passage 31 with liquid water. In step (d) after step (c), liquid water is supplied from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23. Thus, the substrate water vapor treatment method can more reliably exhaust the gas existing in the transfer passage 31.

[0112] In addition, a dew point meter 69 is connected to the exhaust passage 67, and the dew point temperature of the exhaust passage 67 is monitored by the dew point meter 69. When it is detected that the dew point temperature has reached a predetermined dew point temperature value, the exhaust from the processing container 11 is stopped. Thus, the substrate water vapor processing method can suppress the exhaust gas from condensing in the exhaust passage 67 and turning into exhaust liquid. Therefore, the corrosion of the exhaust passage 67 can be suppressed more effectively, and for example, even a pipe without an anti-corrosion coating can be used for a longer period of time.

[0113] In addition, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 of the second embodiment of the present invention includes: a processing container 11 in which a substrate G is treated using water vapor; a supply unit 20 connected to the processing container 11 for supplying water vapor to the processing container 11; and a discharge unit 50 connected to the processing container 11 for discharging exhaust from the processing container 11, the supply unit 20 includes: a water storage tank 22 for storing liquid water; a vaporizer 23 for generating water vapor from liquid water; a transfer passage 31 connecting the water storage tank 22 and the vaporizer 23; and an exhaust unit (exhaust passage 40) connected to the transfer passage 31 for removing gas from the transfer passage 31, the discharge unit 50 includes: a gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52) for separating exhaust into exhaust and exhaust liquid; an exhaust passage 67 capable of discharging exhaust separated by the gas-liquid separation unit; and a exhaust liquid passage 64 respectively provided with the exhaust passage 67 and capable of discharging exhaust liquid separated by the gas-liquid separation unit. Thus, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can process the substrate G using water vapor more stably.

[0114] The exhaust passage 67 has a dew point meter 69 for monitoring the dew point temperature of the exhaust separated by the gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52). By using the dew point meter 69, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can prevent condensation caused by exhaust at an early stage.

[0115] In addition, the discharge unit 50 includes: a discharge side tank 53 connected to the discharge passage 64 and storing the discharge separated by the gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52); and a discharge pump 54 provided in the discharge passage 64 to discharge the discharge from the discharge side tank 53. When the water level of the discharge in the discharge side tank 53 reaches a predetermined discharge side upper value, the discharge pump 54 is operated. Thus, the substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can suppress power consumption and discharge the discharge in the discharge side tank 53 at an appropriate time.

[0116] In addition, after the water level of the discharge liquid in the discharge side tank 53 reaches a predetermined discharge side lower value, the discharge pump 54 is continuously operated for a predetermined period of time. Thus, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can effectively suppress the corrosion of the discharge passage 64 caused by the retention of the discharge liquid in the discharge passage 64.

[0117] The gas-liquid separation unit is a heat exchanger 52 that cools the exhaust discharged from the processing container 11. Thus, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can separate the exhaust gas and the exhaust liquid well by cooling the exhaust discharged as gas.

[0118] In addition, the water storage tank 22 has a supply-side water level detection unit 27 for detecting the water level of the liquid water. When the water level of the liquid water is lower than the supply-side lower value, water is started to be supplied to the water storage tank 22 based on the detection of the supply-side water level detection unit 27, and when the water level of the liquid water exceeds the supply-side upper value, water is stopped from being supplied to the water storage tank 22. Thus, the substrate water vaporization treatment system 1 can store the liquid water in the water storage tank 22 and transfer it from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 more stably.

[0119] The substrate water vapor treatment method and substrate water vapor treatment system 1 of the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative and non-restrictive in all aspects. The embodiments can be deformed and improved in various ways as long as they do not depart from the scope of the invention (the scope of the attached claims) and its purpose. The contents recorded in the above-mentioned multiple embodiments can also adopt other structures within the scope where there is no contradiction, and can be combined with each other within the scope where no contradiction occurs. For example, the substrate water vapor treatment method and substrate water vapor treatment system 1 are not limited to the water vapor treatment to remove chlorine from the substrate G, and water vapor can also be used to remove other substances attached to the substrate G. Alternatively, the substrate water vapor treatment method and substrate water vapor treatment system 1 can also use water vapor to promote chemical reactions or sterilization of substances.

Claims

1. A method for treating a substrate with water vapor, characterized in that: A substrate that has been processed by a processing gas in a substrate processing device is subjected to a chemical reaction using water vapor in a processing container. The processing container is connected to a supply unit including at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer and a discharge unit including at least a gas-liquid separation unit. The substrate water vapor treatment method comprises: Step (a) placing the substrate into the processing container; Step (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank, and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank; (c) removing gas from the transfer passage from the water storage tank to the vaporizer so as to stabilize the supply amount of water vapor supplied from the vaporizer to the processing container; Step (d) transferring the liquid water from the water storage tank to the vaporizer via the transfer passage, and generating the water vapor in the vaporizer; Step (e) supplying the water vapor generated in the vaporizer to the processing container to perform a chemical reaction of the water vapor on the substrate; Step (f) separating the effluent discharged from the treatment container through the chemical reaction using the water vapor into exhaust gas and effluent using the gas-liquid separation part; and The step (g) discharges the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage and discharges the drain liquid from the drain liquid passage.

2. The method for treating a substrate with water vapor according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate on which the treatment using the chemical reaction of the water vapor is performed is a substrate treated using the treatment gas containing chlorine.

3. The substrate water vapor treatment method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The transfer passage is connected to an exhaust passage. In the step (c), the gas in the transfer passage is discharged to the exhaust passage and the transfer passage is filled with the liquid water. In the step (d) after the step (c), the liquid water is supplied from the water storage tank to the vaporizer.

4. The substrate water vapor treatment method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A dew point meter is connected to the exhaust passage. The dew point temperature of the exhaust passage is monitored by the dew point meter, and when it is detected that the dew point temperature has reached a predetermined dew point temperature value, discharge of the exhaust from the processing container is stopped.

5. A substrate water vapor treatment system, characterized in that: include: A processing container in which a chemical reaction using water vapor is performed on the substrate; a supply unit connected to the processing container and supplying the water vapor to the processing container; and a discharge portion connected to the processing container for discharging a discharge from the processing container, The supply unit comprises: A water storage tank for storing liquid water; a vaporizer for generating water vapor from the liquid water; A transfer passage connecting the water storage tank and the vaporizer; and a gas extraction unit connected to the transfer passage and configured to remove gas from the transfer passage; The discharge unit comprises: A gas-liquid separation section for separating the exhaust into exhaust gas and exhaust liquid; an exhaust passage capable of exhausting the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separation portion; and A drain passage is provided separately from the exhaust passage and is capable of discharging the drain separated by the gas-liquid separation portion.

6. The substrate water vapor treatment system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The exhaust passage includes a dew point meter that monitors a dew point temperature of the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separation portion.

7. The substrate water vapor treatment system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The discharge unit comprises: a discharge-side tank connected to the discharge liquid passage and storing the discharge liquid separated by the gas-liquid separation part; and a discharge pump provided in the discharge passage and causing the discharge liquid to be discharged from the discharge-side tank, When the water level of the discharge liquid in the discharge-side tank reaches a predetermined discharge-side upper value, the discharge liquid pump is operated.

8. The substrate water vapor treatment system according to claim 7, characterized in that: After the water level of the discharge liquid in the discharge-side tank reaches a predetermined discharge-side lower value, the discharge liquid pump is continuously operated for a preset period of time.

9. The substrate water vapor treatment system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The gas-liquid separation unit is a heat exchanger that cools the exhaust discharged from the processing container.

10. The substrate water vapor treatment system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The water storage tank has a water level detection unit for detecting the water level of the liquid water. When the water level of the liquid water is lower than a supply side lower value based on the detection of the water level detection unit, water supply to the water storage tank starts, and when the water level of the liquid water exceeds a supply side upper value, water supply to the water storage tank stops.

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