Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

In a substrate processing technique in which an upper surface of a substrate is covered with a shielding plate for protection, and the upper surface of the substrate is heated while a processing liquid is supplied to a peripheral portion of the substrate to process the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion of the substrate is processed well. The invention has a gas supply portion that supplies gas to a gas discharge nozzle provided in the shielding plate, discharges the gas to a space sandwiched by the substrate and the shielding plate, and forms a gas flow from a central portion of the substrate toward a radial outside. The gas supply portion is controlled so that a flow rate of the gas to a discharge space from the peripheral portion of the substrate is greater than zero.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a substrate processing technique that supplies a processing liquid to the periphery of a substrate to process the substrate.

[0002] The following disclosures in the specification, drawings, and claims of the Japanese application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety:

[0003] Japan Special Appeal 2022-46651 (applied on March 23, 2022). Background Technology

[0004] A substrate processing apparatus is known that supplies processing liquid to a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, while rotating the substrate to perform chemical treatment, cleaning, or other similar processes. For example, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 5437168, processing liquid is supplied to the periphery of a substrate that is held in a rotating chuck within a processing chamber. In this apparatus, a shielding unit with a built-in heating element is used to effectively process the periphery of the substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] The prior art describes a technical concept whereby a counter plate (equivalent to the "shielding plate" of this invention) is used to cover the surface of the substrate, protecting the upper surface while heating it. However, in order to effectively treat the periphery of the substrate with the processing liquid, as will be described in detail later, there are several matters that should be discussed individually. These are not specifically disclosed or implied in Japanese Patent No. 5437168.

[0007] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to improve the treatment of the peripheral portion of the substrate in a substrate processing technique in which the upper surface of the substrate is protected by covering it with a shielding plate and the peripheral portion of the substrate is treated by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the substrate while heating the upper surface of the substrate.

[0008] Solution for solving the problem

[0009] The first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized by comprising: a substrate holding section configured to rotate about a vertically extending rotation axis while holding the substrate from below; a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding section; a processing mechanism for supplying processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate held in the substrate holding section to process the substrate; an upper surface protection heating mechanism for heating the upper surface of the substrate while protecting it by covering the upper surface of the substrate with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate held in the substrate holding section; a scattering prevention mechanism surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating substrate and discharging the processing liquid scattered from the substrate as the substrate holding section rotates through a discharge space; and a control unit for controlling the upper surface protection heating mechanism, the upper surface protection heating mechanism having a gas supply section that supplies gas to a gas discharge nozzle provided on the shielding plate, thereby discharging gas into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate, forming a gas flow from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward direction, and the control unit controlling the gas supply section to make the gas flow velocity from the periphery of the substrate to the discharge space greater than zero.

[0010] The second aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized by comprising: a substrate holding section configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending vertically while holding the substrate from below; a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding section; a processing mechanism for processing the substrate by supplying processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate held in the substrate holding section within a processing space at room temperature; an upper surface protection heating mechanism for protecting the upper surface of the substrate by covering it with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate held in the substrate holding section; and a control unit for controlling the upper surface protection heating mechanism, wherein the upper surface protection heating mechanism has a gas supply section that supplies gas to a gas discharge nozzle provided on the shielding plate and discharges gas into the space between the substrate and the shielding plate, forming a gas flow from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward side; and the control unit controls the upper surface protection heating mechanism to keep the temperature of the gas discharged from the gas discharge nozzle within a discharge temperature range of 65°C to 130°C.

[0011] The third aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized by comprising: a substrate holding section configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction while holding the substrate from below; a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding section; a processing mechanism having a processing liquid dispensing nozzle that dispenses processing liquid from a dispensing outlet, and causing the processing liquid dispensing from the dispensing outlet to be applied to the periphery of the substrate held in the substrate holding section for processing; an upper surface protection heating mechanism for protecting the upper surface of the substrate by covering it with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate held in the substrate holding section; and a control unit for controlling the processing mechanism, wherein the shielding plate has a slit portion that opens radially outward toward the shielding plate at the periphery of the processing mechanism, the processing mechanism has a nozzle moving section that moves the processing liquid dispensing nozzle within the slit portion, and the control unit controls the nozzle moving section to orient the dispensing outlet toward the changed application position when the application position of the processing liquid dispensing from the dispensing outlet is changed.

[0012] The fourth aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, characterized in that the following steps are performed in parallel: (a) while rotating the substrate about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, a processing liquid is supplied to the periphery of the substrate to process the substrate; (b) the upper surface of the substrate is protected by covering it with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate, and the upper surface of the substrate is heated; and (c) while surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating substrate, the processing liquid scattered from the substrate as the substrate rotates is captured and discharged through a discharge space. Step (b) includes the following steps: (b-1) by discharging gas from a gas discharge nozzle provided on the shielding plate into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate, a gas flow from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward side is formed in the space; and (b-2) the discharge flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas discharge nozzle is controlled in such a way that the flow rate of the gas from the periphery of the substrate to the discharge space is greater than zero.

[0013] The fifth aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, characterized in that the following steps are performed in parallel in a processing space at room temperature: (a) processing the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate while rotating the substrate about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction; and (b) protecting the upper surface of the substrate by covering it with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate, and heating the upper surface of the substrate. Step (b) includes the following steps: (b-1) forming a gas flow from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward side in the space by discharging gas from a gas discharge nozzle provided on the shielding plate into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate; and (b-3) adjusting the temperature of the gas discharged from the gas discharge nozzle in such a way that the temperature is within the discharge temperature range of 65°C to 130°C.

[0014] The sixth aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, characterized in that the following steps are performed in parallel: (a) while rotating the substrate about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, processing liquid discharged from the discharge port of the processing liquid discharge nozzle is supplied to the periphery of the substrate to process the substrate; and (b) in parallel with step (a), the upper surface of the substrate is covered with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate for protection, and the upper surface of the substrate is heated. Step (a) includes the following step: when the liquid contact position of the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port is changed, the processing liquid discharge nozzle is moved in a cut portion that opens radially outward toward the shielding plate in such a way that the discharge port is toward the changed liquid contact position.

[0015] The effects of the invention

[0016] According to the present invention, in a substrate processing technique that uses a shielding plate to cover the upper surface of the substrate for protection and supplies a processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate while heating the upper surface of the substrate to process the periphery, the periphery of the substrate can be processed well.

[0017] Not all of the structural elements in the various solutions of the present invention described above are necessary. To solve some or all of the aforementioned problems, or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, some of the structural elements may be appropriately modified, deleted, replaced with new structural elements, or have some limiting content deleted. Furthermore, to solve some or all of the aforementioned problems, or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, some or all of the technical features contained in one solution of the present invention may be combined with some or all of the technical features contained in other solutions of the present invention to form an independent solution of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the schematic structure of a substrate processing system equipped with the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention according to a first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A top view along line A-A.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a top view showing the structure of the power transmission unit.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Sectional view along line B-B.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram showing the disassembled and assembled structure of the rotating cup.

[0024] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the dimensional relationship between the base plate and the rotating cup portion held in the rotating chuck.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing a portion of the rotating cup and a portion of the fixed cup.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a perspective view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism.

[0027] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the upper surface protection heating mechanism.

[0028] Figure 11 This is a perspective view showing the treatment liquid discharge nozzle mounted on the upper surface of the treatment mechanism.

[0029] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the nozzle positions in both chamfering and pre-dispensing modes.

[0030] Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing the treatment liquid discharge nozzle mounted on the lower surface of the treatment mechanism and the nozzle support supporting the nozzle.

[0031] Figure 14 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the atmosphere separation mechanism.

[0032] Figure 15 It means by Figure 2 The flowchart shown illustrates a chamfering process performed by the substrate processing apparatus as an example of a substrate processing operation.

[0033] Figure 16A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the loading operation of the substrate in the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 16B This is a schematic diagram illustrating the centering operation of the substrate in the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 16C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the chamfering operation of the substrate in the first embodiment.

[0036] Figure 16D This is a schematic diagram illustrating the inspection operation of the substrate in the first embodiment.

[0037] Figure 17A This is a diagram illustrating a first variation of a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 17B This is a diagram illustrating a second variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 17C This is a diagram illustrating a third variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 18 This is a diagram illustrating a fourth variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 19 This is a diagram illustrating a fifth variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 20A This is a diagram illustrating a sixth variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 20B This is a diagram illustrating a seventh variation of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 21 It is a graph showing the airflow velocity at various positions radially on the substrate relative to the nitrogen emission flow rate.

[0045] Figure 22 This is a graph showing the radial airflow velocity of the substrate relative to the nitrogen emission flow rate at the periphery of the substrate.

[0046] Figure 23 It is a graph showing the surface temperature variation at various locations in the radial direction of the substrate relative to the temperature of the heating gas.

[0047] Figure 24 It is a graph showing the surface temperature change relative to the temperature of the heating gas at the center and edge of the substrate.

[0048] Figure 25 This is a structural diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 26 This is a diagram showing the structure of the rotating cup portion in the second embodiment.

[0050] Figure 27 It means by Figure 25 The flowchart shown is a process performed by the substrate processing apparatus as an example of substrate processing operation, specifically a chamfering process.

[0051] Figure 28A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the loading operation of the substrate according to the second embodiment.

[0052] Figure 28BThis is a schematic diagram illustrating the centering operation of the substrate in the second embodiment.

[0053] Figure 28C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the chamfering operation of the substrate in the second embodiment.

[0054] Figure 28D This is a schematic diagram illustrating the inspection operation of the substrate according to the second embodiment.

[0055] In the figure: 1—substrate processing device, 2—rotation mechanism, 3—scattering prevention mechanism, 4—upper surface protection heating mechanism, 5—processing mechanism, 21—rotating chuck (substrate holding part), 31—rotating cup part (cup part), 44—cutting part, 45—central nozzle (gas discharge nozzle), 46—piping, 48—belt heater (first heating part), 51F—upper surface nozzle (processing liquid discharge nozzle), 421—heater (second heating part), AX—rotation axis, W—substrate, Ws—peripheral part, X—radial direction, Z—vertical direction. Detailed Implementation

[0056] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the schematic structure of a substrate processing system equipped with the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention according to a first embodiment. This is not a view showing the external appearance of the substrate processing system 100, but a schematic diagram showing its internal structure by removing the outer wall panel and other parts of the substrate processing system 100. The substrate processing system 100 is a monolithic device installed in, for example, a cleanroom, for processing substrates W on a sheet-by-sheet basis where a circuit pattern (hereinafter referred to as a "pattern") is formed only on one main surface. Furthermore, the substrate processing method of the present invention is executed in the processing unit 1 equipped with the substrate processing system 100. In this specification, the pattern-forming surface (one main surface) on which the pattern is formed on one of the two main surfaces of the substrate is called the "surface," and the opposite main surface without a pattern is called the "back surface." Additionally, the surface facing downwards is called the "lower surface," and the surface facing upwards is called the "upper surface." Furthermore, in this specification, "pattern-forming surface" refers to a surface on the substrate where an embossed pattern has been formed in any area.

[0057] Here, as the "substrate" in this embodiment, various substrates can be used, such as semiconductor wafers, photomask glass substrates, liquid crystal display glass substrates, plasma display glass substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disc substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and optical disc substrates. Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers will be used as an example, and the description will be based on the accompanying drawings, but it can also be applied to the processing of the various substrates shown above.

[0058] like Figure 1As shown, the substrate processing system 100 includes a substrate processing unit 110 for processing substrates W and an indexing unit 120 coupled to the substrate processing unit 110. The indexing unit 120 has a container holding unit 121 capable of holding multiple containers C for accommodating substrates W (FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) wafer cassette, OC (Open Cassette), etc., which contain multiple substrates W in a sealed state). In addition, the indexing unit 120 includes an indexing robot 122, which accesses the containers C held in the container holding unit 121 to remove unprocessed substrates W from the containers C or to store processed substrates W in the containers C. Multiple substrates W are accommodated in each container C in a generally horizontal position.

[0059] The indexing robot 122 includes a base 122a fixed to a device housing, a multi-joint arm 122b rotatable about a vertical axis relative to the base 122a, and a manipulator 122c mounted on the front end of the multi-joint arm 122b. The manipulator 122c is configured to place and hold a substrate W on its upper surface. Such an indexing robot with a multi-joint arm and a substrate holding manipulator is known technology, therefore detailed description is omitted.

[0060] The substrate processing unit 110 includes a mounting stage 112 for the indexing robot 122 to place substrates W, a substrate transport robot 111 arranged approximately in the center when viewed from above, and a plurality of processing units 1 arranged to surround the substrate transport robot 111. Specifically, the plurality of processing units 1 are arranged facing the space in which the substrate transport robot 111 is arranged. For these processing units 1, the substrate transport robot 111 randomly accesses the mounting stage 112 and transfers substrates W between itself and the mounting stage 112. On the other hand, each processing unit 1 performs a predetermined process on the substrates W, which is equivalent to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, these processing units (substrate processing apparatus) 1 have the same function. Therefore, parallel processing of multiple substrates W is possible. Furthermore, if the substrate transport robot 111 can directly transfer substrates W from the indexing robot 122, the mounting stage 112 is not required.

[0061] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Additionally, Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A top view along line A-A. Figure 2 , Figure 3In the figures shown below, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and quantities of each part are sometimes exaggerated or simplified. The substrate processing apparatus (processing unit) 1 includes a rotation mechanism 2, a scattering prevention mechanism 3, an upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, a processing mechanism 5, an atmosphere separation mechanism 6, a lifting mechanism 7, a centering mechanism 8, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. These parts 2 to 9 are electrically connected to the control unit 10 of the control device as a whole, while being housed in the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. Moreover, each part 2 to 9 operates according to the instructions from the control unit 10.

[0062] As the control unit 10, for example, a device similar to a conventional computer can be used. That is, in the control unit 10, the CPU, as the main control unit, performs calculations according to the steps recorded in the program, thereby controlling each part of the board processing apparatus 1. Furthermore, the detailed structure and operation of the control unit 10 will be described in detail later. In addition, although a control unit 10 is provided for each board processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment, it is also possible to configure multiple board processing apparatus 1 to be controlled by one control unit. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure the board processing apparatus 1 to be controlled by a control unit (not shown) that controls the entire board processing system 100.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, a fan filter unit (FFU) 13 is installed on the ceiling wall 11a of the chamber 11. This fan filter unit 13 further purifies the air inside the cleaning chamber where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is located and supplies it to the processing space within the chamber 11. The fan filter unit 13 includes a fan for drawing in air from the cleaning chamber and delivering it to the chamber 11, and a filter (e.g., a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter), and supplies clean air through an opening 11b in the ceiling wall 11a. This creates a continuous flow of clean air within the processing space of the chamber 11. Furthermore, to evenly distribute the clean air supplied to the fan filter unit 13, a perforated plate 14 with multiple exhaust holes is provided directly below the ceiling wall 11a.

[0064] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, a baffle 15 is provided on the side of the chamber 11. A baffle opening and closing mechanism (not shown) is connected to the baffle 15, which opens and closes the baffle 15 according to the opening and closing command from the control unit 10. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, when an unprocessed substrate W is moved into the chamber 11, the baffle opening and closing mechanism opens the baffle 15, and the substrate transfer robot 111's robotic arm ( Figure 16AThe untreated substrate W (symbol RH) is placed face up into the rotary chuck (substrate holding part) 21 of the rotary mechanism 2. That is, the substrate W is placed on the rotary chuck 21 with its upper surface Wf facing upwards. Then, after the substrate is placed in, the baffle opening and closing mechanism closes the baffle 15 when the robotic arm of the substrate transport robot 111 retracts from the chamber 11. Then, chamfering of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is performed within the processing space of the chamber 11 (corresponding to the enclosed space SPs described in detail later). After the chamfering is completed, the baffle opening and closing mechanism reopens the baffle 15, and the robotic arm of the substrate transport robot 111 removes the processed substrate W from the rotary chuck 21. Thus, in this embodiment, the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 is maintained at room temperature. Furthermore, in this specification, "room temperature" refers to a temperature range of 5°C to 35°C.

[0065] The rotation mechanism 2 functions to rotate the substrate W while maintaining a roughly horizontal posture with its surface facing upwards, and to rotate a portion of the scattering prevention mechanism 3 synchronously with the substrate W in the same direction. The rotation mechanism 2 rotates the substrate W and the rotating cup portion 31 of the scattering prevention mechanism 3 about a vertical rotation axis AX passing through the center of the main surface. Furthermore, to clearly indicate components and parts that rotate integrally via the rotation mechanism 2, [details omitted]. Figure 2 Points were marked on the rotated parts.

[0066] The rotating mechanism 2 includes a circular plate-shaped component, namely a rotating chuck 21, smaller than the base plate W. The rotating chuck 21 is configured such that its upper surface is approximately horizontal, and its central axis is aligned with the rotation axis AX. A cylindrical rotating shaft portion 22 is connected to the lower surface of the rotating chuck 21. The rotating shaft portion 22 extends vertically with its axis aligned with the rotation axis AX. Furthermore, a rotating drive unit (e.g., a motor) 23 is connected to the rotating shaft portion 22. The rotating drive unit 23 drives the rotating shaft portion 22 to rotate around its axis according to a rotation command from the control unit 10. Thus, the rotating chuck 21 can rotate together with the rotating shaft portion 22 around the rotation axis AX. The rotating drive unit 23 and the rotating shaft portion 22 function to rotate the rotating chuck 21 around the rotation axis AX, and the lower end of the rotating shaft portion 22 and the rotating drive unit 23 are housed within a cylindrical housing 24.

[0067] A through hole (not shown) is provided in the center of the rotary chuck 21, which communicates with the internal space of the rotating shaft portion 22. A pump 26 is connected to the internal space via a pipe 25 that holds a valve (not shown). The pump 26 and the valve are electrically connected to the control unit 10 and operate according to the instructions of the control unit 10. Thus, positive and negative pressures are selectively applied to the rotary chuck 21. For example, when the substrate W is placed on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21 in a generally horizontal position, when the pump 26 applies negative pressure to the rotary chuck 21, the rotary chuck 21 holds the substrate W from below. On the other hand, when the pump 26 applies positive pressure to the rotary chuck 21, the substrate W can be removed from the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21. In addition, when the suction of the pump 26 is stopped, the substrate W can move horizontally on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21.

[0068] A nitrogen supply unit 29 is connected to the rotary chuck 21 via a pipe 28 located at the center of the rotary shaft portion 22. The nitrogen supply unit 29 supplies ambient temperature nitrogen from the facilities of the factory where the substrate processing system 100 is installed, at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the nitrogen supply command from the control unit 10, to the rotary chuck 21, causing the nitrogen to flow radially outward from the center on the lower surface Wb side of the substrate W. Furthermore, while nitrogen is used in this embodiment, other inert gases can also be used. The same applies to the heating gas emitted from the central nozzle, which will be described later. Additionally, "flow rate" refers to the amount of fluid, such as nitrogen, that moves per unit time.

[0069] The rotating mechanism 2 not only rotates the rotating chuck 21 and the base plate W together, but also has a power transmission unit 27 to rotate the rotating cup 31 in sync with the rotation. Figure 4 This is a top view showing the structure of the power transmission unit. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A cross-sectional view along line B-B. The power transmission unit 27 has an annular component 27a made of non-magnetic material or resin, a magnet 27b built into the annular component 27a, and a magnet 27c built into the lower cup 32, which is a structure of the rotating cup part 31. The annular component 27a is mounted on the rotating shaft part 22 and can rotate together with the rotating shaft part 22 about the rotating axis AX. More specifically, as Figure 5 As shown, the rotating shaft portion 22 has a radially outward protruding flange portion 22a located directly below the rotating chuck 21. Furthermore, the annular member 27a is arranged concentrically with respect to the flange portion 22a and is fixed by bolts or the like (not shown in the figure).

[0070] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, on the outer periphery of the annular component 27a, a plurality of magnets 27b (36 in this embodiment) are arranged radially about the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals (10° in this embodiment). In this embodiment, as... Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged view, one of the two adjacent magnets 27b is configured with the outer and inner sides being N poles and S poles, respectively, while the other is configured with the outer and inner sides being S poles and N poles, respectively.

[0071] Similar to these magnets 27b, a plurality of magnets 27c (36 in this embodiment) are arranged radially about the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals (10° in this embodiment). These magnets 27c are housed within the lower cup 32. The lower cup 32 is a component of the scattering prevention mechanism 3, which will be described below, and as... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, it has a circular shape. That is, the lower cup 32 has an inner circumferential surface that can face the outer circumferential surface of the ring member 27a. The inner diameter of this inner circumferential surface is larger than the outer diameter of the ring member 27a. Moreover, while the inner circumferential surface is separated from the outer circumferential surface of the ring member 27a by a predetermined interval (=(the aforementioned inner diameter - the aforementioned outer diameter) / 2), the lower cup 32, the rotating shaft portion 22, and the ring member 27a are arranged concentrically. A locking pin 35 and a connecting magnet 36 are provided on the upper surface of the outer circumferential edge of the lower cup 32, thereby connecting the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32. This connecting body functions as the rotating cup portion 31. This will be described in detail later.

[0072] The lower cup 32 is supported by a bearing (omitted from the drawing) so that it can rotate about the rotation axis AX while maintaining the above-described configuration. At the inner periphery of the lower cup 32, as... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of magnets 27c (36 in this embodiment) are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals (10° in this embodiment). Furthermore, the arrangement of two adjacent magnets 27c is the same as that of magnets 27b. That is, one magnet is configured with its outer and inner sides being N and S poles respectively, and the other magnet is configured with its outer and inner sides being S and N poles respectively.

[0073] In the power transmission section 27 configured in this way, when the annular member 27a rotates together with the rotating shaft section 22 via the rotation drive section 23, the lower cup 32 maintains the air gap GPa (the gap between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32) while rotating in the same direction as the annular member 27a through the magnetic force between the magnets 27b and 27c. Thus, the rotating cup section 31 rotates around the rotation axis AX. That is, the rotating cup section 31 and the substrate W rotate in the same direction and synchronously.

[0074] The scattering prevention mechanism 3 includes: a rotating cup portion 31 that surrounds the outer periphery of the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21 and is rotatable about the rotation axis AX; and a fixed cup portion 34 that is fixedly provided in a manner that surrounds the rotating cup portion 31. The rotating cup portion 31 is configured to surround the outer periphery of the rotating substrate W by connecting the upper cup 33 to the lower cup 32, and is rotatable about the rotation axis AX.

[0075] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram showing the disassembled and assembled structure of the rotating cup. Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the dimensional relationship between the base plate and the rotating cup portion held in the rotating chuck. Figure 8 This diagram shows a portion of the rotating cup section and the fixed cup section. The lower cup 32 has an annular shape. The outer diameter of the lower cup 32 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and when viewed from above vertically, it is configured to rotate freely about the rotation axis AX while protruding radially from the substrate W held by the rotating chuck 21. In this protruding area, that is, the peripheral portion 321 of the upper surface of the lower cup 32, locking pins 35 and flat lower magnets 36 are alternately mounted, which are erected vertically in the circumferential direction. There are a total of three locking pins 35 and a total of three lower magnets 36. These locking pins 35 and lower magnets 36 are arranged radially about the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals (60° in this embodiment).

[0076] On the other hand, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 As shown, the upper cup 33 has a lower ring portion 331, an upper ring portion 332, and an inclined portion 333 connecting them. The outer diameter D331 of the lower ring portion 331 is the same as the outer diameter D32 of the lower cup 32, and as shown... Figure 6 As shown, the lower ring portion 331 is located vertically above the periphery 321 of the lower cup 32. On the lower surface of the lower ring portion 331, in the area corresponding to the vertically above the engaging pin 35, a downwardly opening recess 335 is provided, capable of engaging with the front end of the engaging pin 35. Additionally, an upper magnet 37 is installed in the area corresponding to the vertically above the lower magnet 36. Therefore, in the case of… Figure 6 With the recess 335 and upper magnet 37 facing the locking pin 35 and lower magnet 36 respectively, the upper cup 33 can engage and disengage from the lower cup 32. Furthermore, the relationship between the recess and the locking pin can be reversed. In addition to the combination of lower magnet 36 and upper magnet 37, one component can be made of a magnet, and the other of a strongly magnetic material.

[0077] The upper cup 33 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction via the lifting mechanism 7. When the upper cup 33 moves upward via the lifting mechanism 7, a conveying space for loading and unloading the substrate W is formed between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 in the vertical direction. Figure 16A (The symbol SPt in the text). On the other hand, when the upper cup 33 is moved downward by the lifting mechanism 7, the recess 335 engages by covering the front end of the locking pin 35, and the upper cup 33 is positioned horizontally relative to the lower cup 32. Furthermore, the upper magnet 37 approaches the lower magnet 36, and through the attraction generated between them, the positioned upper cup 33 and lower cup 32 are joined together. Thus, as... Figure 3 Enlarged view of the part and Figure 8 As shown, with the gap GPc extending horizontally formed, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 are integrated in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the rotating cup portion 31 can rotate freely about the rotation axis AX while maintaining the state with the gap GPc formed.

[0078] like Figure 7 As shown, in the rotating cup portion 31, the outer diameter D332 of the upper annular portion 332 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter D331 of the lower annular portion 331. Furthermore, comparing the inner circumferential diameters d331 and d332 of the lower annular portion 331 and the upper annular portion 332, the lower annular portion 331 is larger than the upper annular portion 332. Viewed from a vertical position, the inner circumferential surface of the upper annular portion 332 is located inside the inner circumferential surface of the lower annular portion 331. Moreover, the inner circumferential surfaces of the upper annular portion 332 and the lower annular portion 331 extend across the entire circumference of the upper cup 33 and are connected by the inclined portion 333. Therefore, the inner circumferential surface of the inclined portion 333, that is, the surface surrounding the substrate W, is the inclined surface 334. That is, as... Figure 8 As shown, the inclined portion 333 can surround the outer periphery of the rotating substrate W and capture droplets flying off from the substrate W. The space surrounded by the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 functions as the capture space SPc.

[0079] Furthermore, the inclined portion 333 facing the trapping space SPc tilts upwards from the lower annular portion 331 toward the periphery of the substrate W. Therefore, as Figure 8 As shown, the droplets captured by the inclined portion 333 flow along the inclined surface 334 to the lower end of the upper cup 33, that is, the lower annular portion 331, and can be further discharged to the outside of the rotating cup portion 31 through the gap GPc.

[0080] The fixed cup portion 34 is arranged to surround the rotating cup portion 31, forming a discharge space SPe. The fixed cup portion 34 has a liquid receiving portion 341 and a venting portion 342 provided inside the liquid receiving portion 341. The liquid receiving portion 341 has an opening facing the gap GPc opposite to the substrate side. Figure 8The cup structure has an opening on the left side. That is, the internal space of the liquid receiving portion 341 functions as a discharge space SPe, and is connected to the collection space SPc via the gap GPc. Therefore, the droplets captured by the rotating cup portion 31, along with the gas components, are guided to the discharge space SPe via the gap GPc. Then, the droplets gather at the bottom of the liquid receiving portion 341 and are discharged from the fixed cup portion 34.

[0081] On the other hand, the gaseous components are collected in the exhaust section 342. This exhaust section 342 is separated from the liquid receiving section 341 by a dividing wall 343. Furthermore, a gas guide section 344 is disposed above the dividing wall 343. The gas guide section 344 extends from directly above the dividing wall 343 into both the discharge space SPe and the interior of the exhaust section 342, covering the dividing wall 343 from above to form a labyrinthine flow path for the gaseous components. Therefore, the gaseous components in the fluid flowing into the liquid receiving section 341 are collected in the exhaust section 342 via this flow path. This exhaust section 342 is connected to an exhaust mechanism 38. Therefore, by operating the exhaust mechanism 38 according to instructions from the control unit 10, the pressure of the fixed cup section 34 is adjusted, and the gaseous components in the exhaust section 342 are effectively discharged. Furthermore, through precise control of the exhaust mechanism 38, the pressure and flow rate of the discharge space SPe are adjusted. For example, the pressure of the discharge space SPe is lower than the pressure of the collection space SPc. As a result, droplets in the trapping space SPc can be effectively introduced into the discharge space SPe, promoting the movement of droplets from the trapping space SPc.

[0082] Figure 9 This is a perspective view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism. Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4. The upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 has a shielding plate 41 disposed above the upper surface Wf of the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21. This shielding plate 41 has a circular plate portion 42 held in a horizontal position. The circular plate portion 42 houses a heater 421 driven and controlled by a heater drive unit 422. This circular plate portion 42 has a diameter slightly shorter than that of the substrate W. Furthermore, the circular plate portion 42 is supported by a support member 43 so that the lower surface of the circular plate portion 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W from above, excluding the peripheral portion Ws. Additionally, Figure 9 The symbol 44 is a cutout located on the periphery of the circular plate portion 42. This cutout is provided to prevent interference with the nozzle discharging the processing liquid contained in the processing mechanism 5. The cutout 44 opens radially outward.

[0083] The lower end of the support member 43 is mounted to the center of the circular plate portion 42. A cylindrical through hole is formed so that the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 pass through each other vertically. Furthermore, the central nozzle 45 is inserted vertically through this through hole. Figure 2 As shown, a nitrogen supply unit 47 is connected to the central nozzle 45 via a pipe 46. The nitrogen supply unit 47 supplies ambient temperature nitrogen, supplied according to the force or other conditions used in the factory where the substrate processing system 100 is installed, to the central nozzle 45 at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the nitrogen supply command from the control unit 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a belt heater 48 is installed on a portion of the pipe 46. The belt heater 48 heats the nitrogen flowing through the pipe 46 according to the heating command from the control unit 10.

[0084] The heated nitrogen gas (hereinafter referred to as "heated gas") is pressurized and conveyed toward the central nozzle 45, and is then discharged from the central nozzle 45. For example... Figure 10 As shown, heating gas is supplied when the circular plate portion 42 is positioned close to the processing position of the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21. The heating gas flows from the center of the space Spa, which is sandwiched between the upper surface Wf of the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42 of the heater, to the periphery. This prevents the atmosphere surrounding the substrate W from entering the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. As a result, droplets contained in the atmosphere are effectively prevented from being drawn into the space Spa sandwiched between the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42. Furthermore, by heating the upper surface Wf as a whole through the heater 421 and the heating gas, the in-plane temperature of the substrate W can be homogenized. This suppresses warping of the substrate W and stabilizes the contact position of the processing liquid. In addition, to achieve these effects, it is desirable to control the temperature and flow rate of the heating gas supplied to the central nozzle 45. Regarding this, the following discussion is based on simulation results (…). Figures 21-24 (and so on)

[0085] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper end of the support member 43 is fixed along the substrate conveying direction that moves the substrate W in and out ( Figure 3 A beam component 49 extends horizontally (orthogonal to the left and right directions). This beam component 49 is connected to a lifting mechanism 7 and is raised and lowered via the lifting mechanism 7 according to instructions from the control unit 10. For example, in Figure 2 In the middle section, the beam member 49 is positioned at the bottom, and the circular plate portion 42 connected to the beam member 49 via the support member 43 is in a processing position. On the other hand, when the lifting mechanism 7 receives a lifting command from the control unit 10 to raise the beam member 49, the beam member 49, the support member 43, and the circular plate portion 42 rise together, and the upper cup 33 also separates from the lower cup 32 and rises in conjunction. As a result, the distance between the rotary chuck 21 and the upper cup 33 and the circular plate portion 42 is widened, enabling the substrate W to be moved in and out relative to the rotary chuck 21 (see reference). Figure 16A).

[0086] Figure 11 This is a perspective view showing the treatment liquid discharge nozzle mounted on the upper surface of the treatment mechanism, viewed from a downward angle. Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the nozzle positions in both chamfering and pre-dispensing modes. Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing the processing liquid dispensing nozzle mounted on the lower surface side of the processing mechanism and the nozzle support portion supporting the nozzle. The processing mechanism 5 has a processing liquid dispensing nozzle 51F disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate W, a processing liquid dispensing nozzle 51B disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate W, and a processing liquid supply portion 52 that supplies processing liquid to the processing liquid dispensing nozzles 51F and 51B. Hereinafter, to distinguish between the processing liquid dispensing nozzle 51F on the upper surface side and the processing liquid dispensing nozzle 51B on the lower surface side, they will be referred to as "upper surface nozzle 51F" and "lower surface nozzle 51B," respectively. Furthermore, in Figure 2 In the middle, two processing fluid supply units 52 are shown, but they are the same.

[0087] In this embodiment, three upper surface nozzles 51F are provided, and a treatment liquid supply unit 52 is connected to them. In addition, the treatment liquid supply unit 52 is configured to supply SC1, DHF, and functional water (such as CO2 water) as treatment liquid, and to discharge SC1, DHF and functional water independently from the three upper surface nozzles 51F.

[0088] like Figure 11 As shown, in each upper surface nozzle 51F, a discharge port 511 for discharging the treatment liquid is provided on the lower surface of the front end. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown in the enlarged view, with each nozzle 511 facing the periphery of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, the lower portions of a plurality of (three in this embodiment) upper surface nozzles 51F are disposed in the cutout 44 of the circular plate portion 42, and the upper portions of the upper surface nozzles 51F are freely movable in the radial direction X of the substrate W relative to the nozzle holder 53. The nozzle holder 53 is supported by a support member 54, and the support member 54 is fixed to the lower sealing cup member 61 of the atmosphere separation mechanism 6. That is, the upper surface nozzles 51F and the nozzle holder 53 are integrated with the lower sealing cup member 61 via the support member 54, and are raised and lowered together with the lower sealing cup member 61 in the vertical direction Z by the lifting mechanism 7. Furthermore, details of the lifting mechanism 7 will be described later.

[0089] like Figure 3 and Figure 12 As shown, a nozzle moving part 55 is built into the nozzle holder 53 to move the upper surface nozzles 51F together in the radial direction X. Therefore, the nozzle moving part 55 drives the three upper surface nozzles 51F together in the direction X according to the position command from the control unit 10. Thus, the upper surface nozzles 51F... Figure 12 The chamfering position shown in (a) and Figure 12 The nozzle moves back and forth between the pre-distributed positions shown in (b). The nozzle moving part 55, positioned at the chamfering processing position, has its discharge port 511 facing the periphery of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Then, when the processing liquid supply part 52 supplies the processing liquid corresponding to the supply command of the three processing liquids to the upper surface nozzle 51F for the processing liquid according to the supply command from the control unit 10, the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port 511 of the upper surface nozzle 51F toward the periphery of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W.

[0090] On the other hand, the outlet 511 of the upper surface nozzle 51F, positioned at the pre-dispensing position, is located above the periphery of the upper surface Wf, facing the inclined surface 334 of the upper cup 33. Then, when the processing liquid supply unit 52 supplies all or part of the processing liquid to the corresponding upper surface nozzle 51F according to the supply command from the control unit 10, the processing liquid is discharged from the outlet 511 of the upper surface nozzle 51F to the inclined surface 334 of the upper cup 33. Thus, the pre-dispensing process is performed. Furthermore, the droplets of processing liquid used in the chamfering process and the pre-dispensing process, such as... Figure 12 As shown, the material is captured by the upper cup 33 and discharged into the discharge space SPe through the gap GPc. Figure 12 The symbol 56 in the figure represents a structure consisting of an upper surface nozzle 51F and a nozzle holder 53 of a built-in nozzle moving part 55, hereinafter referred to as "nozzle head 56". In addition, only the upper surface nozzle 51F is assembled in the nozzle head 56, but a gas discharge nozzle that discharges inert gases such as nitrogen may also be added. For example, the inert gas from the gas discharge nozzle may be used to purify the processing liquid that has not detached from the peripheral part Ws during the time the substrate W rotates once.

[0091] In this embodiment, in order to eject the processing liquid toward the periphery of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W, the lower surface nozzle 51B and the nozzle support 57 are provided below the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21. Figure 13 As shown, the nozzle support 57 has a thin-walled cylindrical portion 571 extending vertically and a flange portion 572 that bends radially outward at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 571 and has an annular shape. The cylindrical portion 571 has a shape that allows it to be freely inserted into the air gap GPa clearance formed between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32. Moreover, as... Figure 2As shown, the nozzle support 57 is fixedly configured such that the cylindrical portion 571 is inserted into the air gap GPa, and the flange portion 572 is located between the base plate W held in the rotating chuck 21 and the lower cup 32. Three lower surface nozzles 51B are mounted on the periphery of the upper surface of the flange portion 572. Each lower surface nozzle 51B has a discharge port 511 that opens toward the periphery of the lower surface Wb of the base plate W, and is capable of discharging processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 52 via the piping 58.

[0092] The peripheral edge of the substrate W is chamfered using the processing liquid ejected from the upper surface nozzles 51F and the lower surface nozzles 51B. Additionally, on the lower surface side of the substrate W, a flange portion 572 extends to the vicinity of the peripheral edge Ws. Therefore, nitrogen gas supplied to the lower surface side via pipe 28... Figure 8 As shown, the droplets flow along the flange portion 572 towards the trapping space SPc. As a result, the backflow of droplets from the trapping space SPc to the substrate W is effectively suppressed.

[0093] Figure 14 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the atmosphere separation mechanism 6. The atmosphere separation mechanism 6 has a lower sealing cup component 61 and an upper sealing cup component 62. Both the lower sealing cup component 61 and the upper sealing cup component 62 have a cylindrical shape with openings at the top and bottom. Furthermore, their inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the rotating cup portion 31, and the atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is configured to cover and surround the rotating chuck 21 from above, the base plate W held in the rotating chuck 21, the rotating cup portion 31, and the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4. More specifically, as shown... Figure 2 As shown, the upper sealing cup component 62 is fixedly positioned directly below the perforated plate 14 with its upper opening covering the opening 11b of the ceiling wall 11a from below. Therefore, the downstream flow of clean air introduced into the chamber 11 is divided into a flow through the interior of the upper sealing cup component 62 and a flow through the exterior of the upper sealing cup component 62.

[0094] Furthermore, the lower end of the upper sealing cup component 62 has an inwardly folded-in, annular flange 621. An O-ring 63 is mounted on the upper surface of this flange 621. Inside the upper sealing cup component 62, the lower sealing cup component 61 is configured to move freely in the vertical direction.

[0095] The upper end of the lower sealing cup component 61 has an outwardly bent and annular flange 611. This flange 611 coincides with flange 621 when viewed from above. Therefore, when the lower sealing cup component 61 descends, as... Figure 3 and Figure 14As shown, the flange 611 of the lower sealing cup component 61 is engaged by the flange 621 of the upper sealing cup component 62 via an O-ring 63. Thus, the lower sealing cup component 61 is positioned at its lower limit position. At this lower limit position, the upper sealing cup component 62 and the lower sealing cup component 61 are connected in the vertical direction, and the downstream flow introduced into the interior of the upper sealing cup component 62 is guided towards the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21.

[0096] The lower end of the lower sealing cup component 61 has an outwardly folded-in, annular flange 612. This flange 612, viewed from above vertically, coincides with the upper end of the fixed cup portion 34 (the upper end of the liquid receiving portion 341). Thus, at the aforementioned lower limit position, as... Figure 3 Enlarged image in Figure 14 As shown, the flange 612 of the lower sealed cup component 61 is secured by the fixed cup portion 34 via an O-ring 64. Thus, the lower sealed cup component 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are connected in the vertical direction, forming a sealed space SPs by the upper sealed cup component 62, the lower sealed cup component 61, and the fixed cup portion 34. Within this sealed space SPs, chamfering of the substrate W can be performed. That is, by positioning the lower sealed cup component 61 at its lower limit position, the sealed space SPs is separated from the outer space SPo (atmosphere separation). Therefore, chamfering can be performed stably without being affected by the outer atmosphere. Furthermore, although a processing liquid is used for chamfering, leakage of the processing liquid from the sealed space SPs to the outer space SPo can be reliably prevented. This increases the freedom of selection and design of components positioned in the outer space SPo.

[0097] The lower sealing cup component 61 is also configured to move vertically upwards. Furthermore, as described above, a nozzle head 56 (= upper surface nozzle 51F + nozzle holder 53) is fixed to the middle portion of the lower sealing cup component 61 in the vertical direction via a support member 54. Additionally, as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the upper surface protective heating mechanism 4 is fixed to the middle part of the lower sealing cup component 61 via the beam component 49. That is, as... Figure 3 As shown, the lower sealing cup component 61 is connected to one end of the beam component 49, the other end of the beam component 49, and the support component 54 at three different locations in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the lower sealing cup component 61 is raised or lowered by the lifting mechanism 7, which raises or lowers one end of the beam component 49, the other end of the beam component 49, and the support component 54.

[0098] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 14As shown, on the inner circumferential surface of the lower sealing cup component 61, multiple (four) protrusions 613 are provided as engaging portions that can engage with the upper cup 33. Each protrusion 613 extends into the space below the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33. Furthermore, each protrusion 613 is installed such that, when the lower sealing cup component 61 is positioned at its lower limit position, it separates downward from the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33. Moreover, by raising the lower sealing cup component 61, each protrusion 613 can engage with the upper annular portion 332 from below. Even after this engagement, by further raising the lower sealing cup component 61, the upper cup 33 can be disengaged from the lower cup 32.

[0099] In this embodiment, after the lower sealing cup component 61, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, and the nozzle head 56 begin to rise together via the lifting mechanism 7, the upper cup 33 also rises together. As a result, the upper cup 33, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, and the nozzle head 56 separate upwards from the rotating chuck 21. The lower sealing cup component 61 moves to the retracted position (described later). Figure 16A The movement of the position in the middle forms a robotic arm for the substrate transport robot 111. Figure 16A The symbol RH in the middle accesses the transport space of the rotary chuck 21 ( Figure 16A (The symbol SPt in the text). Moreover, via this transport space, the loading of the substrate W onto the rotary chuck 21 and the unloading of the substrate W from the rotary chuck 21 can be performed. Thus, in this embodiment, the substrate W can be accessed relative to the rotary chuck 21 by the minimum lifting of the lower sealing cup member 61 via the lifting mechanism 7.

[0100] The lifting mechanism 7 has two lifting drive units 71 and 72. In the lifting drive unit 71, as follows... Figure 3 As shown, a first lifting motor 711 is provided. The first lifting motor 711 operates according to a drive command from the control unit 10, generating rotational force. Two lifting units 712 and 713 are connected to the first lifting motor 711. The lifting units 712 and 713 simultaneously receive the aforementioned rotational force from the first lifting motor 711. Furthermore, the lifting unit 712 causes the support member 491 at one end of the support beam member 49 to move up and down in the vertical direction Z according to the rotation amount of the first lifting motor 711. In addition, the lifting unit 713 causes the support member 54 of the support nozzle head 56 to move up and down in the vertical direction Z according to the rotation amount of the first lifting motor 711.

[0101] like Figure 3As shown, the lifting drive unit 72 includes a second lifting motor 721 and a lifting unit 722. The second lifting motor 721 operates according to a drive command from the control unit 10, generating a rotational force and applying it to the lifting unit 722. The lifting unit 722 raises and lowers the support member 492 at the other end of the support beam member 49 in the vertical direction according to the amount of rotation of the second lifting motor 721.

[0102] The lifting drive units 71 and 72 cause the support members 491, 492, and 54, which are fixed at three different locations on the side of the lower sealed cup component 61 in the circumferential direction, to move synchronously in the vertical direction. This allows for stable lifting and lowering of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the nozzle head 56, and the lower sealed cup component 61. Furthermore, the upper cup 33 can also be stably lifted and lowered along with the lower sealed cup component 61.

[0103] The centering mechanism 8 has an abutment member 81 that can approach and move away from the end face of the base plate W mounted on the rotary chuck 21, and a centering drive unit 82 for moving the abutment member 81 in a horizontal direction. In this embodiment, three abutment members 81 are arranged radially about the rotation axis AX at equal angular intervals, and only one of them is shown. Figure 2 Regarding the centering mechanism 8, during the period when the pump 26 stops drawing in (that is, during the period when the substrate W can move horizontally on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21), according to the centering command from the control unit 10, the centering drive unit 82 brings the abutment member 81 close to the substrate W (centering process). Through this centering process, the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotary chuck 21 can be eliminated, and the center of the substrate W is aligned with the center of the rotary chuck 21.

[0104] The substrate observation mechanism 9 has an observation head 91 for observing the peripheral portion of the substrate W. This observation head 91 is configured to be able to approach and move away from the peripheral portion of the substrate W. An observation head drive unit 92 is connected to the observation head 91. Furthermore, when observing the peripheral portion of the substrate W through the observation head 91, the observation head drive unit 92 moves the observation head 91 closer to the substrate W according to an observation command from the control unit 10 (observation processing). Then, the observation head 91 is used to capture an image of the peripheral portion of the substrate W. The captured image is transmitted to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 checks whether the chamfering process has been performed properly based on the image.

[0105] The control unit 10 includes an arithmetic processing unit 10A, a storage unit 10B, a reading unit 10C, an image processing unit 10D, a drive control unit 10E, a communication unit 10F, and an exhaust control unit 10G. The storage unit 10B, which may be a hard disk drive or similar device, stores a program for performing chamfering processing using the aforementioned substrate processing apparatus 1. This program is stored on a computer-readable storage medium RM (e.g., optical disc, hard disk, optical disk drive, etc.), and is read from the storage medium RM by the reading unit 10C and stored in the storage unit 10B. Furthermore, the provision of this program is not limited to the storage medium RM; for example, it may be configured to be provided via an electrical communication line. The image processing unit 10D performs various processing operations on the images captured by the substrate viewing mechanism 9. The drive control unit 10E controls each drive unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The communication unit 10F communicates with the control units of each part of the integrated control substrate processing system 100. The exhaust control unit 10G controls the exhaust mechanism 38.

[0106] In addition, the control unit 10 is connected to a display unit 10H (e.g., a monitor) that displays various information and an input unit 10J (e.g., a keyboard and mouse) that receives input from the operator.

[0107] The arithmetic processing unit 10A is composed of a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and controls each part of the board processing device 1 to perform chamfering according to the program stored in the storage unit 10B as follows. Hereinafter, refer to... Figure 15 , Figures 16A-16D The chamfering process of substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0108] Figure 15 It means through Figure 2 The flowchart shown illustrates a chamfering process performed by the substrate processing apparatus as an example of substrate processing operations. Additionally, Figures 16A-16D This is a schematic diagram showing the various parts of the device used in the chamfering process. Furthermore, in Figure 16A In order to clearly indicate the integrated ascending structure, points were marked on the structure for reference. Figure 16C In order to clearly represent the structure of the rotating whole, points are marked on the structure for reference.

[0109] When the substrate W is chamfered by the substrate processing apparatus 1, the arithmetic processing unit 10A raises the lower sealing cup component 61, nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate component 42 as a whole via the lifting drive units 71 and 72. During the ascent of the lower sealing cup component 61, the protrusion 613 engages with the upper ring portion 332 of the upper cup 33. Afterward, the upper cup 33 rises together with the lower sealing cup component 61, nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate component 42, positioning itself in the retraction position. This creates a sufficient transport space SPt, allowing the robotic arm RH of the substrate transport robot 111 to enter above the rotary chuck 21. Then, upon confirming that the transport space SPt has been formed, the arithmetic processing unit 10A executes a loading request for the substrate W to the substrate transport robot 111 via the communication unit 10F. Figure 16A The unprocessed substrate W is moved into the substrate processing apparatus 1 as shown, awaiting placement on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21. Then, the substrate W is placed on the rotary chuck 21 (step S1). At this time, the pump 26 stops, and the substrate W can move horizontally on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21.

[0110] When the substrate W is loaded, the substrate transport robot 111 retracts from the substrate handling device 1. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 82 to make the three contact parts 81 ( Figure 16B (Only two are shown in the diagram) The substrate W is brought close together. As a result, the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotary chuck 21 is eliminated, and the center of the substrate W aligns with the center of the rotary chuck 21 (step S2). When the centering process is thus completed, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 82 to separate the three abutting members 81 from the substrate W, and activates the pump 26 to apply negative pressure to the rotary chuck 21. As a result, the rotary chuck 21 holds the substrate W from below.

[0111] Next, the processing unit 10A issues a descent command to the lifting drive units 71 and 72. Correspondingly, the lifting drive units 71 and 72 cause the lower sealing cup component 61, nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate component 42 to descend as a whole. During this descent, the upper cup 33, supported from below by the protrusion 613 of the lower sealing cup component 61, is connected to the lower cup 32. That is, as... Figure 6 As shown, the recess 335 is fitted in such a way that it covers the front end of the locking pin 35. The upper cup 33 is positioned in the horizontal direction relative to the lower cup 32. The upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 are joined together by the attraction generated between the upper magnet 37 and the lower magnet 36 to form the rotating cup portion 31.

[0112] After the rotating cup portion 31 is formed, the lower sealing cup component 61, nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate portion 42 are integrally lowered further, and the flange portions 611 and 612 of the lower sealing cup component 61 are respectively locked by the flange portion 621 of the upper sealing cup component 62 and the fixed cup portion 34. Thus, the lower sealing cup component 61 is positioned at the lower limit position (…). Figure 2 and Figure 16C (position in the middle) (step S3). After the above locking, the flange portion 621 of the upper sealing cup component 62 and the flange portion 611 of the lower sealing cup component 61 are tightly connected via the O-ring 63, and the flange portion 612 of the lower sealing cup component 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are tightly connected via the O-ring 63. As a result, as Figure 2 As shown, in the vertical direction, the lower sealing cup component 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are connected, and the upper sealing cup component 62, the lower sealing cup component 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 form a sealed space SPs, which is separated from the outer atmosphere (outer space SPo) (atmosphere separation).

[0113] In this atmosphere separation state, the lower surface of the circular plate portion 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, excluding the peripheral portion Ws. Furthermore, the upper surface nozzle 51F is positioned within the cutout 44 of the circular plate portion 42 so that the outlet 511 faces the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. When the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate W is complete, the processing unit 10A applies a rotation command to the rotation drive unit 23, initiating the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and rotating cup portion 31 of the substrate W (step S4). The rotation speed of the substrate W and rotating cup portion 31 is set to, for example, 1800 rpm. Additionally, the processing unit 10A drives the control heater drive unit 422, causing the heater 421 to heat to a desired temperature, for example, 185°C.

[0114] Then, the processing unit 10A issues a nitrogen supply command to the nitrogen supply unit 47. Thus, as... Figure 16C As indicated by arrow F1, nitrogen supply begins from nitrogen supply section 47 to central nozzle 45 (step S5). This nitrogen is heated by belt heater 48 while passing through piping 46, and after reaching a desired temperature (e.g., 100°C), it is supplied from central nozzle 45 to the space SPa sandwiched between substrate W and circular plate section 42. Figure 10 The material is ejected. As a result, the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is heated uniformly. Furthermore, the heating of the substrate W is also performed by heater 421. Therefore, over time, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W rises to a temperature suitable for chamfering, for example, 90°C. Additionally, the temperature outside the peripheral portion Ws also rises to approximately the same level. That is, in this embodiment, the in-plane temperature of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is approximately uniform. Therefore, warping of the substrate W can be effectively suppressed.

[0115] Next, the processing unit 10A controls the processing liquid supply unit 52 to supply processing liquid to the upper surface nozzle 51F and the lower surface nozzle 51B (arrows F2 and F3 in the figure). That is, the processing liquid is ejected from the upper surface nozzle 51F in a manner that impacts the upper peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the processing liquid is ejected from the lower surface nozzle 51B in a manner that impacts the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W. As a result, chamfering processing of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W is performed (step S6). Then, when the processing unit 10A detects that the processing time required for chamfering processing of the substrate W has elapsed, it issues a supply stop command to the processing liquid supply unit 52 to stop the ejection of processing liquid.

[0116] Next, the processing unit 10A issues a supply stop command to the nitrogen supply unit 47, stopping the supply of nitrogen from the nitrogen supply unit 47 to the central nozzle 45 (step S7). In addition, the processing unit 10A issues a rotation stop command to the rotation drive unit 23, stopping the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup 31 (step S8).

[0117] In the next step S9, the processing unit 10A observes the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W and checks the result of the chamfering process. More specifically, the processing unit 10A positions the upper cup 33 to a retracted position in the same way as when the substrate W is loaded, forming a transport space SPt. Then, the processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 92 to bring the observation head 91 closer to the substrate W. Then, when the peripheral portion Ws is photographed by the observation head 91, the processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 92 to retract the observation head 91 from the substrate W. In parallel with this, the processing unit 10A checks whether the chamfering process has been performed well based on the photographed image of the peripheral portion Ws.

[0118] After inspection, the processing unit 10A sends an unloading request to the substrate transfer robot 111 via the communication unit 10F, and removes the processed substrate W from the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S10). In addition, this series of processes is repeated.

[0119] As described above, in this embodiment, an atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is provided above the scattering prevention mechanism 3 to perform so-called atmosphere separation, which separates the enclosed space SPs and the outer space SPo from the chamfering treatment using the treatment liquid. This limits the range of treatment by the treatment liquid, reduces the areas where turbulence occurs, and stabilizes the chamfering process. Furthermore, although it is within the chamber 11, components that are not chemically resistant can be used in the outer space SPo. To achieve this effect, in this embodiment, the atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is composed of an upper sealed cup component 62 fixed near the ceiling wall 11a and a lower sealed cup component 61 that can move up and down between the upper sealed cup component 62 and the scattering prevention mechanism 3. This also provides the following effects.

[0120] To achieve atmosphere separation, a technique has been proposed where the cup component constituting the scattering prevention mechanism abuts against the ceiling of the chamber (e.g., Japanese Patent No. 6282904). In this prior art, the cup component needs to be lowered as a whole when the substrate W is moved in or out. In contrast, in this embodiment, as... Figure 16A As shown, the movement of the lower sealing cup component 61 can be suppressed by only requiring the minimum distance needed for the loading and unloading of the rising substrate W. Regarding this, for performing... Figure 16B During the centering process shown, Figure 16D During the observation process shown, this can also be achieved by raising the lower sealing cup component 61. Due to these factors, the production cycle time of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be shortened compared to existing devices (effect A).

[0121] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, only the lower sealing cup component 61 is raised and lowered, thus reducing the load applied to the lifting mechanism compared to existing devices that raise and lower the entire cup component. Additionally, as... Figure 3 As shown, the lower sealing cup component 61 is supported at three circumferentially different points while being raised and lowered. This allows the lower sealing cup component 61 to be raised and lowered stably. Furthermore, via the lower sealing cup component 61, the upper cup 33, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, and the nozzle head 56 also rise and fall, and their raising and lowering can also be performed stably and at low cost (Effect B).

[0122] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 2As shown, the upper opening of the upper sealed cup component 62 is positioned close to the perforated plate 14 located directly below the ceiling wall 11a, thereby separating the clean air supplied from the fan filter unit 13 into a portion supplied to the sealed spaces SPs and a portion supplied to the outer space SPo. This allows control over the airflow of clean air supplied to each space. Therefore, the sealed spaces SPs can be set to a desired pressure value, and the pressure difference with the outer space SPo can be adjusted with high precision. Furthermore, the volume of the sealed spaces SPs, which function as a processing liquid atmosphere zone, can be reduced, thereby reducing the force required in the factory where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed (effect C).

[0123] Various methods can be used to control the airflow for clean air. For example, such as... Figure 17A As shown, it can be controlled such that the inner diameter of the blow-out hole 141 opposite the upper opening of the upper sealed cup component 62 is larger than the inner diameter of the other blow-out holes 142, thereby increasing the airflow to the sealed space SPs compared to the airflow to the outer space SPo. To improve the pressure accuracy of the sealed space SPs and its outer space, for example, as... Figure 17B As shown, fan filter unit 13A for enclosed spaces SPs and fan filter unit 13B for outer spaces SPo can also be installed independently. Furthermore, as... Figure 17C As shown, it can also be configured such that, instead of the perforated plate 14, clean air supplied from the fan filter unit 13 is supplied to the enclosed spaces SPs via the first piping 16a and to the outer space SPo via the second piping 16b. Furthermore, it can also be configured such that baffles 17a and 17b are respectively mounted on the first piping 16a and the second piping 16b, and the baffle control unit 18 independently controls the opening of the baffles 17a and 17b according to the opening command from the control unit 10, thereby controlling the pressure by adjusting the supply amount to the enclosed spaces SPs and their outer spaces.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, such as Figure 8As shown, droplets ejected from the substrate W are captured inside the rotating cup portion 31, specifically in the capturing space SPc. At this time, the droplets adhering to the inclined surface 334 of the rotating cup portion 31 experience centrifugal force generated by the cup's rotation. Additionally, they are affected by the airflow, such as nitrogen, supplied during the chamfering process and flowing radially outward along the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. This results in a downward vector stress acting on the droplets along the inclined surface 334. The droplets subjected to this stress move along the inclined surface 334 to the gap GPc between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32. Then, the droplets reaching the inlet of the gap GPc, along with gaseous components such as nitrogen, move through the gap GPc towards the discharge space SPe of the fixed cup portion 34. Thus, the droplets adhering to the rotating cup portion 31 are rapidly discharged from the rotating cup portion 31 via the gap GPc. In particular, the gap GPc is parallel to the direction of the centrifugal force and the airflow, allowing the droplets to be smoothly discharged from the capturing space SPc to the discharge space SPe. Therefore, the collision between droplets scattering from the substrate W and droplets adhering to the rotating cup portion 31 is reduced, and the generation of bounced droplets can be suppressed. As a result, the chamfering process can be performed well (effect D). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inclined surface 334 of the upper cup 33 is machined into a frustum of a cone with a constant inclination angle in the longitudinal section, but it can also be, for example... Figure 18 As shown, it is machined into a surface that extends radially outward (on the left side of the figure).

[0125] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, the connection between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 is achieved through the engagement of the locking pin 35 with the recess 335 and the attraction generated between the upper magnet 37 and the lower magnet 36. Therefore, even during rotation, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 are firmly connected, enabling stable chamfering (effect E). Of course, the connection between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 is not limited to this; for example, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 can also be connected simply by locking.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, to rotate the substrate W, a portion of the rotational driving force output from the rotation drive unit 23 is applied to the lower cup 32 as a cup driving force via the power transmission unit 27. This allows both the substrate W and the rotating cup 31 to be driven by a single rotation drive unit 23, simplifying the device structure. Moreover, the substrate W and the rotating cup 31 can be rotated synchronously in the same direction. Therefore, when the rotating cup 31 is viewed from the periphery of the rotating substrate W, the rotating cup 31 appears relatively stationary, thus further effectively suppressing the rebound of droplets generated when droplets of the processing liquid scattering from the substrate W collide with the rotating cup 31 (effect F).

[0127] The power transmission unit 27 utilizes the magnetic force between magnets 27b and 27c. Therefore, as... Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the cup driving force can be transmitted to the lower cup 32 while maintaining an air gap GPa (the gap between the annular component 27a and the lower cup 32) between the annular component 27a and the lower cup 32. Furthermore, as... Figure 2 As shown, the flange portion 572 of the nozzle support 57 is inserted into the air gap GPa, and the nozzle support 57 is fixedly positioned. Furthermore, the air gap GPa is also used as a piping path. That is, the piping connected to the nozzle 51B supported on the lower surface of the nozzle support 57 is connected to the processing liquid supply unit 52 via the air gap GPa. Therefore, the piping length is significantly shortened, which increases the freedom and tolerance of the layout of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (effect G).

[0128] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33 extends above the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W. That is, in a top view from vertically above, the upper annular portion 332 and a portion of the inclined portion 333 function as an rim portion covering the entire circumference of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as... Figure 12 As shown in (a), when the nozzle 51F on the upper surface has its outlet 511 positioned in the vertical direction at a chamfered processing position lower than the aforementioned eaves portion, it discharges processing liquid from the outlet 511, causing the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W to be coated with liquid. This results in the following effects.

[0129] When the rotating cup portion 31 captures droplets, the droplets collide with the inclined surface 334 of the upper cup 33, and sometimes a portion of them flies upward. Additionally, when the processing liquid is supplied to the periphery of the substrate W, sometimes a portion of the processing liquid droplets also flies upward. When these upward-scattered droplets re-adhere to the substrate W, watermarks are formed. However, in this embodiment, the aforementioned eaves portion captures the upward-scattered droplets, effectively preventing re-adhesion to the substrate W. Therefore, the substrate W can be further and better chamfered. Furthermore, in Figure 12 The same effect (effect H) can be obtained in the pre-allocation process shown in (b).

[0130] This pre-dispensing process can be performed by moving the upper surface nozzle 51F a small distance along the radial direction X of the substrate W using the nozzle moving part 55. Therefore, for the pre-dispensing process, it is not necessary to move the upper surface nozzle 51F to a position separate from the rotating cup part 31; the pre-dispensing process can be performed within the rotating cup part 31. As a result, the production cycle time of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be shortened compared to existing apparatuses (Effect I).

[0131] Here, the direction of movement of the upper surface nozzle 51F during pre-dispensing is not limited to radial X, but is arbitrary. For example, as Figure 19 As shown, a rotation shaft AX51 is provided at one end 513 of the nozzle body 512 that separates from the outlet 511, constituting the upper surface nozzle 51F. This rotation shaft AX51 extends parallel to the vertical direction Z. Therefore, by moving the upper surface nozzle 51F about the rotation shaft AX51 via the nozzle moving part 55, the contact position of the treatment liquid discharged from the outlet 511 can be changed. More specifically, it can be configured such that by rotating the upper surface nozzle 51F about the rotation shaft AX51, the chamfering treatment position and the pre-dispensing position can be switched.

[0132] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the nozzle moving unit 55 not only switches between the chamfering position and the pre-dispensing position, but also changes the liquid contact position of the processing liquid by changing the position of the discharge port 511 in the radial direction X of the substrate W. That is, the processing unit 10A controls the nozzle moving unit 55 to cause the processing liquid to be applied to the desired peripheral portion Ws. Therefore, the width (the length in the radial direction X from the end face of the substrate W to the liquid contact position) of the chamfered peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W can be changed. Moreover, this function... Figure 19 The same applies to the embodiments shown.

[0133] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a circular plate portion 42 is provided such that it covers the upper surface Wf of the substrate W from above. Therefore, as... Figure 9 As shown, a cutout 44 is provided in the circular plate portion 42, and the nozzle 51F on the upper surface can move over a large range, which can effectively realize the switching function between the chamfering position and the pre-assigned position and the function of changing the chamfering width (effect J).

[0134] Here, the cutout 44 is one of the main causes of turbulence in the confined space SPs. However, in this embodiment, as... Figure 3 , Figure 9 , Figure 12 As shown, the lower end of the upper surface nozzle 51F enters the cut-out portion 44, partially blocking it. This suppresses turbulence at the cut-out portion 44 (effect K).

[0135] In addition, to more effectively suppress turbulence generation, one can also... Figure 20A As shown, while maintaining the position of the discharge port 511 and the posture of the upper surface nozzle 51F, the fitting 514 is installed on each upper surface nozzle 51F. Alternatively, it can be done as follows... Figure 20B As shown, while maintaining the position of the outlet 511 and the posture of the upper surface nozzles 51F, individual fittings 515 are installed on all the upper surface nozzles 51F. This increases the proportion of the upper surface nozzles 51F with each fitting in the cut-out portion 44, essentially blocking the cut-out portion 44. As a result, turbulence generation at the cut-out portion 44 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0136] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is provided to achieve uniform in-plane temperature of the substrate W. More specifically, based on the simulation results described below, the flow rate and temperature of the heating gas supplied to the central nozzle 45 are controlled.

[0137] like Figure 10 As shown, airflow analysis is performed on the substrate W as nitrogen (heating gas) is expelled from the central nozzle 45 at various flow rates towards the substrate W, which is rotated with the circular plate portion 42 approaching the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21 in the vertical direction. Here, the heater 421 and the belt heater 48 are stopped, and the specific analysis conditions are set as follows:

[0138] The separation distance between the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42 is 2 mm.

[0139] Rotational speed of substrate W = 1800 rpm

[0140] Nitrogen emission flow rate = 0, 50, 75, 100, 130 L / min

[0141] The diameter of the central nozzle 45 is 60mmφ.

[0142] and, Figure 21 A graph is shown plotting the airflow velocity at various locations along the radial X of the substrate W under these analytical conditions. According to... Figure 21 It can be seen that the radial airflow velocity of substrate W varies according to the flow rate of nitrogen gas emitted from the central nozzle 45. In particular, when the airflow velocity at the periphery Ws of substrate W (here, 147 mm from the center of the substrate) is below zero, that is, when airflow is generated from the periphery (trapping space SPc) of substrate W towards the center of the substrate, droplet entrainment occurs. Therefore, Figure 22 The gas flow rate is shown, and the peripheral portion Ws of substrate W (here, 147 mm from the center of the substrate) is drawn out according to the gas flow rate. Figure 22 It is known that in order to prevent droplet entrapment, nitrogen needs to be discharged from the central nozzle 45 at a rate of approximately 57 L / min or higher.

[0143] On the other hand, as the flow rate of nitrogen gas emitted from the central nozzle 45 increases, the gas flow velocity rises. Therefore, when nitrogen gas is supplied to the central nozzle 45 at an excessive flow rate, the gas flow velocity along the upper surface Wf of the substrate W increases, sometimes adversely affecting the pattern formed on the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as... Figure 8As shown, the droplets and gas components captured in the capture space SPc are discharged into the discharge space SPe via the gap GPc. Therefore, when the flow rate of nitrogen flowing from the substrate W into the capture space SPc is greater than the exhaust flow rate discharged from the discharge space SPe by the exhaust mechanism 38, backflow vortices sometimes occur. When the nitrogen flow rate is increased, the exhaust velocity flowing between the substrate W and the rotating cup portion 31 decreases. This situation was clarified based on airflow analysis. One of the main reasons for this is that when the gap GPc is narrow and the nitrogen flow rate is increased, pressure loss occurs, and the exhaust that cannot be discharged becomes backflow, sometimes generating backflow vortices at the upper surface end of the substrate W. Therefore, it is desirable to set the maximum value of the nitrogen flow rate discharged from the central nozzle 45 within a range that does not produce these situations, and it is set to about 0.3 times the aforementioned exhaust flow rate.

[0144] Next, the temperature of the heating gas will be explained. For example... Figure 10 As shown, airflow analysis is performed on a substrate W that discharges heated gas of various temperatures from the central nozzle 45. The substrate W is rotated such that the circular plate portion 42 within the heater is vertically close to the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21. The specific analysis conditions are set as follows:

[0145] The temperature of heater 421 is 185℃

[0146] Heating gas temperatures = 27℃, 80℃, 130℃

[0147] The separation distance between the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42 is 2 mm.

[0148] Rotational speed of substrate W = 1800 rpm

[0149] The discharge flow rate of the heated gas is 80 L / min.

[0150] The diameter of the central nozzle 45 is 60mmφ.

[0151] and, Figure 23 A graph is shown plotting the surface temperature of substrate W at various locations along the radial X direction under these analytical conditions. According to... Figure 23 It can be seen that the uniformity of the in-plane temperature of substrate W tends to increase and peak as the temperature of the heating gas rises, and then decreases slightly as the temperature rises further. Therefore, Figure 24This is a graph showing the surface temperature change of substrate W at its center (r = 0 mm) and edge (r = 150 mm) locations, as the temperature of the emitted heating gas changes. According to this graph, by setting the temperature of the heating gas emitted from the central nozzle 45 to approximately 100°C, the surface temperature of substrate W can be homogenized. Furthermore, in order to suppress warping of substrate W while performing chamfering effectively, it is preferable to keep the surface temperature difference within a range of 20°C. Based on this, in this embodiment, according to... Figure 24 The single-dotted line (+20°C) and the dashed line (r=0mm) in the diagram set the upper limit of the emitted temperature of the heated gas to 130°C, and the double-dotted line (-20°C) and the dashed line (r=0mm) set the lower limit of the emitted temperature of the heated gas to 65°C. In other words, the processing unit 10A sets the temperature of the heated gas within the emitted temperature range of 65°C to 130°C.

[0152] Figure 25 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 26 This diagram illustrates the structure of the rotating cup portion in the second embodiment. A significant difference between this second embodiment and the first embodiment is that...

[0153] (A) No atmosphere separation mechanism 6 was installed; and

[0154] (B) A rotary drive unit 23A and 23B are provided to drive the rotary chuck 21 and the rotary cup 31 to rotate respectively.

[0155] With the aforementioned differences (A), the nozzle head 56 is fixed to the beam member 49. Furthermore, the first lifting drive unit 71 is connected to one end of the beam member 49, and the second lifting drive unit 72 is connected to the other end of the beam member 49. Therefore, the processing unit 10A synchronously controls the first lifting drive unit 71 and the second lifting drive unit 72 to raise and lower the nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 43, and circular plate portion 42 as a whole. Additionally, the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33 extends radially inward relative to the upper end of the inclined portion 333, so that its lower surface can engage with the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the circular plate portion 42, which is raised and lowered as described above. Therefore, the upper cup 33 is positioned to connect with the lower cup 32 according to the raising and lowering of the circular plate portion 42. Figure 25 The following explanation Figure 28C ) and the position where it separates from the lower cup 32 upwards (explained later) Figure 28A , Figure 28B , Figure 28D ).

[0156] Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned difference (B), a cylindrical portion 322 is mounted on the lower surface of the lower cup 32. This cylindrical portion 322 is connected to the rotation drive unit 23B via a belt member. Therefore, when the arithmetic processing unit 10A applies a rotation command to the rotation drive unit 23B, the rotation drive unit 23B operates accordingly, causing the lower cup 32 to rotate around the rotation axis AX. Furthermore, the rotation drive unit 23A, as in the first embodiment, rotates the rotating chuck 21 around the rotation axis AX according to the rotation command from the arithmetic processing unit 10A. Thus, in the second embodiment, the substrate W and the rotating cup portion 31 can be driven independently of each other via a so-called dual-axis drive. However, during chamfering, the arithmetic processing unit 10A synchronously controls the rotation drive units 23A and 23B, thereby causing both the rotating cup portion 31 and the substrate W to rotate in the same direction and synchronously, as in the first embodiment.

[0157] Furthermore, the other structures are basically the same as in the first embodiment, and structural descriptions are omitted by using the same symbols.

[0158] Figure 27 It means by Figure 25 The flowchart shown illustrates a chamfering process performed by the substrate processing apparatus as an example of substrate processing operations. Additionally, Figures 28A-28D This is a schematic diagram showing the various parts of the device used in the chamfering process. In the second embodiment, following the differences mentioned above (A), except that the lifting of the lower sealed cup component 61 is replaced by the lifting of the beam component 49, the chamfering process is performed in essentially the same way as in the first embodiment. That is, the arithmetic processing unit 10A raises the nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate component 42 as a whole via the lifting drive units 71 and 72. During the ascent of the beam component 49, the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the circular plate component 42 engages with the upper ring portion 332 of the upper cup 33. Afterward, the upper cup 33 rises together with the nozzle head 56, beam component 49, support component 43, and circular plate component 42 and is positioned in the retracted position. As a result, a transport space SPt is formed above the rotary chuck 21, which is sufficient for the robotic arm RH of the substrate transport robot 111 to enter. Moreover, when it is confirmed that the formation of the transport space SPt is complete, the arithmetic processing unit 10A, via the communication unit 10F, instructs the substrate transport robot 111 to execute a loading request for the substrate W, such as... Figure 28A As shown, the unprocessed substrate W is moved into the substrate processing apparatus 1, awaiting placement on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21. Then, the substrate W is placed on the rotary chuck 21 (step S21). Furthermore, at this moment, the pump 26 stops, and the substrate W can move horizontally on the upper surface of the rotary chuck 21.

[0159] When the substrate W is loaded, the substrate transport robot 111 retracts from the substrate handling device 1. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 82 to make the three contact parts 81 ( Figure 28B (Only two are shown in the diagram) The substrate W is brought close together. As a result, the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotary chuck 21 is eliminated, and the center of the substrate W aligns with the center of the rotary chuck 21 (step S22). When this centering process is completed, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 82 to separate the three abutting members 81 from the substrate W, and activates the pump 26 to apply negative pressure to the rotary chuck 21. As a result, the rotary chuck 21 holds the substrate W from below.

[0160] Then, the processing unit 10A issues a descent command to the lifting drive units 71 and 72. Correspondingly, the lifting drive units 71 and 72 cause the nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 43, and circular plate portion 42 to descend as a single unit. During this descent, the upper cup 33, supported from below by the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the circular plate portion 42, is connected to the lower cup 32. Thus, the rotating cup portion 31 is formed.

[0161] After the rotating cup portion 31 is formed, the nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 43, and circular plate portion 42 are further lowered as a single unit, and the circular plate portion 42 is positioned at a lower limit position. At this lower limit position, the circular plate portion 42 is separated from the upper surface Wf of the substrate W by a predetermined distance, for example, 2 mm. In addition, the upper surface nozzle 51F is positioned so that the outlet 511 is facing the periphery of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W within the cutout portion 44 of the circular plate portion 42. When the preparation for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W is completed in this way, the arithmetic processing unit 10A applies a rotation command to the rotation drive units 23A and 23B to start maintaining the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and rotating cup portion 31 of the substrate W (step S24). The rotation speed of the substrate W and rotating cup portion 31 is set, for example, to 1800 rpm. In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 10A drives the control heater drive unit 422 to heat the heater 421 to a predetermined temperature, for example, 185°C.

[0162] Then, the processing unit 10A issues a nitrogen supply command to the nitrogen supply unit 47. Thus, as... Figure 28C As indicated by arrow F1, nitrogen supply begins from the nitrogen supply section 47 toward the central nozzle 45 (step S25). The nitrogen is heated by the belt heater 48 while passing through the piping 46, and after reaching a desired temperature (e.g., 100°C), it is discharged from the central nozzle 45 toward the space between the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42. Thus, the entire upper surface Wf of the substrate W is heated. Additionally, the substrate W is also heated by the heater 421. Therefore, over time, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W rises to a temperature suitable for chamfering, such as 90°C. Furthermore, the temperature outside the peripheral portion Ws also rises to a substantially uniform temperature. That is, in this embodiment, the in-plane temperature of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is approximately uniform. Therefore, warping of the substrate W can be effectively suppressed.

[0163] Next, the processing unit 10A controls the processing liquid supply unit 52 to supply processing liquid to the upper surface nozzle 51F and the lower surface nozzle 51B (arrows F2 and F3 in the figure). That is, the processing liquid is ejected from the upper surface nozzle 51F in a manner that impacts the upper peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the processing liquid is ejected from the lower surface nozzle 51B in a manner that impacts the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W. As a result, chamfering processing of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W is performed (step S26). Then, when the processing unit 10A detects the processing time required for the chamfering processing of the substrate W, it issues a supply stop command to the processing liquid supply unit 52 to stop the ejection of processing liquid.

[0164] Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10A applies a supply stop command to the nitrogen supply unit 47, stopping the supply of nitrogen from the nitrogen supply unit 47 to the central nozzle 45 (step S27). In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 10A applies a rotation stop command to the rotation drive units 23A and 23B, stopping the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup unit 31 (step S28).

[0165] In the next step S29, the processing unit 10A observes the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W and checks the chamfering structure. The processing unit 10A positions the upper cup 33 in the retracted position, forming a transport space SPt, similar to the loading of the substrate W. Then, the processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 92 to bring the observation head 91 close to the substrate W. After capturing an image of the peripheral portion Ws through the observation head 91, the processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 92 to retract the observation head 91 from the substrate W. In parallel, the processing unit 10A checks whether the chamfering process has been performed correctly based on the captured image of the peripheral portion Ws (step S29).

[0166] After inspection, the arithmetic processing unit 10A, via the communication unit 10F, instructs the substrate transfer robot 111 to execute the unloading request for the substrate W, and removes the processed substrate W from the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S30). Furthermore, this series of processes is repeated.

[0167] As stated above, according to the second embodiment, due to the above-mentioned differences (A), the above-mentioned effects A to C are not obtained. In addition, due to the above-mentioned differences (B), the above-mentioned effect F is not obtained, but other effects are obtained in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0168] In the above embodiments, the rotating chuck 21 corresponds to an example of the "substrate holding part" of the present invention. The space Spa corresponds to the "space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate" of the present invention, and the central nozzle 45 corresponds to an example of the "gas discharge nozzle" of the present invention. The airflow velocity at the peripheral portion Ws corresponds to the "gas flow velocity towards the discharge space" of the present invention. A velocity greater than zero indicates that the gas flows towards the discharge space; conversely, a velocity less than zero, i.e., negative, indicates that the gas returns to the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate. Furthermore, as the minimum value required to make this velocity greater than zero, in Figure 22 The reading is approximately 57 L / min. Piping 46 and the belt heater 48 correspond to examples of the "piping" and "first heating section" of the present invention, respectively. Heater 421 corresponds to an example of the "second heating section" of the present invention. The rotating cup section 31 corresponds to an example of the "cup section" of the present invention. The proportion of the cutout portion 44 of the upper surface nozzle 51F with fittings corresponds to an example of the "occupancy proportion" of the present invention. The nitrogen supply section 47 corresponds to an example of the "gas supply section" of the present invention.

[0169] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the above examples without departing from its spirit. For example, in the above embodiments, three kinds of processing liquids are used to perform chamfering treatment on the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W, but the types of processing liquids are not limited to these.

[0170] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 that uses a rotating cup portion 31 with a so-called segmented structure to capture droplets by connecting the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32, which are separable from each other, to each other during processing. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that captures droplets using a rotating cup portion formed by pre-integrating the upper cup and the lower cup.

[0171] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having a rotating cup portion 31 and a fixed cup portion 34 in the scatter prevention mechanism 3, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus configured to capture droplets from a substrate W using a cup portion, wherein the cup portion is fixedly configured such that the scatter prevention mechanism 3 surrounds the outer periphery of the substrate W held in the rotating chuck 21.

[0172] The invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, but this description is not intended to be limited in meaning. Referring to the description of the invention, as with other embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will understand various modifications of the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, additional technical solutions include these modifications or embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0173] This invention enables all substrate processing techniques for supplying processing solutions to a substrate for processing.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, have: The substrate holding part is configured to be able to hold the substrate from below while rotating about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. A rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion; A processing mechanism supplies processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate held in the substrate holding portion to process the substrate. The upper surface protection heating mechanism heats the upper surface of the substrate while protecting it by covering the upper surface of the substrate with a shielding plate disposed at a predetermined interval from the upper surface of the substrate held in the substrate holding portion. The spillage prevention mechanism surrounds the outer periphery of the rotating substrate and, after capturing the processing liquid that spills from the substrate as the substrate holding part rotates, discharges it through the discharge space. as well as The control unit controls the aforementioned upper surface protection heating mechanism. The aforementioned upper surface protection heating mechanism includes a gas supply section that supplies gas to a gas discharge nozzle disposed on the shielding plate, thereby discharging the gas into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate, forming a gas flow from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward direction. The control unit controls the gas supply unit to ensure that the gas flow rate from the periphery of the substrate to the discharge space is greater than zero. The aforementioned scattering prevention mechanism includes an exhaust section for venting the aforementioned exhaust space. The control unit controls the gas supply unit so that the gas flow rate discharged from the gas discharge nozzle into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate is at least the minimum value required to make the gas flow velocity from the periphery of the substrate into the discharge space greater than zero, and is less than 0.3 times the exhaust flow rate of the exhaust space.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit controls the gas supply unit so that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the gas discharge nozzle is less than or equal to the exhaust flow rate of the gas discharged from the discharge space.

3. A substrate processing method, characterized in that, The following processes are executed in parallel: (a) While rotating the substrate about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, a processing liquid is supplied to the periphery of the substrate to process the substrate. (b) The upper surface of the substrate is protected by covering it with a shielding plate arranged at predetermined intervals from the upper surface of the substrate, and the upper surface of the substrate is heated; and (c) While surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating substrate, the processing liquid that is scattered from the substrate as it rotates is captured and discharged through the discharge space. The above process (b) has the following steps: (b-1) By discharging gas from a gas discharge nozzle provided on the shielding plate into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate, a gas flow is formed within the space from the center of the substrate toward the radially outward direction; and (b-2) The discharge flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas discharge nozzle is controlled in such a way that the flow velocity of the gas from the periphery of the substrate to the discharge space is greater than zero. The discharge flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas discharge nozzle into the space sandwiched between the substrate and the shielding plate is at least the minimum value required to make the flow velocity of the gas at the periphery of the substrate into the discharge space greater than zero, and is less than 0.3 times the discharge flow rate of the gas discharged from the discharge space.

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