Slit nozzle and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a slit nozzle and a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress the generation or amount of a processing liquid mark of a front end portion of a slit nozzle when a doctor blade is relatively moved while abutting against the front end portion of the slit nozzle to which the processing liquid is attached. The present invention has a surface treatment region in which the surface of the front end portion of the slit nozzle is subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment. The surface treatment region overlaps with an abutting locus traced by the upper end of the doctor blade due to the relative movement of the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle. More specifically, the lower end of the surface treatment region coincides with the abutting locus, or is located lower than the abutting locus, and the upper end is located higher than the abutting locus. Therefore, by the liquid-repellent effect, the processing liquid does not remain along the abutting locus, or even if it remains, the amount of the processing liquid is greatly reduced compared to the past.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a slit nozzle that ejects a treatment liquid from a slit-shaped ejection port, and a technique of scraping the treatment liquid from a front end portion of the slit nozzle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to supply a treatment liquid such as a resist liquid to a substrate, generally, a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 is used. Here, as the substrate, there are included a semiconductor package substrate manufactured in a manufacturing form such as Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) or Panel Level Packaging (PLP), a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display devices or a substrate for flat panel displays (FPD) such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, a substrate for optical disks, a substrate for magnetic disks, a substrate for optical magnetic disks, a glass substrate for photomasks, a substrate for solar cells, and the like.

[0003] In the slit nozzle, the treatment liquid sometimes adheres to the front end portion of the slit nozzle. If the adhering matter dries and hardens to fall onto the substrate, the substrate can be contaminated. Therefore, in the device described in Patent Document 1, before the treatment liquid is supplied from the slit nozzle to the substrate, the treatment liquid adhering to the side surface of the front end portion of the slit nozzle is scraped by a doctor blade.

[0004] The scraping treatment by the doctor blade is a treatment of relatively moving the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle in a state where the doctor blade abuts against the front end portion of the slit nozzle from the lower side. After the scraping treatment is performed, on the front end portion of the slit nozzle, a treatment liquid mark remains in the track of the doctor blade. For example, when a resist liquid is used as the treatment liquid, a resist mark remains. The resist mark accumulates each time the scraping by the doctor blade is performed. In the substrate processing device described in Patent Document 1, the resist mark is removed by applying ultrasonic vibration to the front end portion in a state where the front end portion of the slit nozzle is dipped in a cleaning liquid (ultrasonic cleaning treatment) at regular intervals.

[0005] [Related Art Documents]

[0006] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-37092 SUMMARY

[0008] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0009] Here, the generation of resist marks due to the scraping action is suppressed, whereby the frequency of ultrasonic cleaning processing can be reduced. However, in the past, no effective means for reducing the generation or amount of resist marks has been provided, and there is room for improvement.

[0010] The present application was made in view of the above-described problem, and aims to provide a slit nozzle and a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress the generation or amount of processing liquid marks of a front end portion of a slit nozzle while relatively moving a doctor blade in contact with the front end portion of the slit nozzle to which a processing liquid is attached.

[0011] [Technical means for solving the problem]

[0012] The first aspect of the present application is a slit nozzle having a front end portion in which a slit-shaped discharge port for discharging a processing liquid downward is provided in an extended manner, and scraping the processing liquid from the front end portion with a doctor blade that is relatively moved in contact with the front end portion in a direction in which the discharge port is provided in an extended manner after the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port, characterized in that the front end portion has a surface treatment region in which a liquid repellent treatment is performed, a lower end of the surface treatment region coincides with, or is located lower than, a contact trajectory traced by an upper end of the doctor blade due to the relative movement of the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle, and an upper end of the surface treatment region is located higher than the contact trajectory.

[0013] In addition, the second aspect of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus characterized by including: a slit nozzle having a front end portion in which a slit-shaped discharge port for discharging a processing liquid downward is provided in an extended manner; a doctor blade that comes into contact with the front end portion of the slit nozzle; and a moving mechanism that relatively moves the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle in a direction in which the discharge port is provided in an extended manner while the doctor blade is in contact with the front end portion, the front end portion having a surface treatment region in which a liquid repellent treatment is performed, a lower end of the surface treatment region coincides with, or is located lower than, a contact trajectory traced by an upper end of the doctor blade due to the relative movement of the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle, and an upper end of the surface treatment region is located higher than the contact trajectory.

[0014] In the thus-configured application, the surface treatment region is provided in a manner overlapping the contact trajectory traced by the upper end of the doctor blade due to the relative movement of the doctor blade with respect to the slit nozzle. The surface treatment region is a region in which a liquid repellent treatment is performed on the front end portion of the slit nozzle. The lower end of the surface treatment region coincides with, or is located lower than, the contact trajectory, and the upper end is located higher than the contact trajectory. Therefore, due to the liquid repellent action, the processing liquid does not remain along the contact trajectory, or even if it remains, the amount of the processing liquid is greatly reduced compared to the past.

[0015] [Effects of the application]

[0016] As described above, according to the present application, when the doctor blade is relatively moved while abutting against the tip end portion of the slit nozzle to which the processing liquid is adhered, generation or amount of the processing liquid mark of the tip end portion can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a slit nozzle of the first embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 2 is a side view schematically showing Figure 1 the substrate processing apparatus shown in

[0019] Figure 3 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of each part of the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 1

[0020] Figure 4 is a view schematically showing the structure of a cleaning unit that performs nozzle cleaning by a wiping action.

[0021] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the first embodiment of the slit nozzle of the present application.

[0022] Figure 6 is a view schematically showing an example of a wiping action performed on the slit nozzle shown in Figure 5

[0023] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the second embodiment of the slit nozzle of the present application.

[0024] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0025] 1: Substrate processing apparatus (coating apparatus)

[0026] 2: Slit nozzle

[0027] 3: Substrate

[0028] 4: Stage

[0029] 5: Coating processing section

[0030] 6: Nozzle maintenance unit

[0031] 7: Cleaning unit

[0032] 8: Cleaning unit (cleaning section)

[0033] 21: Tip end portion (of the slit nozzle)

[0034] 22: Nozzle body portion

[0035] 23: Discharge port ​​

[0036] 31: surface

[0037] 41: holding surface

[0038] 51: nozzle support

[0039] 51a: support member

[0040] 51b: lifting mechanism

[0041] 52: guide rail

[0042] 53: slit nozzle moving section

[0043] 54: linear motor

[0044] 54a: stator

[0045] 54b: mover

[0046] 55: linear encoder

[0047] 55a: scale section

[0048] 55b: detection section

[0049] 71: adherent removing section

[0050] 72: nozzle cleaning moving section (moving mechanism)

[0051] 73: recovery section

[0052] 74: discharge section

[0053] 81: cleaning tank

[0054] 100: control section

[0055] 211: tip surface

[0056] 212, 212a, 212b: labial surface

[0057] 510: mounting site

[0058] 711: applicator

[0059] 712: doctor blade

[0060] 712a: V-shaped groove

[0061] 712b, 712c: inner surface

[0062] 712d, 712e: upper end

[0063] 713: support member

[0064] 741: receiving member

[0065] 742: pipe

[0066] BA: lower exposed area

[0067] CAn: nozzle side abutting area

[0068] CAs: squeegee side abutting area

[0069] CT: abutting track

[0070] DE: lower end (of surface treatment area)

[0071] L: treatment liquid

[0072] MR: moving range

[0073] P0, P1, P2: position

[0074] Pa: height position (position)

[0075] RA: nozzle adjustment area

[0076] RT: coating area

[0077] SA: surface treatment area

[0078] UA: lip upper area

[0079] X: direction

[0080] Y: extending arrangement direction (moving direction, arrow direction, direction)

[0081] Z: up-and-down direction (direction)

[0082] θn, θs: contact angle DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a slit nozzle of the first embodiment of the present application. In addition, Figure 2 is a side view schematically showing Figure 1 the substrate processing apparatus. Furthermore, Figure 3 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of each part of the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 1 . Moreover, in each of the drawings from Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and hereafter, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is appropriately labeled with the Z direction as the up-and-down direction and the XY plane as the horizontal plane in order to make clear the directional relationship thereof, and the size or amount of each part is exaggerated or simplified as necessary. In addition, in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the structure of a part of the nozzle support body or the like is omitted.

[0084] The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a coating apparatus called a slit coater that coats a processing liquid on a surface 31 of a substrate 3, for example, using a slit nozzle 2. The processing liquid is a color resist liquid containing a pigment or the like. In addition, the substrate 3 is a glass substrate having a rectangular shape in plan view. Furthermore, in the present specification, the "surface 31 of the substrate 3" refers to a major surface of the substrate 3 on which the processing liquid is coated, among two major surfaces of the substrate 3.

[0085] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a stage 4 that can adsorb and hold the substrate 3 in a horizontal posture, a coating processing section 5 that performs a coating process, which is an example of substrate processing, on the substrate 3 held by the stage 4 using the slit nozzle 2, a nozzle maintenance unit 6 that performs a maintenance process on the nozzle 2, and a control section 100 that controls these sections.

[0086] The stage 4 includes a stone such as granite having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a holding surface 41 that holds the substrate 3 in a substantially horizontal flat surface processed on the (+X) direction side of the upper surface (+Z side). On the holding surface 41, a plurality of vacuum adsorption ports (not shown) are dispersedly formed. The substrate 3 is adsorbed by these vacuum adsorption ports, and thus the substrate 3 is held horizontally at a prescribed position at the time of the coating process. Furthermore, the holding form of the substrate 3 is not limited thereto, and for example, the substrate 3 can be held mechanically. In addition, in the stage 4, a nozzle adjustment region RA in which the nozzle maintenance unit 6 is disposed is provided on the (-X) direction side of a region occupied by the holding surface 41.

[0087] The slit nozzle 2 is provided extending in the Y direction. In addition, in the XZ cross section, the tip end portion 21 (sometimes referred to as a lip portion) has a shape in which the tip end is tapered downward. Furthermore, a slit-shaped nozzle outlet 23 is provided extending in the Y direction in the tip end portion 21, and the processing liquid pressurized from a processing liquid supply mechanism (not shown) is ejected downward from the nozzle outlet 23. Thus, the processing liquid is supplied to the surface 31 of the substrate 3, and the processing liquid is coated on the surface 31 of the substrate 3.

[0088] The coating processing unit 5 has a nozzle support 51 that supports the slit nozzle 2. The nozzle support 51 includes a support member 51a extending parallel to the Y direction above the stage 4; and two lifting mechanisms 51b that support the support member 51a from both sides in the Y direction, causing the support member 51a to rise and fall. The support member 51a is a rod member containing carbon fiber reinforced resin or the like and having a rectangular cross-section. The lower surface of the support member 51a forms the mounting portion 510 of the slit nozzle 2, and the support member 51a supports the slit nozzle 2 in a detachable manner at the mounting portion 510. Furthermore, various fastening mechanisms such as latches or screws can be suitable as mechanisms for attaching and detaching the slit nozzle 2 relative to the mounting portion 510 of the support member 51a.

[0089] Two lifting mechanisms 51b are connected to the two ends of the long side of the support member 51a, and each has an alternating current (AC) servo motor and a ball screw, etc. Through these lifting mechanisms 51b, the support member 51a and the slit nozzle 2 fixed to the support member 51a move up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the distance between the nozzle outlet 23 at the lower end of the slit nozzle 2 and the substrate 3, that is, the relative height of the nozzle outlet 23 relative to the substrate 3, is adjusted. In addition, the vertical position of the support member 51a can be detected, for example, by a linear encoder. Although the linear encoder is not shown in the figure, it includes: a scale part provided on the side of the lifting mechanism 51b; and a detection sensor provided on the side of the slit nozzle 2 facing the scale part.

[0090] like Figure 1 As shown, the nozzle support 51 configured in this way has a bridging structure that spans the holding surface 41 and is mounted on the left and right ends of the stage 4 along the Y direction. The coating processing unit 5 has a slit nozzle moving part 53 that moves the nozzle support 51 along the X direction. The slit nozzle moving part 53 functions as a relative moving member that moves the nozzle support 51, which is the bridging structure, and the slit nozzle 2 supported on the nozzle support 51 relative to the substrate 3 held on the stage 4 along the X direction. Specifically, the slit nozzle moving part 53 has, on the ±Y side, a guide rail 52 that guides the movement of the slit nozzle 2 along the X direction, a linear motor 54 that serves as a drive source, and a linear encoder 55 for detecting the position of the nozzle outlet 23 of the slit nozzle 2.

[0091] Two guide rails 52 are provided at both ends of the stage 4 in the Y direction and extend in the X direction so as to include the nozzle adjustment region RA and the section in which the holding surface 41 is provided. Further, the two guide rails 52 guide the movement of the two lift mechanisms 51b in the X direction, respectively. In addition, two linear motors 54 are provided on both sides of the stage 4 and are AC coreless linear motors each having a stator 54a and a rotor 54b. The stator 54a is provided along the X direction on the side of the stage 4 in the Y direction. On the other hand, the rotor 54b is fixed to the outer side of the lift mechanism 51b. The two linear motors 54 drive the two lift mechanisms 51b in the X direction by magnetic force generated between the stators 54a and the rotors 54b, respectively.

[0092] In addition, each linear encoder 55 has a scale portion 55a and a detection portion 55b. The scale portion 55a is provided along the X direction on the lower portion of the stator 54a of the linear motor 54 fixed to the stage 4. On the other hand, the detection portion 55b is provided further outward of the rotor 54b of the linear motor 54 fixed to the lift mechanism 51b and is arranged so as to face the scale portion 55a. The linear encoder 55 detects the position of the ejection port 23 of the slit nozzle 2 in the X direction based on the relative positional relationship between the scale portion 55a and the detection portion 55b.

[0093] The slit nozzle moving section 53 thus configured moves the slit nozzle 2 between the upper side of the nozzle adjustment region RA and the upper side of the substrate 3 held on the stage 4 by driving the nozzle support body 51 in the X direction. Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 relatively moves the slit nozzle 2 with respect to the substrate 3 while ejecting the processing liquid from the ejection port 23 of the slit nozzle 2, thereby forming a coating layer on the surface 31 of the substrate 3. In addition, a region of a prescribed width from the end portion of each side of the substrate 3 (a frame-like region) is a non-coating region which is not a target of coating of the processing liquid. Therefore, a rectangular region of the substrate 3 other than the non-coating region is a coating region RT in which the processing liquid is to be coated (see FIG. 2). Figure 3 Therefore, the processing liquid is ejected from the ejection port 23 which moves in the upper side section of the coating region RT of the substrate 3 in the moving section of the slit nozzle 2.

[0094] In addition, during the period in which the substrate 3 is exchanged between the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the external transfer mechanism (during the period in which the substrate 3 is carried in and out) and the like, the period in which the coating processing is not performed on the stage 4, the slit nozzle 2 is retracted to the nozzle adjustment region RA on the -X direction side from the holding surface 41 of the substrate 3 (to the state shown in FIG. 6). Figure 1 Further, the nozzle maintenance unit 6 performs various kinds of maintenance on the slit nozzle 2 positioned in the nozzle adjustment region RA.

[0095] AsFigure 2 As shown, the nozzle maintenance unit 6 is provided in a nozzle adjustment region RA on the (-X) direction side (right-hand side in the figure) of the region occupied by the holding surface 41, and has a function of performing nozzle cleaning of the slit nozzle 2 to remove adherents adhering to the slit nozzle 2. Here, as the adherents to be removed, various substances that can adhere to the slit nozzle 2 can be listed. For example, the adherents include the processing liquid itself and a solidified material after drying and solidification of the solute of the processing liquid, and the like.

[0096] The nozzle maintenance unit 6 includes two kinds of cleaning units 7, 8. In the cleaning unit 7, a doctor blade is moved along the outer surface of the front end portion 21 (lip portion) of the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction while abutting against the outer surface. Thereby, the doctor blade scrapes and removes the processing liquid or the like adhering to the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 (scraping action). The removed processing liquid is recovered together with the rinse liquid to a recovery portion provided in the cleaning unit 7.

[0097] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the cleaning unit that performs nozzle cleaning by the scraping action. The cleaning unit 7 includes an adherent removing portion 71, a nozzle cleaning moving portion 72, and a recovery portion 73.

[0098] As shown in the figure, the adherent removing portion 71 has both of the nozzle cleaning members, a wiper 711 and a doctor blade 712, and a support member 713 that supports the wiper 711 and the doctor blade 712 in a state facing the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2. Among these, the wiper 711 has a function of spreading the processing liquid that is slightly ejected from the slit nozzle 2 and adheres to the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 on the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2, and the doctor blade 712 has a function of removing the processing liquid from the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 on the downstream side in the moving direction Y of the wiper 711. Thereby, the adherents (processing liquid) of the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 can be removed. That is, in the case where the adherents such as the processing liquid after drying and solidification adhere to the inclined surface of the front end portion 21, the processing liquid spread by the wiper 711 dissolves the adherents to some extent, and the processing liquid including the dissolved matter (adherents) is removed by the doctor blade 712. Thus, in the present embodiment, the doctor blade 712 has a function of removing the processing liquid adhering to the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2.

[0099] The nozzle cleaning moving portion 72 is connected to the support member 713. The nozzle cleaning moving portion 72 reciprocally moves the support member 713 in the extension direction Y of the nozzle outlet 23 in accordance with a moving instruction from the control portion 100. Thereby, the wiper 711 and the doctor blade 712 are moved in the extension direction Y of the nozzle outlet 23. Figure 4The moving part 71 reciprocates along the X direction within the indicated range MR. This range MR is located below the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 and has a dimension slightly wider than the Y-direction dimension of the front end portion 21. When the deposit removal part 71 moves from the (+Y) direction side to the (-Y) direction side via the nozzle cleaning moving part 72, the slit nozzle 2 is located at the cleaning position of the cleaning unit 7, as shown by the dashed line in this figure. That is, with the scraper 712 abutting against the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2, the deposit removal part 71 moves from the (+Y) direction side to the (-Y) direction side. This performs cleaning treatment on the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2. On the other hand, when the cleaning treatment is completed and the slit nozzle 2 has moved away from the cleaning position of the cleaning unit 7, the deposit removal part 71 moves from the (-Y) direction side to the (+Y) direction side. Thus, the nozzle cleaning moving part 72 functions as the "moving mechanism" of the present invention.

[0100] The treatment fluid or rinsing fluid removed from the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2 by the cleaning process (hereinafter, they are suitable to be collectively referred to as "removed treatment fluid") flows downward through the deposit removal section 71. In this embodiment, a recovery section 73 is provided for the recovery of the treatment fluid. The recovery section 73 includes a box-shaped structure with an upward opening. Thus, the removed treatment fluid falling through the deposit removal section 71 is recovered by the recovery section 73.

[0101] A discharge section 74 is disposed vertically below the (-Y) direction portion of the recovery section 73 and on the (+X) direction side of the movement range MR. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the discharge section 74 has a box-shaped receiving member 741 that opens toward the recovery section 73 in the cleaning standby state, and a pipe 742 that extends from the bottom surface of the receiving member 741 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the discharge section 74, the receiving member 741 receives the coating liquid discharged from the recovery section 73 and discharges it through the pipe 742 to a liquid discharge treatment device (not shown) provided outside the apparatus.

[0102] Thus, the processing liquid is removed from the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2 using a scraper 712. However, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the coating process is performed after the pre-coating treatment, which includes the scraping action. Furthermore, when a new substrate 3 is held on the stage 4 in place of the coated substrate 3, the pre-coating treatment and coating process are performed according to instructions from the control unit 100. The scraping action is repeated in this way, accumulating processing liquid residue. Therefore, a separate cleaning unit 8 is provided.

[0103] Another cleaning unit 8 is a device for removing the remaining deposits, i.e., the accumulated trace of the processing liquid, from the slit nozzle 2 that cannot be completely removed by the cleaning unit 7 using the cleaning liquid and ultrasonic vibration. In the cleaning unit 8, the cleaning liquid for cleaning the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 is stored in a cleaning tank 81. Also, when the cumulative number of the scraping actions reaches a certain value, the repetitive operation is temporarily interrupted, and the ultrasonic cleaning process is performed on the slit nozzle 2. That is, in a state where the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 is immersed in the cleaning tank 81, ultrasonic vibration is applied to the front end portion 21 via the cleaning liquid, thereby removing the trace of the processing liquid.

[0104] The ultrasonic cleaning process becomes one of the main causes of the degradation of the takt of the substrate processing device 1. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the frequency of the ultrasonic cleaning process. The frequency varies depending on the accumulation state of the trace of the processing liquid. Therefore, suppressing the generation or amount of the trace of the processing liquid due to the scraping action by the doctor blade 712 is effective in reducing the frequency. Therefore, the present inventors verified the behavior of the remaining processing liquid in the slit nozzle 2 of the scraping action, and found that it is beneficial for the suppression of the trace of the processing liquid to provide a surface treatment region subjected to the liquid-repellent treatment on the surface of the front end portion of the slit nozzle in a manner so as to overlap with the abutment locus (symbol CT described later Figure 5 Figure 5 Figure 6 The verification content by the present inventors and the surface treatment of the slit nozzle 2 based on the verification are described in detail below.

[0105] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the slit nozzle of the present application. Figure 6 is a view schematically showing an example of the scraping action by the doctor blade on the slit nozzle shown in Figure 5 The slit nozzle 2 of the present embodiment is substantially the same as the nozzle known in the art except that the contact angle condition is satisfied by subjecting a part of the front end portion 21 to the liquid-repellent treatment. Further, in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the dimensions of the slit nozzle 2 and the doctor blade 712 are not shown as they are in order to make the contact state of the surface treatment region subjected to the liquid-repellent treatment with the doctor blade 712 clear. In addition, the region subjected to the liquid-repellent treatment is labeled with points for reference in Figure 5

[0106] The slit nozzle 2 is configured by combining a pair of nozzle base materials processed from stainless steel. In each nozzle base material, the front end portion 21 is integrally formed with a nozzle body portion 22 extending upward, i.e., in the (+Z) direction from the front end portion 21. As shown in​​​Figure 6 As shown, the front end portion 21 has a convex shape that tapers at the front end when viewed from the side in the Y direction, which is its length direction. It has a front end surface 211 disposed at its front end (lower end), a lip surface 212a formed on the (+X) side of the front end surface 211, and a lip surface 212b formed on the (-X) side. In the following description, the lip surface 212a and the lip surface 212b will not be distinguished and will be simply referred to as the lip surface 212.

[0107] like Figure 5 As shown, a nozzle outlet 23, which is an elongated slit-shaped opening extending in the Y direction, is provided on the front end face 211. Furthermore, the nozzle body 22 is positioned such that the nozzle outlet 23 faces downwards by the nozzle support 51. Figure 1 Fixed support. Therefore, when the processing fluid L is pressurized to the slit nozzle 2 from the processing fluid supply mechanism (not shown in the figure), the fluid is delivered to the nozzle outlet 23 through the internal flow path formed inside the nozzle body 22, and ejected from the nozzle outlet 23 in the (-Z) direction. Simultaneously with the ejection of the processing fluid L from the nozzle outlet 23 of the slit nozzle 2... Figure 2 The slit nozzle 2 is moved in the X direction as shown, thereby performing a supply operation to the substrate 3. As a result, a processing liquid L is coated onto the surface 31 of the substrate 3. At this time, the processing liquid L sometimes adheres to the area around the outlet 23 of the slit nozzle 2, i.e., the front end 21. The adhered processing liquid L dries and becomes residue; if left untreated, it can hinder proper spraying or contaminate the film of processing liquid L formed on the substrate 3.

[0108] Therefore, a scraper 712 is provided as described above. The scraper 712 includes an elastomer such as fluorinated rubber. A V-groove 712a, which is approximately V-shaped, is formed at the upper end of the scraper 712. The V-groove 712a has a shape corresponding to the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2, and includes an inner side surface 712b having an inclination corresponding to the lip side surface 212a, and an inner side surface 712c having an inclination corresponding to the lip side surface 212b. The scraper 712 is configured such that its upper end face is located at a height position Pa in the vertical direction Z. Moreover, when the slit nozzle 2 descends from above, as Figure 6 As shown, the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2 enters the V-groove 712a of the scraper 712. Furthermore, portions of the lip surfaces 212a and 212b abut against the inner surfaces 712b and 712c, respectively. The height positions of each part of the slit nozzle 2 at this time are as follows... Figure 5As shown. That is, in the vertical direction Z, the front end face 211 is located at position P0, the contact portion that abuts against the upper end of the scraper 712 is located at position Pa, and the lower and upper ends of the liquid-repellent treated area (the surface treatment area SA described in detail below) are located at positions P1 and P2, respectively. These positions P0, Pa, P1, and P2 have the following inequalities in the vertical direction Z.

[0109] P0 < P1 < Pa < P2

[0110] The relationship it represents.

[0111] With the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2 in contact with the scraper 712, the scraper 712 is moved along the Y direction, thereby scraping off the adhering material from the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2 (scraping action). At this time, the upper ends 712d and 712e of the scraper 712 respectively trace contact trajectories extending along the Y direction. Figure 5 The diagram only shows the contact trajectory CT on the (+X) direction side, i.e., the trajectory of the upper end 712d, but the same contact trajectory also exists on the (-X) direction side. In the prior art, processing liquid marks are generated along the contact trajectory CT at the front end 21 of the slit nozzle 2.

[0112] Therefore, in this embodiment, as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a hydrophobic treatment is applied to the surface of the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 in accordance with the contact trajectory CT, enabling the treatment liquid L to be hydrophobic on the surface of the front end portion 21. In this embodiment, the slit nozzle 2 is formed of stainless steel, but the following three areas on the surface of the slit nozzle 2 are treated with a silicon-based organic compound. That is, these three areas are... Figure 5 The dots are marked in the middle.

[0113] • The nozzle-side contact area CAn of the lip side surfaces 212a and 212b of the front end portion 21 that abuts against the scraper 712.

[0114] • The upper lip region UA, which is located above the nozzle-side contact region CAn in the lip side 212a and lip side 212b of the front end portion 21, and

[0115] • The exposed area BA below the nozzle body 22.

[0116] On the other hand, no special surface treatment was applied to the surface of the fluorinated rubber scraper 712.

[0117] Thus, a surface treatment region SA (= nozzle side abutment region CAn + lip upper region UA) in which the liquid repellent treatment is performed is formed in a region of the surface of the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 corresponding to the abutment locus CT. More specifically, the lower end DE of the surface treatment region SA is located lower than the abutment locus CT, and the upper end is located higher than the abutment locus CT, and when the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 and the upper end portion of the squeegee 712 are viewed from the side, the abutment locus CT overlaps the surface treatment region SA. Thus, by the liquid repellent effect, the treatment liquid does not remain along the abutment locus CT, or even if it does, the amount of the treatment liquid remaining is greatly reduced from the past.

[0118] In addition, even if the treatment liquid remains on the slit nozzle 2 side along the abutment locus CT, the treatment liquid is located in the surface treatment region SA. Thus, the treatment liquid remaining is less likely to stay at the height position Pa, and, as will be described later, is easily moved along the inclined surface of the front end portion 21 due to the influence of gravity. Thus, in most cases, the treatment liquid remaining on the abutment locus CT on the slit nozzle 2 side after the squeegee treatment is easily moved downward along the surface of the front end portion 21 of the front end thinning shape, and adheres to a position lower than the abutment locus CT. Thus, by the squeegee treatment next time, the treatment liquid is reliably removed from the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 by the squeegee 712. Thus, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in which the pre-coating treatment and the coating treatment including the squeegee treatment are repeatedly performed between the previous ultrasonic cleaning treatment and the next ultrasonic cleaning treatment, by performing the liquid repellent treatment, the treatment liquid not squeegeed by the squeegee treatment can be removed by the squeegee treatment next time.

[0119] Further, the effect of the surface treatment region SA being provided so as to overlap the abutment locus CT can also be described from the viewpoint of the contact angle. That is, in the present embodiment, the squeegee 712 abuts on the surface treatment region SA to perform the squeegee operation of the treatment liquid. Here, if the contact angle is investigated, as shown in the partial enlarged view of FIG. 9, the contact angle θn of the treatment liquid L with respect to the nozzle side abutment region CAn is larger than the contact angle θs of the treatment liquid L with respect to the squeegee side abutment region Cas in the surface of the squeegee 712 abutting on the front end portion 21 (contact angle condition). For example, the contact angle θn and the contact angle θs were measured when a colored resist liquid containing a black pigment was used as the treatment liquid L, and the results were 42.8° and 29.4°, respectively. In addition, when the liquid repellency is exerted by the surface treatment using a fluorosilicon compound instead of a silicon-based organic compound, the contact angle θn was measured when a colored resist liquid containing a black pigment was used as the treatment liquid L, and the result was 63.9°. Furthermore, for reference, the contact angle of the colored resist liquid with respect to stainless steel constituting the slit nozzle 2 was measured, and the result was 6.4°. Figure 6 Thus, a surface treatment region SA (= nozzle side abutment region CAn + lip upper region UA) in which the liquid repellent treatment is performed is formed in a region of the surface of the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 corresponding to the abutment locus CT. More specifically, the lower end DE of the surface treatment region SA is located lower than the abutment locus CT, and the upper end is located higher than the abutment locus CT, and when the front end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 and the upper end portion of the squeegee 712 are viewed from the side, the abutment locus CT overlaps the surface treatment region SA. Thus, by the liquid repellent effect, the treatment liquid does not remain along the abutment locus CT, or even if it does, the amount of the treatment liquid remaining is greatly reduced from the past.

[0120] As described above, according to the present embodiment, by satisfying the contact angle condition, the majority of the treatment liquid L moves to the squeegee 712 side. In more detail, as shown in a partial enlarged view of FIG. 7, as the squeegee 712 moves in the arrow direction Y, the movement destination of the treatment liquid L located between the squeegee 712 and the front end portion 21 is divided into the squeegee 712 and the front end portion 21. At this time, the contact angle θs on the squeegee side is small, and the wettability of the treatment liquid to the squeegee 712 is good. As a result, the treatment liquid flowing to the squeegee 712 side increases, and the treatment liquid does not remain on the abutment locus CT, or even if it remains, the amount of the treatment liquid is significantly reduced from the past. Figure 6

[0121] Thus, the generation or amount of the treatment liquid marks (resist marks in the case of using a color resist liquid as the treatment liquid) due to the squeegeeing operation can be suppressed. As a result, the frequency of the ultrasonic cleaning processing by the cleaning unit 8 can be reduced, and the tact time of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

[0122] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, the lower end DE of the surface treatment region SA is lower than the abutment locus CT, but as shown in FIG. 8, the lower end DE does not reach the nozzle outlet 23 and the vicinity thereof. That is, the surface treatment is not performed in the nozzle outlet 23 and the vicinity thereof, and the surface of the constituent material of the slit nozzle 2, that is, stainless steel, is exposed. That is, the nozzle outlet 23 and the vicinity thereof are maintained in a surface state suitable for the coating processing. The surface state is suitable for, for example, forming a liquid bead of the treatment liquid at the start of the coating processing. As a result, the coating processing can be smoothly performed. In order to achieve this effect, the distance from the front end face 211 to the lower end DE is desirably set to several millimeters or so, but the distance is desirably determined in correspondence with the kind of the treatment liquid. Figure 5 Figure 6 Further, the lower exposed region BA of the nozzle body portion 22 is also subjected to the surface treatment, and thus the treatment liquid splashing from the substrate 3 and adhering to the lower exposed region BA at the time of the coating processing can be suppressed.

[0123] In addition, the present application is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the described embodiments, the surface treatment region SA is provided in a manner that the upper end is continuous with the lower exposed region BA and the lower end DE is located lower than the abutment locus CT. The shape or range of the surface treatment region SA is not limited thereto, and for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the surface treatment region SA can be provided in a manner that the upper end is continuous with the lower exposed region BA and the lower end DE is located higher than the abutment locus CT.

[0124] In addition, the present application is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the described embodiments, the surface treatment region SA is provided in a manner that the upper end is continuous with the lower exposed region BA and the lower end DE is located lower than the abutment locus CT. The shape or range of the surface treatment region SA is not limited thereto, and for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the surface treatment region SA can be provided in a manner that the upper end is continuous with the lower exposed region BA and the lower end DE is located higher than the abutment locus CT. Figure 7 ​​As shown, the lower end DE can also coincide with the contact trajectory CT (second embodiment). In addition, although not shown, in the vertical direction Z, the upper end can also be positioned midway between the position PI and the position P2.

[0125] In addition, in the present embodiment, the lower exposed region BA is subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment, but this is not directly related to the reduction in the occurrence and amount of treatment liquid marks. Therefore, the liquid-repellent treatment can also be omitted.

[0126] In addition, in the present embodiment, the treatment liquid that is ejected in a small amount from the slit nozzle 2 is spread by the applicator 711 at the tip end portion 21, but sometimes the ejection of the treatment liquid is not required. For example, sometimes the tip end portion 21 of the slit nozzle 2 is wetted with a cleaning liquid or a rinse liquid or the like by a rinse liquid supply portion, ultrasonic cleaning, or a nozzle cleaner or the like. In this case, the cleaning liquid or the like that is spread by the applicator 711 in a state in which the treatment liquid is not ejected dissolves the adherent to some extent, and the treatment liquid containing the dissolved matter (adherent) is removed by the doctor blade 712.

[0127] In addition, in the present embodiment, the present application is applied to the substrate processing apparatus 1 in which the nozzle cleaning is performed by the adherent removing portion 71 having the applicator 711 and the doctor blade 712, but the present application can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having only the doctor blade 712.

[0128] In addition, in the present embodiment, the present application is applied to the substrate processing apparatus 1 in which the treatment liquid is supplied from the slit nozzle 2 in a state in which the substrate 3 is held by the stage 4, but the present application can also be applied to a floating conveyance type substrate processing apparatus in which the treatment liquid is supplied from the slit nozzle to the substrate while the substrate is floated and conveyed.

[0129] In addition, in the present embodiment, the adherent removing portion 71 including the doctor blade 712 is moved in the Y direction with respect to the slit nozzle 2, but the scraping action can also be performed by moving the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction. That is, the present application can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus in which the doctor blade 712 is relatively moved in the extension direction Y of the ejection port 23 with respect to the slit nozzle 2.

[0130] [Industrial applicability]

[0131] The present application can be applied to a slit nozzle that ejects a treatment liquid from a slit-shaped ejection port, and a substrate processing technology as a whole that scrapes the treatment liquid from the tip end portion of the slit nozzle.

Claims

1. A slit nozzle having: a front face provided so as to extend with a slit-like discharge port for discharging a treatment liquid toward below, and a front end portion provided with a lip side face extending from above the front face toward the front face, the treatment liquid being scraped from the front end portion with a squeegee relatively moved along the extending direction of the discharge port while abutting against the front end portion after the treatment liquid is discharged from the discharge port, characterized in that the lip side face has a surface-treated region subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment, a lower end of the surface-treated region is located at a position higher than the boundary between the front face and the lip side face and coincides with, or is located lower than, an abutment locus traced by an upper end of the squeegee on the lip side face by the relative movement of the squeegee with respect to the slit nozzle, and an upper end of the surface-treated region is located higher than the abutment locus.

2. The slit nozzle according to claim 1, comprising: a nozzle base material having the front end portion, the surface-treated region being a region in which a surface of the nozzle base material at least corresponding to a region abutting against the squeegee is surface-treated with a silicon-based organic compound or a fluorosilicon-based organic compound.

3. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a slit nozzle having a front face provided so as to extend with a slit-like discharge port for discharging a treatment liquid toward below, and a front end portion provided with a lip side face extending from above the front face toward the front face; a squeegee abutting against the lip side face; and a moving mechanism relatively moving the squeegee with respect to the slit nozzle along the extending direction of the discharge port while abutting the squeegee against the lip side face, the lip side face having a surface-treated region subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment, a lower end of the surface-treated region being located at a position higher than the boundary between the front face and the lip side face and coinciding with, or being located lower than, an abutment locus traced by an upper end of the squeegee on the lip side face by the relative movement of the squeegee with respect to the slit nozzle, and an upper end of the surface-treated region being located higher than the abutment locus.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the squeegee integrally contains a fluorine-containing rubber with respect to the squeegee as a whole, the slit nozzle has a nozzle base material having the front end portion, and a surface-treated region in which a surface of the nozzle base material at least corresponding to a region abutting against the squeegee is surface-treated with a silicon-based organic compound or a fluorosilicon-based organic compound.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a treatment liquid supply portion supplying the treatment liquid to the slit nozzle so that the treatment liquid is discharged from the discharge port; and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized by comprising: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A control section controls the treatment liquid supply section and the moving mechanism to repeatedly perform a scraping process in which the treatment liquid is scraped from the front end of the slit nozzle by relative movement of the doctor blade while the doctor blade is in contact with the front end of the slit nozzle from which the treatment liquid is being ejected.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, a cleaning section that cleans the front end, the control section controls the cleaning section to clean the front end after the scraping process is repeated a plurality of times.

Images