Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a chuck base which rotates together with a substrate in a state of supporting the substrate; a fluid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; a bowl assembly including a plurality of bowls that surround the chuck base and are arranged so as to overlap along the outside in the radial direction; a lifting unit for lifting the bowl assembly; and a baffle unit provided at the upper part of the outermost bowl constituting the bowl assembly and configured to adjust the radius of an airflow inflow hole through which the airflow flows to the substrate, the present invention can adjust the open area of the airflow flowing to the substrate by means of the baffle unit, so that the flow rate of the airflow flowing from the fan filter unit can be adjusted, and thus the flow rate of the airflow flowing from the fan filter unit can be adjusted. The situation that the quality of the substrate is reduced due to the fact that gaseous particles are adsorbed on the substrate can be prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device, and more particularly, to a substrate processing device which adjusts the flow rate of an airflow by adjusting the opening and closing rate of an upper portion of a substrate. Background Art

[0002] Substrate processing equipment refers to equipment that uses processing liquid to perform vapor deposition, development, etching, and cleaning on substrates such as semiconductor wafers, display substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, and solar cell substrates.

[0003] The cleaning process is used to remove foreign matter or particles on the substrate, and typically refers to a process of supplying a processing liquid to the surface or back of the substrate while rotating the substrate at high speed while being supported by a chuck base (rotating head).

[0004] like Figure 1 As shown, in general, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a fluid supply unit 30 , a bowl assembly 10 , a lifting unit 60 , and a substrate supporting device 20 provided with a chuck base 21 .

[0005] The fluid supply unit 30 is used to supply the substrate W with a processing liquid (chemical solution) or a gas required for processing the substrate.

[0006] Furthermore, the substrate support device 20 performs a function of rotating while supporting the substrate W during the process.

[0007] Furthermore, the bowl-shaped assembly 10 as a structural element for receiving can prevent the chemical solution used in the process and the fume generated during the process from splashing or flowing out to the outside. Since it constitutes a stacked structure, it is preferred that different chemical solutions and fumes flow into the substrate differently according to the flow path.

[0008] The lifting unit 60 enables the substrate supporting device 20 or the bowl-shaped member assembly 10 to move up and down, and is used to change the relative height between the bowl-shaped member assembly 10 and the substrate supporting device 20 in the bowl-shaped member assembly 10 .

[0009] On the other hand, the fluid supply unit 30, the bowl-shaped assembly 10, the lifting unit 60 and the substrate support device 20 including the chuck base 21 are accommodated in the chamber 80, and a fan filter unit (FFU) 81 is arranged at the upper part of the chamber 80. Therefore, after external air is supplied to the inside of the chamber 80, it can be discharged to the outside of the chamber 80 through the bowl-shaped assembly 10 and the exhaust component 40.

[0010] As described above, in the conventional method, when the fan filter unit 81 is operated, an airflow of a predetermined speed (constant speed) is formed toward the substrate W. As gaseous particles contained in the airflow are adsorbed on the substrate W, defects may occur in the substrate W.

[0011] That is, the gas flow contains a large amount of gaseous particles. If the gas flow becomes slow, the gas that cannot be exhausted may float above the substrate W and be adsorbed on the substrate again, thereby causing adverse effects on the quality level.

[0012] Prior art literature

[0013] Patent Literature

[0014] Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0071312 (June 11, 2014) Summary of the invention

[0015] In order to solve the above-mentioned prior art problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing device that can adjust the airflow rate by adjusting the upper opening and closing rate of the substrate, thereby preventing the problem of substrate quality reduction caused by adsorbed particles.

[0016] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the substrate processing device of the present invention includes: a chuck base, which rotates while supporting the substrate; a fluid supply unit, which is used to supply processing liquid to the above-mentioned substrate; a bowl-shaped member assembly, including a plurality of bowl-shaped members surrounding the above-mentioned chuck base and overlappingly arranged on the outside along the radial direction; a lifting unit, which is used to lift the above-mentioned bowl-shaped member assembly; and a baffle unit, which is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member constituting the above-mentioned bowl-shaped member assembly, and is used to adjust the radius of the air flow inlet hole for the air supply gas to flow to the substrate.

[0017] The baffle unit includes: an outer shell frame, which is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member; a baffle component, which is arranged between the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and the outer shell frame and can adjust the radius of the airflow inflow hole; and a baffle driving unit, which is connected to the baffle component and is used to apply force to adjust the radius of the airflow inflow hole.

[0018] The baffle member includes a plurality of baffle blades, which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the outermost bowl-shaped member, extend along the rotation direction of the substrate, and overlap continuously along the rotation direction.

[0019] A cleaning liquid supply portion is formed between the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and the outer shell frame for supplying cleaning liquid to the baffle blades.

[0020] The cleaning liquid supply portion is a cleaning liquid flow path extending along the peripheral direction and opening toward the center of the baffle member.

[0021] The barrier blades repeatedly perform folding and unfolding operations during the supply of the cleaning liquid by the cleaning liquid supply unit.

[0022] The baffle component includes: a plurality of baffle blades arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member to form a hinge motion centered on the hinge point of the outermost bowl-shaped member; and a blade running plate, one side of which is connected to the baffle driving portion and the other side of which is connected to the baffle blades in a relatively rotatable manner, with a hollow formed in the center.

[0023] The baffle component includes: a plurality of baffle blades, which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and can perform hinge motion around a hinge point formed in the outermost bowl-shaped member; and a blade operating plate, one side of which is connected to the baffle driving portion and the other side of which is connected to the baffle blade in a relatively rotatable manner, and a hollow is formed in the center. The blade operating plate is arranged between the outer shell frame and the outermost bowl-shaped member and faces the cleaning liquid flow path.

[0024] The present invention of the above structure has the following effects, namely, since the present invention includes: a chuck base, which rotates while supporting the substrate; a fluid supply unit, which is used to supply a processing liquid to the above substrate; a bowl-shaped member assembly, which includes a plurality of bowl-shaped members surrounding the above chuck base and overlappingly arranged on the outside along the radial direction; a lifting unit, which is used to lift the above bowl-shaped member assembly; and a baffle unit, which is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member constituting the above bowl-shaped member assembly, and is used to adjust the radius of the airflow inlet hole for supplying air to flow to the substrate. Therefore, as the open area of ​​the airflow to flow to the substrate is adjusted by the above baffle unit, the present invention can adjust the flow rate of the airflow flowing in from the fan filter unit, thereby preventing the quality of the substrate from being reduced due to the adsorption of gaseous particles on the substrate.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention can adjust the open area to make it narrower by the baffle unit, so when the processing liquid is supplied from the fluid supply unit to the rotating substrate, it can prevent the outside of the bowl-shaped component assembly from being contaminated due to the scattering of the processing liquid.

[0026] Furthermore, in the present invention, the baffle component includes a plurality of baffle blades, which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outermost bowl-shaped member, extend along the rotation direction of the substrate and continuously overlap along the rotation direction. Thus, when a rotating airflow is formed by the rotation of the substrate, the descending air can be introduced along the extension direction of the baffle blades and flow smoothly toward the substrate through the airflow inlet hole.

[0027] Furthermore, since the present invention forms a cleaning liquid supplying portion inside the housing frame for supplying cleaning liquid to the baffle blades, the cleaning liquid flows toward the inner peripheral surface of the baffle blades due to surface tension, thereby cleaning the bottom surface of the baffle blades. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

[0029] Figure 2 A longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a shutter unit of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention in a folded state.

[0030] Figure 3 The invention is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a shutter unit of a substrate processing apparatus in an expanded state.

[0031] Figure 4 To show Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of the combined structure of the baffle unit and the outermost bowl-shaped member.

[0032] Figure 5 To show Figure 4 The baffle unit includes a baffle component and an exploded sectional perspective view of an outermost bowl-shaped member.

[0033] Figure 6 To show Figure 5 A top view of the baffle assembly in the expanded state.

[0034] Figure 7 To show Figure 5 A top view of the baffle component in a folded state.

[0035] Figure 8 To show Figure 5 A circumferential transverse cross-sectional view of a baffle component.

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the cleaning liquid application structure of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention when the baffle unit is in a folded state.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the cleaning liquid application structure of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention when the baffle unit is in an expanded state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, a substrate processing device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chuck base 100, which rotates while supporting a substrate W; a fluid supply unit 200, which is used to supply a processing liquid to the substrate W; a bowl-shaped member assembly 300, which includes a plurality of bowl-shaped members surrounding the chuck base 100 and overlappingly arranged on the outer side along a radial direction; a lifting unit 600, which is used to lift the bowl-shaped member assembly 300; and a baffle unit 400, which is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 constituting the bowl-shaped member assembly 300, and is used to adjust the radius of an air flow inlet hole 419 for supplying air to the substrate W.

[0040] As described above, by adjusting the open area of ​​the airflow toward the substrate W through the baffle unit 400, the flow rate of the airflow from the fan filter unit (not shown) can be adjusted, thereby preventing the substrate quality from being reduced due to gaseous particles being adsorbed on the substrate W.

[0041] Furthermore, as the opening area is adjusted to be narrower by the baffle unit 400 , when the processing liquid is supplied from the fluid supply unit 200 to the rotating substrate W, it is possible to prevent the outside of the bowl assembly 300 from being contaminated by the scattering of the processing liquid.

[0042] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the baffle unit 400 may include: an outer shell frame 430, which is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310; a baffle component 410, which is arranged between the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 and the outer shell frame 430, and can adjust the radius of the airflow inflow hole 419; and a baffle driving unit 420, which is connected to the baffle component 410 and is used to apply force to adjust the radius of the airflow inflow hole 419.

[0043] As the baffle member 410 is expanded or folded along a radial direction with respect to the center of the substrate W by the baffle driving unit 420 , the open area may be adjusted by adjusting the radius of the airflow inlet 419 .

[0044] In this case, the force applied to the shutter member 410 by the shutter driving unit 420 does not necessarily need to be along the connection direction, and only needs to include a connection direction component.

[0045] The baffle driving unit 420 may be a pressure (pneumatic or hydraulic) cylinder or a variety of known telescopic devices. Preferably, at least two baffle driving units 420 may be provided along a circumferential direction relative to the center of the substrate W.

[0046] The baffle driving unit 420 may be disposed on the outer housing frame 430 or the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 .

[0047] And, in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , only the upper portion of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 is shown and the lower portion thereof is omitted.

[0048] The baffle member 410 may include a plurality of baffle blades 411 , which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 , extend along the rotation direction of the substrate W, and continuously overlap along the rotation direction.

[0049] The extending direction of the baffle blades 411 does not need to be the same as the circumferential direction. As shown in the figure, they can be formed to deviate from the circumferential direction as long as they include a circumferential direction component.

[0050] For example, Figure 5 As shown, the baffle component 410 may include: a plurality of baffle blades 411, which are arranged at equal intervals along the direction around the upper end 412 of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310, and can perform hinge motion around a hinge point 418 formed at the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310; and a blade operating plate 415, one side of which is connected to the baffle driving part 420, and the other side is connected to the baffle blades 411 in a relatively rotatable manner, and a hollow 417 is formed in the center.

[0051] The baffle blades 411 are respectively formed with guide holes 413 penetrating along the rotation axis direction of the substrate W, and the blade operating portion 415 is formed with rotation support pins 414 inserted into the guide holes 413 .

[0052] In the drawings, although the hinge point 418 is formed on the cleaning liquid flow path 510 , its position is not limited thereto.

[0053] In this case, the operating plate connecting piece 415a of the above-mentioned blade operating plate 415 is connected to the baffle driving part 420. As the force in the wiring direction is applied toward the center of the substrate W, the above-mentioned blade operating part 415 can be rotated along the rotation direction of the substrate W relative to the upper end 412 of the above-mentioned outermost bowl-shaped part 310. Therefore, as the above-mentioned baffle blades 411 are further overlapped, the radius of the inner circumference can be reduced.

[0054] Preferably, the operating plate connecting piece 415 a is disposed between the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 and the outer shell frame 430 , but may also be disposed at the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 or the outer shell frame 430 .

[0055] In order to minimize the impact on high-temperature processing liquid and high-concentration processing liquid, the above-mentioned baffle blade 411 can be made of materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, PolyTetraFluoroEthylene) such as Teflon, soluble polytetrafluoroethylene (PFA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) and the like.

[0056] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, preferably, the baffle blades 411 are extended along the rotation direction of the substrate W. When a rotating airflow is formed by the rotation of the substrate W, the descending air can be introduced along the extension direction of the baffle blades 411 and flow smoothly toward the substrate W through the airflow inlet holes 419.

[0057] On the other hand, when the processing liquid used to process the substrate W is scattered and splashed onto the surface of the overlapping baffle blades 411, as the processing liquid accumulates, not only will it cause operational defects in the baffle component 410, but also, during the substrate processing step, foreign matter from the accumulated scattered processing liquid may splash onto the substrate W, causing product defects.

[0058] Therefore, after processing a predetermined number of substrates W, the barrier blades 411 need to be cleaned to remove contaminants accumulated on the surface thereof.

[0059] For this reason, Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, a cleaning liquid supply portion 500 is formed between the upper end 412 of the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 and the outer shell frame 430 for supplying cleaning liquid to the baffle blades 411 .

[0060] That is, the cleaning liquid supply unit 500 supplies cleaning liquid to the plurality of overlapping baffle blades 411 accommodated in the housing frame 430 , and as the cleaning liquid gradually flows toward the inner circumferential surface of the baffle blades 411 due to surface tension, the surfaces of the baffle blades 411 can be cleaned.

[0061] Of course, the cleaning process is not performed during the process of processing the substrates. After a specified number of substrates are processed, the baffle blades 411 are cleaned before the subsequent substrates W are loaded.

[0062] Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the cleaning liquid supply portion 500 is formed between the upper end 412 of the outermost bowl-shaped piece 310 and the outer shell frame 430 , but may also be formed between an additional base plate (not shown) disposed at the upper end 412 of the outermost bowl-shaped piece 310 and the outer shell frame 430 .

[0063] In the embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning liquid supply portion 500 may be a cleaning liquid flow path 510 extending along the circumferential direction and opening toward the center of the baffle member 410 .

[0064] Preferably, the cleaning liquid flow path 510 may be in a cross-sectional shape such as a flow path, extending in a peripheral direction relative to the center of the substrate W, or may be supplied from the outside through a path such as a tube.

[0065] For example, the cleaning liquid may flow into the cleaning liquid flow path 510 through an inlet port 470 disposed outside the housing frame 430 , and may be discharged through an outlet port 480 through which the baffle blades 411 enter and exit.

[0066] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The structure shown is that the cleaning liquid flows into the baffle blade 411 through the inlet port 470 connected to the cleaning liquid flow path 510 and is then discharged through the outlet port 480 .

[0067] As shown in the figure, during the process of supplying the cleaning liquid through the cleaning liquid supply unit 500 , the barrier blades 411 may effectively remove foreign matter sandwiched between the overlapping barrier blades 411 by repeatedly performing folding and unfolding operations.

[0068] The blade running plate 415 is disposed between the outer shell frame 430 and the outermost bowl-shaped member 310 and may face the cleaning liquid flow path 510 .

[0069] like Figures 8 to 10 As shown, the cleaning liquid flow path 510 is annular and extends in a circumferential direction relative to the center of the substrate W. A discharge port is formed on the inner peripheral surface to supply cleaning liquid to the baffle blades 411. The discharged cleaning liquid moves to the overlapping multiple baffle blades 411 through surface tension, falls on the inner side of the bowl-shaped member assembly 300 and is discharged to the outside.

[0070] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples, and a person skilled in the art can implement various modifications and other equivalent embodiments within the scope of protection claimed by the invention.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: include: The chuck base rotates together with the substrate while supporting it; A fluid supply unit, used for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate; A bowl-shaped member assembly, comprising a plurality of bowl-shaped members surrounding the chuck base and arranged overlappingly along the outer side in the radial direction; A lifting unit, used for lifting the bowl-shaped component assembly; as well as The baffle unit is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member constituting the bowl-shaped member assembly, and is used to adjust the radius of the air flow inlet hole for the air flow to flow toward the substrate.

2. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baffle unit comprises: An outer shell frame is arranged on the upper part of the outermost bowl-shaped member; a baffle member, disposed between the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and the housing frame, capable of adjusting the radius of the airflow inflow hole; and The baffle driving part is connected to the baffle component and is used for applying force to adjust the radius of the airflow inflow hole.

3. The substrate processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The baffle member includes a plurality of baffle blades, which are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the outermost bowl-shaped member, extend along the rotation direction of the substrate, and overlap continuously along the rotation direction.

4. The substrate processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A cleaning liquid supply portion is formed between the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and the outer shell frame for supplying cleaning liquid to the baffle blades.

5. The substrate processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cleaning liquid supply portion is a cleaning liquid flow path extending along the peripheral direction and opening toward the center of the baffle member.

6. The substrate processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The barrier blades repeatedly perform folding and unfolding operations during the supply of the cleaning liquid by the cleaning liquid supply unit.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The baffle components include: A plurality of baffle blades are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member to form a hinged motion centered at a hinge point of the outermost bowl-shaped member; and The blade running plate is connected to the baffle driving part at one side and connected to the baffle blades at the other side in a relatively rotatable manner, and has a hollow formed through the center.

8. The substrate processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The baffle components include: A plurality of baffle blades are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the upper end of the outermost bowl-shaped member and can perform hinge motion around a hinge point formed on the outermost bowl-shaped member; and The blade running plate is connected to the baffle driving part on one side and connected to the baffle blade on the other side in a relatively rotatable manner, and has a hollow through-hole formed in the center. The blade running plate is arranged between the outer shell frame and the outermost bowl-shaped member and faces the cleaning liquid flow path.

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