Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing technique for performing a predetermined substrate processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by a rotating substrate holding unit, and collecting droplets of the processing liquid thrown away from the substrate during the substrate processing. In the device, the cup washing liquid is directly supplied to the rotating cup part from the inner side of the rotating cup part while the rotating cup part is rotated around the rotating shaft. Thus, it is possible to reduce the amount of rinsing liquid used in the cup, and to remove the processing liquid from the rotating cup part to keep the rotating cup part clean.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing on a substrate by a processing liquid. Here, the substrate includes a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a solar cell, etc. (hereinafter referred to as a "substrate"). In addition, the processing includes a bevel processing.

[0002] The disclosures of the specification, drawings, and claims of the Japanese application shown below are incorporated in their entirety into the present specification by reference.

[0003] Japan Special Application No. 2022-135572 (applied on August 29, 2022). Background Art

[0004] As a substrate processing device that rotates a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and supplies a processing liquid to the substrate to perform a substrate processing such as a chemical liquid processing or a cleaning processing, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this substrate processing device, an outer cup is provided as a scattering prevention member to catch the processing liquid and the like scattered from the rotating substrate during the substrate processing process. The outer cup is arranged in such a manner that one side has its inner peripheral surface facing the outer periphery of the substrate and the other side surrounds the outer periphery of the rotating substrate. Therefore, the outer cup captures droplets of the processing liquid thrown off the rotating substrate.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-92244 Summary of the invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] In this previous device, a plurality of cup cleaning nozzles are provided on the base portion for cleaning the inner circumference of the outer cup. In addition, a cup cleaning member is arranged above the base portion. When cleaning the cup, cleaning liquid (equivalent to an example of the "cup rinsing liquid" of the present invention) is supplied from the cup cleaning nozzle to the inner circumference of the outer cup through a guide portion provided on the cup cleaning member. Therefore, in order to clean the entire inner circumference of the outer cup, a plurality of cup cleaning nozzles are required. Furthermore, it is difficult to supply all the cleaning liquid sprayed from each cup cleaning nozzle to the guide portion to the outer cup, and sometimes a portion of the cleaning liquid overflows from the guide portion. Based on these circumstances, the cleaning of the outer cup (equivalent to an example of the "cup rinsing treatment" of the present invention) requires a relatively large amount of cleaning liquid. That is, in the previous substrate processing device, a large load is imposed on the environment due to the use of a large amount of cleaning liquid, and there is room for improvement in reducing the environmental load.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can reduce environmental load by reducing the usage amount of cup rinse liquid required for cup rinse processing.

[0011] Means used to solve problems

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing device, characterized in that it comprises: a substrate holding portion, which is configured to hold a substrate while rotating around a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; a rotating cup portion, which is configured to surround the outer circumference of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and rotate around the rotation axis; a rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion and the rotating cup portion; a processing mechanism that performs a predetermined substrate processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the rotating substrate holding portion; a cup rinsing mechanism that performs a cup rinsing process of removing the processing liquid from the rotating cup portion by directly supplying a cup rinsing liquid from the rotation axis side to the rotating cup portion that captures the processing liquid scattered from the substrate; and a control portion that controls the rotating mechanism and the rinsing liquid supply portion in a manner that the rotating cup portion is rotated while the cup rinsing liquid is supplied to the rotating cup portion after the substrate processing is performed.

[0013] In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing method, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: supplying a processing liquid to a substrate in a state where a rotating cup portion surrounds the outer periphery of the substrate rotating around a rotating axis extending in a vertical direction, thereby performing a predetermined substrate processing on the substrate with the processing liquid, and capturing the processing liquid scattered from the substrate with the rotating cup portion; and removing the processing liquid from the rotating cup portion by rotating the rotating cup portion that captures the processing liquid around the rotating axis while directly supplying a cup rinsing liquid to the rotating cup portion from the rotating axis side.

[0014] In the invention thus constituted, the cup rinsing liquid is directly supplied to the rotating cup from the inner side while the rotating cup portion that has captured the processing liquid is rotated about the rotation axis. Therefore, the amount of cup rinsing liquid used can be significantly reduced compared to the amount used in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce environmental load by reducing the usage of the cup rinsing liquid required for cup rinsing of the rotating cup portion that collects the processing liquid scattered from the substrate.

[0017] The multiple components of each mode of the present invention described above are not all necessary. In order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the effects described in this specification, some of the multiple components described above can be appropriately changed, deleted, replaced with new other components, or part of the limited content can be deleted. In addition, in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the effects described in this specification, part or all of the technical features included in one mode of the present invention described above can also be combined with part or all of the technical features included in another mode of the present invention described above to form an independent mode of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the structure of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the chamber and the structure attached to the chamber.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a substrate processing unit provided on a base member.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a figure which shows the dimensional relationship between the substrate held by the spin chuck and the spin cup part.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a figure which shows a part of a rotating cup part and a fixed cup part.

[0024] Figure 7 It is an external perspective view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism.

[0025] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the upper surface protection heating mechanism is shown.

[0026] Fig. 9 It is a perspective view showing a processing liquid ejection nozzle provided on the upper surface side of the processing mechanism and a cup rinsing liquid ejection nozzle provided on the upper surface side of the cup rinsing mechanism.

[0027] Fig.10 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the nozzle moving unit.

[0028] Fig.11A It is a schematic diagram showing the nozzle position when performing bevel processing.

[0029] Fig. 11B It is a schematic diagram showing the nozzle position when the cup rinsing process is performed.

[0030] Fig.12 It is a perspective view showing a processing liquid discharge nozzle provided on the lower surface side of the processing mechanism and a nozzle support portion supporting the nozzle.

[0031] Fig.13 Yes means through Figure 2 The illustrated substrate processing apparatus executes a flow chart of a bevel processing as an example of a substrate processing operation.

[0032] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram showing the structure and operation of the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 It is not a diagram showing the appearance of the substrate processing system 100, but a schematic diagram showing its internal structure in an easily understandable manner by excluding the outer wall panel or other part of the substrate processing system 100. The substrate processing system 100 is, for example, a single-chip device that is arranged in a clean room and processes substrates W having a circuit pattern or the like (hereinafter referred to as "pattern") formed only on one main surface one by one. In addition, in the processing unit 1 equipped in the substrate processing system 100, substrate processing of the processing liquid is performed. In this specification, the pattern forming surface (one main surface) on which a pattern is formed on the two main surfaces of the substrate is referred to as the "front side", and the other main surface on the opposite side where the pattern is not formed is referred to as the "back side". In addition, the surface facing downward is referred to as the "lower surface", and the surface facing upward is referred to as the "upper surface". In addition, in this specification, the "pattern forming surface" means a surface on which a concave-convex pattern is formed in any area of ​​the substrate.

[0034] Here, as the "substrate" in this embodiment, various substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for FED (Field Emission Display), substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, and substrates for magneto-optical disks can be applied. Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers is mainly used as an example and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same can also be applied to the processing of various substrates exemplified above.

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, the substrate processing system 100 has a substrate processing area 110 for processing substrates W. A carrier 120 is provided adjacent to the substrate processing area 110. The carrier 120 has a container holding part 121 that can hold a plurality of containers C for storing substrates W (FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod: front opening wafer cassette, SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) cassette, OC (Open Cassette: open wafer cassette) and the like for storing a plurality of substrates W in a sealed state). In addition, the carrier 120 has a carrier robot 122, which is used to enter and exit the container C held in the container holding part 121, take out an unprocessed substrate W from the container C, or store a processed substrate W in the container C. In each container C, a plurality of substrates W are stored in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0036] The carrier robot 122 includes a base portion 122a fixed to the device housing, a multi-joint arm 122b that is arranged to rotate around a vertical axis relative to the base portion 122a, and a hand 122c installed at the top of the multi-joint arm 122b. The hand 122c is a structure that can place and hold the substrate W on its upper surface. Since the carrier robot having such a multi-joint arm and a hand for holding the substrate is well known, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0037] In the substrate processing area 110, the loading table 112 is provided to load the substrate W from the transfer robot 122. In addition, in a plan view, a substrate transport robot 111 is arranged in the approximate center of the substrate processing area 110. Furthermore, a plurality of processing units 1 are arranged in a manner to surround the substrate transport robot 111. Specifically, a plurality of processing units 1 are arranged facing the space where the substrate transport robot 111 is arranged. For these processing units 1, the substrate transport robot 111 randomly enters and exits the loading table 112, and transfers the substrate W between the loading table 112. On the other hand, each processing unit 1 performs a prescribed process on the substrate W, which is equivalent to the substrate processing device of the present invention. In the present embodiment, these processing units (substrate processing devices) 1 have the same function. Therefore, a plurality of substrates W can be processed in parallel. In addition, if the substrate transport robot 111 can directly transfer the substrate W from the transfer robot 122, the loading table 112 is not necessarily required.

[0038] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a chamber and the structure installed in the chamber. Figure 2 , Figure 3 In the drawings and the following references, the size or quantity of each part may be exaggerated or simplified for ease of understanding. Figure 3 As shown, the chamber 11 used in the substrate processing device (processing unit) 1 has a bottom wall 11a in a rectangular shape when viewed from vertically above, four side walls 11b to 11e erected around the bottom wall 11a, and a top wall 11f covering the upper ends of the side walls 11b to 11e. The bottom wall 11a, the side walls 11b to 11e, and the top wall 11f are combined to form an internal space 12 in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0039] On the upper surface of the bottom wall 11a, base support members 16, 16 are spaced apart from each other and fixed by bolts or other fastening members. That is, the base support members 16 are erected from the bottom wall 11a. The base member 17 is fixed to the upper ends of these base support members 16, 16 by bolts or other fastening members. The base member 17 is composed of a plate material having a smaller plane size than the bottom wall 11a and a thicker thickness than the bottom wall 11a and having high rigidity. Figure 2 As shown, the base member 17 is lifted vertically upward from the bottom wall 11a by the base support members 16, 16. That is, a so-called high bottom plate structure is formed at the bottom of the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. As described in detail later, the upper surface of the base member 17 is processed to be able to set a substrate processing part SP for performing substrate processing on the substrate W, and the substrate processing part SP is set on the upper surface. The various parts constituting the substrate processing part SP are electrically connected to the control unit 10 that controls the entire device, and operate according to the instructions from the control unit 10. In addition, the shape of the base member 17, the structure or operation of the substrate processing part SP will be described in detail later.

[0040] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a fan filter unit (FFU: Fan Filter Unit) 13 is installed on the top wall 11f of the chamber 11. The fan filter unit 13 further purifies the air in the clean room where the substrate processing device 1 is installed, and supplies it to the internal space 12 in the chamber 11. The fan filter unit 13 is equipped with a fan and a filter (such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air: High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter) for extracting the air in the clean room and sending it to the chamber 11, and the clean air is sent in through the opening 11f1 provided on the top wall 11f. As a result, a downward flow of clean air is formed in the internal space 12 in the chamber 11. In addition, in order to evenly disperse the clean air supplied from the fan filter unit 13, a punching plate 14 with a plurality of blowing holes is provided directly below the top wall 11f.

[0041] like Figure 3As shown, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, a transfer opening 11b1 is provided on the side wall 11b that is opposite to the substrate transfer robot 111 among the four side walls 11b to 11e, so that the internal space 12 is connected to the outside of the chamber 11. Therefore, the hand (not shown) of the substrate transfer robot 111 can enter and exit the substrate processing unit SP through the transfer opening 11b1. That is, by providing the transfer opening 11b1, the substrate W can be transferred in and out of the internal space 12. In addition, a baffle 15 for opening and closing the transfer opening 11b1 is installed on the side wall 11b.

[0042] A shutter opening and closing mechanism (not shown) is connected to the shutter 15, and the shutter 15 is opened and closed according to an opening and closing command from the control unit 10. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, when an unprocessed substrate W is carried into the chamber 11, the shutter opening and closing mechanism opens the shutter 15, and the unprocessed substrate W is carried into the substrate processing section SP in a face-up posture by the hand of the substrate transport robot 111. That is, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 21 of the substrate processing section SP in a state where the upper surface Wf faces upward. And, after carrying in the substrate, when the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 retreats from the chamber 11, the shutter opening and closing mechanism closes the shutter 15. And, in the processing space (equivalent to the enclosed space 12a described in detail later) of the chamber 11, the substrate processing section SP performs a bevel processing of the peripheral edge portion Ws of the substrate W as an example of "substrate processing" of the present invention. In addition, after the bevel processing is completed, the shutter opening and closing mechanism opens the shutter 15 again, and the processed substrate W is carried out from the substrate processing part SP by the hand of the substrate transport robot 111. In this way, in this embodiment, the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 is maintained at a normal temperature environment. In addition, in this specification, "normal temperature" means a temperature range of 5°C to 35°C.

[0043] like Figure 3 As shown, the side wall 11d is provided on the base member 17 between the substrate processing portion SP ( Figure 2 ) is located on the opposite side of the side wall 11b. The side wall 11d is provided with a maintenance opening 11d1. During maintenance, as shown in the figure, the maintenance opening 11d1 is opened. Therefore, an operator can enter and exit the substrate processing unit SP from the outside of the device through the maintenance opening 11d1. On the other hand, during substrate processing, the cover member 19 is installed in a manner that closes the maintenance opening 11d1. In this way, in the present embodiment, the cover member 19 is freely attachable and detachable to the side wall 11d.

[0044] Furthermore, a heating gas supply unit 47 for supplying heated inert gas (nitrogen gas in this embodiment) to the substrate processing portion SP is installed on the outer surface of the side wall 11e. The heating gas supply unit 47 has a heater 471 built therein.

[0045] Thus, the baffle plate 15, the cover member 19 and the heating gas supply unit 47 are arranged on the outer wall side of the chamber 11. On the other hand, the substrate processing unit SP is arranged on the upper surface of the base member 17 of the high bottom plate structure in the inner side of the chamber 11, that is, the internal space 12. Figures 2 to 13 , the structure of the substrate processing part SP is described.

[0046] Figure 4 : is a top view schematically showing the structure of the substrate processing unit installed on the base member. In order to clarify the configuration relationship or operation of each part of the device, the coordinate system with the Z direction as the vertical direction and the XY plane as the horizontal plane is appropriately marked. Figure 4 In the coordinate system of FIG. 1 , the horizontal direction parallel to the transport path TP of the substrate W is referred to as the “X direction”, and the horizontal direction orthogonal thereto is referred to as the “Y direction”. More specifically, the directions from the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 toward the transport opening 11b1 and the maintenance opening 11d1 are referred to as the “+X direction” and the “−X direction”, respectively, the directions from the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 toward the side walls 11c and 11e are referred to as the “−Y direction” and the “+Y direction”, respectively, and the directions toward the vertically upward and vertically downward are referred to as the “+Z direction” and the “−Z direction”, respectively. In addition, the “CR liquid” in the figure means the cup rinse liquid.

[0047] The substrate processing part SP includes a holding and rotating mechanism 2, an anti-scattering mechanism 3, an upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4, a processing mechanism 5, an atmosphere separation mechanism 6, a lifting mechanism 7, a centering mechanism 8, a substrate observation mechanism 9, and a cup rinsing mechanism 200. These mechanisms are provided on a base member 17. That is, the holding and rotating mechanism 2, the anti-scattering mechanism 3, the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4, the processing mechanism 5, the atmosphere separation mechanism 6, the lifting mechanism 7, the centering mechanism 8, the substrate observation mechanism 9, and the cup rinsing mechanism 200 are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the base member 17 having a higher rigidity than the chamber 11.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the holding and rotating mechanism 2 includes: a substrate holding portion 2A that holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture with the front surface of the substrate W facing upward; and a rotating mechanism 2B that synchronously rotates the substrate holding portion 2A holding the substrate W and a part of the scatter prevention mechanism 3. Therefore, when the rotating mechanism 2B is operated according to the rotation instruction from the control unit 10, the substrate W and the rotating cup portion 31 of the scatter prevention mechanism 3 rotate around the rotation axis AX extending parallel to the vertical direction Z.

[0049] The substrate holding portion 2A includes a disk-shaped member smaller than the substrate W, namely a rotating chuck 21. The rotating chuck 21 is arranged so that its upper surface is substantially horizontal and its central axis coincides with the rotation axis AX. Figure 4As shown in the figure, the center of the substrate holding part 2A (equivalent to the center axis of the rotation chuck 21) is offset in the (+X) direction relative to the center 11g of the chamber 11. That is, the substrate holding part 2A is configured so that, when viewed from above the chamber 11, the center axis (rotation axis AX) of the rotation chuck 21 is located at a processing position offset by a distance Lof from the center 11g of the internal space 12 toward the transport opening 11b1. In addition, in order to clarify the configuration relationship of each part of the device described later, in this specification, the imaginary line passing through the center (rotation axis AX) of the offset substrate holding part 2A and being orthogonal to the transport path TP and the imaginary line parallel to the transport path TP are referred to as the "first imaginary horizontal line VL1" and the "second imaginary horizontal line VL2", respectively.

[0050] A cylindrical rotating shaft portion 22 is connected to the lower surface of the spin chuck 21 . The rotating shaft portion 22 is extended in the vertical direction Z in a state where the axis thereof coincides with the rotation axis AX. In addition, the rotating mechanism 2B is connected to the rotating shaft portion 22 .

[0051] The rotating mechanism 2B includes a motor 23 for generating a rotational driving force for rotating the substrate holding portion 2A and the rotating cup portion 31 of the anti-scattering mechanism 3, and a power transmission portion 24 for transmitting the rotational driving force. The motor 23 includes a rotating shaft 231 that rotates as the rotational driving force is generated. The rotating shaft 231 is provided at the motor mounting portion 171 of the base member 17 in a posture extending vertically downward. More specifically, as Figure 3 As shown, the motor mounting portion 171 is a portion that is cut away along the (+X) direction while facing the maintenance opening 11d1 on one side. The cut away width (dimension in the Y direction) of the motor mounting portion 171 is substantially the same as the width in the Y direction of the motor 23. Therefore, the motor 23 can freely move along the X direction while engaging its side surface with the motor mounting portion 171.

[0052] At the motor mounting portion 171, the motor 23 is positioned in the X direction and fixed to the base member 17. A first pulley 241 is mounted on the top end of the rotating shaft 231 protruding downward from the base member 17. In addition, a second pulley 242 is mounted on the lower end of the substrate holding portion 2A. In more detail, the lower end of the substrate holding portion 2A is inserted through a through hole provided at the rotating chuck mounting portion 172 of the base member 17, and protrudes downward from the base member 17. The second pulley 242 is provided on the protruding portion. And, an endless belt 243 is laid between the first pulley 241 and the second pulley 242. In this way, in the present embodiment, the power transmission portion 24 is constituted by the first pulley 241, the second pulley 242 and the endless belt 243.

[0053] A through hole (not shown) is provided in the central portion of the spin chuck 21, which is connected to the internal space of the spin shaft portion 22. In the internal space, a pump 26 is connected via a pipe 25 equipped with a valve (not shown). The pump 26 and the valve are electrically connected to the control unit 10, and operate according to a command from the control unit 10. Thus, negative pressure and positive pressure are selectively applied to the spin chuck 21. For example, when the pump 26 applies negative pressure to the spin chuck 21 in a state where the substrate W is placed on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 in a substantially horizontal posture, the spin chuck 21 adsorbs and holds the substrate W from below. On the other hand, when the pump 26 applies positive pressure to the spin chuck 21, the substrate W can be removed from the upper surface of the spin 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 spin chuck 21.

[0054] In the spin chuck 21, a nitrogen supply unit 29 is connected via a pipe 28 provided in the central portion of the rotating shaft portion 22. The nitrogen supply unit 29 delivers room temperature nitrogen supplied from equipment in a factory where the substrate processing system 100 is provided to the spin chuck 21 at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the gas supply instruction from the control unit 10, and circulates the nitrogen from the central portion toward the radially outer side on the lower surface Wb side of the substrate W. In addition, in this embodiment, nitrogen is used, but other inactive gases may also be used. In this regard, the same is true for the heating gas ejected from the central nozzle described later. In addition, "flow rate" means the amount of fluid such as nitrogen that moves per unit time.

[0055] The rotating mechanism 2B not only rotates the spin chuck 21 and the substrate W integrally, but also has a power transmission unit 27 ( Figure 2 The power transmission unit 27 has a circular ring member 27a ( Figure 2 ), a rotating chuck side magnet (not shown) built into the annular member, and a cup side magnet (not shown) built into the lower cup 32, which is a component of the rotating cup portion 31. The annular member 27a is as shown in FIG. Figure 2 The rotating shaft portion 22 is mounted on the rotating shaft portion 22 and can rotate around the rotating axis AX together with the rotating shaft portion 22. More specifically, the rotating shaft portion 22 is as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, a flange portion (not shown) protruding radially outward is provided just below the spin chuck 21. A circular ring member 27a is concentrically arranged on the flange portion and is fastened and fixed by bolts or the like (not shown).

[0056] On the outer peripheral edge of the annular member 27a, a plurality of rotating chuck side magnets are arranged radially with the rotating axis AX as the center and at equal angles. In the present embodiment, one of the two rotating chuck side magnets adjacent to each other is arranged so that the outer side and the inner side are respectively N poles and S poles, and the other is arranged so that the outer side and the inner side are respectively S poles and N poles.

[0057] Similar to these rotating chuck side magnets, a plurality of cup side magnets are arranged radially and at equal angles around the rotating axis AX. These cup side magnets are built into the lower cup 32. The lower cup 32 is a component of the anti-scattering mechanism 3 described below, and has a circular ring shape. That is, the lower cup 32 has an inner peripheral surface that can face the outer peripheral surface of the circular ring member 27a. The inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface is larger than the outer diameter of the circular ring member 27a. And, while the inner peripheral surface is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the circular ring member 27a at a predetermined interval (= (the above inner diameter - the above outer diameter) / 2), the lower cup 32 is arranged concentrically with the rotating shaft portion 22 and the circular ring member 27a. A locking pin and a connecting magnet are provided on the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge of the lower cup 32, whereby the upper cup 33 is connected to the lower cup 32, and the connection body functions as a rotating cup portion 31.

[0058] The lower cup 32 is supported on the upper surface of the base member 17 by a bearing which is omitted in the drawings so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis AX while maintaining the above-mentioned configuration. As described above, the cup side magnets are arranged radially and at equal angles around the rotation axis AX as the center on the inner peripheral edge of the lower cup 32. In addition, the configuration of the two cup side magnets adjacent to each other is the same as that of the rotating chuck side magnets. That is, in one, the outer side and the inner side are arranged in a manner that the N pole and the S pole are respectively formed, and in the other, the outer side and the inner side are arranged in a manner that the S pole and the N pole are respectively formed.

[0059] In the power transmission part 27 thus constructed, when the annular member 27a rotates together with the rotating shaft part 22 through the motor 23, the lower cup 32 maintains the air gap (the gap between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32) and rotates in the same direction as the annular member 27a due to the magnetic force between the rotating chuck side magnet and the cup side magnet. As a result, the rotating cup part 31 rotates around the rotating axis AX. That is, the rotating cup part 31 and the substrate W rotate in the same direction and synchronously.

[0060] The anti-scattering mechanism 3 includes a rotating cup portion 31 that can rotate around the rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer circumference of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 21, and a fixed cup portion 34 that is fixedly provided in a manner to surround the rotating cup portion 31. The rotating cup portion 31 is provided so as to rotate around the rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer circumference of the rotating substrate W by connecting the upper cup 33 to the lower cup 32.

[0061] Figure 5 It is a figure which shows the dimensional relationship between the substrate held by the spin chuck and the spin cup part. Figure 62 is a diagram showing a part of the rotating cup part and the fixed cup part. The lower cup 32 has a circular ring shape. The outer diameter of the lower cup 32 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. When viewed from vertically above, the lower cup 32 is configured to rotate freely around the rotation axis AX when the substrate W held by the free rotating chuck 21 is extended in the radial direction. In the extended area, that is, the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the lower cup 32, engaging pins (not shown) and flat lower magnets (not shown) are alternately installed.

[0062] On the other hand, Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the upper cup 33 has a lower annular portion 331, an upper annular portion 332, and an inclined portion 333 connecting them. The outer diameter D331 of the lower annular portion 331 is the same as the outer diameter D32 of the lower cup 32, and the lower annular portion 331 is located vertically above the peripheral edge portion 321 of the lower cup 32. On the lower surface of the lower annular portion 331, in the area vertically above the engaging pin, a recessed portion opening downward is provided so as to be engageable with the top end portion of the engaging pin. In addition, an upper magnet is installed in the area vertically above the lower magnet. Therefore, when the recessed portion and the upper magnet are respectively opposite to the engaging pin and the lower magnet, the upper cup 33 can be engaged with and disengaged from the lower cup 32.

[0063] The upper cup 33 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism 7. When the upper cup 33 is moved upward by the lifting mechanism 7, a conveying space for carrying in and out the substrate W is formed between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 in the vertical direction. On the other hand, when the upper cup 33 is moved downward by the lifting mechanism 7, the recess is engaged in a manner covering the top end of the locking pin, thereby positioning the upper cup 33 relative to the lower cup 32 in the horizontal direction. In addition, the upper magnet approaches the lower magnet, and the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 after the above positioning are combined with each other by the gravitational force generated therebetween. As a result, Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of Figure 6 As shown, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 are integrated in the vertical direction with a gap GPc extending in the horizontal direction formed therein. Also, the rotating cup portion 31 is freely rotatable about the rotation axis AX with the gap GPc being formed therein.

[0064] In the rotating cup portion 31, as Figure 5As shown, the outer diameter D332 of the upper annular portion 332 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter D331 of the lower annular portion 331. In addition, if the diameters d331 and d332 of the inner circumferences of the lower annular portion 331 and the upper annular portion 332 are compared, the lower annular portion 331 is larger than the upper annular portion 332, and when viewed from vertically above, the inner circumference of the upper annular portion 332 is located on the inner side of the inner circumference of the lower annular portion 331. Furthermore, the inner circumference of the upper annular portion 332 and the inner circumference of the lower annular portion 331 are connected by the inclined portion 333 throughout the entire circumference of the upper cup 33. Therefore, the inner circumference of the inclined portion 333, that is, the surface surrounding the substrate W becomes an inclined surface 334. That is, as Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the inclined portion 333 can surround the outer periphery of the rotating substrate W and capture droplets scattered from the substrate W, and the space surrounded by the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 functions as a capture space SPc. In addition, in this embodiment, the height position of each part in the vertical direction Z is referred to as follows. That is, Figure 6 As shown, the position of the upper surface (front surface) of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 is referred to as the "height position Zw", and the position of the upper surface of the circular plate portion 42 of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 described in detail later is referred to as the "height position Z42".

[0065] Furthermore, the inclined portion 333 facing the collection space SPc is inclined from the lower annular portion 331 connected to the lower cup 32 to form a connection portion toward the upper portion of the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Figure 6 As shown, the droplets of the processing liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W are captured on the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 at the height position Zw. In addition, the droplets can flow along the inclined surface 334 to the lower end of the upper cup 33, that is, the lower annular portion 331, and further discharged to the outside of the rotating cup portion 31 through the gap GPc.

[0066] The fixed cup portion 34 is arranged to surround the rotating cup portion 31 to form a discharge space SPe. The fixed cup portion 34 has a liquid receiving portion 341 and a gas exhaust portion 342 arranged inside the liquid receiving portion 341. The liquid receiving portion 341 has an opening on the counter substrate side facing the gap GPc ( Figure 6 The cup structure is open in the form of a left-hand opening of the liquid receiving portion 341. That is, the internal space of the liquid receiving portion 341 functions as a discharge space SPe and is connected to the capture space SPc through the gap GPc. Therefore, the liquid droplets captured by the rotating cup portion 31 are guided to the discharge space SPe together with the gas components through the gap GPc. Then, the liquid droplets gather at the bottom of the liquid receiving portion 341 and are discharged from the fixed cup portion 34.

[0067] On the other hand, the gas components gather in the exhaust part 342. The exhaust part 342 is separated from the liquid receiving part 341 by the partition wall 343. In addition, a gas guide 344 is arranged above the partition wall 343. The gas guide 344 extends from the position directly above the partition wall 343 to the inside of the exhaust space SPe and the exhaust part 342, thereby covering the partition wall 343 from above to form a flow path of the gas component having a labyrinth structure. Therefore, the gas components in the fluid flowing into the liquid receiving part 341 are gathered in the exhaust part 342 via the above-mentioned flow path. The exhaust part 342 is connected to the exhaust part 38. Therefore, by operating the exhaust part 38 according to the command from the control unit 10 and adjusting the pressure of the fixed cup part 34, the gas components in the exhaust part 342 are effectively discharged. In addition, the pressure or flow rate of the exhaust space SPe is adjusted by precisely controlling the exhaust part 38. For example, the pressure of the exhaust space SPe is lower than the pressure of the capture space SPc. As a result, the liquid droplets in the collection space SPc can be effectively introduced into the discharge space SPe, and the movement of the liquid droplets from the collection space SPc can be promoted.

[0068] Figure 7 It is an external perspective view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is a cross-sectional view shown in FIG. The upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 has a blocking plate 41 disposed above the upper surface Wf of the substrate W held on the rotating chuck 21. The blocking plate 41 has a circular plate portion 42 held in a horizontal position. The circular plate portion 42 has a built-in heater 421 driven and controlled by a heater driving portion 422. The 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 supporting member 43 in such a manner that the lower surface of the circular plate portion 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W except for the peripheral edge portion Ws from above. In addition, Figure 7 Reference numeral 44 in the figure denotes a cutout portion provided at the peripheral edge of the disk portion 42, and is provided to prevent interference with a treatment liquid ejection nozzle included in the treatment mechanism 5. The cutout portion 44 opens toward the radially outer side.

[0069] The lower end of the support member 43 is mounted on the central portion of the disk portion 42. A cylindrical through hole is formed by vertically penetrating the support member 43 and the disk portion 42. In addition, the central nozzle 45 is vertically inserted into the through hole. Figure 2 As shown, the central nozzle 45 is connected to a heating gas supply unit 47 via a pipe 46. The heating gas supply unit 47 heats the normal temperature nitrogen gas supplied from the equipment of the factory where the substrate processing system 100 is installed, etc., through a heater 471, and supplies it to the substrate processing unit SP at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the heating gas supply instruction from the control unit 10.

[0070] Here, if the heater 471 is disposed in the internal space 12 of the chamber 11, the heat radiated from the heater 471 may adversely affect the substrate processing unit SP, especially the processing mechanism 5 or the substrate observation mechanism 9 as described later. Figure 4 As shown, a heating gas supply unit 47 having a heater 471 is arranged outside the chamber 11. In addition, in this embodiment, a band heater 48 is installed in a part of the pipe 46. The band heater 48 generates heat according to a heating command from the control unit 10, and heats the nitrogen gas flowing in the pipe 46.

[0071] The nitrogen gas heated in this way (hereinafter referred to as "heating gas") is pressure-fed toward the central nozzle 45 and ejected from the central nozzle 45. Figure 8 As shown, by supplying heating gas while the circular plate portion 42 is positioned close to the processing position of the substrate W held on the rotating chuck 21, the heating gas flows from the central portion of the space SPa sandwiched between the upper surface Wf of the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42 with a built-in heater toward the peripheral portion. As a result, the ambient gas around the substrate W can be suppressed from entering the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. As a result, the droplets contained in the above-mentioned ambient gas can be effectively prevented from being drawn into the space SPa sandwiched between the substrate W and the circular plate portion 42. In addition, the upper surface Wf can be heated as a whole by the heating of the heater 421 and the heating gas, and the in-plane temperature of the substrate W can be uniformized. As a result, the warping of the substrate W can be suppressed, and the landing position of the processing liquid can be stabilized.

[0072] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper end of the support member 43 is fixed to a beam member 49 extending along the first virtual horizontal line VL1. The beam member 49 is connected to the lifting mechanism 7 installed on the upper surface of the base member 17, and is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 7 according to the command from the control unit 10. For example, Figure 2 In the embodiment, the beam member 49 is positioned at the bottom, and the circular plate portion 42 connected to the beam member 49 via the supporting member 43 is located at the processing position. On the other hand, when the lifting mechanism 7 receives the lifting command from the control unit 10 and lifts the beam member 49, the beam member 49, the supporting member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 are lifted together, and the upper cup 33 is also linked to separate from the lower cup 32 and lift up. As a result, the space between the spin chuck 21, the upper cup 33 and the circular plate portion 42 is expanded, and the substrate W can be loaded and unloaded from the spin chuck 21.

[0073] The processing mechanism 5 includes a processing liquid discharge nozzle 51F ( Figure 4 ), the processing liquid discharge nozzle 51B ( Figure 2), and a treatment liquid supply unit 52 for supplying treatment liquid to the treatment liquid spraying nozzles 51F and 51B. Hereinafter, in order to distinguish the treatment liquid spraying nozzle 51F on the upper surface side from the treatment liquid spraying nozzle 51B on the lower surface side, they are respectively referred to as "upper surface treatment nozzle 51F" and "lower surface treatment nozzle 51B". Figure 2 In the figure, two processing liquid supply parts 52 are shown, but they are the same.

[0074] Fig. 9 1 is a perspective view showing a treatment liquid spraying nozzle equipped on the upper surface side of the treatment mechanism and a cup rinse liquid spraying nozzle equipped on the upper surface side of the cup rinse mechanism, and is a view of each nozzle viewed from an oblique downward direction. In the present embodiment, three upper surface treatment nozzles 51F are provided as treatment liquid spraying nozzles on the upper surface side that spray treatment liquid from above the substrate W held on the spin chuck 21 toward the peripheral portion Ws of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, and the 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 (CO2 water, etc.) as treatment liquids, and SC1, DHF, and functional water can be sprayed independently from each of the three upper surface treatment nozzles 51F.

[0075] In each upper surface processing nozzle 51F, as Fig. 9 As shown in column (a) of FIG. 1 , a nozzle 511 for ejecting a treatment liquid is provided on the lower surface of the top. Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 1 , the lower part of a plurality of (three in this embodiment) upper surface processing nozzles 51F is arranged together with the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 in a posture that each ejection outlet faces the peripheral edge of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Figure 7 The cutout portion 44 of the circular plate portion 42 shown in the partially enlarged top view of the embodiment of the present invention is provided, and the upper portion of the surface treatment nozzle 51F is integrally mounted with the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 relative to the nozzle holder 53 so as to be movable in the radial direction D1 (a direction in which the nozzle ejection is inclined at an elevation angle of 45° and a rotation angle of about 65° relative to the first imaginary horizontal line VL1). The nozzle holder 53 is connected to the nozzle moving portion 54.

[0076] Fig.10 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the nozzle moving unit. Fig.11A is a schematic diagram showing the nozzle position when performing bevel processing. Fig. 11B is a schematic diagram showing the nozzle position during the cup rinsing process. Fig.11A and Fig. 11B Column (a) is a side view of a nozzle ejecting a processing liquid or a cup rinsing liquid, and column (b) is a top view of the nozzle viewed from above. In addition, reference numeral AR indicates a radial direction from the rotation axis AX toward the nozzle ejecting a processing liquid or a cup rinsing liquid.

[0077] like Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the nozzle moving part 54 is mounted on the upper end of the lifting member 713a of the lifting part 713 described later, while holding the nozzle head 56 (= upper surface treatment nozzle 51F + rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 + nozzle holder 53). Therefore, when the lifting member 713a is extended and retracted in the vertical direction according to the lifting command from the control unit 10, the nozzle moving part 54 and the nozzle head 56 move in the vertical direction Z accordingly.

[0078] In addition, in the nozzle moving part 54, the base member 541 is fixed to the upper end of the lifting member 713a. A direct-acting actuator 542 is installed in the base member 541. The direct-acting actuator 542 has: a motor (hereinafter referred to as a "nozzle drive motor") 543, which functions as a driving source for the nozzle movement in the radial direction X; and a motion conversion mechanism 545, which converts the rotational motion of a rotating body such as a ball screw connected to the rotating shaft of the nozzle drive motor 543 into a linear motion, so that the slider 544 reciprocates along the radial direction D1. In addition, in the motion conversion mechanism 545, in order to stabilize the movement of the slider 544 in the radial direction D1, a guide rail such as an LM (Linear Motion) guide rail (registered trademark) is used.

[0079] In the slider 544 that is driven reciprocatingly in the radial direction X, a head support member 547 is connected via a connecting member 546. The head support member 547 has a rod shape extending in the radial direction X. The end of the head support member 547 in the (+D1) direction is fixed to the slider 544. On the other hand, the end of the head support member 547 in the (-D1) direction is horizontally extended toward the rotating chuck 21, and a nozzle head 56 is installed at its top end. Therefore, when the nozzle drive motor 543 rotates according to the nozzle movement instruction from the control unit 10, the slider 544, the head support member 547 and the nozzle head 56 are moved integrally in the (+D1) direction or the (-D1) direction corresponding to the rotation direction by a distance corresponding to the rotation amount. As a result, the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F installed on the nozzle head 56 is positioned in the radial direction D1. For example, as Fig.10As shown, when the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F is positioned at a predetermined starting position, the spring member 548 provided in the motion conversion mechanism 545 is compressed by the slider 544, and a spring thrust is applied to the slider 544 in the (-D1) direction. Thus, the backlash contained in the motion conversion mechanism 545 can be controlled. That is, since the motion conversion mechanism 545 has mechanical components such as guide rails, it is actually difficult to make the backlash along the radial direction D1 become zero. If the above situation is not fully considered, the positioning accuracy of the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F on the radial direction D1 will be reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing the spring member 548, when the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F is stationary at the starting position, the backlash is always biased toward the (-D1) direction. Thus, the following effects can be obtained.

[0080] According to the nozzle movement instruction from the control unit 10, the nozzle moving unit 54 drives the three upper surface processing nozzles 51F and the rinse liquid spraying nozzle 201 in the radial direction D1. The nozzle movement instruction includes information related to the nozzle movement distance. The upper surface processing nozzle 51F and the rinse liquid spraying nozzle 201 move the specified nozzle movement distance in the radial direction D1 based on the information. Here, when the above information is information corresponding to the bevel processing position, such as Fig.11A As shown, the upper surface processing nozzle 51F is accurately positioned at the bevel processing position (equivalent to an example of the "substrate processing device" of the present invention). On the other hand, when the above information is information corresponding to the cup rinsing processing position, as shown in FIG. Fig. 11B As shown, the rinsing liquid spray nozzle 201 is accurately positioned at the cup rinsing position.

[0081] The discharge port 511 of the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F positioned at the bevel surface treatment position faces the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. When the treatment liquid supply unit 52 supplies the treatment liquid corresponding to the supply instruction among the three treatment liquids to the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F for the treatment liquid according to the supply instruction from the control unit 10, the treatment liquid is supplied from the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F to a position preset from the end surface of the substrate W. In addition, during the execution of the bevel surface treatment, the supply of the cup rinse liquid to the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 201 is stopped.

[0082] On the other hand, the spray port 202 of the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 positioned at the cup rinse position faces the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33. The spray port 202 is provided in the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 in such a manner that its diameter is larger than that of the spray port 511 of the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F. Figure 2 ) When a cup rinse liquid such as DIW (Deionized Water) at room temperature is supplied to the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 according to a supply instruction from the control unit 10, as shown in FIG. Fig. 11BAs shown, the cup rinse liquid is supplied to the inclined portion 333 from the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201. Fig. 11B As shown, the ejection direction D33 of the cup rinse liquid is inclined at an angle θ in the horizontal plane (XY plane) relative to the radial direction AR from the rotation axis AX toward the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201, toward the rotation direction Dr of the upper cup 33. Therefore, the rebound of the cup rinse liquid generated when the cup rinse liquid collides with the inclined portion 333 and returns to the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 can be effectively prevented. In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Fig.11A As shown, the treatment liquid is also ejected at an angle θ relative to the radial direction AR toward the rotation direction Dr of the upper cup 33, but the angle θ is arbitrary and may be set to θ = 0. During the cup rinsing process, the supply of treatment liquid to the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F is stopped.

[0083] In addition, the lower sealed cup member 61 of the atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is detachably fixed to a part of the components of the nozzle moving part 54. That is, when performing the bevel treatment, the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F and the nozzle holder 53 are integrated with the lower sealed cup member 61 via the nozzle moving part 54, and are lifted and lowered in the vertical direction Z together with the lower sealed cup member 61 by the lifting mechanism 7.

[0084] Fig.12 It is a three-dimensional view showing a processing liquid spraying nozzle equipped on the lower surface side of the processing mechanism and a nozzle support portion supporting the nozzle. In the present embodiment, in order to spray the processing liquid toward the peripheral portion of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W, the lower surface processing nozzle 51B and the nozzle support portion 57 are arranged below the substrate W held on the rotating chuck 21. The nozzle support portion 57 has a thin-walled cylindrical portion 571 extending in the vertical direction, and a flange portion 572 having a circular ring shape that is bent and expanded radially outward at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 571. The cylindrical portion 571 has a shape that can be loosely inserted into the air gap formed between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32. And, as Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the nozzle support portion 57 is fixedly arranged in such a manner that the cylindrical portion 571 is loosely inserted into the air gap and the flange portion 572 is located between the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 and the lower cup 32. Three lower surface processing nozzles 51B are mounted on the upper surface peripheral portion of the flange portion 572. Each lower surface processing nozzle 51B has a spray port (not shown) opened toward the peripheral portion of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W, and can spray the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply portion 52 via the pipe 58.

[0085] The processing liquid ejected from the upper surface processing nozzle 51F and the lower surface processing nozzle 51B performs a bevel processing on the peripheral edge of the substrate W. In addition, on the lower surface side of the substrate W, the flange portion 572 is extended to the vicinity of the peripheral edge portion Ws. Therefore, the nitrogen gas supplied to the lower surface side via the pipe 28 flows into the capture space SPc along the flange portion 572. As a result, the backflow of droplets from the capture space SPc to the substrate W is effectively suppressed.

[0086] The atmosphere separation mechanism 6 includes a lower sealed cup member 61 and an upper sealed cup member 62. The lower sealed cup member 61 and the upper sealed cup member 62 are both cylindrical in shape with openings at the top and bottom. In addition, their inner diameters are larger than the outer diameter of the rotating cup portion 31. The atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is configured to completely surround the rotating chuck 21, the substrate W held on the rotating chuck 21, the rotating cup portion 31, and the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 from above. In more detail, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the upper sealed cup member 62 is fixedly arranged at a position directly below the punching plate 14 in such a manner that its upper opening covers the opening 11f1 of the top wall 11f from below. Therefore, the downward flow of the clean air introduced into the chamber 11 is divided into an airflow passing through the inside of the upper sealed cup member 62 and an airflow passing through the outside of the upper sealed cup member 62.

[0087] The lower end of the upper sealed cup member 62 has a flange portion 621 folded inwardly and having an annular shape. An O-ring 63 is attached to the upper surface of the flange portion 621. Inside the upper sealed cup member 62, the lower sealed cup member 61 is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0088] The upper end of the lower sealed cup member 61 has a flange portion 611 that is bent outward and expanded in a circular ring shape. The flange portion 611 overlaps with the flange portion 621 when viewed from above vertically. Therefore, when the lower sealed cup member 61 is lowered, Figure 4 As shown in the partial enlarged view in FIG. 1 , the flange portion 611 of the lower sealed cup member 61 is locked by the flange portion 621 of the upper sealed cup member 62 via the O-ring 63. Thus, the lower sealed cup member 61 is positioned at the lower limit position. At the lower limit position, the upper sealed cup member 62 is connected to the lower sealed cup member 61 in the vertical direction, and the downward flow introduced into the interior of the upper sealed cup member 62 is guided to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 21.

[0089] The lower end of the lower sealed cup member 61 has a flange portion 612 folded outward and having a circular ring shape. The flange portion 612 overlaps with the upper end of the fixed cup portion 34 (the upper end of the liquid receiving portion 341) when viewed from vertically above. Figure 5As shown in the partial enlarged view in FIG, the flange portion 612 of the lower sealed cup member 61 is locked by the fixed cup portion 34 via the O-ring 64. Thus, in the vertical direction, the lower sealed cup member 61 is connected to the fixed cup portion 34, and a closed space 12a is formed by the upper sealed cup member 62, the lower sealed cup member 61 and the fixed cup portion 34. In the closed space 12a, the substrate W can be subjected to a bevel treatment. That is, by positioning the lower sealed cup member 61 at the lower limit position, the closed space 12a is separated from the outer space 12b of the closed space 12a (environmental gas separation). Therefore, the bevel treatment can be performed stably without being affected by the external environmental gas. In addition, a treatment liquid is used for the bevel treatment, but it is possible to reliably prevent the treatment liquid from leaking from the closed space 12a to the outer space 12b. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the selection and design of the components arranged in the outer space 12b becomes higher.

[0090] The lower sealed cup member 61 is configured to be movable vertically upward. In addition, as described above, the nozzle head 56 (= upper surface treatment nozzle 51F + rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 + nozzle holder 53) is fixed to the middle portion of the lower sealed cup member 61 in the vertical direction via the head support member 547 of the nozzle moving portion 54. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is also fixed to the middle part of the lower sealed cup member 61 via the beam member 49. Figure 4 As shown, the lower sealed cup member 61 is connected to one end of the beam member 49, the other end of the beam member 49 and the head support member 547 at three different locations in the circumferential direction. And, by raising and lowering the one end of the beam member 49, the other end of the beam member 49 and the head support member 547 by the lifting mechanism 7, the lower sealed cup member 61 is also raised and lowered accordingly.

[0091] In the inner peripheral surface of the lower sealed cup member 61, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of (4) protrusions 613 are provided protruding inwardly as engaging portions that can engage with the upper cup 33. Each protrusion 613 is extended to the space below the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33. In addition, each protrusion 613 is installed in a manner of moving away from the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33 downward when the lower sealed cup member 61 is positioned at the lower limit position. Furthermore, by the rise of the lower sealed cup member 61, each protrusion 613 can engage with the upper annular portion 332 from below. After this engagement, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 can also be separated by further rising the lower sealed cup member 61.

[0092] In the present embodiment, after the lower sealed cup member 61 begins to rise together with the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 and the nozzle head 56 through 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 move upward from the rotary chuck 21. By moving the lower sealed cup member 61 to the retracted position, a transport space is formed for the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 to enter and exit the rotary chuck 21. In addition, the substrate W can be loaded onto the rotary chuck 21 and removed from the rotary chuck 21 through the transport space. In this way, in the present embodiment, the substrate W can be moved in and out of the rotary chuck 21 by the minimum lifting of the lower sealed cup member 61 by the lifting mechanism 7.

[0093] The lifting mechanism 7 includes two lifting drive units 71 and 72. In the lifting drive unit 71, a first lifting motor (not shown) is mounted on a first lifting mounting portion 173 ( Figure 3 ). The first lifting motor operates according to the driving command from the control unit 10 to generate a rotational force. Two lifting parts 712 and 713 are connected to the first lifting motor. The lifting parts 712 and 713 are simultaneously subjected to the above-mentioned rotational force from the first lifting motor. Then, the lifting part 712 lifts the support member 491 at one end of the support beam member 49 in the vertical direction Z according to the rotation amount of the first lifting motor. In addition, the lifting part 713 lifts the head support member 547 supporting the nozzle head 56 in the vertical direction Z according to the rotation amount of the first lifting motor.

[0094] In the lifting drive unit 72, a second lifting motor (not shown) is mounted on a second lifting mounting portion 174 ( Figure 3 The lifting unit 722 is connected to the second lifting motor. The second lifting motor is operated according to the driving instruction from the control unit 10, generates a rotational force, and applies it to the lifting unit 722. The lifting unit 722 lifts the support member 492 at the other end of the support beam member 49 in the vertical direction according to the rotation amount of the second lifting motor.

[0095] The lifting drive units 71 and 72 move the support members 491, 492, and 54 fixed to three different positions in the circumferential direction of the side surface of the lower sealed cup member 61 synchronously in the vertical direction. Therefore, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the nozzle head 56, and the lower sealed cup member 61 can be stably lifted and lowered. In addition, as the lower sealed cup member 61 is lifted and lowered, the upper cup 33 can also be stably lifted and lowered.

[0096] The centering mechanism 8 performs a centering process during the period when the suction of the pump 26 is stopped (i.e., during the period when the substrate W can move horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21). The centering process eliminates the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotation axis AX, and the center of the substrate W coincides with the rotation axis AX. Figure 4 As shown, the centering mechanism 8 comprises: a single abutment portion 81, which is arranged on the conveying opening 11b1 side relative to the rotation axis AX in the abutment movement direction D2 inclined at about 40° relative to the first imaginary horizontal line VL1; a multiple abutment portion 82, which is arranged on the maintenance opening 11d1 side; and a centering drive portion 83, which moves the single abutment portion 81 and the multiple abutment portions 82 in the abutment movement direction D2.

[0097] The single contact portion 81 has a shape extending in parallel with the contact movement direction D2, and is processed so that the top end portion on the spin chuck 21 side can contact the end surface of the substrate W on the spin chuck 21. On the other hand, the multiple contact portions 82 have a substantially Y-shaped shape when viewed from vertically above, and are processed so that the top ends of the forked portions on the spin chuck 21 side can contact the end surface of the substrate W on the spin chuck 21. These single contact portions 81 and multiple contact portions 82 are freely movable in the contact movement direction D2.

[0098] The centering drive unit 83 includes a single moving unit 831 for moving the single contact unit 81 in the contact movement direction D2, and a multi-moving unit 832 for moving the multi-contact unit 82 in the contact movement direction D2. The single moving unit 831 is mounted on the single moving mounting portion 175 ( Figure 3 ), the multi-movable portion 832 is mounted on the multi-movable mounting portion 176 of the base member 17 ( Figure 3 During the period when the centering process of the substrate W is not being performed, the centering drive unit 83 is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the single contact portion 81 and the multiple contact portions 82 are spaced apart from the spin chuck 21 and positioned so as to be away from the transport path TP, thereby effectively preventing the single contact portion 81 and the multiple contact portions 82 from interfering with the substrate W being carried in and out of the chamber 11.

[0099] On the other hand, when performing the centering process of the substrate W, the single moving part 831 moves the single contact part 81 toward the rotation axis AX, and the multiple moving parts 832 move the multiple contact parts 82 toward the rotation axis AX according to the centering command from the control unit 10. Thus, the center of the substrate W is aligned with the rotation axis AX.

[0100] The substrate observation mechanism 9 includes a light source unit 91, an imaging unit 92, an observation head 93, and an observation head driving unit 94. The light source unit 91 and the imaging unit 92 are provided at an optical component mounting position 177 ( Figure 3 The light source unit 91 irradiates illumination light to the observation position according to the illumination command from the control unit 10. The observation position is a position corresponding to the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W, which is equivalent to the position where the observation head 93 is positioned (not shown).

[0101] The observation head 93 can reciprocate between an observation position and a spaced-apart position away from the observation position toward the radially outer side of the substrate W. The observation head driving unit 94 is connected to the observation head 93. The observation head driving unit 94 is located at the head driving position 178 ( Figure 3 ) is mounted on the base member 17. Furthermore, the observation head driving unit 94 reciprocates the observation head 93 along the head moving direction D3 inclined at about 10° relative to the first imaginary horizontal line VL1 according to the head moving instruction from the control unit 10. More specifically, during the period when the observation processing of the substrate W is not performed, the observation head driving unit 94 moves the observation head 93 to the retreat position for positioning. Therefore, the observation head 93 leaves the transport path TP, which can effectively prevent the observation head 93 from interfering with the substrate W that is moved in and out of the chamber 11. On the other hand, when the observation processing of the substrate W is performed, the observation head driving unit 94 moves the observation head 93 to the observation position according to the substrate observation instruction from the control unit 10.

[0102] When the observation head 93 thus configured is positioned at the observation position and the light source unit 91 is turned on in accordance with the illumination command from the control unit 10 in the positioned state, the illumination light is irradiated to the illumination area of ​​the observation head 93. Thus, the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area of ​​the substrate W are illuminated by the diffuse illumination light from the observation head 93. In addition, the reflected light reflected from the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area is guided to the imaging unit 92 via the observation head 93.

[0103] The imaging unit 92 has an observation lens system composed of an object-side telecentric lens and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera. Therefore, among the reflected light guided from the observation head 93, only the light parallel to the optical axis of the observation lens system is incident on the sensor surface of the CMOS camera, and the image of the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area of ​​the substrate W is formed on the sensor surface. In this way, the imaging unit 92 captures the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area of ​​the substrate W, and obtains the upper surface image, the side image, and the lower surface image of the substrate W. Then, the imaging unit 92 sends the image data representing the image to the control unit 10.

[0104] The control unit 10 has a calculation 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 is composed of a hard disk drive, etc., and stores a program for performing bevel processing through the above-mentioned substrate processing device 1. The program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium RM (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc.), read from the recording medium RM by the reading unit 10C, and saved in the storage unit 10B. In addition, the provision of the program is not limited to the recording medium RM, for example, it can also be configured in a manner of providing the program via an electrical communication line. The image processing unit 10D performs various processes on the image captured by the substrate observation mechanism 9. The drive control unit 10E controls the various drive units of the substrate processing device 1. The communication unit 10F communicates with the control unit of each unit of the overall control substrate processing system 100. The exhaust control unit 10G controls the exhaust unit 38.

[0105] Furthermore, the control unit 10 is connected to a display unit 10H (for example, a monitor) that displays various information and an input unit 10J (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that receives input from an operator.

[0106] The processing unit 10A is composed of a computer having a CPU (=Central Processing Unit) or a RAM (=Random Access Memory), etc., and controls each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1 as follows according to a program stored in the storage unit 10B to perform the bevel processing. Fig.13 The bevel surface processing and cup rinsing processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0107] Fig.13 Yes means through Figure 21 is a flowchart of a substrate processing apparatus performing a slope treatment as an example of a substrate processing operation. When the substrate W is subjected to a slope treatment by the substrate processing apparatus 1, the operation processing unit 10A integrally raises the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 through the lifting drive units 71 and 72. In the middle of the rise of the lower sealed cup member 61, the protrusion 613 engages with the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33, and then the upper cup 33 rises together with the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 and is positioned at the retreat position. As a result, a transfer space sufficient for the hand (not shown) of the substrate transfer robot 111 to enter is formed above the spin chuck 21. In addition, the processing unit 10A moves the single moving unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 to the retreat position away from the rotation chuck 21 through the centering drive unit 83, and moves the observation head 93 to the standby position away from the rotation chuck 21 through the observation head drive unit 94. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the nozzle head 56, the light source unit 91, the camera unit 92, the motor 23, and the multi-contact unit 82 of the components arranged around the spin chuck 21 are located on the side of the maintenance opening 11d1 (the lower side of the figure) relative to the first virtual horizontal line VL1. In addition, the single moving unit 831 and the observation head 93 are located on the side of the transport opening 11b1 relative to the first virtual horizontal line VL1, but away from the moving area of ​​the substrate W along the transport path TP. In this embodiment, since such a layout structure is adopted, when the substrate W is carried in and out of the chamber 11, the components arranged around the spin chuck 21 can be effectively prevented from interfering with the substrate W.

[0108] After confirming that the transfer space is formed and the interference with the substrate W is prevented, the processing unit 10A sends a loading request for the substrate W to the substrate transfer robot 111 via the communication unit 10F, and waits for the substrate W to be loaded. Figure 4 The transport path TP shown carries an unprocessed substrate W into the substrate processing apparatus 1 and places it on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21. Then, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 21 (step S1). At this point in time, the pump 26 is stopped, and the substrate W can be horizontally moved on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21.

[0109] When the loading of the substrate W is completed, the substrate transport robot 111 retreats from the substrate processing device 1 along the transport path TP. Then, the operation processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 83 in such a manner that the single movable unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 approach the substrate W on the rotary chuck 21. Thus, the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotary chuck 21 is eliminated, and the center of the substrate W is consistent with the center of the rotary chuck 21 (step S2). In this way, when the centering process is completed, the operation processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 83 in such a manner that the single movable unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 are separated from the substrate W, and operates the pump 26 to apply negative pressure to the rotary chuck 21. Thus, the rotary chuck 21 adsorbs and holds the substrate W from below.

[0110] Next, the calculation processing unit 10A applies a descending command to the lifting drive units 71 and 72. In response, the lifting drive units 71 and 72 lower the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43, and the circular plate portion 42 as a whole. In the middle of the descent, the upper cup 33 supported from below by the protrusion 613 of the lower sealed cup member 61 is connected to the lower cup 32. Thus, the rotating cup portion 31 (= a connected body of the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32) is formed.

[0111] After the rotating cup portion 31 is formed, the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 are further lowered as a whole, and the flanges 611 and 612 of the lower sealed cup member 61 are respectively locked by the flange 621 of the upper sealed cup member 62 and the fixed cup portion 34. As a result, the lower sealed cup member 61 is positioned at the lower limit position ( Figure 2 After the above-mentioned stop, Figure 4 As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1 , the flange 621 of the upper sealed cup member 62 and the flange 611 of the lower sealed cup member 61 are in close contact with each other via the O-ring 63, and the flange 612 of the lower sealed cup member 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are in close contact with each other via the O-ring 63. As a result, Figure 2 As shown, in the vertical direction, the lower sealed cup component 61 is connected to the fixed cup portion 34, and a closed space 12a is formed by the upper sealed cup component 62, the lower sealed cup component 61 and the fixed cup portion 34, and the closed space 12a is separated from the external ambient gas (external space 12b) (environmental gas separation).

[0112] In this ambient gas separation state, the lower surface of the circular plate portion 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W except the peripheral portion Ws from above. In addition, the upper surface nozzle 51F is positioned in the cutout portion 44 of the circular plate portion 42 in a posture that the nozzle 511 is directed toward the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. In this way, when the supply preparation of the processing liquid to the substrate W is completed, the operation processing unit 10A applies a rotation command to the motor 23 to start the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup portion 31 that hold the substrate W (step S4). The rotation speed of the substrate W and the rotating cup portion 31 is set to, for example, 1800 rpm. In addition, the operation processing unit 10A drives and controls the heater driving unit 422 to heat the heater 421 to a desired temperature, for example, 185°C.

[0113] Next, the processing unit 10A applies a heating gas supply command to the heating gas supply unit 47. As a result, the nitrogen gas heated by the heater 471, i.e., the heating gas, is pressure-sent from the heating gas supply unit 47 to the central nozzle 45 (step S5). The heating gas is heated by the belt heater 48 while passing through the pipe 46. As a result, while preventing the temperature of the heating gas from decreasing during the gas supply through the pipe 46, the heating gas is supplied from the central nozzle 45 to the space SPa ( Figure 8 ) is ejected. Thus, the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is fully heated. In addition, the heating of the substrate W is also performed by the heater 421. Therefore, as time passes, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W rises and reaches a temperature suitable for bevel processing, for example, 90°C. In addition, the temperature outside the peripheral portion Ws also rises to a substantially equal temperature. That is, in this embodiment, the in-plane temperature of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is substantially uniform. Therefore, the warping of the substrate W can be effectively suppressed.

[0114] Then, the operation processing unit 10A controls the processing liquid supply unit 52 to supply the processing liquid to the upper surface processing nozzle 51F and the lower surface processing nozzle 51B. That is, the liquid flow of the processing liquid is ejected from the upper surface processing nozzle 51F to touch the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate W, and the liquid flow of the processing liquid is ejected from the lower surface processing nozzle 51B to touch the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W. Thus, the bevel processing of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is performed (step S6). Then, when the operation processing unit 10A detects the processing time required for the bevel processing of the substrate W, etc., it applies a supply stop instruction to the processing liquid supply unit 52 to stop the ejection of the processing liquid.

[0115] Then, the processing unit 10A applies a supply stop command to the heating gas supply unit 47 to stop the supply of nitrogen gas from the heating gas supply unit 47 to the central nozzle 45 (step S7). In addition, the processing unit 10A applies a rotation stop command to the motor 23 to stop the rotation of the rotation chuck 21 and the rotation cup unit 31 (step S8).

[0116] In the next step S9, the operation processing unit 10A observes the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W and checks the result of the bevel processing. More specifically, the operation processing unit 10A positions the upper cup 33 at the retracted position as when loading the substrate W, thereby forming a conveying space. Then, the operation processing unit 10A controls the observation head driving unit 94 to bring the observation head 93 close to the substrate W. Then, the operation processing unit 10A illuminates the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W through the observation head 93 by lighting the light source unit 91. In addition, the camera unit 92 receives the reflected light reflected by the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area, and photographs the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area. That is, from the images of the plurality of peripheral portions Ws obtained by the camera unit 92 during the rotation of the substrate W around the rotation axis AX, the peripheral portion image of the peripheral portion Ws along the rotation direction of the substrate W is obtained. Then, the operation processing unit 10A controls the observation head driving unit 94 to make the observation head 93 retreat from the substrate W. In parallel, the arithmetic processing unit 10A checks whether the bevel processing has been performed well based on the image of the peripheral portion Ws and the adjacent area captured, that is, the peripheral portion image. In addition, in this embodiment, as an example of this inspection, the processing width from the end surface of the substrate W toward the center of the substrate W after being processed by the processing liquid is inspected from the peripheral portion image (post-processing inspection).

[0117] After the inspection, the operation processing unit 10A makes a request to the substrate transport robot 111 to remove the substrate W via the communication unit 10F, and carries the processed substrate W out of the substrate processing device 1 (step S10). Then, the operation processing unit 10A determines whether it is time to perform cup flushing processing on the rotating cup unit 31 (step S11). Here, the above-mentioned timing is, for example, equivalent to the cumulative number of times or cumulative time of the inclined surface processing since the replacement of the rotating cup unit 31 or the last maintenance has reached a specified value. It also includes the timing of the cup flushing request from the operator.

[0118] When the processing unit 10A determines that the cup rinsing process is not required ("NO" in step S11), the cup rinsing process is not performed and a series of processes are terminated. On the other hand, when the processing unit 10A determines that the cup rinsing process is required ("YES" in step S11), the cup rinsing process is performed (step S12).

[0119] In the cup rinsing process (step S12), the operation processing unit 10A controls the various parts of the device as follows (steps S12a to S12e). That is, the operation processing unit 10A applies a descending command to the lifting drive units 71 and 72. In response, the lifting drive units 71 and 72 cause the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 to descend as a whole. In the middle of the descent, the upper cup 33 supported from below by the protrusion 613 of the lower sealed cup member 61 is connected to the lower cup 32. Thus, the rotating cup portion 31 (= a connection between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32) is formed while maintaining a state in which no substrate W exists in the rotating chuck 21.

[0120] After the rotating cup portion 31 is formed, the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 43 and the circular plate portion 42 are further lowered as a whole, and the flanges 611 and 612 of the lower sealed cup member 61 are respectively locked by the flange 621 of the upper sealed cup member 62 and the fixed cup portion 34. As a result, the lower sealed cup member 61 is positioned at the lower limit position ( Figure 2 position) (step S12a).

[0121] In this ambient gas separation state, if Fig. 11B As shown, the lower surface of the circular plate portion 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W except the peripheral edge portion Ws from above. In addition, the processing unit 10A applies a drive command to the nozzle drive motor 543. The slider 544, the head support member 547 and the nozzle head 56 move together by a distance corresponding to the rotation amount included in the drive command. As a result, the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 is positioned in the cutout portion 44 of the circular plate portion 42 at a cup rinsing position ( 333 ) suitable for cup rinsing processing with the spray port 202 facing the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33. Fig. 11B The position shown in the figure) (step S12b).

[0122] In this way, when the preparation for supplying the cup rinsing liquid to the rotating cup part 31 is completed, the calculation processing unit 10A applies a rotation command to the motor 23 to start the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup part 31 holding the substrate W (step S12c). In addition, in the cup rinsing process, the rotation speed of the substrate W and the rotating cup part 31 is set to be lower than the rotation speed during the bevel treatment, for example, 100 to 500 rpm.

[0123] Next, the processing unit 10A controls the cup rinse liquid supply unit 203 to supply the cup rinse liquid to the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201. That is, the rinse liquid spray nozzle 201 sprays the cup rinse liquid to a portion of the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33. Fig. 11BAs shown, the cup rinsing liquid is sprayed to the cup rinsing position Zcr in the vertical direction Z. As a result, the cup rinsing liquid flows down along the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 to perform the cup rinsing process (step S12d). Then, when the processing time required for the cup rinsing process after the rotating cup portion 31 is detected, the calculation processing unit 10A applies a supply stop instruction to the cup rinsing liquid supply unit 203 to stop the spraying of the cup rinsing liquid.

[0124] Then, the calculation processing unit 10A applies a rotation stop command to the motor 23 to stop the rotation of the rotating cup unit 31 (step S12e). Then, the cup rinsing process is terminated, and a series of processes are terminated. In addition, these series of steps (steps S1 to S12) are repeatedly executed.

[0125] As described above, in the present embodiment, the cup rinsing liquid is directly supplied to the rotating cup portion 31 rotating around the rotation axis AX from the rotation axis AX side, thereby performing the cup rinsing process. Therefore, the rotating cup portion 31 can be kept clean, and the generation of particles due to droplets of the processing liquid attached to the rotating cup portion 31 can be effectively prevented. In addition, if the cup contamination caused by the processing liquid, especially the chemical liquid, is left untreated, the rotating cup portion 31 made of a resin material or the like may be deformed, but by performing the cup rinsing process at an appropriate time, the deformation of the rotating cup portion 31 can be suppressed. That is, the life of the rotating cup portion 31 can be extended. As a result, the running cost can be suppressed. In addition, the amount of cup rinsing liquid used to exert such an effect is less than that of the substrate processing device described in Patent Document 1, and the environmental load can be reduced.

[0126] In addition, in the rotating cup portion 31, the processing liquid is captured by the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33. At this time, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cup acts on the droplets attached to the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 of the rotating cup portion 31. In addition, it is affected by the airflow formed by nitrogen gas or the like supplied during the inclined surface treatment and flowing radially outward along the upper surface Wf and the lower surface Wb of the substrate W. As a result, the downward vector stress along the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 acts on the droplets. In addition, the cup rinse liquid is supplied to the inclined portion 333 so as to flow downward along the inclined portion 333. Therefore, the processing liquid can be effectively removed from the rotating cup portion 31.

[0127] In addition, in the vertical direction Z, the landing position of the cup rinsing liquid in the inclined portion 333, that is, the cup rinsing position Zcr, is set higher than the height position Zw for capturing the droplets of the processing liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W. Therefore, the cup rinsing liquid flowing down along the inclined surface 334 of the inclined portion 333 can rinse and remove all the droplets of the processing liquid captured by the inclined portion 333, and an excellent cup rinsing effect can be obtained.

[0128] In addition, in this embodiment, if Fig. 11BAs shown, the cup rinsing process is performed in a state where the circular plate portion 42 of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is close to the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33. Therefore, sometimes a part of the cup rinsing liquid that lands on the inclined portion 333 rebounds. Considering this point, in the present embodiment, the cup rinsing position Zcr is set lower than the position of the upper surface of the circular plate portion 42 of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, that is, the height position Z42. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the droplets of the cup rinsing liquid that rebound at the cup rinsing position Zcr from adhering to the upper surface of the circular plate portion 42.

[0129] In addition, the heat dissipated from the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 heats not only the substrate W but also the upper cup 33, but the cup rinse liquid at room temperature is supplied to the upper cup 33, thereby lowering the temperature of the upper cup 33. As a result, the heat resistance of the upper cup 33 can be improved, and deformation of the upper cup 33 can be suppressed.

[0130] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the caliber of the spray port 202 is larger than the caliber of the spray port 511 of the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F, the following effects can be obtained. In order to suppress the rebound of the cup rinsing liquid at the cup rinsing position Zcr, in the present embodiment, the spray speed of the cup rinsing liquid is set to be smaller than the spray speed of the treatment liquid. On the other hand, the caliber of the spray port 202 is set to be relatively large as described above. Therefore, although the spray speed of the cup rinsing liquid is suppressed, the supply amount of the cup rinsing liquid supplied to the cup rinsing position Zcr per unit time can be increased. That is, the rebound of the cup rinsing liquid at the cup rinsing position Zcr can be suppressed, and sufficient cup rinsing liquid for the cup rinsing treatment can be supplied. As a result, the adverse effects caused by the rebound of the cup rinsing liquid can be suppressed and the cup rinsing treatment can be performed well.

[0131] In addition, if Fig. 11B As shown, since the ejection direction D33 of the cup rinsing liquid is inclined toward the rotation direction Dr of the upper cup 33 relative to the radial direction AR, it is possible to effectively prevent the cup rinsing liquid droplets rebounding at the cup rinsing position Zcr from returning and adhering to the rinsing liquid ejection nozzle 201 as described above. As a result, the cup rinsing process using the rinsing liquid ejection nozzle 201 can be continued, and the maintenance frequency of the rinsing liquid ejection nozzle 201 or the rotating cup portion 31 can be suppressed, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the device.

[0132] In this embodiment, the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 201 and the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F are held together by the nozzle holder 53 to form a nozzle head 56. The nozzle head 56 is moved to the cup rinse position (see FIG. 1 ) by the nozzle moving unit 54. Fig. 11B ). Thus, the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 is positioned with high precision at a position suitable for the cup rinse process. Therefore, the cup rinse liquid can be supplied to the desired position of the upper cup 33, and the cup rinse process can be performed well.

[0133] As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 is equivalent to an example of the "control unit" of the present invention. The cup rinsing position Zcr is equivalent to an example of the "discharge destination of the cup rinsing liquid" of the present invention. The height position Zw is equivalent to an example of the "height position of the upper surface of the substrate" of the present invention. The rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 201 is equivalent to an example of the "upper surface rinsing nozzle" of the present invention. The inclined surface 334 is equivalent to an example of the "inner peripheral surface of the rotating cup portion" of the present invention.

[0134] However, in the first embodiment, the cup rinsing liquid is sprayed toward the cup rinsing position Zcr of the inclined surface 334 from above the substrate holding height at which the substrate W is held by the rotary chuck 21 in the vertical direction Z, but at the same time, the cup rinsing liquid may be sprayed toward the cup rinsing position Zcr from below the substrate holding height toward the inclined surface 334.

[0135] (Second embodiment).

[0136] Fig.14 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure and operation of the second embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention. The second embodiment is greatly different from the first embodiment in that a rinse liquid discharge nozzle 204 is provided on the upper surface (flange portion 572) of the nozzle support portion 57 supporting the lower surface processing nozzle 51B. The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 204 is fixed to the nozzle support portion 57 in a state where a discharge port 205 for discharging cup rinse liquid is directed toward the cup rinse position Zcr. In addition, since the other structures and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0137] In the second embodiment, during the cup rinsing process (step S12d), when the calculation processing unit 10A controls the cup rinsing liquid supply unit 203 to also supply the cup rinsing liquid to the rinsing liquid spraying nozzle 204, the cup rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid spraying nozzles 201 and 204 is simultaneously supplied to the cup rinsing position Zcr. Therefore, the cup rinsing liquid is supplied to the inclined portion 333 of the upper cup 33 from both the oblique upper and oblique lower sides. As a result, a better cup rinsing performance than that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0138] As described above, in the second embodiment, the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 204 corresponds to an example of the “lower surface rinse nozzle” of the present invention.

[0139] In addition, as the rinse liquid ejection nozzle of the present invention, the upper surface rinse nozzle 201 is provided in the first embodiment, and the upper surface rinse nozzle 201 and the lower surface rinse nozzle 204 are provided in the second embodiment, but it is also possible to configure that only the lower surface rinse nozzle 204 is provided (third embodiment). In this third embodiment, since the upper surface rinse nozzle is not used, the nozzle head 56 (=upper surface treatment nozzle 51F+nozzle holder 53) can be separated from the inclined portion 333 during the cup rinse process. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the cup rinse liquid reflected by the inclined portion 333 from adhering to the upper surface treatment nozzle 51F. In addition, it is sufficient to fix the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 204 to the nozzle support portion 57 in a posture in which the ejection port 205 faces the cup rinse position Zcr, so that the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 204 can be easily adjusted. In addition, since a fixedly configured rinse liquid ejection nozzle 204 is used, the step of positioning the rinse liquid ejection nozzle 201 to the cup rinse position (step S12b) in the first embodiment or the second embodiment is not required. As a result, the processing time can be shortened.

[0140] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various changes can be made to the above-mentioned as long as they do not deviate from the main purpose. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup part 31 are rotated and driven by one motor 23, but the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup part 31 can also be driven by different motors. The present invention can also be applied to such a substrate processing device. Moreover, in the substrate processing device, during the cup rinsing process, the cup rinsing liquid can be supplied while only the rotating cup part 31 is rotated. As a result, the power consumption during the cup rinsing process can be reduced, and the environmental load can be reduced.

[0141] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a high bottom plate structure in which a substrate processing portion SP is provided on the upper surface of a base member 17. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a rotating cup portion 31. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus having an upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, an environmental gas separation mechanism 6, a centering mechanism 8, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. However, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the present invention may be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that does not have these structures, that is, a substrate processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of a substrate W in the internal space 12 of a chamber 11 to process the peripheral portion.

[0142] Furthermore, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a bevel processing as an example of “substrate processing”, but the present invention can also be applied to the entire substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing on a rotating substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate.

[0143] The invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, but the description is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. With reference to the description of the present invention, various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, as will other embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include such modifications or embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0144] Industrial Applicability

[0145] The present invention can be applied to the entire substrate processing in which a substrate is processed by a processing liquid.

[0146] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0147] 1: Substrate processing device (substrate processing unit)

[0148] 2A: Substrate holding part

[0149] 2B: Rotating mechanism

[0150] 3: Anti-scattering mechanism

[0151] 4: Upper surface protection heating mechanism

[0152] 5: Processing Agency

[0153] 10: Control unit (control unit)

[0154] 10A: Calculation processing unit

[0155] 21: Rotating chuck

[0156] 31: Rotating cup

[0157] 32: Next cup

[0158] 33: Top Cup

[0159] 42: Circular plate

[0160] 51B: Lower surface treatment nozzle (treatment liquid spray nozzle)

[0161] 51F: Upper surface treatment nozzle (treatment liquid spray nozzle)

[0162] 52: Processing liquid supply unit

[0163] 53: Nozzle seat

[0164] 54: Nozzle moving part

[0165] 56: Nozzle head

[0166] 58: Piping

[0167] 201: (Upper surface) flushing liquid spray nozzle

[0168] 202: Spout (for the top surface washing liquid spray nozzle)

[0169] 203: Cup rinse liquid supply unit

[0170] 204: (lower surface) flushing liquid spray nozzle

[0171] 205: (Bottom surface flushing liquid spray nozzle) spray port

[0172] 333: The inclined part (of the upper cup)

[0173] 334: Inclined surface

[0174] AR: Radial

[0175] AX: Rotation axis

[0176] D33: Spray direction

[0177] Dr: Direction of rotation

[0178] Ws: peripheral part (of substrate)

[0179] Z: vertical direction

[0180] Zcr: Cup flushing position

[0181] Zw: Height position (of the upper surface of the substrate)

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: have: A substrate holding portion configured to hold the substrate while rotating about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; A rotating cup portion, which is arranged to surround the outer circumference of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and rotate around the rotating axis; A rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion and the rotating cup portion; a processing mechanism that supplies a processing liquid from a processing liquid discharge nozzle to the substrate held by the rotating substrate holding portion to perform a predetermined substrate processing on the substrate; a cup rinsing mechanism that performs a cup rinsing process for removing the processing liquid from the rotating cup portion by directly supplying a cup rinsing liquid from the rotating shaft side to the rotating cup portion that collects the processing liquid scattered from the substrate; and The control unit controls the rotating mechanism and the cup rinsing mechanism so that the cup rinsing liquid is supplied to the rotating cup unit while the rotating cup unit is rotated after the substrate processing.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The rotating cup portion comprises: a lower cup, which is rotated around the rotating axis by the rotating driving force given by the rotating mechanism; and an upper cup, which is connected to the lower cup and rotates around the rotating axis together with the lower cup, while collecting droplets of the processing liquid scattered from the substrate; The upper cup has a connection portion located above the lower cup and connected to the lower cup, and an inclined portion inclined from the connection portion toward the upper side of the peripheral portion of the substrate; the liquid droplets are captured at the inclined portion.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The cup rinsing mechanism has a rinsing liquid spraying nozzle for spraying the cup rinsing liquid toward the inclined portion, and the spraying destination of the cup rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid spraying nozzle is a cup rinsing position which is higher in the vertical direction than the upper surface of the substrate held on the substrate holding portion.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: Also available: a heating mechanism including a circular plate portion having a built-in heater for heating a central portion of an upper surface of the substrate to which the processing liquid is supplied, excluding the peripheral portion, and arranging the circular plate portion above the substrate to heat the substrate; The cup washing position is lower than the upper surface of the circular plate portion in the vertical direction.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: A spray direction of the cup rinse liquid from the rinse liquid spray nozzle is inclined in a horizontal plane toward a rotation direction of the rotating cup portion with respect to a radial direction from the rotation axis toward the rinse liquid spray nozzle.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The processing mechanism includes an upper surface processing nozzle for spraying the processing liquid toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate from above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion, as the processing liquid spraying nozzle; The cup rinsing mechanism has an upper surface rinsing nozzle as the rinsing liquid spraying nozzle for spraying the cup rinsing liquid toward the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cup portion in a vertical direction from above a substrate holding height at which the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: have: a nozzle holder for holding the upper surface treatment nozzle and the upper surface washing nozzle disposed close to each other; and a nozzle moving unit that moves the nozzle holder to a substrate processing position for performing the substrate processing or a cup flushing position for performing the cup flushing processing; and The control unit controls the treatment liquid spray nozzle and the rinse liquid spray nozzle in the following manner: When the nozzle holder moves to the substrate processing position, the cup rinsing liquid is stopped from being sprayed from the upper surface rinsing nozzle, and the processing liquid is sprayed from the upper surface processing nozzle. When the nozzle holder moves to the cup rinsing position, the cup rinsing liquid is ejected from the upper surface rinsing nozzle while the ejection of the processing liquid from the upper surface processing nozzle is stopped.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The processing mechanism includes a lower surface processing nozzle for spraying the processing liquid toward the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate from below the substrate held by the substrate holding portion, as the processing liquid spraying nozzle; The cup rinsing mechanism has a lower surface rinsing nozzle as the rinsing liquid spraying nozzle for spraying the cup rinsing liquid toward the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cup portion from below the substrate holding height at which the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion in the vertical direction.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The processing mechanism comprises an upper surface processing nozzle for spraying the processing liquid from above the substrate held by the substrate holding portion toward the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, and a lower surface processing nozzle for spraying the processing liquid from below the substrate held by the substrate holding portion toward the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate, as the processing liquid spraying nozzles; The cup flushing mechanism has an upper surface flushing nozzle and a lower surface flushing nozzle as the flushing liquid spraying nozzles. The upper surface flushing nozzle supplies the cup flushing liquid to the inner circumferential surface by spraying the cup flushing liquid in a vertical direction from above a substrate holding height at which the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion toward the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cup portion, and the lower surface flushing nozzle supplies the cup flushing liquid to the inner circumferential surface by spraying the cup flushing liquid to the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cup portion from below the substrate holding height.

10. A substrate processing method, characterized in that: The following steps are required: The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate in a state where the substrate is rotated around a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction by the rotating cup portion, so that the substrate is subjected to a predetermined substrate processing by the processing liquid, and the processing liquid scattered from the substrate is captured by the rotating cup portion; and The cup rinsing removes the processing liquid from the rotating cup portion by directly supplying a cup rinsing liquid to the rotating cup portion from the rotating shaft side while rotating the rotating cup portion that has captured the processing liquid about the rotating shaft.

Images