Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

In the present invention, in an upper surface protection heating mechanism that heats a substrate while covering the upper surface of the substrate held by a substrate holding unit, a base block, a first bottom block, and a second bottom block are combined to form a gap region and an annular blow-out opening. Furthermore, after being heated by the peripheral heating part, the gas flowing in the gap region is supplied to the vicinity of the peripheral part of the upper surface of the substrate from the annular blow-out port. In addition, the peripheral edge heating part can increase and decrease the temperature of the gas and the peripheral edge part of the substrate for heating the peripheral edge part of the upper surface of the substrate to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device for processing the peripheral portion of a substrate using 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 etching 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. 2022-149719 (applied on September 21, 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 peripheral portion of the substrate to perform a liquid treatment or a cleaning treatment, for example, there is a known device described in Patent Document 1. In this substrate processing device, the substrate is kept horizontal by rotating a chuck, but a gas supply unit is provided as an auxiliary mechanism at this time. The gas supply unit has a blocking plate whose lower surface is opposite to the upper surface of the substrate. A nozzle is provided in the central portion of the blocking plate. In addition, a gas such as nitrogen is supplied from the nozzle to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-34285 ( Figure 6 , Figure 7 wait) Summary of the invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] In order to improve the processing efficiency when processing the peripheral portion of the substrate in this way, for example, in bevel processing, the temperature of the peripheral portion of the substrate needs to be raised to the desired temperature. Therefore, in the above-mentioned previous device, it is proposed to supply heated gas from the nozzle of the blocking plate (proposed technology). However, the heated gas supplied from the nozzle is first supplied to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate, and then supplied to the peripheral portion along the upper surface of the substrate. Therefore, the gas having a temperature higher than normal temperature may not be effectively supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate, and the usage of the heated gas increases. That is, in the previous substrate processing device, there is room for improvement in reducing the environmental load. In addition, as the usage of the heated gas increases, a large amount of electricity required for heating the gas is consumed, and there is also room for improvement in reducing the power consumption.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to reduce environmental load by reducing the usage of heated gas in a substrate processing apparatus that processes the peripheral portion of a substrate heated by a heated gas by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion.

[0011] Means used to solve problems

[0012] The present invention is a substrate processing device, characterized in that it comprises: a substrate holding portion, which is arranged to hold the substrate approximately horizontally while rotating around a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; a rotating mechanism, which rotates the substrate holding portion around the rotation axis; a processing mechanism, which performs substrate processing on the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion rotated by the rotating mechanism by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate; and an upper surface protection heating mechanism, which heats the substrate while covering the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion; the upper surface protection heating mechanism comprises: a base block, which has a first opening at the center of the upper surface for introducing a gas supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and a second opening larger than the first opening at the center of the lower surface, forming a funnel-shaped space whose inner diameter expands downward from the first opening and is connected to the second opening; a first bottom block, which has a first opening at the center of the upper surface A third opening having the same shape as the second opening is provided in the central part of the surface, and has a hollow shape with a through space extending from the third opening to the central part of the lower surface, and is connected to the base block in a state where the third opening is consistent with the second opening and the lower surface of the peripheral portion is opposite to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate; a peripheral heating portion, which is provided in the first bottom block; and a second bottom block, which is connected to the base block in a state where the lower surface is opposite to the central part of the upper surface of the substrate and is inserted into the through space and the funnel-shaped space; an annular blowing port is formed between the lower surface of the first bottom block and the lower surface of the second bottom block near the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, and is connected to the first opening via the base block and the gap area between the first bottom block and the second bottom block; the peripheral heating portion heats the gas flowing in the gap area and heats the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate.

[0013] In the invention thus constituted, an annular blowing port is formed near the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, and heated gas is directly supplied from the annular blowing port to the peripheral portion of the substrate. Therefore, compared with the proposed technology in which the temperature of the peripheral portion of the substrate is raised by causing the heated gas supplied to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate to flow along the upper surface of the substrate to the peripheral portion of the substrate, the present invention can effectively raise the temperature of the peripheral portion of the substrate. Therefore, the peripheral portion of the substrate can be heated with less heated gas than in the proposed technology.

[0014] In addition, by effectively raising the temperature of the substrate, the processing capacity is improved, that is, the processing time is shortened. As a result, the amount of chemical solution used can be reduced, thereby reducing the environmental load.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, a peripheral heating unit is provided in the first bottom block as a heating mechanism for heating the gas flowing in the gap region. That is, the gas is heated before being supplied from the annular blow outlet. Therefore, the high-temperature heated gas is supplied from the annular blow outlet to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate. Moreover, the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate is heated not only by the above-mentioned heated gas but also by the peripheral heating unit. Therefore, compared with the proposed technology, the temperature of the peripheral portion of the substrate can be raised to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.

[0016] In addition, "free insertion" in the specification means inserting with a margin in the space. More specifically, it means that the surface of the base block facing the funnel-shaped space and the surface of the second bottom block do not contact each other, and the surface of the first bottom block facing the through space and the surface of the second bottom block do not contact each other.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, in a substrate processing apparatus that processes a peripheral portion of a substrate heated by heated gas by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion, the amount of heated gas used can be reduced, thereby reducing environmental load.

[0019] 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

[0020] 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.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the structure of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the chamber and the structure attached to the chamber.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a substrate processing unit provided on a base member.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a figure which shows the dimensional relationship between the substrate held by the spin chuck and the spin cup part.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a figure which shows a part of a rotating cup part and a fixed cup part.

[0026] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism.

[0027] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 An exploded perspective view of the upper surface protection heating mechanism is shown.

[0028] Fig. 9 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the nozzle moving unit.

[0029] Fig.10 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. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] 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. Then, 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] like Figure 1 As 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.

[0033] The carrier robot 122 includes a base portion 122a fixed to the device housing, a multi-joint arm 122b arranged to be rotatable around a vertical axis relative to the base portion 122a, and a hand 122c mounted on 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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 end of these base support members 16, 16 by bolts or other fastening members. The base member 17 is composed of a metal plate having a smaller plane size than the bottom wall 11a, a thicker thickness than the bottom wall 11a, and a high rigidity. Figure 2As 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] like Figure 3 As 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.

[0039] The shutter 15 is connected to a shutter opening and closing mechanism (not shown), and the shutter 15 is opened and closed according to the opening and closing command from the control unit 10. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, when an unprocessed substrate W is 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 ( Figure 521 in the figure). Furthermore, when the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 withdraws from the chamber 11 after the substrate is moved in, the baffle opening and closing mechanism closes the baffle 15. Furthermore, in the processing space of the chamber 11 (equivalent to the enclosed space 12a described in detail later), the substrate processing unit SP performs a bevel treatment on the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W as an example of "substrate treatment" of the present invention. In addition, after the bevel treatment is completed, the baffle opening and closing mechanism opens the baffle 15 again, and the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 moves the processed substrate W out of the substrate processing unit SP. In this way, in the present embodiment, the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 maintains a normal temperature environment. In addition, in this specification, "normal temperature" means a temperature range of 5°C to 35°C.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] Thus, the baffle 15, the cover member 19 and the heating gas supply unit 47 are arranged on the outer wall side of the chamber 11. Meanwhile, in the inner side of the chamber 11, that is, in the internal space 12, a substrate processing unit SP is provided on the upper surface of the base member 17 having a high floor structure.

[0043] 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 4In the coordinate system, the horizontal direction parallel to the transport path TP of the substrate W is referred to as the “X direction”, and the horizontal direction perpendicular 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.

[0044] 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, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. 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, and the substrate observation mechanism 9 are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the base member 17 having a higher rigidity than the chamber 11.

[0045] 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 anti-scattering 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 anti-scattering mechanism 3 rotate around the rotation axis AX extending parallel to the vertical direction Z.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate holding portion 2A includes a disk-shaped member smaller than the substrate W, namely a rotating chuck 21. The rotating chuck 21 corresponds to an example of the "substrate holding portion" of the present invention and is made of resin. In addition, in the horizontal plane (XY plane), the upper surface of the rotating chuck 21 is substantially horizontal and narrower than the lower surface of the second bottom block of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 described in detail later. As described later Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the diameter D21 of the upper surface of the rotating chuck 21 and the diameter D43 of the lower surface of the second bottom block have a relationship of (D43>D21). Furthermore, the upper surface of the rotating chuck 21 is located vertically below the lower surface of the second bottom block. The central axis of the rotating chuck 21 is arranged to coincide with the rotation axis AX. In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 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.

[0047] A cylindrical rotating shaft portion 22 is connected to the lower surface of the spin chuck 21 . The rotating shaft portion 22 is provided to extend in the vertical direction Z in a state where the axis line thereof coincides with the rotating axis AX. In addition, the rotating mechanism 2B is connected to the rotating shaft portion 22 .

[0048] The rotating mechanism 2B has 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 has a rotating shaft 231 that rotates with the generation of the rotational driving force. The rotating shaft 231 is provided at the motor mounting portion 171 of the base member 17 in a posture of extending downward vertically.

[0049] A first pulley 241 is installed at the top end of the rotating shaft 231 protruding downward from the base member 17. In addition, a second pulley 242 is installed at 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 a rotating chuck mounting portion 172 of the base member 17, and protrudes downward from the base member 17. The second pulley 242 is provided at 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.

[0050] A through hole (not shown) is provided in the central portion of the spin chuck 21, which communicates with 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.

[0051] 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 facilities of 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 allows nitrogen to flow from the central portion to 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.

[0052] 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 extending 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).

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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, the inclined portion 333 can surround the outer periphery of the rotating substrate W to collect droplets scattered from the substrate W, and the space surrounded by the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 functions as a collection space SPc.

[0062] Furthermore, the inclined portion 333 facing the capture space SPc is inclined from the lower annular portion 331 toward the upper portion of the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Figure 6 As shown, the droplets captured in the inclined portion 333 can flow along the inclined surface 334 to the lower end of the upper cup 33 , namely the lower annular portion 331 , and then be discharged to the outside of the rotating cup portion 31 through the gap GPc.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the upper surface protection heating mechanism. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 2 is an exploded perspective view of the upper surface protection heating mechanism shown in FIG. The upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is arranged above the upper surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21. In more detail, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 includes a base block 41, a first bottom block 42 and a second bottom block 43 arranged vertically below the base block 41, a peripheral heating heater 44 arranged inside the first bottom block 42, and a central heating heater 45 arranged inside the second bottom block 43. The base block 41, the first bottom block 42, the second bottom block 43, the peripheral heating heater 44, and the central heating heater 45 are respectively configured as follows, and by combining them, a blocking plate structure 40 is configured.

[0066] like Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the base block 41 has a substantially disk shape as a whole. An input port 411 for introducing nitrogen gas supplied to the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is installed at the center of the upper surface of the base block 41. Figure 2 As shown, the input port 411 is connected to the heating gas supply unit 47 via the 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 the heater 471, and pressurizes it to the base block 41 at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the heating gas supply instruction from the control unit 10.

[0067] In the base block 41, as Figure 7As shown, the upper end of the input port 411 is opened, and the opening 412 is equivalent to an example of the "first opening" of the present invention. In addition, an opening 413 larger than the opening 412 is provided in the central portion of the lower surface of the base block 41. The opening 413 is equivalent to an example of the "second opening" of the present invention. In addition, a funnel-shaped space 414 is formed on the lower surface side of the base block 41. The inner diameter of the funnel-shaped space 414 expands downward from the opening 412 and is connected to the opening 413.

[0068] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first bottom block 42 includes a flanged annular member 421 and annular member 422. In addition, an annular peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular member 421 and the annular member 422 and is built into the first bottom block 42. The annular member 421 has a diameter slightly shorter than that of the substrate W. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, a cutout portion 425 is provided at the peripheral edge of the first bottom block 42. This is provided to prevent interference with the treatment liquid discharge nozzle included in the treatment mechanism 5. The cutout portion 425 opens toward the radially outer side.

[0069] In the annular member 421, a through hole having the same shape as the opening 413 is provided in the central portion of the area surrounded by the flange portion, and the central portion has a hollow shape. In addition, the annular member 422 and the peripheral heating heater 44 also have an annular shape in which a through hole having the same shape as the opening 413 is provided in the central portion of the annular member 421. And, while making the above-mentioned through holes consistent, the peripheral heating heater 44 and the annular member 422 are stacked in sequence on the upper surface of the annular member 421. In the stacked body (= first bottom block 42 + peripheral heating heater 44) thus constructed, the annular peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular member 421 and the annular member 422, and is built into the first bottom block 42. In addition, as Figure 7 As shown in the left figure of , a through hole 423 is formed in the central part of the stacked body, and the space in the through hole 423 is equivalent to an example of the "through space" of the present invention. In addition, the opening 424 on the upper side of the through hole 423 is equivalent to the "third opening" of the present invention. And, the stacked body is closely attached to the base block 41 in such a manner that the opening 424 is consistent with the opening 413 of the base block 41 and the upper surface of the first bottom block 42 is consistent with the lower surface of the base block 41, and the first bottom block 42 and the peripheral heating heater 44 are fixed to the base block 41 by fastening members 415 such as bolts. Thus, the funnel-shaped space 414 is connected to the above-mentioned through space and integrated. As a result, a space (= funnel-shaped space 414 + through space) in which the second bottom block 43 described below can be inserted is formed.

[0070] The second bottom block 43 has a disk member 431, an intermediate member 432 and a truncated cone member 433. The disk member 431 has an outer diameter slightly narrower than the inner diameter of the through hole 423, and has the same thickness as the annular member 421, that is, the height in the vertical direction. In addition, the intermediate member 432 has a disk portion of the same shape as the disk member 431, and a truncated cone portion extending vertically upward from the disk portion. In addition, the central heating heater 45 is built into the second bottom block 43 by sandwiching the central heating heater 45 between the disk member 431 and the intermediate member 432. In addition, the central heating heater 45 has the same shape as the disk member 431 and has the same thickness as the central heating heater 45. The central heating heater 45, the intermediate member 432 and the truncated cone member 433 are sequentially stacked on the upper surface of the disk member 431 while the rotational symmetry axes of the disk member 431, the central heating heater 45, the intermediate member 432 and the truncated cone member 433 are aligned. The lower surface of the stacked body (= the second bottom block 43 + the central heating heater 45) formed in this way (i.e., the lower surface of the disk member 431) is inserted in the space formed by the funnel-shaped space 414 and the through space in a manner that is aligned with the lower surface of the first bottom block 42 in the vertical direction. And, while maintaining this inserted state, the second bottom block 43 and the central heating heater 45 are fixed to the base block 41 by a fastening member 416 such as a bolt. As a result, in the blocking plate structure 40, a gap area 403 is formed between the base block 41 and the first bottom block 42 and the second bottom block 43 as a gas supply path. In addition, an annular blowing port 401 is formed between the lower surface of the first bottom block 42 and the lower surface of the second bottom block 43. As a result, when the heated gas is introduced into the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 through the opening 412, the heated gas is guided to the annular blowing port 401 through the gap region 403. Then, the heated gas is uniformly supplied from the annular blowing port 401 to the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W.

[0071] In addition, in the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, a power supply member 441 is provided to drive the peripheral heating heater 44. The power supply member 441 is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the peripheral heating heater 44 is connected to the peripheral heating heater 44 by inserting through holes (not shown) provided in the base block 41 and the circular ring member 422. Therefore, when the power for operating the peripheral heating heater 44 is applied from the heater driving unit 402 to the peripheral heating heater 44 via the power supply member 441, heat is released from the peripheral heating heater 44. The heat is applied to the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W via the circular ring member 421, and heats the heating gas flowing toward the annular blowing port 401 in the gap region 403. As a result, the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is heated, and the temperature of the peripheral portion rises.

[0072] In addition to the peripheral heating heater 44, a power supply member 451 is also provided to drive the central heating heater 45. The power supply member 451 is as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, it is inserted into a through hole (not shown) provided in the base block 41, the truncated cone member 433 and the intermediate member 432, and is connected to the central heating heater 45. Therefore, when the electric power for operating the central heating heater 45 is applied from the heater driving unit 402 to the central heating heater 45 via the power supply member 451, heat is released from the central heating heater 45. The heat is applied to the central portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W via the annular member 421, and heats the heating gas toward the annular blowing port 401 in the gap area 403. Thus, the temperature of the heating gas supplied to the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the substrate W can be increased, so that the temperature of the peripheral portion of the substrate W is increased. In addition, the central portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W can be heated via the disk member 431, and the temperature difference with the peripheral portion Ws can be reduced. That is, the in-plane temperature of the substrate W can be made uniform. Thus, the warping of the substrate W can be suppressed, and the landing position of the processing liquid can be stabilized. In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the relationship (D43>D21) holds between the resin spin chuck 21 and the second bottom block. That is, in the horizontal plane, the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 is narrower than the lower surface of the second bottom block 43 and is located vertically below the lower surface of the second bottom block 43. Therefore, the spin chuck 21 is not easily affected by the heating gas supplied from the annular blower 401 to the vicinity of the peripheral portion or the heat from the peripheral heating heater 44, and the spin chuck 21 can be prevented from being deteriorated or changing in shape, thereby stabilizing the bevel processing.

[0073] Furthermore, the heater driving unit 402 can switch between supplying power to the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45, supplying power only to the peripheral heating heater 44, and stopping supplying power to both. Furthermore, when supplying power to both the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45, the amount of power applied to the peripheral heating heater 44 and the amount of power applied to the central heating heater 45 can be controlled individually. By this power control, the heating amount of the peripheral heating heater 44 and the heating amount of the central heating heater 45 can be adjusted independently of each other. As a result, in this embodiment, the temperature of the substrate W can be finely controlled. In particular, it is preferable to control the heating amount of the peripheral heating heater 44 to be greater than the heating amount of the central heating heater 45.

[0074] 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. Figure 4As 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.

[0075] The nitrogen gas heated in this way, i.e., the heated gas, not only has the function of heating the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W as described above, but also has the function of preventing the ambient gas around the substrate W from entering the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the droplets contained in the ambient gas from being drawn into the space SPa sandwiched between the substrate W and the blocking plate structure 40.

[0076] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the blocking plate structure 40 constructed as described above is supported by a support member 404. The upper end of the support member 404 is fixed to a beam member 49 extending along the first virtual horizontal line VL1. The beam member 49 is connected to a lifting mechanism 7 mounted on the upper surface of the base member 17, and is lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 7 according to a command from the control unit 10. For example, Figure 2 In the embodiment, the beam member 49 is positioned downwardly, and the blocking plate structure 40 ( Figure 7 ) 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 causes the beam member 49 to rise, the beam member 49, the support member 404 and the blocking plate structure 40 rise together, and the upper cup 33 is also linked to separate from the lower cup 32 and rise. As a result, the space between the spin chuck 21 and the upper cup 33 and the blocking plate structure 40 is expanded, and the substrate W can be moved in and out of the spin chuck 21.

[0077] 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 referred to as "upper surface nozzle 51F" and "lower surface nozzle 51B", respectively. Figure 2 In the figure, two processing liquid supply parts 52 are shown, but they are the same.

[0078] In this embodiment, three upper surface nozzles 51F are provided, and they are connected to the treatment liquid supply unit 52. In addition, the treatment liquid supply unit 52 is configured to supply SC1, DHF and other liquids or functional water (CO2 water, etc.) as treatment liquids, and SC1, DHF and functional water can be sprayed independently from the three upper surface nozzles 51F.

[0079] In each upper surface nozzle 51F, a nozzle (not shown) for ejecting the processing liquid is provided on the lower surface of the top end. Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 1 , the lower portion of a plurality of (three in this embodiment) upper surface nozzles 51F is arranged in the cutout portion 425 (refer to FIG. 1 ) of the first bottom block 42 so that each nozzle is directed toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Figure 8 ), and the upper portion of the upper surface nozzle 51F is mounted to be movable in the radial direction D1 (the 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) relative to the nozzle holder 53. The nozzle holder 53 is connected to the nozzle moving part 54.

[0080] Fig. 9 Schematically shows the structure of the nozzle moving part. Fig. 9 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 nozzle 51F+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 are moved in the vertical direction Z accordingly.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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 move 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 nozzle 51F installed on the nozzle head 56 is positioned in the radial direction D1. For example, as Fig. 9 As shown, when the upper surface 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 (-X) direction. Thus, the tooth gap 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 tooth gap along the radial direction D1 zero. If the above situation is not fully considered, the positioning accuracy of the upper surface nozzle 51F in the radial direction D1 will be reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing a spring member 548, when the upper surface nozzle 51F is stationary at the starting position, the tooth gap is always biased in the (-D1) direction. Thus, the following effects can be obtained. According to the nozzle movement instruction from the control unit 10, the nozzle moving unit 54 drives the three upper surface nozzles 51F together in the direction D1. The nozzle movement instruction contains information related to the nozzle movement distance. When the upper surface nozzle 51F moves a designated nozzle movement distance in the radial direction D1 based on this information, the upper surface nozzle 51F is accurately positioned at the bevel processing position.

[0083] The ejection port (not shown) of the upper surface nozzle 51F positioned at the bevel processing position faces the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. When the processing liquid supply unit 52 supplies the processing liquid corresponding to the supply instruction among the three processing liquids to the upper surface nozzle 51F for the processing liquid according to the supply instruction from the control unit 10, the processing liquid is supplied from the upper surface nozzle 51F from the end surface of the substrate W to a predetermined position.

[0084] 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 the bevel process is performed, the upper surface 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 together with the lower sealed cup member 61 in the vertical direction Z by the lifting mechanism 7. On the other hand, when the calibration process is performed, the lower sealed cup member 61 is removed, and the upper surface nozzle 51F and the nozzle holder 53 are reciprocated in the radial direction D1 by the nozzle moving part 54, and are lifted and lowered in the vertical direction Z by the lifting mechanism 7.

[0085] In this embodiment, in order to spray the processing liquid toward the peripheral portion of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W, the lower surface nozzle 51B and the nozzle support portion 57 are disposed below the substrate W held on the spin 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 freely 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 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 nozzles 51B are mounted on the upper surface peripheral portion of the flange portion 572. Each lower surface 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.

[0086] The processing liquid ejected from the upper surface nozzle 51F and the lower surface nozzle 51B performs a bevel processing on the peripheral edge of the substrate W. In addition, the flange portion 572 is extended to the vicinity of the peripheral edge Ws on the lower surface side of the substrate W. 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.

[0087] 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 2As 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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 4 As 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.

[0091] The lower sealed cup member 61 is configured to be movable vertically upward. In addition, as described above, the nozzle head 56 (=upper surface nozzle 51F+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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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 the 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 edge Ws of the substrate W, and is equivalent to a position where the observation head 93 is positioned (not shown).

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 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 stored 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 that integrates and controls the various units of the substrate processing system 100. The exhaust control unit 10G controls the exhaust unit 38.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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.10 The bevel surface processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

[0108] Fig.10 Yes means through Figure 2 1 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 the slope treatment by the substrate processing apparatus 1, the calculation processing unit 10A integrally raises the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 404 and the blocking plate structure 40 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, the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 404 and the blocking plate structure 40 are raised together and 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.

[0109] 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 move horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21.

[0110] 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 moving unit 831 and the multi-abutting unit 82 approach the substrate W on the rotating chuck 21. Thus, the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotating chuck 21 is eliminated, and the center of the substrate W is consistent with the center of the rotating 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 abutting unit 81 and the multi-abutting unit 82 are separated from the substrate W, and operates the pump 26 to apply negative pressure to the rotating chuck 21. Thus, the rotating chuck 21 adsorbs and holds the substrate W from below.

[0111] Next, the calculation processing unit 10A applies a descending command to the lifting and lowering drive units 71 and 72. In response, the lifting and lowering drive units 71 and 72 lower the lower sealed cup member 61, the nozzle head 56, the beam member 49, the support member 404, and the blocking plate structure 40 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 unit 31 (= a connected body of the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32) is formed.

[0112] 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 404 and the blocking plate structure 40 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, the upper and lower sealed cup components 61 are connected to the fixed cup portion 34 in the vertical direction, 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. The closed space 12a is separated from the external ambient gas (external space 12b) (environmental gas separation).

[0113] In this state of environmental gas separation, the lower surface of the blocking plate structure 40 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 425 of the blocking plate structure 40 with the nozzle 511 facing the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. In this way, when the preparation for supplying 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 402 to heat the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 to the desired temperature, respectively.

[0114] Next, the operation processing unit 10A applies a heating gas supply instruction to the heating gas supply unit 47. As a result, the nitrogen gas heated by the heater 471, i.e., the heating gas, is pressed from the heating gas supply unit 47 to the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 (step S5). The heating gas is heated by the belt heater 48 while passing through the piping 46. Thus, while preventing the temperature of the heating gas from decreasing during the gas supply process through the piping 46, it is supplied to the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4. In addition, in the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the heating gas flowing through the gap area 403 is heated by the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45. The heating gas heated in this way is supplied to the space SPa (reference number 45) sandwiched between the substrate W and the blocking plate structure 40 near the peripheral portion of the substrate W. Figure 6 ) is ejected. As a result, the peripheral portion Ws of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is concentratedly heated. In addition, the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is also heated by the peripheral heating heater 44. Therefore, as time passes, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W rises and reaches a temperature suitable for bevel processing, such as 90°C. In addition, the temperature outside the peripheral portion Ws is also heated by the central heating heater 45 and 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.

[0115] Then, the operation processing unit 10A controls the processing liquid supply unit 52 to supply the processing liquid to the upper surface nozzle 51F and the lower surface nozzle 51B. That is, the liquid flow of the processing liquid is ejected from the upper surface nozzle 51F to hit the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate W, and the liquid flow of the processing liquid is ejected from the lower surface nozzle 51B to collide with 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.

[0116] Then, the processing unit 10A applies a supply stop command to the heating gas supply unit 47 to stop supplying the heating gas from the heating gas supply unit 47 to the blocking plate structure 40 (step S7). In addition, the processing unit 10A applies a rotation stop command to the motor 23 to stop the rotation of the rotating chuck 21 and the rotating cup unit 31 (step S8).

[0117] 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).

[0118] After the inspection, the arithmetic processing unit 10A issues a request to the substrate transport robot 111 to unload the substrate W via the communication unit 10F, and unloads the processed substrate W from the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S10 ). In addition, this series of steps is repeatedly executed.

[0119] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the heating gas corresponds to an example of the “gas” of the present invention. In addition, the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 correspond to examples of the “peripheral heating unit” and the “central heating unit” of the present invention, respectively.

[0120] As described above, in the present embodiment, the annular blowing port 401 is formed near the peripheral portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, and the heating gas is directly supplied from the annular blowing port 401 to the peripheral portion of the substrate W. Therefore, compared with the proposed technology in which the heating gas supplied to the central portion of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W flows along the upper surface Wf of the substrate W to the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W can be effectively increased. Therefore, the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W can be heated with less heating gas. As a result, the amount of heating gas used can be reduced, thereby reducing the environmental load.

[0121] In addition, as a heating mechanism for further heating the heating gas flowing through the gap region 403, a peripheral heating heater 44 is provided in the first bottom block 42. That is, the heating gas is further heated before being supplied from the annular blowing port 401. Therefore, the high-temperature heating gas is supplied from the annular blowing port 401 to the peripheral portion Ws of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. And the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is heated not only by the above-mentioned heating gas, but also by the peripheral heating heater 44. Therefore, compared with the proposed technology, the temperature of the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W can be raised to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.

[0122] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in addition to the peripheral heating heater 44, a central heating heater 45 is also provided. Therefore, the in-plane temperature of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W can be kept uniform, and the warping of the substrate W can be effectively suppressed. In addition, there is a case where warping has already occurred in the substrate W, but this situation can also be appropriately dealt with. In this way, by adjusting the heater outputs of the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 for the warped substrate W, a temperature difference is generated near the center and near the periphery of the substrate W. The thermal expansion amount of each part can be individually controlled by using this temperature difference. That is, the warping of the substrate W can also be reduced by adjusting the heater output.

[0123] In addition, in the above embodiment, the gap region 403 is composed of an inclined portion sandwiched by the base block 41 and the second bottom block 43, and a vertical portion sandwiched by the first bottom block 42 and the second bottom block 43. That is, the flow path of the heating gas is gradually changed from the inclined portion to the vertical portion. Therefore, the pressure loss of the heating gas at the connection portion between the inclined portion and the vertical portion can be suppressed, and the temperature drop of the heating gas can be reduced.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, if Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, a heater 471 for obtaining a heating gas for heating the substrate W is installed on the outer wall (side wall 11e) of the chamber 11. That is, the heater 471 is arranged outside the chamber 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the heat generated by the heater 471 from affecting various mechanisms arranged in the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. In particular, since the light source unit 91 and the camera unit 92 are easily affected by heat, in this embodiment, the light source unit 91 and the camera unit 92 are arranged at a separated position away from the installation position of the heater 471. Therefore, by adopting the above-mentioned layout structure, the light source unit 91 and the camera unit 92 are not easily affected by the heat generated in the heater 471. As a result, it is possible to prevent the reduction in observation accuracy caused by the influence of temperature changes, and the peripheral portion of the substrate can be observed with high precision. In addition, the processing liquid spray nozzles 51F and 51B are also the same with respect to the thermal influence from the heater 471, so the processing liquid spray nozzles 51F and 51B are arranged at a separated position away from the installation position of the heater 471. In more detail, as Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the light source unit 91, the imaging unit 92, and the processing liquid ejection nozzles 51F and 51B are arranged on the opposite side of the heater 471 across the second virtual horizontal line VL2 when viewed from above the chamber 11. By adopting such an arrangement structure, the distance from the heater 471 to the light source unit 91, the imaging unit 92, and the processing liquid ejection nozzles 51F and 51B becomes longer, and the heat influence from the heater 471 can be reliably suppressed.

[0125] 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 present invention is applied to a substrate processing device 1 having a rotating cup portion 31. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing device 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 device 1 having an ambient gas separation mechanism 6, a centering mechanism 8, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. However, the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing device that does not have these structures, that is, a substrate processing device that supplies a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of a substrate W and processes the above peripheral portion.

[0126] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular member 421 and the annular member 422, but the arrangement position of the peripheral heating heater 44 in the first bottom block 42 is not limited to this. In addition, the central heating heater 45 is sandwiched between the disk member 431 and the intermediate member 432, but the arrangement position of the central heating heater 45 in the second bottom block 43 is not limited to this.

[0127] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the first bottom block 42 is composed of two components (= annular component 421 + annular component 422), but it can also be composed of a single component, or it can be composed of three or more components. The second bottom block 43 is composed of three components (= disk component 431 + intermediate component 432 + truncated cone component 433), but it can also be composed of a single component, two or four or more components.

[0128] 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 an entire substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of a rotating substrate.

[0129] 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.

[0130] Industrial Applicability

[0131] The present invention can be applied to the entire substrate processing apparatus that processes the peripheral portion of a substrate using a processing liquid.

[0132] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0133] 1: Substrate processing equipment

[0134] 2A: Substrate holding part

[0135] 2B: Rotating mechanism

[0136] 4: Upper surface protection heating mechanism

[0137] 5: Processing Agency

[0138] 40: Blocking plate structure

[0139] 41: Base Block

[0140] 42: 1st bottom block

[0141] 43: 2nd bottom block

[0142] 44: Peripheral heating heater (peripheral heating unit)

[0143] 45: Central heating heater (central heating unit)

[0144] 401: Ring-shaped blow outlet

[0145] 403: Clearance Area

[0146] 414: Funnel-shaped space

[0147] AX: Rotation axis

[0148] Wf: upper surface (of substrate)

[0149] Ws: peripheral part (of substrate)

[0150] Z: vertical direction

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: have: A substrate holding portion configured to hold the substrate substantially horizontally while rotating about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; a rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion around the rotation axis; a processing mechanism that performs substrate processing on the peripheral portion of the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion rotated by the rotating mechanism; and an upper surface protection heating mechanism that covers the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and heats the substrate; The upper surface protection heating mechanism comprises: A base block, wherein a first opening is provided at the center of the upper surface for introducing the gas supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and a second opening is provided at the center of the lower surface, which is larger than the first opening, to form a funnel-shaped space whose inner diameter increases downward from the first opening and is connected to the second opening; a first bottom block having a third opening having the same shape as the second opening at the center of the upper surface, having a hollow shape with a through space extending from the third opening toward the center of the lower surface, and connected to the base block in a state where the third opening is aligned with the second opening and the lower surface of the peripheral portion faces the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate; A peripheral heating portion, which is disposed in the first bottom block; and A second bottom block connected to the base block while being inserted into the through space and the funnel-shaped space with its lower surface facing the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate; An annular blowing outlet is formed between the lower surface of the first bottom block and the lower surface of the second bottom block near the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, and is connected to the first opening via the base block and the gap area between the first bottom block and the second bottom block; The peripheral heating unit heats the gas flowing in the gap region and heats the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate holding portion is a resin spin chuck that holds the center portion of the lower surface of the substrate by suction on its upper surface.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: In a horizontal plane, an upper surface of the spin chuck is narrower than a lower surface of the second bottom block and is located vertically below the lower surface of the second bottom block.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: have: The central heating unit is provided in the second bottom block and heats the gas flowing in the gap region and heats the central portion of the substrate.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The heat amount of the peripheral heating portion and the heat amount of the central heating portion can be adjusted independently of each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The heat generated by the peripheral heating portion is greater than the heat generated by the central heating portion.

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