Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

A control unit of a substrate processing apparatus for performing a process of removing a cover film covering a substrate supplies ozone gas into a chamber (32) and processes the substrate (W) in a state in which a first control valve (55) is opened and a second control valve (69) is closed, and then closes the first control valve and opens the second control valve. When the inert gas is supplied into the chamber, the suction pipe (73) sucks the inert gas. Therefore, the first filter (59) in which ozone gas remains and the first control valve in which particles are likely to be generated are sucked through the suction pipe. As a result, a flow of gas from the second branch point (63) toward the chamber side does not occur in the first pipe (53). As a result, the ozone gas can be prevented from being mixed into the inert gas facing the chamber side, so that the replacement of the ozone gas can be completed in a short time, and pollution caused by particles can be prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device for performing predetermined processing on substrates (hereinafter referred to as substrates) such as semiconductor wafers, substrates for liquid crystal displays or organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells. Background Art

[0002] In order to form a pattern on a substrate, a photoresist cover film is covered on the substrate and patterned, and then the photoresist cover film with the pattern is used as a mask and an etching process is performed. Afterwards, since a mask is not required, the photoresist cover film is removed. In order to remove the photoresist cover film, for example, SPM (Sulfuric Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture) belonging to a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide water is utilized. SPM has a strong oxidizing power, and the photoresist cover film is stripped from the surface of the substrate and thus removed. However, for example, when ion implantation is performed on the photoresist cover film, the surface of the photoresist cover film is hardened. Therefore, in the process of supplying only SPM, the consumption of SPM increases. In addition, there will be a situation where the photoresist cover film cannot be removed well only with SPM.

[0003] Therefore, before supplying SPM, ozone gas (O 3 Gas) is supplied to the photoresist cover film and treated by oxidizing force. Thus, the surface of the photoresist cover film hardened by ion implantation can be oxidized (ashed), and the photoresist cover film becomes easy to peel off during the subsequent SPM treatment. Thus, the consumption of SPM can be suppressed.

[0004] As such a device for supplying ozone gas and processing a substrate, there is known a device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) having a supply mechanism that switches SPM, nitrogen, pure water, and ozone gas and supplies them to the processing surface of the substrate. In such a device, an ozone gas supply source is connected to the supply mechanism so as to supply ozone gas while generating ozone gas. Such a device has a suction mechanism that sucks various gases such as ozone gas from a processing space where a substrate is arranged and exhausts them to the outside of the device.

[0005] In such an apparatus, after the ozone gas treatment and before the substrate is unloaded from the chamber for SPM treatment, the ozone gas in the chamber is replaced with nitrogen gas. Therefore, as a supply mechanism, a supply mechanism having the following structure is known.

[0006] A device of a "first structure" is known, comprising a first pipe, a second pipe, a first filter, a first control valve, a second control valve and a second filter. One end of the first pipe is communicatively connected to the chamber, and the other end of the first pipe is communicatively connected to the ozone gas supply source. One end of the second pipe is communicatively connected to a portion of the first pipe, namely a branch point, and the other end of the second pipe is communicatively connected to the nitrogen supply source. The first filter is arranged on the first pipe which is closer to the chamber side than the branch point. The first control valve is arranged on the ozone gas supply source side than the branch point, and is used to control the flow of ozone gas in the first pipe. The second control valve is arranged on the branch point side in the second pipe, and is used to control the flow of nitrogen. The second filter is arranged on the nitrogen supply source side of the second pipe than the second control valve.

[0007] In addition, in an apparatus for performing a process using ozone gas, for example, a chamber for sealing a processing space for processing a substrate includes: a concave lower cover member supporting the lower portion of a holding mechanism for holding the substrate; and an upper cover member configured to be able to rise and fall on the upper portion of the holding mechanism to cover the lower cover member during the process. In an apparatus of this configuration, generally speaking, the chamber is sucked by a suction mechanism before the process of the ozone gas so that harmful ozone gas does not leak to the surroundings, thereby improving the sealing degree of the chamber, and the suction is also maintained during the process of the ozone gas.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-66400. Summary of the invention

[0011] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.

[0013] That is, according to the first structure in the past, a branch point is provided on the upstream side of the first filter. Therefore, the ozone gas also passes through the first filter of nitrogen. Therefore, when nitrogen is supplied from the second pipe after the treatment of the ozone gas and replaced, the ozone gas remaining in the first filter is mixed with the nitrogen supplied to the chamber. Therefore, there is a problem that the concentration of the ozone gas is difficult to reduce, resulting in a problem that it takes time to replace with nitrogen.

[0014] Therefore, we consider adopting the following "second configuration".

[0015] One end of the second pipe is connected to a branch point, which is a location on the chamber side of the first pipe, and the other end of the second pipe is connected to the nitrogen supply source. The first control valve and the first filter are arranged in this order from the branch point toward the ozone gas supply source. The second filter and the second control valve are arranged in this order from the branch point toward the nitrogen supply source.

[0016] According to this second configuration, there is no first filter from the branch point to the chamber. Therefore, the problem caused by the first configuration does not occur. However, since the first control valve is disposed on the chamber side of the first filter, there is a concern that particles generated by the first control valve are attracted to the nitrogen gas flow flowing from the branch point to the chamber, thereby contaminating the substrate in the chamber.

[0017] Furthermore, in the case of the conventional example having such a configuration, there are the following problems.

[0018] That is, conventional devices require, for example, about two minutes from the time when the generation of ozone gas starts in the ozone gas supply source until the ozone gas of a predetermined concentration required for the treatment is supplied. Therefore, since a waiting time is generated until the treatment of the ozone gas starts, it is difficult to shorten the treatment time of the ozone gas and thus it is impossible to increase the treatment volume (throughput).

[0019] Furthermore, in the case of the conventional example having such a configuration, there are the following problems.

[0020] That is, since the suction mechanism of the conventional device is only one system, the suction force is set to a predetermined pressure. Therefore, when the ozone gas is supplied to the chamber and the substrate is processed by the ozone gas, a large amount of ozone gas is also exhausted. Therefore, there is a problem of increased consumption of ozone gas.

[0021] The present invention is proposed in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can complete the replacement of ozone gas in a short time and can also prevent contamination caused by particles.

[0022] The present invention is proposed in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of shortening the processing time of ozone gas and thus improving the processing throughput.

[0023] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing leakage of ozone gas and suppressing consumption of ozone gas.

[0024] Means to solve the problem

[0025] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration.

[0026] That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a substrate processing device for removing a covering film covering a substrate, characterized in that it comprises: a chamber for accommodating a substrate and forming a closed processing space; a holding mechanism for holding the substrate in the chamber; an ozone gas supply source for supplying ozone gas of a processing concentration to process the substrate; a first pipe for communicatively connecting the chamber and the ozone gas supply source; a first control valve provided in the first pipe for controlling the flow of ozone gas in the first pipe; a first filter provided in the first pipe at a position closer to the chamber side than the first control valve; a second pipe, one end of which is communicatively connected to a first branch point in the first pipe and is supplied with an inactive gas from the other end gas, the first branch point is connected to a position in the first piping that is closer to the chamber side than the first filter; a second control valve is arranged in the second piping to control the flow of inactive gas in the second piping; a suction piping, one end of which is connected to the second branch point in the first piping and is sucked from the other end, the second branch point is connected to a position between the first filter and the first control valve in the first piping; and a control unit, after supplying ozone gas into the chamber and processing the substrate in a state where the first control valve is open and the second control valve is closed, the first control valve is closed and the second control valve is opened, and the suction piping is used for suction when supplying inactive gas into the chamber.

[0027] [Function and Effect] According to the invention described in claim 1, after the control unit supplies ozone gas into the chamber and processes the substrate in a state where the first control valve is open and the second control valve is closed, the first control valve is closed and the second control valve is opened, and suction is performed using the suction pipe when supplying inert gas into the chamber. Therefore, the first filter in which ozone gas remains and the first control valve that easily generates particles are sucked in via the suction pipe. Therefore, a flow of gas from the second branch point toward the chamber side does not occur in the first pipe. As a result, since the ozone gas can be prevented from mixing with the inert gas toward the chamber side, the replacement of the ozone gas can be completed in a short time, and contamination caused by particles can also be prevented.

[0028] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the suction by the suction pipe is performed with a suction force that does not hinder the supply of the inert gas supplied from the second pipe to the chamber (claim 2 ).

[0029] When the inert gas is supplied to the chamber, the first pipe performs suction of the suction pipe at the first branch point. At this time, suction from the suction pipe is performed with a suction force that does not hinder the supply of the inert gas supplied from the second pipe to the chamber via the first branch point. Therefore, the ozone gas in the chamber can be replaced with the inert gas reliably.

[0030] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that a vacuum ejector is provided on the other end side of the suction pipe to generate suction force by supplying compressed gas (claim 3).

[0031] The vacuum ejector is smaller and cheaper than a vacuum pump, so it can contribute to the miniaturization of the device and also suppress the increase in cost.

[0032] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the suction pipe includes a suction control valve that is operated by the control unit to control the suction force at the second branch point (claim 4).

[0033] The influence of suction on the second pipe at the second branch point can be reliably blocked by operating the suction control valve.

[0034] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the second pipe includes a second filter between the first branch point and the second control valve (claim 5 ).

[0035] It is possible to prevent adverse effects caused by particles generated in the second control valve when supplying the inert gas.

[0036] In addition, the present invention is also provided with: a processing liquid chamber for accommodating a substrate and performing processing with a processing liquid; and a transport mechanism for transporting a substrate; the substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the processing liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is processed with the processing liquid in the processing liquid chamber (claim 6).

[0037] The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with the treatment liquid. Thus, the substrate can be treated with gas and liquid continuously. Therefore, the following treatment can be effectively performed: after the ozone gas pre-treatment, the treatment liquid treatment is performed.

[0038] In addition, the invention described in claim 7 is a substrate processing device for removing a covering film covering a substrate, and is characterized in that it comprises: a chamber for accommodating a substrate and forming a closed processing space; a holding mechanism for holding the substrate in the chamber; an ozone gas supply source for supplying the ozone gas while always generating ozone gas for processing the substrate; a supply pipe for circulating the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source; a circulation pipe for communicatively connecting the supply pipe and the chamber; a control valve provided on the circulation pipe for controlling the circulation of the ozone gas circulating in the circulation pipe; and an auxiliary pipe for communicatively connecting The supply piping and the exhaust port for exhausting gas are used to discharge the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source to the exhaust port; an exhaust valve is arranged on the auxiliary piping, and is used to adjust the flow rate of the ozone gas flowing through the auxiliary piping; and a control unit closes the control valve and opens the exhaust valve when no ozone gas is supplied to the chamber and no treatment is performed, so that the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source is discharged to the exhaust port, and when ozone gas is supplied to the chamber and the substrate held by the holding mechanism is treated with ozone gas, the control unit opens the control valve while adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust valve.

[0039] [Function and Effect] According to the invention described in claim 7, since the control unit closes the control valve and opens the exhaust valve when not processing, the ozone gas generated by the ozone gas supply source is not supplied to the chamber but is discharged from the auxiliary piping to the exhaust port. Since the control unit opens the control valve while adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust valve during processing, the ozone gas is supplied from the ozone gas supply source that always generates ozone gas to the substrate held by the holding mechanism in the chamber through the flow piping. Therefore, since there is no waiting time for the processing of the ozone gas, the processing time of the ozone gas can be shortened, thereby increasing the processing volume.

[0040] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the chambers are plural; the circulation pipes are plural; each of the circulation pipes is branched from the supply pipe and is communicatively connected to each of the chambers; the control valve is provided in each of the plural circulation pipes; during the treatment, at least one of the plural chambers is in a state of being supplied with ozone gas.

[0041] In a configuration in which there are a plurality of chambers and a plurality of flow pipes, a state in which ozone gas is supplied to at least one of the plurality of chambers is a state during treatment. Thus, during treatment, ozone gas of a treatment concentration is supplied from the flow pipe to at least one chamber to perform ozone treatment.

[0042] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the control unit adjusts the flow rate of the exhaust valve in conjunction with the flow rate of each of the control valves during the processing so that the difference between a first flow rate of the ozone gas flowing through the supply pipe and a second flow rate which is the sum of the flow rates of the ozone gas flowing through each of the circulation pipes is within a predetermined value.

[0043] The flow rate of ozone gas exhausted from the auxiliary pipe is adjusted by the exhaust valve according to the flow rate of ozone gas to each chamber of each control valve so that the difference between the first flow rate and the second flow rate is within a predetermined value. Therefore, since a margin of a predetermined value can be left on the supply side so that the second flow rate does not exceed the first flow rate, the ozone gas can be stably supplied to each chamber. In addition, when the flow rate of the exhaust valve is adjusted, the supply amount of ozone gas to a plurality of chambers can be collectively adjusted.

[0044] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred that the ozone gas supply source comprises: a first opening and closing valve for allowing or blocking the flow of ozone gas toward the supply piping; and a first pressure regulating mechanism for maintaining the pressure of the ozone gas in the supply piping at a first pressure; the auxiliary piping comprises: a second opening and closing valve for allowing or blocking the flow of ozone gas discharged to the exhaust port as the exhaust valve; and a second pressure regulating mechanism for maintaining the pressure of the ozone gas in the auxiliary piping at a second pressure lower than the first pressure (claim 10).

[0045] The second pressure regulating mechanism maintains the second pressure of the ozone gas in the auxiliary pipe to be lower than the first pressure of the ozone gas in the supply pipe adjusted by the first pressure regulating mechanism. Therefore, since the pressure difference between the ozone gas supply source and the auxiliary pipe can be ensured, the flow rate of the ozone gas supplied to each chamber can be stabilized. In addition, since the ozone gas can be prevented from concentrating in the auxiliary pipe, the flow rate of the ozone gas required for processing in a plurality of chambers can be ensured. As a result, even if the structure has a plurality of chambers, the ozone gas processing can be stably performed.

[0046] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred to further include: a processing liquid chamber for accommodating a substrate and performing processing liquid processing; and a transport mechanism for transporting a substrate; the substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the processing liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is processed with the processing liquid in the processing liquid chamber.

[0047] The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with the treatment liquid. Thus, the substrate can be treated with gas and liquid continuously. Therefore, the following treatment can be effectively performed: after the ozone gas pre-treatment, the treatment liquid treatment is performed.

[0048] In addition, the invention described in claim 12 is a substrate processing device for performing a process of removing a covering film covering a substrate, characterized in that it comprises: a chamber, comprising: a lower cover member, a holding mechanism for holding the substrate by supporting the lower part; an upper cover member, which abuts against the lower cover member from above and forms a processing space; and a lifting mechanism, which lowers the upper cover member relative to the lower cover member when the substrate is being processed, and raises the upper cover member from the lower cover member when the substrate is not being processed; an ozone gas supply source, which supplies ozone gas of a processing concentration to process the substrate; a first piping, which communicatively connects the ozone gas supply source and the chamber; a first control valve, which is arranged in the first piping, to control the flow of ozone gas flowing in the first piping; an exhaust piping, which is communicatively connected to the chamber, to exhaust the gas in the processing space to an exhaust port outside the device; a second control valve, which is arranged in the The exhaust piping is used to control the exhaust in the exhaust piping; the exhaust mechanism comprises: a first exhaust unit, which is arranged in the exhaust piping at a position closer to the exhaust port side than the second control valve, and exhausts at a first exhaust flow rate; and a second exhaust unit, which is arranged in the exhaust piping at a position closer to the exhaust port side than the second control valve, and exhausts at a second exhaust flow rate that is smaller than the first exhaust flow rate; and a control unit, before supplying ozone gas from the ozone gas supply source to the chamber and performing ozone gas treatment, opens the second control valve, operates the first exhaust unit to exhaust the interior of the chamber at the first exhaust flow rate and makes the upper cover member close to the lower cover member, and when the first control valve is operated to supply ozone gas from the ozone gas supply source to the chamber, stops the first exhaust unit and operates the second exhaust unit to exhaust the interior of the chamber at the second exhaust flow rate.

[0049] [Function and Effect] According to the invention described in claim 12, before supplying ozone gas to the chamber and performing ozone gas treatment, the control unit opens the second control valve, operates the first exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at the first exhaust flow rate, and makes the upper cover member close to the lower cover member. When the control unit operates the first control valve to supply ozone gas to the chamber from the ozone gas supply source, the control unit stops the first exhaust unit and operates the second exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at the second exhaust flow rate. Therefore, before supplying ozone gas, the close contact between the upper cover member and the lower cover member is increased by the first exhaust flow rate, and when supplying ozone gas, the exhaust flow rate is set to the second exhaust flow rate that is smaller than the first exhaust flow rate. Therefore, the leakage of ozone gas can be prevented and the consumption of ozone gas can also be suppressed.

[0050] In addition, in the present invention, it is preferred to further include: a second piping, one end of which is communicatively connected to a first branch point in the first piping and is supplied with inert gas from the other end; a third control valve, which controls the flow of inert gas in the second piping; an auxiliary exhaust pipe, one end of which is communicatively connected to a second branch point in the exhaust piping that is closer to the chamber side than the second control valve, and the other end of which is communicatively connected to the exhaust port; and a fourth control valve, which is arranged in the auxiliary exhaust pipe and is used to control the flow of gas in the auxiliary exhaust pipe; after the ozone gas treatment, the control unit operates the third control valve to supply inert gas into the chamber, and operates the first exhaust unit to replace the second exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at a first exhaust flow rate, and after replacing the ozone gas in the chamber with the inert gas, stops the first exhaust unit, closes the second control valve, and opens the fourth control valve, and then raises the upper cover member by the lifting mechanism (claim 13).

[0051] After the ozone gas treatment, the control unit supplies an inert gas into the chamber, and operates the first exhaust unit to replace the second exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at the first exhaust flow rate, and replaces the ozone gas in the chamber with the inert gas. Afterwards, the control unit stops the first exhaust unit, closes the second control valve, and opens the fourth control valve. Thus, in a state where the exhaust of the exhaust mechanism is stopped, only the inert gas is purged to the exhaust port. Therefore, the processing space becomes positive pressure and the close contact between the upper cover member and the lower cover member becomes weak. Afterwards, since the upper cover member is raised by the lifting mechanism, the upper cover member can be easily raised by the lifting member.

[0052] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that after the control unit raises the upper cover member, the fourth control valve is closed and the second control valve is opened to operate the second exhaust unit to exhaust the interior of the chamber at a second exhaust flow rate (claim 14).

[0053] During the period from when the upper cover member is raised to when the next substrate is processed, the processing space is exhausted at the second exhaust flow rate, so that the processing space can be maintained in a clean state.

[0054] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferred that the first exhaust unit and the second exhaust unit include a vacuum ejector for exhausting air by supplying compressed gas (claim 15 ).

[0055] The vacuum ejector is smaller and cheaper than a vacuum pump, so it can contribute to the miniaturization of the device and also suppress the increase in cost.

[0056] In addition, the present invention is also provided with: a processing liquid chamber for accommodating a substrate and performing processing with a processing liquid; and a transport mechanism for transporting a substrate; the substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the processing liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is processed with the processing liquid in the processing liquid chamber (claim 16).

[0057] The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with the treatment liquid. Thus, the substrate can be treated with gas and liquid continuously. Therefore, the following treatment can be effectively performed: after the ozone gas pre-treatment, the treatment liquid treatment is performed.

[0058] [Effects of the invention]

[0059] According to the invention described in claim 1, after the control unit supplies ozone gas into the chamber and processes the substrate while the first control valve is open and the second control valve is closed, the first control valve is closed and the second control valve is opened, and the suction pipe is caused to suck while supplying inert gas into the chamber. Therefore, the first filter in which ozone gas remains and the first control valve that easily generates particles are sucked through the suction pipe. Therefore, the flow of gas from the second branch point toward the chamber side does not occur in the first pipe. As a result, since the ozone gas can be prevented from mixing with the inert gas toward the chamber side, the replacement of the ozone gas can be completed in a short time, and contamination caused by particles can also be prevented.

[0060] According to the invention described in claim 7, since the control unit closes the control valve and opens the exhaust valve when not processing, the ozone gas generated by the ozone gas supply source is not supplied to the chamber but is discharged from the auxiliary pipe to the exhaust port. Since the control unit opens the control valve while adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust valve during processing, the ozone gas is supplied from the ozone gas supply source that always generates ozone gas to the substrate held by the holding mechanism in the chamber through the flow pipe. Therefore, since there is no waiting time for the processing of the ozone gas, the processing time of the ozone gas can be shortened, thereby increasing the processing volume.

[0061] According to the invention described in claim 12, before supplying ozone gas to the chamber and performing ozone gas treatment, the control unit opens the second control valve, operates the first exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at the first exhaust flow rate, and makes the upper cover member close to the lower cover member. When the control unit operates the first control valve to supply ozone gas to the chamber from the ozone gas supply source, the control unit stops the first exhaust unit and operates the second exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at the second exhaust flow rate. Therefore, before supplying ozone gas, the close contact between the upper cover member and the lower cover member is increased by the first exhaust flow rate, and when supplying ozone gas, the second exhaust flow rate is set to an exhaust flow rate that is smaller than the first exhaust flow rate. Therefore, leakage of ozone gas can be prevented and consumption of ozone gas can also be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0063] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The sectional view in the direction of 101-101.

[0064] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The sectional view in the direction of 103-103.

[0065] Figure 4 It is a top view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus.

[0066] Figure 5 It is a graph showing the change of the ozone gas concentration in the ozone gas supply unit.

[0067] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an ozone gas baking unit and a gas supply system and exhaust system.

[0068] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining the non-treatment of ozone gas.

[0069] Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining the treatment of ozone gas.

[0070] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation.

[0071] Fig.10 A schematic diagram for explaining a state in which ozone gas is being supplied.

[0072] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram for explaining a state where nitrogen gas is being supplied.

[0073] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram for explaining weak exhaust before treatment.

[0074] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram for explaining strong exhaust in a state where the upper hinge is closed.

[0075] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram for explaining weak exhaust in ozone gas treatment.

[0076] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram for explaining strong exhaust in replacement with nitrogen gas.

[0077] Fig.16 This is a schematic diagram for explaining purification when the upper cover is open.

[0078] Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram for explaining the weak exhaust after treatment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0080] [Example 1]

[0081] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0082] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The sectional view in the direction of 101-101. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The sectional view in the direction of 103-103. Figure 4 It is a top view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus.

[0083] The substrate processing device 1 of the embodiment is, for example, a device for removing a photoresist cover film from a substrate W having a photoresist cover film formed thereon. In particular, the substrate processing device 1 is very suitable for curing the photoresist cover film. Specifically, the substrate processing device 1 is suitable for sequentially performing an ozone gas treatment on the substrate W and an SPM treatment after the ozone gas treatment.

[0084] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 3 , a processing block 5 , a transfer block 7 , a processing liquid supply block 9 , an ozone gas supply unit 11 , and an ozone gas decomposition unit 13 .

[0085] The indexer area 3 transfers substrates W belonging to the processing object between the indexer area 3 and the conveying area 7. The conveying area 7 conveys substrates W between the indexer area 3 and the processing area 5 and between the processing area 5 and the processing area 5. The processing area 5 has a plurality of processing units 15. The processing liquid supply area 9 supplies various processing liquids used in the processing area 5 to the processing area 5. The ozone gas supply unit 11 supplies ozone gas used in the processing area 5. The ozone gas decomposition unit 13 takes in the ozone gas exhausted from the processing area 5, renders the ozone gas harmless, and then exhausts it. The gas exhausted from the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 is, for example, exhausted to an exhaust port of the clean room. The exhaust port is, for example, connected to the exhaust equipment of the factory.

[0086] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer area 3 , a processing area 5 , a transfer area 7 , and a processing liquid supply area 9 arranged in sequence.

[0087] In the following description, the direction in which the indexer area 3, the processing area 5 and the conveying area 7, and the processing liquid supply area 9 are arranged is referred to as the "front-to-back direction X" (horizontal direction). In particular, the direction from the processing area 5 and the conveying area 7 toward the indexer area 3 is referred to as the "front XF", and the direction opposite to the front XF is referred to as the "back XB". The direction orthogonal to the front-to-back direction X in the horizontal direction is referred to as the "width direction Y". Furthermore, when viewed from the front of the indexer area 3, one direction of the width direction Y is appropriately referred to as the "right YR", and the other direction opposite to the right YR is referred to as the "left YL". In addition, the vertical direction is referred to as the "up-down direction Z" (height direction, vertical direction). In addition, when abbreviated as "side" or "lateral direction", it is not limited to any one of the front-to-back direction X and the width direction Y.

[0088] The indexer area 3 includes a carrier loading unit 17 and an indexer robot IR. The substrate processing device 1 in the present embodiment includes, for example, four carrier loading units 17. Specifically, four carrier loading units 17 are arranged in a row in the width direction Y. Each carrier loading unit 17 carries a carrier C. The carrier C is used to stack and accommodate a plurality of (for example, twenty-five) substrates W; each carrier loading unit 17 receives and transfers the carrier C between, for example, the carrier loading unit 17 and an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport; overhead transport system, also known as an overhead unmanned transport vehicle) not shown in the figure. The OHT uses the ceiling of the clean room to transport the carrier C. As the carrier C, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod; front-opening wafer transfer box) can be cited.

[0089] The indexer area 3 is provided with an indexer robot IR at the rear XB of the carrier placement portion 17. The indexer robot IR transfers the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the carrier C, and transfers the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the path portion 19. The path portion 19 is arranged between the indexer area 3 and the transport area 7 in the front-to-back direction X. Only one indexer robot IR is arranged in the indexer area 3. The position of the indexer robot IR is fixedly installed so that the base of the indexer robot IR does not move in the width direction Y. The indexer robot IR has, for example, a multi-joint arm that can be raised and lowered in the up-and-down direction Z. The indexer robot IR is configured to be able to access the path portion 19 and the four carriers C.

[0090] The path section 19 has a plurality of support pins (for example, three) on the support table. The path section 19 abuts against and supports the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The path section 19 allows the indexer robot IR to load unprocessed substrates W and take out processed substrates W. The path section 19 allows the center robot CR of the transport area 7 to take out unprocessed substrates W and load processed substrates W. The path section 19 is configured in multiple stages in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the path section 19 carries a plurality of substrates W at the same time.

[0091] The transport area 7 is provided with a central robot CR. The central robot CR is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction X and to be able to rise and fall in the up-down direction Z. In addition, the central robot CR is configured to be able to rotate in a horizontal plane with the up-down direction Z as an axis. The central robot CR is configured to be able to deliver substrates W between the central robot CR and the processing areas 5 arranged to the right YR and to the left YL in the width direction Y based on the position of the central robot CR. The central robot CR can deliver substrates W between the central robot CR and the indexer robot IR via the path portion 19.

[0092] The processing area 5 is respectively arranged on the right YR and the left YL in the width direction Y with the conveying area 7 sandwiched therebetween. Here, the structure arranged in the vertical direction Z in the front XF and the left YL in the processing area 5 when viewed from above is referred to as tower TW1. Similarly, the structure arranged in the vertical direction Z in the rear XB and the left YL is referred to as tower TW2. Furthermore, the structure arranged in the vertical direction Z in the front XF and the right YR is referred to as tower TW3. In addition, the structure arranged in the vertical direction Z in the rear XB and the right YR is referred to as tower TW4.

[0093] The towers TW1 and TW3 in the treatment zone 5 are configured by stacking four treatment units 15 in the vertical direction Z. The towers TW1 and TW3 are provided with an ozone gas baking unit 21 (in Figure 2 It is also recorded as O 3The ozone gas baking unit 21 is used as the processing unit 15. The ozone gas baking unit 21 heats the substrate W at a predetermined temperature while supplying ozone gas to process the substrate W. The detailed description of this structure will be described later. The ozone gas baking unit 21 cools the substrate W after the ozone gas treatment. The cooled substrate W is transported to the processing unit 15 of the tower TW2 and TW4 by the central robot CR.

[0094] The towers TW2 and TW4 in the processing zone 5 are constituted by, for example, stacking three processing units 15 in the vertical direction Z. The towers TW2 and TW4 are provided with, for example, an SPM unit 23 (in Figure 3 The SPM unit 23 supplies SPM heated to a predetermined temperature to the substrate W for processing. The SPM is a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (SPM). The substrate W processed by the ozone gas baking unit 21 is transported to the SPM unit 23 by the central robot CR. The substrate W processed in the SPM unit 23 is transported to the path unit 19 by the central robot CR after the SPM is removed by pure water.

[0095] The SPM unit 23 corresponds to the “processing liquid chamber” in the present invention, and the central robot CR corresponds to the “transfer mechanism” in the present invention.

[0096] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , two ozone gas supply units 11 and two ozone gas decomposition units 13 are additionally provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The ozone gas supply unit 11 supplies ozone while generating ozone of a treatment concentration used in the ozone gas baking unit 21. When the ozone gas supply unit 11 starts the operation of the apparatus by setting the target concentration as the treatment concentration from a stop state in which ozone gas is not generated, for example, the concentration of the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply unit 11 becomes Figure 5 In addition, Figure 5 It is a graph showing the change of the ozone gas concentration in the ozone gas supply unit 11 .

[0097] Thus, it can be known that the ozone gas supply unit 11 has the following characteristics: when the device is started, it will not reach the treatment concentration unless nearly two minutes have passed. Ozone gas of the treatment concentration is supplied from one ozone gas supply unit 11 to the four ozone gas baking units 21 of the tower TW1 described above. In addition, ozone gas of the treatment concentration is also supplied from another ozone gas supply unit 11 to the four ozone gas baking units 21 of the tower TW3.

[0098] The ozone gas decomposition unit 13 takes in the gas containing ozone gas discharged from the ozone gas baking unit 21 and performs a harmless treatment on the ozone gas. The harmlessly treated gas is exhausted, for example, to an exhaust port provided in the clean room. One of the two ozone gas decomposition units 13 processes, for example, the exhaust gas from four ozone gas baking units 21 of the tower TW1. The remaining ozone gas decomposition unit 13 processes, for example, the exhaust gas from four ozone gas baking units 21 of the tower TW3.

[0099] In addition, the ozone gas supply unit 11 corresponds to the "ozone gas supply source" in the present invention.

[0100] Here, refer to Figure 6 .also, Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an ozone gas baking unit 21 and a gas supply system and exhaust system. In the following description, the ozone gas baking unit 21 of the tower TW1 is described as an example, but the ozone gas baking unit 21 of the tower TW3 has the same configuration.

[0101] Each ozone gas baking unit 21 constituting the tower TW1 includes a chamber 32, and the chamber 32 includes a lower cover 25, an upper cover 27, a heat treatment plate 29, and a lifting mechanism 31. The lifting mechanism 31 includes: a connection portion connected to the upper cover 27; and a motor that moves the connection portion. The lower cover 25 is arranged at the lower part in the up-down direction Z. The lower cover 25 is a frame body having an opening at the top. The upper cover 27 is a frame body having an opening at the bottom. The lower cover 25 includes a heat treatment plate 29. The heat treatment plate 29 abuts against and supports the substrate W. The heat treatment plate 29 heats the substrate W to a predetermined temperature. The upper cover 27 descends and abuts against the lower cover 25. The opening of the upper cover 27 and the opening of the lower cover 25 are substantially the same in shape; the upper cover 27 and the lower cover 25 can be brought into contact and separated by the lifting mechanism 31; the upper cover 27 and the lower cover 25 are brought into contact, thereby forming a closed space inside the upper cover 27 and the lower cover 25. The closed space including the heat treatment plate 29 becomes a processing space for processing the substrate W. The upper cover 27 is raised and lowered relative to the lower cover 25 by the lifting mechanism 31. The lifting mechanism 31 lowers the upper cover 27 to the lower cover 25 when processing the substrate W. On the other hand, the lifting mechanism 31 raises the upper cover 27 to the upper side of the lower cover 25 when the substrate W is transferred between the processing space and not processed.

[0102] The tower TW1 includes an exhaust pipe 33. The exhaust pipe 33 is arranged from the lowest floor to the highest floor of the tower TW1. The lower part of the exhaust pipe 33 is connected to the ozone gas decomposition unit 13. The tower TW1 includes a supply pipe 35. The supply pipe 35 is also arranged from the lowest floor to the highest floor in the tower TW1. One end side of the supply pipe 35 is connected to the ozone gas supply unit 11. Ozone gas of a treatment concentration is supplied to the supply pipe 35 from the ozone gas supply unit 11.

[0103] In addition, the heat treatment plate 29 corresponds to the "holding mechanism" in the present invention.

[0104] Here, refer to Figure 7 .also, Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining the non-treatment of ozone gas.

[0105] The ozone gas supply unit 11 includes a generation pipe 41 , a mass flow controller 43 , an ozone gas generator 45 , a filter 47 , an automatic pressure regulator 49 , and a control valve 51 .

[0106] One end of the generation pipe 41 is connected to, for example, an oxygen supply source (not shown) which is one of the utilities provided in the clean room. The other end of the generation pipe 41 is connected to the supply pipe 35. From the oxygen supply source side toward the supply pipe 35 side, the generation pipe 41 is provided with a mass flow controller 43, an ozone gas generator 45, a filter 47, an automatic pressure regulator 49, and a control valve 51 in order.

[0107] The mass flow controller 43 controls the flow rate of oxygen supplied to the generation piping 41 to a predetermined flow rate. The ozone gas generator 45 is configured by, for example, configuring four ozone gas generation modules in parallel. Each ozone gas generation module generates ozone gas from oxygen. The ozone gas generated in the ozone gas generator 45 is filtered to remove particles and the like by a filter 47. The ozone gas that has passed through the filter 47 is adjusted to a predetermined first pressure P1 (for example, 200 kPa) by an automatic pressure regulator 49. The control valve 51 controls the flow toward the supply piping 35 for the ozone gas adjusted to the first pressure P1.

[0108] The ozone gas supply unit 11 described above can supply ozone gas at a flow rate of up to 100 liters / minute. Since the adjustment pressure of the automatic pressure regulator 49 described above is set to the first pressure P1, the pressure in the most downstream portion of the generating pipe 41 (the connecting portion connected to the supply pipe 35) is adjusted to the first pressure P1 (for example, 200 kPa in the embodiment). In addition, the flow rate of the ozone gas in the supply pipe 35 is a maximum of the first flow rate F1 (for example, 100 liters / minute) according to the performance of the ozone gas supply unit 11.

[0109] return Figure 6 The supply pipe 35 connected to the other end of the generation pipe 41 of the ozone gas supply unit 11 is branched to each ozone gas baking unit 21. The circulation pipe 53 is connected to the ozone gas baking unit 21, and the circulation pipe 53 is configured to branch from the supply pipe 35 to each chamber 32. Specifically, one end of the circulation pipe 53 is connected to the supply pipe 35, and the other end of the circulation pipe 53 is connected to each chamber 32. In detail, the other end of the circulation pipe 53 is installed on the upper cover 27, and is connected to the processing space formed in the chamber 32.

[0110] The circulation piping 53 is provided with a control valve 55, a mass flow controller 57, and a filter 59 in order from the supply piping 35 toward the chamber 32. The control valve 55 controls the flow of ozone gas from the supply piping 35 toward the chamber 32. The mass flow controller 57 controls the flow rate of ozone gas that flows through the circulation piping 53 and is supplied to the chamber 32. The filter 59 removes particles and the like contained in the ozone gas that is flowing through the circulation piping 53.

[0111] For example, the mass flow controller 57 is set so that the maximum flow rate of the ozone gas is 20 liters / minute, and is set to 10 liters / minute as the processing flow rate.

[0112] The flow pipe 53 is provided with a first branch point 61 and a second branch point 63. The first branch point 61 is provided between the chamber 32 and the filter 59 in the flow pipe 53. In other words, the first branch point 61 is provided at a position closer to the chamber 32 side than the filter 59 in the flow pipe 53. The second branch point 63 is provided between the filter 59 and the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 in the flow pipe 53.

[0113] One end side of the inert gas supply piping 65 is connected to the first branch point 61 in a communicative manner. The other end side of the inert gas supply piping 65 is connected to, for example, a nitrogen supply source which is one of the public facilities belonging to the clean room in a communicative manner. The inert gas supply piping 65 is sequentially installed with a mass flow controller 67, a control valve 69 and a filter 71 from the nitrogen supply source side toward the first branch point 61. The mass flow controller 67 adjusts the flow rate of the nitrogen gas supplied to the inert gas supply piping 65. The control valve 69 controls the flow of the nitrogen gas in the inert gas supply piping 65. The filter 71 removes particles and the like contained in the nitrogen gas flowing through the inert gas supply piping 65. In addition, the inert gas supply piping 65 is preferably provided with a check valve, for example, between the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67, so that ozone gas does not flow in from the circulation piping 53.

[0114] In addition, the flow pipe 53 corresponds to the "first pipe" in the present invention, the control valve 55 corresponds to the "first control valve" in the present invention, and the filter 59 corresponds to the "first filter" in the present invention. In addition, the inert gas supply pipe 65 corresponds to the "second pipe" in the present invention, the control valve 69 corresponds to the "second control valve" in the present invention, and the filter 71 corresponds to the "second filter" in the present invention.

[0115] One end of the suction pipe 73 is connected to the second branch point 63. The other end of the suction pipe 73 is connected to the suction port of the vacuum ejector 75. The discharge port of the vacuum ejector 75 is connected to the exhaust main pipe 33. When the supply port of the vacuum ejector 75 is supplied with compressed air, a gas flow from the suction port to the discharge port is formed. The suction pipe 73 is provided with a control valve 74 for controlling the flow of the sucked gas.

[0116] In addition, the control valve 74 corresponds to the "suction control valve" in the present invention.

[0117] The suction by the suction pipe 73 described above is performed, for example, in the following manner.

[0118] After the ozone gas is supplied to the chamber 32 from the circulation piping 53, the ozone gas is replaced by nitrogen. At this time, nitrogen is supplied to the first branch point 61 from the inert gas supply piping 65. At this time, the suction piping 73 is sucked. Thus, it is possible to control the ozone gas remaining in the filter 59 and the mass flow controller 57 not to be sucked into the chamber 32 by the nitrogen gas flow. Therefore, the time required for nitrogen to replace the ozone gas can be shortened. In addition, it is possible to prevent particles that may be generated in the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 that include mechanical actions from being sucked into the nitrogen gas flow and flowing into the chamber 32.

[0119] The vacuum ejector 75 is smaller and cheaper than a vacuum pump or the like, and thus can contribute to downsizing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and can also suppress an increase in cost.

[0120] One end of the exhaust pipe 77 is connected to the chamber 32. The suction port of the vacuum ejector 79 is connected to the other end of the exhaust pipe 77. The discharge port of the vacuum ejector 79 is connected to the exhaust main pipe 33. One end of the first supply pipe 81 is connected to the supply port, and the supply port is used to supply compressed air to the vacuum ejector 79 and form an exhaust flow from the suction port to the discharge port of the vacuum ejector 79. The other end of the first supply pipe 81 is connected to a compressed air source, for example, one of the public facilities of the clean room.

[0121] The first drive pipe 81 is provided with a flow regulating valve 83 and an opening and closing valve 85 in order from the compressed air source toward the vacuum ejector 79 side. The flow regulating valve 83 regulates the flow of compressed air so that the compressed air flows through the first drive pipe 81 at a first flow rate Fa. The opening and closing valve 85 controls the flow of compressed air set to the first flow rate Fa in the first drive pipe 81. The two ends of the second drive pipe 87 are connected to the portion of the first drive pipe 81 upstream of the flow regulating valve 83 and the portion between the opening and closing valve 85 and the vacuum ejector 79 in the first drive pipe 81 so as to communicate. The second drive pipe 87 is provided with a flow regulating valve 89 and an opening and closing valve 91 in order from the compressed air source side toward the vacuum ejector 79 side. The flow regulating valve 89 regulates the flow of compressed air so that the compressed air flows through the second drive pipe 87 at a second flow rate Fb. The opening and closing valve 91 controls the flow of compressed air set to the second flow rate Fb in the second drive pipe 87. The second flow rate Fb is set by the flow regulating valves 83 and 89 so as to be smaller than the first flow rate Fa.

[0122] The exhaust pipe 77 includes an on-off valve 93. One end of a purge pipe 94 is connected to the exhaust pipe 77 so as to communicate between the on-off valve 93 and the chamber 32. The other end of the purge pipe 94 is connected to the exhaust main pipe 33. The purge pipe 94 includes an on-off valve 95. The on-off valve 95 controls the flow of gas in the purge pipe 94.

[0123] The exhaust of the exhaust pipe 77 described above is performed in the following manner.

[0124] When only the on-off valves 93 and 85 among the on-off valves 85, 89, 93, and 95 are opened, the vacuum ejector 79 is operated at the first flow rate Fa. As a result, the gas in the chamber 32 is strongly sucked out through the exhaust pipe 77, thereby performing strong exhaust. When only the on-off valves 91 and 93 are opened, the vacuum ejector 79 is operated at the second flow rate Fb (smaller than the first flow rate Fa). As a result, the gas in the chamber 32 is weakly sucked out through the exhaust pipe 77, thereby performing weak exhaust. In the case where nitrogen gas is supplied to the chamber 32 from the inert gas supply pipe 65, when only the on-off valve 95 is opened, the gas in the chamber 32 is pushed out only by the nitrogen gas through the exhaust pipe 77 and the purge pipe 94.

[0125] The supply piping 35 includes an auxiliary piping 97. One end side of the auxiliary piping 97 is connected to the supply piping 35 in a communication manner. The other end side of the auxiliary piping 97 is connected to the exhaust main pipe 33 in a communication manner. The auxiliary piping 97 includes an automatic pressure regulator 99 and a control valve 101 from the supply piping 35 toward the exhaust main pipe 33. The automatic pressure regulator 99 adjusts the pressure of the ozone gas in the auxiliary piping 97 branched from the supply piping 35 to a predetermined second pressure P2 (for example, 100 kPa). Here, the flow rate of the ozone gas in the supply piping 35 is a first flow rate F1; the ozone gas in the supply piping 35 that flows toward each chamber 32 side relative to the auxiliary piping 97 is set to a second flow rate F2. In this case, when the flow rate of the difference between the first flow rate F1 and the second flow rate F2 is defined as ΔF, the auxiliary piping 97 flows with the difference flow rate ΔF.

[0126] Each ozone gas baking unit 21 has an external exhaust pipe 103 outside the chamber 32 for exhausting the gas in each ozone gas baking unit 21. The external exhaust pipe 103 exhausts the gas around the chamber 32 and the various pipes and valves described above to, for example, an exhaust port provided in a clean room.

[0127] like Figure 4 As shown, the substrate processing device 1 includes a control unit 111. The control unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The control unit 111 controls the operation of each unit based on the operation of the operator by operating a control console (not shown) by the operator. Specifically, the control unit 111 performs the transport control of the indexer robot IR in the indexer area 3, the transport control of the central robot CR in the transport area 7, the processing control of each processing unit 15 in the processing area 5, the delivery control of various processing liquids in the processing liquid supply area 9, and the operation control of the ozone gas supply unit 11 and the ozone gas decomposition unit 13.

[0128] The control unit 111 operates each unit in the following manner, for example, with respect to the flow rate of the ozone gas. It is assumed that the ozone gas supply unit 11 has been operated and is in a state where ozone gas of a treatment concentration can be supplied, and the control valve 51 has been opened. The control unit 111 described above adjusts the flow rates of the ozone gas of the automatic pressure regulator 99 and the control valve 101 in conjunction with the flow rates of the mass flow controllers 57 and the control valve 55 so that the difference ΔF of the flow rates described below is within a predetermined value.

[0129] like Figure 7 As shown, when the ozone gas is not treated in the chamber 32, each control valve 55 is closed and the control valve 101 is opened. As a result, ozone gas is not supplied from the supply pipe 35 to each chamber 32. The ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply unit 11 to the supply pipe 35 is discharged to the exhaust main pipe 33 via the auxiliary pipe 97. In this state, the pressure of the ozone gas in the generation pipe 41 of the ozone gas supply unit 11 is the first pressure P1 (equal to 200 kPa), and the pressure of the ozone gas in the auxiliary pipe 97 is the second pressure P2 (equal to 100 kPa). In addition, with respect to the flow rate, for example, the first flow rate F1 in the generation pipe 41 is 100 liters / minute, and the second flow rate F2 in the supply pipe 35 is 0 liters / minute. Therefore, the difference ΔF of the flow rate, which is the difference between the first flow rate F1 and the second flow rate F2, becomes 100 liters / minute.

[0130] Here, refer to Figure 8 .also, Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining the treatment of ozone gas.

[0131] When the ozone gas treatment is performed in the chamber 32, specifically, when the ozone gas is supplied to at least one of the four chambers 32 and the ozone gas treatment is performed in the chamber 32, the control valve 55 of the chamber 32 for the treatment is opened. At this time, although the control valve 101 is opened, the flow rate has been adjusted.

[0132] For example, in the case where ozone gas treatment is performed in all four chambers 32, ozone gas is supplied at a flow rate of up to 20 liters / minute according to the required amount of treatment in each chamber 32. Therefore, the second flow rate F2 becomes 80 liters / minute at maximum. Since the first flow rate F1 is 100 liters / minute, the difference ΔF in the flow rate becomes 20 liters / minute at minimum. In this way, the automatic pressure regulator 99 and the control valve 101 are controlled in such a way that the difference ΔF in the flow rate becomes within a predetermined value. Therefore, since a predetermined value of surplus can be left on the side of the ozone gas supply unit 11 in such a way that the second flow rate F2 does not exceed the first flow rate F1, the ozone gas can be stably supplied to each chamber 32. In addition, conversely, the difference ΔF in the flow rate is adjusted by the automatic pressure regulator 99 and the control valve 101, thereby increasing or decreasing the second flow rate F2. As a result, the flow rate of ozone gas can be changed collectively for all four chambers 32. Therefore, the control of the flow rate can be simplified compared to operating the mass flow controller 57 in each chamber 32.

[0133] Next, refer to Fig. 9 The processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above will be described. Fig. 9 1 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation. In the following description, only the ozone gas treatment and the SPM treatment are described in detail, and other operations are simplified or omitted. In order to easily understand the present invention, only the process of one substrate W is described.

[0134] [Step S1]

[0135] The operator starts the substrate processing apparatus 1. In conjunction with this operation, the ozone gas supply unit 11 and the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 are also started. Thus, under the control of the control unit 111, the ozone gas supply unit 11 starts to generate ozone gas of a treatment concentration. Figure 5 As shown, it takes about two minutes to generate ozone gas at the treatment concentration.

[0136] [Step S2]

[0137] The control unit 111 monitors whether a predetermined time has passed until ozone gas of the treatment concentration is generated by the ozone gas supply unit 11, and moves to the next step S3 at the time when the predetermined time has passed. In addition, even before the concentration of the ozone gas reaches the treatment concentration, Figure 7 As in the case of non-treatment of the ozone gas shown, all the generated ozone gas is exhausted through the auxiliary pipe 97 and the exhaust main pipe 33 .

[0138] [Step S3]

[0139] The operator instructs the start of the process using a control panel (not shown).

[0140] [Step S4]

[0141] The substrate W to be processed, which is contained in the carrier C, is transported to the path section 19 via the indexer area 3, and is carried into the ozone gas baking unit 21 by the central robot CR. In addition, before the substrate W is carried into the chamber 32 for processing in the next step S5, the control section 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to supply nitrogen gas to the chamber 32. Furthermore, the control section 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 through the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91. As a result, the chamber 32 is weakly exhausted, and the processing space is kept in a clean state by the inactive gas.

[0142] [Step S5]

[0143] When the substrate W is accommodated in the chamber 32, the control unit 111 moves the upper cover 27 to the lower cover 25 through the lifting mechanism 31. As a result, the chamber 32 is sealed. At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 89 and the opening and closing valve 91 to stop the action of the vacuum ejector 79 based on the second drive pipe 87. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 through the flow adjustment valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85. In addition, the flow rate of the suction port of the vacuum ejector 79 is greater than the flow rate of the nitrogen gas supplied from the inert gas supply pipe 65. As a result, since the chamber 32 is strongly exhausted, the processing space becomes a negative pressure. Therefore, the upper cover 27 is strongly in close contact with the lower cover 25, and the chamber 32 is completely sealed relative to the surroundings.

[0144] After that, the control unit 111 waits until the temperature of the substrate W placed on the heat treatment plate 29 rises to a predetermined temperature (eg, 100° C. to 300° C.) When the temperature of the substrate W reaches the predetermined temperature, the control unit 111 starts the ozone gas treatment.

[0145] Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 so as to supply ozone gas of a processing concentration to the chamber 32 at a desired flow rate. In addition, the ozone gas of a processing concentration is supplied to the processing space on which the substrate W is mounted. The state in which the ozone gas is being supplied becomes Fig.10 The state indicated by the dotted arrow in .

[0146] At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to stop strong exhaust. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to switch to weak exhaust. As a result, since the ozone gas of the treatment concentration is retained in the treatment space, the ozone gas treatment can be fully performed. When the predetermined ozone gas treatment time has passed, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 to stop supplying ozone gas to the chamber 32.

[0147] Next, the control unit 111 replaces the ozone gas in the chamber 32 with nitrogen. Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to adjust the ozone gas in the chamber 32. Figure 6 The inert gas supply pipe 65 in the chamber supplies nitrogen gas to the chamber 32. The nitrogen gas supplying state is Fig.11 The state indicated by the dotted arrow.

[0148] Furthermore, the control unit 111 activates the vacuum ejector 75 and opens the control valve 74, so that the second branch point 63 is sucked by the suction pipe 73. The state in which the second branch point 63 is sucked is Fig.11 The state is shown by the double dotted line with arrows. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the flow control valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to stop the weak exhaust. At the same time, the control unit 111 operates the flow control valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to set the strong exhaust. Since the chamber 32 is set to strong exhaust, the ozone gas in the processing space is effectively replaced with nitrogen. Therefore, the time required for replacement can be shortened. At this time, Fig.11 As shown by the double-dotted dashed line with arrows, since the second branch point 63 is sucked at the same time, the ozone remaining in the filter 59 can be prevented from mixing into the processing space. Therefore, the replacement efficiency using nitrogen can be improved. Furthermore, since the second branch point 63 is provided between the filter 59 and the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55, it is possible to prevent particles that are easily generated in the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 from flowing into the processing space. Therefore, the substrate W can be cleanly processed.

[0149] Furthermore, the suction of the suction pipe 73 is performed by a suction force that does not hinder the supply of nitrogen gas supplied to the chamber 32 via the first branch point 61. Therefore, the ozone gas in the chamber 32 can be reliably replaced with nitrogen gas.

[0150] When the replacement with nitrogen is finished, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85 to stop the strong exhaust. The control unit 111 opens the opening and closing valve 95. As a result, the inert gas is discharged only at the supply pressure through the purification pipe 94. At this time, since the chamber 32 becomes a positive pressure, the lifting mechanism 31 smoothly performs the lifting action of the upper cover 27. After the upper cover 27 rises, the control unit 111 closes the opening and closing valve 95, and operates the flow regulating valve 89 and the opening and closing valve 91 to set it to weak exhaust. As a result, the processing space is kept clean with inert gas. The control unit 111 moves the substrate W to a cooling unit not shown in the figure, thereby returning the substrate W to room temperature.

[0151] [Step S6]

[0152] The control unit 111 operates the central robot CR to take out the substrate W from the ozone gas baking unit 21 and transport the substrate W to the SPM unit 23 .

[0153] [Step S7]

[0154] The control unit 111 supplies SPM to the surface of the substrate W while setting the state in which the substrate W is heated. Thus, the photoresist cover film on the surface of the substrate W is removed by the SPM. At this time, since the surface of the photoresist cover film is ashed to a certain extent by the pre-treatment of the ozone gas, the photoresist cover film can be easily removed by a small amount of SPM even if the surface of the photoresist cover film is hardened. After the treatment of the substrate W by the SPM is completed, the control unit 111 performs a pure water cleaning process and a drying process.

[0155] [Step S8]

[0156] The control unit 111 operates the center robot CR to transfer the substrate W to the path unit 19 and operates the indexer robot IR to carry out the substrate W to return it to the carrier C. The photoresist cover film of the substrate W is removed through this series of operations.

[0157] According to the present embodiment, after the control unit 111 supplies ozone gas into the chamber 32 and processes the substrate W while the control valve 55 is open and the control valve 69 is closed, the control unit 111 closes the control valve 55 and opens the control valve 69, and causes the suction pipe 73 to suction while nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber 32. Therefore, the filter 59, the mass flow controller 57, and the control valve 55 in which ozone gas remains are sucked through the suction pipe 73. Therefore, the flow of gas from the second branch point 63 toward the chamber 32 side does not occur in the circulation pipe 53. As a result, since the ozone gas can be prevented from mixing into the nitrogen gas on the chamber 32 side, the replacement of the ozone gas can be completed in a short time, and contamination caused by particles can also be prevented.

[0158] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modified forms as described below.

[0159] (1) In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having four chambers 32 and four flow pipes 53 is used as an example for explanation. However, the present invention does not necessarily need to have a plurality of chambers 32 and a plurality of flow pipes 53. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having one chamber 32 and one flow pipe 53.

[0160] (2) In the above embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the inert gas. However, the present invention is not limited to nitrogen gas as the inert gas, and can also be applied to argon gas, for example.

[0161] (3) In the above embodiment, the suction pipe 73 is sucked by the vacuum ejector 75. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the suction pipe 73 may be sucked by a suction unit such as a vacuum pump.

[0162] (4) In the above-described embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 , the present invention does not necessarily require the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 .

[0163] (5) In the above embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the SPM unit 23, the present invention does not necessarily require the SPM unit 23. For example, the substrate W processed by the ozone gas baking unit 21 may be processed by the SPM unit 23 included in another apparatus.

[0164] (6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following structure is adopted: the substrate processing device 1 includes the indexer area 3, the conveying area 7, the carrier placement part 17 and the path part 19, etc., and continuously conveys a plurality of substrates W and efficiently processes them; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing device that does not include a conveying system, etc., but has a structure for performing processing using ozone gas of a processing concentration.

[0165] [Example 2]

[0166] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0167] The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0168] like Figure 5 As shown, the ozone gas supply unit 11 has the following characteristics: if approximately two minutes have passed after the device is started, the target predetermined concentration will not be reached. The ozone gas supply unit 11 supplies ozone gas of a predetermined treatment concentration to the supply pipe 35 described above.

[0169] In addition, the correspondence between the various structures in the seventh to eleventh embodiments of the present invention is as follows.

[0170] The SPM unit 23 is equivalent to the "processing liquid chamber", and the central robot CR is equivalent to the "transport mechanism". The ozone gas supply unit 11 is equivalent to the "ozone gas supply source". The heat treatment plate 29 is equivalent to the "holding mechanism". The automatic pressure regulator 49 is equivalent to the "first pressure regulating mechanism", the control valve 55 is equivalent to the "control valve", and the control valve 51 is equivalent to the "first opening and closing valve". The control valve 101 is equivalent to the "exhaust valve", the automatic pressure regulator 99 is equivalent to the "second pressure regulating mechanism", and the control valve 101 is equivalent to the "second opening and closing valve".

[0171] Next, refer to Fig. 9 The processing in the second embodiment is described.

[0172] [Step S1]

[0173] The operator starts the substrate processing apparatus 1. In conjunction with this operation, the ozone gas supply unit 11 and the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 are also started. Thus, under the control of the control unit 111, the ozone gas supply unit 11 starts to generate ozone gas of a treatment concentration. Figure 5 As shown, it takes about two minutes to generate ozone gas at the treatment concentration.

[0174] [Step S2]

[0175] The control unit 111 monitors whether a predetermined time has passed until ozone gas of the treatment concentration is generated by the ozone gas supply unit 11, and moves to the next step S3 at the time when the predetermined time has passed. In addition, even before the concentration of the ozone gas reaches the treatment concentration, Figure 7 As in the non-treatment of ozone gas shown, all of the generated ozone gas is exhausted through the auxiliary pipe 97 and the exhaust main pipe 33 .

[0176] [Step S3]

[0177] The operator instructs the start of the process using a control panel (not shown).

[0178] [Step S4]

[0179] The substrate W to be processed, which is contained in the carrier C, is transported to the path section 19 via the indexer area 3, and is carried into the ozone gas baking unit 21 by the central robot CR. In addition, before the substrate W is carried into the chamber 32 for processing in the next step S5, the control section 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to supply nitrogen gas to the chamber 32. Furthermore, the control section 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 through the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91. As a result, the chamber 32 is weakly exhausted, and the processing space is kept in a clean state by the inactive gas.

[0180] [Step S5]

[0181] When the substrate W is accommodated in the chamber 32, the control unit 111 moves the upper cover 27 to the lower cover 25 through the lifting mechanism 31. As a result, the chamber 32 is sealed. At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 89 and the opening and closing valve 91 to stop the action of the vacuum ejector 79 based on the second drive pipe 81. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 through the flow adjustment valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85. In addition, the flow rate of the suction port of the vacuum ejector 79 is greater than the flow rate of the nitrogen gas supplied from the inert gas supply pipe 65. As a result, since the chamber 32 is strongly exhausted, the processing space becomes negative pressure. Therefore, the upper cover 27 is strongly in close contact with the lower cover 25, and the chamber 32 is completely sealed relative to the surroundings.

[0182] After that, the control unit 111 waits until the temperature of the substrate W placed on the heat treatment plate 29 rises to a predetermined temperature (eg, 100° C. to 300° C.) When the temperature of the substrate W reaches the predetermined temperature, the control unit 111 starts the ozone gas treatment.

[0183] Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 so as to supply ozone gas of a processing concentration to the chamber 32 at a required flow rate. Furthermore, the ozone gas of a processing concentration is thereby supplied to the processing space on which the substrate W is placed. At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to stop strong exhaust. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to switch to weak exhaust. Thus, since the ozone gas of the processing concentration is retained in the processing space, the ozone gas can be fully processed. When the predetermined ozone gas processing time has passed, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 to stop supplying ozone gas to the chamber 32.

[0184] Next, the control unit 111 replaces the ozone gas in the chamber 32 with nitrogen. Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to adjust the ozone gas in the chamber 32. Figure 6The inactive gas supply pipe 65 in the chamber 32 supplies nitrogen to the chamber 32. In addition, the control unit 111 operates the vacuum ejector 75 and opens the control valve 74 to perform suction using the second branch point 63 of the suction pipe 73. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to stop weak exhaust. At the same time, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to set strong exhaust. Since the chamber 32 is set to strong exhaust, the ozone gas in the processing space is effectively replaced with nitrogen. Therefore, the time required for replacement can be shortened. At this time, since the suction of the second branch point 63 is performed at the same time, the ozone remaining in the filter 59 can be prevented from mixing into the processing space. Therefore, the replacement efficiency using nitrogen can be improved. Furthermore, since the second branch point 63 is set between the filter 59 and the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55, it is possible to prevent particles that are easily generated in the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 from flowing into the processing space. Therefore, the substrate W can be processed cleanly.

[0185] When the replacement with nitrogen is finished, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85 to stop the strong exhaust. The control unit 111 opens the opening and closing valve 95. As a result, the inert gas is discharged only at the supply pressure through the purification pipe 94. At this time, since the chamber 32 becomes a positive pressure, the lifting mechanism 31 smoothly performs the lifting action of the upper cover 27. After the upper cover 27 rises, the control unit 111 closes the opening and closing valve 95, and operates the flow regulating valve 89 and the opening and closing valve 91 to set it to weak exhaust. As a result, the processing space is kept clean with inert gas. The control unit 111 moves the substrate W to a cooling unit not shown in the figure, thereby returning the substrate W to room temperature.

[0186] [Step S6]

[0187] The control unit 111 operates the central robot CR to take out the substrate W from the ozone gas baking unit 21 and transport the substrate W to the SPM unit 23 .

[0188] [Step S7]

[0189] The control unit 111 supplies SPM to the surface of the substrate W while setting the state in which the substrate W is heated. Thus, the photoresist cover film on the surface of the substrate W is removed by SPM. At this time, since the surface of the photoresist cover film is ashed to a certain extent by the pre-treatment of the ozone gas, the photoresist cover film can be easily removed by a small amount of SPM even if the surface of the photoresist cover film is hardened. After the control unit 111 finishes the treatment of the substrate W by SPM, it performs a pure water cleaning process and a drying process.

[0190] [Step S8]

[0191] The control unit 111 operates the center robot CR to transfer the substrate W to the path unit 19 and operates the indexer robot IR to carry out the substrate W to return it to the carrier C. The photoresist cover film of the substrate W is removed through this series of operations.

[0192] According to the present embodiment, since the control unit 111 closes the control valve 55 and opens the control valve 101 during the non-processing of the ozone gas, the ozone gas of the processing concentration generated by the ozone gas supply unit 11 is not supplied to the chamber 32 but is discharged from the auxiliary pipe 97 to the discharge main pipe 33. Since the control unit 111 opens the control valve 55 while adjusting the flow rate of the control valve 101 during the processing of the ozone gas, the ozone gas is supplied from the ozone gas supply unit 11 that always generates the ozone gas of the processing concentration through the flow pipe 53 to the substrate W held by the heat treatment plate 29 in the chamber 32. Therefore, since there is no waiting time for the processing of the ozone gas, the processing time of the ozone gas can be shortened, and the processing amount can be increased.

[0193] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modified forms as described below.

[0194] (1) In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having four chambers 32 and four flow pipes 53 is used as an example for explanation. However, the present invention does not necessarily need to have a plurality of chambers 32 and a plurality of flow pipes 53. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having one chamber 32 and one flow pipe 53.

[0195] (2) In the above embodiment, the flow rate of the control valve 101 is adjusted in conjunction with the flow rates of the control valves 55 and the mass flow controllers 57 so that the difference ΔF between the first flow rate F1 and the second flow rate F2 is within a predetermined value. However, the present invention does not necessarily require that a predetermined amount of ozone gas remain on the ozone gas supply unit 11 side. Therefore, the maximum supply amount of the ozone gas supply unit 11 may be supplied to all chambers 32.

[0196] (3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the ozone gas supply unit 11 is provided with the automatic pressure regulator 49, and the auxiliary pipe 97 is provided with the automatic pressure regulator 99. However, the present invention does not necessarily require such a configuration. That is, when these configurations are provided, since the ozone gas treatment can be stably performed even in a configuration with a plurality of chambers 32, such a configuration is not necessary in the case where there is only one chamber 32 or in the case where there are chambers 32 whose total supply amount is significantly less than the maximum supply amount of the ozone gas supply unit 11.

[0197] (4) In the above-described embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 , the present invention does not necessarily require the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 .

[0198] (5) In the above embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the SPM unit 23, the present invention does not necessarily require the SPM unit 23. For example, the substrate W processed by the ozone gas baking unit 21 may be processed by the SPM unit 23 included in another apparatus.

[0199] (6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following structure is adopted: the substrate processing device 1 includes the indexer area 3, the conveying area 7, the carrier placement part 17 and the path part 19, etc., and continuously conveys a plurality of substrates W and efficiently processes them; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing device that does not include a conveying system, etc., but has a structure for performing processing using ozone gas of a processing concentration.

[0200] [Example 3]

[0201] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0202] The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0203] In addition, the correspondence relationship between the various structures in the twelfth to sixteenth aspects of the present invention is as follows.

[0204] The SPM unit 23 is equivalent to the "processing liquid chamber", and the central robot CR is equivalent to the "transportation mechanism". The ozone gas supply unit 11 is equivalent to the "ozone gas supply source". The heat treatment plate 29 is equivalent to the "holding mechanism", the lower cover 25 is equivalent to the "upper cover member", and the upper cover 27 is equivalent to the "lower cover member". The supply piping 53 is equivalent to the "first piping", the control valve 55 is equivalent to the "first control valve", the inert gas supply pipe 65 is equivalent to the "second piping", and the opening and closing valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 are equivalent to the "third control valve". The suction piping 73 is equivalent to the "auxiliary exhaust pipe", and the control valve 74 is equivalent to the "fourth control valve". The exhaust pipe 77 is equivalent to the "exhaust piping".

[0205] The on-off valve 93 corresponds to the "second control valve", the flow regulating valve 83, the on-off valve 85 and the vacuum ejector 79 correspond to the "first exhaust unit", the flow regulating valve 89, the on-off valve 91 and the vacuum ejector 79 correspond to the "second exhaust unit", and the flow regulating valves 83, 89, the on-off valves 85, 91 and the vacuum ejector 79 correspond to the "exhaust mechanism". The first flow Fa corresponds to the "first exhaust flow", and the second flow Fb corresponds to the "second exhaust flow".

[0206] Here, refer to Fig. 9 as well as Figures 12 to 17 The processing in the third embodiment is described. Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram for explaining weak exhaust before treatment. Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram for explaining strong exhaust in a state where the upper cover is closed. Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram for explaining weak exhaust in ozone gas treatment. Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram for explaining strong exhaust in replacement using nitrogen gas. Fig.16 This is a schematic diagram for explaining purification when the upper cover is open. Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram for explaining the weak exhaust after treatment.

[0207] [Step S1]

[0208] The operator starts the substrate processing apparatus 1. In conjunction with this operation, the ozone gas supply unit 11 and the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 are also started. Thus, under the control of the control unit 111, the ozone gas supply unit 11 starts to generate ozone gas of a treatment concentration. Figure 5 As shown, it takes about two minutes to generate ozone gas at the treatment concentration.

[0209] [Step S2]

[0210] The control unit 111 monitors whether a predetermined time has passed until ozone gas of the treatment concentration is generated by the ozone gas supply unit 11, and moves to the next step S3 at the time when the predetermined time has passed. In addition, even before the concentration of the ozone gas reaches the treatment concentration, Figure 7 As in the non-treatment of ozone gas shown, all of the generated ozone gas is exhausted through the auxiliary pipe 97 and the exhaust main pipe 33 .

[0211] [Step S3]

[0212] The operator instructs the start of the process using a control panel (not shown).

[0213] [Step S4]

[0214] The substrate W to be processed, which is contained in the carrier C, is transported to the path section 19 via the indexer area 3 and is carried into the ozone gas baking unit 21 by the central robot CR. In addition, before the substrate W is carried into the chamber 32 for processing in the next step S5, the control section 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to supply nitrogen gas to the chamber 32. Fig.12As shown, the control unit 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 via the flow rate regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91. As a result, the chamber 32 is weakly exhausted, and the processing space is kept clean by the inert gas.

[0215] [Step S5]

[0216] When the substrate W is received in the chamber 32, the control unit 111 moves the upper cover 27 to the lower cover 25 through the lifting mechanism 31. Thus, the chamber 32 is sealed. At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to stop the operation of the vacuum ejector 79 based on the second driving pipe 87. Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , the control unit 111 operates the vacuum ejector 79 through the flow regulating valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85. In addition, the flow rate of the suction port of the vacuum ejector 79 is greater than the flow rate of the nitrogen gas supplied from the inert gas supply pipe 65. As a result, the chamber 32 is strongly exhausted, so that the processing space becomes negative pressure. Therefore, the upper cover 27 is strongly in close contact with the lower cover 25, and the chamber 32 is completely sealed relative to the surroundings.

[0217] After that, the control unit 111 waits until the temperature of the substrate W placed on the heat treatment plate 29 rises to a predetermined temperature (eg, 100° C. to 300° C.) When the temperature of the substrate W reaches the predetermined temperature, the control unit 111 starts the ozone gas treatment.

[0218] Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 so as to supply ozone gas of a processing concentration to the chamber 32 at a desired flow rate. In addition, the ozone gas of a processing concentration is supplied to the processing space on which the substrate W is placed. At this time, the control unit 111 operates the flow adjustment valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to stop the strong exhaust. In addition, as Fig.14 As shown, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to switch to weak exhaust. As a result, since the ozone gas of the treatment concentration is retained in the treatment space, the ozone gas treatment can be fully performed. When the predetermined ozone gas treatment time has passed, the control unit 111 operates the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 to stop supplying the ozone gas to the chamber 32.

[0219] Next, the control unit 111 replaces the ozone gas in the chamber 32 with nitrogen. Specifically, the control unit 111 operates the control valve 69 and the mass flow controller 67 to adjust the ozone gas in the chamber 32. Figure 6 The inert gas supply pipe 65 in the chamber supplies nitrogen to the chamber 32. In addition, the control unit 111 activates the vacuum ejector 75 and opens the control valve 74, and uses the suction pipe 73 to suck the second branch point 63. Furthermore, the control unit 111 operates the flow control valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 to stop the weak exhaust. At the same time, Fig.15 As shown, the control unit 111 operates the flow regulating valve 83 and the opening and closing valve 85 to set them to strong exhaust. Since the chamber 32 is set to strong exhaust, the ozone gas in the processing space is effectively replaced by nitrogen. Therefore, the time required for replacement can be shortened. At this time, since the second branch point 63 is attracted at the same time, the ozone remaining in the filter 59 can be prevented from mixing into the processing space. Therefore, the replacement efficiency using nitrogen can be improved. Furthermore, since the second branch point 63 is arranged between the filter 59 and the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55, it is possible to prevent particles that are easily generated in the mass flow controller 57 and the control valve 55 from flowing into the processing space. Therefore, the substrate W can be processed cleanly.

[0220] When the replacement with nitrogen is completed, the control unit 111 operates the flow control valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to stop the strong exhaust. Fig.16 As shown in FIG. 1 , the control unit 111 opens the on-off valve 95. As a result, the inert gas is discharged only at the supply pressure through the purge pipe 94. At this time, since the chamber 32 is at a positive pressure, the lifting mechanism 31 smoothly lifts the upper cover 27. The control unit 111 closes the on-off valve 95 after the upper cover 27 is lifted, and Fig.17 As shown, the flow rate regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 are operated to set to weak exhaust. Thus, the processing space is kept clean with the inert gas. The control unit 111 moves the substrate W to a cooling unit (not shown) to return the substrate W to room temperature.

[0221] [Step S6]

[0222] The control unit 111 operates the central robot CR to take out the substrate W from the ozone gas baking unit 21 and transport the substrate W to the SPM unit 23 .

[0223] [Step S7]

[0224] The control unit 111 supplies SPM to the surface of the substrate W while setting the state in which the substrate W is heated. Thus, the photoresist cover film on the surface of the substrate W is removed by SPM. At this time, since the surface of the photoresist cover film is ashed to a certain extent by the pre-treatment of the ozone gas, the photoresist cover film can be easily removed by a small amount of SPM even if the surface of the photoresist cover film is hardened. After the control unit 111 finishes the treatment of the substrate W by SPM, it performs a pure water cleaning process and a drying process.

[0225] [Step S8]

[0226] The control unit 111 operates the center robot CR to transfer the substrate W to the path unit 19 and operates the indexer robot IR to carry out the substrate W to return it to the carrier C. The photoresist cover film of the substrate W is removed through this series of operations.

[0227] According to the present embodiment, before supplying ozone gas to the chamber 32 and performing ozone gas treatment, the control unit 111 opens the on-off valve 93 and operates the flow regulating valve 83 and the on-off valve 85 to operate the vacuum ejector 79, thereby strongly exhausting the chamber 32 and making the upper cover 27 close to the lower cover 25. When the control unit 111 operates the control valve 55 to supply ozone gas from the ozone gas supply unit 11 to the chamber 32, the strong exhaust is stopped and the flow regulating valve 89 and the on-off valve 91 are operated to operate the vacuum ejector 79, thereby weakly exhausting the chamber 32. Therefore, the degree of close contact between the upper cover 27 and the lower cover 25 is increased by the strong exhaust before supplying the ozone gas, and is set to weak exhaust when the ozone gas is supplied. Therefore, the leakage of the ozone gas can be prevented and the consumption of the ozone gas can also be suppressed.

[0228] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modified forms as described below.

[0229] (1) In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having four chambers 32 and four flow pipes 53 is used as an example for explanation. However, the present invention does not necessarily need to have a plurality of chambers 32 and a plurality of flow pipes 53. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having one chamber 32 and one flow pipe 53.

[0230] (2) In the above embodiment, the purge is performed to supply the inert gas to the chamber 32, and the upper cover 27 is separated from the lower cover 25 after the chamber 32 is set to a positive pressure. However, the present invention does not necessarily require such a configuration. In addition, in the above embodiment, although the suction pipe 73 and the inert gas supply pipe 65 for supplying the inert gas are provided, the present invention does not necessarily require these components.

[0231] (3) In the above embodiment, the first drive pipe 81 and the second drive pipe 87 for supplying compressed air to the vacuum ejector 79 are switched, thereby switching the exhaust flow rate in the exhaust pipe 77. However, the present invention does not necessarily require such a structure. For example, it may also be configured to include a drive pipe, an on-off valve, and a mass flow controller, and the mass flow controller is adjusted according to the exhaust flow rate. In addition, in the above embodiment, although exhaust and suction are performed by the vacuum ejectors 75 and 79, the present invention does not necessarily require such a structure. For example, it may also be configured to perform exhaust and suction by a vacuum pump.

[0232] (4) In the above-described embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 , the present invention does not necessarily require the ozone gas decomposition unit 13 .

[0233] (5) In the above embodiment, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes the SPM unit 23, the present invention does not necessarily require the SPM unit 23. For example, the substrate W processed by the ozone gas baking unit 21 may be processed by the SPM unit 23 included in another apparatus.

[0234] (6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the following structure is adopted: the substrate processing device 1 includes the indexer area 3, the conveying area 7, the carrier placement part 17 and the path part 19, etc., and continuously conveys a plurality of substrates W and efficiently processes them; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing device that does not include a conveying system, etc., but has a structure for performing processing using ozone gas of a processing concentration.

[0235] [Industrial Applicability]

[0236] As described above, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate using ozone gas.

[0237] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0238] 1: Substrate processing equipment

[0239] W: substrate

[0240] 3: Indexer area

[0241] 5: Processing area

[0242] 7: Transport area

[0243] 9: Treatment liquid supply area

[0244] 11: Ozone gas supply unit

[0245] 13: Ozone gas decomposition unit

[0246] 15: Processing Unit

[0247] 19: Path Department

[0248] TW1 TW4: Tower

[0249] 21: Ozone gas baking unit

[0250] 23: SPM unit

[0251] 25: Lower cover

[0252] 27: Upper cover

[0253] 29: Heat treated plate

[0254] 31: Lifting mechanism

[0255] 32: Chamber

[0256] 33: Exhaust main pipe

[0257] 35: Supply piping

[0258] 41: Generate piping

[0259] 43, 57, 67: Mass flow controller

[0260] 49, 99: Automatic pressure regulator

[0261] 51, 55, 69, 74, 101: Control valve

[0262] 53: Circulation piping

[0263] 59, 71: Filter

[0264] 75, 79: Vacuum ejector

[0265] 61: First branch point

[0266] 63: Second branch point

[0267] 65: Inert gas supply piping

[0268] 73: Suction piping

[0269] 77: Exhaust pipe

[0270] 81: First drive tube

[0271] 83, 89: Flow control valve

[0272] 85, 91: On / off valve

[0273] 87: Second drive tube

[0274] 94: Purification tube

[0275] Fa: First flow

[0276] Fb: Second traffic

Claims

1. A substrate processing device for removing a covering film covering a substrate, It is characterized in that have: A chamber, which receives the substrate and forms a closed processing space; a holding mechanism for holding a substrate in the chamber; an ozone gas supply source for supplying ozone gas at a treatment concentration to treat the substrate; a first pipe, communicatively connecting the chamber and the ozone gas supply source; a first control valve, disposed in the first pipe, for controlling the flow of ozone gas in the first pipe; a first filter provided in the first pipe at a position closer to the chamber than the first control valve; a second pipe having one end connected to a first branch point in the first pipe and supplied with an inert gas from the other end, the first branch point being connected to a position in the first pipe closer to the chamber than the first filter; a second control valve, disposed in the second pipe, for controlling the flow of the inert gas in the second pipe; a suction pipe having one end connected to a second branch point in the first pipe and sucked from the other end, the second branch point being connected to a position between the first filter and the first control valve in the first pipe; and The control unit supplies ozone gas into the chamber and processes the substrate while the first control valve is opened and the second control valve is closed, and then closes the first control valve and opens the second control valve to supply inert gas into the chamber for suction using the suction pipe.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The suction by the suction pipe is performed by a suction force that does not hinder the supply of the inert gas supplied from the second pipe to the chamber.

3. The substrate processing device according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that A vacuum ejector is provided on the other end side of the suction pipe, and generates suction force by supplying compressed gas.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The suction pipe includes a suction control valve that is operated by the control unit to control the suction force at the second branch point.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, It is characterized in that The second pipe includes a second filter between the first branch point and the second control valve.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, It is characterized in that Also available: a processing liquid chamber for receiving a substrate and performing processing of the processing liquid; and A transport mechanism for transporting substrates; The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with treatment liquid in the treatment liquid chamber.

7. A substrate processing device for removing a covering film covering a substrate, It is characterized in that have: A chamber, which receives the substrate and forms a closed processing space; a holding mechanism for holding a substrate in the chamber; an ozone gas supply source for supplying the ozone gas while always generating the ozone gas for processing the substrate; a supply pipe through which ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source flows; a flow pipe that communicatively connects the supply pipe and the chamber; a control valve, disposed in the circulation pipe, for controlling the flow of ozone gas flowing in the circulation pipe; an auxiliary pipe, which is communicatively connected to the supply pipe and the exhaust port for exhausting gas, and is used to discharge the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source to the exhaust port; an exhaust valve, disposed in the auxiliary pipe, for adjusting the flow rate of the ozone gas flowing in the auxiliary pipe; and The control unit closes the control valve and opens the exhaust valve when ozone gas is not supplied to the chamber for non-processing, thereby discharging the ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas supply source to the exhaust port, and opens the control valve while adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust valve when ozone gas is supplied to the chamber and the substrate held by the holding mechanism is processed with the ozone gas.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The chambers are plural; The circulation pipes are plural; Each of the flow pipes is branched from the supply pipe and is connected to each of the chambers in a communicating manner; The control valve is disposed on each of the plurality of flow pipes; During the treatment, at least one of the plurality of chambers is in a state of being supplied with ozone gas.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The control unit adjusts the flow rate of the exhaust valve in conjunction with the flow rates of the control valves during the process so that a difference between a first flow rate of the ozone gas flowing through the supply pipe and a second flow rate which is a sum of the flow rates of the ozone gas flowing through the circulation pipes is within a predetermined value.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, It is characterized in that The ozone gas supply source comprises: a first on-off valve that allows or blocks the flow of ozone gas toward the supply pipe; and a first pressure regulating mechanism for maintaining the pressure of the ozone gas in the supply pipe at a first pressure; The auxiliary piping comprises: a second on-off valve, serving as the exhaust valve, for allowing or blocking the flow of ozone gas discharged to the exhaust port; and The second pressure regulating mechanism maintains the pressure of the ozone gas in the auxiliary pipe at a second pressure which is lower than the first pressure.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, It is characterized in that Also available: a processing liquid chamber for receiving a substrate and performing processing of the processing liquid; and A transport mechanism for transporting substrates; The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with treatment liquid in the treatment liquid chamber.

12. A substrate processing device for removing a covering film covering a substrate, It is characterized in that have: The chamber comprises: a lower cover member supporting a holding mechanism for holding a substrate at the bottom; an upper cover member abutting against the lower cover member from above and forming a processing space; and a lifting mechanism for lowering the upper cover member relative to the lower cover member when the substrate is processed, and raising the upper cover member from the lower cover member when the substrate is not processed; an ozone gas supply source for supplying ozone gas at a treatment concentration to treat the substrate; a first pipe, communicatively connecting the ozone gas supply source and the chamber; a first control valve, disposed in the first pipe, for controlling the flow of ozone gas flowing in the first pipe; An exhaust pipe is connected to the chamber to discharge the gas in the processing space to an exhaust port outside the device; a second control valve, disposed in the exhaust pipe, for controlling exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe; The exhaust mechanism comprises: a first exhaust unit, which is provided in the exhaust piping at a position closer to the exhaust port than the second control valve, and exhausts the gas at a first exhaust flow rate; and a second exhaust unit, which is provided in the exhaust piping at a position closer to the exhaust port than the second control valve, and exhausts the gas at a second exhaust flow rate which is smaller than the first exhaust flow rate; and The control unit opens the second control valve and operates the first exhaust unit to exhaust the interior of the chamber at the first exhaust flow rate and makes the upper cover member close to the lower cover member before supplying ozone gas from the ozone gas supply source to the chamber and performing ozone gas treatment. When operating the first control valve to supply ozone gas from the ozone gas supply source to the chamber, the first exhaust unit is stopped and the second exhaust unit is operated to exhaust the interior of the chamber at the second exhaust flow rate.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, It is characterized in that Also available: A second pipe having one end connected to the first branch point in the first pipe and supplied with an inert gas from the other end; a third control valve for controlling the flow of the inert gas in the second pipe; an auxiliary exhaust pipe having one end connected to a second branch point in the exhaust pipe on the chamber side relative to the second control valve, and the other end connected to the exhaust port; as well as a fourth control valve, disposed in the auxiliary exhaust pipe, for controlling the flow of gas in the auxiliary exhaust pipe; After the ozone gas treatment, the control unit operates the third control valve to supply inert gas into the chamber, and operates the first exhaust unit to replace the second exhaust unit to exhaust the chamber at a first exhaust flow rate, and after replacing the ozone gas in the chamber with the inert gas, stops the first exhaust unit, closes the second control valve, opens the fourth control valve, and then raises the upper cover member through the lifting mechanism.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, It is characterized in that After the control unit raises the upper cover member, the control unit closes the fourth control valve and opens the second control valve, and operates the second exhaust unit to exhaust the interior of the chamber at a second exhaust flow rate.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, It is characterized in that The first exhaust unit and the second exhaust unit include a vacuum ejector for exhausting gas by supplying compressed gas.

16. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, It is characterized in that Also available: a processing liquid chamber for receiving a substrate and performing processing of the processing liquid; and A transport mechanism for transporting substrates; The substrate that has been treated with ozone gas in the chamber is transported to the treatment liquid chamber by the transport mechanism, and the substrate is treated with treatment liquid in the treatment liquid chamber.

Images