Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of processing a substrate, the method including: a substrate processing operation of processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate loaded into a processing space of a processing container; and a container cleaning operation of cleaning an interior of the processing container in a state in which the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, wherein the container cleaning operation includes: a regular cleaning operation of regularly cleaning the interior of the processing container; and an emergency cleaning operation of temporarily cleaning the inside of the processing container when a set condition is satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate. Background Art

[0002] In order to manufacture semiconductor devices, various processes such as photolithography, deposition, ashing, etching, and ion implantation are performed. In addition, before and after these processes, a cleaning process for cleaning particles remaining on the substrate is performed.

[0003] In the above processes, there is a wet etching process that processes a substrate by discharging a processing liquid onto the substrate.

[0004] In this case, depending on the wiring material of the substrate, a strong acid or a strong base is selectively used as the processing liquid for processing the substrate.

[0005] On the other hand, when processing the substrate, the processing liquid can generate toxic acidic gases. For example, when processing the substrate, a processing liquid such as hydrochloric acid can generate acidic gases such as hydrochloric acid gas.

[0006] Since hydrochloric acid gas is very dangerous when inhaled by workers, by default, the chamber for processing the substrate is internally exhausted to prevent toxic gases from being discharged to the outside.

[0007] However, the problem is that when an operator opens the chamber for process failure or regular inspection, the acidic gas will leak into the external space where the operator is located and cause personal injury. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention is directed to providing a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that prevent acidic gas inside a chamber for processing a substrate from being discharged to the outside of the chamber when the chamber is switched to an open state.

[0009] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand the unmentioned problems through the following description.

[0010] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for processing a substrate, the method including: a substrate processing operation of processing the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate loaded in a processing space of a processing container; and a container cleaning operation of cleaning the inside of the processing container in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, wherein the container cleaning operation includes: a regular cleaning operation of regularly cleaning the inside of the processing container; and an emergency cleaning operation of temporarily cleaning the inside of the processing container when a set condition is satisfied.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing operation may be performed under a condition that the pressure in a processing space is lower than the pressure outside the processing space, and the set condition may include a case where it is detected that the pressure in the processing space is higher than the pressure outside the processing space during the substrate processing operation.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, the set condition may include a case where the processing liquid in the substrate processing operation is an acidic chemical.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment, the acidic chemical includes hydrochloric acid.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, an emergency cleaning operation may be performed after continuously processing a substrate with a chemical.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method may further include a maintenance operation of maintaining a chamber providing a processing container after the substrate processing operation, where, in the substrate processing operation, a chemically generated acidic gas is used as a processing liquid, and an emergency cleaning operation may be performed after the substrate processing operation and before the maintenance operation.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the emergency cleaning operation may include supplying a cleaning liquid to a support unit rotating in the processing space to clean an upper surface of the support unit and an inner surface of the processing container.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, in the emergency cleaning operation, the processing container may move in a vertical direction, and the processing space may be discharged.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the difference between the pressure in the processing space and the pressure outside the chamber during the substrate processing operation is outside a set range, the ongoing substrate processing is completed, and an emergency cleaning operation may be performed.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, a periodic cleaning operation may be performed at set intervals.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment, the set interval may be an interval according to the number of wafers of the processed substrate or a time-based interval.

[0021] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an internal space; a processing chamber disposed in the internal space and having a processing space with an open top; a support unit for supporting the substrate within the processing space; and a liquid supply unit having a processing liquid nozzle for supplying a processing liquid and a cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid; an air flow supply unit for providing a downward air flow into the internal space; a discharge unit for discharging the processing space; and a controller for controlling the liquid supply unit, the air flow supply unit, and the discharge unit, wherein the controller performs: a substrate processing operation of processing the substrate supported on the support unit with the processing liquid; and an emergency cleaning operation of cleaning the inner wall of the processing chamber with the cleaning liquid when a set condition is satisfied, and the emergency cleaning operation can be performed in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the internal space.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may further include a pressure sensor for detecting a difference between the pressure in the internal space and the pressure value outside the housing, wherein the controller controls the air flow supply unit and the discharge unit such that, in the substrate processing operation, the substrate is processed in a state where the pressure in the internal space is lower than the pressure outside the housing, and the controller may control the liquid supply unit such that when the pressure sensor detects that the pressure in the internal space is higher than the pressure outside the housing during the substrate processing operation, the emergency cleaning operation is performed after unloading the substrate from the internal space.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, the processing liquid nozzle may supply an acidic chemical as the processing liquid, and the controller may control the liquid supply unit such that the emergency cleaning operation is performed after continuously processing a series of substrates with the acidic chemical.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may control the liquid supply unit such that a regular cleaning operation is performed to clean the inner wall of the processing chamber at a predetermined interval, and the regular cleaning operation can be performed in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the internal space.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may further perform a maintenance operation of maintaining the chamber providing the processing chamber after the substrate processing operation, wherein the substrate processing operation may use a chemically generated acidic gas as the processing liquid, and the emergency cleaning operation may be performed after the substrate processing operation and before the maintenance operation.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment, the emergency cleaning operation may include supplying the cleaning liquid to the support unit rotating in the processing space to clean the upper surface of the support unit and the inner surface of the processing chamber.

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the difference between the pressure in the processing space during a substrate processing operation and the pressure outside the chamber is outside a set range, the ongoing substrate processing is completed, and an emergency cleaning operation can be performed.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment, a periodic cleaning operation can be performed at set intervals.

[0029] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for processing a substrate, the method including: a substrate processing operation of processing the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate loaded into the processing space of a processing container; and a cleaning operation of cleaning the interior of the processing container in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, wherein the cleaning operation can include: a regular cleaning operation of regularly cleaning the interior of the processing container; a maintenance operation of maintaining the chamber, wherein the processing container is provided after the substrate processing operation; an emergency cleaning operation performed before the maintenance operation and after continuously processing the substrate with chemicals, and including temporarily cleaning the interior of the processing container when it is detected that the pressure in the processing space is higher than the pressure outside the processing space during the substrate processing operation or when the processing liquid is an acidic chemical, and supplying a cleaning liquid to a support unit rotating in the processing space to clean the upper surface of the support unit and the inner surface of the processing container, and the substrate processing operation is performed under the condition that the pressure in the processing space is lower than the pressure outside the processing space.

[0030] The present invention has the effect of preventing personal injury to an operator by preventing acidic gas in the chamber from being discharged to the outside of the chamber in advance when the chamber for processing the substrate is switched to an open state.

[0031] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand the effects not mentioned from this specification and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] After reading the detailed description in conjunction with the drawings, various features and advantages of the non-limiting exemplary embodiments of this specification will become apparent. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Unless explicitly stated, the drawings are not considered to be drawn to scale. For clarity, various dimensions in the drawings may be enlarged.

[0033] Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a substrate processing facility according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 is a view showing Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing equipment.

[0035] Figure 3 is a detailed view showing Figure 2Block diagram of the detailed configuration of the controller.

[0036] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is Figure 4 illustrative process diagrams of each operation shown. Detailed Embodiments

[0038] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, and that the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and neither should be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies have not been described in detail.

[0039] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not limiting. As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" may also be intended to include the plural forms. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless specifically identified as an order of execution, the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or illustrated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0040] When an element or layer is referred to as "on", "engaged to", "connected to", or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly "on", "engaged to", "connected to", or "coupled to" the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly on", "directly engaged to", "directly connected to", or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, intervening elements or layers may not be present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between", "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent", etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, and / or section from another region, layer, or section. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply a sequence or order. Thus, the first element, component, region, layer, and / or section discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, and / or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0042] To facilitate the description of the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figures to another element or feature, spatial relative terms such as "inside," "outside," "beneath," "below," "under," "above," and "on" may be used herein. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, the spatial relative terms may be intended to cover different orientations of the device during use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as "beneath" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" may cover both an orientation above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0043] When the terms "same" or "equivalent" are used in the description of the exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that there may be some imprecision. Thus, when an element or value is referred to as being the same as another element or value, it should be understood that the element or value is the same as the other element or value within the manufacturing or operating tolerances (e.g., ±10%).

[0044] When the terms "about" or "substantially" are used in conjunction with a numerical value, it should be understood that the associated numerical value includes manufacturing or operating tolerances near the stated value (e.g., ±10%). In addition, when the words "generally" and "substantially" are used in conjunction with a geometry, it should be understood that precision of the geometry is not required, but the latitude of the shape is within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this exemplary embodiment belongs. It should also be understood that terms (including terms defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0046] In the present exemplary embodiment, a wafer will be described as an example of an object to be processed. However, in addition to wafers, the technical spirit of the present invention can also be applied to apparatuses for processing other types of substrates.

[0047] Figure 1 is a top plan view showing a substrate processing facility according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is showing Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0048] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the substrate processing facility 1 includes a transfer module 10 and a process processing module 20, and the transfer module 10 includes a load port 120 and a transfer frame 140. The load port 120, the transfer frame 140, and the process processing module 20 are arranged in a continuous row. Hereinafter, the direction in which the load port 120, the transfer frame 140, and the process processing module 20 are arranged is referred to as a first direction 12, the direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 when viewed from above is referred to as a second direction 14, and the direction perpendicular to the plane including the first direction 12 and the second direction 14 is referred to as a third direction 16.

[0049] A carrier 18 in which a substrate W is accommodated is placed on the load port 120. A plurality of load ports 120 are provided and arranged in a row along the second direction 14. In Figure 1 , it is shown that four load ports 120 are provided. However, the number of load ports 120 can be increased or decreased according to conditions such as the processing efficiency and occupied area of the process processing module 20. Slots (not shown) for supporting the edges of the substrate are formed in the carrier 18. A plurality of slots are provided in the third direction 16, and the substrates are located in the carrier to be stacked while being spaced apart from each other along the third direction 16. As the carrier 18, a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) can be used.

[0050] The process processing module 20 may include a buffer unit 20, a transfer chamber 240, and processing chambers 260 and 280. The transfer chamber 240 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12. The processing chambers 260 and 280 are disposed on opposite sides of the transfer chamber 240 in the second direction 14. The processing chamber 260 may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the transfer chamber 240. Some of the processing chambers 260 and 280 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 240. In addition, some of the processing chambers 260 and 280 are arranged to be stacked on top of each other. That is, the processing chambers 260 and 280 may be arranged in an A×B array (A and B are natural numbers equal to or greater than 1) on opposite sides of the transfer chamber 240. Here, "A" is the number of the processing chambers 260 and 280 arranged in a row along the first direction 12, and "B" is the number of the processing chambers 260 and 280 arranged in a row along the third direction 16. When four or six processing chambers 260 and 280 are provided on each of the opposite sides of the transfer chamber 240, the processing chambers 260 and 280 may be arranged in a 2×2 or 3×2 array. The number of the processing chambers 260 and 280 may be increased or decreased. Different from the above, the processing chamber 260 may be provided only on one side of the transfer chamber 240. In addition, the processing chambers 260 and 280 may be arranged in a single layer on one side and the opposite side of the transfer chamber 240. In addition, the processing chambers 260 and 280 may be provided in various arrangements different from the above.

[0051] The processing chambers 260 and 280 of the present exemplary embodiment may be classified as including a cleaning chamber and a drying chamber. In this case, the cleaning chamber may be a substrate processing facility for cleaning a substrate, which will be described below, and the drying chamber may be a substrate processing facility for drying a substrate.

[0052] The buffer unit 220 is disposed between the transfer frame 140 and the transfer chamber 240. The buffer unit 220 may provide a space where the substrate W stays before being transferred between the transfer chamber 240 and the transfer frame 140. The buffer unit 220 is provided with slots (not shown) on which the substrate W is placed, and the slots (not shown) are provided in a plurality and spaced apart from each other along the third direction 16. In the buffer unit 220, the side facing the transfer frame 140 and the side facing the transfer chamber 240 are each open.

[0053] The transfer frame 140 transfers the substrate W between the carrier 18 placed on the loading port 120 and the buffer unit 220. The transfer frame 140 is provided with a transfer rail 142 and a transfer robot 144. The transfer rail 142 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the second direction 14. The transfer robot 144 is mounted on the transfer rail 142 and linearly moves along the transfer rail 142 in the second direction 14. The transfer robot 144 includes a base 144a, a main body 144b, and a transfer arm 144c. The base 144a is mounted to be movable along the transfer rail 142. The main body 144b is coupled to the base 144a. The main body 144b is arranged to be movable on the base 144a in the third direction 16. In addition, the main body 144b is arranged to be rotatable on the base 144a. The transfer arm 144c is coupled to the main body 144b and is arranged to be movable forward and backward relative to the main body 144b. A plurality of transfer arms 144c are provided to be individually driven. The transfer arms 144c are arranged to be stacked in a state of being spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16. When transferring the substrate W from the process processing module 20 to the carrier 18, some of the transfer arms 144c can be used, and when transferring the substrate W from the carrier 130 to the process processing module 20, some others of the plurality of transfer arms 144c can be used. This can prevent particles generated from the substrate W before the process from adhering to the substrate W after the process during the process of the transfer robot 144 loading and unloading the substrate W.

[0054] The transfer chamber 240 transfers the substrate W between the buffer unit 220 and the processing chamber 260. A guide rail 242 and a main robot 244 are provided in the transfer chamber 240. The guide rail 242 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12. The main robot 244 is mounted on the guide rail 242 and linearly moves along the guide rail 242 in the first direction 12. The main robot 244 includes a base 244a, a main body 244b, and a main arm 244c. The base 244a is mounted to be movable along the guide rail 242. The main body 244b is coupled to the base 244a. The main body 244b is arranged to be movable on the base 244a in the third direction 16. In addition, the main body 244b is arranged to be rotatable on the base 244a. The main arm 244c is coupled to the main body 244b and is arranged to be movable forward and backward relative to the main body 244b.

[0055] Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus 300 provided in the processing chamber 260 will be described. In the present exemplary embodiment, a case where the substrate processing apparatus 300 performs a liquid processing process on the substrate will be described as an example. The liquid processing process also includes a process of cleaning the substrate.

[0056] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing Figure 1 the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 3 is a detailed view showingFigure 2 Block diagram of the detailed configuration of the controller.

[0057] Reference Figure 2 Referring to Figure 2 , the substrate processing apparatus 300 further includes a chamber 310, a processing container 320, a support unit 340, a lifting unit 360, a liquid discharge unit 400, an air flow forming unit 500, a liquid supply unit 600, and a controller 900. The chamber 310 provides a processing space 312 in which a process of processing a substrate W is performed.

[0058] The processing container 320 is located in the processing space 312 and is configured in the shape of a cup with an open top. When viewed from above, the processing container 320 is positioned to overlap with the discharge pipe. The processing container 320 includes an inner recovery container 322 and an outer recovery container 326. Each of the recovery containers 322 and 326 recovers a different processing liquid from the processing liquid used in the process. The inner recovery container 322 is configured in an annular shape surrounding the support unit 340, and the outer recovery container 326 is configured in an annular shape surrounding the inner recovery container 322. The inner space 322a of the inner recovery container 322 and the space 326a between the outer recovery container 326 and the inner recovery container 322 serve as inlets for the processing liquid to flow into the inner recovery container 322 and the outer recovery container 326, respectively. Recovery pipelines 322b and 326b are respectively connected to the bottom surfaces of the recovery containers 322 and 326 and extend vertically in a downward direction. Each of the recovery pipelines 322b and 326b serves as a discharge pipe to discharge the processing liquid that has been introduced through the corresponding recovery containers 322 and 326. The discharged processing liquid can be reused through an external processing liquid regeneration system (not shown).

[0059] The support unit 340 is provided as a substrate support unit 340 for supporting and rotating the substrate W. The support unit 340 is disposed within the processing container 320. The substrate support unit 340 supports the substrate W and rotates the substrate W during the processing. The support unit 340 includes a rotating chuck 342, support pins 344, chuck pins 346, and a rotating shaft 348. When viewed from the top, the rotating chuck 342 has a substantially circular top surface. The rotating shaft 348, which can be rotated by a driver, is fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the rotating chuck 342. In one example, the driver can be formed by a motor 349. A plurality of support pins 344 are provided. The support pins 344 are spaced apart on the edge portion of the top surface of the rotating chuck 342 and protrude upward from the rotating chuck 342. The support pins 334 are arranged in combination with each other to have an overall annular ring shape. The support pins 344 support the edge of the rear surface of the substrate W such that the substrate W is spaced apart from the top surface of the rotating chuck 2631 by a predetermined distance. A plurality of chuck pins 346 are provided. The chuck pins 346 are provided to be farther from the center of the rotating chuck 342 than the support pins 344. The chuck pins 346 are provided to protrude upward from the rotating chuck 342. The chuck pins 346 support the side portion of the substrate W to prevent the substrate W from laterally deviating from its fixed position when the support unit 340 rotates. The chuck pins 346 are provided to be linearly movable between a standby position and a support position along the radial direction of the rotating chuck 342. The standby position is a position farther from the center of the rotating chuck 342 than the support position. When the substrate W is loaded into or unloaded from the support unit 340, the chuck pins 346 are positioned at the standby position, and when a process is performed on the substrate W, the chuck pins 346 are positioned at the support position. At the support position, the chuck pins 346 are in contact with the side portion of the substrate W.

[0060] The lifting unit 360 adjusts the relative height between the processing container 320 and the support unit 340. The lifting unit 360 linearly moves the processing container 320 in the vertical direction. As the processing container 320 moves up and down, the relative height of the processing container 320 with respect to the support unit 340 changes. The lifting unit 460 includes a bracket 362, a moving shaft 364, and a driver 366. The bracket 362 is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the processing container 320, and the moving shaft 364, which is moved in the vertical direction by the driver 366, is fixedly coupled to the bracket 362. When the substrate W is placed on the support unit 340 or lifted from the support unit 340, the processing container 320 descends such that the support unit 340 protrudes above the processing container 320. In addition, when the process is in progress, the height of the processing container 320 is adjusted such that the processing liquid can flow into the preset recovery containers 322 and 326 according to the type of the processing liquid that has been supplied to the substrate W.

[0061] Different from the above description, the lifting unit 360 can move the support unit 340 in the vertical direction instead of the processing container 320.

[0062] The liquid discharge unit 400 supplies various types of liquids to the substrate W. The liquid discharge unit 400 also includes a plurality of nozzles 410 to 430. Each nozzle is moved to a processing position and a standby position by a nozzle position driver 440. The processing position is defined herein as the position where the nozzles 410 to 430 can discharge liquid onto the substrate W located within the processing container 320, and the standby position is defined as the position where the nozzles 410 to 430 wait outside the processing position. According to an example, the processing position may be the position where the nozzles 410 to 430 can supply liquid to the center of the substrate W. For example, when viewed from above, the nozzles 410 to 430 can move linearly or axially to move between the processing position and the standby position. The processing liquid discharged from the liquid discharge unit 400 onto the substrate W may be a processing liquid for processing the substrate W. In addition, in the standby position, a recovery pipe 450 may be provided below the third nozzle 430. When the third nozzle 430 discharges the processing liquid for cleaning, the recovery pipe 450 recovers the processing liquid.

[0063] The plurality of nozzles 410 to 430 discharge different types of liquids. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzles 410 to 430 may include at least one of chemicals, rinse solutions, cleaning liquids, and drying fluids. Refer to Figure 2 an exemplary embodiment of, the first nozzle 410 may be a nozzle for discharging chemicals. For example, the chemical may be a liquid capable of etching a film formed on the substrate W or removing particles on the substrate W. The chemical may be a liquid having the characteristics of strong acid or strong base. The chemical may include sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, or ammonia. In addition, the second nozzle 420 may be a nozzle for discharging a rinse solution. The rinse solution may be a solution capable of rinsing the chemicals remaining on the substrate W. For example, the rinse solution may be pure water. In addition, the second nozzle 420 may be a nozzle for discharging a cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid may be a solution for treating the support unit 340, the processing container 320, and the recovery pipe 450 after processing the substrate W. In addition, the third nozzle 430 may be a nozzle for discharging a drying liquid. A drying fluid may be provided as a solution capable of replacing the remaining rinse solution on the substrate. The drying fluid may be a solution having a lower surface tension than the rinse solution. The drying fluid may be an organic solvent. The drying fluid may be isopropyl alcohol (IPA). The third nozzle 430 may be connected to the liquid supply unit 600 to receive the supply of the drying fluid.

[0064] The air flow forming unit 500 forms a downward air flow in the processing space 312. The air flow forming unit 500 supplies air flow from the top portion of the chamber 310 and discharges the air flow from the lower portion of the chamber 310. The air flow forming unit 500 also includes an air flow supply unit 520 and a discharge unit 540. The air flow supply unit 520 and the discharge unit 540 are positioned to face each other in the vertical direction.

[0065] The gas supply unit 520 supplies gas in a downward direction. The gas supplied from the gas supply unit 520 can be air from which impurities have been removed. The gas supply unit 520 further includes a fan 522, a gas supply pipeline 524, a supply valve 528, and a filter 526. The fan 522 is installed on the top plate surface of the chamber 310. When viewed from above, the fan 522 is positioned to face the processing container. The fan 522 can be positioned to supply air to the substrate W located within the processing container. The gas supply pipeline 524 is connected to the fan 522 to supply air to the fan 522. The supply valve 528 is installed in the gas supply pipeline 524 to adjust the supplied gas flow rate. The filter 526 is installed in the gas supply pipeline 524 to filter the air. For example, the filter 526 can remove particles and moisture contained in the air.

[0066] The discharge unit 540 discharges the processing space 312 such that the negative pressure in the processing space 312 is lower than the external air pressure. The discharge unit 540 further includes a discharge pipe 542, a pressure reducing member 546, and an exhaust valve 548. The discharge pipe 542 is installed on the bottom surface of the chamber 310 and is provided as a pipe for discharging the processing space 312. The discharge pipe 542 is positioned such that the discharge port faces upward. The discharge pipe 542 is positioned such that the discharge port communicates with the inside of the processing container. That is, the top of the discharge pipe 542 is located within the processing container. Accordingly, the downward air flow formed within the processing container is discharged through the discharge pipe 542.

[0067] The pressure reducing member 546 reduces the pressure of the discharge pipe 542. The pressure reducing member 546 forms a negative pressure in the discharge pipe 542, which discharges the processing container. The exhaust valve 548 is installed in the discharge pipe 542 and opens and closes the discharge port of the discharge pipe 542. The exhaust valve 548 adjusts the exhaust volume.

[0068] The liquid supply unit 600 can supply liquid to each of the plurality of nozzles 410 to 430.

[0069] The pressure sensor 700 can be installed in the chamber 310. The pressure sensor 700 can detect the pressure value in the processing space 312. The pressure sensor 700 can transmit the detected pressure value to the controller 900. In addition, the pressure sensor 700 can detect the external air pressure value outside the chamber 310. In this case, the pressure sensor 700 can detect the difference between the pressure value in the processing space 312 and the external air pressure value.

[0070] The input device 800 is interfaced with the controller 900 and can input input values into the controller 900. The input device 800 can be an input device such as a touch panel, a button panel for control, or a mouse. The input device unit 800 can be used to operate the controller 900 in the manual mode. Therefore, the input device unit 800 can receive input values through the manipulation of the operator.

[0071] The controller 900 controls the driving of the process chamber 320, the support unit 340, the lifting unit 360, the liquid discharge unit 400, the airflow forming unit 500, and the liquid supply unit 600 using a preset processing algorithm for processing the substrate W.

[0072] In one example, the controller 900 can include a substrate loading control unit 910, a substrate processing control unit 920, a substrate unloading control unit 930, an emergency cleaning control unit 940, and a negative pressure monitoring unit 950 depending on the functions to be controlled, and can also include a maintenance control unit 960 and a periodic cleaning control unit 970. In this case, each of the substrate loading control unit 910, the substrate processing control unit 920, the substrate unloading control unit 930, the emergency cleaning control unit 940, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950, the maintenance control unit 960, and the periodic cleaning control unit 970 can be implemented in hardware or software using logic elements or computational algorithms. Each of the substrate loading control unit 910, the substrate processing control unit 920, the substrate unloading control unit 930, the emergency cleaning control unit 940, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950, the maintenance control unit 960, and the periodic cleaning control unit 970 can be a series of processors that perform each operation in the substrate processing method described below.

[0073] The substrate loading control unit 910 controls the main robot 244 to load the substrate W into the processing space 312 of the chamber 310. In this case, the main robot 244 can place the substrate W on the support unit 340.

[0074] The substrate processing control unit 920 can control the driving of the liquid discharge unit to discharge the processing liquid onto the substrate W disposed in the processing space 312. For example, the substrate processing control unit 920 can discharge the processing liquid from the first nozzle 410 or discharge the drying fluid from the third nozzle 430. Meanwhile, the processing liquid discharged from the first nozzle 410 can generate toxic acidic gases. For example, the first nozzle 410 can selectively discharge strong acids (such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or hydrofluoric acid) as the processing liquid, and in this case, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrofluoric acid can generate acidic gases such as hydrochloric acid gas, sulfuric acid gas, and hydrofluoric acid gas respectively. In this case, the acidic gases can cause safety accidents when inhaled by the operator. In addition, the substrate processing control unit 920 can control the rotation driver of the support unit 340 to discharge the processing liquid while rotating the substrate W. The substrate processing control unit 920 can control the driver 440 to adjust the positions of the nozzles 410 to 430 to discharge the processing liquid.

[0075] The substrate unloading control unit 930 controls the main robot 244 to discharge the substrate W in the processing space into the outside of the chamber 310 of 312. Before the emergency cleaning control unit 940 is driven, the substrate unloading control unit 930 can be driven to ensure that no substrate W remains in the processing space 312.

[0076] The emergency cleaning control unit 940 can cause the cleaning fluid to be discharged from the second nozzle 420 to clean the inside of the processing space 312. In this case, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 can stop driving the substrate processing control unit 920 to ensure that no processing fluid is supplied from the first nozzle 410. In addition, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 can control the driver 440 to cause the second nozzle 420 to discharge the cleaning fluid while moving through the upper space of the support unit 340 and the processing container 320. Therefore, any residual processing fluid in the support unit 340 and the processing container 320 can be removed to minimize the generation of acidic gases. In this case, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 can drive the lifting unit 360 to lift the top end of the processing container 320 to a position higher than the top end of the support unit 340. Therefore, the discharge unit can concentrate the exhaust flow through the lifted processing container 320 to increase the discharge rate of the acidic gases.

[0077] The negative pressure monitoring unit 950 monitors the negative pressure value in the processing space 312. In this case, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950 can control the emergency cleaning control unit 940 to continue to act after the substrate processing control unit 920 stops processing the substrate when the negative pressure value in the processing space 312 is higher than a preset value. The negative pressure monitoring unit 950 can also control the emergency cleaning control section 940 to continue to act after stopping the substrate processing control unit 920 when the difference between the negative pressure value in the processing space 312 and the external air pressure value in the chamber 310 is lower than a set value. In one example, when the negative pressure in the processing space 312 is higher than a preset value because the operator switches the chamber 310 to the open state for fault inspection or regular inspection, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950 can be activated.

[0078] The maintenance control unit 960 stops the driving of the substrate processing control unit 920. In this case, when an input value is input from the input device unit 800, the maintenance control unit 960 can stop the driving of the substrate processing control unit 920 and then drive the emergency cleaning control unit 940. Therefore, when the operator operates the input device unit 800 to stop the substrate processing equipment 1 for fault inspection or regular inspection, the internal of the processing space 312 can be cleaned to minimize the emission of acidic gases.

[0079] When the number of times of substrate processing is equal to or greater than a predetermined number or when the number of hours of the processed substrate W exceeds a predetermined number of hours, the periodic cleaning control unit 970 discharges a cleaning liquid from the second nozzle 420 to clean the inside of the processing space 312. Since it is difficult for the periodic cleaning control unit 970 to prevent the emission of acidic gases when the operator performs a fault inspection or regular inspection, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 is driven when a specific event occurs to minimize the emission of acidic gases.

[0080] The substrate processing method of the above-described substrate processing equipment is described below.

[0081] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] As Figure 4 shown, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing method includes an emission operation S10, a substrate loading operation S20, a substrate processing operation S30, a substrate unloading operation S40, an emergency cleaning operation S50, and a negative pressure monitoring operation S60, and may further include a maintenance operation S70 and a periodic cleaning operation S80.

[0083] In the discharging operation S10, the discharging unit discharges the processing space 312 in the chamber 310. In this case, the discharging operation S10 can discharge the processing space 312 such that the negative pressure in the processing space 312 is lower than the external air pressure of the chamber 310.

[0084] In the substrate loading operation S20, the substrate loading control unit 910 controls the main robot 244 to load the substrate W into the processing space 312 in the chamber 310.

[0085] As Figure 5 shown, in the substrate processing operation S30, the substrate processing control unit 920 controls the liquid discharging unit to discharge the processing liquid onto the substrate W disposed in the processing space 312. As described above, the substrate processing control unit 920 can discharge the processing liquid from the first nozzle 410 or discharge the drying fluid from the third nozzle 430. In this case, when the processing liquid is formed of a strong acid, the processing liquid can generate acidic gas. Further, in the substrate processing operation S30, the substrate processing control unit 920 can control the rotation driver of the support unit 340 to discharge the processing liquid while rotating the substrate W. In the substrate processing operation S30, the substrate processing control unit 920 can control the driver to discharge the processing liquid while adjusting the nozzle position.

[0086] In the substrate unloading operation S40, the substrate unloading control unit 930 controls the main robot 244 to unload the substrate W from the processing space 312 to the outside of the chamber 310.

[0087] In the emergency cleaning operation S50, when a preset condition is satisfied, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 discharges the cleaning fluid from the second nozzle 420 into the processing space 312 to clean the processing space 312, as Figure 6As shown. The emergency cleaning operation S50 may be included in the container cleaning operation of the cleaning processing container 320. The emergency cleaning operation S50 may be performed after the substrate has been processed through the substrate processing operation S30. Here, the preset condition may be determined through the negative pressure monitoring operation S60 or the maintenance operation S70 described later. In this emergency cleaning operation S50, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 may set the first nozzle 410 to the closed state to prevent the discharge of the processing liquid, and set the second nozzle 420 to the open state to allow the cleaning liquid to be discharged into the processing space 312. In addition, in the emergency cleaning operation S50, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 may control the driver to cause the processing container 320 to move in the vertical direction, and when moving the upper space of the moving support unit 340 and the processing container 320, cause the second nozzle 420 to discharge the cleaning liquid into the support unit 340 and the processing container 320. The cleaning liquid in the cleaning processing space 312 is recovered through the recovery pipelines 322b and 326b. Therefore, by cleaning the processing space using only the processing liquid remaining in the processing space 312 without supplying the processing liquid as the cleaning liquid, the acidic gas can be minimized. In addition, in the emergency cleaning operation S50, when cleaning the processing space 312 with the cleaning liquid, the emergency cleaning control unit 940 may control the lifting unit 360 to lift the top end of the processing container 320 to a position higher than the top end of the support unit 340. Therefore, the discharge unit may have an exhaust flow concentrated by the lifted processing container 320, resulting in an increased discharge rate of the acidic gas.

[0088] In the negative pressure monitoring operation S60, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950 monitors the negative pressure of the processing space 312 in the chamber 310 to continue the emergency cleaning operation S50 when the negative pressure of the processing space 312 becomes higher than the preset value. In this case, in the negative pressure monitoring operation S60, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950 may detect the negative pressure value of the processing space 312 installed in the chamber 310 and detect the external air pressure value of the chamber 310. In this case, when the difference between the negative pressure value of the processing space 312 and the external air pressure value of the chamber 310 is lower than the set value, the negative pressure monitoring unit 950 may stop the substrate processing operation S30 and then allow the emergency cleaning operation S50 to continue. Therefore, in the case where the external air pressure outside the chamber 310 becomes lower than the negative pressure in the processing space 312, the acidic gas in the processing space 312 is discharged to the outside of the chamber 310, and the processing space 312 can be cleaned to prevent the remaining toxic gas from being discharged to the outside of the chamber 310.

[0089] In the maintenance operation S70, the maintenance control unit 960 stops the operation of the substrate processing operation S30. In this case, as described above, when the negative pressure in the processing space 312 becomes higher than a preset value, the negative pressure monitoring operation S60 may occur before the emergency cleaning operation S50 continues. Here, as described above, the maintenance operation S70 can be continued by an input value input by the input device unit 800.

[0090] The periodic cleaning operation S80 is executed by the periodic cleaning control unit 970, and when the number of times of processing the substrate W is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or when the number of hours of the processed substrate W exceeds a predetermined number of hours, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the second nozzle 420 to clean the inside of the processing space 312. The periodic cleaning operation S80 may be included in the container cleaning operation of the cleaning processing container 320.

[0091] In this way, when the operator desires to perform a fault check or a regular check on the substrate processing equipment such that the chamber 310 is switched to an open state or the substrate processing equipment stops operating, the substrate processing equipment and the substrate processing method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention minimize the emission of acidic gas in the chamber 310 to the outside by automatically cleaning the processing space 312 of the chamber 310.

[0092] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to specific problems, such as specific components, limited exemplary embodiments, and drawings, but these are only provided to assist in the general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made from the description.

[0093] Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described exemplary embodiments, and it can be said that not only the claims described later, but also all modifications equivalent to the claims belong to the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate, the method comprising: a substrate processing operation of processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate loaded into a processing space of the processing container; as well as a container cleaning operation of cleaning the interior of the processing container in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, The container cleaning operation comprises: a periodic cleaning operation of periodically cleaning the interior of the processing container; as well as An emergency cleaning operation that temporarily cleans the interior of the processing container when a set condition is met.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing operation is performed under a pressure in the processing space that is lower than a pressure outside the processing space, and The set condition includes a case where it is detected in the substrate processing operation that the pressure in the processing space is higher than the pressure outside the processing space. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the set condition includes a case where the processing liquid in the substrate processing operation is an acidic chemical. The method of claim 3 , wherein the acidic chemical comprises hydrochloric acid. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency cleaning operation is performed after a continuous treatment of the substrate with the chemical has been completed.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: performing a maintenance operation on a chamber providing the processing container after the substrate processing operation, wherein in the substrate processing operation, a chemically generated acidic gas is used as the processing liquid, and The emergency cleaning operation is performed after the substrate processing operation and before the maintenance operation. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the emergency cleaning operation comprises supplying a cleaning liquid to a support unit rotating in the processing space to clean an upper surface of the support unit and an inner surface of the processing container. 8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein in the emergency cleaning operation, the processing container is moved in an up and down direction, and the processing space is discharged.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when a difference between a pressure in the processing space and a pressure outside the chamber in the substrate processing operation is outside a set range, the ongoing substrate processing has been completed and the emergency cleaning operation is performed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the periodic cleaning operation is performed at set intervals.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the set interval is an interval determined according to the number of substrates processed or an interval based on time.

12. An apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an inner space; a processing container disposed in the inner space and having a processing space with an open top; a supporting unit, the supporting unit being used to support a substrate in the processing space; as well as a liquid supply unit having a treatment liquid nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid and a cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid; an airflow supply unit that provides a downward airflow into the interior space; a discharge unit for discharging the processing space; and a controller, the controller being used to control the liquid supply unit, the air flow supply unit and the discharge unit, The controller executes: A substrate processing operation of processing the substrate supported on the supporting unit with the processing liquid; and An emergency cleaning operation of cleaning the inner wall of the processing container with the cleaning liquid when a set condition is met, and The emergency cleaning operation is performed in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the internal space.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a pressure sensor for detecting a difference between the pressure in the internal space and the pressure value outside the housing, wherein the controller controls the airflow supply unit and the exhaust unit so that, in the substrate processing operation, the substrate is processed in a state where the pressure in the inner space is lower than the pressure outside the housing, and The controller controls the liquid supply unit so that when the pressure sensor detects that the pressure in the internal space is higher than the pressure outside the housing in the substrate processing operation, the emergency cleaning operation is performed after the substrate is unloaded from the internal space.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the treatment liquid nozzle supplies an acidic chemical as the treatment liquid, and The controller controls the liquid supply unit so that the emergency cleaning operation is performed after a series of substrates are continuously treated with the acidic chemical.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller controls the liquid supply unit so that a periodic cleaning operation is performed to clean the inner wall of the processing container at regular intervals, and The periodic cleaning operation is performed in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the internal space.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller further performs a maintenance operation of maintaining a chamber providing the processing container after the substrate processing operation, wherein the substrate processing operation uses a chemically generated acidic gas as the processing fluid, and The emergency cleaning operation is performed after the substrate processing operation and before the maintenance operation. 17 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the emergency cleaning operation comprises supplying a cleaning liquid to a support unit rotating in the processing space to clean an upper surface of the support unit and an inner surface of the processing container.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when a difference between a pressure in the processing space and a pressure outside the chamber in the substrate processing operation is outside a set range, the ongoing substrate processing has been completed and the emergency cleaning operation is performed.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the periodic cleaning operation is performed at set intervals.

20. A method for processing a substrate, the method comprising: a substrate processing operation of processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate loaded into a processing space of the processing container; as well as a cleaning operation of cleaning the interior of the processing container in a state where the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, The cleaning operation includes: a periodic cleaning operation of periodically cleaning the interior of the processing container; a maintenance operation of performing maintenance on a chamber providing the processing container after the substrate processing operation; an emergency cleaning operation performed before the maintenance operation and after the continuous processing of the substrate with the chemical has been completed, and comprising temporarily cleaning the interior of the processing container when the pressure in the processing space is detected to be higher than the pressure outside the processing space or when the processing liquid is an acidic chemical in the substrate processing operation, and supplying the cleaning liquid to a support unit rotating in the processing space to clean an upper surface of the support unit and an inner surface of the processing container, and The substrate processing operation is performed under a pressure in which the pressure in the processing space is lower than the pressure outside the processing space.

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