Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and method, in a substrate processing apparatus in which a nozzle guard is disposed on the front side of a slit nozzle moving relative to a substrate, a countermeasure can be taken, for example, the situation that a processing liquid is applied to the substrate by using the slit nozzle in a state in which foreign matters are attached to the nozzle guard can be nipped in advance. In a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method of the present invention, a slit nozzle and a plate-shaped nozzle guard are moved relative to a substrate while a processing liquid is ejected from an ejection port in a state in which the ejection port of the slit nozzle is brought close to a surface of the substrate, so that the processing liquid is ejected from the ejection port. The processing liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate while preventing foreign matter from adhering to the slit nozzle by means of a nozzle guard provided on the front side of the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle moves relative to each other. Before the treatment liquid is applied in this way, adhesion of foreign matter to the nozzle guard is detected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing technology for supplying and coating a processing liquid to substrates for precision electronic devices such as glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices or organic EL display devices (FPD: Flat Panel Display), semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic paper, etc., and substrates for semiconductor packages (hereinafter, simply referred to as "substrates"). Background Art

[0002] A substrate processing apparatus is known, which coats a processing liquid on a substrate by relatively moving a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port relative to the substrate and ejecting the processing liquid from the slit nozzle. For example, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-102609, with the substrate held on the stage surface of the stage, the slit nozzle is moved above the stage surface to coat the processing liquid. On the other hand, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-212544, the substrate is moved in a so-called floating manner in a state where the slit nozzle is positioned at a predetermined coating position above the stage surface of the stage. More specifically, the substrate is floated by a pressure gas layer formed on the stage surface by an air flow passing through gas holes provided in the stage surface, and the substrate is moved so as to pass through a coating region sandwiched between the slit nozzle and the stage surface to coat the processing liquid. Thus, although the substrate handling methods are different, a nozzle protector is provided in any of the apparatuses. This is because it is considered that foreign substances or protrusions (hereinafter, referred to as "foreign substances") may protrude upward on the surface side of the substrate. That is, if the coating of the processing liquid is performed in the presence of these foreign substances, the slit nozzle collides with the foreign substances, and the coating of the processing liquid is hindered. That is, the above collision sometimes has an adverse effect on the already coated processing liquid or the slit nozzle. Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatuses, a nozzle protector is disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves with respect to the substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, when removing foreign substances using the nozzle protector, sometimes the foreign substances adhere to the nozzle protector. When performing a coating process using the slit nozzle equipped with this nozzle protector, depending on the size of the foreign substance, sometimes the foreign substance contacts the substrate, which becomes a cause of defects. In addition, if the above-mentioned slit nozzle is repeatedly used for coating processes in a state where foreign substances are attached, defects will occur at the same positions on multiple consecutive sheets.

[0004] The present invention has been completed in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing technique that can take measures such as preventing in advance a situation where a processing liquid is applied to a substrate by a slit nozzle while foreign matter is attached to a nozzle protector in a substrate processing apparatus in which the nozzle protector is disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle that relatively moves with respect to the substrate.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that applies a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate, and is characterized by including: a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port for ejecting the processing liquid; a nozzle moving unit that relatively moves the slit nozzle in a state where the ejection port faces downward above the substrate in a direction along the surface of the substrate with respect to the substrate; a plate-shaped nozzle protector that is disposed on the front side with respect to the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves with respect to the substrate by the nozzle moving unit during application of the processing liquid and moves integrally with the slit nozzle; and a foreign matter detection unit that detects foreign matter attached to the nozzle protector.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, which is characterized by including: an application step of applying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while preventing foreign matter from attaching to the slit nozzle by using the nozzle protector disposed on the front side with respect to the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves, by ejecting the processing liquid from the ejection port while bringing the ejection port of the slit nozzle close to the surface of the substrate and relatively moving the slit nozzle and the plate-shaped nozzle protector with respect to the substrate; and a detection step of detecting attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector before the application step.

[0007] In the invention configured as described above, the application process is performed while removing foreign matter by using the nozzle protector disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle that moves in the relative movement direction. Therefore, foreign matter may attach to the nozzle protector. Therefore, in the present invention, a foreign matter detection unit is provided to detect attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector.

[0008] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle guard disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle that relatively moves with respect to the substrate, and it is possible to take measures such as preventing in advance a situation where an application process is performed while foreign matter is attached to the nozzle protector before the application process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 is schematically showingFigure 1 Side view of the coating device shown

[0011] Figure 3 Is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of the foreign object detection unit

[0012] Figure 4 Is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the foreign object detection unit

[0013] Figure 5 Is shown by Figure 1 The flowchart of the coating operation performed by the coating device

[0014] Figure 6 Is a diagram schematically showing the foreign object detection operation in the coating device of the second embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention

[0015] Figure 7 Is a diagram schematically showing the foreign object detection operation in the coating device of the third embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention

[0016] Figure 8 Is a side view schematically showing the coating device of the fourth embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention

[0017] Figure 9 Is a diagram schematically showing the operation of an example of the foreign object removal unit in the coating device of the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention, namely a dry guard cleaner

[0018] Figure 10 Is schematically showing Figure 9 The operation of the dry guard cleaner shown

[0019] Figure 11 Is a diagram schematically showing the operation of an example of the foreign object removal unit in the coating device of the sixth embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention, namely a dry guard cleaner

[0020] Figure 12 Is schematically showing Figure 11 The operation of the dry guard cleaner shown

[0021] Figure 13 Is a perspective view schematically showing the structure and operation of an example of the foreign object removal unit in the coating device of the seventh embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention, namely a dry guard cleaner

[0022] Figure 14 Is schematically showing Figure 13 The operation of the dry guard cleaner shown

[0023] Figure 15 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure and operation of a dry protector cleaner, which is an example of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 16 is schematically showing Figure 15 the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown in

[0025] Figure 17 is a perspective view schematically showing the overall structure and operation of a dry protector cleaner, which is an example of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 18 is schematically showing Figure 17 the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown in

[0027] Figure 19 is a view schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 20A is a view schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 20B is a view schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 21 is a view schematically showing the overall structure of a coating apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0031] Description of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1A, 1B Coating apparatus (substrate processing apparatus)

[0033] 2 Slit nozzle

[0034] 3 Substrate

[0035] 7 Nozzle cleaning standby unit (preliminary ejection unit)

[0036] 8 Foreign matter detection unit

[0037] 9 Nozzle cleaning unit (nozzle cleaning section)

[0038] 10 Control unit

[0039] 11 Protector cleaning unit (foreign matter removing unit)

[0040] 12 Dry protective member cleaner (foreign matter removal section)

[0041] 21 Nozzle outlet (of the slit nozzle)

[0042] 31 Surface (of the substrate)

[0043] 53 Nozzle moving section

[0044] 552 Adsorption and travel control mechanism (nozzle moving section)

[0045] D1 Distance (from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protective member)

[0046] D2 Distance (from the preliminary ejection section to the foreign matter detection section)

[0047] D3 Distance (from the nozzle cleaning section to the foreign matter removal section)

[0048] F Foreign matter

[0049] NG Nozzle protective member Detailed implementation manners

[0050] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of the coating device of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, Figure 2 is schematically showing Figure 1 a side view of the coating device shown. Further, in Figure 1 , Figure 2 and the following figures, in order to clarify these directional relationships, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is appropriately added. The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system has the Z direction as the vertical direction, the XY plane as the horizontal plane, and, as needed, the dimensions and quantities of each part are depicted exaggeratedly or simplified. In addition, in Figure 2 , a part of the structure such as the nozzle support is omitted.

[0051] The coating device 1A is a coating device called a slit coater, which uses a slit nozzle 2 to coat a processing liquid on the surface 31 of a substrate 3 as an example of an object to be coated. The processing liquid is, for example, a photoresist liquid. In addition, the processing liquid may also be, for example, a pigment for a filter, a polyimide precursor, a silicon agent, a nano metal ink, or various processing liquids in a paste or slurry form containing a conductive material. The substrate 3 is a glass substrate having a rectangular shape when viewed from above. In addition, the substrate 3 as a coating object can also be applied to various substrates such as a rectangular glass substrate, a semiconductor substrate, a flexible substrate for thin film liquid crystal, a substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a filter, a substrate for a solar cell, a substrate for organic EL (electroluminescence), and a substrate for semiconductor packaging. It should be noted that in this specification, the "surface 31 of the substrate 3" refers to the main surface on the side where the processing liquid is coated among the two main surfaces of the substrate 3.

[0052] The coating device 1A includes: a stage 4 that can adsorb and hold a substrate 3 in a horizontal posture; a coating processing unit 5 that performs a coating process on the substrate 3 held by the stage 4 using a slit nozzle 2; a nozzle maintenance unit 6 that performs maintenance processing on the slit nozzle 2 and a nozzle protector NG; and a control unit 10 that controls these respective parts.

[0053] The stage 4 is made of a stone material such as granite having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a holding surface 41 on the (-Y) direction side of its upper surface (+Z side). The holding surface 41 is processed into a substantially horizontal flat surface and holds the substrate 3. A plurality of vacuum suction ports (not shown) are dispersedly formed on the holding surface 41. By sucking the substrate 3 with these vacuum suction ports, the substrate can be held horizontally at a prescribed position during the coating process. In addition, the holding method of the substrate 3 is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to mechanically hold the substrate 3. Further, a nozzle adjustment region RA is provided on the (+Y) direction side of the stage 4 in a region larger than the region occupied by the holding surface 41, and the nozzle maintenance unit 6 is disposed in the nozzle adjustment region RA.

[0054] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the lower end portion 2a (spray lip portion) of the slit nozzle 2 has a shape that becomes thinner toward the lower side. And, on the lower surface of the lower end portion 2a of the slit nozzle 2, a slit-shaped ejection port 21 is provided to extend in the X direction, and the processing liquid pressed from a processing liquid supply portion (not shown) is ejected from the ejection port 21 onto the surface 31 of the substrate 3. Thereby, the processing liquid is coated on the surface 31 of the substrate 3.

[0055] The coating processing unit 5 includes a nozzle support 51 that supports the slit nozzle 2. The nozzle support 51 has: a support member 51a that extends parallel to the X direction above the stage 4; and two lifting mechanisms 51b that support the support member 51a from both sides in the X direction and lift the support member 51a. The support member 51a is made of a carbon fiber reinforced resin or the like and is a rod member having a rectangular cross section. The lower surface of the support member 51a becomes an installation portion 510 of the slit nozzle 2, and the support member 51a supports the slit nozzle 2 at the installation portion 510 so as to be detachable. In addition, as a mechanism for detaching and attaching the slit nozzle 2 at the installation portion 510 of the support member 51a, various fastening mechanisms such as a latch or a screw can be appropriately used.

[0056] Two lifting mechanisms 51b are connected to both ends of the support member 51a in the longitudinal direction, each having an AC servo motor, a ball screw, and the like. Through these lifting mechanisms 51b, the support member 51a and the slit nozzle 2 fixed to the support member 51a can be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the interval between the discharge port 21 opened at the lower end of the slit nozzle 2 and the substrate 3, that is, the relative height of the discharge port 21 with respect to the substrate 3, can be adjusted. In addition, the vertical position of the support member 51a can be detected, for example, by a linear encoder (not shown) composed of a scale portion and a detection sensor. The scale portion is provided on the side surface of the lifting mechanism 51b, and the detection sensor is provided on the side surface of the nozzle 2 opposite to the scale portion, etc.

[0057] As Figure 1 shown, the nozzle support 51 configured as such has a bridging structure that spans the holding surface 41 by being installed at the left and right end portions of the stage 4 in the X direction. The coating process unit 5 has a nozzle moving unit 53 that moves the nozzle support 51 in the Y direction. The nozzle moving unit 53 functions as a relative movement mechanism that relatively moves the nozzle support 51, which is a bridging structure body, and the nozzle 2 supported by the nozzle support 51 in the Y direction with respect to the substrate 3 held on the stage 4. Specifically, the nozzle moving unit 53 has, on both the ±X sides: guide rails 52 that guide the movement of the nozzle 2 in the Y direction; linear motors 54 as drive sources; and linear encoders 55 for detecting the position of the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2.

[0058] The two guide rails 52 are respectively provided at both ends of the stage 4 in the X direction and extend in the Y direction so as to include the section where the nozzle adjustment region RA and the holding surface 41 are provided. And the two guide rails 52 respectively guide the movement of the two lifting mechanisms 51b in the Y direction. In addition, the two linear motors 54 are respectively provided on both sides of the stage 4 and are AC coreless linear motors having a fixed member 54a and a moving member 54b. The fixed member 54a is provided in the Y direction on the side surface of the stage 4 in the X direction. On the other hand, the moving member 54b is fixedly provided on the outside of the lifting mechanism 51b. The two linear motors 54 respectively drive the two lifting mechanisms 51b in the Y direction by the magnetic force generated between these fixed member 54a and moving member 54b.

[0059] In addition, each linear encoder 55 has a scale portion 55a and a detection portion 55b. The scale portion 55a is disposed along the Y direction below a fixing member 54a of the linear motor 54 fixedly provided on the stage 4. On the other hand, the detection portion 55b is fixedly provided at a position on the outer side of a moving member 54b of the linear motor 54 fixedly provided on the lifting mechanism 51b, and the detection portion 55b is disposed opposite to the scale portion 55a. The linear encoder 55 detects the position of the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction based on the relative positional relationship between the scale portion 55a and the detection portion 55b.

[0060] The slit nozzle moving unit 53 configured as described above can move the nozzle 2 between above the nozzle adjustment region RA and above the substrate S held on the stage 4 by driving the nozzle support 51 in the Y direction. Then, the coating device 1A forms a treatment liquid layer on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 by ejecting the treatment liquid from the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 while moving the slit nozzle 2 from the coating start position Pst to the coating end position Pen in the (+Y) direction. Thus, in the present embodiment, the (+Y) direction corresponds to an example of the "relative movement direction" of the present invention.

[0061] Thus, the treatment liquid is applied while the slit nozzle 2 relatively moves in the (+Y) direction with respect to the substrate 3. However, if there is a foreign object on the surface 31 of the substrate 3, the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 may come into contact with the foreign object and be damaged. Therefore, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, in the relative movement direction (+Y) direction, a plate-shaped nozzle protection member NG is disposed on the front side ( Figure 1 the lower right diagonal side and Figure 2 the right hand side) of the slit nozzle 2. The nozzle protection member NG has a width substantially the same as that of the slit nozzle 2 in the X direction. As Figure 2 shown, the nozzle protection member NG is located at a position away from the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 by a distance D1 in the (+Y) direction, and is mounted on the side surface of the slit nozzle 2 on the (+Y) direction side in such a form that its lower end portion protrudes more downward than the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2. Therefore, during the coating process of the treatment liquid, the lower end portion of the nozzle protection member NG approaches the surface 31 of the substrate 3 from above, protecting the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 from being damaged by foreign objects on the surface 31 of the substrate 3.

[0062] After the coating of the treatment liquid is completed, the slit nozzle 2 further moves to the (+Y) direction side and waits in the nozzle adjustment area RA. The nozzle adjustment area RA is set at a position deviated from the holding surface 41 of the substrate 3 to the (+Y) direction side. The nozzle adjustment area RA functions as a waiting area for the slit nozzle 2 during the period when the coating process is not performed on the workbench 4, such as during the handover period of the substrate 3 between the coating device 1A and the external conveying mechanism (during the loading and unloading of the substrate 3). In addition, the nozzle maintenance unit 6 performs various maintenance on the slit nozzle 2 located in the nozzle adjustment area RA.

[0063] The nozzle maintenance unit 6 includes: a nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 for performing a so-called pre-distribution process; a foreign matter detection unit 8 for detecting the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle guard NG; and a nozzle cleaning unit 9 for cleaning the slit nozzle 2. These components are arranged along the (+Y) direction. In addition, in order to explain these positional relationships later, the positions of the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7, the foreign matter detection unit 8, and the nozzle cleaning unit 9 in the Y direction are defined as position Ppd, position Pdt, and position Pnc, respectively.

[0064] Among them, the nozzle cleaning unit 9 is equivalent to an example of the "nozzle cleaning unit" of the present invention, for example, a member described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-149468 can be used. The nozzle cleaning unit 9 has a scraper (abutment member) 91. The scraper 91 abuts against the outer surface of the lower end of the slit nozzle 2 (specifically, the inclined surface of the lip), and moves along the outer surface and in the X direction through a driving mechanism (not shown) (scraping action). Thus, the scraper 91 scrapes and removes the attachments attached to the lower end 2a of the slit nozzle 2.

[0065] The nozzle cleaning standby section 7 is arranged on the (-Y) direction side of the nozzle cleaning section 9 across the foreign matter detection section 8. The nozzle cleaning standby section 7 has a pre-distribution roller 72, a portion of which is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the storage tank 71. The pre-distribution roller 72 has a length in the X direction that is equal to or longer than the slit nozzle 2. The pre-distribution roller 72 is rotated by the drive of a motor not shown. In the present embodiment, before performing the coating process, a small amount of anti-corrosion liquid (processing liquid) is sprayed from the slit nozzle 2 moved above the pre-distribution roller 72, thereby removing the anti-corrosion liquid containing the cleaning liquid used in the nozzle cleaning section 9 from the slit nozzle 2 (preliminary spraying process). Through this preliminary spraying process, an anti-corrosion liquid suitable for the coating process that does not contain impurities can be sprayed. In addition, in the nozzle cleaning standby section 7, the slit nozzle 2 is on standby in preparation for the next coating process.

[0066] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional diagram showing the overall structure and operation of the foreign body detection unit. Figure 2As shown, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is disposed between the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 and the nozzle cleaning unit 9. More specifically, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is disposed at the foreign matter detection position Pdt which is at a distance D2 from the pre-distribution roller 72 in the (+Y) direction. In the present embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, this distance D2 is the same as the distance D1 from the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction to the nozzle protector NG. Therefore, in order to perform the preliminary ejection process, when the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the pre-distribution position Ppd corresponding to the pre-distribution roller 72, the tip of the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the foreign matter detection unit 8 configured as follows, and the foreign matter detection process can be executed in parallel with the preliminary ejection process.

[0067] The foreign matter detection unit 8 includes a light projector 81, a light receiver 82, and an amplifier unit 83. The amplifier unit 83 incorporates a light emitting unit and a light quantity detection unit. The light projector 81 and the light receiver 82 each have a light projection window and a light reception window with the same shape. The light projector 81 and the light receiver 82 are erected upward from the amplifier unit 83 in a state where the light projection window and the light reception window face each other and are separated by a predetermined interval in the Y direction. Here, the predetermined interval is set slightly wider than the thickness of the tip of the nozzle protector NG. As Figure 3 shown, it is possible to sandwich the tip of the nozzle protector NG with the light projector 81 and the light receiver 82. In addition, after the light projector 81 makes the light emitted from the light emitting unit into a parallel light beam using the built-in lens, it is then folded back in the (+Y) direction using the built-in mirror, thereby projecting a parallel light beam toward the light receiver 82. On the other hand, the light receiver 82 receives the parallel light beam from the light projector 81, folds back the direction of this light using the built-in mirror, and then guides it to the light quantity detection unit via the built-in lens. Then, the light quantity detection unit outputs a value proportional to the received light quantity (hereinafter, referred to as "received light quantity information") to the control unit 10. In addition, in the present embodiment, the integrated foreign matter detection unit 8 incorporating the light projector 81, the light receiver 82, and the amplifier unit 83 is used, but the amplifier unit 83 can also be separated from the light projector 81 and the light receiver 82, and the light emitting unit and the light projector 81 are connected by a first optical fiber, and the light receiver 82 and the light quantity detection unit are connected by a second optical fiber.

[0068] As Figure 3 shown, the foreign matter detection unit 8 configured as such is provided to reciprocate freely in the X direction. In addition, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is connected to the moving mechanism 84. Therefore, if the moving mechanism 84 operates according to the movement instruction of the control unit 10, the foreign matter detection unit 8 moves between the near position P(X1) and the depth position P(Xmax) while sandwiching the tip of the nozzle protector NG. During such movement, according to the lighting instruction from the control unit 10, the light emitting unit continuously emits light or emits light at a certain interval. On the other hand, the light quantity detection unit outputs the received light quantity information.

[0069] Figure 4 It is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the foreign matter detection unit. In this diagram, "sensor position" represents the position of the foreign matter detection unit 8 in the X direction, "light shielding state" represents the state where the parallel light beam traveling from the light projector 81 to the light receiver 82 is blocked by the tip of the nozzle guard NG, and "light reception amount" represents the light reception amount received by the light amount detection unit. Here, the light reception amount when the nozzle guard NG is not between the light projector 81 and the light receiver 82 is set to 100. Among them, when the foreign matter detection unit 8 moves to a position where no foreign matter is attached to the tip of the nozzle guard NG (a position other than the position P(Xn) in this diagram), the light reception amount decreases to 60. When the foreign matter detection unit 8 moves to a position where the foreign matter F is attached (the position P(Xn) in this diagram), the light reception amount further decreases by an amount corresponding to the foreign matter F and decreases to 50. Therefore, the control unit 10 can determine the presence or absence of the foreign matter F and the attachment position of the foreign matter F based on the change in the light reception amount.

[0070] The control unit 10 is provided as described above to control each part of the coating device 1A configured as described above. The control unit 10 is configured as a general computer system that connects an arithmetic unit that performs various arithmetic processes (for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) and a storage unit that stores basic programs and various information (for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory)) to a bus. The bus is also connected to a fixed disk (for example, a hard disk drive) that stores coating programs and the like, a display unit that displays various information (for example, a display), and an input unit that receives input from an operator (for example, a keyboard and a mouse). In addition, for example, a touch panel display in which the functions of the display unit and the input unit are integrated can also be used. Furthermore, by receiving signals sent from sensors provided in each part of the device through an interface (not shown), the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 controls each part of the device according to the basic program and executes the coating process to be described below.

[0071] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the coating operation performed by the Figure 1 coating device shown. In this coating device 1A, after the slit nozzle 2 used in the coating process moves to the pre-allocation position Ppd, a preliminary ejection process is executed (step S11). In addition, a foreign matter detection process is executed in parallel with the preliminary ejection process. That is, the tip of the nozzle guard NG enters between the light projector 81 and the light receiver 82 and blocks a part of the parallel light beam traveling from the light projector 81 to the light receiver 82. The light reception amount information corresponding to the light shielding state at this time is provided to the control unit 10. Such an operation is performed corresponding to the movement of the foreign matter detection unit 8 in the X direction, as Figure 4As shown, the light reception amount information at the sensor positions P(X1), ……, P(Xn), ……, P(Xmax) is sequentially obtained and temporarily stored in the storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0072] Based on the light reception amount information thus obtained, the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 determines whether there is a foreign object F attached to the nozzle protector NG ( Figure 4 )(step S12). Then, if it is detected that there is a foreign object attached to the nozzle protector NG (No in step S12), a foreign object removal operation is performed (steps S13 to S15). That is, in step S13, the coating process is interrupted. After restricting the coating operation in this way, the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 displays a message asking the user to clean the nozzle protector NG on the display unit in the state of restricting the coating operation, urging the cleaning of the nozzle protector NG (step S14). Then, if the user cleans the nozzle protector NG and operates a button or icon corresponding to the completion of the cleaning, etc. (Yes in step S15), the foreign object removal operation ends, and the control unit 10 returns to step S11, repeating the preliminary ejection operation and the foreign object detection operation. In the present embodiment, the display unit is used to notify the temporary restriction of the coating operation and the cleaning requirement of the nozzle protector NG, but other notification units such as a lamp or a sound may also be used.

[0073] On the other hand, if it is detected that there is no foreign object F attached to the nozzle protector NG (Yes in step S12), the following coating process is performed (steps S16 to S24). The substrate 3 is carried into the coating apparatus 1A (step S16). More specifically, after the substrate 3 is placed on the holding surface 41 of the stage 4, the substrate 3 is adsorbed and held.

[0074] In addition, in parallel with this, in a state where the clean resist liquid is attached to the vicinity of the ejection port 21 by the preliminary ejection process, the slit nozzle 2 moves from the pre-distribution position Ppd to a position above the coating start position Pst (step S17). Next, the slit nozzle 2 starts to descend. And the resist liquid attached to the vicinity of the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 comes into contact with the surface 31 of the substrate 3 at the coating start position Ps. As a result, a meniscus of the resist liquid is formed on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 at the coating start position Pst. Corresponding to the formation of the meniscus of the resist liquid, the slit nozzle 2 continues to descend. Next, the slit nozzle 2 rises by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the resist liquid to adjust the interval between the ejection port 21 and the surface 31 of the substrate 3, that is, the so-called coating gap (step S18).

[0075] After the adjustment of the above-mentioned coating gap, the coating operation is started (step S19). That is, the slit nozzle 2 moves in the (+Y) direction while ejecting the resist liquid from the ejection port 21. Thereby, the coating operation of coating the resist liquid from the slit nozzle 2 onto the surface 31 of the substrate 3 is performed, and a coating film of a certain thickness is formed on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 by the resist liquid. Thus, in the present embodiment, the (+Y) direction corresponds to the "relative movement direction" of the present invention.

[0076] The coating operation continues until the slit nozzle 2 is moved to the coating end position Pen where the coating should end (step S20). When the slit nozzle 2 reaches the coating end position Pen (Yes in step S20), the ejection of the resist liquid from the slit nozzle 2 is stopped. Thereby, the coating operation is ended (step S21). In addition, the slit nozzle 2 leaves the coating end position Pen and returns to the pre-allocated position Ppd (step S22). In parallel with the movement of the slit nozzle 2 to the pre-allocated position Ppd, the adsorption and holding of the substrate 3 are released and the substrate is carried out (step S23). Then, if there is a next substrate 3 to be processed (Yes in step S24), the process returns to step S11 and the same processing as above is repeated. On the other hand, if there is no next substrate 3 (No in step S24), the process ends.

[0077] As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle guard NG is detected before the coating process is performed, it is possible to prevent in advance the situation of performing the coating process in a state where foreign matter F is attached to the nozzle guard NG. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent defects caused by contact between the substrate 3 and the foreign matter F, and the coating process can be performed with high quality.

[0078] In addition, if it is detected that foreign matter is attached to the nozzle guard NG, a message urging the cleaning of the nozzle guard NG is immediately displayed on the display unit. Therefore, it is possible to display accurate instructions to the user in the shortest time. And the user who notices this message can restart the coating process not affected by the foreign matter F in a short time by cleaning the nozzle guard NG. As a result, the operation rate of the coating apparatus 1A can be improved.

[0079] In addition, the timing of performing the foreign matter detection process is basically arbitrary as long as it is before the coating process for the next substrate. However, in the present embodiment, in the Y direction, by making the distance D1 between the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle guard NG equal to the distance D2 between the pre-distribution roller 72 and the foreign matter detection unit 8, the foreign matter detection process and the preliminary ejection process are performed in parallel. Thus, compared with a coating apparatus that performs a preliminary ejection process known in the past, in the present embodiment, a new structure combining a foreign matter detection process is adopted, and the cycle time does not increase with the addition of the foreign matter detection process, and the cycle time required for the foreign matter detection process does not increase. As in the above-described embodiment, during the preliminary ejection process, by completing the foreign matter detection process, the above-described effects can be obtained without changing the cycle time. In addition, even if the foreign matter detection process is performed beyond the front and back of the preliminary ejection process, by performing the foreign matter detection process partially in parallel with the preliminary ejection process, it is possible to suppress the increase in the cycle time and obtain the above-described effects.

[0080] In addition, in the present embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is arranged using the space between the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 and the nozzle cleaning unit 9. Therefore, by effectively using the above space, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the apparatus and to additionally install a new foreign matter detection unit 8.

[0081] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, foreign matter is detected based on the light shielding state of the parallel light beam. That is, since foreign matter detection is performed by an example of a non-contact method, it is possible to perform foreign matter detection without damaging the nozzle guard NG. As the foreign matter detection using this non-contact method, the foreign matter detection methods (second embodiment, third embodiment) described below can also be adopted.

[0082] Thus, in the first embodiment, the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 corresponds to an example of the "preliminary ejection unit" of the present invention. In addition, the foreign matter detection unit 8 located on the front side of the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 in the relative movement direction (+Y) corresponds to an example of the "detection unit" of the present invention. In addition, steps S11 and S19 respectively correspond to an example of the "detection process" and the "coating process" of the present invention.

[0083] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing a foreign matter detection operation in a coating apparatus according to a second embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. A significant difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that instead of using the light shielding of the parallel light beam, the projected image of the tip of the nozzle guard NG is used. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structures and the structure description is omitted.

[0084] As Figure 6As shown, in the second embodiment, the foreign matter detection unit 8 includes: a light projector 85 incorporating an LED and a projection-side telecentric lens; a light receiver 86 incorporating a light-receiving-side telecentric lens and a CMOS (CMOS = complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), and the foreign matter detection unit 8 can obtain a projection image of the tip of the nozzle protector NG located between the light projector 85 and the light receiver 86. An image signal corresponding to the projection image obtained by the foreign matter detection unit 8 is supplied to the control unit 10. Such a photographing operation is performed corresponding to the movement of the foreign matter detection unit 8 in the X direction, as Figure 6 shown, the projection images at the sensor positions P(X1), ……, P(Xn), ……, P(Xmax) are sequentially obtained and temporarily stored in the storage unit of the control unit 10. As this foreign matter detection unit 8, for example, an online projection image measuring device TM-X5000 series manufactured by Keyence Corporation can be used.

[0085] The arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 determines whether there is a foreign matter F ( Figure 4 ) attached to the nozzle protector NG based on the projection image thus obtained. For example, if the projection image as shown in Figure 6 is obtained, when the foreign matter detection unit 8 is at a position where no foreign matter is attached to the tip of the nozzle protector NG (a position other than the position P(Xn) in this figure), the projection image only includes a ridge line image IMa corresponding to the tip of the nozzle protector NG and a tip side image IMb extending upward from the ridge line image IMa. In contrast, when the foreign matter detection unit 8 moves to a position where the foreign matter F is attached (the position P(Xn) in this figure), the projection image includes, in addition to the ridge line image IMa and the tip side image IMb, a foreign matter image IMc corresponding to the foreign matter F. Therefore, the control unit 10 can determine the presence or absence of the foreign matter F and the attachment position of the foreign matter F by determining whether the foreign matter image IMc is included in the projection image.

[0086] As described above, in the second embodiment, since the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector NG is detected based on the projection image of the tip of the nozzle protector NG before performing the coating process, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0087] In addition, in the second embodiment, since the shape, size, etc. of the foreign matter F can be detected from the projection image, foreign matter detection with higher accuracy than that of the first embodiment can be performed. For example, if the amount of protrusion of the foreign matter image IMc protruding from the ridge line image IMa is small enough not to affect the coating operation, it can be configured to determine that no foreign matter is substantially detected in step S12 and proceed to the coating operation. Thereby, the operation rate of the coating device 1A can be improved.

[0088] Figure 7 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing a foreign object detection operation in a coating device according to a third embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. A significant difference between this third embodiment and the first embodiment is that the foreign object detection unit 8 is constituted by a line scanning camera. Further, when analyzed in comparison with the second embodiment, in the second embodiment, a projection image is captured to detect the foreign object F, while in the third embodiment, the tip of the nozzle guard NG positioned at the foreign object detection position Pdt is imaged from below the tip. An image signal corresponding to the image obtained by the line scanning camera is supplied to the control unit 10. Such an imaging operation is performed corresponding to the movement of the foreign object detection unit 8 in the X direction. As Figure 7 shown, images of the sensor positions P(X1),..., P(Xn),..., P(Xmax) are sequentially acquired and temporarily stored in the storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0089] Based on the images thus obtained, the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 determines whether a foreign object F ( Figure 4 ) is attached to the nozzle guard NG. For example, if the top surface image as shown in Figure 7 is acquired, then when the foreign object detection unit 8 moves to a position on the tip of the nozzle guard NG where no foreign object is attached (a position other than the position P(Xn) in this figure), the top surface image only includes the top surface image IMd obtained by observing the tip of the nozzle guard NG from below. In contrast, when the foreign object detection unit 8 moves to a position where the foreign object F is attached (the position P(Xn) in this figure), the image includes, in addition to the top surface image IMd, a foreign object image IMe corresponding to the foreign object F. Therefore, the control unit 10 can determine the presence or absence of the foreign object F and the attachment position of the foreign object F by determining whether the foreign object image IMe is included in the top surface image.

[0090] As described above, in the third embodiment, since the attachment of foreign objects to the nozzle guard NG is detected based on the top surface image of the nozzle guard NG before performing the coating process, not only the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, but also the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained.

[0091] Figure 8 FIG. is a side view of a coating device according to a fourth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. A significant difference between the fourth embodiment and the first embodiment is that, as an example of a foreign object removal unit for removing foreign objects attached to the nozzle guard NG, a guard cleaning unit 11 is further provided. In addition, since other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the structure description is omitted.

[0092] As the protective member cleaning unit 11, for example, the components described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-134204 can be used. The protective member cleaning unit 11 is disposed at a protective member cleaning position Pgc that is at a distance D3 from the nozzle cleaning unit 9 in the (+Y) direction. In the present embodiment, this distance D3 is the same as the distance D1 from the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 to the nozzle protective member NG in the Y direction. Therefore, in order to clean the tip of the slit nozzle 2 with the nozzle cleaning unit 9, if the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the nozzle cleaning position Pnc corresponding to the squeegee (contact member) 91, the tip of the nozzle protective member NG is positioned at the protective member cleaning unit 11, and the protective member cleaning process can be executed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process.

[0093] The cleaning of the tip of the slit nozzle 2 is executed at the time of starting the coating device 1A, at the end of each coating process, after executing a predetermined number of coating processes only, when a nozzle cleaning request is received from the user, and the like. That is, the control unit 10 controls each part of the device so that the slit nozzle 2 moves to the nozzle cleaning unit 9 to perform the nozzle cleaning process. By this movement, the nozzle protective member NG is positioned at the protective member cleaning unit 11. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the protective member cleaning process is performed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process. Thus, in the fourth embodiment, in addition to the nozzle cleaning process, a structure for performing the protective member cleaning process is adopted, but the cycle time does not increase with the addition of the protective member cleaning process, and the cycle time required for the protective member cleaning process is not lengthened. In addition, during the execution of the nozzle cleaning process, the protective member cleaning process is completed, so that the above-described effects can be obtained without changing the cycle time. Further, even if the protective member cleaning process is executed beyond the nozzle cleaning process before and after, by performing the protective member cleaning process in parallel with a part of the nozzle cleaning process, an increase in the cycle time can be suppressed, and the above-described effects can be obtained.

[0094] In addition, since the fourth embodiment has the protective member cleaning unit 11, it can also be configured that when a foreign object F is detected in step S12, instead of notifying the user of the cleaning request for the nozzle protective member NG, the protective member cleaning process is automatically executed. That is, if the control unit 10 detects that a foreign object is attached to the nozzle protective member NG (in step S12, it is "no"), the coating process is interrupted in step S13. Then, the control unit 10 can also be configured to clean the nozzle protective member NG with the protective member cleaning unit 11 after positioning the nozzle protective member NG at the protective member cleaning unit 11. The control unit 10 can also control each part of the device to perform the nozzle cleaning process in parallel with the cleaning of the nozzle protective member NG.

[0095] However, in the above-described fourth embodiment, as a foreign object attached to the tip of the nozzle protective member NG is removed ( Figure 4An example of the foreign matter removal unit with the reference numeral F) in the figure uses the protector cleaning unit 11 described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-134204, but there are the following problems. The protector cleaning unit 11 supplies nitrogen gas and a rinsing liquid to the nozzle protector NG while freely moving in the X direction along the top end portion (lower end portion) of the nozzle protector NG. In addition, the protector cleaning unit 11 reciprocates in the extending direction X of the nozzle protector NG by a moving mechanism (not shown). Further, the top end portion of the nozzle protector NG enters a substantially V-shaped space provided in the upper central portion of the protector cleaning unit 11, and the protector cleaning unit 11 moves in the X direction in a state where nitrogen gas and the rinsing liquid are supplied to the top end portion, thereby cleaning the nozzle protector NG.

[0096] In this way, in the protector cleaning unit 11, foreign matter attached to the nozzle protector NG is removed by wet cleaning. Therefore, after the nozzle protector NG is cleaned, sometimes the rinsing liquid remains on the nozzle protector NG. If the nozzle protector NG and the slit nozzle 2 move upward to the substrate 3 together in this state, sometimes the rinsing liquid drips onto the surface 31 of the substrate 3 before coating. If the surface 31 of the substrate 3 is wetted with the rinsing liquid as described above, not only the coating process cannot be performed well, but also process defects will occur subsequently.

[0097] Therefore, as the foreign matter removal unit for removing the foreign matter F, instead of the protector cleaning unit 11 adopted in the fourth embodiment, a so-called dry foreign matter removal unit (fifth to eleventh embodiments) that removes the foreign matter F from the nozzle protector NG in a dry manner can be provided. Hereinafter, the structures and operations of the dry foreign matter removal units in the fifth to eleventh embodiments will be described in sequence.

[0098] Figure 9 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of a dry protector cleaner, which is an example of the foreign matter removal unit included in the coating device according to the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, Figure 10 is a diagram schematically showing Figure 9 the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown. The dry protector cleaner 12 is disposed at a protector cleaning position Pgc that is at a distance D3 from the nozzle cleaning unit 9 in the (+Y) direction. In the present embodiment, this distance D3 is the same as the distance D1 from the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 to the nozzle protector NG in the Y direction. Therefore, if the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at a nozzle cleaning position Pnc corresponding to the squeegee (contact member) 91 in order to clean the top end portion of the slit nozzle 2 with the nozzle cleaning unit 9, the top end portion of the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the dry protector cleaner 12 configured as described below, and a dry protector cleaning process can be performed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process.

[0099] As Figure 9 and Figure 10 shown, the dry protector cleaner 12 has two adhesive rollers 121, 122. The adhesive rollers 121, 122 are fixedly arranged at the protector cleaning position Pgc, and the adhesive layers 121a, 122a are respectively arranged on the surfaces of the roller bodies that freely rotate around the rotating shafts 121b, 122b extending in the X direction.

[0100] The adhesive roller 121 is configured to freely rotate while abutting against the top end portion (lower end portion) of the nozzle protector NG positioned at the protector cleaning position Pgc. On the other hand, the adhesive roller 122 is arranged on the opposite side of the nozzle protector NG across the adhesive roller 121 (the (-Z) direction side in this embodiment). The adhesive roller 122 freely rotates in a driven manner in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the adhesive roller 121 in a state of being externally tangent to the adhesive roller 121. In addition, in this embodiment, the materials constituting the adhesive layers 121a, 122a are selected so that the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 122a to the foreign matter F is higher than the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 121a to the foreign matter F.

[0101] The dry protector cleaner 12 configured as such is connected to the roller drive unit 123. Therefore, when the roller drive unit 123 operates according to the roller rotation command of the control unit 10, in the dry protector cleaner 12, as Figure 9 and Figure 10 shown, in the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG, the adhesive layer 121a of the adhesive roller 121 abuts against the entire top end portion of the nozzle protector NG, and the adhesive roller 121 rotates around the first rotating shaft 121b. In addition, the other adhesive roller 122 is in close contact with the entire adhesive roller 121 in the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG on the lower side (vertically downward side in this embodiment) than the abutting position of the adhesive roller 121 and the nozzle protector NG. Moreover, through the roller drive unit 123, the adhesive roller 122 rotates Figure 10 in the counterclockwise direction on the paper surface of

[0102] Here, for example, if the foreign matter F adheres to the position P(n) in the top end portion of the nozzle protector NG, then at the position P(n), through Figure 10The actions shown remove foreign matter F from the nozzle guard NG. That is, when removing foreign matter, the rotation of the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 is started, and the nozzle guard NG is moved to the guard cleaning position Pgc. Then, if the tip portion comes into contact with the rotating adhesion roller 121, the foreign matter F is transferred to the first adhesion layer 121a. By this transfer, the foreign matter F is captured by the adhesion layer 121a and removed from the nozzle guard NG. After such foreign matter removal is completed, the nozzle guard NG is separated from the adhesion roller 121. On the other hand, after the nozzle guard NG has left, the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 continue to rotate for a certain period of time. As a result, the foreign matter F moves to the clamping position where the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 are in close contact with each other. Then, at this clamping position, the foreign matter F is transferred from the adhesion roller 121 to the adhesion roller 122. Here, in the present embodiment, since the adhesion force of the adhesion layer 122a to the foreign matter F is stronger than the adhesion force of the adhesion layer 121a to the foreign matter F, the transfer of the foreign matter F from the adhesion roller 121 to the adhesion roller 122 can be reliably performed. As a result, the adhesion roller 121 no longer bears the foreign matter F and returns to a state where it can capture other foreign matter F well, and rotates in the clockwise direction.

[0103] Figure 11 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the operation of a dry guard cleaner, which is an example of a foreign matter removal unit included in a coating apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 12 is schematically showing Figure 11 the operation of the dry guard cleaner shown in FIG. A significant difference between this sixth embodiment and the fifth embodiment lies in the structure of the dry guard cleaner 12. In the fifth embodiment, the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 fixedly arranged at the guard cleaning position Pgc are used. In contrast, in the sixth embodiment, movable adhesion rollers 121 and 122 are used. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the structure and operation of the dry guard cleaner 12, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same structures and operations and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0104] In the sixth embodiment, as Figure 10 and Figure 11 shown, the dry guard cleaner 12 has two adhesion rollers 121 and 122, and adhesion layers 121a and 122a are provided on the surfaces of the roller bodies, which is the same as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, both the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 are significantly shorter than in the fifth embodiment, and the rotation shafts 121b and 122b are arranged parallel to the Y direction. Further, the adhesion rollers 121 and 122 are integrally reciprocally movable freely in the X direction.

[0105] The adhesion roller 121 is configured to be freely driven to rotate in the X direction while being in contact with the top end portion (lower end portion) of the nozzle protection member NG positioned at the protection member cleaning position Pgc. On the other hand, the adhesion roller 122 is disposed on the opposite side of the nozzle protection member NG (in the (-Z) direction side in this embodiment) with the adhesion roller 121 interposed therebetween. The adhesion roller 122 is provided to be freely driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the adhesion roller 121 in a state of being externally connected to the adhesion roller 121. In addition, in this embodiment, the materials constituting the adhesive layers 121a and 122a are selected such that the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 122a to the foreign matter F is higher than the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 121a to the foreign matter F.

[0106] The dry protection member cleaner 12 is connected to the roller drive unit 123. Therefore, when the roller drive unit 123 operates according to the movement instruction of the control unit 10, as Figure 10 and Figure 11 shown, the dry protection member cleaner 12 moves in the X direction in a state where the adhesive layer 121a of the adhesion roller 121 is in contact with the top end portion of the nozzle protection member NG to form a clamping portion NP ( Figure 11 ), and the adhesion roller 121 rolls between the near position P(X1) and the depth position P(Xmax) while rotating in the clockwise direction on the Figure 11 paper surface. The other adhesion roller 122 is in close contact with the adhesion roller 121 at a position below the clamping portion NP (vertically below in this embodiment), and rotates in the counterclockwise direction on the Figure 11 paper surface, and moves between the near position P(X1) and the depth position P(Xmax) integrally with the adhesion roller 121. In addition, Figure 12 (and the reference numeral P(X0) in Figure 16 to be described later) is the first retracted position on the (+X) direction side of the near position P(X1), and the reference numeral P(Xmax + 1) is the second retracted position on the (-X) direction side of the depth position P(Xmax).

[0107] Here, for example, if a foreign object F adheres to the position P(n) in the tip portion of the nozzle protector NG, the foreign object F is transferred from the nozzle protector NG to the adhesive layer 121a while the adhesive roller 121 rolls and passes through the position P(n). By this transfer, the foreign object F is captured by the adhesive layer 121a and removed from the nozzle protector NG. In addition, the removed foreign object F moves clockwise integrally with the adhesive roller 121 in a state of being captured by the adhesive layer 121a and separates from the nozzle protector NG. Then, when the foreign object F moves to the clamping position where the adhesive rollers 121 and 122 are in close contact with each other, the foreign object F is transferred from the adhesive roller 121 to the adhesive roller 122. Here, in the present embodiment, since the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 122a for the foreign object F is stronger than the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 121a for the foreign object F, the transfer of the foreign object F from the adhesive roller 121 to the adhesive roller 122 can be reliably performed. As a result, the adhesive roller 121 no longer bears the foreign object F and returns to a state where it can capture other foreign objects F well, and rotates clockwise.

[0108] In addition, in the above-described fifth and sixth embodiments, the dry protector cleaner 12 has the adhesive rollers 121 and 122, but it may be constituted only by the adhesive roller 121 that functions to directly remove the foreign object F from the nozzle protector NG. In this case, it is preferable to perform maintenance operations such as replacement and cleaning of a new adhesive roller 121 whenever the foreign object removal proceeds to a certain extent. Considering the frequency of this maintenance, it can be said that the above-described fifth and sixth embodiments are superior to the modification constituted only by the adhesive roller 121.

[0109] Figure 13 FIG. is a perspective view schematically showing the structure and operation of a dry protector cleaner which is an example of a foreign object removal unit included in a coating apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 14 is schematically showing Figure 13 a diagram showing the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown. A significant difference between this seventh embodiment and the fifth embodiment lies in the structure of the dry protector cleaner 12. In the fifth embodiment, the dry protector cleaner 12 is constituted by the upper and lower two-stage adhesive rollers 121 and 122. In contrast, in the seventh embodiment, the dry protector cleaner 12 is configured to capture and remove the foreign object F by the transfer of the foreign object F by the adhesive tape. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the fifth embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structures and the description of the structures is omitted.

[0110] In the seventh embodiment, the dry protector cleaner 12 has a tape supply unit 125, a tape recovery unit 126, and a support roller 127 that are fixedly arranged at the protector cleaning position Pgc. The tape supply unit 125, the tape recovery unit 126, and the support roller 127 are arranged to freely rotate about a rotation axis extending in the X direction parallel to the length direction of the nozzle protector NG. In the tape supply unit 125, as Figure 14 shown, an adhesive tape 128 having an adhesive layer on its surface is wound around a supply roller body 125a. As Figure 13 shown, the surface of the adhesive tape 128 is provided with an adhesive layer, and the adhesive tape 128 has a width that can abut against the entire nozzle protector NG in the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG. The adhesive tape 128 drawn out from the tape supply unit 125 is conveyed to the tape recovery unit 126 in a state where its back surface is mounted on a support roller 127 arranged at a position higher than the tape supply unit 125 and the tape recovery unit 126, and is wound and recovered by a recovery roller body 126a of the tape recovery unit 126. The support roller 127 is longer than the nozzle protector NG in the X direction, and is arranged opposite to the nozzle protector NG to sandwich the adhesive tape 128 and cover the entire nozzle protector NG from the lower side. Before the adhesive tape 128 is supplied from the tape supply unit 125 and recovered to the tape recovery unit 126, the support roller 127 presses the surface of the adhesive tape 128, that is, the surface of the adhesive layer (adhesive layer), against the nozzle protector NG in the width direction of the nozzle protector NG. Thereby, a clamping portion NP is formed between the adhesive tape 128 and the nozzle protector NG. Foreign matter F attached to the nozzle protector NG is transferred to the adhesive layer in this clamping portion NP.

[0111] The supply roller body 125a and the recovery roller body 126a are connected to a tape drive motor (not shown) of the tape traveling unit 129. When the tape drive motor rotates according to an instruction from the control unit 10, the adhesive tape 128 is drawn obliquely upward from the tape supply unit 125 and is sent to the support roller 127 with the adhesive layer facing upward. And the adhesive tape 128 mounted on the support roller 127 is in close contact with the nozzle protector NG to form a clamping portion NP. Then, the foreign matter F is transferred from the nozzle protector NG to the adhesive tape 128 in this clamping portion NP. Subsequently, the adhesive tape 128 is recovered in a state of carrying the transferred foreign matter F.

[0112] Figure 15 FIG. is a perspective view schematically showing the structure and operation of a dry protector cleaner which is an example of a foreign matter removal unit included in a coating device according to an eighth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 16 is schematically showing Figure 15A diagram showing the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown. The significant difference between this eighth embodiment and the seventh embodiment lies in the structure of the dry protector cleaner 12. In the seventh embodiment, by bringing the entire tip of the nozzle protector NG into contact with the adhesive tape 128 traveling in the order of the tape supply unit 125, the support roller 127, and the tape recovery unit 126, foreign matter F attached to the nozzle protector NG is removed all at once.

[0113] In contrast, in the eighth embodiment, the tape supply unit 125, the tape recovery unit 126, and the support roller 127 rotate freely about a rotation axis parallel to the relative movement direction Y, and their lengths in the Y direction are significantly shorter than their lengths in the seventh embodiment. The clamping and moving unit 130 is connected to the tape supply unit 125, the tape recovery unit 126, and the support roller 127. Similarly to the seventh embodiment, the clamping and moving unit 130 has a tape traveling unit (not shown) for causing the adhesive tape 128 to travel and a moving unit (not shown) for moving the tape supply unit 125, the tape recovery unit 126, and the support roller 127 integrally in the X direction, and as will be described later, the clamping part NP can be moved along the nozzle protector NG.

[0114] As described above, since the lengths of the tape supply unit 125, the tape recovery unit 126, and the support roller 127 in the Y direction are short, the adhesive tape 128 has a narrow width that is significantly narrower than that in the seventh embodiment. And the adhesive tape 128 travels in the order of the tape supply unit 125, the support roller 127, and the tape recovery unit 126. In addition, the support roller 127 presses a part of the tip of the adhesive tape 128 against the nozzle protector NG to form a clamping part NP. Moreover, the tape supply unit 125, the support roller 127, and the tape recovery unit 126 move integrally in the X direction. As a result, the clamping part NP moves along the tip of the nozzle protector NG, and along with this, the foreign matter F attached to the nozzle protector NG is sequentially transferred onto the adhesive tape 128, and the adhesive tape 128 is recovered in a state of carrying the transferred foreign matter F. In this way, by moving the clamping part NP from one end to the other end of the tip of the nozzle protector NG, the dry protector cleaning process is completed.

[0115] Figure 17 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of a dry protector cleaner, which is an example of a foreign matter removal part provided in the coating device according to the ninth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, Figure 18 It schematically shows Figure 17Diagram of the operation of the dry protector cleaner shown. The dry protector cleaner 12 is disposed at the protector cleaning position Pgc at a distance D3 from the nozzle cleaning unit 9 in the (+Y) direction. In the present embodiment, this distance D3 is the same as the distance D1 from the nozzle outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2 to the nozzle protector NG in the Y direction. Therefore, if the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the nozzle cleaning position Pnc corresponding to the squeegee (contact member) 91 in order to clean the tip of the slit nozzle 2 with the nozzle cleaning unit 9, the tip of the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the dry protector cleaner 12 configured as will be described next, and the dry protector cleaning process can be executed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process.

[0116] The dry protector cleaner 12 has a suction head 120. As Figure 18 shown, the upper part of the suction head 120 is processed such that the YZ cross-section is substantially V-shaped to cover the ambient gas SA around the tip (lower end) of the nozzle protector NG positioned at the protector cleaning position Pgc from the lower side. In addition, in Figure 18 , dots are added to visually clearly show the ambient gas SA.

[0117] The suction head 120 is arranged to move freely along the nozzle protector NG in the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG while facing the ambient gas SA around the nozzle protector NG from the lower side. In addition, a groove extending in the X direction is formed at the center of the upper part of the suction head 120. A plurality of suction ports are provided in this groove. In addition, the suction head 120 is connected to the head moving part 120h. In addition, the suction part 120a is connected to the suction head 120. Therefore, by operating the head moving part 120h and the suction part 120a according to an instruction from the control part 10, the suction head 120 moves along the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG while sucking the ambient gas SA around the nozzle protector NG. That is, the suction head 120 applies a negative pressure to the tip of the nozzle protector NG and moves in the X direction along the tip of the nozzle protector NG. For example, as Figure 18 shown, the foreign matter F (foreign matter removal process) is sucked and removed from the nozzle protector NG by the suction head 120 passing through the position where the foreign matter F is attached.

[0118] Figure 19FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. A significant difference between the tenth embodiment and the ninth embodiment lies in the structure of the dry protector cleaner 12. In the ninth embodiment, the suction head 120 is processed to be shorter than the nozzle protector NG in the X direction, and by moving the suction head 120 in the X direction, foreign matter F is suction-removed from the entire nozzle protector NG. In contrast, in the tenth embodiment, the suction head 120 has the same length as or is longer than the nozzle protector NG in the X direction, and a substantially V-shaped portion 120b extends in the X direction over the entire suction head 120. Through the substantially V-shaped portion 120b, the ambient gas SA around the tip (lower end) of the nozzle protector NG can be entirely covered from the lower side. Figure 6 ) The suction head 120 is fixedly disposed at the protector cleaning position Pgc. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the ninth embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the description of the structures is omitted.

[0119] In the tenth embodiment, as shown by the dashed line in the figure, the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle protector NG are integrally moved in the (+Y) direction. When the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the protector cleaning position Pgc, the ambient gas around the tip of the nozzle protector NG is entirely covered from the lower side by the substantially V-shaped portion 120b. In this state, when the suction portion 120a operates according to an instruction from the control unit 10, the entire ambient gas becomes negative pressure, and the foreign matter F attached to the tip of the nozzle protector NG is suction-removed together with the suction portion 120a.

[0120] Figure 20A and Figure 20B FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removing unit included in a coating apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. A significant difference between the eleventh embodiment and the tenth embodiment is that a brush member 120c is added to the upper surface of the suction head 120, and brush cleaning using the brush member 120c is used in combination. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the tenth embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the description of the structures is omitted.

[0121] In the present embodiment, brush members 120c, 120c are erected toward the nozzle protector NG at the (+Y) direction side end and the (-Y) direction side end of the substantially V-shaped portion 120b on the upper surface of the suction head 120. And, as Figure 20AAs shown by the dashed line in the figure, the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle guard NG move integrally in the (+Y) direction. When the nozzle guard NG is positioned at the guard cleaning position Pgc, the entire ambient gas around the tip of the nozzle guard NG is substantially covered from the lower side by the V-shaped portion 120b. At the same time, in the Z direction, the tops of the brush members 120c, 120c are positioned to overlap the tip of the nozzle guard NG. In this state, according to the swing command from the control unit 10, the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle guard NG swing integrally in the Y direction (see Figure 20B the reference numeral AR in the figure). At this time, the tips of the brush members 120c, 120c are rubbed against the tip of the nozzle guard NG, and brush cleaning can be performed. Thereby, the foreign matter F can be peeled off from the nozzle guard NG. In addition, in parallel with this brush cleaning, the suction unit 120a operates according to the command from the control unit 10, and the foreign matter F is sucked and removed by the suction unit 120a together. Therefore, the foreign matter F peeled off from the nozzle guard NG by the brush cleaning can be reliably sucked and removed, and the scattering of the foreign matter F to the surroundings of the guard cleaning position Pgc can be reliably prevented.

[0122] However, in the above first to eleventh embodiments, the present invention is applied to the coating apparatus 1A that relatively moves the slit nozzle 2 with respect to the substrate 3 to coat the resist liquid (processing liquid). However, the present invention can also be applied to a coating apparatus that relatively moves the substrate with respect to a fixedly arranged slit nozzle to coat the resist liquid (processing liquid) as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-212544. Hereinafter, refer to Figure 21 to describe the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

[0123] Figure 21 is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of the coating apparatus according to the tenth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The coating apparatus 1B is a slit coater that coats the resist liquid (processing liquid) on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 carried from Figure 21 the left hand side to the right hand side in a horizontal posture. In addition, in Figure 21 the figure, in order to clarify the arrangement relationship of each part of the apparatus, as shown in this figure, a right-handed XYZ rectangular coordinate system is set. The conveyance direction of the substrate 3 is set as the "X direction", the horizontal direction from Figure 21 the left hand side to the right hand side is set as the "+X direction", and the opposite direction is set as the "-X direction". In addition, in the horizontal direction Y orthogonal to the X direction, the front side of the apparatus (the front side in the figure) is set as the "-Y direction", and the back side of the apparatus is set as the "+Y direction". Furthermore, the upper direction and the lower direction in the vertical direction Z are set as the "+Z direction" and the "-Z direction", respectively.

[0124] In the coating apparatus 1B, along the conveyance direction Dt of the substrate 3, that is, along the (+X direction), the input conveyor 100, the input transfer unit 200, the floating unit 300, the output transfer unit 400, and the output conveyor 110 are arranged in this order in proximity. As will be described in detail below, they form a conveyance path for the substrate 3 extending in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0125] The substrate 3 to be processed is carried into the input conveyor 100 from Figure 21 the left hand side. The input conveyor 100 includes a roller conveyor 101 and a rotation drive mechanism 102 that rotationally drives the roller conveyor 101. And, by the rotation of the roller conveyor 101, the substrate 3 is conveyed in the horizontal posture toward the downstream side, that is, the (+X) direction. The input transfer unit 200 includes: a roller conveyor 221; a rotation and lift drive mechanism 222 having a function of driving the roller conveyor 221 to rotate and a function of lifting the roller conveyor 221. The roller conveyor 221 rotates, thereby further conveying the substrate 3 in the (+X) direction. In addition, the roller conveyor 221 is lifted, thereby changing the vertical position of the substrate 3. With the input transfer unit 200 configured as such, the substrate 3 is transferred from the input conveyor 100 to the floating unit 300.

[0126] The floating unit 300 includes an upstream floating stage 301, a central floating stage 302, and a downstream floating stage 303. A plurality of air ejection holes are formed in a matrix pattern over the entire surface of the table surface of the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303, which are both in a single plate shape. And, by applying compressed air to each ejection hole, the substrate 3 is floated by the air flow formed by the ejection of the compressed air from each ejection hole. Thus, on the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303, the substrate 3 floats from the above-mentioned table surface by a predetermined floating height, for example, 10 to 500 micrometers. In order to supply compressed air to each ejection hole, as Figure 21 shown, a floating control mechanism 335 is provided.

[0127] In addition, the downstream floating stage 303 has a plurality of lift pins in addition to the above-described ejection holes. Further, a lift pin drive mechanism 334 is provided to lift and lower the lift pins. The plurality of lift pins are arranged so as to be able to pass through the gaps between the ejection holes and face the entire back surface of the substrate 3 at a prescribed interval. Moreover, the lift pins are driven by the lift pin drive mechanism 334 disposed below the surface of the stage and lift and lower in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). That is, when descending, the tip of the lift pin descends more toward the (-Z) direction side than the surface of the downstream floating stage 303, and when ascending, the tip of the lift pin ascends to a position where the substrate 3 is handed over to a transfer robot (not shown). Since the lower surface of the substrate 3 is supported and lifted by the thus-ascended lift pins, the substrate 3 rises from the surface of the downstream floating stage 303. Thereby, the substrate 3 can be unloaded from the coating apparatus 1B by the transfer robot.

[0128] On the other hand, the central floating stage 302 is configured as described below and has a higher floating accuracy than the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303. That is, the central floating stage 302 has a rectangular plate-shaped stage surface. On this stage surface, a plurality of holes are dispersedly arranged in a matrix at a pitch narrower than the ejection holes provided in the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303. Further, differently from the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303, in the central floating stage 302, half of the holes function as ejection holes for compressed air, and the other half function as suction holes. That is, compressed air is ejected from the ejection holes toward the back surface of the substrate 3, and compressed air is fed into the space between the stage surface and the back surface of the substrate 3. On the other hand, it is configured to suck air from the space via the suction holes. By thus ejecting and sucking air in the above-described space, in the above-described space, after the air flow of the compressed air ejected from each ejection hole diffuses in the horizontal direction, it is sucked from the suction hole adjacent to the ejection hole, and the pressure balance in the air layer (pressure gas layer) that diffuses into the above-described space becomes more stable, and the floating height of the substrate 3 can be controlled with high precision and stability. In addition, the floating control mechanism 335 controls the supply of compressed air to each ejection hole and the suction of air from the suction holes.

[0129] The substrate 3 carried into the floating unit 300 via the input transfer unit 200 is given a propulsive force in the (+X) direction by the rotation of the roller conveyor 221 and is conveyed onto the upstream floating stage 301. The upstream floating stage 301, the central floating stage 302, and the downstream floating stage 303 support the substrate 3 in a floating state, but do not have a function of moving the substrate 3 in the horizontal direction. The conveyance of the substrate 3 in the floating unit 300 is performed by a substrate conveyance unit 500 disposed below the upstream floating stage 301, the central floating stage 302, and the downstream floating stage 303.

[0130] The substrate transfer unit 500 includes: a chuck mechanism 551 that supports the substrate 3 from below by partially abutting against the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate 3; an adsorption and travel control mechanism 552 that has a function of applying a negative pressure to the adsorption pad (not shown) of the adsorption member provided at the upper end of the chuck mechanism 551 to adsorb and hold the substrate 3, and a function of reciprocating the chuck mechanism 551 in the X direction. In a state where the chuck mechanism 551 holds the substrate 3, the back surface of the substrate 3 is located at a position higher than the surface of each stage of the floating portion 300. Therefore, the substrate 3 is held in a generally horizontal posture by the buoyancy applied from the floating portion 300 while being adsorbed and held at the peripheral portion by the chuck mechanism 551. Further, in order to detect the vertical position of the surface of the substrate 3 at the stage of partially holding the back surface of the substrate 3 by the chuck mechanism 551, a plate thickness measurement sensor SN is disposed near the roller conveyor 221. When the chuck (not shown) in a state where the substrate 3 is not held is located directly below the sensor SN, the sensor SN can detect the vertical position of the adsorption surface, which is the surface of the adsorption member.

[0131] The chuck mechanism 551 holds the substrate 3 carried into the floating portion 300 from the input transfer unit 200, and in this state, the chuck mechanism 551 moves in the (+X) direction, so that the substrate 3 is transported from above the upstream floating stage 301 via above the central floating stage 302 to above the downstream floating stage 303. The transported substrate 3 is transferred to the output transfer unit 400 disposed on the (+X) side of the downstream floating stage 303.

[0132] The output transfer unit 400 includes: a roller conveyor 441; a rotation and lifting drive mechanism 442 that has a function of driving the roller conveyor 441 to rotate and a function of lifting the roller conveyor 441. The roller conveyor 441 rotates to apply a propulsive force in the (+X) direction to the substrate 3, and the substrate 3 is further transported along the transport direction Dt. In addition, the roller conveyor 441 is lifted to change the vertical position of the substrate 3. By using the output transfer unit 400, the substrate 3 is transferred from above the downstream floating stage 303 to the output conveyor 110.

[0133] The output conveyor 110 has a roller conveyor 111 and a rotary drive mechanism 112 that drives the roller conveyor 111 to rotate. Through the rotation of the roller conveyor 111, the substrate 3 is further conveyed in the (+X) direction and is finally sent out of the coating device 1B. In addition, the input conveyor 100 and the output conveyor 110 may be provided as part of the structure of the coating device 1B, but may also be provided separately from the coating device 1B. Additionally, for example, the substrate sending mechanism of other units provided on the upstream side of the coating device 1B may be used as the input conveyor 100. Also, the substrate receiving mechanism of other units provided on the downstream side of the coating device 1B may be used as the output conveyor 110.

[0134] On the conveyance path of the substrate 3 conveyed as described above, a coating mechanism 700 for coating a resist liquid on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 is disposed. The coating mechanism 700 has a slit nozzle 2 having the same structure as that of the first embodiment. Additionally, as Figure 21 shown, a nozzle drive mechanism 800 is connected to the slit nozzle 2, and through the nozzle drive mechanism 800, the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at a coating position ( Figure 21 the position shown by the solid line in the figure), an upper position separated upward from the coating position, or a maintenance position above the center floating stage 302. Further, a coating liquid supply mechanism (not shown) is connected to the slit nozzle 2, and a resist liquid is supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism, and the resist liquid is ejected as a processing liquid from the ejection port 21 that opens downward at the lower part of the nozzle.

[0135] The ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 is provided to extend in the Y direction, and the slit nozzle 2 is supported by a nozzle support portion (not shown) so as to be able to eject the resist liquid vertically downward (-Z side). The nozzle support portion is connected to the nozzle drive mechanism 800. In particular, when supplying the resist liquid to the surface 31 of the substrate 3 using the slit nozzle 2, as Figure 4 shown by the dotted line in the figure, after the slit nozzle 2 moves to the upper position of the coating position at the ejection port 21, it descends until the interval (gap) between the ejection port 21 and the substrate 3 reaches a specified value. Thereby, the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the coating position. Then, in this positioned state, the resist liquid is ejected from the ejection port 21 onto the surface 31 of the substrate 3, and on the other hand, the substrate 3 is conveyed in the (+X) direction. That is to say, the slit nozzle 2 relatively moves in the (-X) direction with respect to the substrate 3 to perform the coating process. That is, in the present embodiment, the (-X) direction corresponds to the "relative movement direction" of the present invention. Additionally, a nozzle protector NG is installed on the front side in the relative movement direction (-X) of the slit nozzle 2.

[0136] For performing prescribed maintenance on the slit nozzle 2 configured as such, as Figure 21As shown, a nozzle maintenance unit 6 having the same structure as that of the first embodiment is provided on the coating mechanism 700. That is, it has: a nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 for performing so-called pre-distribution processing; a foreign matter detection unit 8 for detecting the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector NG; and a nozzle cleaning unit 9 for cleaning the slit nozzle 2. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 7, the foreign matter detection unit 8, and the nozzle cleaning unit 9 are arranged in this order along the relative movement direction (-X). And, similarly to the first embodiment, before the coating process, the control unit 10 determines whether there is foreign matter ( Figure 4 reference numeral F in the drawings) attached to the nozzle protector NG. If the result of this determination is that it is determined that there is foreign matter attached to the nozzle protector NG, the control unit 10 immediately displays a message urging the cleaning of the nozzle protector NG on the display unit after restricting the coating process.

[0137] As described above, in the tenth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector NG is detected before performing the coating process. Therefore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, such as preventing the situation of performing the coating process in a state where foreign matter F is attached to the nozzle protector NG.

[0138] Thus, in the tenth embodiment, the adsorption and travel control mechanism 552 is an example of the "nozzle moving part" of the present invention.

[0139] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made other than the above as long as the gist thereof is not deviated from. For example, in the tenth embodiment, the present invention is applied to a so-called floating type substrate processing apparatus, but the foreign matter detection unit 8 provided in the second to third embodiments can also be applied.

[0140]

Industrial Applicability

[0141] The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing technologies for supplying and coating a processing liquid from a slit nozzle to a substrate in a state where a nozzle protector is disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle that moves relative to the substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that applies a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate, characterized in that: It has: A slit nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port for ejecting the processing liquid, A nozzle moving unit that relatively moves the slit nozzle with the ejection port facing downward above the substrate in a direction along the surface of the substrate relative to the substrate, A plate-shaped nozzle protection member that is disposed on the front side with respect to the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves with respect to the substrate through the nozzle moving unit during the application of the processing liquid, and moves integrally with the slit nozzle, and A foreign matter detection unit that detects foreign matter attached to the nozzle protection member.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: It has a control unit that restricts the application operation of the processing liquid to the substrate when the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detection unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit urges the user to remove the foreign matter from the nozzle protection member in a state where the application operation is restricted.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: It has a foreign matter removal unit that removes the foreign matter from the nozzle protection member, The control unit controls the foreign matter removal unit to remove the foreign matter from the nozzle protection member in a state where the application operation is restricted.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: It has a nozzle cleaning unit that cleans the slit nozzle, The foreign matter removal unit is disposed on the front side of the nozzle cleaning unit in the relative movement direction and is disposed at a position separated from the nozzle cleaning unit by the same distance as the distance from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protection member, The control unit controls the nozzle cleaning unit and the foreign matter removal unit so that the cleaning of the slit nozzle by the nozzle cleaning unit and the removal of the foreign matter by the foreign matter removal unit are at least partially performed in parallel.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: It has: A preliminary ejection unit that ejects a preset amount of the processing liquid from the ejection port of the slit nozzle and stands by at a pre-distribution position separated from the substrate before ejecting the processing liquid from the ejection port of the slit nozzle to the surface of the substrate, and A control unit that controls the preliminary ejection unit and the foreign matter detection unit, The foreign matter detection unit is disposed on the front side of the preliminary ejection unit in the relative movement direction and is disposed at a position separated from the preliminary ejection unit by the same distance as the distance from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protection member, The control unit controls the preliminary ejection unit and the foreign matter detection unit so that the detection of the foreign matter by the foreign matter detection unit and the ejection or standby of the processing liquid by the preliminary ejection unit are at least partially performed in parallel.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The foreign object detection unit detects the foreign object based on the amount of received light received by the light receiver while moving the light emitter and the light receiver integrally along the tip of the slit nozzle. The light emitter emits a parallel light beam parallel to the relative movement direction toward the tip of the slit nozzle, and the light receiver receives the parallel light beam that travels without being blocked by the slit nozzle.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the foreign object detection unit detects the foreign object based on a projection image of the slit nozzle taken while irradiating light from a direction parallel to the relative movement direction along the tip of the slit nozzle.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the foreign object detection unit detects the foreign object based on an image of the slit nozzle obtained by photographing the tip of the slit nozzle from below.

10. A substrate processing method, characterized in that, Comprising: a coating step of discharging a processing liquid from the discharge port while bringing the discharge port of the slit nozzle close to the surface of the substrate, and relatively moving the slit nozzle and the plate-shaped nozzle protector relative to the substrate, so that while preventing foreign objects from adhering to the slit nozzle by the nozzle protector disposed on the front side with respect to the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction of the relative movement of the slit nozzle, the processing liquid is coated on the surface of the substrate, and a detection step of detecting the adhesion of foreign objects to the nozzle protector before the coating step.

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