Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, in a substrate processing apparatus in which a nozzle guard is disposed in front of a slit nozzle that moves relative to a substrate, the substrate processing apparatus can effectively remove foreign matter adhering to the nozzle guard without remaining a liquid component, thereby achieving stable and high-quality production. In the present invention, a processing liquid is discharged from a discharge port of a slit nozzle in a state in which the discharge port of the slit nozzle approaches the surface of a substrate, while the slit nozzle and a plate-shaped nozzle guard are moved relative to the substrate, and the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge 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 with respect to 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, foreign matter is sucked and removed from the nozzle guard by using a dry guard cleaner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing technology for supplying and coating a processing liquid to a substrate for a precision electronic device such as a glass substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device, a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a filter, a substrate for a recording disk, a substrate for a solar cell, a substrate for an electronic paper, etc., or a substrate for a semiconductor package (hereinafter, simply referred to as "substrate"). 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 Application 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 Application 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 transfer methods are different, a nozzle protector is provided in any of the apparatuses. This is because it is considered that foreign matters or protrusions (hereinafter, referred to as "foreign matters") may protrude upward on the surface side of the substrate. That is, if the processing liquid is coated in the presence of these foreign matters, the slit nozzle collides with the foreign matters, 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-described conventional apparatus, 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 matters using the nozzle protector, the foreign matters sometimes adhere to the nozzle protector. When performing a coating process using the slit nozzle equipped with the nozzle protector, depending on the size of the foreign matter, the foreign matter sometimes contacts the substrate, causing defects. In addition, if the above-described slit nozzle is repeatedly used for coating processes in a state where foreign matters are attached, defects will occur at the same position in a continuous plurality of sheets.

[0004] Therefore, a solution has been proposed to assemble, within a substrate processing apparatus, a nozzle guard cleaning device described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-134204. This nozzle guard cleaning device supplies a rinsing liquid to the nozzle guard to remove foreign matter.

[0005] The device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-134204 cleans and removes foreign matter attached to the nozzle guard NG in a so-called wet method. Therefore, after the cleaning process of the nozzle guard, liquid components such as rinsing liquid sometimes remain on the nozzle guard. Thus, if the nozzle guard moves above the substrate integrally with the slit nozzle in this state, the liquid components may sometimes fall onto the surface of the substrate before coating. In this way, if the surface of the substrate is wetted with liquid components such as rinsing liquid, not only the coating process cannot be performed well, but also process defects may subsequently occur.

[0006] The present invention has been completed in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of effectively removing foreign matter attached to a nozzle guard without leaving liquid components and stably performing high-quality production in a substrate processing apparatus in which a nozzle guard is disposed on the front side of a slit nozzle that moves relative to a substrate.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for coating a processing liquid on the surface of a substrate, characterized by comprising: a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port for ejecting the processing liquid; a nozzle moving unit for relatively moving 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 guard disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves relative to the substrate during coating of the processing liquid and moving integrally with the slit nozzle; and a foreign matter removing unit for sucking the ambient gas around the nozzle guard and removing foreign matter attached to the nozzle guard.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, characterized by comprising: a coating step of ejecting a 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 guard relative to the substrate, thereby preventing foreign matter from adhering to the slit nozzle by using the nozzle guard disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves and coating the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate; and a removing step of sucking the ambient gas around the nozzle guard and removing foreign matter attached to the nozzle guard before the coating step.

[0009] In the invention configured as described above, while removing foreign matter by using a nozzle guard disposed on the front side of a slit nozzle that moves in the relative movement direction, a coating process is performed. Therefore, foreign matter may sometimes adhere to the nozzle guard. Thus, in the present invention, the foreign matter removal unit sucks the ambient gas around the nozzle guard. Thereby, foreign matter can be removed from the nozzle guard.

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, since a so-called dry foreign matter removal method that does not use a liquid component to remove foreign matter is adopted, it is possible to effectively remove foreign matter adhering to the nozzle guard without leaving a liquid component, and achieve stable and high-quality production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 is schematically showing Figure 1 a side view of the coating apparatus shown.

[0013] Figure 3 FIG. is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of a foreign matter detection unit.

[0014] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the foreign matter detection unit.

[0015] Figure 5 FIG. is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of a dry guard cleaner as an example of a foreign matter removal unit.

[0016] Figure 6 is schematically showing Figure 5 the operation of the dry guard cleaner shown.

[0017] Figure 7 FIG. is a flowchart showing a coating operation performed by the coating apparatus shown in Figure 1 FIG.

[0018] Figure 8 FIG. is a side view schematically showing the overall structure of a coating apparatus according to a second embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 9 FIG. is a flowchart showing a coating operation performed by the coating apparatus shown in Figure 8 FIG.

[0020] Figure 10 FIG. is a side view schematically showing the overall structure of a coating apparatus according to a third embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 11It is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removal unit included in a coating device according to a fourth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 12A It is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removal unit included in a coating device according to a fifth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 12B It is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of a foreign matter removal unit included in a coating device according to a fifth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 13 It is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a coating device according to a sixth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0025] Description of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1A, 1B Coating devices (substrate processing apparatuses)

[0027] 2 Slit nozzle

[0028] 3 Substrate

[0029] 7 Nozzle cleaning standby unit (preliminary ejection unit)

[0030] 9 Nozzle cleaning unit (nozzle cleaning section)

[0031] 10 Control unit

[0032] 12 Dry-type protector cleaner (foreign matter removal unit)

[0033] 21 (Slit nozzle) ejection port

[0034] 31 (Substrate) surface

[0035] 53 Nozzle moving unit

[0036] 120 Suction head

[0037] 120a Suction unit

[0038] 120b Substantially V-shaped portion (ambient gas relative portion)

[0039] 120c Brush member

[0040] 552 Adsorption and travel control mechanism (nozzle moving unit)

[0041] D1 Distance (from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protector)

[0042] D3 Distance (from the nozzle cleaning section to the foreign matter removal unit)

[0043] Distance from the preliminary ejection section to the foreign matter removal section

[0044] Foreign matter F

[0045] NG nozzle guard

[0046] Surrounding ambient gas SA (of the nozzle guard) Detailed implementation mode

[0047] Figure 1 FIG. schematically shows the overall structure of the coating device according to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, Figure 2 schematically shows Figure 1 a side view of the coating device shown. In addition, 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 and the XY plane as the horizontal plane, and, if necessary, 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.

[0048] 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 can 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 that is rectangular when viewed from above. In addition, the substrate 3 to be coated 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.

[0049] The coating device 1A includes: a stage 4 capable of adsorbing and holding the 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 the slit nozzle 2; a nozzle maintenance unit 6 that performs maintenance processing on the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle guard NG; and a control unit 10 that controls these respective parts.

[0050] The stage 4 is made of a stone material such as granite in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a holding surface 41 is provided 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 specified position during the coating process. In addition, the holding method of the substrate 3 is not limited to this. For example, it can also be configured to mechanically hold the substrate 3. Further, a nozzle adjustment area RA is provided on the (+Y) direction side of the stage 4 in a region more than the area occupied by the holding surface 41, and a nozzle maintenance unit 6 is arranged in the nozzle adjustment area RA.

[0051] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the lower end 2a (lip portion of the nozzle) of the slit nozzle 2 has a shape that becomes thinner toward the lower side. And, on the lower surface of the lower end 2a of the slit nozzle 2, a slit-shaped ejection port 21 is provided extending in the X direction, and the processing liquid pressure-fed from a processing liquid supply unit (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.

[0052] The coating processing unit 5 has 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 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 the mounting portion 510 of the slit nozzle 2, and the support member 51a supports the slit nozzle 2 at the mounting portion 510 so as to be detachable. In addition, as a mechanism for attaching and detaching the slit nozzle 2 at the mounting portion 510 of the support member 51a, various fastening mechanisms such as a latch or a screw can be appropriately used.

[0053] The two lifting mechanisms 51b are connected to both ends in the length direction of the support member 51a and each have an AC servo motor and a ball screw or the like. By 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 ejection port 21 opened at the lower end of the slit nozzle 2 and the substrate 3, that is, the relative height of the ejection 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 opposite to the scale portion on the side surface of the nozzle 2 or the like.

[0054] AsFigure 1 As shown, the nozzle support 51 configured in this way has a bridging structure that spans the holding surface 41 by being installed across the left and right end portions of the stage 4 in the X direction. The coating processing 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, and the nozzle 2 supported by the nozzle support 51 in the Y direction relative to the substrate 3 held on the stage 4. Specifically, the nozzle moving unit 53 has, on the ±X sides respectively: a guide rail 52 that guides the movement of the nozzle 2 in the Y direction; a linear motor 54 that serves as a drive source; and a linear encoder 55 that is used to detect the position of the discharge port 21 of the slit nozzle 2.

[0055] The two guide rails 52 are respectively provided at the two end portions of the stage 4 in the X direction and extend in the Y direction in a manner that includes 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 using the magnetic force generated between these fixed member 54a and moving member 54b.

[0056] In addition, each linear encoder 55 has a scale portion 55a and a detection portion 55b. The scale portion 55a is provided in the Y direction below the fixed 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 the moving member 54b of the linear motor 54 fixedly provided in the lifting mechanism 51b, and this 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.

[0057] The slit nozzle moving unit 53 configured in this way 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 spraying 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 is an example of the "relative movement direction" of the present invention.

[0058] Thus, the coating of the processing liquid is performed while the slit nozzle 2 is relatively moved in the (+Y) direction with respect to the substrate 3. However, if there are foreign substances on the surface 31 of the substrate 3, the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 may come into contact with the foreign substances and be damaged. Therefore, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, in the relative movement direction (+Y) direction, on the front side of the slit nozzle 2 ( Figure 1 the lower right diagonal side of Figure 2 and the right hand side of Figure 2 ), a plate-shaped nozzle guard NG is disposed. The nozzle guard NG has a width similar to that of the slit nozzle 2 in the X direction. As

[0059] shown, the nozzle guard NG is located at a position that is at a distance D1 from the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 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 protrudes more downward than the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2. Therefore, during the coating process of the processing liquid, the lower end of the nozzle guard NG approaches the surface 31 of the substrate 3 from above, protecting the ejection port 21 of the slit nozzle 2 from being damaged by foreign substances on the surface 31 of the substrate 3.

[0060] After the coating of the processing liquid is completed, the slit nozzle 2 further moves to the (+Y) direction side and stands by in the nozzle adjustment area RA. The nozzle adjustment area RA is provided at a position deviated from the holding surface 41 of the substrate 3 in the (+Y) direction. The nozzle adjustment area RA serves as a standby place for the slit nozzle 2 during periods when no coating process is performed on the workbench 4, such as during the handover of the substrate 3 between the coating device 1A and the external transfer mechanism (during the loading and unloading of the substrate 3). In addition, the nozzle maintenance unit 6 performs various maintenance operations on the slit nozzle 2 located in the nozzle adjustment area RA.

[0061] Among them, the nozzle cleaning unit 9 corresponds to an example of the "nozzle cleaning part" of the present invention. For example, components described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-149468 and the like can be used. The nozzle cleaning unit 9 has a squeegee (contact member) 91. The squeegee 91 moves (scraping action) along the outer surface of the lower end of the slit nozzle 2 (specifically, the inclined surface of the lip) in the X direction while being in contact with the outer surface by a driving mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the squeegee 91 scrapes and removes the attachments adhering to the lower end 2a of the slit nozzle 2.

[0062] The nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 is arranged on the (-Y) direction side of the nozzle cleaning unit 9 with the foreign matter detection unit 8 interposed therebetween. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 has a pre-distribution roller 72, and a part of the pre-distribution roller 72 is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the storage tank 71. The pre-distribution roller 72 has a length equal to or longer than that of the slit nozzle 2 in the X direction. 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 resist liquid (processing liquid) is ejected from the slit nozzle 2 that has moved above the pre-distribution roller 72, so as to remove the resist liquid (preliminary ejection process) containing the cleaning liquid and the like used in the nozzle cleaning unit 9 from inside the slit nozzle 2. Through this preliminary ejection process, a resist liquid suitable for the coating process and free of impurities can be ejected. And in the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7, the slit nozzle 2 stands by for the next coating process.

[0063] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of the foreign matter detection unit. As Figure 2 shown, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is arranged between the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 and the nozzle cleaning unit 9. More specifically, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is arranged at a foreign matter detection position Pdt that 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 (an example of the "preliminary ejection position" of the present invention), the tip of the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the foreign matter detection unit 8 configured such that the foreign matter detection process can be executed in parallel with the preliminary ejection process.

[0064] 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 to be slightly wider than the thickness of the tip of the nozzle guard NG, as Figure 3 shown, and it is possible to sandwich the tip of the nozzle guard 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 an in-built lens, it then makes the light beam turn back in the (+Y) direction using an in-built mirror, and thus projects 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, turns back the direction of the light using an in-built mirror, and then guides it to the light quantity detection unit via an in-built 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 foreign matter detection unit 8 in which the light projector 81, the light receiver 82, and the amplifier unit 83 are integrated is used, but the amplifier unit 83 may also be separated from the light projector 81 and the light receiver 82, and the light emitting unit and the light projector 81 may be connected by a first optical fiber, and the light receiver 82 and the light quantity detection unit may be connected by a second optical fiber.

[0065] 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 a moving mechanism 84. Therefore, if the moving mechanism 84 operates according to a movement instruction from the control unit 10, the foreign matter detection unit 8 moves between a near position P(X1) and a depth position P(Xmax) while sandwiching the tip of the nozzle guard NG. During such movement, according to a lighting instruction from the control unit 10, the light emitting unit continuously emits light or emits light at regular intervals. On the other hand, the light quantity detection unit outputs received light quantity information.

[0066] Figure 4It 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 "received light amount" represents the received light amount received by the light amount detection unit. Here, the received light 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 received light 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 received light amount further decreases by an amount equivalent 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 received light amount.

[0067] Figure 5 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure and operation of a dry guard cleaner as an example of the foreign matter removal unit. In addition, Figure 6 is schematically showing Figure 5 the operation of the dry guard cleaner shown. As Figure 2 shown, the dry guard cleaner 12 is arranged at the guard 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 guard 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 guard NG is positioned at the dry guard cleaner 12 configured as described below, and the dry guard cleaning process can be performed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process.

[0068] The dry guard cleaner 12 has a suction head 120. As Figure 6 shown, the upper part of the suction head 120 is processed so that the YZ cross-section is substantially V-shaped to cover the surrounding ambient gas SA of the tip (lower end) of the nozzle guard NG positioned at the guard cleaning position Pgc from the lower side. This substantially V-shaped portion 120b corresponds to an example of the "ambient gas relative portion" of the present invention. In addition, in Figure 6 it, dots are added to visually clearly show the surrounding ambient gas SA.

[0069] The suction head 120 is arranged to face the ambient gas SA around the nozzle protector NG from the lower side surface while freely moving along the nozzle protector NG in the length direction X of the nozzle protector NG. Further, 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. Further, the suction head 120 is connected to the head moving part 120h. Further, the suction part 120a is connected to the suction head 120. Therefore, the head moving part 120h and the suction part 120a operate according to an instruction from the control part 10, so that the suction head 120 moves in 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 moves in the X direction along the tip of the nozzle protector NG while applying a negative pressure to the tip of the nozzle protector NG. For example, as Figure 6 shown, the foreign matter F 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 (foreign matter removal process).

[0070] Such a foreign matter removal process is executed at timings such as when the coating apparatus 1A is started, after each coating process is completed, after a predetermined number of coating processes are executed only, when a nozzle cleaning request is received from the user, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "foreign matter removal timing"). Further, in the present embodiment, the control part 10 controls each part of the apparatus so that the slit nozzle 2 moves toward the nozzle cleaning part 9 to perform a nozzle cleaning process, but by this movement, the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the dry protector cleaner 12. Therefore, the foreign matter removal process can be performed in parallel with the nozzle cleaning process. Further, in the present embodiment, the timing when the foreign matter F is detected by the foreign matter detection part 8 is also included in the above foreign matter removal timing.

[0071] The control part 10 is arranged as described above to control each part of the coating apparatus 1A configured as described above. The control part 10 is configured as a general computer system that connects an arithmetic part (for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit), etc.) that performs various arithmetic processes, a storage part (for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory, read-only memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory, random access memory), etc.) that stores basic programs and various information, to a bus. The bus is also connected to a fixed disk (for example, a hard disk drive, etc.) that stores coating programs, etc., a display part (for example, a display, etc.) that displays various information, and an input part (for example, a keyboard and a mouse, etc.) that receives input from an operator. Further, for example, a touch panel display in which the functions of the display part and the input part are integrated may also be used. Further, by receiving signals sent from sensors, etc. provided in each part of the apparatus through an interface (not shown), the arithmetic part of the control part 10 controls each part of the apparatus according to the basic program and executes the coating process to be described below.

[0072] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the coating operation performed by the coating apparatus shown by Figure 1 . In this coating apparatus 1A, after the slit nozzle 2 used for the coating process is moved to the pre-dispensing position Ppd, a preliminary ejection process is performed (step S11). In addition, a foreign object detection process is performed 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, blocking 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 object detection unit 8 in the X direction. As shown in Figure 4 , the light reception amount information at the sensor positions P(X1),..., P(Xn),..., P(Xmax) is sequentially acquired and temporarily stored in the storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0073] Based on the light reception amount information thus obtained, the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 determines whether a foreign object is attached to the nozzle guard NG ( Figure 4 )(step S12). Then, if it is detected that a foreign object is attached to the nozzle guard NG ( "No" in step S12), the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 determines that the foreign object removal timing has been reached, and performs a foreign object removal operation (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 controls each part of the dry guard cleaner 12 in the state of restricting the coating operation, and performs a dry guard cleaning process on the nozzle guard NG (step S14). More specifically, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , while the suction head 120 sucks the ambient gas SA around the nozzle guard NG, it moves in the X direction along the tip of the nozzle guard NG. Thereby, the foreign object F is sucked and removed. Then, if the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 confirms that the guard cleaning process is completed ( "Yes" in step S15), the foreign object removal operation is ended, and the control unit 10 returns to step S11, and the preliminary ejection operation and the foreign object detection operation are repeated.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is detected that no foreign object F is attached to the nozzle guard 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.

[0075] In addition, in parallel with this, in a state where a 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).

[0076] After the adjustment of the above coating gap, the coating operation is started (step S19). That is, the slit nozzle 2 ejects the resist liquid from the ejection port 21 while moving in the (+Y) direction. As a result, 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.

[0077] 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. As a result, the coating operation is ended (step S21). In addition, the slit nozzle 2 leaves the coating end position Pen and returns to the pre-distribution position Ppd (step S22). In parallel with the movement of the slit nozzle 2 to the pre-distribution position, the adsorption holding of the substrate 3 is 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.

[0078] As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the so-called dry foreign matter removal that removes foreign matter without using a liquid component is used, it is possible to effectively remove the foreign matter F attached to the nozzle protector NG without leaving a liquid component, and to achieve stable and high-quality production.

[0079] In addition, if foreign matter is detected adhering to the nozzle protector NG, a dry protector cleaning process (removal process) of the nozzle protector NG is immediately performed using the dry protector cleaner 12 (step S14). Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the interruption of the coating process caused by foreign matter adhering to the nozzle protector NG in a short time and restart the coating process that is not affected by the foreign matter F. As a result, the operation rate of the coating apparatus 1A can be improved.

[0080] In addition, when performing the dry cleaning (removal process) of the nozzle protector NG, the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the protector cleaning position Pgc, and the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the nozzle cleaning position Pnc corresponding to the squeegee (contact member) 91. Therefore, the cleaning of the slit nozzle 2 can be performed using the nozzle cleaning unit 9 in parallel with the dry cleaning of the nozzle protector NG. As a result, the tact time can be shortened compared to performing the dry cleaning of the nozzle protector NG and the cleaning of the slit nozzle 2 separately.

[0081] In addition, since foreign matter adhesion to the nozzle protector NG is detected before performing the coating process, it is possible to prevent in advance the case where the coating process is performed with foreign matter F adhering to the nozzle protector NG. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent defects caused by contact between the substrate 3 and the foreign matter F and perform the coating process with high quality.

[0082] In addition, the execution timing of the foreign matter detection process can be 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 protector 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 to a conventionally known coating apparatus that performs a preliminary ejection process, 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 tact time required for the foreign matter detection process is not lengthened. As in the above-described embodiment, by completing the foreign matter detection process during the preliminary ejection process, the above-described effects can be obtained without changing the cycle time. In addition, even if the foreign matter detection process is executed 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.

[0083] 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 apparatus size and add and install a new foreign matter detection unit 8.

[0084] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, foreign matter is detected based on the light shielding state of the parallel light beam. That is to say, since foreign matter detection is performed by an example of a non-contact method, foreign matter detection can be performed without damaging the nozzle protector NG. As the foreign matter detection method of this non-contact method, for example, an online projection image measuring instrument TM-X5000 series manufactured by Keyence Corporation or a line scan camera can be used.

[0085] However, in the first embodiment, the foreign matter detection unit 8 is provided, and the foreign matter removal process is executed triggered by the detection of foreign matter F by the foreign matter detection unit 8. However, the setting of the foreign matter detection unit 8 is not an essential structural element but an optional structural element. Therefore, for example, as Figure 8 shown, a dry protector cleaner 12 (second embodiment) can be arranged at the position of the foreign matter detection unit 8.

[0086] Figure 8 FIG. is a side view schematically showing the overall structure of the coating device of the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The significant difference between this second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the foreign matter detection unit 8 is not provided, and the dry protector cleaner 12 is arranged using the space between the nozzle cleaning standby unit 7 and the nozzle cleaning unit 9. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same structures and the structure description is omitted.

[0087] In the second embodiment, the dry protector cleaner 12 is arranged at the protector cleaning position Pgc at a distance D4 from the pre-distribution roller 72 in the (+Y) direction. More specifically, as Figure 8 shown, this distance D4 is the same as the distance D1 from the ejection 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 the pre-distribution position Ppd corresponding to the pre-distribution roller 72 for performing the preliminary ejection process, the tip of the nozzle protector NG is positioned at the dry protector cleaner 12, and the dry protector cleaning process can be executed in parallel with the preliminary ejection process. However, since the frequency of performing the dry protector cleaning process is lower than that of the preliminary ejection process, in the present embodiment, the arithmetic unit of the control unit 10 controls the execution of the two as described below according to whether the foreign matter removal timing is reached.

[0088] Figure 9 is shown by Figure 8Flowchart of the coating operation performed by the coating device shown. In this coating device 1A, after the slot nozzle 2 for coating processing moves to the pre-dispensing position Ppd, the arithmetic unit determines whether it is the foreign matter removal timing (step S31). Then, if the arithmetic unit determines that it is the foreign matter removal timing ("Yes" in step S31), after performing the preliminary ejection process and the protector cleaning process in parallel (step S32), the coating process is started. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not the foreign matter removal timing ("No" in step S31), after only performing the preliminary ejection process (step S33), the coating process is started.

[0089] The coating process is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment (steps S16 to S23). Then, if there is a next substrate 3 to be processed ("Yes" in step S24), the process returns to step S31 and the same process as above is repeated. On the other hand, if there is no next substrate 3 ("No" in step S24), the process ends.

[0090] As described above, according to the second embodiment, at the timing when it is considered necessary to remove foreign matter, that is, at the foreign matter removal timing, the dry protector cleaning process is performed. Therefore, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0091] In addition, the execution timing of the protector cleaning process is basically arbitrary as long as it is before the coating process for the next substrate. However, in this embodiment, by making the distance D1 between the ejection port 21 of the slot nozzle 2 and the nozzle protector NG and the distance D4 between the pre-dispensing roller 72 and the dry protector cleaner 12 consistent in the Y direction, the protector cleaning process and the preliminary ejection process are performed in parallel. Here, if the two processes are performed sequentially in step S32, the cycle time is longer than when only the preliminary ejection process is performed. In contrast, in this embodiment, during the preliminary ejection process, the protector cleaning process is completed, so that the above effects can be obtained without changing the cycle time. In addition, in step S32, even if the protector cleaning process is performed beyond the front and back of the preliminary ejection process, by performing the protector cleaning process partially in parallel with the preliminary ejection process, the increase in the cycle time can be suppressed and the above effects can be obtained.

[0092] Figure 10It is a side view schematically showing the overall structure of the coating device according to the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The significant difference between this third embodiment and the first embodiment is that the foreign matter detection unit 8 is not provided, and correspondingly, the nozzle cleaning unit 9 and the dry protector cleaner 12 are offset and arranged in the (-Y) direction in a state where the distance D3 is maintained, thereby achieving the miniaturization of the device. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the description of the structures is omitted.

[0093] In this third embodiment, the protector cleaning process of the dry protector cleaner 12 is performed at the foreign matter removal timing. At this time, the nozzle protector NG is located at the protector cleaning position Pgc, and at the same time, the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at the nozzle cleaning position Pnc. Therefore, the nozzle cleaning process can be performed in parallel with the protector cleaning process of the nozzle protector NG.

[0094] As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the dry protector cleaning process is performed at the foreign matter removal timing, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0095] Figure 11 It is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of the foreign matter removal unit provided in the coating device according to the fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The significant difference between this fourth embodiment and the first embodiment lies in the structure of the dry protector cleaner 12. In the first embodiment, in the X direction, the suction head 120 is processed to be shorter than the nozzle protector NG, and the suction head 120 is moved in the X direction to suck and remove the foreign matter F from the entire nozzle protector NG. In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, the length of the suction head 120 in the X direction is the same as or longer than that of the nozzle protector NG, and the substantially V-shaped portion 120b extends in the X direction over the entire suction head 120. The substantially V-shaped portion 120b corresponds to an example of the "ambient gas relative portion" of the present invention and can cover the peripheral ambient gas SA of the tip portion (lower end portion) of the nozzle protector NG from the lower side Figure 6 ). The suction head 120 is fixedly arranged at the protector cleaning position Pgc. In addition, since other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the description of the structures is omitted.

[0096] In the fourth embodiment, as 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 covered from below 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 a negative pressure, and the foreign matter F attached to the tip of the nozzle guard NG is suctioned and removed together by the suction portion 120a.

[0097] Figure 12A and Figure 12B FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the structure and operation of the foreign matter removing portion of the coating apparatus of the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The significant difference between this fifth embodiment and the fourth 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 fourth embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same structures and the structure description is omitted.

[0098] In this embodiment, brush members 120c, 120c are erected toward the nozzle guard 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 12A shown by the dashed line in FIG., 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 covered from below by the substantially V-shaped portion 120b. At the same time, in the Z direction, the tops of the brush members 120c, 120c are positioned to overlap with the tip of the nozzle guard NG. In this state, according to a swing instruction from the control unit 10, the slit nozzle 2 and the nozzle guard NG swing integrally in the Y direction (refer to the reference numeral AR in Figure 12B FIG.). At this time, the tip portions of the brush members 120c, 120c are rubbed against the tip of the nozzle guard NG to perform brush cleaning. Thereby, the foreign matter F is peeled off from the nozzle guard NG. In addition, in parallel with this brush cleaning, the suction portion 120a operates according to an instruction from the control unit 10, and the foreign matter F is suctioned and removed together by the suction portion 120a. Therefore, the foreign matter F peeled off from the nozzle guard NG by the brush cleaning can be reliably suctioned and removed, and the foreign matter F can be reliably prevented from scattering around the guard cleaning position Pgc.

[0099] As described above, similar to the first embodiment, according to the fifth embodiment, the so-called dry method is used to remove the foreign matter F attached to the nozzle guard NG, and the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the brush members 120c, 120c come into contact with the foreign matter F attached to the nozzle guard NG and peel it off from the nozzle guard NG. That is to say, by using brush cleaning and suction cleaning in combination, the foreign matter removal effect can be improved.

[0100] In addition, in the fifth embodiment, the brush members 120c are arranged on both the front side and the rear side with respect to the substantially V-shaped portion 120b in the relative movement direction Y, but they may be arranged on only one of the sides.

[0101] However, in the above first to fifth embodiments, the present invention is applied to the coating device 1A in which the slit nozzle 2 moves relative to the substrate 3 to coat the resist liquid (processing liquid), but the present invention can also be applied to a coating device in which the substrate moves relative to a fixedly arranged slit nozzle to coat the resist liquid (processing liquid) as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-212544. Hereinafter, refer to Figure 13 The sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0102] Figure 13 FIG. is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of the coating device according to the sixth embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention. The coating device 1B is a slit coater that coats the resist liquid (processing liquid) on the surface 31 of the substrate 3 that is conveyed from the Figure 13 left hand side to the right hand side in a horizontal posture. In addition, in Figure 13 , in order to clarify the arrangement relationship of each part of the device, 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 the Figure 13 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 device (the front side in the figure) is set as the "-Y direction", and the back side of the device is set as the "+Y direction". Further, the upper direction and the lower direction in the vertical direction Z are set as the "+Z direction" and the "-Z direction", respectively.

[0103] In the coating device 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 close to each other in this order. As will be described in detail below, they form a conveyance path of the substrate 3 extending in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0104] The substrate 3 to be processed is conveyed from Figure 13It is carried into the input conveyor 100 from the left side. The input conveyor 100 has 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 carried downstream, that is, in the (+X) direction in a horizontal posture. The input transfer unit 200 has: a roller conveyor 221; a rotation and lifting drive mechanism 222 that has 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 carrying 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 in this way, the substrate 3 is transferred from the input conveyor 100 to the floating unit 300.

[0105] The floating unit 300 has 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 a single plate-shaped stage on both the upstream floating stage 301 and the downstream floating stage 303. 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 stage surface by a prescribed floating height, for example, 10 to 500 micrometers. In order to supply compressed air to each ejection hole, as Figure 13 shown, a floating control mechanism 335 is provided.

[0106] In addition, the downstream floating stage 303 has a plurality of lifting pins in addition to the above-mentioned ejection holes. In addition, a lifting pin drive mechanism 334 is provided to lift and lower the lifting pins. The plurality of lifting 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. And, the lifting pins are driven by the lifting pin drive mechanism 334 provided below the stage surface in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) to move up and down. That is, when descending, the tip of the lifting pin descends more in the (-Z) direction side than the stage surface of the downstream floating stage 303, and when ascending, the tip of the lifting 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 lifting pins, the substrate 3 rises from the stage surface of the downstream floating stage 303. Thus, the substrate 3 can be unloaded from the coating device 1B by the transfer robot.

[0107] 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. In addition, different 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 of the holes function as suction holes. That is to say, compressed air is ejected from the ejection holes to the back surface of the substrate 3, and the compressed air is sent 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 through the suction holes. By ejecting and sucking air in the above space like this, in the above 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 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.

[0108] 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 transported 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 the function of moving the substrate 3 in the horizontal direction. The transportation of the substrate 3 in the floating unit 300 is performed by a substrate transportation unit 500 disposed below the upstream floating stage 301, the central floating stage 302, and the downstream floating stage 303.

[0109] 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, while the substrate 3 is adsorbed and held at the peripheral portion by the chuck mechanism 551, the substrate 3 is maintained in a generally horizontal posture by the buoyancy applied from the floating portion 300. In addition, 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.

[0110] 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.

[0111] 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 propulsion 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. With the output transfer unit 400, the substrate 3 is transferred from above the downstream floating stage 303 to the output conveyor 110.

[0112] The output conveyor 110 has a roller conveyor 111 and a rotation drive mechanism 112 that drives the roller conveyor 111 to rotate. By the rotation of the roller conveyor 111, the substrate 3 is further conveyed in the (+X) direction and 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, or may be provided separately from the coating device 1B. Additionally, for example, the substrate delivery 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.

[0113] 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 13 shown, a nozzle drive mechanism 800 is connected to the slit nozzle 2. By the nozzle drive mechanism 800, the slit nozzle 2 is positioned at a coating position ( Figure 13 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 central 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 downward-opening ejection port 21 at the lower part of the nozzle.

[0114] 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, 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.

[0115] For performing specified maintenance on the slit nozzle 2 configured as such, as Figure 13As 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 section 7 for performing so-called pre-distribution processing; a foreign matter detection section 8 for detecting the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzle protector NG; a nozzle cleaning section 9 for cleaning the slit nozzle 2; and a dry protector cleaner 12 as an example of the "foreign matter removal section" of the present invention. The nozzle cleaning standby section 7, the foreign matter detection section 8, the nozzle cleaning section 9, and the dry protector cleaner 12 are arranged in this order along the relative movement direction (-X). And, similarly to the first embodiment, before the coating process, the control section 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 foreign matter is attached to the nozzle protector NG, then after restricting the coating process, the control section 10 immediately uses the dry protector cleaner 12 to perform a dry protector cleaning process on the foreign matter..

[0116] As described above, in the sixth 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.

[0117] Thus, in the sixth embodiment, the adsorption and travel control mechanism 552 corresponds to an example of the "nozzle movement section" of the present invention.

[0118] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in addition to the above as long as the gist thereof is not deviated from. For example, in the sixth embodiment, the present invention is applied to a so-called floating type substrate processing apparatus, but the dry protector cleaner 12 provided in the fourth and fifth embodiments can also be used as the foreign matter removal section.

[0119] The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing techniques in which a nozzle protector is disposed on the front side of a slit nozzle that moves relative to a substrate and a processing liquid is supplied and coated from the slit nozzle to the substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for coating a processing liquid on 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 protector that is disposed on the front side relative to the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves relative to the substrate through the nozzle moving unit during coating of the processing liquid, and moves integrally with the slit nozzle, and A foreign matter removing unit that sucks the ambient gas around the nozzle protector and removes foreign matter attached to the nozzle protector from the nozzle protector.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The foreign matter removing unit has: A suction head that freely moves along the length direction of the nozzle protector while facing the ambient gas around the nozzle protector from the lower side, A suction unit that sucks the ambient gas around the nozzle protector via the suction head, and A head moving unit that moves the suction head in the length direction of the nozzle protector in a state where the ambient gas around the nozzle protector is sucked by the suction unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The foreign matter removing unit has: A suction head that faces the entire ambient gas around the nozzle protector positioned at a preset protector cleaning position from the lower side in the length direction of the nozzle protector, and A suction unit that sucks the entire ambient gas around the nozzle protector via the suction head.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: The suction head has: An ambient gas facing part that faces the entire ambient gas around the nozzle protector positioned at the protector cleaning position, and A brush member that is erected toward the nozzle protector on at least one of the front side and the rear side relative to the ambient gas facing part in the relative movement direction, The slit nozzle and the nozzle protector relatively move relative to the brush member in the relative movement direction so that the brush member and the nozzle protector slide into contact with each other, thereby sweeping foreign matter from the nozzle protector to the ambient gas facing part.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 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 preliminary ejection position separated from the substrate before ejecting the processing liquid from the ejection port of the slit nozzle onto the surface of the substrate, and A control unit that controls the preliminary ejection unit and the foreign matter removing unit, The foreign matter removing 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 a distance equal to the distance from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protector. The control unit controls the preliminary ejection unit and the foreign matter removal unit so that the ejection or standby of the processing liquid in the preliminary ejection unit and the removal of the foreign matter in the foreign matter removal unit are performed at least partially in parallel.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, It has: a nozzle cleaning unit that cleans the slit nozzle, and a control unit that controls the nozzle cleaning unit and the foreign matter removal unit, 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 that is at the same distance from the nozzle cleaning unit as the distance from the slit nozzle to the nozzle protector, 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 performed at least partially in parallel.

7. A substrate processing method, characterized in that, It includes: a coating step of ejecting a 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 relative to the substrate, so that while preventing foreign matter from adhering to the slit nozzle by the nozzle protector disposed on the front side of the slit nozzle in the relative movement direction in which the slit nozzle relatively moves, the processing liquid is coated on the surface of the substrate, and a removal step of sucking the ambient gas around the nozzle protector and removing the foreign matter adhering to the nozzle protector before the coating step.

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