Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of effectively cleaning the surface of substrates without the use of cleaning tools or other components that come into contact with the substrates.SOLUTION: A substrate cleaning apparatus has a cleaning apparatus 131 that cleans polished substrates. The cleaning apparatus 131 has a micro bubble water module 90 that injects micro bubble water onto the surface of a substrate W held in a substrate cleaning holding section 52 to clean the surface of the substrate W. The micro bubble water module 90 has an injection nozzle 91 for injecting micro bubble water onto a target region TR, which is a long region extending from the center Cr to the outermost circumference Ci of the substrate W, and a micro bubble water supply unit 93 that supplies micro bubble water to the injection nozzle 91.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) after polishing, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning the surface of the substrate after the peripheral portion of the substrate is polished. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to improve the yield in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the management of the surface condition of substrates such as wafers has been attracting attention in recent years. In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various materials are deposited on silicon substrates. This causes unnecessary films and surface roughness to form on the periphery of the substrate. In recent years, a method of transporting the substrate by holding only the periphery of the substrate with an arm has become common. Under such circumstances, the unnecessary films remaining on the periphery peel off during various processes and adhere to devices formed on the substrate, reducing the yield.

[0003] Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving the yield in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the peripheral portion of the substrate is polished to remove unnecessary films formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate. When the peripheral portion of the substrate is polished, foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris may adhere to the substrate. When foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris adhere to the substrate, the substrate is contaminated, resulting in a decrease in the yield in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[0004] Furthermore, with the increasing integration of semiconductor devices, multi-layer structures are in demand, and planarization is required after the deposition of the thin-film layers that make up this multi-layer structure. Therefore, the surface of the substrate is planarized by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. CMP planarizes the surface of the substrate through the chemical reaction of the abrasive liquid and the mechanical action of cutting the substrate with abrasive grains by sliding it against the substrate.

[0005] When the surface of a substrate is polished, foreign matter such as polishing debris may adhere to the substrate. The foreign matter that adheres to a semiconductor integrated circuit may cause short circuits between wirings or other circuit malfunctions.

[0006] Therefore, in order to improve the reliability of semiconductor integrated circuits and to increase the yield, it is necessary to clean the substrate and remove foreign matter from the substrate. Conventional substrate cleaning for removing foreign matter adhering to the substrate generally involves bringing a contact-type cleaning tool such as a cleaning sponge into contact with the substrate to clean it (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-108113 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the case of a cleaning method in which a cleaning tool is brought into contact with a substrate, depending on the condition of the cleaning tool, foreign matter adhering to the substrate may not be sufficiently removed. For example, a cleaning tool approaching the end of its life may not be able to efficiently remove foreign matter adhering to the substrate surface. Furthermore, there is a risk that particles once removed by the cleaning tool during substrate cleaning may re-adhere to the substrate and contaminate the substrate, resulting in so-called reverse contamination.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of effectively cleaning the surface of a substrate without using a member that comes into contact with the substrate, such as a cleaning tool. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In one aspect, a substrate processing apparatus is provided which includes a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a polished substrate, the cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning holder for holding and rotating the substrate, and a microbubble water module for spraying microbubble water onto a surface of the substrate held in the cleaning holder to clean the surface of the substrate, the microbubble water module comprising at least one spray nozzle for spraying the microbubble water onto a target area which is an elongated area extending at least from the center to the outermost periphery of the substrate, and a microbubble water supply device for supplying the microbubble water to the spray nozzle.

[0011] In one embodiment, the polishing apparatus further includes a polishing device for polishing a substrate, the polishing device including a polishing holding section for holding and rotating the substrate, a polishing head for pressing a polishing tool against the substrate to polish the substrate, and a polishing section microbubble water module for spraying microbubble water onto a surface of the substrate while the substrate is being polished to clean the surface of the substrate, the polishing section microbubble water module including at least one polishing section spray nozzle through which the microbubble water is supplied from the microbubble water supply device, and the at least one polishing section spray nozzle sprays the microbubble water onto the target area. In one embodiment, the microbubble water supply device further includes a chemical liquid injector that adds an alkaline chemical liquid to the microbubble water. In one aspect, the spray nozzle is a plurality of spray nozzles arranged along the target area, and the plurality of spray nozzles are arranged such that a portion of the spray range of the microbubble water of adjacent spray nozzles overlaps with each other.

[0012] In one embodiment, the injection nozzle is configured as a long nozzle extending along the target area, and the long nozzle has one slit-shaped injection port for injecting the microbubble water toward the target area. In one aspect, the target area extends diametrically through the center of the substrate and across the entire length of the substrate.

[0013] In one aspect, a substrate processing method is provided, which comprises transporting a substrate to a cleaning device, holding and rotating the substrate, and spraying microbubble water from a spray nozzle onto a target area, which is an elongated area extending at least from the center to the outermost periphery, on the surface of the rotating substrate, to clean the surface of the substrate.

[0014] In one embodiment, the substrate processing method further includes the steps of transporting the substrate to a polishing apparatus, holding and rotating the substrate, using a polishing head to press a polishing tool against the rotating substrate to polish the substrate, and, while polishing the substrate, spraying microbubble water from a polishing unit spray nozzle onto the target area to clean the surface of the substrate. In one embodiment, the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed using microbubble water containing an alkaline chemical solution. In one aspect, the spray nozzle is a plurality of spray nozzles arranged along the target area, and the process of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed by spraying the microbubble water such that the spray ranges of the microbubble water from adjacent spray nozzles partially overlap each other.

[0015] In one embodiment, the spray nozzle is a long nozzle extending along the target area, and the process of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed by spraying the microbubble water from a single slit-shaped spray nozzle formed in the long nozzle. In one aspect, the elongated target area extends diametrically through the center of the substrate and across the entire length of the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the above-described embodiment, the entire surface of the wafer W is cleaned by the microbubble water that can always maintain a high cleaning performance. Therefore, the surface of the substrate can be effectively cleaned, and further, reverse contamination, in which particles once removed by the cleaning tool during cleaning of the wafer W reattach to the wafer W, does not occur. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called straight type wafer, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called round type wafer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cleaning module according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a microbubble water supply device according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle, Figure 5(b) is a schematic diagram showing another example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle, and Figure 5(c) is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(a) is a side view showing an injection nozzle according to another embodiment, and FIG. 6(b) is a schematic bottom view of the injection nozzle shown in FIG. 6(a). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a polishing unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how the polishing head is polishing the peripheral portion (bevel portion) of the wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. An arrow in Fig. 1 indicates a transport direction of a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 includes a first polishing module (first polishing device) 121a and a second polishing module (second polishing device) 121b for polishing a peripheral portion of the wafer W, a cleaning module (cleaning device) 131 for cleaning the wafer W polished in the first polishing module 121a or the second polishing module 121b, and a drying module 132 for drying the wafer W after cleaning.

[0019] In the following, an embodiment will be described in which the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes two polishing apparatuses (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "bevel polishing apparatuses") that polish the peripheral portion of the wafer W. However, the type and number of polishing apparatuses provided in the substrate processing apparatus 100 are not limited to this example. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include one polishing apparatus, or may include three or more polishing apparatuses. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include at least one CMP apparatus that polishes the surface of the wafer (substrate) W, or may include at least one bevel polishing apparatus and at least one notch polishing apparatus that polishes a notch formed in the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0020] 2(a) and 2(b) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral portion of a wafer. More specifically, FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called straight type wafer, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called round type wafer. In the wafer W in FIG. 2(a), the bevel portion is the outermost peripheral surface (indicated by the symbol B) of the wafer W, which is composed of an upper inclined portion (upper bevel portion) P, a lower inclined portion (lower bevel portion) Q, and a side portion (apex) R.

[0021] In the wafer W of FIG. 2(b), the bevel portion is a portion (indicated by the symbol B) having a curved cross section that constitutes the outermost peripheral surface of the wafer W. The top edge portion E1 is a flat portion that is located radially inward from the bevel portion B and radially outward from the region D where devices are formed. The top edge portion E1 may also include the region where devices are formed. The bottom edge portion E2 is a flat portion that is located on the opposite side to the top edge portion E1 and radially inward from the bevel portion B. The top edge portion E1 and bottom edge portion E2 are sometimes collectively referred to as near edge portions.

[0022] 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 has a substantially rectangular housing, and the inside of the housing is partitioned by partitions 114, 115, and 116 into a polishing unit 120, a cleaning unit 130, and a load / unload unit 140. The polishing unit 120, the cleaning unit 130, and the load / unload unit 140 are assembled independently and evacuated independently. The substrate processing apparatus 100 is also provided with a control device 111 that controls the operations of the polishing unit 120, the cleaning unit 130, and the load / unload unit 140.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the load / unload unit 140 has multiple (four in the illustrated example) front load sections 141 arranged adjacent to each other in front of the load / unload unit 140, and a first transport robot 142 that can move along the arrangement direction of the front load sections 141.

[0024] A wafer cassette that stocks a large number of wafers W is placed on the front load unit 141. Specifically, for example, an open cassette, a Standard Manufacturing Interface (SMIF) pod, or a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) may be mounted on the front load unit 141. Here, the SMIF and FOUP are airtight containers that can store a wafer cassette therein and maintain an environment independent of the external space by covering the container with a partition wall.

[0025] The first transport robot 142 can access the wafer cassettes mounted on each front load unit 141 by moving along the arrangement direction of the front load units 141. The first transport robot 142 has two hands (not shown), one above the other, and can use the upper and lower hands separately, for example, by using the upper hand when returning the wafer W to the wafer cassette and using the lower hand when transporting the wafer W before polishing.

[0026] 1 corresponds to an area where a polishing process of a wafer W is performed, and includes at least one polishing module 121a, 121b (two in the illustrated example), a first temporary stand 123 on which the wafer W before polishing is temporarily placed, a second temporary stand 124 on which the wafer W after polishing is temporarily placed, and a second transport robot 122 that transports the wafer W between the polishing modules 121a, 121b, the first temporary stand 123, and the second temporary stand 124. In this embodiment, the polishing modules 121a, 121b are bevel polishing devices that bring a polishing tool into sliding contact with the peripheral portion of a substrate in the presence of liquid such as pure water and a chemical solution to polish the peripheral portion.

[0027] The cleaning unit 130 corresponds to an area where the polished wafer W is cleaned and further dried, and includes a cleaning module 131, a drying module 132, a third transfer robot 133, and a fourth transfer robot 134. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes one cleaning module 131 and one drying module 132. However, the number of cleaning modules 131 and the number of drying modules 132 are arbitrary.

[0028] The third transfer robot 133 is disposed between the second temporary placement table 124 of the polishing unit 120 and the cleaning module 131, and transfers the polished wafer W from the second temporary placement table 124 to the cleaning module 131. The fourth transfer robot 134 is disposed between the cleaning module 131 and the drying module 132, and transfers the cleaned wafer W from the cleaning module 131 to the drying module 132. The cleaning module 131 is a device that cleans the polished wafer W, and a specific configuration thereof will be described later.

[0029] The drying module 132 is an apparatus for drying the cleaned wafer W, and any known drying module can be used as long as it is capable of drying the wafer W. An example of such a drying module 132 is a spin-dry type drying module that dries the cleaned wafer W by rotating the wafer W held on a rotatable stage at high speed.

[0030] 1, the partition 114 is a partition that separates the polishing unit 120 and the cleaning unit 130 from the load / unload unit 140. A transfer area 128 in which the second transfer robot 122 is disposed is formed between a partition 115 that separates the polishing unit 120 and a partition 116 that separates the cleaning unit 130. The wafer W polished in the polishing modules 121a and 121b of the polishing unit 120 is transferred to the cleaning module 131 of the cleaning unit 130 through the transfer area 128.

[0031] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cleaning module (cleaning apparatus) according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning holder (substrate holder) 52 having four holding rollers 71, 72, 73, and 74 that hold the peripheral portion of the wafer W and rotate the wafer W around its axis, a cylindrical roll sponge (roll cleaner) 78 that contacts the lower surface of the wafer W, a rotation mechanism 81 that rotates the roll sponge 78 around its axis, lower pure water supply nozzles 85 and 86 that supply pure water to the lower surface of the wafer W, and lower chemical liquid supply nozzles 87 and 88 that supply a chemical liquid to the lower surface of the wafer W. The chemical liquid and the pure water in this embodiment are examples of a lower cleaning liquid for cleaning the lower surface of the wafer W, and the lower chemical liquid supply nozzles 87 and 88 and the lower pure water supply nozzles 85 and 86 constitute a lower cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies a cleaning liquid to the lower surface of the wafer W.

[0032] In this specification, the "upper surface" of a substrate (wafer W) refers to the surface of the substrate on which a pattern is formed, and the "lower surface" of the substrate refers to the rear surface of the substrate on which no pattern is formed. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the lower surface of the wafer W is cleaned by pressing a roll sponge 78 against the rear surface of the wafer W, which is the rear surface of the wafer W, in the presence of a cleaning liquid.

[0033] The axis of the roll sponge 78 extends parallel to the surface of the wafer W held by the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, and 74. The holding rollers 71, 72, 73, and 74 are movable by a driving mechanism (e.g., an air cylinder) (not shown) in a direction toward and away from the wafer W. Furthermore, at least two of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, and 74 are connected to a roller rotation mechanism (not shown).

[0034] Only one end of the roll sponge 78 may be supported in a cantilever manner by the rotation mechanism 81, or both ends of the roll sponge 78 may be supported using a roll arm (not shown). The roll arm has, for example, an arm portion extending from the rotation mechanism 81 along the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 78, and a support portion extending vertically from the arm portion. One end of the roll sponge 78 is supported by the rotation mechanism 81, and the other end of the roll sponge 78 is supported rotatably by the support portion.

[0035] The rotating mechanism 81, which rotates the roll sponge 78 that cleans the underside of the wafer W, is attached to a guide rail 89 that guides its vertical movement. The rotating mechanism 81 is supported by a load generating mechanism 82, and the rotating mechanism 81 and the roll sponge 78 are moved vertically by the load generating mechanism 82. Examples of the load generating mechanism 82 include a motor drive mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder. The rotating mechanism 81 and the load generating mechanism 82 are connected to the above-mentioned control device 111 (see FIG. 1), and the operations of the rotating mechanism and the load generating mechanism are controlled by the control device 111.

[0036] 3, the cleaning unit 131 includes a microbubble water module 90 for cleaning the upper surface, which is the surface of the wafer W. The microbubble water module 90 includes an ejection nozzle 91 that ejects microbubble water onto the surface of the substrate, and a microbubble water supply device 93 that supplies microbubble water to the ejection nozzle 91. The microbubble water is cleaning water for removing foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris adhering to the surface of the substrate.

[0037] Microbubble water is also called fine bubble water. Microbubble water is water containing very fine bubbles (e.g., bubbles having a diameter of 100 μm or less) and has high cleaning ability. A microbubble water supply device 93 supplies the microbubble water to a spray nozzle 91, which sprays the microbubble water onto a target area on the surface of the substrate. In other words, the spray range of the spray nozzle 91 for the microbubble water is preset in accordance with the target area on the wafer W.

[0038] The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research into cleaning the surface of a substrate (removal of foreign matter) with microbubble water and have found that microbubble water has high cleaning ability immediately after it is generated, in other words, immediately after it is sprayed from the spray nozzle 91. On the other hand, it has also been found that the cleaning ability of microbubble water decreases as time passes after the generation of the microbubble water. For this reason, in this embodiment, the microbubble water module 90 of the cleaning unit 131 is configured to spray the microbubble water from the spray nozzle 91 onto the wafer W immediately after the microbubble water is generated.

[0039] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a microbubble water supply device according to one embodiment. The microbubble water supply device 93 shown in Fig. 4 includes a first generation tank 201, a second generation tank 202, a third generation tank 203, a revitroscope pump 205, a bellows pump 207, an ejector 209, a gas supply source 210, a microbubble water generating nozzle 222, and a supply line 221 extending from the third generation tank 203 to the microbubble water generating nozzle 222. The microbubble water supply device is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 4 as long as it can generate microbubble water and supply the microbubble water to the injection nozzle 91. A known microbubble water supply device can be used as the microbubble water supply device in this embodiment.

[0040] The gas supply source 210 is provided to supply a gas to the pure water for generating bubbles contained in the microbubble water. Examples of the gas supplied from the gas supply source 210 include an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen), oxygen, and ozone. In the following, an example in which the gas supplied from the gas supply source 210 is nitrogen will be described.

[0041] Microbubble water is generated as follows. Pure water is supplied to the first generation tank 201 from a pure water supply source (not shown). The pure water in the first generation tank 201 is sent to the ejector 209 by the revitrified pump 205. Nitrogen is supplied to the ejector 209 from a gas supply source 210, and the nitrogen is mixed with the pure water. The mixed fluid of the pure water and nitrogen is sent from the ejector 209 to the second generation tank 202, and nitrogen-containing water is generated in the second generation tank 202. A part of the generated nitrogen-containing water is returned to the first generation tank 201 and circulates between the first generation tank 201 and the second generation tank 202. This makes it possible to generate nitrogen-containing water with a high concentration.

[0042] The nitrogen-containing water is sent from the second generation tank 202 to the third generation tank 203 by the bellows pump 207. The gas supplied from the gas supply source 210 is also injected into the nitrogen-containing water flowing from the second generation tank 202 to the third generation tank 203 and mixed therewith. By further dissolving nitrogen in the nitrogen-containing water flowing toward the third generation tank 203, the nitrogen concentration of the nitrogen-containing water stored in the third generation tank 203 can be further increased. Thereafter, the nitrogen-containing water in the third generation tank 203 is supplied to the microbubble water generating nozzle 222 through a supply line (nitrogen-containing water supply line) 221. In the microbubble water generating nozzle 222, the nitrogen contained in the nitrogen-containing water is converted into microbubbles, thereby generating microbubble water containing fine nitrogen bubbles.

[0043] In this embodiment, the injection nozzle 91 is directly connected to the microbubble water generating nozzle 222. With this configuration, microbubble water immediately after it is generated can be injected from the injection nozzle 91 onto the surface of the wafer W. As a result, microbubble water having extremely high cleaning power (or foreign matter removal ability) can be injected onto the surface of the wafer W.

[0044] By increasing the ejection pressure of the microbubble water from the microbubble water generating nozzle 222, the microbubble water containing a large number of microbubbles can be ejected from the ejection nozzle 91 toward the surface of the wafer W. As an example, the ejection pressure is 0.2 MPa or more.

[0045] In one embodiment, the discharge diameter of the microbubble water generating nozzle 222 and the discharge diameter of the injection nozzle 91 may be smaller than the diameter of the supply line 221. In one embodiment, the discharge diameter of the injection nozzle 91 may be smaller than the discharge diameter of the microbubble water generating nozzle 222. This makes it possible to further increase the discharge pressure, and as a result, a more stable cleaning effect (foreign matter removal effect) can be achieved.

[0046] Figure 5(a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer W and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle, Figure 5(b) is a schematic diagram showing another example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer W and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle, and Figure 5(c) is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of the relationship between a target area on a wafer W and the spray range of microbubble water from the spray nozzle.

[0047] The target area TR shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b) is an elongated area set to extend linearly in the diameter direction of the wafer W from the center Cr to the outermost periphery Ci of the wafer W held by the substrate holder 52. In the example shown in FIG. 5(a), microbubble water is sprayed toward the target area TR by one spray nozzle 91. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 5(b), microbubble water is sprayed toward the target area TR by multiple (three in the illustrated example) spray nozzles 91. In this case, the arrangement of the spray nozzles 91 and / or the spray ranges of the microbubble water are adjusted so that the spray ranges IR of the microbubble water of the adjacent spray nozzles 91 partially overlap each other. Furthermore, it is preferable that the multiple spray nozzles 91 spray the microbubble water toward the wafer W at the same time. In this way, the number, arrangement, and spray range IR of the spray nozzles 91 of the microbubble water module 90 can be selected or set arbitrarily as long as the microbubble water sprayed from the spray nozzles 91 is sprayed over the entire target area TR.

[0048] In the example shown in Fig. 5(c), the target area TR extends over the entire length of the wafer W in the diameter direction passing through the center Cr of the wafer W, and microbubble water is sprayed from one spray nozzle 91 onto this target area TR. Although not shown, microbubble water may be sprayed from multiple spray nozzles 91 onto the target area TR extending over the entire length of the wafer W shown in Fig. 5(c). In this case as well, the number and arrangement of the spray nozzles 91 and / or the spray ranges IR of the microbubble water are adjusted so that the spray ranges IR of the microbubble water of adjacent spray nozzles 91 partially overlap each other. Furthermore, it is preferable that multiple spray nozzles 91 spray microbubble water toward the wafer W simultaneously.

[0049] 5(c), during cleaning of the wafer W, the entire surface of the wafer W is always in contact with the microbubble water immediately after it is sprayed from the spray nozzle 91. As a result, cleaning of the wafer W can be completed in a short time, and the throughput of the cleaning module 131 can be improved.

[0050] By spraying microbubble water from the spray nozzle 91 onto the target area TR on the wafer W while rotating the wafer W by the substrate holding part 52, it is possible to bring the microbubble water immediately after spraying from the spray nozzle 91 into contact with the entire surface of the wafer W. In other words, by spraying microbubble water having high cleaning ability onto the target area TR while rotating the wafer W by the substrate holding part 52, it is possible to effectively clean the entire surface of the wafer W.

[0051] Furthermore, unlike contact-type cleaning methods using cleaning tools such as roll sponges, cleaning the surface of the wafer W with microbubble water does not change (decrease) in its cleaning ability depending on the condition of the cleaning tool. In other words, cleaning the surface of the wafer W with microbubble water can always maintain high cleaning ability. Also, there is no reverse contamination caused by particles once removed by the cleaning tool reattaching to the wafer W during cleaning of the wafer W. In addition, since only microbubble water comes into contact with the surface of the wafer W, defects such as damage to devices formed on the surface of the wafer W can be prevented as much as possible.

[0052] FIG. 6(a) is a side view showing a jet nozzle according to another embodiment, and FIG. 6(b) is a schematic bottom view of the jet nozzle shown in FIG. 6(a). The jet nozzle 91 shown in FIG. 6(a) is configured as a long nozzle extending along the target area TR (see FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b)). As shown in FIG. 6(b), a single slit 91a extending along the longitudinal direction is formed in the bottom surface of the jet nozzle 91, and the microbubble water is jetted from the slit 91a toward the target area of ​​the wafer W. Even with this configuration, the microbubble water immediately after being jetted from the slit 91a of the jet nozzle 91 can be brought into contact with the entire surface of the rotating wafer W, and the entire surface of the wafer W can be effectively cleaned.

[0053] Although not shown, a plurality of nozzles may be formed on the bottom surface of a long nozzle-shaped jet nozzle 91 as shown in Fig. 6(a) along the longitudinal direction of the jet nozzle 91. In this case, the number, arrangement, and / or jet ranges of the jet ports are adjusted so that the jet ranges of the microbubble water of adjacent jet ports partially overlap each other.

[0054] Alternatively, a long nozzle-shaped jet nozzle 91 shown in Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b) may be used to jet microbubble water onto a target area TR extending over the entire length of the wafer W shown in Fig. 5(c). In this case, the jet nozzle 91 has a length along the target area TR that is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer W. With this configuration, the surface of the wafer W comes into contact with the microbubble water twice immediately after it is jetted from the jet nozzle 91 while the wafer W makes one rotation. As a result, cleaning of the wafer W can be completed in a short time, and the throughput of the cleaning module 131 can be improved.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the microbubble water supply device 93 may include a chemical supply device 225 for adding an alkaline chemical liquid to the microbubble water. The chemical supply device includes a chemical supply source 227 and a chemical supply line 228 extending from the chemical supply source 227 and connected to the supply line 221. The chemical supply line 228 shown in FIG. 4 includes an opening / closing valve 230, a pressure regulator 231 such as a pressure reducing valve, and a flow rate regulator 232 such as a mass flow controller. The opening / closing valve 230 and the flow rate regulator 232 are connected to the control device 111 (see FIG. 1), and the control device 111 is configured to be able to adjust the timing of adding the alkaline chemical liquid to the microbubble water and the flow rate of the alkaline chemical liquid to be added. In one embodiment, any one or two of the opening / closing valve 230, the pressure regulator 231, and the flow rate regulator 232 may be omitted. Furthermore, the flow rate regulator 232 may be a flow rate adjustment valve such as a needle valve.

[0056] When an alkaline chemical liquid is added to the nitrogen-containing water, the microbubble water sprayed from the spray nozzle 91 contains the alkaline chemical liquid. The alkaline chemical liquid improves the cleaning ability on the wafer W, and therefore the cleaning ability of the microbubble water sprayed from the spray nozzle 91 can be further improved. Examples of such alkaline chemical liquid include ammonia and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH).

[0057] Although not shown, while the surface of the wafer W is being cleaned with the microbubble water, an alkaline chemical liquid may be supplied to the surface of the wafer W to add the alkaline chemical liquid to the microbubble water present on the surface of the wafer W. In this case, unlike the example shown in Fig. 4, the end of the chemical liquid supply line 228 is not connected to the supply line 221. A chemical liquid supply nozzle that supplies the alkaline chemical liquid to the surface of the wafer W is connected to the end of the chemical liquid supply line 228.

[0058] Next, the polishing unit (polishing device) 121a will be described. In this embodiment, the polishing unit 121b has the same configuration as the polishing unit 121a, so a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0059] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a polishing unit according to one embodiment. As described above, the polishing unit 121a shown in Fig. 7 is a bevel polishing device that polishes the peripheral portion of the wafer W (see Figs. 2(a) and 2(b)). As shown in Fig. 7, the polishing unit 121a includes a substrate holding part 10 that holds and rotates the wafer W, a polishing head 50 that polishes the peripheral portion of the wafer W by bringing a polishing tool into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the substrate holding part 10, and at least one polishing part jet nozzle 21 (one in the illustrated example) that supplies microbubble water to the wafer W.

[0060] The polishing unit jet nozzle 21 is connected to a branch line 280 (see FIG. 4) branching off from the supply line 221 of the microbubble water supply device 93 described above, via a polishing unit microbubble generating nozzle 281. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the polishing unit microbubble generating nozzle 281 is directly connected to the polishing unit jet nozzle 21. Therefore, the polishing unit jet nozzle 21 can jet microbubble water immediately after microbubbles are generated onto the wafer W. In this embodiment, the polishing unit jet nozzle 21, the polishing unit microbubble generating nozzle 281, and the branch line 280 branching off from the supply line 221 of the microbubble water supply device 93 constitute a polishing unit microbubble water module.

[0061] 7 shows a state in which the substrate holding unit 10 is holding a wafer W. The substrate holding unit 10 includes a holding stage 4 that holds the wafer W by vacuum suction, a shaft 5 connected to the center of the holding stage 4, and a holding stage driving mechanism 7 that rotates and moves the holding stage 4 up and down. The holding stage driving mechanism 7 is configured to be able to rotate the holding stage 4 about its axis and move it up and down along the axis.

[0062] The holding stage 4, the polishing head 50, and the holding stage 4 are disposed inside a partition 60. The interior of the partition 60 forms a polishing chamber in which the wafer W is polished. The partition 60 is disposed on a base plate 65. The shaft 5 extends through the base plate 65.

[0063] The holding stage driving mechanism 7 includes a motor 14 as a stage rotation device for rotating the holding stage 4, and an air cylinder 17 for moving the holding stage 4 up and down. The motor 14 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 65. The holding stage 4 is rotated by the motor 14 via a shaft 5, a pulley 11a connected to the shaft 5, a pulley 11b attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 14, and a belt 12 wound around the pulleys 11a and 11b. The rotation shaft of the motor 14 extends parallel to the shaft 5. With this configuration, the wafer W held on the upper surface of the holding stage 4 is rotated by the motor 14. The shaft 5 is connected to an air cylinder 17 via a rotary joint 16 attached to the lower end of the shaft 5, and the shaft 5 and the holding stage 4 can be raised and lowered by the air cylinder 17.

[0064] The wafer W is placed on the upper surface of the holding stage 4 so that the center Cr of the wafer W is located on the axis of the holding stage 4. The wafer W is held on the upper surface of the holding stage 4 with the device surface facing upward. With this configuration, the substrate holding part 10 can rotate the wafer W about the axis of the holding stage 4 and raise and lower the wafer W along the axis of the holding stage 4.

[0065] In this embodiment, a polishing tape 31 having abrasive grains on its surface is used as an example of the polishing tool. The polishing device 1 further includes a polishing tool supply and recovery mechanism 41 that supplies the polishing tape 31 to the polishing head 50 and recovers it from the polishing head 50. The polishing tool supply and recovery mechanism 41 is disposed outside the partition wall 60. The polishing tool supply and recovery mechanism 41 includes a supply reel 43 that supplies the polishing tape 31 to the polishing head 50 and a recovery reel 44 that recovers the polishing tape 31 used in polishing the wafer W. Tension motors (not shown) are connected to the supply reel 43 and the recovery reel 44, respectively. Each tension motor applies a predetermined torque to the supply reel 43 and the recovery reel 44, so that a predetermined tension can be applied to the polishing tape 31.

[0066] The polishing tape 31 is supplied to the polishing head 50 so that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 31 faces the surface to be polished at the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The polishing tape 31 is supplied from the supply reel 43 to the polishing head 50 through an opening 60a provided in the partition 60, and the used polishing tape 31 is collected on the collection reel 44 through the opening 60a. The polishing tool supply and collection mechanism 41 further includes a plurality of guide rollers 45, 46, 47, and 48 for supporting the polishing tape 31. The traveling direction of the polishing tape 31 is guided by the guide rollers 45, 46, 47, and 48.

[0067] 7, the polishing head 50 includes a pressing mechanism 51 that presses the polishing tape 31 against the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The polishing tape 31 is supplied to pass over an end face of the pressing mechanism 51. In this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 51 includes a pressing pad 51a that supports the back surface of the polishing tape 31, and an air cylinder 51b connected to the pressing pad 51a. The polishing head 50 presses the polishing tape 31 from its back side by the pressing mechanism 51, and brings the polishing surface of the polishing tape 31 into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W, thereby polishing the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0068] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the polishing head is polishing the peripheral portion (bevel portion) of the wafer. When polishing the peripheral portion of the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 8, the tilt angle of the polishing head 50 is continuously changed by a tilt mechanism (not shown) while the pressing mechanism 51 presses the polishing tape 31 against the peripheral portion (e.g., the bevel portion) of the wafer W. During polishing of the wafer W, the polishing tape 31 is fed at a predetermined speed by the tape feed mechanism. In this way, by changing the angle of the polishing head 50 along the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the entire peripheral portion of the wafer W can be polished. In one embodiment, a grindstone may be used as the polishing tool instead of the polishing tape 31.

[0069] During polishing of the wafer W, microbubble water is sprayed from the polishing section jet nozzle 21 onto a target area on the surface of the wafer W. In this embodiment, the target area is the same as the target area TR described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Furthermore, as described with reference to Figures 5 and 6, the polishing section jet nozzle 21 may be a plurality of polishing section jet nozzles 21 arranged along the target area TR, or may be configured as an elongated nozzle.

[0070] 4, the branch line 280 branches off from the upstream side of the chemical supply line 228 in the supply line 221 of the microbubble water supply device 93. Therefore, no alkaline chemical solution is added to the microbubble water supplied to the polishing unit 121a. Of course, the branch line 280 may be configured to branch off from the downstream side of the chemical supply line 228 in the supply line 221 of the microbubble water supply device 93 so that an alkaline chemical solution can be added to the microbubble water supplied to the polishing unit 121a.

[0071] During polishing of the wafer W, the wafer W is held on the holding stage 4, and while rotating, microbubble water is sprayed from the polishing unit spray nozzle 21 toward the target area of ​​the wafer W, and the polishing tape 31 (polishing tool) is pressed against the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the polishing head 50. By these operations, the peripheral portion of the wafer W can be polished while the microbubble water is sprayed over the entire surface of the wafer W. The microbubble water forms a water film on the surface of the wafer W, which effectively prevents foreign matter such as polishing debris of the wafer W from adhering to the surface of the wafer W. Furthermore, some foreign matter that breaks through the water film of the microbubble water and adheres to the surface of the wafer W is washed away by the microbubble water having high cleaning ability, so that the surface of the wafer W is effectively prevented from being contaminated by foreign matter during polishing. Therefore, the burden of the wafer W cleaning process in the above-mentioned cleaning unit 131 can be reduced, and the throughput of the wafer W can be improved.

[0072] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments are naturally possible for a person skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 52 Cleaning holder (substrate holder) 90 Microbubble Water Module 91 Injection Nozzle 93 Microbubble water supply device 100 Substrate processing apparatus 121a, 121b Polishing module (polishing device) 131 Cleaning module (cleaning device) 132 Drying Module 201 First Generation Tank 202 Second Generation Tank 203 Third Generation Tank 205 Levitro Pump 207 Bellows Pump 209 Ejector 210 Gas supply source 221 Supply Line 222,281 Microbubble generating nozzle 225 Chemical supply device

Claims

1. A cleaning device for cleaning the polished substrate is provided, The cleaning device includes: a cleaning holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a microbubble water module that sprays microbubble water onto the surface of the substrate held in the cleaning holder to clean the surface of the substrate, The microbubble water module comprises: At least one injection nozzle for injecting the microbubble water onto a target area, which is an elongated area extending at least from the center to the outermost periphery of the substrate; a microbubble water supplying device that supplies the microbubble water to the injection nozzle.

2. Further comprising a polishing device for polishing the substrate, The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a polishing head for pressing a polishing tool against the substrate to polish the substrate; a polishing unit microbubble water module that sprays microbubble water onto a surface of the substrate while the substrate is being polished to clean the surface of the substrate, The polishing unit microbubble water module includes: The microbubble water is supplied from the microbubble water supply device to at least one polishing unit injection nozzle, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polishing unit jet nozzle jets the microbubble water onto the target area.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the microbubble water supplying device further comprises a chemical liquid injector that adds an alkaline chemical liquid to the microbubble water.

4. the injection nozzle is a plurality of injection nozzles arranged along the target area; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of injection nozzles are arranged such that the injection ranges of the microbubble water of adjacent injection nozzles partially overlap each other.

5. The injection nozzle is configured as an elongated nozzle extending along the target area; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the long nozzle has one slit-shaped injection port for injecting the microbubble water toward the target area.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the target area extends diametrically through a center of the substrate and across an entire length of the substrate.

7. The substrate is transported to a cleaning device; Holding and rotating the substrate; A substrate processing method comprising: spraying microbubble water from a spray nozzle onto a target area, which is an elongated area extending at least from the center to the outermost periphery, on the surface of the rotating substrate, thereby cleaning the surface of the substrate.

8. Transporting the substrate to a polishing apparatus; Holding and rotating the substrate; a polishing head is used to press a polishing tool against the rotating substrate to polish the substrate; 8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of spraying microbubble water from a polishing unit spray nozzle onto the target area while the substrate is being polished, to clean the surface of the substrate.

9. 8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed using microbubble water containing an alkaline chemical solution.

10. the injection nozzle is a plurality of injection nozzles arranged along the target area; 8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed by spraying the microbubble water such that spray ranges of the microbubble water from adjacent spray nozzles partially overlap each other.

11. The injection nozzle is an elongated nozzle extending along the target area, 8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning the surface of the substrate is performed by spraying the microbubble water from one slit-shaped spray nozzle formed in the long nozzle.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the elongated target area extends diametrically through a center of the substrate and over an entire length of the substrate.

Images