Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus that improves the quality of processed substrates.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus includes a supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate W rotated by a rotor 20, three or more base members 31 arranged along a circle centered on an axis Ax of the rotor 20, clamp pins 32 that are provided at positions eccentric from an axis Bx of rotation of the base members 31 and can move between closed and open positions where they approach and move away from the substrate W in accordance with the rotation of the base members 31, and a support member 33 that is provided at a distance from the clamp pins 32 in plan view and supports the substrate W. The support member 33 has an inclined surface that is higher from a side closer to the axis Ax of the rotor 20 to a side farther from the axis Ax and higher from a side farther from the clamp pins 32 to a side closer to the clamp pins, and can move between a placement position where the substrate W is placed and a holding position where the substrate W is held together with the clamp pins 32 at the closed position in accordance with the rotation of the base member 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In substrate processing equipment that processes substrates such as semiconductor wafers with processing liquids such as chemicals and cleaning liquids, single-wafer processing equipment that processes substrates one by one is widely used from the viewpoint of uniformity and reproducibility of processing for each substrate. Single-wafer processing equipment rotates a turntable that holds the substrate, and while rotating the substrate, supplies processing liquid near the center of the substrate, spreading the processing liquid over the entire surface of the substrate to be processed by centrifugal force, thereby processing the surface to be processed.

[0003] Such a processing apparatus includes a chuck mechanism that holds a substrate on a rotary table. The chuck mechanism includes, for example, a plurality of chuck pins arranged along the periphery of the substrate, which are movable between a closed position in contact with the edge of the substrate and an open position away from the edge. The substrate is carried onto the rotary table and held thereon by the plurality of chuck pins being in the closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-181889 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, the processing liquid supplied near the center of the substrate flows toward the outer periphery of the substrate as the turntable rotates, thereby processing the entire surface to be processed. However, the processing liquid is less likely to flow to the positions where the chuck pins are in contact, which may result in unprocessed or insufficiently processed portions of the substrate. In addition, when the processing liquid on the substrate is shaken off and dried by rotating the turntable at high speed, the processing liquid may not be discharged and may remain at the positions where the chuck pins are in contact. If the remaining processing liquid dries, it will become a watermark, which may lead to product defects.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the quality of a processed substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] a clamp pin provided for each of the base members at a position eccentric to the axis of rotation of the base member and movable between a closed position in contact with the substrate and an open position away from the substrate in accordance with the rotation of the base member; a support member provided for each of the base members at a distance from the clamp pins in a plan view and supporting the substrate; and an inclined surface provided on the support member, which becomes higher from the side closer to the axis of the rotor to the side farther from it and from the side farther from the clamp pin to the side closer to it, and which is movable from the rotation of the base member between a loading position where the substrate is loaded when the clamp pin is in the open position and a holding position where the substrate is held together with the clamp pin in the closed position. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the quality of a processed substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are plan views showing the operation of the holding part of the substrate processing apparatus in FIG. 1, in which (A) shows a state in which the clamp pins are in an open position and the support member is in a loading position, and (B) shows a state in which the clamp pins are in a closed position and the support member is in a holding position. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a substrate release state. [Figure 4] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a substrate holding state of the internal configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 1A is a perspective view showing a clamp pin and a support member in an open position and a support member in a placement position, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a clamp pin and a support member in a closed position and a holding position. [Figure 6] 1A is a plan view showing a state in which the clamp pin is in an open position and the support member is in a mounting position, and FIG. 1B is a plan view showing a state in which the clamp pin is in a closed position and the support member is in a holding position. [Figure 7] 1A is a side view showing the slope of the inclined surface increasing from the side closer to the axis of the rotating body to the side farther from it, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the slope of the inclined surface increasing from the side farther from the clamp pin to the side closer to it. [Figure 8] 1A is a side view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a support member that is in a placement position, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state in which the substrate is held by clamp pins and the support member. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between a clamp pin and a support member. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for substrate processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of liquid pools between a substrate and a support member in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the direction against gravity is referred to as "up" and the direction according to gravity is referred to as "down."

[0011] [overview] 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for wet processing the substrate W by holding and rotating a disk-shaped substrate W with clamp pins 32 and support members 33 while supplying a processing liquid L from a supply unit 40 to both the front and back surfaces (surfaces to be processed) of the substrate W. Wet processing includes cleaning processing using a cleaning liquid, etching processing using a chemical solution, and the like. In this embodiment, processing is performed on both the upper surface (top surface) and the lower surface (bottom surface) of the substrate W held by the clamp pins 32. However, processing may be performed by supplying the processing liquid L only to the top surface or only to the bottom surface of the substrate W.

[0012] The outer peripheral side surface of the substrate W is defined as the end surface, the boundary between the end surface and the upper surface and the area nearby the boundary are defined as the upper edge portion wu, and the boundary between the end surface and the lower surface and the area nearby the boundary are defined as the lower edge portion wl (see Figures 8(A) and (B)). The substrate W to be processed is, for example, a circular semiconductor wafer made of silicon. The upper edge portion wu and lower edge portion wl of the semiconductor wafer may be chamfered by bevel processing or may be rounded.

[0013] [Substrate processing equipment] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a rotating body 20, a holding unit 30, a supply unit 40, and a control device 50.

[0014] (rotating body) The rotating body 20 rotates the substrate W. The rotating body 20 has a flat table 20a that faces, with a gap therebetween, the substrate W held by the holding part 30, and is provided so as to be rotatable together with the holding part 30. The rotating body 20 has a cylindrical shape with one end closed by the table 20a. The table 20a has a circular surface with a diameter larger than that of the substrate W. A circular through hole 20b is formed in the center of the table 20a, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] The rotor 20 is rotatably mounted on a fixed base 21 fixed to a mounting surface (not shown) or a stand mounted on the mounting surface by a motor 22. Ax in the figure is the axis of rotation of the rotor 20. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the motor 22 is a hollow motor having a hollow rotor 22a and a stator 22b for rotating the rotor 22a. A hollow rotating shaft 22c is connected to the rotor 22a of the motor 22. The outer periphery of the rotating shaft 22c is connected to a support plate 20c provided inside the rotor 20 so as to be coaxial with the rotor 20. The stator 22b is fixed to the fixed base 21. A waste liquid pipe 22d communicating with the through hole 20b is provided inside the rotating shaft 22c. The upper part of the waste liquid pipe 22d is formed with a funnel-shaped (inverted cone-shaped, mortar-shaped) inclined surface, and the upper end opens toward the through hole 20b.

[0016] The motor 22 rotates the rotor 22a by energizing the coil of the stator 22b. The rotation of the rotor 22a rotates the rotating shaft 22c, and the rotor 20 rotates. The rotor 20 shown by the dotted line in Figures 3 and 4 and the part surrounded by the dashed line are the parts that rotate together with the substrate W, and the rest are the parts that are fixed to the fixed base 21 and do not rotate together with the substrate W. However, the waste liquid pipe 22d is supported and fixed to the stand independently of the rotor 22a, and does not rotate even when the rotor 20 and the like rotate.

[0017] A protective wall 21a is provided on the fixed base 21. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the protective wall 21a is a double cylindrical wall that is concentric with the rotor 20 and stands on the fixed base 21, and covers the lower edge of the rotor 20 so as to sandwich the lower edge without contacting the rotor 20. As a result, a labyrinth structure, which is a bent path, is formed between the protective wall 21a and the rotor 20, and the processing liquid L that flows down along the outer wall of the rotor 20 is unlikely to flow into the rotor 20.

[0018] (holding part) The holder 30 is parallel to and spaced from the table 20a, and holds the substrate W. The holder 30 has a base member 31, a clamp pin 32, a support member 33, and a rotation mechanism 34, as shown in FIGS.

[0019] <Base material> The base member 31 is a cylindrical member as shown in Fig. 5(A) and (B). The base member 31 is provided on the rotating body 20 so as to be rotatable around an axis Bx parallel to the axis Ax of the rotating body 20 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). As shown in Fig. 2(A) and (B), three or more base members 31 are arranged along a circle centered on the axis Ax of the rotating body 20. This circle corresponds to the outer periphery of the substrate W positioned around the axis Ax. In this embodiment, six base members 31 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The top surface 31a of each base member 31 is exposed from the table 20a.

[0020] <Clamp pin> As shown in Figs. 5(A) and (B), the clamp pin 32 is a columnar member raised from the top surface 31a of the base member 31 in a direction parallel to the axis Ax. As shown in Figs. 6(A) and (B), the clamp pin 32 is provided for each base member 31 at a position eccentric from the axis Bx of the rotation of the base member 31. That is, the clamp pin 32 is provided at a position offset from the axis Bx in a plan view. The clamp pin 32 is provided so as to be movable between an open position (Figs. 2(A), 5(A), and 6(A)) and a closed position (Figs. 2(B), 5(B), and 6(B)) according to the rotation of the base member 31. The closed position is a position where the clamp pin 32 holds the substrate W by contacting the substrate W. The open position is a position where the clamp pin 32 is separated from the substrate W to release the substrate W. In this embodiment, the six clamp pins 32 contact the substrate W in a synchronized manner, so that the center of the substrate W coincides with the axis Ax.

[0021] 8(A) and (B), the contact surface 32a of the clamp pin 32 that comes into contact with and separates from the substrate W is inclined outwardly away from the axis Cx toward the upper end (the end opposite the base member 31). In this embodiment, the clamp pin 32 is cylindrical, and the contact surface 32a is an inverted tapered surface that increases in diameter toward the upper side. The length of the contact surface 32a in the height direction is greater than the thickness of the substrate W. However, the contact surface 32a may be formed only on the portion that comes into contact with and separates from the substrate W.

[0022] <Supporting member> As shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, the support member 33 is provided for each base member 31 at a distance from the clamp pin 32 in a plan view, and is a member that supports the substrate W. As shown in Figs. 5A and 5B, the support member 33 is a member that stands up from the top surface 31a of the base member 31 in a direction parallel to the axis Bx. The support member 33 is curved so as to bulge on the side opposite to the clamp pin 32 side in a plan view. Since the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33 are arranged at a distance, a gap through which the processing liquid L flows is formed between them. In other words, there is no member between the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33 that obstructs the flow of the processing liquid L other than the top surface 31a of the base member 31.

[0023] The support member 33 is provided with an inclined surface 330. The inclined surface 330 is formed on the upper end of the support member 33 (the surface opposite to the base member 31). As shown by the arrow S1 in FIG. 7A, which is a side view seen from the direction of the black arrow in FIG. 6A, the inclined surface 330 becomes higher from the side closer to the axis Ax of the rotating body 20 to the side farther from it. Also, as shown by the arrow S2 in FIG. 7B, which is a side view seen from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 6A, the inclined surface 330 becomes higher from the side farther from the clamp pin 32 to the side closer to it. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the end of the inclined surface 330 that is close to the axis Ax and the axis Bx and far from the clamp pin 32 is e1, and the end that is far from the axis Ax and the axis Bx and close to the clamp pin 32 is e2.

[0024] The arrow S1 in FIG. 7(A) and the arrow S2 in FIG. 7(B) simply show the inclination angle of the entire inclined surface 330. However, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 330 does not need to be constant over the entire length. In this embodiment, the inclination that increases from the side closer to the axis Ax of the rotating body 20 toward the side farther away becomes gentler as it becomes farther away from the axis Ax. That is, the inclined surface 330 has a region r2 near the end e2 farther from the axis Ax that is closer to horizontal than a region r1 near the end e1 near the axis Ax (see FIGS. 6(A), (B), 8(A), and (B)). Note that the highest position of the inclined surface 330 does not need to coincide with the end e2 farther from the axis Ax, and may be lower by chamfering or rounding the corners of the end e2.

[0025] 8(A) and (B), the highest point of the inclined surface 330 is lower than the upper end of the clamp pin 32. More specifically, the highest point of the inclined surface 330 is at a height that allows the substrate W to be sandwiched between the contact surface 32a of the clamp pin 32 in a side view. However, since the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33 are provided with a gap therebetween as described above, the inclined surface 330 and the clamp pin 32 are positioned apart from each other in a plan view as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and (B).

[0026] 6(A) and (B), in plan view, a roundness is formed on the end e2 side of the outer circumferential surface of the support member 33. In addition, the support member 33 has a curved shape so as to fit along the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 in plan view.

[0027] The inclined surface 330 is provided so as to be movable between a placement position (see FIGS. 2(A), 3, and 8(A)) and a holding position (see FIGS. 2(B), 4, and 8(B)) in accordance with the rotation of the base member 31. The placement position is a position where the substrate W is placed and thereby supported. At the placement position, the substrate W is supported only by the inclined surface 330, and the clamp pin 32 is not in contact with the substrate W. In this manner, the portion on which the substrate W is placed is an area r1 on the end e1 side of the inclined surface 330 (see FIG. 6(A)). At the holding position, the substrate W is held in contact with the substrate W together with the clamp pin 32. At the holding position, the substrate W is held so as to be sandwiched between the clamp pin 32 and the inclined surface 330 in a side view. At the holding position, the portion of the inclined surface 330 with which the substrate W comes in contact is an area r2 on the end e2 side (see FIG. 6(B)). Since the inclined surface 330 becomes higher from the side farther from the clamp pin 32 to the side closer to the clamp pin 32 (see FIG. 7(B)), in regions r1 and r2, it is the edge of the inclined surface 330 on the clamp pin 32 side that comes into contact with the substrate W.

[0028] 6A and 6B, the support member 33 is formed such that the width of the side closer to the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is larger than the side farther from the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31, that is, the horizontal length is longer. Therefore, the width t1 of the end e1 side of the inclined surface 330 closer to the axis Bx of the base member 31 is wider than the width t2 of the end e2 side of the base member 31 farther from the axis Bx. Note that the width t1 here is the tangential length of the inclined surface 330 at the contact point on the outer periphery of the substrate W, where the inclined surface 330 contacts the substrate W in the placement position. The width t2 is the tangential length of the inclined surface 330 at the contact point on the outer periphery of the substrate W, where the inclined surface 330 contacts the substrate W in the holding position.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 8(A), the substrate W is placed on region r1 (see Fig. 6(A)) of the inclined surface 330 in the placement position, and the substrate W is raised by the inclined surface 330 (indicated by the black arrow in the figure) as the base member 31 rotates. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(B), the inclined contact surface 32a of the clamp pin 32 comes into contact with the upper edge portion wu of the substrate W to assume the closed position, and region r2 (see Fig. 6(B)) of the inclined surface 330 comes into contact with the lower edge portion wl of the substrate W to assume the holding position.

[0030] <Location> More specifically, the base member 31, the clamp pin 32, and the inclined surface 330 of the support member 33 have the following positional relationship in a plan view. 6(A) and (B), the distance d1 between the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the end e1 of the inclined surface 330 closest to the axis Bx is longer than the distance d2 between the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the clamp pin 32. The distance d2 between the axis Bx and the clamp pin 32 is the shortest distance between the outer circumferential circle of the clamp pin 32 and the axis Bx in a plan view.

[0031] 6(A) and (B), the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is located inside the outer periphery of the substrate W placed on the inclined surface 330. "Inside the outer periphery" means a position closer to the center of the substrate W.

[0032] (3) As shown in FIG. 9 , a portion of the inclined surface 330 is provided within region H, which is the same distance from the axis Bx of the base member 31 as the clamp pin 32. Preferably, the end e1 of the inclined surface 330 is provided within region H. Region H is ring-shaped with a width equal to the diameter of the outer circumferential circle of the clamp pin 32. "Inside region H" refers to a position that overlaps with region H in a plan view, and does not include the inner circular region of the ring shape. Moreover, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 is provided outside region H.

[0033] In addition, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 is located within the downstream region in the rotation direction (direction of the arrow in Figure 9) in which the base member 31 rotates so that the clamp pin 32 changes from the open position to the closed position, within the region surrounded by a straight line v1 passing through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the axis Cx of the clamp pin 32, a straight line v2 which is a tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 and perpendicular to this line v1 and is on the outer periphery side of the base member 31, and the outer periphery of the base member 31.

[0034] In addition, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 that is farther from the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is tangent to a straight line v3 that is a tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 that passes between the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33 and passes through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31.

[0035] (4) When the clamp pin 32 is in the open position, the area r1 in which the substrate W is placed on the inclined surface 330 is a region downstream in the rotation direction in which the base member 31 rotates from the open position to the closed position of a line v4 that is a tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 passing between the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33, is perpendicular to a line v3 that passes through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31, and passes through the axis Cx of the clamp pin 32.

[0036] <Rotation mechanism> The rotation mechanism 34 rotates the base member 31 to move the clamp pin 32 between a closed position and an open position, and to move the support member 33 between a placement position and a holding position. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the rotation mechanism 34 has a shaft member 341, a small gear 342, and a large gear 343. As shown in Figs. 5(A) and (B), the shaft member 341 is a cylindrical member provided coaxially with the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 on the side opposite to the top surface 31a of the base member 31.

[0037] The small gear 342 is a sector gear provided at the end of the shaft member 341 opposite to the base member 31. The small gear 342 is rotatably provided on the support plate 20c. The large gear 343 is a gear in which gear grooves are intermittently formed corresponding to the small gear 342. The large gear 343 is rotatably provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 22c by a bearing (not shown). In other words, the large gear 343 is rotatably provided coaxially with the rotating body 20 by the motor 22 that rotates the rotating body 20. The large gear 343 has six protrusions formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction at intervals corresponding to the small gear 342, and a gear groove that meshes with the small gear 342 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tip of each protrusion.

[0038] The large gear 343 is biased in a rotational direction (counterclockwise direction) indicated by an arrow α in Fig. 2(A) by a spring (not shown). As a result, the small gear 342 is biased in the clockwise direction indicated by an arrow β1, so that the base member 31 is interlocked with the rotation of the small gear 342, and the clamp pin 32 moves toward the center of the rotating body 20 and is maintained in a closed position in contact with the edge surface of the substrate W as shown in Fig. 2(B). During substrate processing, the base member 31, shaft member 341, clamp pin 32, small gear 342, and large gear 343 rotate together with the rotating body 20 in Fig. 2 (the direction of the white arrow in Fig. 2(B)) while maintaining this closed position.

[0039] Furthermore, the large gear 343 is prevented from rotating by a stopper mechanism (not shown). When the rotating body 20 is rotated a predetermined angle in the direction of arrow γ while the rotation of the large gear 343 is prevented, as shown in Fig. 2(B), the small gear 342 meshing with the large gear 343, whose rotation is prevented, rotates counterclockwise as shown by arrow β2. This rotates the base member 31, so that the clamp pin 32 moves in a direction away from the edge face of the substrate W and reaches the open position as shown in Fig. 2(A).

[0040] (Supply Department) 1, the supply unit 40 supplies a processing liquid L to a processing surface of a substrate W. The supply unit 40 includes a processing liquid supply mechanism 41, an upper nozzle 42, a moving mechanism 43, and a lower nozzle 44.

[0041] The processing liquid supply mechanism 41 is a mechanism for supplying a plurality of types of processing liquid L. In this embodiment, the processing liquid L may be, for example, an aqueous solution containing hydrogen fluoride (HF) (hereinafter, referred to as a hydrofluoric acid solution), ultrapure water (hereinafter, referred to as DIW), ozone (O 3 The processing liquid supply mechanism 41 has a processing liquid tank 41a for storing each processing liquid L.

[0042] Individual feed pipes 41b are connected in parallel from each processing liquid tank 41a to a processing liquid supply pipe 41c. The ends of the processing liquid supply pipes 41c are connected to an upper nozzle 42 and a lower nozzle 44. As a result, the processing liquid L from each processing liquid tank 41a is supplied to the processing surface of the substrate W via the individual feed pipes 41b and the processing liquid supply pipes 41c. Each individual feed pipe 41b is provided with a flow rate adjustment valve 41d and a flow meter 41e.

[0043] The upper nozzle 42 is connected to the processing liquid supply mechanism 41 via a processing liquid supply pipe 41c, and discharges the processing liquid L near the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. The moving mechanism 43 has an arm that is swung by a drive source, and moves the upper nozzle 42 provided at the tip of the arm between a supply position above the vicinity of the center of the substrate W and a retracted position where the upper nozzle 42 is retracted from above the substrate W.

[0044] The lower nozzle 44 is connected to the processing liquid supply mechanism 41 via a processing liquid supply pipe 41c, and discharges the processing liquid L toward the center of the lower surface of the substrate W. The tip of the lower nozzle 44 is attached to a through-hole formed in the inclined surface of the waste liquid pipe 22d, and faces toward the center of the lower surface of the substrate W.

[0045] (Control device) The control device 50 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control device 50 has a processor that executes a program to realize various functions of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a memory that stores various information such as the program and operating conditions, and a drive circuit that drives each element. That is, the control device 50 controls the motor 22, the rotation mechanism 34, the processing liquid supply mechanism 41, the movement mechanism 43, etc.

[0046] [Substrate processing] Next, substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10 in addition to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. The process described below is an example of a cleaning process using DIW, a hydrofluoric acid solution, and ozone water.

[0047] First, in the state shown in Fig. 2(B), the rotating body 20 rotates a predetermined angle in the γ direction, causing the small gear 342 to rotate in the β2 direction, and as shown in Fig. 2(A), the clamp pin 32 comes to an open position away from the area (shown by the dashed line in Fig. 2) on which the substrate W is placed. At this time, a part of the area r1 of the inclined surface 330 of the support member 33 is located inside the outer periphery of the area on which the substrate W is placed (see Fig. 9(A)).

[0048] 3, the substrate W mounted on the robot hand of the transport robot is carried onto the rotating body 20, and its edge is supported on the region r1 of the inclined surfaces 330 of the multiple support members 33 (step S01). Then, the robot hand retreats from the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S02).

[0049] Next, when the bias caused by the rotation of the rotor 20 in the γ direction is stopped, as shown in Fig. 2(A), the large gear 343 is biased by the spring to rotate in the α direction, so that the base member 31 rotates in the β1 direction together with the small gear 342. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(A), as the clamp pin 32 moves in a direction contacting the end face of the substrate W, the support member 33 moves while pushing up the edge of the substrate W with the inclined surface 330, and stops at the closed position where the clamp pin 32 contacts the end face of the substrate W as shown in Fig. 8(B) (step S03). As a result, as shown in Figs. 2(B) and 6(B), the inclined surface 330 becomes the holding position, so that the substrate W is held by the region r2 of the inclined surface 330 together with the clamp pin 32.

[0050] In this manner, the upper edge portion wu and the lower edge portion wl of the substrate W are held by the clamp pins 32 and the support members 33, thereby holding the substrate W on the table 20a of the rotating body 20. At this time, the substrate W is positioned by the six clamp pins 32 so that the center of the substrate W coincides with the axis Ax of rotation of the rotating body 20.

[0051] Next, the rotating body 20 rotates at a relatively slow predetermined speed (for example, about 50 rpm). This causes the substrate W to rotate together with the holder 30 at the predetermined speed (step S04). Then, the processing liquid L is supplied from the upper nozzle 42 and the lower nozzle 44 to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, thereby starting the substrate processing (step S05).

[0052] The substrate processing will be described in detail below. As shown in FIG. 1, the moving mechanism 43 moves the upper nozzle 42 to an upper position near the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. Then, the upper nozzle 42 and the lower nozzle 44 discharge the processing liquid L to the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. When the processing liquid L is supplied to the processing surface of the rotating substrate W, the processing liquid L moves sequentially toward the outer periphery of the substrate W, so that the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W are processed by the processing liquid L. The processing liquid L that flows out from the outer periphery of the substrate W toward the holder 30 is discharged to the outside from between the clamp pins 32 and the support member 33. In addition, the entire area below the substrate W that is in contact with the clamp pins 32 is empty, so the processing liquid L does not stagnate.

[0053] Since the inclined surface 330 is higher from the side farther from the clamp pin 32 to the side closer to the clamp pin 32 (see FIG. 7B), only the edge of the inclined surface 330 on the clamp pin 32 side comes into contact with the substrate W, and the portion blocking the flow from the center of the substrate W to the outside is small, so the processing liquid L does not stagnate. Furthermore, since the highest point of the inclined surface 330 is lower than the upper end of the clamp pin 32, the processing liquid L flowing outward does not hit the upper part of the inclined surface 330 and block the flow. Furthermore, the inclination of the inclined surface 330 becomes gentler as it becomes farther from the axis Ax of the rotor 20, and is nearly horizontal at the high position, so that the processing liquid L can easily flow. Furthermore, the width t2 on the far end e2 side of the inclined surface 330 is narrower than the width t1 on the end e1 side closer to the axis Bx, so that the width t2 of the region r2 of the inclined surface 330 present at the bottom of the substrate W becomes narrower, and the processing liquid L can easily flow.

[0054] After a predetermined processing time has elapsed, the upper nozzle 42 and the lower nozzle 44 stop supplying the processing liquid L, thereby terminating the processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 (YES in step S06), and the rotating body 20 rotates at a relatively high rotation speed (e.g., 300 rpm or more) to shake off and dry the processing liquid, and then stops rotating (step S07).

[0055] During the rotation of the substrate W as described above, the processing liquid L supplied from the upper nozzle 42 and the lower nozzle 44 is switched depending on the desired processing. For example, the substrate W is cleaned by supplying DIW to remove particles and dirt from the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, and then a hydrofluoric acid solution is supplied to remove the oxide layer of the substrate W. Then, after the hydrofluoric acid and reaction products are removed by supplying DIW, organic matter is oxidized and decomposed by supplying ozone water to remove fine impurities on the surface.

[0056] After the above-mentioned processing, as shown in Fig. 2(B), the rotating body 20 rotates in the γ direction by a predetermined angle, so that the small gear 342 rotates in the β2 direction, and the clamp pin 32 reaches the open position away from the edge face of the substrate W (step S08), as shown in Fig. 2(A) and Fig. 6(A). At this time, the inclined surface 330 of the support member 33 is in the placement position.

[0057] In this state, the robot hand of the transport robot is inserted under the substrate W and rises to support the substrate W (step S09). Then, the robot hand raises the substrate W and carries it out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S10).

[0058] [effect] (1) The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a rotating body 20 that rotates a substrate W, a supply unit 40 that supplies a processing liquid L to the substrate W rotated by the rotating body 20, three or more base members 31 that are provided on the rotating body 20 so as to be rotatable about an axis Bx parallel to the axis Ax of the rotating body 20 and are arranged along a circle centered on the axis Ax of the rotating body 20, and a base member 31 that is provided for each base member 31 at a position eccentric to the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and is movable between a closed position in contact with the substrate W and an open position away from the substrate W in accordance with the rotation of the base member 31. The base member 31 has a clamp pin 32, a support member 33 that is arranged at intervals from the clamp pin 32 in a planar view and supports the substrate W, and an inclined surface 330 that is arranged on the support member 33 and increases in height from the side closer to the axis Ax of the rotating body 20 to the side farther from the clamp pin 32 and from the side farther from the clamp pin 32 to the side closer to the clamp pin 32, and is movable between a placement position where the substrate W is placed when the clamp pin 32 is in the open position and a holding position where the substrate W is held together with the clamp pin 32 in the closed position as the base member 31 rotates.

[0059] Therefore, the processing liquid L flowing outward from the outer periphery of the substrate W is discharged from between the clamp pins 32 and the support members 33. Since the area below the substrate W that is in contact with the clamp pins 32 is empty, the processing liquid L does not stagnate. Also, since the inclined surface 330 is higher from the side closer to the axis Ax of the rotor 20 to the side farther from it, the position where the processing liquid L comes into contact with the substrate W is the lower edge wl of the substrate W. Moreover, since the inclined surface 330 is higher from the side farther from the clamp pins 32 to the side closer to it, the processing liquid L comes into contact with the substrate W only at the edge on the clamp pin 32 side. Therefore, the area of ​​contact with the substrate W can be minimized, and the portion that blocks the flow of the processing liquid L from the center of the substrate W to the outside can be minimized, so that the processing liquid L is less likely to stagnate.

[0060] 11, when the support member SP having the inclined surface SL is configured integrally with the clamp pin 32, a pool of the processing liquid L occurs between the lower surface of the substrate W and the inclined surface SL. However, in this embodiment, the clamp pin 32 and the inclined surface 330 are separated, the lower part of the substrate W that contacts the clamp pin 32 is open, and the inclined surface 330 makes it easy for the processing liquid L to flow outward between the substrate W and the clamp pin 32, so that no pool of the processing liquid occurs. As a result, unprocessed or insufficiently processed portions are less likely to occur on the substrate W, and watermarks caused by drying of the remaining processing liquid L can be prevented, improving product quality.

[0061] (2) The highest point on the inclined surface 330 is lower than the upper end of the clamp pin 32. Therefore, the inclined surface 330 is not present in a position that would obstruct the flow of the processing liquid L, so that stagnation of the processing liquid L can be prevented.

[0062] (3) In plan view, the width t1 of the inclined surface 330 at the end e1 side closer to the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is wider than the width t2 at the end e2 side farther away. Therefore, when the loaded substrate W is placed, the substrate W can be stably supported in the region r1 of the wider width t1. Furthermore, when the substrate W is processed, the substrate W is held in the region r2 of the narrower width t2, so that the flow of the processing liquid L is not hindered and it flows easily. Furthermore, the processing liquid L discharged from the substrate W by centrifugal force can be prevented from colliding and scattering, and from re-adhering to the substrate W.

[0063] (4) In the inclined surface 330, the inclination increases from the side closer to the axis Ax of rotation of the rotor 20 toward the side farther from the axis Ax of rotation of the rotor 20, and the inclination becomes gentler the farther from the axis Ax of rotation of the rotor 20. Therefore, the inclination on the side where the processing liquid L is discharged becomes closer to horizontal, and the processing liquid L on the substrate W and the processing liquid L adhering to the support member 33 can be easily discharged by centrifugal force.

[0064] (5) The contact surface 32a of the clamp pin 32 that comes into contact with and separates from the substrate W is inclined outward toward the upper end and away from the axis Cx of the clamp pin 32. Therefore, the contact surface 32a can be brought into contact with the upper edge wu of the substrate W pushed up by the inclined surface 330 to hold the substrate W, thereby reducing the contact area. In addition, the processing liquid L can be easily discharged due to the gap formed by the inclined contact surface 32a. In particular, since the contact surface 32a is a reverse tapered surface (an inclined curved surface), the contact area with the substrate W can be reduced and the gap through which the processing liquid L flows can be increased.

[0065] (6) In plan view, the support member 33 is curved so as to bulge toward the side opposite the clamp pin 32. The processing liquid L flowing over the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W becomes swirling due to the rotation of the substrate W, and the processing liquid L is discharged in an inclined direction rather than in a linear radial direction. Since the support member 33 is curved, it follows the flow of the processing liquid L, and the processing liquid L is discharged more smoothly.

[0066] (7) In a plan view, the distance d1 between the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the end e1 of the inclined surface 330 closest to the axis Bx is longer than the distance d2 between the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the clamp pin 32. For this reason, when the inclined surface 330 is in the mounting position, the clamp pin 32 can be separated from the substrate W.

[0067] (8) In plan view, the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is located inside the outer periphery of the substrate W placed on the support member 33. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of rotation of the base member 31 required to move the clamp pins 32 and the support member 33, and to prevent the support member 33 from becoming larger. In addition, it is possible to prevent the base member 31 and the rotating body 20 from becoming larger.

[0068] (9) In plan view, a portion of the inclined surface 330 is provided in an area H where the distance from the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is the same as that of the clamp pin 32. Therefore, when the inclined surface 330 moves together with the clamp pin 32 in accordance with the rotation of the base member 31 21, the substrate W placed on the inclined surface 330 can be held between the clamp pin 32 and the inclined surface 330.

[0069] (10) End e1 of inclined surface 330 is provided within region H. In other words, inclined surface 330 is not provided inside region H, but is provided at a position avoiding the circular region inside region H. Therefore, when inclined surface 330 is in the holding position for holding substrate W, the area of ​​inclined surface 330 that gets under substrate W can be reduced, and processing liquid L supplied to the underside of substrate W is less likely to be hindered from being discharged by centrifugal force.

[0070] Moreover, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 is provided outside the region H. Therefore, when the inclined surface 330 moves together with the clamp pin 32 in accordance with the rotation of the base member 31, the substrate W placed on the inclined surface 330 can be reliably held between the clamp pin 32 and the inclined surface 330.

[0071] (11) In a plan view, in an area surrounded by a straight line v1 passing through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 and the axis Cx of the clamp pin 32, a straight line v2 on the outer periphery side of the base member 31 which is a tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 and perpendicular to the straight line v1, and the outer periphery of the base member 31, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 on the side farther from the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 is located in the area on the downstream side in the rotation direction (direction of the arrow in FIG. 9 ) when the base member 31 rotates so that the clamp pin 32 changes from the open position to the closed position. For this reason, the amount of rotation of the base member 31 required to move the support member 33 until the inclined surface 330 changes from the placement position to the holding position can be reduced, and an increase in the size of the support member 33 can be suppressed.

[0072] (12) In a plan view, the end e2 of the inclined surface 330 on the side farther from the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31 contacts a line v3 that is a tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 passing between the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33 and passes through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the amount of rotation of the base member 31 required to move the support member 33 until the inclined surface 330 moves from the placement position to the holding position, and it is also possible to prevent the support member 33 from becoming large.

[0073] (13) In a plan view, when the clamp pin 32 is in the open position, the region r1 in which the substrate W is placed on the support member 33 is located downstream of the line v4 passing through the axis Cx of the clamp pin 32, in the rotation direction in which the base member 31 rotates so that the clamp pin 32 moves from the open position to the closed position, which is tangent to the outer periphery of the clamp pin 32 passing between the clamp pin 32 and the support member 33, and perpendicular to the line v3 passing through the axis Bx of rotation of the base member 31. Therefore, the substrate W that has been carried in can be reliably placed on the support member 33.

[0074] [Variations] (1) This embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. The inclined surface 330 may have a constant inclination angle over the entire surface. The inclined surface 330 does not have to be curved. The width of the inclined surface 330 may be constant.

[0075] (2) The clamp pin 32 is not limited to a specific shape as long as it is a protrusion having an outer circumferential surface capable of holding the edge face of the substrate W. For example, the outer shape of the clamp pin 32 may be a simple cylindrical shape, or may have an expanded portion at the top as in the above embodiment. The entire clamp pin 32 may also be inverted tapered (an inverted truncated cone). A constriction, groove, or the like may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the clamp pin 32.

[0076] (3) This embodiment can be widely applied to substrate processing apparatus 1 that supplies processing liquid L to a rotating substrate W for processing. Therefore, the type of processing liquid L used is not limited to the one exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, various processing liquids L can be applied, such as an aqueous solution containing phosphoric acid, an ammonia-hydrogen peroxide mixture (APM), a hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide mixture (HPM), a sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide mixture (SPM), a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution (DHF), a hydrofluoric acid-hydrogen peroxide mixture (FPM), and a hydrofluoric acid (HF)-ozone mixture. In addition, in the case of an apparatus that uses a processing liquid L that requires heating, a heating unit that heats the processing liquid L and maintains the temperature may be provided.

[0077] [Other embodiments] Although the embodiment of the present invention and the modified examples of each part have been described above, these embodiments and the modified examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1. Substrate Processing Equipment 20 Rotating Body 20a Table 20b Through hole 20c support plate 21 Fixed base 21a Protective wall 22 Motor 22a Rotor 22b Stator 22c Rotation axis 22d Waste pipe 30 Holding part 31 Base material 31a Top 32 Clamp pin 32a Contact surface 33 Support member 34 Rotating mechanism 40 Supply section 41 Processing liquid supply mechanism 41a Processing liquid tank 41b Individual conveyance pipe 41c Processing liquid supply pipe 41d Flow control valve 41e flow meter 42 Upper nozzle 43 Moving mechanism 44 Lower nozzle 50 Control device 330 Slope 341 Shaft member 342 Small gear 343 Large Gear

Claims

1. A rotating body for rotating a substrate, A supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate rotated by the rotating body, A base member provided on the rotating body so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of the rotating body, and arranged in three or more along a circle centered on the axis of the rotating body, For each base member, provided at a position eccentric from the axis of rotation of the base member, and movable between a closed position in contact with the substrate and an open position away from the substrate as the base member rotates, a clamp pin, For each base member, provided at a distance from the clamp pin in a plan view, a support member for supporting the substrate, Provided on the support member, rising from the side close to the axis of the rotating body toward the side far from it, and rising from the side far from the clamp pin toward the side close to it, and as the base member rotates, a mounting position where the substrate is placed when the clamp pin is in the open position, and an inclined surface movable between a holding position for holding the substrate together with the clamp pin in the closed position, A substrate processing apparatus, characterized by comprising the above.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the highest position on the inclined surface is lower than the upper end of the clamp pin.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a plan view, the width of the end portion side of the inclined surface close to the axis of rotation of the base member is wider than the width of the end portion side far from it.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein on the inclined surface, the inclination rising from the side close to the axis of rotation of the rotating body toward the side far from it becomes gentler as it gets farther from the axis of rotation of the rotating body.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the contact surface of the clamp pin for contacting and separating from the substrate is inclined outward so as to be away from the axis of the clamp pin toward the upper end.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, the support member is curved so as to bulge toward the side opposite to the clamp pin side.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, the distance between the axis of rotation of the base member and the end of the inclined surface closest to the axis is longer than the distance between the axis of rotation of the base member and the clamp pin.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, the axis of rotation of the base member is inside the outer periphery of the substrate placed on the support member.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, a part of the inclined surface is provided in a region where the distance from the axis of rotation of the base member is the same as that of the clamp pin.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in a plan view, the end portion of the inclined surface on the side closer to the axis of rotation of the base member is provided within the region, and the end portion of the inclined surface on the side farther from the axis of rotation of the base member is provided outside the region.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, among the region surrounded by the straight line passing through the axis of rotation of the base member and the axis of the clamp pin, the tangent line of the outer periphery of the clamp pin passing between the clamp pin and the support member and on the outer peripheral side of the base member, the outer periphery of the base member, when the base member rotates so that the clamp pin moves from the open position to the closed position, the end portion of the inclined surface on the side farther from the axis of rotation of the base member is located in the downstream region in the rotation direction.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in a plan view, the end portion of the inclined surface on the side farther from the axis of rotation of the base member contacts the straight line passing through the axis of rotation of the base member and being the tangent line of the outer periphery of the clamp pin passing between the clamp pin and the support member.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the clamp pin is in the open position, the region where the substrate is placed on the support member is perpendicular to the straight line passing through the axis of rotation of the base member and being the tangent line of the outer periphery of the clamp pin passing between the clamp pin and the support member, and is in the downstream region in the rotation direction when the base member rotates so that the clamp pin moves from the open position to the closed position, rather than the straight line passing through the axis of the clamp pin.

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