Substrate surface treatment device and surface treatment method of the same

Abstract

To provide a surface treatment device which recycles mist of a treatment liquid introduced into a treatment chamber, and thereby can inexpensively subject a treated surface of a substrate to surface treatment.SOLUTION: A surface treatment device 100A is a device for bonding a treatment liquid L to a treated surface Ba of a substrate B, and thereby subjecting the substrate B to surface treatment. The surface treatment device 100A includes: a mist production device 10 for producing mist M of the treatment liquid L; a treatment chamber 20 to which mist M produced by the mist production device 10 is introduced, and that bonds the introduced mist M to the treated surface Ba of the substrate B; and a circulation path 30 for circulating the mist M discharged from the treatment chamber 20 to the treatment chamber 20 together with the mist M produced by the mist production device 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for treating a surface of a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, an apparatus has been proposed for performing surface treatment of a substrate by depositing a treatment liquid on the substrate's surface to be treated. Patent Document 1 proposes a surface treatment apparatus including a mist generating device for generating a mist of a cleaning liquid as a treatment liquid, and a treatment chamber for introducing the generated mist and depositing the introduced mist on the substrate's surface to be treated. According to the surface treatment apparatus, the generated mist is deposited on the substrate's surface to be treated, which is placed in the treatment chamber, thereby performing surface treatment on the substrate's surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-033730 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the surface treatment device shown in Patent Document 1, the mist introduced into the treatment chamber that does not adhere to the substrate adheres to the walls of the treatment chamber and aggregates, and accumulates as treatment liquid on the bottom of the treatment chamber. The treatment liquid that accumulates in the treatment chamber is not intended to be reused, and is generally discharged.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment method that can inexpensively treat the surface to be treated of a substrate by reusing the mist of a treatment liquid introduced into a treatment chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, the substrate surface treatment apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for performing surface treatment of a substrate by depositing a treatment liquid on a surface of the substrate, and includes a mist generating device that generates a mist of the treatment liquid, a treatment chamber into which the mist generated by the mist generating device is introduced and where the introduced mist is deposited on the surface of the substrate, and a circulation path that circulates the mist discharged from the treatment chamber back to the treatment chamber together with the mist generated by the mist generating device.

[0007] According to the present invention, the mist generated by the mist generating device is introduced into the processing chamber. The introduced mist adheres to the processing surface of the substrate in the processing chamber, and the substrate can be surface-treated with the processing liquid. Meanwhile, a portion of the mist that does not adhere to the processing surface of the substrate is discharged from the processing chamber, flows through the circulation path together with the mist generated by the mist generating device, and is supplied again to the processing chamber. As a result, the processing surface of the substrate can be surface-treated inexpensively by reusing the mist of the processing liquid introduced into the processing chamber.

[0008] In a more preferred embodiment, the mist generating device is disposed in the circulation path, the mist generating device recovers the treatment liquid derived from the mist from the treatment chamber and has a storage tank for storing the treatment liquid, and the mist generating device generates the mist from the treatment liquid stored in the storage tank.

[0009] According to this aspect, the treatment liquid in which the mist has condensed in the treatment chamber can be collected in the storage tank. Since the mist generating device regenerates the mist from the collected treatment liquid, the collected treatment liquid can be reused together with the mist discharged from the treatment chamber.

[0010] In a further preferred embodiment, the circulation path is connected to the treatment chamber so as to introduce the mist from the upper part of the treatment chamber and discharge the mist from the lower part of the treatment chamber, and the storage tank is disposed at the lower part of the circulation path.

[0011] According to this aspect, the mist is introduced from the upper part of the treatment chamber and discharged from the lower part of the treatment chamber. The treatment liquid in which the mist is condensed in the treatment chamber flows down the wall surface of the treatment chamber, and the flowing down treatment liquid is discharged from the lower part of the storage chamber, and the discharged treatment liquid can flow into the storage tank.

[0012] In a more preferred embodiment, a gas path for a carrier gas that transports the mist to the treatment chamber is connected to the circulation path.

[0013] According to this aspect, since the gas path for carrying the mist is connected to the circulation path, the type of carrier gas suitable for the surface treatment of the substrate can be selected from the gas path, and the mist can be introduced into the treatment chamber with the selected carrier gas. In addition, by adjusting the flow rate of the carrier gas flowing through the gas path, the mist of a desired concentration can be introduced into the treatment chamber.

[0014] In a more preferred embodiment, the surface treatment apparatus is equipped with a transport device that transports the substrate to the treatment chamber with the surface to be treated of the substrate facing upward, and the circulation path is connected to the treatment chamber so as to introduce the mist from the top of the treatment chamber and discharge the mist from the bottom of the treatment chamber.

[0015] According to this aspect, the mist introduced from the upper part of the processing chamber can be efficiently attached to the processing surface of the substrate facing upward. The mist that does not adhere to the processing surface is discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber and can be circulated together with the generated mist.

[0016] In a more preferred embodiment, a unit having at least the mist generating device, the treatment chamber, and the circulation path is regarded as one treatment unit, and a plurality of the treatment units are arranged along the transport direction of the transport device.

[0017] According to this aspect, by passing the substrate through the multiple processing units in sequence while transporting the substrate by the transport device, the surface to be processed of the substrate can be continuously processed in the multiple processing units.

[0018] In a more preferred embodiment, an air nozzle is disposed between adjacent processing chambers of the processing unit for draining off the processing liquid resulting from a mist adhering to the processing surface of the substrate.

[0019] According to this aspect, in the adjacent processing units, the processing unit on the upstream side in the transport direction cuts off the processing liquid (mist) adhering to the processing surface with the air nozzle, so that even if the processing unit on the downstream side in the transport direction performs surface treatment using a processing liquid (mist) different from the processing liquid on the upstream side, the processing unit is unlikely to be affected by the processing liquid adhering to the processing surface on the upstream side.

[0020] The present invention discloses a method for surface treatment of a substrate, which is a method for surface treatment of a substrate by depositing a treatment liquid on a surface to be treated of the substrate, in which a mist generated from the treatment liquid is introduced into a treatment chamber in which the substrate is placed, the mist is deposited on the surface to be treated of the substrate, the mist is discharged from the treatment chamber, and the discharged mist is circulated through the treatment chamber together with the generated mist.

[0021] According to the present invention, mist generated from the processing liquid is introduced into the processing chamber, and the introduced mist adheres to the processing surface of the substrate in the processing chamber, and the surface of the substrate is processed by the processing liquid. Meanwhile, a part of the mist that does not adhere to the processing surface of the substrate is discharged from the processing chamber, and the discharged mist can be circulated to the processing chamber together with the generated mist and supplied to the processing chamber again. In this way, the generated mist is circulated to the processing chamber and reused, so that the processing surface of the substrate can be inexpensively surface-treated.

[0022] In a more preferred embodiment, the treatment liquid derived from the mist is recovered from the treatment chamber, the mist is generated from the recovered treatment liquid, and the discharged mist is circulated to the treatment chamber together with the generated mist.

[0023] According to this aspect, the processing liquid in which the mist has condensed in the processing chamber is recovered, and mist is regenerated from the recovered processing liquid, so that the recovered processing liquid can be reused together with the mist discharged from the processing chamber.

[0024] In a more preferred embodiment, the mist is introduced from the top of the treatment chamber, the mist is discharged from the bottom of the treatment chamber, the treatment liquid that flows down from the treatment chamber is recovered, and the mist is generated from the recovered treatment liquid.

[0025] According to this aspect, the mist is introduced from the top of the treatment chamber and discharged from the bottom of the treatment chamber. The treatment liquid from which the mist has condensed in the storage chamber also flows down the wall of the storage chamber and is discharged from the bottom of the storage chamber, making it easy to collect the treatment liquid.

[0026] In a more preferred embodiment, the mist is introduced into the processing chamber while being carried by a carrier gas.

[0027] According to this aspect, the type of carrier gas suitable for the surface treatment of the substrate can be selected for the circulation path, and the mist can be introduced into the treatment chamber using the selected carrier gas. In addition, by adjusting the flow rate of the carrier gas flowing through the gas path, the mist of the desired concentration can be introduced into the treatment chamber.

[0028] In a more preferred embodiment, the substrate is transported into the processing chamber with the surface to be processed of the substrate facing upward, and the mist is introduced from an upper portion of the processing chamber and exhausted from a lower portion of the processing chamber.

[0029] According to this embodiment, the mist introduced from the upper part of the processing chamber can be efficiently attached to the processing surface of the substrate facing upward. The mist that does not adhere to the processing surface is discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber and can be circulated together with the generated mist.

[0030] In a more preferred embodiment, a plurality of the processing chambers are arranged along the transport direction of the substrate, and the mist is deposited on the processing surface of the substrate for each of the plurality of processing chambers.

[0031] According to this aspect, by passing the substrate through the plurality of processing chambers in sequence while transporting the substrate, it is possible to continuously perform surface processing on the processing surface of the substrate in the plurality of processing chambers.

[0032] In a further preferred embodiment, the processing liquid originating from mist adhering to the processing surface of the substrate is drained between the processing chambers.

[0033] According to this aspect, the treatment liquid (mist) adhering to the surface to be treated in the treatment chamber on the upstream side in the transport direction is drained by the air nozzle, so that even if the surface treatment is performed in the treatment chamber on the downstream side in the transport direction using a treatment liquid (mist) different from the treatment liquid on the upstream side, the treatment chamber is unlikely to be affected by the treatment liquid adhering in the treatment chamber on the upstream side. Effect of the Invention

[0034] According to the present invention, the mist of the processing liquid is reused, so that the processing surface of the substrate can be processed at low cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the surface treatment device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a substrate surface treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following FIGS.

[0037] [First embodiment] 1. About Substrate B and Processing Solution L 1, the surface treatment device 100A according to this embodiment is a device for performing surface treatment of a substrate B with a treatment liquid L. Here, examples of the substrate B include a substrate made of metal or resin, and a substrate coated with a metal film.

[0038] The treatment liquid L adheres to the treatment surface Ba of the substrate B, thereby performing surface treatment of the substrate B. The type of treatment liquid L is selected depending on the type of surface treatment. For example, when the surface treatment is cleaning of the treatment surface Ba, the treatment liquid L can be water (e.g., pure water). For example, when the surface treatment is etching of the treatment surface Ba of a metal, the treatment liquid L can be an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution, and when the treatment surface Ba is copper, the treatment liquid L can be an aqueous solution of ferric chloride.

[0039] For example, when the surface treatment is a degreasing treatment of the surface Ba to be treated, the treatment liquid L may be a degreasing liquid. The degreasing liquid may be an alkaline degreasing liquid or an acidic degreasing liquid. The alkaline degreasing liquid may be a liquid obtained by mixing an alkaline aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, or the like with a surfactant. The acidic degreasing liquid may be a liquid obtained by mixing an acidic aqueous solution of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, or the like with a surfactant.

[0040] For example, when the surface treatment is an activation treatment of the treatment surface Ba of the plating substrate B, the treatment liquid L is an activation liquid. Examples of the activation liquid include an aqueous solution of dilute sulfuric acid or dilute hydrochloric acid, and it is preferable that the activation liquid is a liquid mainly composed of an acid having the same components as the plating liquid.

[0041] 2. About the Surface Treatment Device 100A 1, the surface treatment apparatus 100A is an apparatus for performing surface treatment of a treatment surface Ba of a substrate B by depositing a mist M (treatment liquid L) onto the treatment surface Ba. The surface treatment apparatus 100A includes a mist generating device 10, a treatment chamber 20, a circulation path 30, and a gas supply unit 40. These will be described in detail below.

[0042] 2-1. About the mist generating device 10 The mist generating device 10 is a device that generates a mist M of the treatment liquid L. In this embodiment, the mist generating device 10 is disposed in a circulation path 30 described later. The mist generating device 10 collects the treatment liquid L derived from the mist M from a treatment chamber 20 described later, and has a storage tank 14 that stores the treatment liquid L.

[0043] The storage tank 14 is disposed at the bottom of the circulation path 30, and a space 12 formed above the storage tank 14 constitutes a part of the circulation path 30. In this embodiment, the mist generating device 10 is an ultrasonic type mist generating device, and an ultrasonic generating source (ultrasonic element) 13 that applies ultrasonic waves to the treatment liquid L is disposed at the bottom of the storage tank 14.

[0044] Here, when the processing liquid L is a solution other than water (etching liquid, degreasing liquid, or activation liquid), it is preferable to use an ultrasonic mist generating device or a spray type mist generating device. This allows the components dissolved in the solution to be contained in the mist M. On the other hand, when the processing liquid L is water, in addition to the mist generating devices of the above types, a mist generating device of a heating type that heats the processing liquid L may be used.

[0045] In this embodiment, the mist generating device 10 preferably adjusts the particle size of the mist M to a range of 10 to 80 μm. It is difficult to generate mist M with a particle size of less than 10 μm. On the other hand, mist M with a particle size of more than 80 μm will aggregate with an increased concentration of the mist M, making it difficult for the mist M to float in the carrier gas G.

[0046] In this embodiment, in the case of the ultrasonic mist generating device 10, the particle size of the mist M generated from the treatment liquid L can be adjusted by adjusting the frequency and amplitude of the ultrasonic waves applied to the treatment liquid L. In the case of the spray mist generating device 10, the particle size of the mist M generated from the treatment liquid L can be adjusted by adjusting the hole diameter of the spray nozzle. The particle size of the mist M can be measured, for example, by laser diffraction.

[0047] 2-2. Processing chamber 20 The processing chamber 20 is a member into which the mist M generated by the mist generating device 10 is introduced and which causes the introduced mist M to adhere to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B. The mist M is introduced from the upper part of the processing chamber 20 and discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber 20. The processing chamber 20 has a main body 21 into which the substrate B is loaded and unloaded and into which the surface of the processing surface Ba of the substrate B is processed, and a mist storage chamber 25 formed in the upper part of the main body 21 and which stores the mist M in the main body 21.

[0048] The main body 21 is formed with an inlet 27 through which the substrate B placed on the transport belt 51 is carried in, and an outlet 28 through which the substrate B placed on the transport belt 51 is carried out. A plate 27f is attached to the upper sides of the inlet 27 and the outlet 28, extending toward the upper part of the main body 21 and preventing the processing liquid L from dripping. A mist storage chamber 25 is provided at the top of the main body 21. The main body 21 and the mist storage chamber 25 are separated by a partition plate 26 that prevents the processing liquid L from dripping, and the partition plate 26 is formed with a rectangular inlet 22 that introduces the mist M from the mist storage chamber 25 into the inside of the main body 21.

[0049] The inlet 22 is connected to the circulation path 30 via a mist storage chamber 25 that stores the mist M. Specifically, a supply pipe 37 of the circulation path 30 is connected to the upper part of the mist storage chamber 25, and the mist M discharged from the supply pipe 37 is stored in the mist storage chamber 25 and then supplied to the inside of the main body 21 via the inlet 22.

[0050] The partition plate 26 forms the bottom wall of the mist storage chamber 25, and the above-mentioned inlet 22 is formed in the center of the partition plate 26. The width W1 of the inlet 22 is wider than the width WB of the substrate B. As a result, the mist M can be uniformly attached to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B carried into the main body 21. In this specification, the "width" refers to the length along the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction D of the substrate B.

[0051] The partition plate 26 is inclined downward from the inlet 22 toward the peripheral edge 26b of the partition plate 26. As a result, even if the mist M attached to the inner wall surface 25a of the mist storage chamber 25 and the inclined surface 26a of the partition plate 26 aggregates and flows down as the treatment liquid L, the treatment liquid L can be stored in the space formed by the inclined surface 26a of the partition plate 26 and the inner wall surface 25a. As a result, the treatment liquid L can be prevented from dripping onto the substrate B inside the main body 21. A drainage section for draining the treatment liquid L stored in this space may be provided, and the drained treatment liquid L may be flowed into the storage tank 14 and collected.

[0052] An outlet 23 for discharging the mist M from the processing chamber 20 is formed in the lower part of the main body 21. In this embodiment, the outlet 23 is rectangular, but is not limited to this shape and may be, for example, a slit. The outlet 23 is formed in the center of the bottom wall surface 21c of the main body 21. The bottom wall surface 21c is inclined downward from the peripheral edge 21d of the bottom wall surface 21c. This allows the processing liquid L attached to the inner wall surface 21e and the bottom wall surface 21c of the main body 21 to flow toward the outlet 23.

[0053] 2-3.About Circulation Route 30 The circulation path 30 is a path that discharges the mist M from the treatment chamber 20 and circulates the discharged mist M into the treatment chamber 20 together with the mist M generated by the mist generating device 10. Specifically, the circulation path 30 is connected to the treatment chamber 20 so as to introduce the mist M from an upper portion of the treatment chamber 20 and discharge the mist M from a lower portion of the treatment chamber 20. At the lower portion of the circulation path 30, the storage tank 14 of the mist generating device 10 is disposed.

[0054] The circulation path 30 has an exhaust pipe 33 and a supply pipe 37. The exhaust pipe 33 connects the exhaust port 23 of the treatment chamber 20 to the mist generation device 10, and extends downward from the exhaust port 23. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, a part of the exhaust pipe 33 may be inclined downward toward the mist generation device 10.

[0055] In this way, by extending the discharge pipe 33 downward from the discharge port 23, the mist M discharged from the treatment chamber 20 can be stably flowed into the storage tank 14 of the mist generating device 10. In addition, the treatment liquid L formed by condensation of the mist M in the treatment chamber 20 can also be flowed into the storage tank 14 via the discharge pipe 33. As a result, the mist generating device 10 can collect the treatment liquid L derived from the mist M from the treatment chamber 20 in the storage tank 14, and generate the mist M from the treatment liquid L stored in the storage tank 14.

[0056] The supply pipe 37 rises from the mist generation device 10 and connects the mist generation device 10 to the processing chamber 20. A gas path 41 for a carrier gas G that transports the mist M to the processing chamber 20 is connected to a junction 36 of the supply pipe 37. At the junction 36, the mist M and the carrier gas G join together, and the mist M is transported to the mist storage chamber 25 of the processing chamber 20.

[0057] A check valve (not shown) is provided between the junction 36 and the mist generation device 10 to prevent the carrier gas G from flowing (backflowing) from the junction 36 to the mist generation device 10. A throttle or the like for preventing backflow may be provided between the junction 36 and the mist generation device 10 instead of the check valve.

[0058] 2-4. Gas supply unit 40 The gas supply unit 40 includes a gas supply source 43, a flow rate control valve 42, and a gas path 41. The gas supply source 43 is a supply source that supplies a carrier gas G that carries the mist M. For example, when the carrier gas G is the atmosphere (air), the gas supply source 43 is a compressor that takes in the atmosphere, compresses it, and releases it. When the carrier gas G is an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, the gas supply source 43 is a tank or cylinder filled with the inert gas. The flow rate of the carrier gas G released from the gas supply source 43 is adjusted by the flow rate control valve 42, and the carrier gas G flows through the gas path 41 to the junction 36 of the supply pipe 37.

[0059] 2-5. About the conveying device 50 The transport device 50 is a so-called belt conveyor, and includes a transport belt 51 that transports the substrate B placed thereon, and a drive device (not shown) that moves the transport belt 51 in a predetermined direction. FIG. 1 shows a simplified view of the transport belt 51. Although not shown, the transport belt 51 is wound in a loop shape around a pair of sprockets on both sides of the processing chamber 20. Furthermore, a motor is attached to one of the sprockets to rotate the sprocket and drive the transport belt 51 in the transport direction. The pair of sprockets and the motor correspond to the drive device described above.

[0060] The transport belt 51 is inserted into the processing chamber 20 through the inlet 27 and the outlet 28 of the main body 21. The transport belt 51 is moved horizontally by a drive device, and the substrate B placed on the transport belt 51 is carried into the processing chamber 20 from the inlet 27 with the surface to be processed Ba facing upward, and the substrate B carried into the processing chamber 20 is carried out from the outlet 28.

[0061] 3. Surface treatment method for substrate B A method for treating a surface of a substrate B using the surface treatment apparatus 100A will be described below. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the method for treating a surface of a substrate B is a method for treating a surface of the substrate B by adhering a treatment liquid L to a treatment surface Ba of the substrate B.

[0062] First, the substrate B is placed on the conveyor belt 51 of the conveyor device 50. The conveyor device 50 is driven to convey the substrate B into the processing chamber 20 with the processing surface Ba of the substrate B facing upward. In this embodiment, the mist M generated from the processing liquid L by the mist generating device 10 containing the processing liquid L is introduced from the upper part of the processing chamber 20 into the processing chamber 20 in which the substrate B is placed.

[0063] As described above, it is preferable that the mist M whose particle size is adjusted to a range of 10 to 80 μm is introduced into the processing chamber 20 by the mist generating device 10. Furthermore, it is preferable that the concentration of the mist M supplied to the processing chamber 20 is 5 to 80 volume %. If the concentration of the mist M is less than 5 volume %, it may take time for the mist M to adhere to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B. On the other hand, if the concentration of the mist M exceeds 80 volume %, the mist M becomes more likely to aggregate.

[0064] The concentration of the mist M can be adjusted by setting the amount of mist generated per unit time by the mist generating device 10 and the flow rate of the carrier gas of the flow rate adjustment valve 42. The concentration of the mist M is the total volume of the mist M (volume of the treatment liquid L) present per unit volume. For example, the concentration of the mist M can be calculated from the ratio of the total volume of the mist M (volume of the treatment liquid L) present in the main body 21 to the internal volume of the main body 21.

[0065] In this manner, the mist M is attached to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B in the processing chamber 20. When the processing liquid is water, according to experiments by the inventors, the amount of the mist M (processing liquid L) attached to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B is 0.8 to 420 μL / cm per unit area. 2 The amount of the mist M adhered can be adjusted by adjusting the transport speed of the substrate B and setting the time the substrate B stays in the processing chamber 20. Note that when the amount of the mist M adhered is 0.8 μL / cm 2 If the concentration is less than 420 μL / cm 2 , a uniform liquid film of the processing liquid L cannot be formed on the processing surface Ba of the substrate B. 2, the surface tension of the substrate B is not sufficient to hold a liquid film of the processing liquid L on the processing surface Ba of the substrate B.

[0066] Meanwhile, the mist M is discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber 20 using the circulation path 30, and the discharged mist M is circulated into the processing chamber 20 together with the generated mist M. In this embodiment, the mist M is introduced from the upper part of the processing chamber 20, and the mist M is discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber 20. Inside the processing chamber 20, the mist M adheres to the inner wall surface 21e and the bottom wall surface 21c of the main body 21 of the processing chamber 20 and aggregates, becoming the processing liquid L and flowing toward the discharge port 23.

[0067] More specifically, the processing liquid L flowing down from the discharge port 23 of the processing chamber 20 is collected in the storage tank 14 via the discharge pipe 33. A mist M is generated from the collected processing liquid L in the space 12 constituting a part of the circulation path 30. The mist M discharged together with the generated mist M is circulated through the processing chamber 20.

[0068] At this time, a carrier gas G is supplied to the circulation path 30 from a gas path 41 connected to the circulation path 30. This allows the mist M in the circulation path 30 to be introduced into the processing chamber 20 while being carried by the carrier gas G. Specifically, the flow rate of the carrier gas flowing through the gas path 41 is adjusted by a flow rate control valve 42, so that the mist M of a desired concentration can be stably introduced into the processing chamber 20. The mist M from the upper part of the processing chamber 20 can be efficiently attached to the processing surface of the substrate B facing upward. The mist M that does not adhere to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B is discharged from the lower part of the processing chamber 20 and can be circulated together with the generated mist M.

[0069] In this manner, the mist M generated from the processing liquid L is introduced into the processing chamber 20. The introduced mist M adheres to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B in the processing chamber 20, and the surface of the substrate B is processed. Meanwhile, a portion of the mist M that does not adhere to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B is discharged from the processing chamber 20, and the discharged mist M can be circulated together with the generated mist M into the processing chamber 20 and introduced into the processing chamber 20 again. In this manner, the generated mist M is circulated into the processing chamber 20 and reused, so that the processing surface Ba of the substrate B can be inexpensively surface-treated.

[0070] Furthermore, the processing liquid L in which the mist M has condensed in the processing chamber 20 flows down the wall surface of the processing chamber 20 and is discharged from the discharge port 23 at the bottom of the processing chamber 20. The discharged processing liquid L is collected in the storage tank 14. The mist M can be generated again from the collected processing liquid L, and can be reused together with the mist M discharged from the processing chamber 20.

[0071] Second Embodiment The surface treatment apparatus 100B for substrate B according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The following mainly describes the differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for members and devices having the same functions, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0072] In this embodiment, the surface treatment device 100B has a plurality of (specifically, two) treatment units 1A, 1B arranged along the transport direction D of the transport device 50. The treatment chambers 20, 20 of the treatment units 1A, 1B are arranged along the transport direction D. Each of the treatment units 1A, 1B is a single treatment unit that includes at least a mist generating device 10, a treatment chamber 20, and a circulation path 30. Note that, although the two treatment units 1A, 1B are arranged along the transport direction D in this embodiment, the surface treatment device 100B may have three or more treatment units arranged along the transport direction D.

[0073] The transport belt 51 of the transport device 50 is disposed so as to pass through the processing chamber 20 of each processing unit 1A (1B). This allows the substrate B to pass through the multiple processing units 1A, 1B in sequence while being transported by the transport device 50, so that the surface treatment of the processing surface Ba of the substrate B can be performed continuously in the multiple processing units 1A, 1B.

[0074] The mist generating device 10 of the processing unit 1A generates a mist of a processing liquid L1. The mist generating device 10 of the processing unit 1B generates a mist of a processing liquid L2 that is different from the processing liquid L2. As a result, by transporting the substrate B and passing it through the processing unit 1A and then the processing unit 1B, it is possible to perform different surface treatments with the processing liquids L1 and L2 on the processing surface Ba of the substrate B.

[0075] Furthermore, an air nozzle 60 is disposed between the adjacent processing chambers 20, 20 of the processing units 1A, 1B to drain the processing liquid L originating from the mist M adhering to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B. This makes it possible to suppress the influence of the processing liquid L1 adhering in the upstream processing unit 1A even if the processing unit 1B downstream in the transport direction D performs surface processing using a processing liquid L2 (mist) different from the processing liquid L1 on the upstream side. An air nozzle may also be disposed downstream of the processing chamber 20 of the processing unit 1B.

[0076] Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the width W1 of the inlet 22 is wider than the width WB of the substrate B. This allows the mist M (mist M of the processing liquid L1, L2) introduced from the inlet 22 to be uniformly attached to the processing surface Ba of the substrate B. Furthermore, the blowing width W3 of the air A from the air nozzle 60 is wider than the W2 of the transport belt 51. This allows the mist M (processing liquid L1) attached to the transport belt 51 to be removed by the air A from the air nozzle 60. The transport belt 51 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the upstream side in the transport direction D is lower. This allows the liquid drainage by the air A from the air nozzle 60 to be improved. EXAMPLES

[0077] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0078] Example 1 Approximately 2 mL of Ni plating solution was dropped onto the surface of a 100 mm x 100 mm, 0.3 mm thick Halsen copper substrate. The dropped Ni plating solution was spread over the entire surface of the substrate, and unnecessary plating solution was removed. Approximately 0.5 mm of plating solution remained on the surface of the substrate.

[0079] Next, using the surface treatment device shown in FIG. 1, the substrate B was transported on a transport belt at a transport speed of 1000 mm / min while mist M was applied as water (treatment liquid L) and air was blown from an air nozzle.

[0080] This series of surface treatment steps was called the cleaning process, and this cleaning process was repeated while measuring the amount of Ni attached to the substrate surface by ICP-MS analysis after each cleaning process was completed. The cleaning process was terminated when the surface condition was equivalent to that before each cleaning process (the amount of Ni attached was 3 μg). The number of cleaning processes (number of cleanings) and the ratio of the amount of water used are shown in Table 1 below. The ratio of the amount of water used in Example 2, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2 below is the ratio when the amount of water used in Example 1 is set to 1.0.

[0081] Example 2 The same surface treatment (cleaning) as in Example 1 was carried out. The difference from Example 1 is that the conveying speed of the conveyor belt was 500 mm / min. The ratio of the number of cleaning steps (cleaning times) and the amount of water used is shown in Table 1 below.

[0082] Comparative Example 1 The Ni plating solution was spread on the surface of the substrate, and then the substrate was immersed in an immersion cleaning device and cleaned in the same manner as in Example 1. The ratio of the amount of water used is shown in Table 1 below.

[0083] Comparative Example 2 The Ni plating solution was spread on the surface of the substrate, and then the substrate was washed with water in a shower in the same manner as in Example 1. The ratio of the amount of water used is shown in Table 1 below.

[0084] [Table 1]

[0085] It was found that when the surface treatment devices of Examples 1 and 2 were used, the amount of water used could be significantly reduced compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

[0086] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims.

[0087] For example, the air nozzle shown in the second embodiment may be disposed downstream of the discharge port of the processing chamber shown in the first embodiment, and the processing liquid adhering to the surface of the substrate may be drained off. Alternatively, the above-mentioned air nozzle may be disposed at the discharge port and the entrance port of the processing chamber, and the substrate may be passed through the processing chamber by reciprocating the conveyor belt in the conveying direction. This allows a series of steps to be repeated: applying the processing liquid (mist) to the processing surface of the substrate in the processing chamber, and draining the processing liquid (mist) adhering to the processing surface of the substrate discharged from the processing chamber. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1A, 1B: treatment unit, 10: mist generating device, 14: storage tank, 20: treatment chamber, 30: circulation path, 41: gas path, 50: conveying device, 60: air nozzle, 100A, 100B: surface treatment device, D: conveying direction, L, L1, L2: treatment liquid, M: mist

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing surface treatment of a substrate by applying a treatment liquid to a surface to be treated of the substrate, comprising: a mist generating device that generates a mist of the treatment liquid; a processing chamber into which the mist generated by the mist generating device is introduced and into which the introduced mist is attached to the processing surface of the substrate; a circulation path for circulating the mist discharged from the treatment chamber back into the treatment chamber together with the mist generated by the mist generating device; A surface treatment device for a substrate comprising:

2. The mist generating device is disposed in the circulation path, The mist generating device recovers the treatment liquid derived from the mist from the treatment chamber and has a storage tank that stores the treatment liquid, The apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the mist generating device generates the mist from the treatment liquid contained in the container.

3. the circulation path is connected to the treatment chamber so as to introduce the mist from an upper portion of the treatment chamber and discharge the mist from a lower portion of the treatment chamber; The apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 2 , wherein the container is disposed in a lower portion of the circulation path.

4. The apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein a gas path for a carrier gas that carries the mist to the treatment chamber is connected to the circulation path.

5. the surface treatment apparatus includes a transfer device that transfers the substrate to the treatment chamber with the treatment surface of the substrate facing upward, The apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the circulation path is connected to the treatment chamber so as to introduce the mist from an upper portion of the treatment chamber and discharge the mist from a lower portion of the treatment chamber.

6. 6. The substrate surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of treatment units are arranged along a transport direction of the transport device, the treatment unit being a single treatment unit, the treatment unit including at least the mist generating device, the treatment chamber, and the circulation path.

7. The substrate surface treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein an air nozzle is disposed between adjacent treatment chambers of the treatment unit for draining treatment liquid originating from a mist adhering to the treatment surface of the substrate.

8. 1. A method for performing surface treatment of a substrate by applying a treatment liquid to a surface to be treated of the substrate, comprising the steps of: A method for treating a surface of a substrate, comprising: introducing a mist generated from the treatment liquid into a treatment chamber in which the substrate is placed; depositing the mist on the treatment surface of the substrate; and discharging the mist from the treatment chamber; and circulating the discharged mist together with the generated mist through the treatment chamber.

9. 9. The method for treating a substrate surface according to claim 8, further comprising recovering a treatment liquid derived from the mist from the treatment chamber, generating the mist from the recovered treatment liquid, and circulating the discharged mist together with the generated mist into the treatment chamber.

10. 10. The method for treating a substrate surface according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of: introducing the mist from an upper portion of the treatment chamber; discharging the mist from a lower portion of the treatment chamber; recovering the treatment liquid that has flowed down from the treatment chamber; and generating the mist from the recovered treatment liquid.

11. The method for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 8 , wherein the mist is introduced into the treatment chamber while being carried by a carrier gas.

12. transporting the substrate into the processing chamber with the processing surface of the substrate facing upward; 9. The method for treating a substrate surface according to claim 8, wherein the mist is introduced from an upper portion of the treatment chamber and discharged from a lower portion of the treatment chamber.

13. A plurality of the processing chambers are arranged along a transport direction of the substrate, The method for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 12 , wherein the mist is caused to adhere to the treatment surface of the substrate for each of the plurality of treatment chambers.

14. The method for treating a surface of a substrate according to claim 13 , further comprising the step of draining the treatment liquid derived from the mist adhering to the treatment surface of the substrate between the treatment chambers.

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