Coating apparatus and coating method

Abstract

To provide a coating apparatus capable of improving cleanliness of a cup while suppressing a decrease in operation efficiency of the coating apparatus and suppressing an increase in consumption of a solvent used for cleaning the cup.SOLUTION: A coating device 1 includes a rotation holding unit for holding and rotating a substrate W, an outer peripheral cup, and a middle cup 300. During the coating processing for the substrate W, the outer peripheral cup receives the coating liquid scattered outward from the substrate W held and rotated by the rotation holding unit. The middle cup 300 receives the coating liquid dropping from the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. The coating apparatus 1 further includes a first solvent nozzle 32 and a cup rotation driver. The first solvent nozzle 32 supplies the solvent from a predetermined position above the substrate W to a partial region in the circumferential direction of the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate that is held and rotated by the rotation holding unit. The cup rotation driver rotates the middle cup 300 around the rotation axis of the rotation holding unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method for forming a coating film on the upper surface of a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform various processes on substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells.

[0003] An example of a substrate processing apparatus is a coating apparatus that forms a coating film such as a resist film or an anti-reflective film on the upper surface of a substrate. In the coating apparatus, for example, a single substrate is held and rotated by a spin chuck. A coating liquid according to the type of coating film to be formed is supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate. The coating liquid supplied to the substrate spreads over the entire upper surface of the substrate due to centrifugal force. The coating film is formed when the coating liquid on the substrate dries.

[0004] As described above, when the coating liquid is supplied onto the substrate, a portion of the coating liquid supplied to the substrate scatters outward from the substrate. In addition, a remaining portion of the coating liquid falls from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. The coating device is provided with a member for receiving and collecting the coating liquid that scatters or falls from the substrate.

[0005] For example, the rotary processing device (coating device) described in Patent Document 1 includes a splash prevention cup. The splash prevention cup has an outer cup and a rectifying member, and is arranged to surround the substrate, which is held and rotated by the spin chuck, when a coating liquid is supplied to the substrate. In this state, the inner circumferential surface of the outer cup faces the outer circumferential edge of the substrate. The upper surface of the rectifying member extends radially outward and diagonally downward from a position below the outer circumferential edge of the substrate. As a result, coating liquid splashed from the substrate is received by the inner circumferential surface of the outer cup. Furthermore, coating liquid falling from the substrate is received by the upper surface of the rectifying member. The coating liquid received by the splash prevention cup flows downward along the inner circumferential surface of the outer cup and the upper surface of the rectifying member and is collected.

[0006] However, if the coating liquid remains on the inner circumferential surface of the outer cup and on the upper surface of the straightening member, the deposits of the coating liquid may change the shape of the space surrounding the substrate. The change in the shape of the space may generate unintended air currents within the space. Furthermore, dust caused by the remaining coating liquid may fly around the substrate.

[0007] Therefore, the above-mentioned rotary processing device is provided with a cup cleaning member for cleaning the splash prevention cup. When the splash prevention cup is cleaned by the cup cleaning member, a cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cup cleaning member over the entire inner circumferential surface of the outer cup and the upper surface of the straightening member while the substrate is not held by the spin chuck. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-117708 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In recent years, with the increasing density and integration of devices, there has been a demand for thicker coating films formed on substrates. To form thicker coating films, high-viscosity coating liquids are used. It is not easy to make a highly viscous coating liquid flow smoothly on the upper surface of a straightening member. Therefore, when a highly viscous coating liquid is used in the above-mentioned rotary processing device, solid matter from the coating liquid is likely to remain on the upper surface of the straightening member. If a large amount of solid matter from the coating liquid adheres to the upper surface of the straightening member, users will need to perform tedious maintenance work.

[0010] The cleaning of the splash prevention cup with the cup cleaning member is usually performed at predetermined intervals (for example, every 48 hours) or after a predetermined number of substrates have been processed. Therefore, in order to avoid the need for maintenance work, it is conceivable to increase the frequency of cleaning the splash prevention cup with the cup cleaning member.

[0011] However, the above-mentioned rotary processing apparatus cannot simultaneously form a coating film and clean the splash prevention cup. Therefore, if the frequency of cleaning the splash prevention cup is increased, the operating rate of the rotary processing apparatus decreases. Furthermore, a solvent is usually used as a cleaning liquid to dissolve and remove the coating liquid. Therefore, increasing the frequency of cleaning the splash prevention cup increases the consumption of solvent. An increase in solvent consumption is undesirable from the viewpoints of substrate processing costs and environmental impact.

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide a coating device and a coating method that can improve the cleanliness of a cup while suppressing a decrease in the operating efficiency of the coating device and an increase in the consumption of solvent used to clean the cup. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A coating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for forming a coating film on an upper surface of a substrate having at least a circular shape by supplying a coating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, and includes: a rotary holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis extending in an up-down direction; an outer cup that is provided around the substrate held by the rotary holding unit; a middle cup that is positioned inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotary holding unit; a first solvent nozzle that supplies solvent to a partial circumferential region of the upper surface peripheral edge of the substrate rotated by the rotary holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate held by the rotary holding unit; and a cup rotation drive unit that rotates the middle cup around the reference axis.

[0014] A coating method according to another aspect of the present invention is a coating method for forming a coating film on a substrate having at least a partially circular shape using a coating apparatus, the coating apparatus including: a rotary holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis extending in a vertical direction; an outer cup provided around the substrate held by the rotary holding unit; an inner cup disposed inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotary holding unit; and a first solvent supplying unit that supplies solvent to a partial circumferential region of a peripheral edge of an upper surface of the substrate rotated by the rotary holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate held by the rotary holding unit. and a solvent nozzle, and the coating method includes a first step of forming the coating film on the entire upper surface of the substrate by supplying a coating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate that is held and rotated by the rotating holding unit; a second step of supplying solvent from the first solvent nozzle to a partial circumferential region of the upper surface of the substrate that is held and rotated by the rotating holding unit after the coating film has been formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate; and a third step of rotating the central cup around the reference axis after the first step and the second step have been performed on the substrate and before the first step and the second step are performed on a next substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, a decrease in the operating efficiency of the coating device is suppressed, an increase in the consumption of the solvent used for cleaning the cup is suppressed, and the cleanliness of the cup is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration of a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the upper cup. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a lower cup. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the middle cup. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a base member. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 9] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 10] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 11] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 12] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a coating process on a substrate in the coating apparatus. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of a cup cleaning process in the coating apparatus. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the coating apparatus of FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a comparison result between the contamination state of the medium cup according to the example and the contamination state of the medium cup according to the comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A coating apparatus and a coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the term "substrate" refers to a substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display) used in a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, a semiconductor substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a solar cell substrate. The substrate described below is a substrate at least partially circular, specifically a circular substrate with a positioning notch formed in part of its outer periphery.

[0018] 1. Basic configuration of coating equipment A coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is used to perform a coating process for forming a coating film on the upper surface of a substrate by supplying a coating liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate. The coating process according to this embodiment also includes a process for locally removing a coating film formed on the outer peripheral edge of the substrate.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the basic configuration of a coating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment mainly includes a rotation holding device 10, a coating liquid supply system 20, a coating liquid nozzle 21, a solvent supply system 30, a pre-wet nozzle 31, a first solvent nozzle 32, and a control unit 900. These components are housed, for example, in a chamber (not shown).

[0020] The rotation holding device 10 includes a holding unit 11, a rotation shaft 12, a cylindrical member 13, a rotation drive unit 14, and a suction device 15. The rotation drive unit 14 is, for example, a motor, and is fixed to the bottom of the chamber. The rotation shaft 12 is the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 14 and extends upward from the upper end of the rotation drive unit 14. In the following description, an axis passing through the central axis of the rotation shaft 12 in the coating device 1 is referred to as a reference axis CA.

[0021] A holder 11 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 12. The holder 11 is configured to be able to suck and hold the substrate W. A suction path is formed in the rotating shaft 12 for the holder 11 to suck and hold the substrate W. The suction path is connected to a suction device 15. When the suction device 15 operates with the substrate W placed on the holder 11, the substrate W is sucked and held by the holder 11. When the rotation drive unit 14 operates in this state, the substrate W rotates around the reference axis CA. A cylindrical member 13 is provided at approximately the center of the rotating shaft 12 in the vertical direction. Details of the cylindrical member 13 will be described later.

[0022] The coating liquid nozzle 21 is supported movably within the chamber of the coating device 1 between a coating position above the rotating and holding device 10 and a standby position to the side of the rotating and holding device 10 by a coating liquid nozzle moving device 22 (Figure 15) described later.

[0023] The coating liquid supply system 20 includes one or more fluid-related devices such as pipes, joints, valves, pumps, tanks, etc., and is connected to a coating liquid supply source. While the substrate W held by the holder 11 is rotating and the coating liquid nozzle 21 is positioned at a coating position, the coating liquid supply system 20 supplies the coating liquid from the coating liquid supply source to the coating liquid nozzle 21. As a result, the coating liquid is ejected from the coating liquid nozzle 21 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, and a coating film is formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate W. The coating liquid used in the coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is, for example, a coating liquid for a resist film (resist liquid) or a coating liquid for an anti-reflection film (anti-reflection liquid).

[0024] Pre-wet nozzle 31 is supported by solvent nozzle moving device 33 (FIG. 15) described later so as to be movable within the chamber of coating device 1 between a pre-wet position above spin holding device 10 and a standby position to the side of spin holding device 10. Furthermore, first solvent nozzle 32 is supported by solvent nozzle moving device 33 (FIG. 15) described later so as to be movable within the chamber of coating device 1 between a periphery processing position above spin holding device 10 and a standby position to the side of spin holding device 10.

[0025] The solvent supply system 30 includes one or more fluid-related devices such as pipes, joints, valves, pumps, tanks, etc., and is connected to a solvent supply source. Just before a coating liquid is supplied to the rotating substrate W, the pre-wet nozzle 31 is placed at a pre-wet position. While the substrate W continues to rotate, the solvent supply system 30 supplies the solvent from the solvent supply source to the pre-wet nozzle 31. As a result, the solvent is ejected from the pre-wet nozzle 31 onto the top surface of the substrate W, and the top surface of the substrate W is wetted with the solvent before a coating film is formed thereon (pre-wet).

[0026] Furthermore, after a coating film is formed over the entire upper surface of the substrate W, the first solvent nozzle 32 is positioned at the peripheral processing position. While the substrate W continues to rotate, the solvent supply system 30 supplies solvent from the solvent supply source to the first solvent nozzle 32. As a result, the solvent is ejected from the first solvent nozzle 32 onto a partial area in the circumferential direction of the upper surface peripheral edge of the substrate W. The solvent used in the coating apparatus 1 is a solvent that can dissolve the coating film formed on the substrate W. Therefore, the portions of the coating film formed on the substrate W that are formed on the upper surface peripheral edge and outer periphery edge of the substrate W are removed by the solvent.

[0027] In the rotation holding device 10, a second solvent nozzle 41 and a third solvent nozzle 42 are provided at a position below the holding unit 11. The solvent supply system 30 can supply solvent not only to the pre-wet nozzle 31 and the first solvent nozzle 32 but also to the second solvent nozzle 41 and the third solvent nozzle 42. The supply of solvent from the solvent supply system 30 to the second solvent nozzle 41 and the third solvent nozzle 42 will be described later.

[0028] When a processing liquid such as a coating liquid and a solvent is supplied to the substrate W held and rotated by the holder 11, the supplied processing liquid splashes radially from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W around the reference axis CA. Therefore, the spin holding device 10 has a liquid collection mechanism for receiving and collecting the processing liquid splashed from the substrate W and discharging it from the coating apparatus 1. Details of the liquid collection mechanism will be described later. The control unit 900 controls the operation of each part of the spin holding device 10, the coating liquid supply system 20, and the solvent supply system 30. Details of the control unit 900 will be described later.

[0029] 2. Details of the configuration of the rotation holding device 10 Fig. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the rotational holding device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the rotational holding device 10 includes the above-mentioned holding unit 11, rotating shaft 12, cylindrical member 13, and rotational drive unit 14. The rotational holding device 10 also includes, as components of the liquid collection mechanism, an elevation drive unit 16, an upper cup 100, a lower cup 200, a middle cup 300, and a base member 400. Note that Fig. 2 does not show the suction device 15 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, only the elevation drive unit 16 is shown as a block.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the upper cup 100. In FIG. 3, a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper cup 100 is shown in the upper part, and a plan view of the upper cup 100 is shown in the lower part. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper cup 100 has a flat cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The inner diameter of the upper end of the upper cup 100 and the surrounding area is locally smaller than that of other areas. Therefore, the upper cup 100 has an inner circumferential surface 110 that is locally narrowed at the upper end and the surrounding area. Furthermore, the upper opening 101 of the upper cup 100 is smaller than the lower opening 102 of the upper cup 100.

[0031] The diameter of the upper opening 101 in plan view, i.e., the minimum value of the inner diameter of the upper cup 100, is slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate W to be processed. As will be described later, the upper cup 100 is connected to the lower cup 200. The upper cup 100 has a circular lower end 111 as a connecting portion with the lower cup 200.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the lower cup 200. In FIG. 4, a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lower cup 200 is shown in the upper part, and a plan view of the lower cup 200 is shown in the lower part. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower cup 200 has an annular shape including a central opening 201 in a plan view. The lower cup 200 also has an annular support portion 210, a gas flow groove 220, and a liquid collection groove 230. The annular support portion 210 has an annular shape surrounding the central opening 201 in a plan view. The gas flow groove 220 has an annular shape surrounding the annular support portion 210 in a plan view. The liquid collection groove 230 has an annular shape surrounding the gas flow groove 220 in a plan view.

[0033] The inner peripheral end of the annular support part 210 forms a circular central opening 201 centered on the reference axis CA. A cylindrical first peripheral wall 211 is formed to extend downward from the outer peripheral end of the annular support part 210. A cylindrical second peripheral wall 212 is provided outward from the second peripheral wall 212 so as to form a concentric circle with the first peripheral wall 211 in a plan view. A cylindrical third peripheral wall 213 is provided outward from the second peripheral wall 212 so as to form a concentric circle with the first peripheral wall 211 and the second peripheral wall 212 in a plan view.

[0034] The gas flow groove 220 is a groove formed by the first peripheral wall 211 and the second peripheral wall 212, and has a bottom surface connecting the lower end of the first peripheral wall 211 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall 212. Three exhaust holes 221 are formed in the bottom surface of the gas flow groove 220 at equal angular intervals based on the reference axis CA. Each exhaust hole 221 is a through-hole. Furthermore, a tubular exhaust pipe connection part 222 extending a certain distance downward is provided in the bottom surface of the gas flow groove 220 where each exhaust hole 221 is formed. The exhaust pipe connection part 222 is connected to an exhaust system (not shown). The exhaust system includes an exhaust pipe, factory exhaust equipment, etc., and guides the atmosphere in the gas flow groove 220 to the outside of the coating apparatus 1.

[0035] The liquid collection groove 230 is a groove formed by the second peripheral wall 212 and the third peripheral wall 213, and has a bottom surface connecting the lower end of the second peripheral wall 212 and the lower end of the third peripheral wall 213. A drainage hole 231 is formed in part of the bottom surface of the liquid collection groove 230. The drainage hole 231 is a through-hole. In addition, a tubular drainage pipe connection part 232 extending a certain distance downward is provided in the part of the bottom surface of the liquid collection groove 230 where the drainage hole 231 is formed. A drainage system (not shown) is connected to the drainage pipe connection part 232. The drainage system includes a drainage pipe and factory drainage equipment, etc., and directs various treatment liquids collected in the liquid collection groove 230 to the outside of the coating apparatus 1, as will be described later.

[0036] The inner diameter of the upper end of the third peripheral wall 213 is the same as or approximately the same as the outer diameter of the lower end 111 of the upper cup 100. The upper end of the third peripheral wall 213 is configured so that the lower end 111 of the upper cup 100 can be inserted from above to a certain depth. When assembling the rotation holding device 10, the middle cup 300 is placed between the upper cup 100 and the lower cup 200, and the lower end 111 of the upper cup 100 is inserted into the third peripheral wall 213 of the lower cup 200 (see the thick dashed arrow a1 in Figure 2). This allows the upper cup 100 and the lower cup 200 to be integrally connected.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the medium cup 300. In Fig. 5, the upper part shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the medium cup 300, and the lower part shows a plan view of the medium cup 300. The medium cup 300 has a configuration in which the cup cleaning part 310 and the medium cup main body part 350 are integrally molded.

[0038] The cup cleaning unit 310 has a disk shape. The outer diameter of the cup cleaning unit 310 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the substrate W to be processed. A circular central opening 301 is formed in the center of the cup cleaning unit 310, where the reference axis CA passes. The inner diameter of the cup cleaning unit 310 (the diameter of the central opening 301) is larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 12 in FIG. 1 and smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 13 in FIG. 1. This allows the portion of the rotating shaft 12 located above the cylindrical member 13 to be inserted into the central opening 301. A rod-shaped downward protrusion 330 protruding a certain distance downward from the lower surface of the cup cleaning unit 310 is provided in the vicinity of the central opening 301.

[0039] Here, the configuration of the cylindrical member 13 in Fig. 1 will be described. In Fig. 2, a plan view of the cylindrical member 13 is shown in a bubble. As shown in the plan view in the bubble in Fig. 2, the cylindrical member 13 is a flat, cylindrical member having an annular upper end surface. The cylindrical member 13 also has a shaft mounting hole 13a and a plurality of vertical holes 13b.

[0040] The shaft mounting hole 13a is a through hole extending along the axis of the cylindrical member 13, and is formed so that the rotating shaft 12 can be inserted therein. The cylindrical member 13 is attached to a predetermined portion of the rotating shaft 12 (approximately the center in the up-down direction) with the rotating shaft 12 inserted into the shaft mounting hole 13a. With the cylindrical member 13 attached to the rotating shaft 12, the cylindrical member 13 is fixed to the rotating shaft 12 so as to be unable to move axially and unable to rotate circumferentially.

[0041] The plurality of vertical holes 13b are formed on the upper end surface of the cylindrical member 13 so as to surround the shaft mounting hole 13a. The plurality of vertical holes 13b are arranged at intervals of a predetermined specified angle α with respect to the reference axis CA. The specified angle α is greater than 0° and less than 360°, for example, 20°. The downward protrusion 330 of the medium cup 300 is provided so as to be insertable into each of the plurality of vertical holes 13b (see balloons in FIG. 2 ) of the cylindrical member 13 according to the vertical positional relationship between the medium cup 300 and the cylindrical member 13.

[0042] For example, when the medium cup 300 and the cylindrical member 13 are close enough to come into contact with each other, the downward protrusion 330 of the medium cup 300 is inserted into one of the multiple vertical holes 13b of the cylindrical member 13. In this case, the medium cup 300 rotates together with the rotating shaft 12 when the rotating shaft 12 rotates. On the other hand, when the medium cup 300 and the cylindrical member 13 are separated by a large distance, the downward protrusion 330 of the medium cup 300 is positioned above the cylindrical member 13. In this case, the medium cup 300 does not rotate together with the rotating shaft 12 even when the rotating shaft 12 rotates.

[0043] 5, a cleaning peripheral wall 320 extending a small distance in the vertical direction is formed at the outer peripheral end of the cup cleaning part 310. A plurality of (18 in this example) jetting orifices 321 are formed in the cleaning peripheral wall 320 at equal angular intervals based on the reference axis CA. Each jetting orifice 321 is a through-hole that communicates between a space located inside the cleaning peripheral wall 320 and a space located outside the cleaning peripheral wall 320 in a plan view.

[0044] In the cup cleaning unit 310, a plurality of first through holes 311 are formed at equal angular intervals based on the reference axis CA so as to line up on a first imaginary circle vc1 centered on the reference axis CA in a plan view. In addition, a plurality of second through holes 312 are formed at equal angular intervals based on the reference axis CA so as to line up on a second imaginary circle vc2 that is smaller than the first imaginary circle vc1.

[0045] The angular interval between each two adjacent first through holes 311 on the first imaginary circle vc1 is equal to the above-mentioned specified angle α (FIG. 2). The angular interval between each two adjacent second through holes 312 on the second imaginary circle vc2 is also equal to the specified angle α. Therefore, when the specified angle α is 20°, the number of first through holes 311 and the number of second through holes 312 formed in the cup cleaning unit 310 are both 18.

[0046] Each first through hole 311 is formed so that at least a part of a second solvent nozzle 41 (described later) can be inserted from below. Also, each second through hole 312 is formed so that at least a part of a third solvent nozzle 42 (described later) can be inserted from below.

[0047] The middle cup main body 350 has a circular ring shape in a plan view. The middle cup main body 350 has a cylindrical shape (umbrella shape with the upper half missing) that is formed so that the diameter gradually increases from top to bottom, like the outer circumferential surface of a truncated cone. Therefore, the middle cup main body 350 has an upper surface 351 that is formed so as to extend obliquely downward from the upper end to the lower end of the middle cup main body 350 in a direction away from the reference axis CA. In other words, the middle cup main body 350 has an upper surface 351 that faces outward and obliquely upward.

[0048] In the middle cup 300, the lower end of the cleaning peripheral wall 320 of the cup cleaning unit 310 and the upper end of the middle cup main body 350 are integrally connected. A downward-facing annular supported portion 322 is formed on the lower surface of the middle cup main body 350 in a portion located near the upper end of the middle cup main body 350. The shape of the annular supported portion 322 is formed to correspond to the shape of the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200 (FIG. 4). Specifically, the annular supported portion 322 and the annular support portion 210 are formed to have substantially the same shape. Therefore, by bringing the annular supported portion 322 into contact with the annular support portion 210, the middle cup 300 can be supported on the lower cup 200. When assembling the rotation holding device 10, the middle cup 300 is placed on the lower cup 200 so that the annular supported portion 322 faces the annular support portion 210 (see the thick dashed-dotted arrow a2 in FIG. 2).

[0049] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the base member 400. In Fig. 6, a vertical cross-sectional view of the base member 400 is shown in the upper part, and a plan view of the base member 400 is shown in the lower part. In addition, the lower part of Fig. 6 shows, by dotted lines, the outline of the middle cup 300 that is placed above the base member 400, as will be described later.

[0050] 6, the base member 400 is a plate-like member and has an annular shape including a central opening 401 in a plan view. The inner diameter of the base member 400 (the diameter of the central opening 401) is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 13 in FIG. 1. This allows the rotating shaft 12 and the cylindrical member 13 to be inserted into the central opening 401. The outer diameter of the base member 400 is larger than the inner diameter of the annular support portion 210 (FIG. 4) of the medium cup 300 and smaller than the inner diameter of the first peripheral wall 211 (FIG. 4) of the medium cup 300.

[0051] When assembling the rotation holding device 10, the lower cup 200 is placed on the base member 400 so that the lower surface of the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200 faces the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the base member 400 (see the thick dashed arrow a3 in FIG. 2). In this case, a portion of the base member 400 including the peripheral edge of the upper surface (a portion of a certain width from the outer peripheral end of the base member 400) functions as an annular support portion 409. The support portion 409 supports the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200 from below.

[0052] 1 and 2 supports the base member 400 so that it can move up and down. The lifting drive unit 16 includes an actuator such as an air cylinder or a motor, and adjusts the vertical position (height position) of the base member 400 based on the control of the control unit 900. With this configuration, the upper cup 100 and the lower cup 200 are supported by the lifting drive unit 16 via the base member 400 so that they can move up and down.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6, four second solvent nozzles 41 and four third solvent nozzles 42 are provided on the upper surface of base member 400. Each of the four second solvent nozzles 41 is located near the outer peripheral edge of base member 400. The four second solvent nozzles 41 are arranged on a circle centered on reference axis CA so as to be aligned in one direction (circumferential direction) at angular intervals of 80°, 100°, 80°, and 100° with respect to reference axis CA. That is, the four second solvent nozzles 41 are arranged so that, when the angular position of one second solvent nozzle 41 is 0° (360°) with respect to reference axis CA, the angular positions of the other three second solvent nozzles 41 are 80°, 180°, and 260°, respectively.

[0054] Each of the four third solvent nozzles 42 is located near the inner peripheral end of the base member 400. The four third solvent nozzles 42 are arranged on a circle centered on the reference axis CA so as to be lined up in sequence in one direction (circumferential direction) at angular intervals of 80°, 100°, 80°, and 100° with respect to the reference axis CA. That is, the four third solvent nozzles 42 are arranged so that, with respect to the reference axis CA, if the angular position of one third solvent nozzle 42 is 0° (360°), the angular positions of the other three third solvent nozzles 42 are 80°, 180°, and 260°, respectively.

[0055] The solvent supply system 30 of Fig. 1 is connected to each of the solvent nozzles (41, 42) arranged on the base member 400. The second solvent nozzle 41 ejects the solvent toward the inner peripheral surface of the cleaning peripheral wall 320 (Fig. 5) of the middle cup 300 during a cup cleaning process described later. The third solvent nozzle 42 performs a so-called back rinse during a coating process for a substrate W described later.

[0056] As described above, the base member 400 is disposed below the medium cup 300 by assembling the rotation holding device 10. When the application device 1 is in operation, the distance (vertical distance) between the base member 400 and the cup cleaning unit 310 (FIG. 5) of the medium cup 300 changes. Here, when the distance between the base member 400 and the medium cup 300 changes, the base member 400 and the medium cup 300 have a specific positional relationship in a plan view.

[0057] The above-mentioned specific positional relationship is a relationship in which, in a plan view, at least a portion of each second solvent nozzle 41 overlaps with one of the multiple first through holes 311 of the medium cup 300. Furthermore, the above-mentioned specific positional relationship is a relationship in which, in a plan view, at least a portion of each third solvent nozzle 42 overlaps with one of the multiple second through holes 312 of the medium cup 300. As a result, when the base member 400 approaches the cup cleaning unit 310, at least a portion of the multiple solvent nozzles (41, 42) on the base member 400 is inserted into one of the multiple through holes (311, 312) of the medium cup 300.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2, the holding portion 11 is fixed onto the rotating shaft 12 after the rotating shaft 12 of the rotating holding device 10 is inserted into the base member 400, the lower cup 200 and the middle cup 300 (see the thick dashed arrow a4 in Figure 2).

[0059] 3. Operation during coating process of substrate W by coating device 1 In the following description, the assembly of the upper cup 100 and the lower cup 200 that are integrally connected will be referred to as the outer cup as appropriate. Figures 7 to 13 are schematic vertical cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the coating process on the substrate W in the coating apparatus 1. Figure 7 shows the coating apparatus 1 in a standby state before the substrate W is carried into the coating apparatus 1. When the coating apparatus 1 is in the standby state, the base member 400 is supported by the lifting drive unit 16 at the lowest height position within the range in which it can move in the vertical direction.

[0060] 7, the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200 is supported from below by the support portion 409 of the base member 400. As a result, the outer cup is supported by the lifting / lowering drive unit 16 via the base member 400. In this way, the height position of the outer cup when the coating device 1 is in a standby state is called the cup lower position. The outer cup is supported by the lifting / lowering drive unit 16 in a state separated from the rotation shaft 12. Therefore, even when the rotation shaft 12 rotates, the outer cup does not rotate together with the rotation shaft 12.

[0061] When the outer cup is in the cup-under position, the upper end of the upper cup 100 is positioned below the holder 11. The middle cup 300 is supported by the upper end surface of the cylindrical member 13. At this time, the downward protrusion 330 of the middle cup 300 is inserted into one of the multiple vertical holes 13b (FIG. 3) of the cylindrical member 13. As a result, the middle cup 300 is fixed integrally to the rotary shaft 12 so as to rotate together with the rotary shaft 12 when the rotary shaft 12 rotates. Meanwhile, the annular supported portion 322 of the middle cup 300 is positioned a certain distance above the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200. The entirety of the multiple second solvent nozzles 41 and the multiple third solvent nozzles 42 is disposed in the space (the vertical gap) between the base member 400 and the cup cleaning portion 310 of the middle cup 300.

[0062] FIG. 8 shows the state of the coating apparatus 1 when a substrate W is loaded into the coating apparatus 1 in a standby state. The substrate W loaded into the coating apparatus 1 is positioned above the holder 11 so that the center of the substrate W is located on the reference axis CA. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the substrate W is placed on the holder 11. Next, the suction device 15 in FIG. 1 operates, so that the center of the underside of the substrate W is sucked and held by the holder 11. Furthermore, the rotation drive unit 14 operates, so that the rotation shaft 12 rotates counterclockwise (left) in plan view by a specified angle α (see the hollow arrow in FIG. 8). As a result, the inner cup 300 rotates counterclockwise in plan view by the specified angle α relative to the outer cup.

[0063] When processing liquid (coating liquid and solvent) is supplied to the substrate W in the coating apparatus 1, the outer cup needs to be positioned at the same height as the substrate W in order to collect the processing liquid splashed from the substrate W. In the following description, the height position at which the outer cup should be positioned when processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W is referred to as the "upper cup position." The "upper cup position" is the height position of the outer cup when the upper end of the upper cup 100 is positioned above the substrate W held by the holder 11 and the inner peripheral surface 110 of the upper cup 100 faces the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W held by the holder 11.

[0064] As described above, the substrate W is sucked and held on the holder 11, and after the inner cup 300 rotates by the specified angle α, the outer cup rises from the lower cup position to the upper cup position. Fig. 9 shows the state of the coating apparatus 1 when the outer cup is rising from the lower cup position to the upper cup position.

[0065] The outer cup is raised by the lifting drive unit 16 via the base member 400. When the outer cup is raised from the cup lower position, the annular support portion 210 of the lower cup 200 approaches the annular supported portion 322 of the middle cup 300. As shown in FIG. 9 , the annular support portion 210 abuts against the annular supported portion 322. This causes the middle cup 300 to be supported from below by the lower cup 200. Furthermore, the space (the vertical gap) between the base member 400 and the cup cleaning unit 310 of the middle cup 300 becomes smaller.

[0066] At this time, a portion (solvent discharge portion) of each of the multiple second solvent nozzles 41 is inserted into one of the multiple first through-holes 311 (FIG. 5) of the cup cleaning part 310. Also, a portion (solvent discharge portion) of each of the multiple third solvent nozzles 42 is inserted into one of the multiple second through-holes 312 (FIG. 5) of the cup cleaning part 310. This prevents interference between the multiple solvent nozzles (41, 42) and the cup cleaning part 310.

[0067] The middle cup 300 rises while being supported by the lower cup 200 during the latter half of the period during which the outer cup rises from the cup lower position to the cup upper position. As a result, the middle cup 300 moves away from the cylindrical member 13. Figure 10 shows the state of the application device 1 when the outer cup rises from the cup lower position to the cup upper position. As shown in Figure 10, when the outer cup is in the cup upper position, the middle cup 300 is supported by the outer cup and separated from the rotation shaft 12.

[0068] Next, the rotation drive unit 14 operates to rotate the substrate W together with the rotation shaft 12 clockwise (right-handed) in a plan view. At this time, the outer cup and the inner cup 300 are separated from the rotation shaft 12 and do not rotate. In this state, a pre-wet solvent and a coating liquid are supplied in this order onto the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. FIG. 11 shows the state of the coating apparatus 1 when the pre-wet solvent is supplied to the substrate W. Also, FIG. 12 shows the state of the coating apparatus 1 when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate W.

[0069] 11, with the peripheral cup positioned at the over-cup position and the substrate W rotating, the pre-wet nozzle 31 is positioned at the pre-wet position. At this time, the pre-wet nozzle 31 is maintained in an orientation facing downward toward the substrate W. Specifically, the pre-wet position is a position above the center of the substrate W held by the holder 11. A predetermined amount of solvent is ejected from the pre-wet nozzle 31 onto the upper surface of the rotating substrate W (pre-wet). As the entire upper surface of the substrate W is wetted with the solvent, the pre-wet nozzle 31 moves to the standby position.

[0070] 12, the coating liquid nozzle 21 is placed at the coating position. Furthermore, the coating liquid is discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 21 onto the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. The coating liquid spreads on the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby forming a coating film over the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

[0071] When a solvent or a coating liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the processing liquid (coating liquid and solvent) splashing outward from the substrate W is received by the inner peripheral surface 110 of the upper cup 100 and guided to the liquid collection groove 230 of the lower cup 200. Furthermore, when a solvent or a coating liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the processing liquid (coating liquid and solvent) dropping downward from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W is also received by the upper surface 351 of the middle cup 300 and guided to the liquid collection groove 230 of the lower cup 200. In this way, the processing liquid is collected in the liquid collection groove 230. The collected processing liquid is further guided to a drainage system through the drain hole 231 (FIG. 4) and the drain pipe connection part 232.

[0072] A downward air current, in which clean air flows from above to below, is formed in a chamber (not shown) of the coating apparatus 1. Therefore, when the solvent and coating liquid are supplied to the substrate W, air flows into the gap between the substrate W and the upper cup 100. If a disturbance occurs in the air flow around the substrate W at this time, droplets of the processing liquid that fly or fall from the substrate W may fly around the chamber, which may significantly reduce the cleanliness of the coating apparatus 1.

[0073] In contrast, the middle cup main body 350 of the middle cup 300 is formed so as to guide the air flowing into the gap between the substrate W and the upper cup 100 through the gap between the outer cup and the liquid collection groove 230 to the entire internal space of the liquid collection groove 230. The air guided to the liquid collection groove 230 is smoothly guided to the entire internal space of the gas distribution groove 220 through the space formed by the lower surface of the middle cup main body 350. The air guided to the gas distribution groove 220 is further guided to the exhaust system through a plurality of exhaust holes 221 (FIG. 4) and an exhaust pipe connection part 222.

[0074] In this way, the middle cup main body 350 and the lower cup 200 can collect the processing liquid that splashes or drops from the substrate W while the substrate W is being processed with the processing liquid. They can also straighten the flow of gas around the periphery of the substrate W. Furthermore, the processing liquid and air flowing below the substrate W can be separated and guided to the drainage system and the exhaust system (gas-liquid separation).

[0075] After a coating film is formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate W, the supply of the coating liquid from the coating liquid nozzle 21 to the substrate W is stopped, and the coating liquid nozzle 21 moves to the standby position. Then, as described above, the first solvent nozzle 32 is positioned at the peripheral edge processing position. Specifically, the peripheral edge processing position is a position above a portion of the outer periphery of the substrate W held by the holder 11. The first solvent nozzle 32 ejects the solvent onto the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. Furthermore, the plurality of third solvent nozzles 42 eject the solvent onto a portion of the lower surface of the substrate W (back rinse). This removes the coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface and the outer periphery of the substrate W with the solvent. Furthermore, if the coating liquid is attached to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate W, the coating liquid attached to the lower surface of the substrate W is also removed with the solvent. Figure 13 shows the state of the coating apparatus 1 when the coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface and the outer periphery of the substrate W is removed, and the coating liquid attached to the lower surface of the substrate W is also removed.

[0076] Here, when forming a coating film on the substrate W, the coating liquid that scatters or falls from the substrate W and adheres to the upper surface 351 of the middle cup 300 is likely to remain as a solid on the upper surface 351 depending on the viscosity and temperature of the coating liquid, etc.

[0077] In contrast, when removing the coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W as described above, part of the solvent supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W drops from a partial circumferential region of the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W and flows downward along a partial region of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300. At this time, a relatively large amount of solvent flows onto the partial region of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300. As a result, solid matter in the coating liquid remaining on the partial region of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 is dissolved and flows downward from the medium cup 300. In other words, the partial region of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 is cleaned.

[0078] After the coating film on the peripheral edge and outer periphery of the upper surface of the substrate W is removed and back-rinsing is performed, the nozzles (32, 42) stop discharging the solvent onto the substrate W. The first solvent nozzle 32 moves to the standby position. In this state, the rotation of the substrate W is maintained for a certain period of time, whereby the substrate W is shaken off and dried (spin-dried).

[0079] After drying the substrate W, the rotation drive unit 14 adjusts the rotational position of the substrate W (rotation angle: in this example, the circumferential orientation (posture) of the substrate W) after spin drying so that it matches the rotational position of the substrate W after the rotation of the medium cup 300 by the specified angle α and before the start of rotation for pre-wetting. Thereafter, the operation of the rotation drive unit 14 stops, and the rotation of the substrate W stops.

[0080] Here, in the stopped state described above, the rotational position of the substrate W held by the holder 11 is shifted by a specified angle α counterclockwise in a plan view from the rotational position of the substrate W when it is loaded into the coating apparatus 1. It is not preferable that the rotational position of the substrate W loaded into the coating apparatus 1 differs from the rotational position of the substrate W unloaded from the coating apparatus 1.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, immediately after the rotation of the substrate W is temporarily stopped after spin drying, the rotation driver 14 rotates the rotation shaft 12 clockwise (right-handed) in a plan view by a specified angle α and then stops the rotation shaft 12. This causes the rotation position of the substrate W to be aligned with the rotation position of the substrate W when it was loaded into the coating apparatus 1.

[0082] Thereafter, the outer peripheral cup is lowered to the cup lower position by the lifting drive unit 16. Furthermore, the state in which the substrate W is held by the holder 11 with suction is released. This causes the coating apparatus 1 to return to the standby state of FIG. 7. The substrate W on the holder 11 is carried out from the coating apparatus 1.

[0083] 4. Operation during cup cleaning process by coating device 1 In the coating apparatus 1, the inner surface of the outer cup and the upper surface 351 of the inner cup 300 can be cleaned with a solvent (hereinafter referred to as a cup cleaning process) by the cup cleaning unit 310 and the plurality of second solvent nozzles 41. Figure 14 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the cup cleaning process in the coating apparatus 1.

[0084] In the cup cleaning process, the outer cup is placed in a position below the cup, as shown in Fig. 14. As described above, the downward protrusion 330 of the inner cup 300 is inserted into one of the vertical holes 13b (Fig. 3) of the cylindrical member 13, and the inner cup 300 is supported by the upper end surface of the cylindrical member 13. At this time, the second solvent nozzles 41 on the base member 400 respectively face the portions of the cleaning peripheral wall 320 of the inner cup 300. More specifically, the solvent ejection portion of each second solvent nozzle 41 faces a partial region in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the cleaning peripheral wall 320.

[0085] When the cup cleaning process starts, the rotation drive unit 14 operates, causing the middle cup 300 to rotate together with the rotary shaft 12. Furthermore, the second solvent nozzles 41 eject solvent onto multiple portions of the inner circumferential surface of the cleaning peripheral wall 320. The solvent ejected onto the inside of the cleaning peripheral wall 320 is sprayed outward from the cup cleaning unit 310 through the multiple injection ports 321 by centrifugal force generated inside the cleaning peripheral wall 320. The solvent ejected from the multiple injection ports 321 is received by the inner circumferential surface 110 of the upper cup 100 and the upper surface 351 of the middle cup 300, thereby cleaning the inner circumferential surface 110 and the upper surface 351. Furthermore, the inner surface of the gas flow groove 220 is also cleaned.

[0086] In the cup cleaning process of this example, the rotating shaft 12 and the inner cup 300 rotate clockwise (right-handed) in a plan view. However, in the cup cleaning process, the rotating shaft 12 and the inner cup 300 may also rotate counterclockwise (left-handed) in a plan view. As described above, the cup cleaning process is performed with the outer cup positioned in the cup below position. Therefore, the cup cleaning process cannot be performed in parallel with the process of forming a coating film on the substrate W.

[0087] 5. Control system of coating device 1 The control system of the coating apparatus 1 will be described together with the configuration of the control unit 900 in FIG. 1. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the coating apparatus 1 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 900 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 902, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 903, and a storage device 904. The RAM 902 is used as a work area for the CPU 901. The ROM 903 stores a system program. The storage device 904 includes a storage medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory, and stores a coating process program and a cup cleaning program. The coating process program in this example is a program for performing a process of forming a coating film on the upper surface of the substrate W except for the peripheral edge of the upper surface (a series of processes in FIGS. 7 to 13). The cup cleaning program is a program for performing the cup cleaning process described above.

[0088] 15 may be provided in a state stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM 909 and installed in the ROM 903 or the storage device 904. Alternatively, the coating process program and the cup cleaning program may be distributed from a server external to the coating apparatus 1 via a communication network and installed in the ROM 903 or the storage device 904. The operation of each part of the coating apparatus 1 is controlled by the CPU 901 executing the coating process program and the cup cleaning program.

[0089] The rotation drive unit 14 is provided with a rotary encoder 19. The rotary encoder 19 detects the amount of rotation of a rotor (not shown) of the rotation drive unit 14 and outputs a signal indicating the amount of rotation. The control unit 900 controls the rotation drive unit 14 based on the signal output from the rotary encoder 19. This causes the holder 11 to rotate at a predetermined speed depending on the processing content for the substrate W. In addition, the rotation positions (rotation angles) of the holder 11 and the rotation shaft 12 are adjusted.

[0090] The control unit 900 also controls the coating liquid nozzle moving device 22, which moves the coating liquid nozzle 21 in Fig. 1 between a coating position and a standby position in the chamber. The control unit 900 also controls the coating liquid supply system 20, which causes the treatment liquid to be supplied to the coating liquid nozzle 21.

[0091] The control unit 900 also controls the solvent nozzle moving device 33. The solvent nozzle moving device 33 may include, for example, a pivot arm and an arm drive unit that rotates the pivot arm. In this case, the pre-wet nozzle 31 and the first solvent nozzle 32 shown in FIG. 1 are attached to the tip of the pivot arm. As a result, the pre-wet nozzle 31 shown in FIG. 1 moves in an arc-like manner in a plan view between a pre-wet position and a standby position in the chamber, and the first solvent nozzle 32 shown in FIG. 1 moves in an arc-like manner in a plan view between a peripheral edge processing position and a standby position in the chamber. The control unit 900 also controls the solvent supply system 30. As a result, solvent is supplied to the first solvent nozzle 32, the plurality of second solvent nozzles 41 shown in FIG. 1, and the plurality of third solvent nozzles 42 shown in FIG. 1.

[0092] The control unit 900 also controls the suction device 15. As a result, the control unit 900 switches the state of the holder 11 between a holding state in which the substrate W is sucked and held, and a release state in which the substrate W is not sucked. The control unit 900 also controls the lifting drive unit 16. As a result, the height position of the peripheral cup is adjusted within a range from the cup lower position to the cup upper position.

[0093] 15, the coating device 1 further includes an operation unit 910. The operation unit 910 includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and is configured to be operable by a user. The user can set various operating conditions of the coating device 1 by operating the operation unit 910.

[0094] Various operating conditions of the coating apparatus 1 include, for example, the above-mentioned specified angle α, the amount of coating liquid to be supplied to the substrate W, the rotation speed of the substrate W when the coating liquid is supplied, the rotation speed of the substrate W during spin drying, and the start timing of the cup cleaning process.

[0095] 6.Effects (a) In the coating apparatus 1, each time an unprocessed substrate W is loaded, a coating film is formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the portion of the coating film formed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is removed.

[0096] When removing a coating film formed on the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W, a solvent is supplied from the first solvent nozzle 32 arranged at the peripheral portion processing position to a partial circumferential region of the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. This removes the portion of the coating film on the substrate W that has formed on the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, part of the solvent supplied to the substrate W drops from a partial circumferential region of the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W and flows downward along part of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300. This causes solid matter in the coating liquid remaining in a partial region of the upper surface of the medium cup to be dissolved by the solvent, and this partial region is washed away.

[0097] Furthermore, in the coating apparatus 1 described above, the medium cup 300 rotates by a specified angle α around the reference axis CA each time a process for forming a coating film on one substrate W is performed. In this case, multiple partial areas in the circumferential direction of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 are sequentially positioned at points where the solvent used to remove the coating film from the peripheral edges of the upper surface of the substrate W falls, and are then cleaned. This allows the solvent used to remove the coating film from the peripheral edges of the upper surfaces of multiple substrates W to be used to clean the entire circumference of the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300. Therefore, there is no need to increase the frequency of maintenance for cleaning the medium cup 300.

[0098] As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency of the coating apparatus 1 and improve the cleanliness of the cup while preventing an increase in the consumption of the solvent used to wash the cup.

[0099] (b) The solvent used to remove the coating film from the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate W is called the partial removal solvent. In this case, the specified angle α is preferably set taking into account the angular range of the partial area relative to the reference axis CA when a partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 is cleaned with the partial removal solvent dropping from the substrate W. For example, if the angular range of the partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 cleaned with the partial removal solvent dropping from the substrate W when the partial removal solvent is supplied to one substrate W is β°, the specified angle α is set to an angle smaller than β°. This causes the partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 cleaned by the coating process on one substrate W to partially overlap with the partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 cleaned during the coating process on the previous substrate W. This makes it possible to thoroughly clean the entire upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300.

[0100] (c) In the coating apparatus 1 described above, the rotation drive unit 14 rotates the substrate W via the rotation shaft 12 and the holder 11. Furthermore, in the coating apparatus 1 described above, the medium cup 300 is composed of an integrally molded cup cleaning unit 310 and a medium cup main body 350. The rotation drive unit 14 rotates the medium cup main body 350 via the rotation shaft 12, the cylindrical member 13, and the cup cleaning unit 310. In this manner, the rotation drive unit 14 is used as a drive unit for rotating the substrate W and a drive unit for rotating the medium cup main body 350. This eliminates the need to separately provide a drive unit for rotating the substrate W and a drive unit for rotating the medium cup main body 350. This prevents an increase in the number of parts and costs of the coating apparatus 1.

[0101] (d) In the coating apparatus 1 described above, the rotation drive unit 14 rotates the rotation shaft 12 clockwise (right-handed) in plan view when removing a coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, the rotation drive unit 14 rotates the substrate W clockwise in plan view. Meanwhile, the rotation drive unit 14 rotates the medium cup 300 counterclockwise (left-handed) in plan view every time a substrate W is placed on the holder 11. The reason for this will be explained.

[0102] For example, when a solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating in a clockwise direction, the solvent dropping from a partial circumferential region of the outer circumferential edge of the substrate W flows in a clockwise direction in a plan view. Therefore, on the upper surface 351 of the middle cup main body 350, solid matter of the coating liquid to be removed flows in a clockwise direction while being dissolved by the solvent. When the middle cup 300 rotates clockwise by a specified angle α each time a new substrate W is held by the holder 11, the partial region of the upper surface 351 cleaned after one rotation operation becomes contaminated by cleaning of another partial region of the upper surface 351 after the next rotation operation.

[0103] As described above, each time a substrate W is placed on the holder 11, the rotation drive unit 14 rotates the medium cup 300 by the specified angle α in a rotation direction (counterclockwise) opposite to the rotation direction (clockwise) of the substrate W when the solvent is supplied to the substrate W. In this case, the partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 cleaned after one rotation operation is not contaminated by cleaning of another partial area of ​​the upper surface 351 of the medium cup 300 after the next rotation operation. Therefore, the cleanliness of the medium cup 300 is improved.

[0104] 7. Examples and Comparative Examples The present inventors used a coating apparatus 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 as an example of the coating apparatus, and sequentially coated 18 substrates W using the coating apparatus. The present inventors also used a coating apparatus as a comparative example, which had the same configuration as the coating apparatus of the example, except that the cup cleaning unit 310 and the inner cup main body 350 were separated. In the comparative example of the coating apparatus, the inner cup main body 350 was integrally provided with the outer cup as an inner cup. The present inventors then used the comparative example of the coating apparatus to sequentially coated 18 substrates W.

[0105] The inventors then compared the contamination state of the medium cup according to the example with the contamination state of the medium cup according to the comparative example. Fig. 16 is a diagram schematically showing the results of the comparison between the contamination state of the medium cup according to the example and the contamination state of the medium cup according to the comparative example. The upper part of Fig. 16 shows a plan view of the contamination state of the medium cup according to the example. The lower part of Fig. 16 shows a plan view of the contamination state of the medium cup according to the comparative example.

[0106] In each plan view, the state of contamination in the corresponding inner cup is indicated by hatching and dot patterns. Also, in each plan view, a higher density of the hatching or dot patterns indicates a higher degree of contamination, and a lower density of the hatching or dot patterns indicates a lower degree of contamination.

[0107] As shown in the upper part of Figure 16, in the medium cup according to the example, contamination occurs over the entire annular upper surface portion that receives the processing liquid dropping from the substrate W, except for a region within a certain angular range. The degree of contamination increases as one moves counterclockwise circumferentially from a predetermined angular position. On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of Figure 16, in the medium cup according to the comparative example, contamination occurs over the entire annular upper surface portion that receives the processing liquid dropping from the substrate W, except for a region within a certain angular range. The degree of contamination is approximately uniform, except for a region within a certain angular range.

[0108] Comparing the degree of contamination of the inner cups of the Example and Comparative Example, the degree of contamination that occurred in the inner cup of the Comparative Example was significantly higher than the degree of contamination that occurred in the inner cup of the Example. As a result, it was confirmed that the application device of the Example can maintain a higher level of cleanliness than the inner cup of the application device of the Comparative Example, even without frequent cup cleaning treatment.

[0109] 8. Other Embodiments (a) Although the medium cup 300 according to the above embodiment is an integrally molded product including the cup cleaning unit 310 and the medium cup main body 350, the present invention is not limited to this. The medium cup 300 may also be produced by connecting the cup cleaning unit 310 and the medium cup main body 350, which are produced separately.

[0110] (b) In the coating apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the connection state between the medium cup 300 and the cylindrical member 13 is changed by adjusting the height position of the medium cup 300. As a result, the rotation drive unit 14 that rotates the substrate W is used as the rotation drive unit that rotates the medium cup 300. The present invention is not limited to this. In addition to the rotation drive unit 14, the coating apparatus 1 may have another rotation drive unit that rotates the medium cup 300 by a specified angle α relative to the outer cup.

[0111] (c) While the medium cup 300 according to the above embodiment is an integrally molded product including the cup cleaning unit 310 and the medium cup main body 350, the present invention is not limited to this. The cup cleaning unit 310 and the medium cup main body 350 of the medium cup 300 may be provided in a mutually separated state in the coating device 1. In this case, the coating device 1 needs to have another rotation drive unit, separate from the rotation drive unit 14, that rotates the medium cup main body 350 by the specified angle α relative to the outer cup.

[0112] (d) In the coating apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, immediately after the substrate W is loaded and held by suction on the holder 11, the middle cup 300 is rotated by the specified angle α relative to the outer cup, but the present invention is not limited to this. The middle cup 300 may be rotated by the specified angle α relative to the outer cup every time a new substrate W is placed on the holder 11. Therefore, the middle cup 300 may be rotated by the specified angle α relative to the outer cup immediately before one substrate W is unloaded from the holder 11.

[0113] (e) The rotation drive unit 14 according to the above embodiment rotates the rotation shaft 12 clockwise in plan view when removing a coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W. The rotation drive unit 14 also rotates the medium cup 300 counterclockwise in plan view every time a substrate W is placed on the holder 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0114] When removing the coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W, the rotation drive unit 14 may rotate the rotation shaft 12 counterclockwise in a planar view, and may rotate the middle cup 300 clockwise in a planar view each time the substrate W is placed on the holding unit 11.

[0115] The direction in which the substrate W rotates when removing the coating film from the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W may coincide with the direction in which the medium cup 300 rotates each time the substrate W is placed on the holder 11.

[0116] (f) In the coating apparatus 1 according to the above embodiment, the medium cup 300 rotates by the specified angle α about the reference axis CA each time an unprocessed substrate W is loaded, but the present invention is not limited to this. The medium cup 300 may rotate by the specified angle α about the reference axis CA each time a predetermined number of substrates W (e.g., two or three) are sequentially processed in the coating apparatus 1. Alternatively, the medium cup 300 may rotate by the specified angle α about the reference axis CA each time a predetermined time has elapsed since the power to the coating apparatus 1 was turned on.

[0117] 9. Correspondence between each part of the embodiment and each element of the claims The following describes examples of correspondence between the elements of the claims and the elements of the embodiments. Various other elements having the configurations or functions described in the claims may also be used as the elements of the claims.

[0118] In the above embodiment, the coating device 1 is an example of a coating device, the reference axis CA is an example of a reference axis, the configuration including the holding unit 11, the rotating shaft 12 and the rotation drive unit 14 is an example of a rotating holding unit, the outer cup consisting of the upper cup 100 and the lower cup 200 is an example of an outer cup, the middle cup main body 350 of the middle cup 300 is an example of a middle cup, and the peripheral processing position is an example of a first position.

[0119] Furthermore, the first solvent nozzle 32 is an example of a first solvent nozzle, a configuration including the rotation drive unit 14, the rotation shaft 12, the cylindrical member 13 and the cup cleaning unit 310 of the middle cup 300 is an example of a cup rotation drive unit, the holding unit 11 is an example of a holding unit, the rotation shaft 12 is an example of a rotation shaft, the rotation drive unit 14 is an example of a substrate rotation drive unit, the upper surface 351 of the middle cup main body 350 is an example of an upper surface, and the cup cleaning unit 310 of the middle cup 300 is an example of a cup cleaning unit.

[0120] Furthermore, the second solvent nozzle 41 is an example of a second solvent nozzle, the cleaning peripheral wall 320 of the cup cleaning section 310 is an example of a peripheral wall, the multiple injection ports 321 formed in the cleaning peripheral wall 320 are an example of multiple solvent injection ports, and the installation position of the second solvent nozzle 41 on the base member 400 is an example of a second position.

[0121] Furthermore, the base member 400 is an example of a base member, the multiple first through holes 311 formed in the middle cup 300 are an example of multiple first through holes, the third solvent nozzle 42 is an example of a third solvent nozzle, the multiple second through holes 312 formed in the middle cup 300 are an example of multiple second through holes, and the installation position of the third solvent nozzle 42 on the base member 400 is an example of a third position.

[0122] Furthermore, the tubular member 13 is an example of a tubular member, the lifting drive unit 16, the base member 400 and the lower cup 200 are examples of a first lifting device, the multiple vertical holes 13b of the tubular member 13 are examples of multiple engaging parts, the downward protrusion 330 of the middle cup 300 is an example of one or more engaged parts, and the lifting drive unit 16 and the base member 400 are examples of a second lifting device.

[0123] 10. Summary of the embodiment (Item 1) The coating device according to item 1 is A coating apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate, at least a portion of which has a circular shape, by supplying a coating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, the coating apparatus comprising: a rotation holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis that extends in a vertical direction; a peripheral cup provided around the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; an inner cup disposed inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; a first solvent nozzle that supplies a solvent to a partial region in a circumferential direction of a peripheral edge portion of an upper surface of the substrate that is rotated by the spinning and holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate that is held by the spinning and holding unit; and a cup rotation drive unit that rotates the inner cup around the reference axis.

[0124] In the coating device, the peripheral cup includes, for example, an upper cup and a lower cup. The upper cup is provided so as to surround the rotating and holding unit in a plan view. The lower cup is connected to a drainage system, has a liquid collecting portion that surrounds the rotating and holding unit in a plan view, and is provided below the upper cup. The middle cup has an annular shape, surrounds the rotating and holding unit in a plan view, and is provided at a position below the upper end of the upper cup and above the liquid collecting portion of the lower cup.

[0125] A coating liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate held by the rotating holding unit, thereby forming a coating film over the entire upper surface of the substrate. At this time, some of the coating liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate splashes to the sides of the substrate. The upper cup has an inner peripheral surface that faces the outer peripheral edge of the substrate when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate. As a result, the coating liquid splashed from the substrate is caught by the upper cup. The caught coating liquid flows downward along the inner surface of the upper cup and is collected by the liquid collecting section of the lower cup.

[0126] Furthermore, when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate, a portion of the remaining coating liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate falls downward from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. The middle cup has an inner diameter smaller than that of the substrate in a plan view and an outer diameter larger than that of the substrate. As a result, the coating liquid falling from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate is received by the middle cup. The middle cup also has a cylindrical shape that gradually increases in diameter from top to bottom, like the outer peripheral surface of a truncated cone. That is, the upper surface of the middle cup is formed so as to extend obliquely downward from the upper end to the lower end in a direction away from the reference axis. Therefore, the received coating liquid flows downward along the upper surface of the middle cup and is collected by the liquid collecting portion of the lower cup.

[0127] In this way, the coating liquid that splashes or drops from the substrate when it is being supplied to the substrate is collected in the liquid collecting section of the lower cup, and is then led to the drainage system and discharged from the coating device.

[0128] After a coating film is formed over the entire upper surface of the substrate, a solvent is supplied from a first position to a partial circumferential region of the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the rotating substrate. This removes the portion of the coating film on the substrate that has formed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. At this time, some of the solvent supplied to the substrate falls from a partial circumferential region of the outer periphery of the substrate and flows downward along part of the upper surface of the central cup.

[0129] Depending on the viscosity and temperature of the coating liquid supplied to the substrate, solid matter from the coating liquid may remain on the upper surface of the intermediate cup after the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate. In contrast, when the solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, the solvent dropping from a partial area in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate is received by a partial area in the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the intermediate cup. At this time, the solvent dissolves the solid matter from the coating liquid remaining in the partial area of ​​the upper surface of the intermediate cup and washes away that partial area.

[0130] The cup rotation drive unit can rotate the inner cup around a reference axis. In this case, the inner cup can be rotated a predetermined angle so that the positional relationship between each part of the inner cup and the first position changes relative to each other each time a coating film is formed on a substrate or a coating film is removed from the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate. This allows the solvent to be sequentially supplied to multiple partial regions in the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the inner cup. In other words, the solvent used to remove the coating film from the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate can also be used to clean the inner cup. This also eliminates the need to increase the frequency of maintenance for cleaning the inner cup.

[0131] As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency of the coating device and to improve the cleanliness of the cup while preventing an increase in the consumption of the solvent used to wash the cup.

[0132] (Item 2) In the coating device according to item 1, The cup rotation drive unit may rotate the inner cup around the reference axis by a specified angle that is greater than 0° and less than 360° every time a new substrate is held by the rotation holding unit.

[0133] In this case, as new substrates are repeatedly held in the rotating holding unit, multiple partial areas around the periphery of the upper surface of the inner cup are sequentially positioned at the point where the solvent used to remove the coating film from the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate falls, and are cleaned.

[0134] (Item 3) In the coating device according to item 1 or 2, The rotation holding unit includes: a holder for holding the substrate; a rotation shaft provided to extend along the reference axis and connected to the holding portion from below; a substrate rotation drive unit that drives the rotation shaft, The cup rotation drive unit may be the substrate rotation drive unit.

[0135] In this case, there is no need to provide a substrate rotation drive unit and a cup rotation drive unit separately, which prevents an increase in the number of parts in the coating apparatus and prevents costs from increasing.

[0136] (4) In the coating device according to the second paragraph, The rotation holding unit includes: a holder for holding the substrate; a rotation shaft provided to extend along the reference axis and connected to the holding portion from below; a substrate rotation drive unit that drives the rotation shaft, the central cup has a circular ring shape in a plan view and an upper surface formed to extend obliquely downward from an upper end to a lower end of the central cup in a direction away from the reference axis, The coating device is a cup cleaning member having a circular shape in a plan view and configured to be detachable from the rotating shaft; a second solvent nozzle provided inside the inner cup in a plan view; The cup cleaning member has a peripheral wall extending in the up-down direction at an outer peripheral end of the cup cleaning member, a plurality of solvent injection ports are formed in a plurality of portions of the peripheral wall in a circumferential direction; the second solvent nozzle supplies the solvent to a partial region in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall from a predetermined second position below the cup cleaning member; The peripheral wall of the cup cleaning member may be integrally connected to the upper end of the inner cup.

[0137] In a coating apparatus, each time a coating film is formed on a substrate, the coating liquid adheres to the upper cup, lower cup, and middle cup. If solid matter from the coating liquid accumulates in each cup, the cleanliness of the cup is significantly reduced.

[0138] Therefore, the cup cleaning member is connected to the rotating shaft every time a certain number of substrates are processed. Furthermore, while the rotating shaft is rotating, the solvent is supplied to the cup cleaning member from the second solvent nozzle. In this case, the solvent is sprayed onto the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup and the upper surface of the middle cup from the multiple solvent spray nozzles of the cup cleaning member. Furthermore, the solvent flowing along the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup and the upper surface of the middle cup flows into the liquid collecting section of the lower cup. This removes solids of the coating liquid adhering to the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup, the upper surface of the middle cup, and the surface of the liquid collecting section of the lower cup.

[0139] Here, the cup cleaning member is detachably attached to the rotating shaft. The cup cleaning member and the central cup are integrally connected. Therefore, with the cup cleaning member connected to the rotating shaft, the central cup rotates together with the cup cleaning member when the rotating shaft rotates. Therefore, with the above configuration, the substrate rotation drive unit can also be used as the cup rotation drive unit. This prevents an increase in the number of parts and costs of the coating device.

[0140] (Item 5) In the coating device according to item 4, The coating device is The cleaning device further includes a base member that is provided below the cup cleaning member and is movable in the up and down direction, the second solvent nozzle is supported on an upper surface of the base member; a plurality of first through holes, into which the second solvent nozzle can be inserted, are formed in the cup cleaning member at intervals of the specified angle around the reference axis; The cup cleaning member and the second solvent nozzle may be arranged so that, each time the inner cup rotates by the specified angle, the second solvent nozzle overlaps with one of the plurality of first through holes in a plan view.

[0141] In this case, when the base member approaches the cup cleaning member, interference between the second solvent nozzle and the cup cleaning member is prevented.

[0142] (Item 6) In the coating device according to item 5, The coating device is a third solvent nozzle supported on the upper surface of the base member and provided inside the inner cup in a plan view; a plurality of second through holes, into which the third solvent nozzle can be inserted, are formed in the cup cleaning member at intervals of the specified angle around the reference axis; the cup cleaning member and the third solvent nozzle are arranged such that the third solvent nozzle overlaps with any one of the plurality of second through holes in a plan view every time the inner cup rotates by the specified angle; The third solvent nozzle may be inserted into any one of the plurality of second through holes and supply solvent from a predetermined third position below the substrate held by the rotating holding unit to an area excluding the center of the underside of the substrate.

[0143] In this case, when the base member is close to the cup cleaning member, interference between the third solvent nozzle and the cup cleaning member is prevented. Furthermore, with the third solvent nozzle inserted into one of the second through-holes, solvent can be supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate. In other words, back-rinse processing becomes possible after a coating film is formed on the substrate.

[0144] (Item 7) In the coating device according to any one of items 4 to 6, The coating device is a cylindrical member provided to surround a portion of the rotating shaft at a position lower than the holding portion and fixed to the rotating shaft; a first lifting device that moves the middle cup and the cup cleaning member in a vertical direction at a position above the cylindrical member, the cylindrical member and the cup cleaning member are arranged so as to at least partially overlap each other in a plan view and so that an upper surface of the cylindrical member and a lower surface of the cup cleaning member face each other; a plurality of engagement portions are formed at intervals of the specified angle around the reference axis on one of the upper surface of the cylindrical member and the lower surface of the cup cleaning member; The other of the upper surface of the cylindrical member and the lower surface of the cup cleaning member may be formed with one or more engaging portions that can engage with and be separated from the multiple engaging portions by vertical movement of the cup cleaning member.

[0145] In this case, the cup cleaning member is moved up and down to engage the multiple engaging portions of the cylindrical member and the cup cleaning member with one or more engaged portions. In this state, the rotating shaft is rotated to rotate the inner cup by a specified angle.

[0146] Meanwhile, the cup cleaning member is moved up and down to separate the engaging portions and one or more engaged portions of the cylindrical member and the cup cleaning member. In this state, by rotating the rotation shaft, the substrate held by the holder can be rotated without rotating the inner cup.

[0147] (Item 8) In the coating device according to item 7, The coating device is Further, a second lifting device is provided to move the outer cup in a vertical direction, At least a portion of the outer cup may constitute part of the first lifting device by supporting the cup cleaning member and at least a portion of the inner cup from below during at least a portion of the period of lifting by the second lifting device and the period of lowering by the second lifting device.

[0148] In this case, for example, when supplying a coating liquid to a substrate, the peripheral cup can be moved to a height position corresponding to the substrate held by the holder. As a result, coating liquid splashed from the substrate is received by the peripheral cup. Also, for example, when transferring a substrate to the holder, the peripheral cup can be moved to a height position separated from the holder. As a result, interference between the substrate transfer robot and the peripheral cup is prevented.

[0149] According to the above configuration, by moving the peripheral cup in the vertical direction, at least a part of the peripheral cup constitutes a part of the first lifting device. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the first lifting device and the second lifting device separately. Therefore, an increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost of the coating device are suppressed.

[0150] (Item 9) In the coating device according to any one of items 1 to 7, the rotating and holding unit rotates the substrate in a first rotation direction when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate; The direction in which the cup rotation drive unit rotates the medium cup may be a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

[0151] When a solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of a substrate rotating in a first rotation direction, the solvent dropping from a partial circumferential region of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate flows in the first rotation direction in a plan view. As a result, on the upper surface of the intermediate cup, solid matter of the coating liquid to be removed flows in the first rotation direction while being dissolved by the solvent. When the intermediate cup rotates a specified angle in the first rotation direction each time a new substrate is held in the rotary holding unit, the partial region of the upper surface of the intermediate cup cleaned after one rotation operation becomes contaminated by cleaning of another partial region of the upper surface of the intermediate cup after the next rotation operation.

[0152] According to the above configuration, the cup rotation drive unit rotates the medium cup in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. In this case, a portion of the upper surface of the medium cup cleaned after one rotation operation is not contaminated by cleaning another portion of the upper surface of the medium cup after the next rotation operation. Therefore, the cleanliness of the medium cup is improved.

[0153] (Item 10) The coating method according to item 10 is A coating method for forming a coating film on a substrate, at least a portion of which has a circular shape, using a coating device, comprising: The coating device is a rotation holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis that extends in a vertical direction; a peripheral cup provided around the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; an inner cup disposed inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; a first solvent nozzle that supplies a solvent to a partial region in a circumferential direction of a peripheral edge portion of an upper surface of the substrate that is rotated by the spinning and holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate that is held by the spinning and holding unit; The coating method includes: a first step of supplying a coating liquid to an upper surface of one substrate that is rotated while being held by the rotating holding unit, thereby forming the coating film over the entire upper surface of the one substrate; a second step of supplying a solvent from the first solvent nozzle to a partial region in a circumferential direction of a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the first substrate, the first substrate being rotated while being held by the rotating holding unit, after the coating film has been formed on the entire upper surface of the first substrate; and a third step of rotating the central cup around the reference axis after the first step and the second step have been performed for the one substrate and before the first step and the second step are performed for a next substrate.

[0154] In the coating device described above, the peripheral cup includes, for example, an upper cup and a lower cup. The upper cup is disposed so as to surround the spinning and holding unit in a plan view. The lower cup is disposed below the upper cup, connected to a drainage system, and has a liquid collecting section that surrounds the spinning and holding unit in a plan view. The middle cup has an annular shape, surrounds the spinning and holding unit in a plan view, and is disposed below the upper end of the upper cup and above the liquid collecting section of the lower cup.

[0155] In the first step of the coating method, a coating liquid is supplied to the upper surface of a substrate held by a rotating holding unit, thereby forming a coating film over the entire upper surface of the substrate. At this time, some of the coating liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate splashes to the sides of the substrate. The upper cup has an inner surface that faces the outer edge of the substrate when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate. As a result, the coating liquid splashed from the substrate is received by the upper cup. The received coating liquid flows downward along the inner surface of the upper cup and is collected by the liquid collecting section of the lower cup.

[0156] Furthermore, when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate, a portion of the remaining coating liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate falls downward from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. The middle cup has an inner diameter smaller than that of the substrate in a plan view and an outer diameter larger than that of the substrate. As a result, the coating liquid falling from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate is received by the middle cup. The middle cup also has a cylindrical shape that gradually increases in diameter from top to bottom, like the outer peripheral surface of a truncated cone. That is, the upper surface of the middle cup is formed so as to extend obliquely downward from the upper end to the lower end in a direction away from the reference axis. Therefore, the received coating liquid flows downward along the upper surface of the middle cup and is collected by the liquid collecting portion of the lower cup.

[0157] In this way, the coating liquid that splashes or drops from the substrate when it is being supplied to the substrate is collected in the liquid collecting section of the lower cup, and is then led to the drainage system and discharged from the coating device.

[0158] In the second step, a solvent is supplied from the first position to a partial circumferential region of the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the rotating substrate. This removes a portion of the coating film formed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. At this time, some of the solvent supplied to the substrate falls from a partial circumferential region of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate and flows downward along a portion of the upper surface of the central cup.

[0159] Depending on the viscosity and temperature of the coating liquid supplied to the substrate, solid matter from the coating liquid may remain on the upper surface of the intermediate cup after the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate. In contrast, when the solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, the solvent dropping from a partial area in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate is received by a partial area in the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the intermediate cup. At this time, the solvent dissolves the solid matter from the coating liquid remaining in the partial area of ​​the upper surface of the intermediate cup and washes away that partial area.

[0160] In the third step, after the first and second steps are performed on one substrate, the central cup rotates around the reference axis until the first and second steps are performed on the next substrate. In this case, the positional relationship between each part of the central cup and the first position changes relative to each other each time the first and second steps are performed on multiple substrates. This allows the solvent to be sequentially supplied to multiple partial regions in the circumferential direction of the upper surface of the central cup. In other words, the solvent used to remove the coating film from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate can be used to clean the central cup. Furthermore, there is no need to increase the frequency of maintenance to clean the central cup.

[0161] As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency of the coating device and to improve the cleanliness of the cup while preventing an increase in the consumption of the solvent used to wash the cup. [Explanation of symbols]

[0162] 1... coating device, 10... rotation holding device, 11... holding portion, 12... rotating shaft, 13... cylindrical member, 13a... shaft mounting hole, 13b... vertical hole, 14... rotation drive unit, 15... suction device, 16... lift drive unit, 19... rotary encoder, 20... coating liquid supply system, 21... coating liquid nozzle, 22... coating liquid nozzle moving device, 30... solvent supply system, 31... pre-wet nozzle, 32... first solvent nozzle, 33... solvent nozzle moving device, 41... second solvent nozzle, 42... third solvent nozzle, 100... upper cup, 101... upper opening, 102... lower opening, 110... inner peripheral surface, 111... lower end, 200... lower cup, 201, 301, 401... central opening, 210... annular support portion, 211... first peripheral wall, 212 ...Second peripheral wall, 213...Third peripheral wall, 220...Gas distribution groove, 221...Exhaust hole, 222...Exhaust pipe connection portion, 230...Liquid collection groove, 231...Drain hole, 232...Drain pipe connection portion, 300...Internal cup, 310...Cup cleaning portion, 311...First through hole, 312...Second through hole, 320...Cleaning peripheral wall, 321...Injection port, 322...Annular supported portion, 330...Downward protruding portion, 350...Internal cup main body portion, 351...Upper surface, 400...Base member, 409...Support portion, 900...Control portion, 901...CPU, 902...RAM, 903...ROM, 904...Storage device, 909...CD-ROM, 910...Operation portion, CA...Reference axis, W...Substrate, vc1...First virtual circle, vc2...Second virtual circle, α...Specified angle

Claims

1. A coating apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate, at least a portion of which has a circular shape, by supplying a coating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, the coating apparatus comprising: a rotation holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis that extends in a vertical direction; a peripheral cup provided around the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; an inner cup disposed inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; a first solvent nozzle configured to supply a solvent to a partial area in a circumferential direction of a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the substrate rotated by the spinning and holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate held by the spinning and holding unit; and a cup rotation drive unit that rotates the inner cup around the reference axis.

2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cup rotation drive unit rotates the inner cup around the reference axis by a specified angle greater than 0° and less than 360° each time a new substrate is held by the rotating and holding unit.

3. The rotation holding unit includes: a holder for holding the substrate; a rotation shaft provided to extend along the reference axis and connected to the holding portion from below; a substrate rotation drive unit that drives the rotation shaft, 3. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cup rotation drive unit is the substrate rotation drive unit.

4. The rotation holding unit includes: a holder for holding the substrate; a rotation shaft provided to extend along the reference axis and connected to the holding portion from below; a substrate rotation drive unit that drives the rotation shaft, the central cup has a circular ring shape in a plan view and an upper surface formed to extend obliquely downward from an upper end to a lower end of the central cup in a direction away from the reference axis, The coating device is a cup cleaning member having a circular shape in a plan view and configured to be detachable from the rotating shaft; a second solvent nozzle provided inside the inner cup in a plan view; The cup cleaning member has a peripheral wall extending in the up-down direction at an outer peripheral end of the cup cleaning member, a plurality of solvent injection ports are formed in a plurality of portions of the peripheral wall in a circumferential direction; the second solvent nozzle supplies the solvent to a partial region in a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall from a predetermined second position below the cup cleaning member; The coating device according to claim 2 , wherein the peripheral wall of the cup cleaning member is integrally connected to the upper end of the inner cup.

5. The cleaning device further includes a base member that is provided below the cup cleaning member and is movable in the up and down direction, the second solvent nozzle is supported on an upper surface of the base member; a plurality of first through holes, into which the second solvent nozzle can be inserted, are formed in the cup cleaning member at intervals of the specified angle about the reference axis; 5. The coating device according to claim 4, wherein the cup cleaning member and the second solvent nozzle are arranged such that the second solvent nozzle overlaps with any one of the plurality of first through holes in a plan view each time the inner cup rotates by the specified angle.

6. a third solvent nozzle supported on the upper surface of the base member and disposed inside the inner cup in a plan view; a plurality of second through-holes, into which the third solvent nozzle can be inserted, are formed in the cup cleaning member at intervals of the specified angle about the reference axis; the cup cleaning member and the third solvent nozzle are arranged such that the third solvent nozzle overlaps with any one of the plurality of second through holes in a plan view every time the inner cup rotates by the specified angle; The coating device according to claim 5, wherein the third solvent nozzle, when inserted into any one of the plurality of second through holes, supplies solvent from a predetermined third position below the substrate held by the rotating holding unit to an area excluding a central portion of the underside of the substrate.

7. a cylindrical member provided to surround a portion of the rotating shaft at a position lower than the holding portion and fixed to the rotating shaft; a first lifting device that moves the middle cup and the cup cleaning member in a vertical direction at a position above the cylindrical member, the cylindrical member and the cup cleaning member are arranged so as to at least partially overlap each other in a plan view and so that an upper surface of the cylindrical member and a lower surface of the cup cleaning member face each other; a plurality of engagement portions are formed at intervals of the specified angle around the reference axis on one of the upper surface of the cylindrical member and the lower surface of the cup cleaning member; The application device according to claim 4, wherein the other of the upper surface of the cylindrical member and the lower surface of the cup cleaning member is formed with one or more engaged portions that can engage with and be separated from the plurality of engaging portions by vertical movement of the cup cleaning member.

8. Further, a second lifting device is provided to move the outer cup in a vertical direction, 8. The coating device according to claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the outer cup forms part of the first lifting device by supporting the cup cleaning member and at least a portion of the inner cup from below during at least a portion of a period during which the outer cup is raised by the second lifting device and a period during which the outer cup is lowered by the second lifting device.

9. the rotation holding unit rotates the substrate in a first rotation direction when the coating liquid is supplied to the substrate; The coating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the direction in which the cup rotation drive unit rotates the inner cup is a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

10. A coating method for forming a coating film on a substrate, at least a portion of which has a circular shape, using a coating device, comprising: The coating device is a rotation holding unit that holds the substrate and rotates the held substrate around a reference axis that extends in a vertical direction; a peripheral cup provided around the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; an inner cup disposed inside the outer cup and below the substrate held by the rotation holding unit; a first solvent nozzle that supplies a solvent to a partial region in a circumferential direction of a peripheral edge portion of an upper surface of the substrate that is rotated by the spinning and holding unit from a predetermined first position above the substrate that is held by the spinning and holding unit, The coating method includes: a first step of supplying a coating liquid to an upper surface of one substrate that is rotated while being held by the rotating holding unit, thereby forming the coating film over the entire upper surface of the one substrate; a second step of supplying a solvent from the first solvent nozzle to a partial region in a circumferential direction of a peripheral portion of an upper surface of the first substrate, the first substrate being rotated while being held by the rotating holding unit, after the coating film has been formed on the entire upper surface of the first substrate; and a third step of rotating the medium cup around the reference axis after the first step and the second step have been performed on the one substrate and before the first step and the second step are performed on a next substrate.

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