Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The substrate is held in place by suction with sufficient force to withstand its rotation while being processed with the processing solution. [Solution] In this invention, the suction area of ​​the chuck body is surrounded by an annular elastic portion of the packing. Before the center of the lower surface of the substrate and the suction area of ​​the chuck body come into contact, the annular elastic portion deforms to follow the lower surface of the substrate while surrounding the center of the lower surface of the substrate, and adheres tightly. As a result, suction leakage is less likely to occur, and the substrate is held in place by the suction area not only when there is no warping, but also when there is warping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate whose center of the lower surface is adsorbed and held by a chuck body. Here, the substrates include substrates for semiconductor packages such as substrates for FOWLP (fan out wafer level package), glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, substrates for organic EL, semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic papers, and other substrates for precision electronic devices, rectangular glass substrates, flexible substrates for film liquid crystals, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a substrate processing apparatus that performs development processing and the like by supplying a processing liquid such as a developing solution to the upper surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. For example, in Patent Document 1, the substrate is held in a horizontal posture by adsorbing the center of the lower surface of the substrate by an adsorption region provided on the upper surface of the adsorption holding portion (corresponding to an example of the "chuck body" of the present invention). When a spin motor connected to the adsorption holding portion operates, the substrate rotates in a horizontal posture. Then, the developing solution is supplied from a nozzle to the upper surface of the rotating substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In devices that rotate a substrate while holding it by suction, it is crucial to maintain good suction force on the substrate. If the substrate is rotated with low suction force, the substrate may detach from the suction holding area due to the rotation. For example, with substrates that have a relatively large warp, such as those used for semiconductor packaging, the center of the underside may not be able to adequately follow the suction area of ​​the suction holding part, and the above problem may occur during the development process. Furthermore, if the following ability is low, suction errors may occur, forcing the development process to be interrupted.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can process a substrate with a processing liquid while adsorbing and holding the substrate with an adsorption force that can sufficiently withstand the rotation of the substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of this invention is a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chuck body having an adsorption region on its upper surface for adsorbing and holding the center of the lower surface of a substrate, and rotatably mounted around a rotation axis while adsorbing and holding the substrate in the adsorption region; a packing attached around the chuck body; a rotating part that rotates the chuck body and packing integrally around the rotation axis; and a processing liquid supply part that supplies processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate adsorbed and held by the chuck body. The packing has an outer fitting portion fitted around the chuck body and an annular elastic portion made of an elastic material that protrudes above the upper surface of the chuck body from the outer fitting portion and surrounds the adsorption region, characterized in that the annular elastic portion deforms to conform to the lower surface of the substrate while surrounding the center of the lower surface of the substrate and making close contact with it.

[0007] A second aspect of this invention is a substrate processing method, comprising a loading step of loading a substrate onto a packing and a chuck body, an adsorption holding step of adsorbing and holding the substrate on the chuck body, and a processing liquid supply step of supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate while rotating the chuck body, wherein the packing has an outer fitting portion fitted around the periphery of the chuck body and an annular elastic portion made of an elastic material that protrudes above the upper surface of the chuck body from the outer fitting portion and surrounds the adsorption area, and in the adsorption holding step, the annular elastic portion deforms to follow the lower surface of the substrate while surrounding the center of the lower surface of the substrate and making close contact.

[0008] In this configuration, the substrate is held by suction to the chuck body with the center of the substrate's lower surface and the suction area of ​​the chuck body in close contact with each other. However, if the substrate is warped, for example, the suction area may not be able to follow the center of the substrate's lower surface, resulting in suction leakage. However, in this invention, the suction area of ​​the chuck body is surrounded by an annular elastic portion of the packing. Before the center of the substrate's lower surface and the suction area of ​​the chuck body come into close contact, the annular elastic portion deforms to follow the surface of the substrate while surrounding the center of the substrate's lower surface, thus achieving close contact. As a result, suction leakage is less likely to occur, and the substrate is held by suction even if it is warped, as well as when it is not. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to treat the substrate with a processing solution while adsorbing and holding it with an adsorption force that is sufficient to withstand the rotation of the substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2A] This figure shows the configuration of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2B] This is a plan view of the central part of Figure 2A, seen from above. [Figure 3]This diagram schematically shows how the packing is attached to the spin base. [Figure 4A] This diagram schematically shows the state of a circuit board immediately after it has been loaded by a circuit board transport robot. [Figure 4B] This diagram schematically shows the state immediately after the annular elastic part comes into contact with the descending substrate. [Figure 4C] This diagram schematically shows the state at the point when the substrate transfer to the spin base is complete. [Figure 5] This figure shows the configuration of a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 6A] This figure shows the configuration of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 6B] This figure shows the configuration of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 7A] This figure shows the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 7B] This figure shows the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows the configuration of a packing used in a fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure shows the configuration of a packing used in the sixth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. This does not show the external appearance of the substrate processing system 100, but is a schematic diagram that clearly illustrates its internal structure by excluding the outer wall panels and some other components of the substrate processing system 100. This substrate processing system 100 is a single-wafer type device that is installed, for example, in a clean room and processes substrates S one by one.

[0012] The substrate processing system 100 includes a plurality of processing units (substrate processing apparatuses) 1 each of which is a processing entity for the substrate S. In FIG. 1, a state where four processing units 1 are arranged horizontally is shown, but each processing unit 1 can also be stacked in multiple stages in the vertical direction. For example, when the processing units 1 are stacked in six stages, the substrate processing system 100 includes a total of 24 processing units 1.

[0013] Each of the plurality of processing units 1 equipped in the substrate processing system 100 receives a rectangular substrate S as described later, and supplies a developing solution to the upper surface of the substrate S for developing processing. That is, the processing unit 1 corresponds to an example of the substrate processing apparatus 10 capable of executing an embodiment of the substrate processing method according to the present invention.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 has a substrate processing area 110 for processing a rectangular substrate S. An indexer unit 120 is provided adjacent to the substrate processing area 110. The indexer unit 120 has a container holding unit 121 capable of holding a plurality of containers C (such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) pod, an OC (Open Cassette), etc. that accommodate a plurality of substrates S in a sealed state). Further, the indexer unit 120 includes an indexer robot 122 for accessing the container C held by the container holding unit 121 to take out an unprocessed substrate S from the container C or store a processed substrate S in the container C. A plurality of substrates S are accommodated in each container C in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0015] The indexer robot 122 includes a base portion 122a fixed to the apparatus housing, an articulated arm 122b provided rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to the base portion 122a, and a hand 122c attached to the tip of the articulated arm 122b. The hand 122c has a structure capable of placing and holding the substrate S on its upper surface. Since an indexer robot having such an articulated arm and a hand for holding a substrate is known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0016] In the substrate processing area 110, a mounting table 112 is provided so as to be able to mount the substrate S from the indexer robot 122. Also, in a plan view, a substrate transfer robot 111 is disposed substantially at the center of the substrate processing area 110. Further, a plurality of processing units 1 (substrate processing apparatuses 10) are disposed so as to surround the substrate transfer robot 111. Specifically, the plurality of processing units 1 are disposed facing the space where the substrate transfer robot 111 is disposed. The substrate transfer robot 111 accesses the mounting table 112 randomly with respect to these processing units 1 and transfers the substrate S between the mounting table 112. In the present embodiment, these processing units 1 (substrate processing apparatuses 10) have the same function. For this reason, parallel processing of a plurality of substrates S is possible. Note that if the substrate transfer robot 111 can directly transfer the substrate S from the indexer robot 122, the mounting table 112 is not necessarily required.

[0017] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2B is a plan view of the central portion of FIG. 2A as viewed from above. In FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and the drawings described later, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and numbers of each part are illustrated in an exaggerated or simplified manner. The substrate processing apparatus 10 has a box-shaped chamber 11 having an internal space.

[0018] The side wall of the chamber 11 is provided with an inlet / outlet 14 through which the substrate S passes. A shutter 15 for opening and closing the inlet / outlet 14 is also attached to the side wall. For example, as shown in Figure 2A, with the shutter 15 open, the substrate S is loaded into the chamber 11 through the inlet / outlet 14. Inside the chamber 11, the spin base 21 of the spin chuck 20 holds a single substrate S horizontally and rotates it around a vertical axis of rotation A1 passing through the center SC of the substrate S.

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the attachment of the packing to the spin base. In this figure, the left diagram is a perspective view showing the attachment. The right diagram is a side view of the attachment, and in order to clarify the operation of the packing 50, only the cross-sectional structure of the packing 50 is shown, while the other components are shown in side views. The spin chuck 20 has a disc-shaped spin base 21 smaller than the substrate S and a suction pump 22. Multiple suction grooves 212 are provided on the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21. The suction grooves 212 are connected to the suction pump 22 (Figure 2A) by a suction pipe 23. A suction valve 24 is interposed in this suction pipe 23, as shown in Figure 2A. Therefore, when the suction pump 22 is operated in response to a command from the control unit 90 that controls the entire apparatus, and when the suction valve 24 is opened in response to a command from the control unit 90, the suction force of the suction pump 22 is transmitted to the suction grooves 212. As a result, the center of the lower surface of the substrate S on the spin base 21 is attracted to the spin base 21. In this way, the substrate S is held horizontally with respect to the spin base 21. Thus, the spin base 21 corresponds to an example of the "chuck body" of the present invention. Furthermore, the region 213 on the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 where the adsorption groove 212 is provided corresponds to an example of the "adsorption region" of the present invention, and will be referred to as the "adsorption region 213" below.

[0020] In this embodiment, a packing 50 is attached around the spin base 21. The packing 50 has an outer fitting portion 51 that fits onto the perimeter 214 of the spin base 21, and an annular elastic portion 52 that protrudes from the outer fitting portion 51 above the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 and surrounds the suction area 213. In this embodiment, the outer fitting portion 51 and the annular elastic portion 52 are integrally molded from an elastic material such as rubber or resin. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, the outer fitting portion 51 fits tightly against the perimeter 214 of the spin base 21 due to the outer fitting portion 51's exterior. Also, when loading the substrate S onto the spin base 21, the annular elastic portion 52 deforms to follow the lower surface Sb of the substrate S while surrounding the center of the lower surface S, and fits tightly. As a result, suction leakage from the space (see Figure 4B) surrounded by the packing 50 between the center of the lower surface S and the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 is suppressed. As a result, even if the substrate S is warped, it becomes possible to bring the center of the bottom surface of the substrate S into close contact with the top surface 211. This point will be explained in more detail later with reference to Figures 4A to 4C.

[0021] The spin chuck 20 includes a spin shaft 25 extending downward from the center of the spin base 21 to which the packing 50 is attached, a spin motor (rotating part) 26 that rotates the spin shaft 25, the spin base 21 and the packing 50 around the rotation axis A1, and a motor housing 27 that houses the spin motor 26. Therefore, when the spin motor 26 is operated in response to a command from the control unit 90, the substrate S, which is held by suction in a horizontal position on the spin base 21, rotates integrally with the spin base 21 and the packing 50 around the rotation axis A1.

[0022] A processing liquid supply unit 30 is provided to supply processing liquid to the upper surface of a rotating substrate S. The processing liquid supply unit 30 has a nozzle 31 with its discharge port (not shown) facing downwards. The nozzle 31 is connected to a nozzle moving unit 32 and is movable between a position above the center of the upper surface of the substrate S, i.e., a processing position P1 (Figure 2B), and a position P2 (Figure 2B) separated from the substrate S. That is, in response to a command from a control unit 90 that controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 10, the nozzle moving unit 32 moves the nozzle 31 to the processing position P1 and positions it, so that the discharge port of the nozzle 31 faces the center of the upper surface of the substrate S, as shown in Figure 2A. In this state, the nozzle 31 is capable of selectively discharging either developer or rinse solution toward the substrate S. That is, a pipe 33 extends from the nozzle 31, and its tip is branched into two branch pipes. One of these branch pipes 34 is connected to a developer supply source (not shown), and a valve 35 is interposed in its middle section. Furthermore, the other branch pipe 36 is connected to a rinse liquid supply source (not shown), and a valve 37 is interposed in the middle of it. Therefore, when valves 35 and 37 are opened and closed respectively in response to a command from the control unit 90, developer solution is discharged downward from the nozzle 31 and supplied to the upper surface Sf of the substrate S. This performs the developing process. Conversely, when valves 35 and 37 are closed and opened respectively, rinse liquid is discharged downward from the nozzle 31 and supplied to the upper surface Sf of the substrate S. This performs the rinsing process.

[0023] During the developing and rinsing processes, the processing solution is shaken off the substrate S. Therefore, a guard section 40 is provided to surround the rotating substrate S. The guard section 40 includes a cylindrical guard 41 that receives the developing solution and rinsing solution discharged outward from the substrate S on the airflow generated as the substrate S rotates, a cup 42 that receives the processing solution guided downward by the guard 41, and an outer ring 43 that surrounds the guard 41 and the cup 42.

[0024] The guard 41 is movable vertically relative to the bottom of the chamber 11. On the other hand, the cup 42 is fixed to the bottom of the chamber 11. A lifting unit 44 is also connected to the guard 41, as shown in Figure 2A. The lifting unit 44 moves the guard 41 vertically up and down between an upper position (indicated by a dashed line) and a lower position (indicated by a solid line) in response to a command from the control unit 90, and stops the guard 41 at any position between the upper and lower positions. Here, in the upper position, the upper end of the guard 41 is located above the support position where the substrate S held by the spin chuck 20 is placed. In the lower position, the upper end of the guard 41 is located below the support position.

[0025] The control unit 90 is composed of a computer having a CPU (= Central Processing Unit) and RAM (= Random Access Memory), and controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 10 as follows according to a program stored in the memory unit (not shown), and performs the developing process and the rinsing process.

[0026] The control unit 90 issues a loading request for the substrate S to the substrate transfer robot 111. In response, the substrate transfer robot 111 loads the substrate S onto the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 and the packing 50 (loading process). During this loading, the annular elastic portion 52 of the packing 50 comes into contact with the lower surface Sb of the substrate S as it descends toward the spin base 21, and suppresses suction leakage while elastically deforming.

[0027] Figures 4A to 4C schematically illustrate the operation of the annular elastic part during the transfer of the substrate to the spin base 21. More specifically, Figure 4A shows the state immediately after the substrate is loaded by the substrate transport robot, Figure 4B shows the state immediately after the annular elastic part contacts the descending substrate, and Figure 4C shows the state at the completion of the transfer of the substrate to the spin base. In these figures, the reference numerals HP0, HP1, and HP2 indicate the height position of the substrate S immediately after loading, the height position of the substrate S immediately after contact with the annular elastic part 52, and the height position of the substrate S at the completion of the transfer, respectively.

[0028] The substrate transfer robot 111 moves the unprocessed substrate S to a position HP0 directly above the spin base 21, while holding the substrate S with a hand (not shown) in order to transfer the substrate S to the spin base 21 (Figure 4A). At this time, the annular elastic portion 52 is not in contact with the substrate S and has a trumpet shape that extends upward as it moves outward from the outer peripheral edge of the outer fitting portion 51. Also, the valve 24 (Figure 2A) is closed and the suction is in the OFF state.

[0029] Next, the substrate transfer robot 111 lowers its hand to a position lower than the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21. During this descent, as shown in Figure 4B, the lower surface Sb of the substrate S comes into contact with the tip of the annular elastic portion 52. At this contact position HP1, the control unit 90 opens the suction valve 24 and applies the suction force of the suction pump 22 to the suction groove 212. As a result, the air in the space SP surrounded by the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21, the lower surface Sb of the substrate S, and the packing 50 is sucked in through the suction groove 212. The descent of the substrate S towards the spin base 21 continues while this suction is maintained. During this time, the annular elastic portion 52 deforms to follow the lower surface Sb of the substrate S, surrounding the center of the lower surface of the substrate S, and adheres tightly to it. Note that the timing for switching the suction to the ON state is not limited to the height position HP1; for example, suction may be started at a position lower than the height position HP1 and higher than the height position HP2, which will be described next.

[0030] When the hand of the substrate transfer robot 111 descends to a position lower than the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21, the lower surface Sb of the substrate S reaches the adsorption region 213 of the spin base 21 (height position HP2 in Figure 4C). At this point, if the substrate S is warped, a portion of the center of the lower surface of the substrate S may be floating away from the adsorption region 213, and the aforementioned space SP may exist. However, the packing 50 continues to suppress suction leakage from the space SP, and suction from the space SP continues. As a result, the warped substrate S is attracted and drawn to the adsorption region 213, and adheres tightly to the adsorption region 213. Consequently, even if the substrate S is warped, the substrate S is held on the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 with sufficient suction force (adsorption holding process).

[0031] Once the loading of the substrate S is complete, the substrate transport robot 111 moves away from the substrate processing device 10. Subsequently, the control unit 90 gives a rotation command to the spin motor 26 to rotate the substrate S together with the spin base 21 and packing 50. The control unit 90 also gives a movement command to the nozzle movement unit 32 to move the nozzle 31 to the processing position P1, and then opens the valve 35. As a result, developer solution is discharged from the nozzle 31 toward the upper surface Sf of the substrate S, and the developing process is performed (processing solution supply process). After the developing process, the control unit 90 closes the valve 35 to stop the supply of developer solution from the nozzle 31. Subsequently, the control unit 90 opens the valve 37 to supply rinse solution from the nozzle 31 to the upper surface Sf of the substrate S to perform the rinsing process. After the rinsing process is complete, the control unit 90 closes the valve 37 to stop the supply of rinse solution from the nozzle 31. After that, the control unit 90 gives a high-speed rotation command to the spin motor 26 to spin-dry the substrate S. Furthermore, the control unit 90 issues a rotation stop command to the spin motor 26, stopping the rotation of the substrate S. In addition, the control unit 90 requests the substrate transport robot 111 to unload the substrate S, and the processed substrate S is discharged from the substrate processing device 10 by the reverse operation of the loading process.

[0032] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the substrate S is warped, for example, the developing process can be carried out while the substrate S is held in place by suction with an adsorption force that is sufficient to withstand the rotation of the substrate S.

[0033] Figure 5 shows the configuration of a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The main differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment are the planar shape of the spin base 21 and the shape of the packing 50. In the second embodiment, the spin base 21 is made of a flat plate whose shape when viewed from above is a rounded rectangle (a rectangle with rounded corners). Accordingly, a rounded rectangle-shaped packing 50 is used. However, if the outer fitting portion 51 of the packing 50 is in close contact with the periphery 214 of the spin base 21, a rectangular-shaped packing 50 can also be used.

[0034] Figures 6A and 6B show the configuration of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The main difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is the addition of a support plate 53; the other configurations are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the differences, and identical components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0035] A pit 532 is provided in the center of the upper surface 531 of the support plate 53. The spin base 21 and packing 50 are housed within the pit 532, and the support plate 53 is attached to the spin shaft 25 such that its upper surface 531 is flush with the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21. As a result, not only are the same effects as in the first embodiment obtained, but the following additional effects can also be obtained. That is, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 6B, when a substrate S that is curved in a so-called convex shape with its central part protruding upward is lowered onto the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 by the substrate transport robot 111, the peripheral edge of the substrate S contacts the upper surface 531 of the support plate 53 before the center of the lower surface of the substrate S contacts the suction area 213. While maintaining this contact state, the center of the lower surface of the substrate S contacts the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 and is suctioned, with a delay after the contact of the peripheral edge. In this way, the substrate S can be corrected for warping while being held in place by an adsorption force that is sufficient to withstand the rotation of the substrate S, allowing for development processing.

[0036] Figures 7A and 7B show the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The main difference between this fourth embodiment and the third embodiment is that positioning pins 54 capable of engaging with the corners of a rectangular substrate S are erected on the upper surface 531 of the support plate 53, while the other configurations are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and identical components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0037] In the fourth embodiment, as the substrate S descends onto the upper surface 211 of the spin base 21 by the substrate transport robot 111, the four corners of the substrate S engage with the positioning pins 54. This positions the substrate S in the horizontal plane to a position corresponding to the placement of the positioning pins 54. This enables stable and highly accurate developing processing.

[0038] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made to those described above without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, a packing 50 is used in which the annular elastic portion 52 has a trumpet shape that extends upward as it proceeds outward from the outer peripheral edge of the outer fitting portion 51, but the shape of the annular elastic portion 52 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 8, a packing 50 may be used that has an annular elastic portion 52A that is finished in a trumpet shape that extends upward as it proceeds outward from the inner peripheral edge of the outer fitting portion 51 (5th embodiment). Alternatively, a packing 50 may be used that has an annular elastic portion 52B that is finished in a bellows shape, as shown in Figure 9 (6th embodiment).

[0039] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the outer fitting portion 51 and the annular elastic portion 52B are integrally molded, but a packing 50 having a structure in which the annular elastic portion 52B is attached to the outer fitting portion 51 may also be used. The annular elastic portion 52B is made of an elastic material, while the constituent material of the outer fitting portion 51 is arbitrary.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the adsorption region 213 is composed of a plurality of adsorption grooves 212. The adsorption region 213 may also be composed of a plurality of adsorption holes. Of course, the adsorption region 213 may also be composed of a combination of adsorption holes and adsorption grooves.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a developing process. However, it can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that rotates a substrate whose lower center is held by adsorption by a spin base 21 (chuck body) while supplying a processing solution such as an etching solution to the upper surface of the substrate for processing. [Industrial applicability]

[0042] This invention can be applied to all substrate processing technologies in which a substrate is rotated while a processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, with the lower center of the substrate being held by suction by a chuck body. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 10... Circuit board processing equipment 21... Spin base (chuck body) 26…Spin motor (rotating part) 30... Processing liquid supply unit 50... Gasket 51...Outer fitting part 52, 52A, 52B... Annular elastic section 53…Support plate 54…Positioning pin 213...Adsorption area A1... Axis of rotation S... Circuit board Sb... (Underside of the circuit board) Sf... Top surface (of the circuit board)

Claims

1. The chuck body is provided to be rotatable around a rotation axis while holding the substrate in the suction region, with an adsorption region on its upper surface that adsorbs and holds the substrate in the center of the lower surface. A packing is attached around the chuck body, A rotating part that rotates the chuck body and the packing together around the axis of rotation, The system includes a processing liquid supply unit that supplies processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by adsorption on the chuck body, The packing has an outer fitting portion that is fitted around the chuck body and an annular elastic portion made of an elastic material that protrudes above the upper surface of the chuck body from the outer fitting portion and surrounds the suction area. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the annular elastic portion surrounds the center of the lower surface of the substrate and deforms to conform to the lower surface of the substrate and adheres to it.

2. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the annular elastic portion is shaped like a trumpet, extending upward as it moves outward from the outer peripheral edge of the outer fitting portion.

3. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the annular elastic portion is shaped like a trumpet, extending upward as it moves outward from the inner peripheral edge of the outer fitting portion.

4. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned annular elastic portion is finished in a bellows shape in the substrate processing apparatus.

5. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A substrate processing apparatus further comprising a support plate provided so as to surround the outer fitting portion fitted onto the periphery of the chuck body.

6. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, The substrate has a rectangular shape, A substrate processing apparatus comprising a support plate in which a plurality of positioning pins capable of engaging with the corners of the substrate held by the chuck body are erected at positions corresponding to the corners of the substrate held by the chuck body.

7. A loading process in which the circuit board is loaded onto the packing and chuck body, The suction holding step involves adsorbing and holding the substrate onto the chuck body, A process liquid supply step in which the chuck body is rotated while supplying the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, Includes, The packing has an outer fitting portion that is fitted around the chuck body and an annular elastic portion made of an elastic material that protrudes above the upper surface of the chuck body from the outer fitting portion and surrounds the suction area. A substrate processing method characterized in that, in the adsorption and holding step, the annular elastic portion deforms to conform to the lower surface of the substrate while surrounding the center of the lower surface of the substrate and adheres tightly to it.

Images