Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing system equipped therewith

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that reduces the frequency of cleaning processes requiring disassembly of the cups, offers high processing efficiency, and reduces the consumption of chemicals used for cleaning. [Solution] Outside air is drawn into the liquid recovery chamber N1 in the cup 19 via a first flow path M1, which is a ring-shaped gap located between the outer tapered portion 15b and the substrate held by the spin chuck 8. The outside air drawn into the liquid recovery chamber N1 is then drawn into the gas recovery chamber N2 via a second flow path M2, which is a cylindrical gap located between the middle wall portion 23 and the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30, and discharged from the exhaust opening 30a. The cross-sectional area of ​​the second flow path M2 is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path M1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for forming a photoresist layer and a substrate processing system including the same. The substrate is, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for a liquid crystal display, a substrate for an organic EL (Electroluminescence), a substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display), a substrate for an optical display, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, or a substrate for a solar cell.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus including a cup composed of an upper cup and a lower cup, and a rectifying plate provided below a rotation holding part. The rectifying plate has an inclined surface that slopes obliquely downward toward the outer peripheral part. According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, small holes for washing away the adhered processing liquid are provided on the surface of the rectifying plate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, according to the above-described configuration, dirt easily adheres to the rectifying plate, and the rectifying plate must be cleaned at a high frequency. Since the rectifying plate is located inside the cup, in order to take out the rectifying plate from the substrate processing apparatus and wash it, it is necessary to disassemble the cup. Therefore, it reduces the processing efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus and increases the consumption amount of the cleaning chemical solution.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing system that reduce the frequency of cleaning processes that require disassembly of cups, have high processing efficiency, and reduce the consumption of chemicals used for cleaning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has the following configuration. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is A spin chuck that can rotate while holding the circuit board, A nozzle located above the spin chuck for dispensing liquid, The spin chuck is surrounded by a cup, The cup comprises an upper cup, a lower cup, and a middle cup. The upper cup is provided with a ring-shaped outer tapered portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases towards the top. The lower cup comprises a ring-shaped bottom surface, a cylindrical outer casing extending upward from the outer edge of the bottom surface and its upper part connected to the lower part of the upper cup, a cylindrical inner casing extending upward from the inner edge of the bottom surface, and a cylindrical lower wall portion extending upward from the bottom surface between the outer casing and the inner casing. The space formed between the outer casing and the lower wall portion serves as a liquid recovery chamber, the space between the inner casing and the lower wall portion serves as a gas recovery chamber, and the bottom surface is provided with an exhaust port connected to the gas recovery chamber for exhausting the atmosphere inside the cup. The middle cup is positioned between the upper cup and the lower cup, and is a cylindrical middle wall portion provided on the radially outer side of the lower wall portion of the lower cup, facing the lower wall portion, the lower end of which terminates at an intermediate position in the liquid recovery chamber, and the upper end of which terminates at a position facing the upper end of the lower wall portion, and a ring-shaped inner tapered portion connected from the upper end of the middle wall portion, configured such that its diameter gradually decreases upward, The system is configured such that outside air is drawn into the liquid recovery chamber within the cup through a first channel, which is a ring-shaped gap located between the outer tapered portion of the upper cup and the substrate held by the spin chuck; the outside air drawn into the liquid recovery chamber is then drawn into the gas recovery chamber through a second channel, which is a cylindrical gap located between the middle wall portion and the lower wall portion of the lower cup, and discharged from the exhaust port; and the cross-sectional area of ​​the second channel is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the first channel. It is characterized by the following:

[0007] [Function and Effect] The substrate processing apparatus described above comprises a cylindrical outer casing and a ring-shaped outer tapered portion located above the outer casing, configured such that its inner diameter gradually decreases upward from the inner diameter of the outer casing. The gap between the outer tapered portion and the substrate held by the spin chuck forms the first flow path. Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, the gap between the inner wall of the middle cup and the lower wall of the lower cup forms the second flow path. The cross-sectional area of ​​the second flow path is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path. With this configuration, the middle cup can be made as small as possible.

[0008] In other words, to prevent the liquid discharged from the nozzle from contaminating the inner cup, the inner cup should be made as small as possible. Specifically, the inner wall of the inner cup should be made smaller by bringing it closer to the lower wall of the lower cup. By determining the dimensions of the inner wall based on the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path, which is the gap between the outer tapered portion of the upper cup and the substrate held by the spin chuck, a lower limit for the size of the inner cup can be set. If the size of the inner cup is made small independently of the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path, the airflow in the gap between the outer tapered portion of the upper cup and the substrate held by the spin chuck will weaken. According to the present invention, this phenomenon does not occur. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can properly perform substrate processing while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the inner cup.

[0009] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, The bottom surface of the lower cup is provided with a drain port for discharging the liquid inside the cup, located at a position further away from the spin chuck than the lower wall portion. Preferably, the entire middle cup is positioned inside the spin chuck with reference to a straight line connecting the center of the drain port and the end of the substrate held by the spin chuck.

[0010] [Function and Effect] According to the above configuration, the bottom surface of the lower cup is equipped with a drain port for discharging the liquid inside the cup, located further away from the spin chuck than the lower wall portion, and the entire middle cup is located inside the spin chuck with reference to a straight line connecting the center of the drain port and the edge of the substrate held by the spin chuck. In other words, most of the liquid during substrate processing is discharged from the drain port without reaching the inner tapered portion. With this configuration, the middle cup can be kept away from the flow of liquid when the liquid inside the cup is discharged. Therefore, this configuration provides a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress the adhesion of dirt to the middle cup.

[0011] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, Preferably, the vertical distance between the inner tapered portion of the middle cup and the lower wall portion of the lower cup is longer than the separation distance.

[0012] [Function / Effect] With the above configuration, the vertical distance between the inner tapered portion of the middle cup and the lower wall portion of the lower cup is longer than the separation distance. With this configuration, the airflow in the gap between the inner tapered portion of the middle cup and the lower wall portion of the lower cup can be made weaker than the airflow in the gap between the middle wall portion and the lower wall portion. In other words, with this configuration, a substrate processing apparatus can be provided in which the airflow in the gap between the outer tapered portion of the upper cup and the substrate held in the spin chuck is reliably maintained.

[0013] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, The aforementioned inner cup has a cylindrical vertical wall portion to which the upper end of the inner tapered portion is connected, The outer diameter of the vertical wall portion is preferably smaller than the diameter of the substrate.

[0014] [Operation and Effect] According to the above configuration, the middle cup includes a cylindrical vertical wall portion to which the upper end of the inner tapered portion is connected, and the outer diameter of the vertical wall portion is smaller than the diameter of the substrate. With this configuration, the liquid splashing from the end of the substrate avoids the vertical wall portion and heads towards the lower cup. By configuring it in this way, a substrate processing apparatus can be provided that is configured to prevent the liquid from reaching the middle cup as much as possible.

[0015] This specification also describes a substrate processing system including the above-described substrate processing apparatus. That is, the substrate processing system according to the present invention is characterized by including the substrate processing apparatus described above and a robot that takes in and out the substrate with respect to the substrate processing apparatus.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing system including the same that suppress the frequency of cleaning processes that require disassembling the cup, have high processing efficiency, and suppress the consumption of chemical liquids used for cleaning.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a plan view for explaining the overall configuration of the substrate processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the substrate processing chamber according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the flow of the atmosphere in the cup according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the flow of the chemical liquid in the cup according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the vertical movement of the cup according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view for explaining the effect according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the effect according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the shape of the cup according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a cross-sectional view illustrating the shape of a cup according to a modified example of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is mounted, for example, in a substrate processing system that processes semiconductor substrates. Therefore, as an embodiment for carrying out the present invention, a substrate processing system that performs necessary processing before and after exposure processing in a photolithography process will be described as an example. [Examples]

[0019] <1. Overall Structure> Figure 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in this example. The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this example is connected to an external exposure machine 2 for exposure. The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes an indexer block 3, a coater block 5, a developer block 7, and an interface block 9. The indexer block 3, coater block 5, developer block 7, and interface block 9 are arranged in this order to form the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 has a housing 1A that houses each block. The housing 1A has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. A load port 4 is provided protruding from the wall surface at one end of the housing 1A.

[0020] In this specification, for convenience, the direction in which the indexer block 3, coater block 5, developer block 7, and interface block 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are arranged is referred to as the front-to-back direction (X direction). This X direction extends horizontally. The direction from the coater block 5 toward the indexer block 3 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is referred to as the front. The direction opposite to the front is referred to as the rear. The horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction is referred to as the left-to-right direction (Y direction). The Y direction is also the direction in which the multiple load ports 4 are arranged. For convenience, one side of the Y direction is referred to as the right, and the opposite direction of the right is referred to as the left. The height direction (Z direction) is perpendicular to both the X and Y directions and coincides with the vertical direction. In each figure, front, rear, right, left, up, and down are indicated as appropriate for reference.

[0021] <2. Indexer Block> As shown in Figure 1, the indexer block 3 is equipped with a load port 4, which is the entry point for when a carrier C, which stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position at predetermined intervals in the Z direction, is loaded into the block. The load port 4 can be used to place the carrier C.

[0022] Multiple substrates (for example, 25) are stacked and stored in a single carrier C. The carrier C containing the unprocessed substrates W to be loaded into the substrate processing device 1 is first placed on the load port 4.

[0023] The indexer block 3 houses an indexer robot IR capable of transporting horizontally positioned substrates W one at a time. The indexer robot IR can access any of the four load ports 4 and the path 34 located at the boundary between the indexer block 3 and the coater block 5 shown in Figure 1, and transfers the substrates W between the path 34 and the carrier C installed at the load port 4. The transfer of substrates W by the indexer robot IR is realized by the hand 36.

[0024] <3. Coater Block> The coater block 5 is primarily configured to deposit a photoresist layer on the substrate W before exposure processing. The coater block 5 has a second row CL2 located at the rear of the pass 34, a first row CL1 located to the left of the second row CL2, and a third row CL3 located to the right of the second row CL2. Therefore, the second row CL2 is positioned between the first row CL1 and the third row CL3 from the left and right.

[0025] In the first row CL1, chemical treatment chambers are arranged in the X direction, each having a spin chuck 8 that can rotate while holding the substrate W, and a nozzle 10 located above the spin chuck 8 for discharging the chemical solution. Therefore, the chemical treatment chamber is configured to apply the chemical solution to the surface of the substrate W. The chemical treatment chamber has a bark chamber 45 for depositing an anti-reflective film and resist chambers 41, 42, 43, 44 for depositing a photoresist layer. Figure 1 illustrates how the first row CL1 can have two resist chambers 41, 42, 43, 44 or two bark chambers 45 arranged front to back. In the first row CL1, the bark chamber 45 and the resist chambers 41, 42, 43, 44 are stacked across three layers. The bark chamber 45 and the resist chambers 41, 42, 43, 44 can be rearranged as needed. In addition, the first row CL1 can have four or more layers of chemical treatment chambers stacked.

[0026] The edge exposure section is provided in the third row CL3 (described later) or in the sixth row CL6 of the developer block 7 (described later). The edge exposure section can perform edge exposure related to the removal of the photoresist layer at the peripheral edge of the substrate W.

[0027] The second row CL2 is a passage through which the first center robot C1, which transports the substrate W in a horizontal position, moves back and forth. In addition to the aforementioned path 34, the first center robot C1 can access the bark chamber 45, resist chambers 41, 42, 43, and 44 in the first row CL1, the heat treatment chamber 55 and cooling section 58 provided in the third row CL3 (described later), and the path 57 provided at the boundary between the coater block 5 and the developer block 7 shown in Figure 1. The resist chambers 41, 42, 43, and 44 correspond to the substrate processing chambers of the present invention.

[0028] The first center robot C1 is capable of moving forward and backward in the X direction and moving up and down in the Z direction, enabling it to transport the substrate W to each accessible position. Furthermore, the first center robot C1 can orient the hand 56 that holds the substrate W in any direction (forward, backward, left, or right).

[0029] In the third row CL3, a heat treatment chamber 55 for heating the substrate W and a cooling section 58 for cooling the substrate W are arranged in the X direction. The heat treatment chamber 55 consists of a circular hot plate 55a for heating the substrate W and a circular post-heating treatment plate 55b for performing post-heating treatment to lower the temperature of the high-temperature substrate W, arranged in the Y direction. On the other hand, the cooling section 58 is provided with a circular cooling treatment plate 58a for cooling the substrate W at room temperature. In the third row CL3, the heat treatment chamber 55 or the cooling section 58 are not only arranged in the X direction but are also stacked in the Z direction to form a stack of chambers. The number of layers in the stack can be changed as appropriate.

[0030] <4. Developer Block> The developer block 7 is primarily configured to develop the substrate W after exposure processing. The developer block 7 has a fifth row CL5 located at the rear of the pass 57, a fourth row CL4 located to the left of the fifth row CL5, and a sixth row CL6 located to the right of the fifth row CL5. Therefore, the fifth row CL5 is positioned between the fourth row CL4 and the sixth row CL6 from the left and right.

[0031] In the fourth row CL4, developing chambers 77, each having a spin chuck 8 for rotatably supporting the substrate W and a nozzle 10 for discharging chemicals, are arranged in the X direction. Figure 1 illustrates how two developing chambers 77 are arranged front to back in the fourth row CL4. The developing chambers 77 are stacked in the fourth row CL4. The number of layers in the stack composed of developing chambers 77 can be changed as appropriate.

[0032] The fifth row CL5 is a passage through which the second center robot C2, which transports the substrate W in a horizontal position, moves back and forth. In addition to the aforementioned path 57, the second center robot C2 can access the developing chamber 77 in the fourth row CL4, the heat treatment chamber 75, cooling section 78, and path 79 located in the sixth row CL6, which will be described later.

[0033] The second center robot C2, like the first center robot C1, is able to move forward and backward in the X direction and move up and down in the Z direction so that it can transport the substrate W to each accessible position. Furthermore, the second center robot C2 can orient the hand 76 that holds the substrate W in at least forward, left, or right directions.

[0034] In the sixth row CL6, a heat treatment chamber 75 for heating the substrate W and a cooling section 78 for cooling the substrate W are arranged in the X direction. The heat treatment chamber 75 has the same configuration as the heat treatment chamber 55 in the third row. Therefore, the heat treatment chamber 75 is composed of a circular hot plate 75a and a circular post-heating treatment plate 75b arranged in the Y direction. The cooling section 78 has the same configuration as the cooling section 58 in the third row CL3. Therefore, the cooling section 78 is provided with a circular cooling treatment plate 78a.

[0035] The path 79 is located at the rear end of the sixth row CL6. The horizontally positioned substrate W can move back and forth between the developer block 7 and the interface block 9 via the path 79.

[0036] <5. Interface Block> The interface block 9 includes a path 95 capable of cooling the placed substrate W, a first robot R1 capable of accessing the path 95 and the aforementioned path 79, and a second robot R2 capable of accessing the path 95 and the exposure machine 2. The first robot R1 has a hand 961 capable of gripping the horizontally positioned substrate W placed in the path 79, and the second robot R2 has a hand 962 capable of gripping the horizontally positioned substrate W placed in the path 95.

[0037] The paths 95 are stacked in the Z direction to form a laminate.

[0038] <6. Exposure Machine> The exposure machine 2 receives the substrate W before exposure processing, which is transported by the second robot R2, and performs exposure processing to imprint the device circuit pattern onto the photoresist layer of the substrate W. The substrate W after exposure processing is then passed to the second robot R2. Specific components of the exposure machine 2 include, for example, a stepper and a scanner.

[0039] <7. Control Unit> As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 139 for controlling the apparatus. Although not shown in Figure 1, the control unit 139 is also provided with a corresponding memory unit. The control unit 139 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The specific configuration of the control unit is not limited; for example, each control related to the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured with a single processor, or each control may be configured with separate processors.

[0040] Control related to the control unit 139 includes, for example, control of the indexer robot IR, the first center robot C1, the second center robot C2, the first robot R1, and the second robot R2.

[0041] The memory unit stores programs and parameters related to control. The memory unit may consist of a single device or individual devices corresponding to each control. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 in this example is not particularly limited in its configuration of the devices that realize the memory unit.

[0042] <8. Resistance Chamber> The resist chamber 41 corresponds to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The specific configuration of the resist chamber 41 will be described in detail below.

[0043] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the resist chamber 41. As shown in Figure 2, the resist chamber 41 has a spin chuck 8 that rotatably supports the substrate W, and a nozzle 10 provided above the spin chuck 8. The nozzle 10 is configured to discharge a chemical solution and has a nozzle head 11 that discharges the chemical solution toward the substrate W, an arm 12 that supports the nozzle head 11, and a swivel mechanism 13 that rotates the arm 12. The spin chuck 8 is a vacuum chuck that sucks and holds the substrate W. Examples of chemical solutions include photoresists, anti-reflective film forming solutions, glass film forming solutions, and protective film forming solutions. In addition, there may be multiple nozzles 10 (not shown), and in addition to the nozzles that discharge the chemical solution as described above, nozzles that discharge solvents may also be provided. Examples of solvents include organic solvents such as paint thinner, PGME (Propyleneglycol monomethyl ether), PGMEA (Propyleneglycol monomethyl ether acetate), ethyl lactate, cyclohexane, MIBC (4-Methyl-2-pentanol), and IPA (Isopropyl alcohol).

[0044] The cup 19 is positioned to surround the spin chuck 8. The cup 19 is designed to prevent the chemical solution from splashing into the resist chamber 41. The cup 19 has a ring-shaped upper cup 15, a lower cup 30 that fits into the upper cup 15, and a middle cup 20. The middle cup 20 has a ring shape and is provided in the space formed when the upper cup 15 and the lower cup 30 are combined. The upper cup 15, lower cup 30, and middle cup 20 are all rotating bodies, and the central axes of these rotating bodies coincide with the axis of rotation of the spin chuck 8.

[0045] The upper cup 15 has a fitting portion 15a that fits with the lower cup 30, and an outer tapered portion 15b that has a shape such that its diameter decreases as it goes upward from the fitting portion 15a. The outer tapered portion 15b has a ring-shaped structure in which its inner diameter gradually decreases as it goes upward.

[0046] The lower cup 30 has a cylindrical outer casing 35 and a ring-shaped bottom plate 32 that closes the bottom of the outer casing 35. The outer casing 35 is cylindrical in shape, extending upward from the outer edge of the bottom plate 32 that forms the bottom surface, and its upper part is connected to the fitting portion 15a that forms the lower part of the upper cup 15. In addition, the lower cup 30 has a cylindrical lower wall portion 31 that protrudes from the bottom plate 32 and a cylindrical inner casing 37 that defines the inner surface of the lower cup 30. The inner casing 37 is cylindrical in shape, extending upward from the inner edge of the bottom plate 32.

[0047] The lower wall portion 31 is cylindrical in shape and is provided between the outer housing 35 and the inner housing 37, extending upward from the bottom surface of the bottom plate 32.

[0048] The space formed between the outer casing 35 and the lower wall portion 31 is a liquid recovery chamber N1 for collecting liquid discharged from the nozzle and falling from the upper surface of the substrate W. The space formed between the inner casing 37 and the lower wall portion 31 is a gas recovery chamber N2 that communicates with the exhaust opening 30a, which will be described later.

[0049] Multiple openings are provided in the bottom plate 32 of the lower cup 30. The circular drainage opening 30b provided in the bottom plate 32 is the outlet for the chemical solution to the resist chamber 41. The drainage opening 30b is located closer to the outer housing 35 than to the lower wall portion 31. The drainage opening 30b corresponds to the drainage port of the present invention. The bottom plate 32 of the lower cup 30 is provided with a drainage opening that discharges the liquid in the cup 19, which is located further away from the spin chuck 8 than to the lower wall portion 31.

[0050] Figure 3 illustrates how the chemical solution discharged towards the rotating substrate W is deflected by the substrate W during substrate processing in the resist chamber 41. The chemical solution at the edge of the substrate W, which is rotating at a low speed, is carried away by the airflow from above to below and flies off diagonally downward from the edge of the substrate W. The position of the central axis of the drainage opening 30b is set to coincide with the position where the scattered chemical solution reaches the bottom plate 32 when the substrate W is rotating at a low speed. The airflow inside the cup 19 is generated by the exhaust of the atmosphere through the exhaust opening 30a. On the other hand, if the substrate W is rotated at a high speed, the chemical solution deflected from the substrate W reaches the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15. Thus, the direction of scattering of the chemical solution deflected from the substrate W changes depending on whether the substrate W is rotating at a high speed or a low speed.

[0051] The circular exhaust opening 30a corresponds to the exhaust port of the present invention. The exhaust opening 30a is connected to an exhaust device attached to the substrate processing apparatus 1 and is the outlet for the atmosphere in the resist chamber 41. The exhaust opening 30a is located closer to the inner housing 37 than to the lower wall portion 31. The exhaust opening 30a is configured to communicate with the gas recovery chamber N2 and exhaust the atmosphere in the cup 19, and is provided on the bottom plate 32. This atmosphere is, for example, a mixture of gas and liquid containing minute droplets or liquid vapor. The exhaust opening 30a may also be connected to an exhaust lift outside the substrate processing system, for example, in a factory.

[0052] The lower wall portion 31 provided on the bottom plate 32 has the role of separating gas and liquid when expelling the chemical-mixed atmosphere from the resist chamber 41. In other words, the chemical liquid heading towards the drainage opening 30b does not pass over the lower wall portion 31 and head towards the exhaust opening 30a.

[0053] On the other hand, the lower wall portion 31 works in cooperation with the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 to remove the chemical from the atmosphere mixed with the chemical. Details of this function will be described later.

[0054] The middle cup 20 is positioned between the upper cup 15 and the lower cup 30, sandwiched from above and below. The middle cup 20 is a component that engages with the inner housing 37 of the lower cup 30, and is equipped with a cylindrical fitting wall portion 25 that engages with the inner housing 37 of the lower cup 30. The middle cup 20 also has an inclined portion 24 that faces the spin chuck 8. Therefore, the inclined portion 24 has an inclined surface that moves away from the spin chuck 8 as it extends from below to above. The lower end of the inclined portion 24 is connected to a cylindrical wall portion 26 that defines the inner surface of the middle cup 20. On the other hand, the top of the inclined portion 24 is also the upper end of the middle cup 20.

[0055] Let's further explain the configuration of the middle cup 20. The top of the inclined portion 24 is connected to a vertical wall portion 21 that faces the outer housing 35 of the lower cup 30. The vertical wall portion 21 is a cylindrical member to which the upper end of the inner tapered portion 22 of the middle cup 20 is connected. The vertical wall portion 21 also extends vertically away from the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8, starting from the top of the inclined portion 24. Therefore, the vertical wall portion 21 is configured to minimize the amount of chemical solution scattered from the edges of the substrate W that adheres to it. Furthermore, the vertical wall portion 21 is positioned closer to the rotation axis A1 of the spin chuck 8 than to the edges of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8. The outer diameter of the vertical wall portion 21 is smaller than the diameter of the substrate. In other words, the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 acts like an umbrella for the vertical wall portion 21, making it difficult for the chemical solution discharged from the nozzle 10 toward the substrate W to reach the vertical wall portion 21.

[0056] Thus, the inner cup 20 is designed in such a way that it is difficult for the chemical solution from the nozzle 10 to reach it. If the chemical solution does reach the inner cup 20, it will become contaminated with the chemical solution, and eventually the chemical solution will solidify and adhere to the inner cup 20. In this example, the inner cup 20 is designed with features such as a vertical wall section 21 to prevent this from happening. The reason for providing the vertical wall section 21 is to position the inner tapered section 22, described later, as low as possible, thereby protecting the inner tapered section 22 from the chemical solution.

[0057] Next, the inner tapered portion 22 of the inner cup 20 will be described. The inner tapered portion 22 connects the vertical wall portion 21 and the inner wall portion 23, which will be described later. The inner tapered portion 22 is one of the components that make up the inner cup 20 and is located in a position connected to the lower part of the vertical wall portion 21. The inner tapered portion 22 has a ring-like structure and is configured so that its diameter gradually decreases towards the top. The lower end of the inner tapered portion 22 is connected to the cylindrical inner wall portion 23.

[0058] The middle wall portion 23 is a cylindrical member provided radially outward from the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30, facing the lower wall portion 31. Its lower end terminates at an intermediate position in the liquid recovery chamber N1, and its upper end terminates at a position facing the upper end of the lower wall portion 31. The inner tapered portion 22 is connected from the upper end of the middle wall portion 23.

[0059] <9. Gas-liquid separation mechanism> The middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 and the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30 work together to extract only the gas from the atmosphere mixed with the chemical solution, and this point will be explained.

[0060] Figure 4 shows the flow of the atmosphere generated by the exhaust of the atmosphere during substrate processing. The atmosphere above the resist chamber 41 first passes through a first flow path M1, which is formed by the upper cup 15 and the edge of the substrate W, and reaches the liquid recovery chamber N1 of cup 19. The direction of flow of the atmosphere is then changed by the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30, and it passes through a second flow path M2 between the lower wall portion 31 and the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20. The direction of flow of the atmosphere is then changed by the inner tapered portion 22 of the middle cup 20, and it passes through the gas recovery chamber N2 to the exhaust opening 30a.

[0061] In this manner, outside air located above the upper surface of the substrate W is drawn into the liquid recovery chamber N1 in the cup 19 via a first flow path M1, which is a ring-shaped gap located between the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8. The outside air drawn into the liquid recovery chamber N1 is then drawn into the gas recovery chamber N2 via a second flow path M2, which is a cylindrical gap located between the middle wall portion 23 and the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30, and discharged from the exhaust opening 30a.

[0062] As the atmosphere containing the chemical solution follows this path, it becomes a gas only and reaches the exhaust opening 30a. In other words, when the atmosphere containing the chemical solution collides with the lower wall 31 of the lower cup 30, the direction of the atmosphere flow changes dramatically from horizontal to vertical. The chemical solution mixed in the atmosphere does not follow this sudden change in flow and collides with the lower wall 31, where it is trapped.

[0063] The lower wall portion 31 and the middle wall portion 23 are positioned opposite each other, forming a channel sandwiched between the two members. By forming such a narrow, vertically extending channel, a rapid change in the flow of the atmosphere can be reliably created. In other words, the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30 and the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 work together to perform gas-liquid separation in an atmosphere mixed with chemicals.

[0064] <10. Other configurations in the resist chamber> As shown in Figure 2, the resist chamber 41 also includes a ring-shaped support member 62 that supports the middle cup 20 and the lower cup 30, and a shaft holding member 61 that holds the rotating shaft of the spin chuck 8. The rotating shaft of the spin chuck 8 is connected to a motor (not shown), and its rotation is controlled by the control unit 139 described above.

[0065] The cup lifting mechanism 63 shown in Figure 5 is configured to move the cup 19 up and down relative to the spin chuck 8. The cup lifting mechanism 63 can change state between a state in which the cup 19 is raised to perform substrate processing, as shown in Figure 2, and a state in which the cup 19 is lowered to allow the first center robot C1 to receive the substrate W, as shown in Figure 5.

[0066] <11. Regarding the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path> The lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30 and the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 face each other horizontally and are spaced apart from each other to form the second flow path M2 shown in Figure 4. The flow path cross-sectional area S2 of the second flow path M2 shown in Figure 7 is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area S1 of the first flow path M1 shown in Figure 4, which is a ring-shaped gap located between the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8, as shown in Figure 6.

[0067] By making the cross-sectional area S1 and the flow path cross-sectional area S2 the same, the flow path cross-sectional area S2 can be reduced without reducing the exhaust force of the chemical solution scattered from the substrate W. First, a smaller flow path cross-sectional area S2 is preferable from the viewpoint of protecting the middle cup 20 from chemical solution splashes. This is because a smaller flow path cross-sectional area S2 allows the size of the middle cup 20 to be reduced, thus suppressing the adhesion of chemical solution splashes to the middle cup 20. However, if the flow path cross-sectional area S2 is made smaller than the cross-sectional area S1, the velocity of the atmosphere flowing through the gap between the edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 and the upper cup 15 will slow down. This is because the flow of the atmosphere between the lower wall portion 31 and the middle wall portion 23 will stagnate as the flow path cross-sectional area S2 decreases. In this example, the flow path cross-sectional area S2 is equal to the cross-sectional area S1, and the flow velocity of the atmosphere in the gap between the lower wall portion 31 and the middle wall portion 23 is equal to the flow velocity of the atmosphere in the gap between the end of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 and the upper cup 15, so such a problem does not occur.

[0068] According to this specification, the dimensions of each member are defined such that the flow channel cross-sectional area S2 is equal to the cross-sectional area S1. In this specification, the equality of the flow channel cross-sectional area S2 and the cross-sectional area S1 includes not only the case where the width of the flow channel cross-sectional area S2 is the same as the width of the cross-sectional area S1, but also the case where the width of the flow channel cross-sectional area S2 is the same as the width of the cross-sectional area S1, ranging from 1 to 1.2 times the width of the cross-sectional area S1.

[0069] Figure 6 illustrates the effect of this configuration. Specifically, in the resist chamber 41 during substrate processing, a ring-shaped gap is created between the substrate W and the upper cup 15. When the atmosphere is exhausted from the exhaust opening 30a of the lower cup 30, the atmosphere passes through this ring-shaped gap and into the cup 19. Let S1 be the cross-sectional area of ​​this gap.

[0070] Figure 7 also illustrates the effect of this example configuration. Specifically, in the resist chamber 41 during substrate processing, a cylindrical gap is created between the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 and the lower cup 30. When the atmosphere is exhausted from the exhaust opening 30a of the lower cup 30, the atmosphere passes through this cylindrical gap and heads towards the exhaust opening 30a. Let S2 be the cross-sectional area of ​​this gap.

[0071] In the specific configuration of the present invention, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the inner tapered portion 22 be about 52°. With this configuration, most of the chemical solution that splashes from the edge of the substrate W during substrate processing does not reach the inner tapered portion 22.

[0072] <12. Positional relationship between the drain port and the internal tapered section> Next, the positional relationship between the drainage opening 30b in the lower cup 30 and the inner tapered portion 22 in the middle cup 20 will be explained. As shown in Figure 8, a reference point P is defined for the position of the drainage opening 30b. The reference point P is located at the intersection of the plane N on which the bottom plate 32 of the lower cup 30 is located and the central axis A2 of the drainage opening, which has a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section. In this example, the reference point P is the area to which most of the chemical solution scattered from the substrate W during chemical treatment reaches. In this example, the middle cup 20, and especially the inner tapered portion 22, is located closer to the spin chuck 8 than the straight line L1 connecting the edge of the substrate W and the reference point P. In other words, the inner tapered portion 22 is not on the trajectory of the chemical solution from the substrate W to the reference point P during substrate treatment. With this configuration, during substrate treatment where the substrate W is rotated at a low speed, most of the chemical solution reaches the reference point P without reaching the inner tapered portion 22. The inclination angle of the straight line L1 is 61°. The actual chemical solution reaches one of the positions within a virtual circle centered on the spin chuck, including the reference point P. Thus, the entire middle cup 20 is located inside the straight line L1 connecting the center of the drainage opening 30b and the end of the substrate held by the spin chuck 8. During substrate processing, when the substrate W is rotated at high speed, droplets that are shaken off the substrate W scatter horizontally in the direction L2 and reach the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15. Therefore, during substrate processing, droplets scattered from the substrate W will fly away either in the horizontal direction indicated by the straight line L2, or in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle from the straight line L2. In this example, the predetermined angle is 61° or less. Therefore, the straight line L1 indicates the direction furthest from the horizontal direction in which droplets are scattered from the substrate W. According to this example, regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate W during substrate processing, most of the droplets scattered from the end of the substrate W do not reach the inner tapered portion 22 of the middle cup 20.

[0073] <13. Effects of the Invention> As described above, the resist chamber 41 comprises a cylindrical outer housing 35 and a ring-shaped outer tapered portion 15b located above the outer housing 35, configured such that its inner diameter gradually decreases upward from the inner diameter of the outer housing 35. The gap between the outer tapered portion 15b and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 forms the first flow path M1. The resist chamber 41 also has a second flow path M2, which is the gap between the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 and the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30. The flow path cross-sectional area S2 of the second flow path M2 is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area S1 of the first flow path M1. This configuration makes the middle cup 20 as small as possible.

[0074] In other words, to prevent the liquid discharged from the nozzle 10 from contaminating the middle cup 20, the middle cup 20 should be made as small as possible. Specifically, the middle wall portion 23 of the middle cup 20 should be made smaller by bringing it closer to the lower wall portion 31 of the lower cup 30. By determining the dimensions of the middle wall portion 23 based on the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path M1, which is the gap between the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8, a lower limit of the size of the middle cup 20 can be set. If the size of the middle cup 20 is made small regardless of the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path M1, the airflow in the gap between the outer tapered portion 15b of the upper cup 15 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 will weaken. According to the present invention, this phenomenon does not occur. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a resist chamber 41 that can suppress the adhesion of dirt to the middle cup 20 while properly performing substrate processing.

[0075] According to the above configuration, the bottom surface of the lower cup 30 is provided with a drainage opening 30b for discharging the liquid inside the cup, located further away from the spin chuck 8 than the lower wall portion 31, and the entire middle cup 20 is located inside the straight line L1 connecting the center of the drainage opening 30b and the edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8. In other words, most of the chemical solution used during substrate processing is discharged from the drainage opening 30b without reaching the inner tapered portion 22. With this configuration, the middle cup 20 can be kept away from the flow of liquid when the liquid inside the cup is discharged. Therefore, this configuration provides a resist chamber 41 that can suppress the adhesion of dirt to the middle cup 20.

[0076] According to the above configuration, the middle cup 20 has a cylindrical vertical wall portion 21 to which the upper end of the inner tapered portion is connected, and the outer diameter of the vertical wall portion 21 is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. With this configuration, liquid splashing from the edge of the substrate W avoids the vertical wall portion 21 and heads towards the lower cup 30. With this configuration, a resist chamber 41 can be provided that minimizes the amount of liquid that reaches the middle cup 20. According to the present invention, because the middle cup 20 is minimized in terms of liquid reaching it, the frequency of cleaning the middle cup 20 can be reduced. As a result, the frequency of cleaning processes that require disassembly of the cup 19 can be reduced, and a substrate processing apparatus 1 with high processing efficiency can be provided. In this example, the consumption of chemicals required for cleaning the cup 19 can be further reduced.

[0077] <14. Variation> The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration and can be modified and implemented as follows.

[0078] <Example 1> In this modified example, the airflow velocity at the edge of the substrate W is ensured by making the distance D1 and the separation distance D2 equal. This configuration will be described in detail below.

[0079] According to this modified example, as shown in Figure 9, the separation distance D2 between the lower wall portion 31 and the middle wall portion 23 is determined based on the distance D1 from the edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 to the upper cup 15. That is, the separation distance D2 is equal to the distance D1. In this specification, the equality of the separation distance D2 and the distance D1 includes not only the case where the length of the separation distance D2 matches the length of the distance D1, but also the case where the length of the separation distance D2 matches a length between 1 and 1.2 times the length of the distance D1.

[0080] By configuring it in this way, when the first channel M1 and the second channel M2 are separated vertically, the channel cross-sectional area S2 can be made to match the cross-sectional area S1.

[0081] Furthermore, the vertical distance D3 between the lower wall portion 31 and the inner tapered portion 22 is set to be greater than the distance D1. With this configuration, the flow of atmosphere between the lower wall portion 31 and the inner tapered portion 22 does not become stagnant, and the velocity of the atmosphere flowing through the gap between the end of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 and the upper cup 15 does not slow down.

[0082] With the above configuration, the vertical distance D3 between the inner tapered portion 22 in the middle cup 20 and the lower wall portion 31 in the lower cup 30 is longer than the separation distance D2. With this configuration, the airflow in the gap between the inner tapered portion 22 in the middle cup 20 and the lower wall portion 31 in the lower cup 30 can be made weaker than the airflow in the gap between the middle wall portion 23 and the lower wall portion 31. In other words, with this configuration, a resist chamber 41 can be provided in which the airflow in the gap between the outer tapered portion 15b in the upper cup 15 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 8 is reliably maintained. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0083] 1. Substrate processing apparatus 1A enclosure 2. Exposure machine 3 Indexer Block 4 Load Ports 5 Courter Blocks 7 Developer Blocks 8 Spin Chuck 9 Interface Blocks 10 nozzles 11 Nozzle heads 12 arms 13. Swivel mechanism 15 Upper cup 15a Mating part 15b Outer tapered section 19 cups 20 medium cup 21 Vertical wall section 22 Internal tapered section 23 Middle wall part 24 Slope 25 Fitting wall section 26 Cylindrical wall section 30 bottom cup 30a Exhaust opening 30b Drainage opening 31 Lower wall part 32 Bottom plate 34 Pass 35 Outer casing 36 Hand 37 Internal enclosure 41 Resist Chamber 42 Resist Chamber 43 Resist Chamber 44 Resist Chambers 45 Burk Chamber 55 Heat treatment chamber 55a Hot Plate 55b Post-heating treatment plate 56 Hand 57 Pass 58 Cooling section 58a Cooling treatment plate 61 Shaft holding member 62 Support member 63 Cup Lifting Mechanism 75 Heat treatment chamber 75a Hot Plate 75b Post-heating treatment plate 76 Hand 77 Developing Chamber 78 Cooling section 78a Cooling treatment plate 79 Pass 95 Pass 139 Control Unit 961 Hand 962 Hand A1 Rotation axis A2 center axis C Career C1 First Center Robot C2 Second Center Robot CL1 1st row CL2 2nd row CL3 3rd row CL4 4th row CL5 5th row CL6 6th row D1 Distance D2 separation distance D3 Distance IR Indexer Robot L straight line M1 First channel M2 2nd flow path N plane N1 Liquid Recovery Room N2 gas recovery chamber P reference point R1 First Robot R2, the second robot S1 cross-sectional area S2 Channel cross-sectional area W board

Claims

1. A spin chuck that can rotate while holding the circuit board, A nozzle located above the spin chuck for dispensing liquid, The spin chuck is surrounded by a cup, The cup comprises an upper cup, a lower cup, and a middle cup. The upper cup is provided with a ring-shaped outer tapered portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases towards the top. The lower cup comprises a ring-shaped bottom surface, a cylindrical outer casing extending upward from the outer edge of the bottom surface and its upper part connected to the lower part of the upper cup, a cylindrical inner casing extending upward from the inner edge of the bottom surface, and a cylindrical lower wall portion extending upward from the bottom surface between the outer casing and the inner casing. The space formed between the outer casing and the lower wall portion serves as a liquid recovery chamber, the space between the inner casing and the lower wall portion serves as a gas recovery chamber, and the bottom surface is provided with an exhaust port connected to the gas recovery chamber for exhausting the atmosphere inside the cup. The middle cup is positioned between the upper cup and the lower cup, and is a cylindrical middle wall portion provided on the radially outer side of the lower wall portion of the lower cup, facing the lower wall portion, the lower end of which terminates at an intermediate position in the liquid recovery chamber, and the upper end of which terminates at a position facing the upper end of the lower wall portion, and a ring-shaped inner tapered portion connected from the upper end of the middle wall portion, configured such that its diameter gradually decreases upward, The system is configured such that outside air is drawn into the liquid recovery chamber within the cup through a first flow path, which is a ring-shaped gap located between the outer tapered portion of the upper cup and the substrate held by the spin chuck; the outside air drawn into the liquid recovery chamber is then drawn into the gas recovery chamber through a second flow path, which is a cylindrical gap located between the middle wall portion and the lower wall portion of the lower cup, and discharged from the exhaust port; and the cross-sectional area of ​​the second flow path is configured to be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the first flow path. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

2. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The bottom surface of the lower cup is provided with a drain port for discharging the liquid inside the cup, located at a position further away from the spin chuck than the lower wall portion. The entire middle cup is positioned inside the spin chuck with reference to a straight line connecting the center of the drain port and the edge of the substrate held by the spin chuck. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

3. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The aforementioned inner cup has a cylindrical vertical wall portion to which the upper end of the inner tapered portion is connected, The outer diameter of the vertical wall portion is smaller than the diameter of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the following:

4. A substrate processing system comprising the substrate processing apparatus described in claim 1, The circuit board processing equipment is equipped with a robot for loading and unloading circuit boards. A substrate processing system characterized by the following features.

Images