Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

To improve the in-plane uniformity of the processing of the edge substrates among multiple substrates held by a substrate holder. [Solution] The substrate processing apparatus comprises a processing tank for storing processing liquid, a substrate holder for holding a plurality of substrates in an upright position and aligned horizontally at equal intervals within the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, a nozzle for spraying processing liquid in the processing tank so as to form a flow of processing liquid passing between adjacent substrates held by the substrate holder, and a guide plate provided close to the outermost substrate among the plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder and detachably fixed to the substrate holder, wherein the horizontal distance between the guide plate and the outermost substrate is approximately equal to the arrangement pitch of the plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder, and the surfaces of the outermost substrate and the guide plate facing it are parallel, and the guide plate guides the flow of processing liquid in the space between the outermost substrate and the guide plate.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a plurality of substrates are immersed in a processing liquid stored in a processing tank, and liquid processing is collectively performed on the plurality of substrates. When performing such batch processing, substrates are held in an upright posture and arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction by a substrate holder (also called a "boat" or the like) including a plurality of pairs of left and right substrate holding members. Each substrate holding member has generally V-shaped or Y-shaped slots (substrate holding grooves) arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction) as a whole. The substrate is held with its peripheral edge inserted into the slot. There is some play between the slot and the substrate inserted therein (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8-107137 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique for improving the in-plane uniformity of processing of an end substrate among a plurality of substrates held by a substrate holder. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate processing apparatus is provided comprising: a processing tank for storing a processing liquid; a substrate holder for holding a plurality of substrates in an upright position and aligned horizontally at equal intervals within the processing liquid stored in the processing tank; a nozzle for spraying the processing liquid in the processing tank so as to form a flow of processing liquid passing between adjacent substrates held by the substrate holder; and a guide plate provided close to the outermost substrate among the plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder and detachably fixed to the substrate holder, wherein the horizontal distance between the guide plate and the outermost substrate is approximately equal to the arrangement pitch of the plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder, and the surface of the outermost substrate and the surface of the guide plate facing it are parallel, and the guide plate guides the flow of processing liquid in the space between the outermost substrate and the guide plate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure described above, the in-plane uniformity of the processing of the edge substrates among a plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system according to one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid processing apparatus that can be incorporated into the substrate processing system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another example of a liquid processing apparatus that can be incorporated into the substrate processing system of Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate holder provided in the liquid processing apparatus shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3. [Figure 5A] Figure 5A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a substrate retaining rod, showing an example of the shape of the substrate retaining groove formed on the substrate retaining rod of the substrate holder shown in Figure 4. [Figure 5B]Figure 5B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a substrate retaining rod, showing another example of the shape of the substrate retaining grooves formed on the substrate retaining rod of the substrate holder shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of a structure for detachably fixing a guide plate to the substrate holder shown in Figure 4. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of liquid discharged from the outlet of the bar nozzle. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of liquid discharged from the nozzle outlet around the guide plate and the adjacent substrate. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the liquid flow when the guide plate is removed from the configuration shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the definition of parameters for explaining the flow of liquid around the substrate. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A substrate processing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that this embodiment does not limit the substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method according to the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be appropriately combined as long as the processing content is not inconsistent. Also, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the following embodiments, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0009] [Overall configuration of the circuit board processing system] First, the overall configuration of the substrate processing system will be explained with reference to Figure 1. In the following, in order to clearly show the positional relationships, the X, Y, and Z axes are defined as being orthogonal to each other, and the positive Z-axis direction is defined as the vertically upward direction.

[0010] The substrate processing system 1 includes a carrier loading / unloading unit 2, a lot formation unit 3, a lot placement unit 4, a lot transport unit 5, a lot processing unit 6, and a control unit 70.

[0011] The carrier loading / unloading section 2 is equipped with a carrier stage 10, a carrier transport mechanism 11, carrier stocks 12 and 13, and a carrier mounting table 14. Multiple carriers 9 transported from outside the substrate processing system 1 can be placed on the carrier stage 10. The carrier transport mechanism 11 can transport the carriers 9 between the carrier stage 10, carrier stocks 12 and 13, and the carrier mounting table 14. The carrier stocks 12 and 13 temporarily store carriers 9 containing substrates W before processing in the lot processing section 6, or carriers 9 containing substrates W after processing in the lot processing section 6, as needed, for purposes such as adjusting the transport schedule. Multiple substrates W (e.g., silicon wafers) (e.g., 25) are stored in the carrier 9 in a horizontal position, spaced apart from each other and arranged vertically.

[0012] The lot formation unit 3 is provided with a substrate transport mechanism 15. The substrate transport mechanism 15 can hold, change the orientation of, and transport multiple substrates W (for example, 25 substrates) at once.

[0013] The lot formation unit 3 is provided with a lot mounting table 17 for unprocessed substrates and a lot mounting table 18 for processed substrates. Each of the lot mounting tables 17 and 18 can hold multiple (for example, 100) substrates W that are processed simultaneously in the lot processing unit 6, in a vertical position and arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal direction.

[0014] The lot transport unit 5 is equipped with a lot transport mechanism 19 that transports substrates W in lot units. In this example, one lot consists of 100 substrates W. The lot transport mechanism 19 includes a rail 20, a movable body 21 that moves along the rail 20 while holding the lot, and a substrate holder 22 attached to the movable body 21. The lot transport mechanism 19 can transport one lot (100 substrates) W placed on the lot mounting table 17 to the lot processing unit 6 all at once.

[0015] The lot processing section 6 includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) batch-type liquid processing apparatuses 28, a substrate holder cleaning apparatus 50 that cleans a substrate holder 22, and a drying apparatus 26 that dries processed substrates W, which are arranged side by side along a rail 20.

[0016] In the liquid processing apparatus 28, etching processing or cleaning processing using a chemical liquid as a processing liquid, or rinsing processing using a rinsing liquid (e.g., pure water) as a processing liquid, is performed in accordance with a predetermined processing recipe. Each liquid processing apparatus 28 includes a processing tank 30 that stores a processing liquid, and a substrate holder 100 that can collectively hold one lot of substrates W (e.g., 100 substrates W) in the processing tank 30.

[0017] Transfer of substrates W is performed between the substrate holder 100 attached to each processing tank 30 and the substrate holder 22 of the lot transfer mechanism 19 positioned in front of the processing tank 30. The processing tank 30 may be a single-bath type processing tank that can perform both chemical liquid processing and rinsing processing in one processing tank. Alternatively, the processing tank 30 that performs only chemical liquid processing and the processing tank 30 that performs only rinsing processing may be arranged adjacent to each other.

[0018] The substrate holder cleaning apparatus 50 includes a processing tank 51. A processing liquid for cleaning and a gas for drying can be supplied to the processing tank 51. After supplying the processing liquid for cleaning to the substrate holder 22 of the lot transfer mechanism 19, the substrate holder 22 can be cleaned and dried by supplying a drying gas (e.g., IPA vapor).

[0019] A brief explanation of the flow of substrates within the substrate processing system 1 is provided. Carriers 9, brought into the carrier stage 10, are transported to the carrier mounting table 14 by the carrier transport mechanism 11. The substrate transport mechanism 15 takes out multiple substrates W (first substrates W) at once from this carrier 9 (first carrier 9), converts the first substrates W from a horizontal to a vertical position, and places them on the lot mounting table 17 for unprocessed substrates. The substrate transport mechanism 15 takes out substrates W (second substrates W) from another carrier 9 (second carrier 9) placed on the carrier mounting table 14, and inserts one second substrate into the gap between two adjacent first substrates W so that the first and second substrates W are arranged alternately. The same operation is performed on the substrates W in the third and fourth carriers 9 so that multiple (e.g., 100) substrates W (i.e., one lot of substrates W) are arranged at equal intervals on the lot mounting table 17. The substrate transport mechanism 15 itself may have a pitch change mechanism. In this case, the substrate transport mechanism 15 changes the pitch of the substrate W removed from the carrier 9 and then places it on the lot mounting table 17 for unprocessed substrates.

[0020] The substrate holder 22 of the lot transport mechanism 19 transports one lot (100 sheets) of substrates W from the lot loading table 17 to the lot processing unit 6, where one or more liquid processing devices 28 perform a predetermined liquid treatment on the substrates W. The liquid-treated substrates W are then transported by the substrate holder 22 of the lot transport mechanism 19 to the drying processing device 60 and passed to the substrate holding unit 61 provided in the drying processing device 60. Inside the processing tank 62 of the drying processing device 60, the substrates held in the substrate holding unit 61 are subjected to a drying treatment using IPA vapor. For example, during the drying treatment of the substrates W, the substrate holder 22 of the lot transport mechanism 19 is cleaned and dried by the substrate holder cleaning processing device 25.

[0021] The dried substrates W are placed on a lot loading platform 18 for processed substrates by a lot transport mechanism 19. The substrate transport mechanism 15 holds multiple substrates W (for example, 25 at a time) on the lot loading platform 18 and places them back into the original carriers 9 placed on the carrier loading platform 14. Each carrier 9 is transported to a carrier stage 10 by a carrier transport mechanism 11, and then transported out of the substrate processing system 1.

[0022] To prevent cross-contamination between substrates W before and after processing, two substrate transport mechanisms 15 may be provided, one for transporting substrates before processing and the other for transporting substrates after processing. Alternatively, a single substrate transport mechanism 15 may be provided with substrate holding members for holding substrates before processing and for holding substrates after processing.

[0023] The control unit 70 can control the operation of all operable components included in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 70 is, for example, a computer and comprises a control calculation unit 71 and a storage unit 72. The storage unit 72 stores programs that control various processes performed in the substrate processing system 1 (this includes processing recipes that define the sequence of processes). The control calculation unit 71 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage unit 72. The control calculation unit 71 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and may consist of one or more circuits.

[0024] Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may have been recorded on a storage medium readable by a computer and installed from that storage medium to the storage unit 72 of the control unit 70. The storage medium readable by a computer may be one or more of the following: hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnetic optical disk (MO), memory card, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0025] Next, we will describe an example of the configuration of a batch-type liquid processing apparatus 28.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the liquid processing apparatus 28 includes a processing tank 30 (inner tank 30a) for storing processing liquid, and a substrate holder 100 for simultaneously holding multiple substrates W constituting one lot (for example, 100 sheets) in an upright position (vertical position) at equal intervals along the Y direction (horizontal direction) within the processing tank 30.

[0027] The processing tank 30 is equipped with multiple (two in the illustrated example) bar nozzles (rod-shaped nozzles) 32 for discharging processing liquid into the processing tank 30 toward the substrate W. In the example shown in Figure 2, one bar nozzle 32 is provided on the lower right and one on the lower left of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 100. The number of bar nozzles 32 is not limited to the example in Figure 2, and one additional bar nozzle may be provided on the right and one on the left of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 100. Each bar nozzle 32 is equipped with multiple (for example, 100 or more) processing liquid discharge ports spaced apart along its longitudinal direction (Y direction).

[0028] The configuration of the substrate holder 100 and the bar nozzle 32 will be described in detail later.

[0029] <Configuration and operation of a single-bus type liquid treatment system> A "single-bath system" refers to a system in which two or more different processing liquids are used in a single processing tank. Figure 2 schematically shows the configuration of a liquid processing device 28 when it is a single-bath system. The bar nozzle 32 can be supplied with pure water as a rinsing solution via a pure water supply pipeline 33 from a pure water supply source 31, for example, which is provided as a factory power source. A chemical supply pipeline 35 is connected to the pure water supply pipeline 33 via a switching valve device 34. The switching valve device 34 can consist of a three-way valve or two on-off valves. For example, HF (hydrofluoric acid) is supplied to the chemical supply pipeline 35 from a chemical supply source 36, for example, which is provided as a factory power source. Upstream of the switching valve device 34, a flow control valve 37 is provided in the pure water supply pipeline 33. A pump 38 is interposed in the chemical supply pipeline 35.

[0030] The treatment tank 30 consists of an inner tank 30a for storing the cleaning solution and an outer tank 30b that covers the outer edge of the opening of the inner tank 30a. A drain pipe 46 with an on / off valve 45 is connected to an outlet 44 provided at the bottom of the outer tank 30b. An outlet 41 is provided at the bottom of the treatment tank 30, and a drain pipe 42 with an on / off valve 43 is connected to this outlet 41.

[0031] A brief explanation will be given of an example of the processing of the substrate W carried out in a single-bath liquid processing apparatus 28. First, pure water is supplied to the inner tank 30a from the bar nozzle 32, filling the inner tank 30a with pure water. In this state, the substrate holder 100 holding the substrate W descends, and the substrate W is immersed in the pure water in the processing tank (pure water immersion step). Next, the chemical solution supplied from the chemical solution supply source 36 is supplied to the inner tank 30a from the bar nozzle 32. As a result, the liquid in the inner tank 30a overflows into the outer tank 30b, and the concentration of the chemical solution in the liquid in the inner tank 30a gradually increases. The liquid that overflows into the outer tank 30b (in this case, pure water mixed with the chemical solution) is discarded. The liquid that overflows into the outer tank 30b may be recovered and reused.

[0032] When the concentration of the liquid in the inner tank 30a reaches the desired concentration, the supply of the chemical solution from the bar nozzle 32 is stopped, and the tank is left in that state for a predetermined time (chemical solution treatment process). After the predetermined time has elapsed, pure water is supplied from the pure water supply source 31 to the inner tank 30a via the bar nozzle 32. As a result, the liquid in the inner tank 30a overflows into the outer tank 30b, and the concentration of the chemical solution in the inner tank 30a gradually decreases (rinsing process). When the concentration of the chemical solution in the inner tank 30a becomes approximately zero (that is, when the liquid in the inner tank 30a can be considered to be substantially pure water only), the series of processes in the liquid treatment apparatus 28 is terminated. After that, the substrate holder 100 holding the substrate W rises, and the substrate W is removed from the inner tank 30a.

[0033] <Configuration of a liquid processing device specifically designed for a particular processing solution> If the liquid treatment apparatus 28 is dedicated to chemical treatment (e.g., treatment with etching solution, cleaning chemical solution), as shown in Figure 3, for example, one end of the circulation path 46A is connected to the discharge port 44 provided at the bottom of the outer tank 30b. The other end of the circulation path 46A is connected to the bar nozzle 32. A pump 47 is provided in the circulation path 46A. A filter 48 and a heater (not shown) may be provided in the circulation path 46A as needed.

[0034] Another example of the processing of the substrate W carried out in the liquid processing apparatus 28 shown in Figure 3 will be briefly explained. In the chemical treatment apparatus 28, a substrate holder 100 holding the substrate W descends, and the substrate is immersed in the chemical solution stored in the inner tank 30a. The chemical solution is continuously discharged from the bar nozzle 32 toward the substrate W. The chemical solution that overflows from the inner tank 30a into the outer tank 30b flows out from the outer tank 30b into a circulation path 46A, which is equipped with a pump 38, a filter 48, etc., and is discharged again toward the substrate W from the bar nozzle 32. After the substrate W is immersed in the chemical solution for a predetermined time, the substrate holder 100 rises and the substrate W is removed from the inner tank 30a. The substrate W is then passed from the substrate holder 100 to the substrate holder 22 of the lot transfer mechanism 19. Next, the substrate holder 22 passes the substrate W to the substrate holder 100 of the adjacent liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to rinsing, which stores pure water as a rinsing solution.

[0035] In the liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to rinsing, the substrate W is subjected to rinsing. The flow of the rinsing liquid in the liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to rinsing is the same as the flow of the chemical solution in the liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to chemical solution treatment, and can be understood by substituting "chemical solution" with "rinsing liquid". In addition, in the liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to chemical solution treatment, during chemical solution treatment, concentrated or diluted chemical solution may be added to the circulating chemical solution from their supply sources 49A and 49B at one of the points in the circulation system (circulation path 46A in the illustrated example) in order to adjust the concentration of the chemical solution.

[0036] <Configuration of substrate holder 100 and bar nozzle 32> Next, the configuration of the substrate holder 100 and the bar nozzle 32 will be described in detail. One vertically movable substrate holder 100 is attached to one processing tank 30. The substrate holder 100 is configured to hold multiple substrates (e.g., 100) forming a lot at equal intervals in an upright (vertical) position. The substrate holder 100 is made of, for example, quartz.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the substrate holder 100 has a back plate 102, which is a plate-shaped member extending in the vertical direction. The back plate 102 is fixed to a lifting member of a lifting drive mechanism (not shown) by fastening means such as screws, and can move up and down in the vertical direction.

[0038] The base ends of four substrate holding rods 104 are fixed to the back plate 102. The two central substrate holding rods located at a lower position will also be called substrate holding rods 104a, and the two substrate holding rods on either side located at a higher position will also be called substrate holding rods 104b.

[0039] The tips of the two circuit board holding rods 104 (104a, 104b) on the right are connected to each other by a bridge 106 (connecting part). The tips of the two circuit board holding rods 104 (104a, 104b) on the left are also connected to each other by a bridge 106 (connecting part). The back plate 102, the substrate holding rod 104, and the bridge 106 are joined together, for example, by welding.

[0040] Each substrate holding rod 104 is provided with a number of substrate holding grooves 108 at equal intervals, corresponding to the number of substrates W that make up one lot (for example, 100 (or 50)). The substrate holder 22 of the lot transport mechanism 19 described above is equipped with multiple (three in the illustrated example) substrate holding rods 22A. Each substrate holding rod 22A is also provided with the same number of substrate holding grooves (for example, 100 or 50) at the same intervals as the substrate holding grooves 108 of the substrate holding rod 104.

[0041] When transferring the substrate W from the substrate holder 22 to the substrate holder 100, the substrate holder 100 moves up and down relative to the substrate holder 22 that is holding the substrate W. Specifically, for example, the substrate holder 22 is kept stationary while the substrate holder 100 rises. Alternatively, the substrate holder 100 may be kept stationary while the substrate holder 22 is lowered.

[0042] When transferring the substrate W from the substrate holder 22 to the substrate holder 100, the central of the three substrate holding rods 22A passes between the two central substrate holding rods 104, while the remaining two left and right substrate holding rods 22A pass further to the right of the right substrate holding rod 104 and further to the left of the left substrate holding rod 104. During this transfer process, all the substrates W that were on the substrate holder 22 are transferred to the substrate holder 100 all at once.

[0043] When transferring the substrate W from the substrate holder 100 to the substrate holder 22, the substrate holder 100 holding the substrate W is raised and lowered relative to the empty substrate holder 22, in the reverse order of the above.

[0044] The shape of the substrate holding groove 108 can be V-shaped or Y-shaped. In one example configuration, the two central substrate holding rods located at a lower position, substrate holding rod 104a, are provided with V-shaped substrate holding grooves as shown in Figure 5A, while the two side substrate holding rods located at a higher position, substrate holding rod 104b, are provided with Y-shaped substrate holding grooves as shown in Figure 5B.

[0045] Regardless of whether the substrate holding groove 108 is V-shaped or Y-shaped, a certain amount of play is provided between the substrate holding groove 108 and the substrate W to ensure smooth insertion of the substrate W into the substrate holding groove 108 and to prevent damage to the substrate W due to thermal expansion when using a high-temperature processing liquid. For this reason, as will be described later, some tilting of the substrate W may occur due to the flow of liquid around the substrate W. The tilting of the substrate W tends to be greatest at the edges of the substrate W, especially at the edge closest to the back plate 102.

[0046] <Guide Plate 310> Next, the guide plate 310 will be described. For the sake of explanation, when a specified number of substrates (for example, N=100) are placed on the substrate holder 100, the number N (N=1 to 100) will be added in parentheses after W to identify each substrate W. Specifically, the substrate W furthest from the back plate 102 will be called substrate W(1), and the value of N will be increased by one each time as the substrate gets closer to the back plate 102, with the substrate W closest to the back plate 102 being called substrate W(100). Furthermore, the side of each substrate W(N) furthest from the back plate 102 will be called the "front side," and the side closer to the back plate 102 will be called the "rear side." The terms "front side" and "rear side" are defined solely by their positional relationship with the back plate 102, regardless of whether or not that side is the device formation surface of the substrate W.

[0047] A guide plate 310 is detachably fixed to the substrate holder 100 for guiding and controlling the flow around the substrate W at the edge. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide plate 310 is fixed to the back plate 102 of the substrate holder 100.

[0048] The guide plate 310 can be formed from a material that is not affected by the processing solution, such as quartz, or a fluoropolymer material such as PTFE or PFA.

[0049] The guide plate 310 is thicker than the substrate W to be processed (for example, about 700 μm), for example, about 5 mm. This provides the guide plate 310 with sufficient strength and rigidity.

[0050] The guide plate 310 preferably has a planar shape that is approximately the same as the substrate W to be processed. More specifically, the planar shape of the guide plate 310 corresponds to a disc with a diameter the same as or slightly larger than the substrate W (for example, about 100-120% of the diameter of the substrate W) as its base, with several notches provided around the periphery to avoid interference with the substrate holding rods 104 (104a, 104b). In the example shown in Figure 4, a notch is provided at the bottom of the guide plate 310 to avoid interference with the two central substrate holding rods 104a. Also, notches are provided on the left and right sides of the guide plate 310 to avoid interference with the two higher substrate holding rods 104b on either side.

[0051] A notch may be provided between the guide plate 310 and the substrate holding rod 104 so that there is almost no gap (for example, a gap of 1 mm or less). In this case, it is advantageous in terms of the flow guidance effect of the guide plate 310. However, a relatively large gap (for example, several mm) may be provided between the guide plate 310 and the substrate holding rod 104. In this case, there is the advantage that it becomes easier to attach and detach the guide plate 310 to the back plate 102.

[0052] The guide plate 310 is detachably fixed to the back plate 102 via suitable fasteners 312. In the example shown in Figure 4, four sets of fasteners 312 are provided, each positioned at one-four equal divisions of the circumference. Any fasteners 312 can be used, such as a combination of bolts and nuts, or a cylindrical snap-fit ​​joint. The fasteners 312 can be made from a suitable material that is not affected by the processing liquid, such as a fluoropolymer material like PTFE.

[0053] The cylindrical snap-fit ​​joint consists of a combination of a female member 313 and a male member 314, as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 6, for example. Holes for inserting the female member 313 are formed in the guide plate 310 and the back plate 102. The female member 313 has a flange portion 313a and a hollow shaft portion 313b, and is inserted into the hole from the front side of the guide plate 310. The male member 314 has a flange portion 314a and a flexible shaft portion 314b, and a claw 314c is provided on the flexible shaft portion. The male member 314 is inserted into the hollow shaft portion 313b of the female member 313 from the rear side of the back plate 102, and at this time, the claw 314c snaps into the claw receiving recess 313c formed on the inner circumferential surface of the hollow shaft portion 313b of the female member 313. As a result, the female member 313 and the male member 314 are coupled so that they cannot move relative to each other in the axial direction. The flange portion 313a of the female member 313 and the flange portion 314a of the male member 314 seat on the flange receiving surfaces of the guide plate 310 and the back plate 102, so that the guide plate 310 and the back plate 102 are fixed to each other immovably in the Y direction. To remove the male member 314, the flexible shaft portion 314b is operated from the opening on the flange portion 313a side of the female member 313, the claws 314c are released from the claw receiving recess 313c, and the male member 314 is pulled out from the female member 313. Note that in Figure 6, reference numeral 315 denotes a spacer which will be described later.

[0054] As shown in the schematic diagram in Figure 8, the guide plate 310 is installed in a vertical position such that the size of the gap G1 between the rear surface of the substrate W(100) and the front surface of the guide plate 310 is equal to the distance in the Y direction between adjacent substrates W (which is, for example, 5 mm). The size of the gap G1 refers to the distance in the Y direction between the rear surface of the substrate W(100) and the front surface of the guide plate 310.

[0055] The rear surface of the guide plate 310 may be in close contact with the front surface of the back plate 102. However, in this case, the liquid flow that collides with the back plate 102 and the lower surface of the guide plate 310 may flow into the gap G1, potentially increasing the flow rate of the liquid in the gap G1 or disrupting the liquid flow within the gap G1. For this reason, it is preferable that the rear surface of the guide plate 310 (the surface on the back plate 102 side) has a similar flow to the front surface (the surface closer to the substrate). Therefore, it is preferable to provide a gap G2 between the rear surface of the guide plate 310 and the front surface of the back plate 102. From the viewpoint of balancing the liquid flow, it is preferable to set the sizes (length in the Y direction) of gaps G1 and G2 to the same value.

[0056] To ensure that the guide plate 310 is in a vertical position (so that the front surface of the guide plate 310 is parallel to the rear surface of the substrate W(100)) and to ensure that the size of the gap G2 is secured, a spacer 315 (see Figure 6) may be interposed between the guide plate 310 and the back plate 102. The spacer 315 can be, for example, a ring-shaped collar into which the hollow shaft portion 313b of the female member 313 described above is inserted.

[0057] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the bar nozzle 32 is provided with a plurality of discharge ports 321. In one configuration example, the discharge ports 321 are provided at equal intervals along the Y direction (the longitudinal direction of the bar nozzle 32 and the substrate holding rod 104). In the illustrated example, the distance between two adjacent discharge ports 321 is equal to the spacing between the substrates W, for example, 5 mm, but is not limited to this.

[0058] In one configuration example, as shown in Figure 7, each bar nozzle 32 has a pair of discharge ports 321 at the same Y-direction position, one of which is angled upward and the other angled downward. The elevation angle α, which is the angle that the central axis of the angled upward discharge port 321 (312U) makes with the horizontal plane (i.e., the direction of the main stream of the sprayed processing liquid indicated by the arrow), can be set to an appropriate angle between, for example, 35 and 45 degrees. The depression angle β, which is the angle that the central axis of the angled downward discharge port 321 (321D) makes with the horizontal plane (i.e., the direction of the main stream of the sprayed processing liquid indicated by the arrow), can be set to an appropriate angle between, for example, -35 and -45 degrees. The central axes of the pair of discharge ports 321 extend along the XZ plane passing through the center position in the Y-direction of the gap between two adjacent substrates W.

[0059] Furthermore, since the liquid discharged from the diagonally downward-facing discharge port 321D of the pair of discharge ports 321 does not significantly affect the matters described below, the following explanation will only relate to the diagonally upward-facing discharge port 321 (discharge port 321U).

[0060] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the liquid flow near the back plate 102 in the above embodiment. The arrows indicate the liquid flow through the gap between two adjacent substrates W, the liquid flow through the gap G1 between the substrate W (100) closest to the back plate 102 and the guide plate 310, and the liquid flow through the gap G2 between the guide plate 310 and the back plate 102. Figure 9 corresponds to the conventional configuration in which the guide plate 310 is removed from the configuration of Figure 8.

[0061] <Considerations regarding the tilting of circuit boards> Here, assuming that the gap between substrate W(100) and substrate W(99) is gap G0, and the gap between substrate W(100) and guide plate 310 is gap G1 as described above, the various parameters that affect the flow near substrate W(100) are defined as follows. Flow rate of liquid flowing through gap G0: Q0, Flow velocity of the liquid flowing through gap G0: V0 Pressure P0 is exerted on the front surface of the substrate W(100) and the rear surface of W(99) facing the gap G0 by the liquid flowing through the gap G0. Flow rate of liquid flowing through gap G1: Q1 Flow velocity of the liquid flowing through gap G1: V1 Pressure P1 is exerted on the rear surface of the substrate W(100) facing the gap G1 by the liquid flowing through the gap G1. If P0 = P1, the substrate W(100) can maintain a substantially upright position without falling over. The pressures P0 and P1 and the flow rates Q0 and Q1 are approximately directly proportional. Therefore, to make P0 = P1, we just need to make Q0 = Q1. Q0 = Cross-sectional area of ​​gap G0 (S0) × V0 = Length of G0 in the Y direction (L0) × Width of the substrate (d) × V0 Similarly Q1 = Cross-sectional area of ​​gap G1 (S1) × V1 = Length of gap G1 in the Y direction (L1) × Width of substrate (d) × V1 Therefore, to set Q1 = Q2, L0 × d × V0 = L1 × d × V1 It should be done in this way. If the flow velocities V0 and V1 are equal, the substrate W will be able to maintain an upright position without tipping over in either direction. For the width d of the substrate W, please refer to Figure 10.

[0062] As shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 9, when the guide plate 310 is removed from the configuration of Figure 8, the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the gap G3 between the substrate W(100) and the back plate 102 becomes significantly larger than the flow rate of the liquid flowing between the substrate W(100) and the substrate W(99). As a result, the upper part of the substrate W(100) (the part not restrained by the substrate holding groove 108) tends to tilt towards the substrate W(99) side (see arrow A in Figure 9).

[0063] When substrate W(100) tilts in this manner, the gap between substrate W(100) and substrate W(99) becomes smaller at the top, making it difficult for the liquid to flow between substrate W(100) and substrate W(99). In this case, for example, in a single-bath type liquid treatment apparatus 28, when a chemical solution is added to the pure water in the inner tank 30a, the increase in the chemical solution concentration slows down between substrate W(100) and substrate W(99). This can lead to a problem where the amount of etching by the chemical solution on the front surface of substrate W(100) (or the rear surface of substrate W(99)) becomes smaller at the top. Even in a liquid treatment apparatus 28 dedicated to chemical solution treatment, as mentioned above, when liquid is added from supply sources 49A and 49B for concentration adjustment, the change in chemical solution concentration slows down between substrate W(100) and substrate W(99). This can impair the in-plane uniformity of the processing of substrate W(100) (or substrate W(99)), and also impair the inter-plane uniformity of the processing of a single lot of substrate W. Furthermore, even when the chemical solution concentration is constant during processing, uneven flow of the solution between substrates can cause impairment of both in-plane and inter-plane uniformity of the processing.

[0064] The above problem can be solved by providing the guide plate 310 in the manner described above.

[0065] Incidentally, if the only requirement is to satisfy the conditions of the above formula, it is also conceivable to reduce the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the gap between the substrate W(100) and the back plate 102, for example, by reducing the number of discharge ports 312U in the Y-direction range corresponding to the gap between the substrate W(100) and the back plate 102. However, it is not always easy to determine how much the flow rate should be reduced or how much the number of discharge ports 312U should be reduced. For this reason, as in the above embodiment, it is easier to prevent the substrate W(100) from tipping over by making the sizes of gaps G0 and G1 equal and assigning the same number of discharge ports 312U to both gaps G0 and G1.

[0066] Furthermore, if the only requirement is to satisfy the conditions of the above formula, it is also conceivable to make the distance in the Y direction between the substrate W(100) and the back plate 102 equal to the distance between the substrate W(100) and the substrate W(99) (the size of the gap G1). However, the conditions for the liquid flow in the gap between the substrate W(100) and the adjacent member will differ somewhat depending on whether a guide plate 310 of approximately the same shape is adjacent to the substrate W(100) or a larger back plate 102 that extends continuously in the vertical direction is adjacent to the substrate W(100). Therefore, from the viewpoint of balancing the flow, it is preferable for a guide plate 310 of approximately the same shape to be adjacent to the substrate W(100).

[0067] Generally, in quartz substrate holders 100, the back plate 102, substrate holding rods 104, and bridge 106 are joined by welding, and then substrate holding grooves 108 are formed on the substrate holding rods 104 by grinding using a diamond cutter (this is also called the "post-joining grinding method"). This post-joining grinding method offers higher positional accuracy of the substrate holding grooves 108 compared to a method in which each substrate holding rod 104 is processed individually and then welded to the back plate 102 (this is also called the "grinding-after joining method"). When the post-joining grinding method is adopted, it is practically impossible to machine the grooves on the part of the substrate holding rod 104 that is closest to the back plate 102 due to the limitations of the processing machine (interference of the cutting tool). Specifically, it is difficult to machine the grooves unless they are at least 15-20 mm away from the back plate 102.

[0068] According to the above embodiment, by adopting a configuration in which a detachable guide plate 310 is fixed to the substrate holder 100, even when a post-bonding grinding method is used, it is possible to easily equalize the flow conditions of the processing liquid between the gap G1 on the front side and the gap G2 on the rear side of the substrate W(100) closest to the back plate 102.

[0069] Furthermore, if a post-grinding bonding method, which is not currently widely used due to accuracy issues, is adopted, it is possible to provide a substrate holding groove 108 in close proximity to the back plate 102. However, as mentioned above, since the rear surface of the substrate W(100) is close to the large-area back plate 102, it is difficult to match the flow conditions of the processing liquid in the front and rear spaces of the substrate W(100) compared to the above embodiment. For this reason, the above embodiment is considered preferable from the viewpoint of flow control and manufacturing technology.

[0070] Incidentally, it is also possible to increase the number of substrate holding grooves 108 without providing the guide plate 310 and install a dummy substrate W next to the substrate W(100) (on the side closer to the back plate 102). In this case, even if the dummy substrate W falls over, the substrate W(100) will hardly fall over, so there is no risk of problems occurring with the processing quality of substrate W(100). However, handling the dummy substrate W is troublesome. If the same substrate as the product substrate is used as the dummy substrate W, that substrate will be wasted. Also, the long-term durability of the dummy substrate W cannot be expected. Furthermore, the timing of when to place the dummy substrate W on the substrate holder 100 is also an issue. If the dummy substrate W is placed separately from the substrate W that make up one lot, a separate substrate transport arm will be required. If the dummy substrate W is included in the substrate W that make up one lot from the beginning, the number of product substrates W included in one lot will be one less. As mentioned above, there are problems in terms of equipment cost and operating cost when using a dummy substrate W. In contrast, when a guide plate 310 is provided as in the above embodiment, the problems in terms of equipment cost and operating cost are significantly reduced.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, since the guide plate 310 is detachable, it is easy to clean the guide plate 310. Also, because the guide plate 310 is detachable, it is possible to prepare several guide plates 310 of different shapes and fine-tune the flow according to the processing conditions. In other words, the shape of the guide plate 310 is not limited to one based on a circle, but may be based on an ellipse or a polygon, etc.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, it is possible to fine-tune the flow by changing the thickness of the spacer 315 to fine-tune the distance between the guide plate 310 and the end substrate W(100) according to the processing conditions.

[0073] As mentioned above, the bar nozzle 32 is normally provided with discharge ports 321 at the same intervals as the arrangement of substrates W, which are arranged at equal intervals along the Y direction. However, some of the discharge ports 321 may be removed or new discharge ports 321 may be added as needed.

[0074] Specifically, for example, a portion of the discharge port 321 (especially the diagonally upward-facing discharge port 321) located at a position in the Y direction corresponding to the back plate 102 (for example, with a thickness of about 30 mm), that is, directly below the back plate 102, may be removed. By doing so, if the removed discharge port 321 were to remain, the amount of liquid flowing into the vicinity of the guide plate 310, for example, into the gap G2 on the rear side of the substrate W(100), can be reduced.

[0075] Alternatively, for example, one or more discharge ports 321 (especially diagonally upward-facing discharge ports 321U) may be added to the bar nozzle 32 at a position in the Y direction further away from the back plate 102 than the bridge 106. The front of the front surface of the substrate W(1) furthest from the back plate 102 is open. As a result, the liquid discharged from the discharge ports 321U that discharge liquid toward the vicinity of the front surface of the substrate W(1) diffuses forward, and the flow velocity of the liquid flowing toward the vicinity of the front surface of the substrate W(1) slows down. This results in uneven pressure between the liquid flowing toward the front surface of the substrate W(1) and the liquid flowing toward the rear surface of the substrate W(1), making the substrate W(1) more prone to tipping over. By providing additional discharge ports as described above to increase the flow velocity of the liquid flowing toward the vicinity of the front surface of the substrate W(1), the above problem can be helped to be solved. In some cases, the above-mentioned diffusion of the liquid may be less likely to occur, for example, if the front surface of the substrate W(1) is close to the side wall of the inner tank 30a. In such cases, the above measures are not necessary.

[0076] As an alternative measure to solve the above-mentioned problem concerning the liquid flowing near the front surface of the substrate W(1), another guide plate (not shown) of roughly the same shape as the substrate W(1) may be provided in front of the substrate W(1). Such a guide plate can be screwed to the left and right bridges 106, for example. By providing such a guide plate, the diffusion of the liquid discharged from the discharge port 321U toward the front surface of the substrate W(1) toward the front surface is suppressed. As a result, the pressure exerted on the substrate W(1) by the liquid flowing near the front surface and the pressure exerted on the substrate W(1) by the liquid flowing near the rear surface can be made uniform.

[0077] According to the above embodiment, it is possible to prevent the substrate W closest to the back plate 102 (substrate W(100)) from tipping over. As a result, the flow of liquid near the front and rear surfaces of substrate W(100) becomes equivalent to the flow of liquid near the front and rear surfaces of the other substrates W. Therefore, the in-plane uniformity of the liquid treatment of substrate W(100) and the adjacent substrate W(99) can be improved. Furthermore, since substrate W(100) and substrate W(99) can be treated with the same high in-plane uniformity as the other substrates W, the inter-plane uniformity of the treatment of multiple substrates W, for example 100 substrates W held in the substrate holder 100 can also be improved.

[0078] The results of tests conducted to confirm the effects of the above embodiment are briefly described below. The in-plane uniformity and inter-plane uniformity of the etching amount of substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), W(75), and W(100) were compared in the case without guide plate 310 (comparative example) and with guide plate 310 (example). For in-plane uniformity, the etching amount was measured at 5 points for each substrate W, and the in-plane uniformity index value was evaluated as (maximum etching amount - minimum etching amount) / [2 * (average etching amount)]. For inter-plane uniformity, the difference between the maximum and minimum average etching amounts for each of substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), W(75), and W(100) was evaluated as the inter-plane uniformity index value.

[0079] In the comparative example, the in-plane uniformity index values ​​for substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), and W(75) were in the range of 1.09 to 1.37 for the first test, 1.11 to 1.45 for the second test, and 0.98 to 1.65 for the third test. In contrast, the in-plane uniformity index values ​​for substrate W(100) were 3.31 for the first test, 4.84 for the second test, and 2.60 for the third test. In other words, the in-plane uniformity index value for substrate W(100) was considerably worse than that of substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), and W(75).

[0080] In the examples, the in-plane uniformity index values ​​for substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), and W(75) were within the range of 1.11 to 1.91 for the first test, 1.02 to 1.83 for the second test, and 1.32 to 1.65 for the third test. In contrast, the in-plane uniformity index values ​​for substrate W(100) were 1.13 for the first test, 1.08 for the second test, and 1.87 for the third test. That is, the in-plane uniformity index value for substrate W(100) was not significantly different from that of substrates W(1), W(25), W(50), and W(75).

[0081] The inter-plane uniformity index values ​​in the comparative example were 0.90 for the first test, 0.65 for the second test, and 0.80 for the third test. The inter-plane uniformity index values ​​in the example were 0.30 for the first test, 0.55 for the second test, and 0.74 for the third test. In other words, the inter-plane uniformity index was also better in the example.

[0082] <Other configuration examples> The following describes several methods for improving the flow near the substrate W(100) without using the guide plate 310.

[0083] <Example of configuration 1> The flow distribution may be adjusted by deleting or adding discharge ports 321. Specifically, for example, as described above, some of the discharge ports 321 located in the Y-direction position corresponding to the back plate 102 (diagonally upward-facing discharge ports 321) (e.g., 3 out of 6) may be deleted.

[0084] <Second example configuration> As shown by the dashed line in Figure 7, shielding members 105 (only one on one side is shown) may be provided at the bottom of the substrate holding rods 104, particularly the two substrate holding rods on both sides that are positioned higher, so as to block the central axis of the diagonally upward-facing discharge port 321U. The shielding members 105 are provided at a position in the Y direction corresponding to the space between the substrate W(100) and the shielding member (corresponding to the gap G3 in Figure 9). The shielding members 105 prevent the liquid discharged from the diagonally upward-facing discharge port 321U from directly flowing into the space between the back plate 102 and the substrate W(100) (corresponding to the gap G3 in Figure 9). As a result, the flow velocity of the liquid flowing through the gap G3 is reduced, and the pressures P1 and P2 on both sides of the substrate W(100) can be made uniform.

[0085] <Third example configuration> The direction of the diagonally upward-facing discharge port 321U, located at a position in the Y direction corresponding to the gap G3 between the back plate 102 and the substrate W(100), may be changed to upward or downward so that the central axis of the discharge port does not pass through the rear surface of the substrate W(100) when viewed from the direction normal to the rear surface of the substrate W(100). By doing so, the flow velocity of the liquid flowing in the space between the back plate 102 and the substrate W(100) is reduced, thereby equalizing the pressures P1 and P2 on both sides of the substrate W(100).

[0086] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0087] The substrate W is not limited to a silicon wafer, but may be any substrate made of any material known in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, such as a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 30 (30a) Treatment tank 100 circuit board holders 32 nozzles 310 Guide Plate

Claims

1. A treatment tank for storing the treated liquid, A substrate holder that holds multiple substrates in an upright position and aligned horizontally at equal intervals within the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, A nozzle for spraying processing liquid in the processing tank is provided so as to form a flow of processing liquid passing between adjacent substrates held by the substrate holder, A guide plate is provided close to the outermost substrate among a plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder and is detachably fixed to the substrate holder, wherein the horizontal distance between the guide plate and the outermost substrate is approximately equal to the arrangement pitch of the plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder, and the surface of the outermost substrate and the surface of the guide plate facing it are parallel, and the guide plate guides the flow of processing liquid in the space between the outermost substrate and the guide plate. A substrate processing apparatus equipped with the following:

2. The substrate holder further comprises a plurality of substrate holding members, each having a plurality of substrate holding grooves into which the peripheral edges of a plurality of substrates are inserted, and a plate-shaped member extending in the vertical direction, with one end of each of the plurality of substrate holding members fixed to the plate-shaped member, the substrate holder moves up and down by a lifting drive mechanism fixed to the plate-shaped member, and the guide plate is detachably fixed to the plate-shaped member, as described in claim 1.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide plate is detachably fixed to the plate-shaped member using bolts and nuts or snap-fit ​​fasteners.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is a disc-shaped member having a planar shape that is generally the same as that of the substrate as a whole.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the guide plate is greater than the thickness of the substrate to be processed.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is made of quartz or a fluororesin material.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is a bar nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along the arrangement direction of a plurality of substrates held by the substrate holder, each of the plurality of discharge ports is provided to spray processing liquid toward the space between two adjacent substrates, and one of the plurality of discharge ports of the bar nozzle is provided to spray processing liquid toward the gap between the guide plate and the outermost substrate.

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