SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM

Abstract

To inhibit occurrence of humps and corrosion on a coated film in EBR (edge bead removal) processing.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus comprises: a substrate holding unit for holding and rotating a substrate on which a coating film for pattern formation is formed; a process liquid discharge unit for discharging process liquid for forming a protection film on the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; an irradiation unit for irradiating the periphery of the substrate on which the protection film is formed, with laser light; and a removal liquid discharge unit for discharging, to the protection film, removal liquid for removing the protection film.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, and a computer storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus including a rotation means for rotating a substrate around a rotation axis perpendicular to its main surface, a light source for outputting laser light, a light branching means for branching the laser light to generate a first light beam and a second light beam and capable of changing the power ratio between the first light beam and the second light beam, a first light path adjustment means for changing the direction of travel of the first light beam to cause the first light beam to be incident on the peripheral portion of the substrate along a first incident direction having a component in a direction from the first main surface of the substrate toward a second main surface opposite the first main surface, and a second light path adjustment means for changing the direction of travel of the second light beam to cause the second light beam to be incident on the peripheral portion of the substrate along a second incident direction having a component in a direction from the second main surface toward the first main surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-115893 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure suppresses the occurrence of humps and erosion in a coating film during EBR (edge ​​bead removal) processing of a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates a substrate on which a coating film for pattern formation has been formed; a processing liquid discharge unit that discharges a processing liquid for forming a protective film on the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and a laser irradiation unit that irradiates a laser onto a peripheral portion of the substrate on which the protective film has been formed. A solvent discharge unit that discharges a solvent; a removal liquid discharge unit that discharges a removal liquid onto the protective film to remove the protective film; A control unit that controls operations of the laser irradiation unit and the solvent discharge unit; Equipped with The control unit is configured to control the laser irradiation to a predetermined target removal region of the coating film, and to discharge the solvent onto the coating film remaining in a region radially outward of the substrate from the laser irradiation region. . Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of humps and erosion in a coating film during EBR (edge ​​bead removal) processing of a substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view diagrammatically illustrating an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a rear view diagrammatically illustrating an outline of the configuration of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a side cross-sectional view that typically illustrates an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a plan view for explaining a laser irradiation unit, a processing liquid discharge unit, and a removal liquid discharge unit. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a substrate processing flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the operations of a laser irradiation unit, a processing liquid discharge unit, and a removal liquid discharge unit when performing substrate processing according to the flow of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the peripheral portion of the substrate for explaining a laser irradiation method. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view that typically illustrates an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a substrate processing flow according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another substrate processing flow according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view that typically illustrates an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a substrate processing flow according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of a coating film on a substrate when the substrate is processed according to the flow of FIG. 14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, etc., there is a process of forming a resist film as a coating film for pattern formation on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "wafer") In this process, a solvent such as thinner is discharged onto the peripheral edge of the wafer on which the resist film has been formed, and unnecessary resist film on the peripheral edge of the wafer is removed, a process known as edge bead removal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "EBR process").

[0009] When this EBR process is performed using a solvent such as thinner, while the solvent removes unnecessary resist film, it can cause protrusions (hereafter referred to as "humps") or erosion of the resist film necessary for pattern formation, which can cause the peripheral shape of the resist film used for pattern formation to collapse. Such collapse of the resist film shape can cause defects such as pattern abnormalities in subsequent processes.

[0010] Therefore, the technique according to the present disclosure suppresses the occurrence of humps and erosion in the coating film during EBR treatment of the substrate.

[0011] Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0012] <First embodiment> Before describing the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment, a substrate processing system including the substrate processing apparatus will be described.

[0013] (Substrate Processing System) Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment, while Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are a front view and a rear view showing a schematic internal configuration of the substrate processing system 1.

[0014] 1, the substrate processing system 1 has a cassette station 10 where a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W as substrates is loaded and unloaded, and a processing station 11 equipped with a plurality of various processing devices that perform predetermined processing on the wafers W. The substrate processing system 1 has a configuration in which the cassette station 10, the processing station 11, and an interface station 13 that transfers the wafers W between the processing station 11 and an exposure device 12 adjacent to the processing station 11 are integrally connected.

[0015] The cassette station 10 is provided with a cassette placement stage 20. The cassette placement stage 20 is provided with a plurality of cassette placement plates 21 on which the cassettes C are placed when the cassettes C are carried in and out of the substrate processing system 1.

[0016] The cassette station 10 is provided with a wafer transfer device 23 that is movable on a transfer path 22 extending in the X direction in Fig. 1. The wafer transfer device 23 is also movable in the up-down direction and around the vertical axis (the θ direction), and can transfer wafers W between the cassettes C on each cassette mounting plate 21 and a transfer device in the third block G3 of the processing station 11, which will be described later.

[0017] The processing station 11 is provided with a plurality of blocks, for example, four blocks G1, G2, G3, and G4, each equipped with various devices. For example, a first block G1 is provided on the front side (negative side in the X direction in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11, and a second block G2 is provided on the rear side (positive side in the X direction in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11. A third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 10 side (negative side in the Y direction in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11, and a fourth block G4 is provided on the interface station 13 side (positive side in the Y direction in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11.

[0018] 2, the first block G1 is provided with a plurality of liquid processing devices, such as a developing device 30 and a resist coating device 31 serving as a coating processing device. The developing device 30 performs a developing process on the wafer W. The resist coating device 31 supplies a resist liquid to the wafer W to form a resist film as a coating film. The number and arrangement of the developing device 30 and the resist coating device 31 can be selected arbitrarily.

[0019] In the developing treatment device 30 and the resist coating device 31, for example, spin coating using a predetermined processing liquid or coating liquid is performed on the wafer W. In spin coating, for example, the processing liquid or coating liquid is discharged from a nozzle onto the wafer W, and the wafer W is rotated to spread the processing liquid or coating liquid on the surface of the wafer W.

[0020] 3, in the second block G2, a heat treatment device 40 and an edge exposure device 41 are arranged vertically and horizontally. The heat treatment device 40 performs heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the wafer W. For example, the heat treatment device 40 performs a baking process on the wafer W on which a resist film is formed. The edge exposure device 41 exposes the outer periphery of the wafer W. The number and arrangement of the heat treatment devices 40 and edge exposure devices 41 can be selected arbitrarily.

[0021] For example, in the third block G3, a plurality of transfer devices 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 are provided in this order from the bottom up, while in the fourth block G4, a plurality of transfer devices 60, 61, 62 are provided in this order from the bottom up.

[0022] 1 and 3, a region surrounded by the first block G1 to the fourth block G4 forms a wafer transfer region D. In the wafer transfer region D, a wafer transfer device 70 is disposed.

[0023] Each of the wafer transfer devices 70 has a transfer arm 70a that is movable in, for example, the Y direction, the X direction, the θ direction, and the up and down direction. A plurality of wafer transfer devices 70 are arranged one above the other, and each wafer transfer device 70 moves within the wafer transfer region D and can transfer the wafer W to a predetermined device at approximately the same height in each of the blocks G1 to G4.

[0024] In addition, in the wafer transfer region D, a shuttle transfer device 80 is provided which linearly transfers the wafer W between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4.

[0025] The shuttle transfer device 80 is movable linearly, for example, in the Y direction in Fig. 3. The shuttle transfer device 80 moves in the Y direction while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W between the delivery device 52 in the third block G3 and the delivery device 62 in the fourth block G4.

[0026] 1, a wafer transfer device 90 is provided next to the third block G3 on the positive side in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 90 has a transfer arm 90a that is movable in, for example, the X direction, the θ direction, and the up and down directions. The wafer transfer device 90 moves up and down while supporting a wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W to each delivery device in the third block G3.

[0027] The interface station 13 is provided with a wafer transfer device 100 and a delivery device 101. The wafer transfer device 100 has a transfer arm 100a that is movable in, for example, the Y direction, the θ direction, and the up and down directions. The wafer transfer device 100 supports a wafer W on, for example, the transfer arm 100a, and can transfer the wafer W between each delivery device in the fourth block G4, the delivery device 101, and the exposure device 12.

[0028] The above-described substrate processing system 1 is provided with a control unit 200. The control unit 200 is configured by a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores programs for controlling various processes in the substrate processing system 1. The above-described programs may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from the storage medium H to the control unit 200. A part or all of the programs may be realized by dedicated hardware (circuit board). It does not matter whether the storage medium H is a temporary storage medium or a non-temporary storage medium.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of a resist coating apparatus 31 as a substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view that typically shows an outline of the configuration of the resist coating apparatus 31 according to this embodiment.

[0030] The resist coating apparatus 31 has a processing vessel 301 whose interior can be sealed. A loading / unloading port (not shown) for the wafer W is formed on a side surface of the processing vessel 301.

[0031] A spin chuck 302 is provided in the processing vessel 301 as a substrate holding part for holding a wafer W. The spin chuck 302 can be rotated at a predetermined speed by a chuck driving part 303 having an actuator such as a motor, and can rotate the wafer W held by the spin chuck 302. The chuck driving part 303 is provided with an elevation driving mechanism such as a cylinder, and the spin chuck 302 can be raised and lowered freely.

[0032] Further, in the processing vessel 301, a cup 304 is provided outside the spin chuck 302 and surrounding the wafer W held by the spin chuck 302. The cup 304 includes an outer cup 305 that receives and collects liquid scattered or dropped from the wafer W, and an inner cup 306 that is located on the inner periphery side of the outer cup 305. An opening 307 through which the wafer W passes before and after the wafer W is transferred to and from the spin chuck 302 is formed in the upper surface of the outer cup 305. Further, in the processing vessel 301, a nozzle unit 308 for discharging a resist liquid onto the wafer W is provided so as to be movable vertically and horizontally.

[0033] In addition, the resist coating apparatus 31 in this embodiment is equipped with a laser irradiation mechanism 310 that irradiates a laser onto the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and a processing liquid ejection mechanism 320 that ejects a processing liquid for forming a protective film onto the wafer W on which a resist film has been formed.

[0034] The laser irradiation mechanism 310 includes a laser light source 311, an attenuator 312, a mask 313, and a laser irradiation unit 314. A mirror 315 is provided inside the laser irradiation unit 314. The laser light indicated by the dashed arrow in Fig. 4 outputted in the horizontal direction from the laser light source 311 passes through the attenuator 312 and the mask 313, travels vertically downward by reflection from the mirror 315, and is irradiated onto the wafer W via a lens (not shown) included in the laser irradiation unit 314. The laser irradiation unit 314 in this embodiment is configured to be freely movable in the horizontal direction along the reciprocating arrow A by an arm equipped with a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0035] The structure and installation position of the laser irradiation mechanism 310 are not particularly limited, and any structure capable of irradiating the resist film on the wafer periphery with a laser may be used. For example, in this embodiment, the laser irradiation unit 314 is configured to be freely movable horizontally along the reciprocating arrow A, but the spin chuck 302 may be configured to be freely movable horizontally along the reciprocating arrow A. The laser irradiation position on the wafer W may be changed by adjusting the angle of the mirror 315, rather than by horizontally moving the laser irradiation unit 314 or the spin chuck 302. The type, oscillation form, and wavelength of the laser light are not particularly limited as long as the resist film can be removed, but it is preferable that the laser be a solid-state laser with a wavelength of 240 nm or more. It is also preferable that the laser be a pulsed laser.

[0036] The treatment liquid discharge mechanism 320 includes a treatment liquid supply source 321 that supplies a treatment liquid for forming a protective film, a treatment liquid supply pipe 322 that serves as a flow path of the treatment liquid, and a treatment liquid nozzle 323 that serves as a treatment liquid discharge part. In this embodiment, the treatment liquid nozzle 323 includes a nozzle body 323a and a nozzle support part 323b that supports the nozzle body 323a. The treatment liquid nozzle 323 is configured to be freely movable in the horizontal direction along the reciprocating arrow B by an arm that includes a drive mechanism (not shown). The structure and installation position of the treatment liquid discharge mechanism 320 are not particularly limited as long as the structure is capable of discharging the treatment liquid onto the upper surface of the resist film.

[0037] The type of the treatment liquid is not particularly limited, and may be any liquid that is soluble in the protective film removal liquid described below and does not adversely affect the quality of the substrate or the coating film. For example, when the coating film formed on the substrate is a resist film, if the protective film is removed using an organic solvent such as thinner as a protective film removal liquid, the protective film and the resist film will dissolve. For this reason, when the coating film is a resist film, the protective film is preferably a water-soluble film. When the protective film is a water-soluble film, pure water can be used as a protective film removal liquid, and only the protective film can be removed without dissolving the resist film. As a treatment liquid for forming such a water-soluble protective film, for example, a water-soluble resist such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) is used.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the laser irradiation unit 314 and the processing liquid nozzle 323 viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 5, the resist coating apparatus 31 in this embodiment is provided with a removing liquid ejection mechanism 330 having a structure similar to that of the processing liquid ejection mechanism 320 and ejecting a removing liquid for removing a protective film. The removing liquid ejection mechanism 330 includes a removing liquid supply source 331 for supplying the removing liquid, a removing liquid supply pipe 332 serving as a flow path of the removing liquid, and a removing liquid nozzle 333 as a removing liquid ejection unit. The removing liquid nozzle 333 in this embodiment is composed of a nozzle body 333a and a nozzle support part 333b for supporting the nozzle body 333a. The removing liquid nozzle 333 is configured to be freely movable in the horizontal direction along the reciprocating arrow C by an arm equipped with a driving mechanism (not shown). The structure and installation position of the removing liquid ejection mechanism 330 are not particularly limited, and may be any structure capable of ejecting the removing liquid onto the protective film formed on the upper surface of the resist film.

[0039] The type of the remover is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the protective film and does not adversely affect the quality of the substrate or the coating film. For example, pure water can be used as the remover for a water-soluble protective film formed on the top surface of a resist film.

[0040] The resist coating apparatus 31 in this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, a description will be given of a method for processing the wafer W using this resist coating apparatus 31. The processing of the wafer W in this embodiment is performed according to the flow shown in FIG.

[0041] First, a resist solution is discharged onto the center of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 302, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W by rotating the spin chuck 302.

[0042] Next, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the processing liquid nozzle 323 for forming a protective film is moved to the peripheral portion of the wafer W on which the resist film R is formed. At this time, the processing liquid nozzle 323 is moved so that the discharge position of the processing liquid is located at least in a region radially inward of the wafer W from a laser irradiation region described later. Next, the processing liquid is discharged while rotating the spin chuck 302, and the discharged processing liquid is dried by the rotation of the spin chuck 302, and a protective film P is formed on the upper surface of the resist film R as shown in FIG. 7(b). Note that, in this embodiment, the protective film P is formed only on the peripheral portion of the wafer W on which the resist film R is formed, but the processing liquid may be discharged to the center of the wafer W, and the protective film P may be formed on the entire wafer W by the rotation of the spin chuck 302.

[0043] 7(c), the processing liquid nozzle 323 is retreated to the outside of the wafer W, and the laser irradiation unit 314 is moved to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. Then, the spin chuck 302 is irradiated with a laser while being rotated.

[0044] When the laser is a pulsed laser, the laser is irradiated as shown in FIG. 8, for example. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing a schematic view of the peripheral portion of the wafer W during laser irradiation. The left side of FIG. 8 is the central portion of the wafer W, and the right side is the edge portion of the wafer W. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the laser is irradiated such that the irradiated areas in one go overlap each other in the circumferential direction of the wafer W (the direction of the arrow in the figure). More specifically, first, the area L 1 After the first laser irradiation, the area L 1The second laser irradiation is performed so that it overlaps with the area L. 2 The third laser irradiation is performed so that each area L 1 ~L 6 The laser is irradiated so that the resist film is sequentially overlapped, thereby removing the resist film along the circumferential direction of the wafer W. At this time, the position of the laser irradiation unit 314 (FIG. 7(b)) is fixed. After removal of the resist film for one circumference of the wafer W is completed, the laser irradiation unit 314 is moved from the region where the laser irradiation is completed to the center side of the wafer W, and the laser is irradiated to the unirradiated region. The irradiation pitch of the pulse laser and the rotation speed of the spin chuck 302 are appropriately set so that the above-mentioned laser irradiation is possible.

[0045] The laser irradiated toward the wafer W penetrates the protective film P and reaches the resist film R. As a result, heat is generated at the interface between the wafer W and the resist film R, and the resist film R expands at the heat generating portion, causing the resist film R at the laser irradiated portion to peel off from the wafer W together with the protective film P formed on the upper surface of the resist film R. As a result, unnecessary resist film R at the peripheral portion of the wafer W is removed. As shown in FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b), in this embodiment, the discharge of the processing liquid and the laser irradiation are performed at different times. However, if the processing liquid discharged onto the wafer W is dried before reaching the laser irradiation position and functions as the protective film P, the processing liquid nozzle 323 and the laser irradiation unit 314 may be moved to the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the processing liquid discharge and the laser irradiation may be performed in the same process.

[0046] Next, as shown in FIG. 7(d), the laser irradiation unit 314 is retreated to the outside of the wafer W, and the removing liquid nozzle 333 is moved to the formation area of ​​the protective film P remaining on the wafer W irradiated with the laser. At this time, the removing liquid nozzle 333 is moved so that the ejection position of the removing liquid is located in an area radially inward of the formation area of ​​the protective film P of the wafer W. Next, the removing liquid is ejected while rotating the spin chuck 302, thereby removing the protective film P. Then, by removing the protective film P, unnecessary resist film R is removed from the surface of the wafer W, and only the resist film R necessary for pattern formation remains, completing the EBR process. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to, for example, a heat treatment device 40, and baked.

[0047] As described above, in the method for processing the wafer W in this embodiment, the EBR process is performed using a laser, and therefore a solvent such as a thinner is not used during the EBR process. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of humps and erosion of the resist film, which are necessary for pattern formation.

[0048] In addition, when performing EBR processing using a laser, there is a concern that the dried resist may scatter as debris to places other than the peripheral portion of the wafer W due to the laser irradiation. However, in the processing method for the wafer W in this embodiment, since a protective film P is formed on the upper surface of the resist film R before the laser irradiation, the debris generated by the laser irradiation scatters on the upper surface of the protective film P. Since this protective film P is removed by a removal liquid, the debris scattered on the upper surface of the protective film P is also removed together with the protective film P. That is, according to the processing method of forming the protective film P before the laser irradiation as in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of humps and erosion of the resist film R, and also to take measures against debris during the laser irradiation. In addition, as a measure against debris, there is also a method of performing laser irradiation while blowing a gas such as nitrogen gas from the radial inside to the outside of the wafer W.

[0049] <Second embodiment> The resist coating apparatus 31 in the first embodiment has a laser irradiation function and thereby has a function of performing EBR processing on the wafer W, but this laser irradiation function may be realized by a dedicated module. Fig. 9 is a side cross-sectional view that typically shows an outline of the configuration of a laser irradiation apparatus 32 as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[0050] 4, the laser irradiation apparatus 32 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 9 does not have the nozzle unit 308, but the other structures are substantially the same as those of the resist coating apparatus 31. That is, the laser irradiation apparatus 32 has a processing vessel 401 whose interior can be sealed, and a spin chuck 402 is provided in the processing vessel 401 as a substrate holding unit for holding the wafer W. The spin chuck 402 can be rotated at a predetermined speed by a chuck driving unit 403, and a cup 404 is provided in the processing vessel 401, which is disposed outside the spin chuck 402 and surrounds the wafer W held by the spin chuck 402.

[0051] Furthermore, the laser irradiation device 32 includes a laser irradiation mechanism 410 that irradiates a laser onto the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The laser irradiation mechanism 410 includes a laser light source 411, an attenuator 412, a mask 413, and a laser irradiation unit 414. A mirror 415 is provided inside the laser irradiation unit 414.

[0052] The laser irradiation device 32 also includes a processing liquid discharge mechanism 420 that discharges a processing liquid for forming a protective film onto the wafer W on which a resist film has been formed. The processing liquid discharge mechanism 420 includes a processing liquid supply source 421, a processing liquid supply pipe 422, and a processing liquid nozzle 423 as a processing liquid discharge part. The processing liquid nozzle 423 in this embodiment is composed of a nozzle body 423a and a nozzle support part 423b that supports the nozzle body 423a. Although not shown, the laser irradiation device 32 also includes a removing liquid discharge mechanism similar to the removing liquid discharge mechanism 330 of the resist coating device 31 shown in FIG. 4. The structure of the laser irradiation device 32 is not particularly limited, and may be any structure that can irradiate the peripheral part of the wafer W transported to the laser irradiation device 32 with a laser.

[0053] The laser irradiation device 32 is arranged, for example, in the first block G1 of the substrate processing system 1, as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, in the substrate processing system 1 in this embodiment, the resist coating device 31 as a coating processing device, the heat treatment device 40 (Fig. 3) that performs the heat treatment of the wafer W, and the laser irradiation device 32 as a substrate processing device that performs the EBR treatment are arranged as independent processing devices. When the laser irradiation function is realized by a dedicated module as in this embodiment, a known configuration can be applied to the configuration of the resist coating device. Also, a known configuration can be applied to the configuration of the heat treatment device 40.

[0054] According to such a substrate processing system 1, the wafer W is transferred in the order of the resist coating device 31, the heat treatment device 40, and the laser irradiation device 32, and predetermined processing is performed in each device, thereby performing processing of the flow shown in Fig. 11, for example. Note that the resist film formation, protective film formation, laser irradiation, and protective film removal shown in Fig. 11 may be performed in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. Also, the bake processing shown in Fig. 11 may be performed by a known method.

[0055] When a bake process is performed after the formation of a resist film, as in the processing of a wafer W shown in Fig. 11, the resist film is solidified by the bake process, and therefore the resist film after the bake process cannot be removed by an EBR process using a solvent such as thinner. On the other hand, in the processing of a wafer W using the laser irradiation device 32 according to this embodiment, the resist film solidified after the bake process can be removed. That is, the EBR process of the flow as shown in Fig. 11 is a process that can be realized by the substrate processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0056] In addition, according to the substrate processing system 1 equipped with the laser irradiation device 32, for example, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 12, the resist coating process in the resist coating device 31 and the bake process in the heat treatment device 40 can be alternately performed two or more times (three times in the example of FIG. 12) and then the EBR process can be performed. As described above, since it is difficult to remove the resist film after the bake process with a solvent, when performing the EBR process using a solvent in forming a multi-layer resist film on the wafer W, the EBR process needs to be performed between the formation of the resist film and the bake process. For example, when performing the EBR process using only a solvent in forming a three-layer resist film as shown in FIG. 11, the EBR process is performed each time the resist film of each layer is formed, so that a total of three EBR processes are required. In contrast, according to the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the removal process of the unnecessary resist film is completed by performing the EBR process once after the formation of the three-layer resist film, so that the throughput can be significantly improved. Furthermore, since the unnecessary resist film can be removed simultaneously after the formation of the multi-layer resist film, the peripheral positions of the resist films are aligned, and the overlay accuracy of each resist film is improved.

[0057] <Third embodiment> In the above embodiment, a protective film is formed as a measure against debris during laser irradiation, but the formation of a protective film is not essential from the viewpoint of suppressing humps and erosion of the coating film caused by contact with a solvent.

[0058] Another aspect of the present disclosure in which the formation of a protective film is not required is a substrate processing apparatus comprising a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates a substrate on which a coating film for pattern formation has been formed, a laser irradiation unit that irradiates a peripheral portion of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit with a laser, a solvent discharge unit that discharges a solvent, and a control unit that controls operation of the laser irradiation unit and the solvent discharge unit, wherein the control unit is configured to control the irradiation of the laser to a predetermined target removal area of ​​the coating film and the discharge of the solvent onto the coating film remaining in an area radially outside the laser irradiation area of ​​the substrate.

[0059] The above-mentioned embodiment will be described in the third embodiment. Fig. 13 is a side cross-sectional view that typically shows an outline of the configuration of a resist coating apparatus 31 as a substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0060] The resist coating apparatus 31 in this embodiment does not include the processing liquid discharge mechanism 320 (FIG. 4) and the removing liquid discharge mechanism 330 (FIG. 5) of the resist coating apparatus 31 in the first embodiment, but includes a solvent discharge mechanism 340 (FIG. 13) that discharges a solvent. The solvent discharge mechanism 340 includes a solvent supply source 341 that supplies a solvent, a solvent supply pipe 342 that serves as a flow path of the solvent, and a solvent discharge nozzle 343 as a solvent discharge section. The solvent discharge nozzle 343 in this embodiment is composed of a nozzle body 343a and a nozzle support section 343b that supports the nozzle body 343a. The solvent discharge nozzle 343 is configured to be freely movable in the horizontal direction along the reciprocating arrow B by an arm equipped with a drive mechanism (not shown). The structure of the solvent discharge mechanism 340 is not particularly limited, and may be any structure that can discharge a solvent onto a resist film. For example, a thinner is used as the solvent.

[0061] The resist coating apparatus 31 in this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, a description will be given of a method for processing the wafer W using the resist coating apparatus 31. The processing of the wafer W in this embodiment is performed according to the flow shown in FIG.

[0062] First, a resist solution is discharged onto the center of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 302, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W by rotating the spin chuck 302.

[0063] 13 is moved to the peripheral portion of the wafer W to irradiate the laser. Usually, in the EBR process, an area where unnecessary resist film is to be removed is set in advance from the viewpoint of improving the yield of the wafer W. In the above-described first embodiment, all of the resist film in that area is removed by laser irradiation, but in the third embodiment, only a part of the unnecessary resist film is removed by laser irradiation.

[0064] 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a resist film is formed on the surface of a wafer. The left side of the paper in FIG. 15 is the edge side of the wafer W, and the right side of the paper is the center side of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. 15(a), in the third embodiment, the area L excluding the edge of the wafer W is T is preset, and the region L T In this specification, the region L T In other words, in the EBR process of this embodiment, the target removal area L T The laser is irradiated to the target removal area L T Remove the resist film in the target removal area L T is an area that is arbitrarily set in consideration of the yield of the wafer W, the discharge position of the solvent, etc. In addition, the target removal area L T is preferably a region where a hump occurs due to contact between the solvent and the coating film when the resist film removal process (EBR process) is performed on the wafer peripheral portion using only a solvent. In other words, the target removal region L T is preferably a region where the coating film does not completely dissolve upon contact with the solvent, and the hardness of the coating film becomes softer than before contact with the solvent. By irradiating the region with a laser to remove the resist film, the generation of humps can be effectively suppressed.

[0065] The target removal region L shown in FIG. T15(b), the solvent discharge nozzle 343 is moved to the peripheral portion of the wafer W. At this time, the solvent discharge position is aligned with the laser irradiation area L and the resist film R to be removed. 1 The solvent discharge nozzle 343 is moved so that the solvent is near the boundary between the laser irradiation area and the spin chuck 302. Then, the solvent is discharged while rotating the spin chuck 302. As a result, the unnecessary resist film R remaining outside the laser irradiation area is removed as shown in FIG. 1 is removed and the EBR process is complete.

[0066] In the EBR process of this embodiment, the unnecessary resist film is removed by using a solvent as in the conventional process. However, in the process of discharging the solvent, the unnecessary resist film R 1 and the resist film R required for pattern formation. 2 There is an area L where the resist film is not formed between the areas R and R. 1 When the solvent is discharged onto the resist film R, which is necessary for pattern formation, 2 Resist film R 2 This can reduce the occurrence of humps and erosion in the riverbed.

[0067] In the EBR processing method of this embodiment, the protective film described in the first and second embodiments is not provided, but a protective film may be provided in the EBR processing of this embodiment. For example, if a protective film is formed on the upper surface of the resist film R at the stage before the laser irradiation shown in FIG. 15(a), debris generated by the laser irradiation will scatter on the upper surface of the protective film. Then, the debris will be removed together with the protective film, and the resist film R necessary for pattern formation will remain. 2 In other words, if the resist coating apparatus 31 according to the third embodiment includes the processing liquid discharge mechanism 320 (FIG. 4) for forming the protective film described in the first embodiment and the removing liquid discharge mechanism 330 (FIG. 5) for removing the protective film, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of humps and erosion of the resist film and also obtain the effect of preventing debris.

[0068] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0069] Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus for performing the EBR process according to the present disclosure can also be applied to processing apparatuses for processing substrates other than semiconductor wafers, such as FPD (flat panel display) substrates. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Substrate Processing System 31 Resist coating equipment 40 Heat treatment equipment 200 Control section 302, 402 Spin Chuck 314 Laser irradiation unit 323 Processing liquid nozzle 333 Removal liquid nozzle R resist film P protective film W wafer

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates a substrate on which a coating film for pattern formation has been formed; a processing liquid discharge unit that discharges a processing liquid for forming a protective film on the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; a laser irradiation unit that irradiates a laser onto a peripheral portion of the substrate on which the protective film is formed; A solvent discharge unit that discharges a solvent; a removal liquid discharge unit that discharges a removal liquid onto the protective film to remove the protective film; A control unit that controls the operation of the laser irradiation unit and the solvent discharge unit, The control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to irradiate the laser onto a predetermined target removal area of ​​the coating film and to eject the solvent onto the coating film remaining in an area radially outside the laser irradiation area.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the coating film is a resist film, and the protective film is a water-soluble film.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the laser is a solid-state laser having a wavelength of 240 nm or more.

4. 1. A substrate processing system, comprising: a coating treatment device that performs a coating treatment to form a coating film for forming a pattern on a substrate; a heat treatment device for performing a heat treatment on the substrate; a substrate processing apparatus for removing the coating film from a peripheral portion of the substrate; a control unit for controlling the coating treatment device, the heat treatment device, and the substrate treatment device, The substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a processing liquid discharge unit that discharges a processing liquid for forming a protective film on the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; a laser irradiation unit that irradiates a laser onto a peripheral portion of the substrate on which the protective film is formed; A solvent discharge unit that discharges a solvent; a removal liquid discharge unit that discharges a removal liquid onto the protective film to remove the protective film, The control unit is configured to control the substrate processing system to alternately perform the coating process and the heating process two or more times to form two or more layers of the coating film on the substrate, eject the processing liquid onto the coating film to form the protective film on an upper surface of the coating film, irradiate the laser onto a predetermined target removal area of ​​the coating film, eject the solvent onto the coating film remaining in an area radially outer than the laser irradiation area of ​​the substrate, and eject the removal liquid onto the protective film remaining on the substrate irradiated by the laser.

5. A substrate processing system as described in claim 4, wherein the coating film is a resist film and the protective film is a water-soluble film.

6. A substrate processing system as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein the laser is a solid-state laser having a wavelength of 240 nm or more.

7. A method for processing a substrate, comprising: A process of discharging a treatment liquid onto a substrate on which a coating film for pattern formation has been formed, to form a protective film on the substrate; irradiating a peripheral portion of the substrate on which the protective film is formed with a laser; and discharging a removal liquid onto the protective film remaining on the substrate irradiated with the laser, thereby removing the protective film. In the laser irradiation step, the laser is irradiated onto a predetermined target removal area of ​​the coating film, and a solvent is ejected onto the coating film remaining in an area radially outside the laser irradiation area of ​​the substrate, in a substrate processing method.

8. A substrate processing method as described in claim 7, wherein the coating film is a resist film and the protective film is a water-soluble film.

9. A substrate processing method as described in claim 7 or 8, wherein the laser is a solid-state laser having a wavelength of 240 nm or more.

10. A readable computer storage medium storing a program that runs on a computer of a control unit that controls a substrate processing apparatus so as to cause the substrate processing apparatus to perform the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

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