Substrate water vapor processing method and substrate water vapor processing system

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of more stably performing processing on a substrate using water vapor.SOLUTION: A substrate water vapor processing method performs processing on a substrate using water vapor in a processing container. To the processing container, a supply unit including at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer and a discharge unit including at least a gas-liquid separation unit are connected. The substrate water vapor processing method includes: a pooling step of storing liquid water in the water storage tank; a gas removing step of removing gas in a transfer path; a water vapor generation step of generating water vapor using the vaporizer; and a water vapor processing step of performing processing on the substrate using water vapor. The substrate water vapor processing method further includes: a discharge separation step of separating a discharge discharged from the processing container into discharge gas and discharge liquid; and a discharge gas discharge liquid discharging step of separately discharging the discharge gas and the discharge liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and system for processing substrates with water vapor. [Background technology]

[0002] Chlorine remains on a substrate that has been processed using a processing gas that contains chlorine, and therefore, in a substrate processing step, after the substrate processing using the processing gas, a water vapor process is performed in which the substrate is exposed to water vapor to remove chlorine from the substrate.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a water vapor supplying method (substrate water vapor processing method) in which water vapor is supplied to a load lock chamber to remove chlorine from a substrate accommodated in the load lock chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-86253 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that enables substrate processing with water vapor to be performed more stably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate water vapor processing method in which a substrate that has been processed with a processing gas in a substrate processing apparatus is processed with water vapor inside a processing vessel, the processing vessel being connected to a supply unit including at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer, and a discharge unit including at least a gas-liquid separator, the method including the steps of: (a) loading the substrate into the processing vessel; (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank; (c) removing gas from a transfer path from the water storage tank to the vaporizer; and (d) removing the gas from the transfer path. (e) transferring the liquid water from the water storage tank to the vaporizer via the transfer path and generating the water vapor in the vaporizer; (f) separating a discharged material discharged from the processing vessel by the water vapor treatment into an exhaust gas and a waste liquid by the gas-liquid separation unit; and (g) discharging the exhaust gas from an exhaust path and discharging the waste liquid from a waste liquid path. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the substrate can be treated with water vapor more stably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate water vapor processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a supply section of the substrate water vapor processing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an exhaust section of the substrate water vapor processing system. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a substrate water vapor processing method. [Diagram 5] 4 is a timing chart showing a supplying step of the substrate water vapor processing method. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a flow state of liquid water in a supply section in a supply step. [Figure 7]10 is a timing chart showing a discharge step of the water vapor processing method for a substrate. [Figure 8] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow state of an exhaust material in a discharge step of a substrate water vapor processing method. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic overall configuration of a substrate water vapor processing system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 according to an embodiment is installed in a factory where a substrate G is processed to form light emitting elements and the like, and performs a process using water vapor (hereinafter referred to as water vapor process) on the substrate G as one step in the formation of light emitting elements and the like on the substrate G. For example, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 is incorporated in a post-process of a substrate processing apparatus 2 in a substrate processing system 100 that uses a process gas containing chlorine (Cl) to remove chlorine from the substrate G.

[0011] An example of the substrate G to be subjected to the water vapor treatment is a glass substrate used in a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). In this case, a thin film transistor is formed on the substrate G. The thin film transistor is formed by vaporizing a metal film laminated on an insulating layer of the substrate G with chlorine gas (Cl 2 ), boron oxychloride (BCl 3 ), carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 The predetermined electrodes are formed by performing a dry etching process using a process gas such as chlorine. Therefore, chlorine remains on the substrate G after the electrodes are formed.

[0012] The substrate water vapor processing system 1 includes a processing apparatus main body 10 that performs water vapor processing on a substrate G as an after-treatment after electrode formation. The processing apparatus main body 10 exposes the substrate G to water vapor in the water vapor processing, thereby causing the chlorine and chlorine-based compounds remaining on the substrate G to react with the water vapor to generate hydrogen chloride (HCl). The generated hydrogen chloride is separated from the substrate G. As a result, chlorine and chlorine-based compounds are removed from the substrate G, and the generation of aluminum hydroxide, which causes corrosion, is suppressed.

[0013] To perform the above water vapor treatment, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 includes, in addition to the processing device main body 10, a supply section 20 that supplies water vapor to the processing device main body 10, a discharge section 50 that discharges waste from the processing device main body 10, and a control section 70 that controls the entire substrate water vapor processing system 1. The configurations of the processing device main body 10, the supply section 20, and the discharge section 50 will be specifically described below.

[0014] The processing apparatus main body 10 includes a processing vessel 11 (processing chamber) for performing water vapor processing on a substrate G. The processing vessel 11 has, for example, a mounting table on which the substrate G can be mounted in a processing space, an inlet / outlet through which the substrate G can be transferred between the outside of the processing vessel 11 and the processing space, and a gate valve for opening and closing the inlet / outlet (both not shown). The substrate G is held by a transfer device (not shown) of the substrate processing system 100, and is transferred into the processing vessel 11 through the inlet / outlet and placed on the mounting table. After the water vapor processing, the substrate G is held by the transfer device and transferred out of the processing vessel 11, and is transferred to another device of the substrate processing system 100 or to the outside of the substrate processing system 100. The processing vessel 11 may be structured to accommodate a plurality of substrates G at once and perform water vapor processing on each substrate G collectively.

[0015] The processing apparatus main body 10 preferably includes a shower head (water vapor discharge unit: not shown) capable of discharging water vapor evenly over the entire surface of the substrate G in the processing container 11. Furthermore, the mounting table preferably includes a temperature control mechanism (not shown) capable of adjusting the temperature of the substrate G placed thereon to a temperature appropriate for the water vapor processing.

[0016] The substrate water vapor processing system 1 also includes a supply path 12 that connects the processing vessel 11 and the supply unit 20 and is capable of supplying water vapor from the supply unit 20 to the processing vessel 11, and a discharge path 14 that connects the processing vessel 11 and the discharge unit 50 and is capable of discharging waste from the processing vessel 11 to the discharge unit 50. With the processing space of the processing vessel 11 adjusted to a vacuum atmosphere by the discharge unit 50, the processing apparatus main body 10 performs water vapor processing on the substrate G accommodated in the processing space based on the supply of water vapor from the supply unit 20, and further discharges the water vapor in the processing space and hydrogen chloride and other products of the processing to the discharge unit 50. In addition to the configuration for supplying and discharging water vapor, the processing vessel 11 also includes a nitrogen gas (N 2 An inert gas section (not shown) for supplying an inert gas such as a nitrogen gas or the like may be connected.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the supply unit 20 of the substrate water vapor processing system 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the supply unit 20 forms an upstream portion of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 that generates water vapor from liquid water (hereinafter referred to as liquid water) and supplies the water vapor to the processing apparatus main body 10. The supply unit 20 includes, in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the flow direction of the liquid water, a factory water supply source 21, a water storage tank 22, and a vaporizer 23.

[0018] The factory water supply source 21 supplies liquid water from the upstream side to the downstream side of the supply unit 20 in a factory in which the substrate water vapor processing system 1 is installed. The factory water supply source 21 may have various structures for generating pure liquid water containing no or few impurities. For example, the factory water supply source 21 is connected to an external supply source that supplies city water, and has an impurity removal unit (not shown) such as a filter, and a pump (not shown) that pumps the liquid water. The factory water supply source configured in this manner can steadily send liquid water from city water, from the upstream side to the downstream side of the supply unit 20, by the pump. Note that the liquid water sent from the factory water supply source 21 may often contain gas such as air.

[0019] The supply unit 20 connects the factory water source 21 and the water storage tank 22 via a liquid water supply path 24. The liquid water supply path 24 is composed of a liquid water supply pipe 25 having a flow path through which liquid water can flow. The liquid water supply path 24 is provided with a liquid water supply side valve 26 that opens and closes the flow path of the liquid water supply pipe 25 based on the control of the control unit 70. That is, the liquid water from the factory water source 21 is supplied to the water storage tank 22 when the liquid water supply side valve 26 is open, and the supply is cut off when the liquid water supply side valve 26 is closed. Note that, since liquid water is normally supplied from the factory water source 21 to the end of the piping in the factory under pressure, the liquid water naturally flows out from the end of the piping due to the pressure difference with the environment in the factory. Therefore, the liquid water may be supplied to the water storage tank 22 by natural outflow without providing a pump for pumping the liquid water.

[0020] The water storage tank 22 has a storage space 22a of a predetermined volume, and has a function of temporarily storing liquid water in the supply unit 20. For example, the water storage tank 22 is formed as a bottomed cylinder extending long along the vertical direction, and the upper end portion of the tank is closed with a lid to seal the storage space 22a. The liquid water supply path 24 is connected to the lid at the upper end portion of the water storage tank 22, for example.

[0021] The water storage tank 22 includes a supply-side water level detection unit 27 that detects the water level of the liquid water stored in the storage space 22a and transmits the detection result to the control unit 70. For example, the supply-side water level detection unit 27 separately includes a supply determination sensor 28 for determining whether or not to supply liquid water and when the supply is stopped, and an upper and lower limit sensor 29 for detecting system limit values ​​of the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22. The supply determination sensor 28 can detect a lower value (see L in FIG. 2) and an upper value (see H in FIG. 2), and when the control unit 70 detects that the water level has reached the lower value, it opens the liquid water supply-side valve 26 to supply liquid water to the water storage tank 22. Conversely, when the control unit 70 detects that the water level has reached the upper value, it closes the liquid water supply-side valve 26 to stop the supply of liquid water to the water storage tank 22. Also, for example, when the upper / lower limit sensor 29 detects an upper water storage limit value (see HH in FIG. 2) or a lower water storage limit value (see LL in FIG. 2), the control unit 70 stops operation of the substrate water vapor processing system 1, assuming that an abnormality has occurred.

[0022] The supply unit 20 has a pressure adjustment unit 30 that supplies and discharges pressurized gas such as air to the water storage tank 22 to pressurize the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22. The pressure adjustment unit 30 is connected to the control unit 70, and supplies and discharges pressurized gas to and from the water storage tank 22 under the control of the control unit 70.

[0023] Furthermore, the supply unit 20 connects the water storage tank 22 and the vaporizer 23 via a transfer path 31. The transfer path 31 has an outlet pipe 32 extending between the storage space 22a and the outside of the water storage tank 22, and a transfer piping 33 connected to the outlet pipe 32 and having an internal flow path through which liquid water can flow. The outlet pipe 32 extends vertically within the storage space 22a through the lid at the upper end of the water storage tank 22, and its lower end is disposed near the bottom surface of the water storage tank 22 (below the lower limit side of the upper and lower limit sensor 29). The outlet pipe 32 allows liquid water to flow in from an opening provided at the lower end, and causes the liquid water to flow through the flow path in the outlet pipe 32 to the flow path of the transfer piping 33.

[0024] The transfer pipe 33 has, for example, an upper horizontal extension portion 34 extending laterally (horizontally) from the upper end of the outlet pipe 32, a vertical extension portion 35 extending vertically downward from the upper horizontal extension portion 34, and a lower horizontal extension portion 36 extending laterally from the lower end of the vertical extension portion 35. The upper horizontal extension portion 34 is located above the water storage tank 22, and an opening / closing valve 37 is provided midway therethrough. The opening / closing valve 37 is normally open when the water vapor processing is being performed, and is closed during maintenance or when an abnormality occurs in the substrate water vapor processing system 1, thereby blocking the transfer of liquid water to the vaporizer 23.

[0025] The vertical extension portion 35 has an upper end connected to the upper horizontal extension portion 34 and a lower end connected to the lower horizontal extension portion 36, and extends linearly along the outer side of the water storage tank 22. The upper end of the vertical extension portion 35 is connected to the upper horizontal extension portion 34 via a T-shaped connector 38 together with the piping of the gas removal path 40 described below.

[0026] A vaporizer upstream side valve 39 is provided at a midpoint of the lower horizontal extending portion 36. The vaporizer upstream side valve 39 can open and close the flow path in the transfer piping 33, and switches between supplying and stopping the supply of liquid water to the vaporizer 23 under the control of the control unit 70.

[0027] The supply unit 20 according to this embodiment includes a gas removal path 40 (gas removal section) for removing gas (air) from within the flow path of the transfer path 31. Specifically, the gas removal path 40 is connected to a connection point (T-shaped connector 38) between the upper horizontal extension portion 34 and the vertical extension portion 35. The gas removal path 40 includes a gas removal pipe 41 having a flow path through which gas and liquid water can flow, and a waste tank 42 connected to the gas removal pipe 41.

[0028] The gas removal pipe 41 extends vertically upward for a predetermined length from the T-shaped connector 38, and further extends laterally via a curved section to be connected to a waste tank 42. A gas removal side valve 43 that opens and closes the flow path in the gas removal pipe 41 based on the control of the control unit 70 is provided midway along the gas removal pipe 41. The gas removal side valve 43 is installed, for example, in a portion of the gas removal pipe 41 that extends horizontally.

[0029] The waste tank 42 is formed as a concave container with an open top, and stores the liquid water that flows in through the gas removal path 40 while releasing air from the container. The supply unit 20 may not include the waste tank 42, and the gas removal path 40 may extend to an appropriate drainage location (for example, a factory drainage unit 55 described below) provided in the factory. Alternatively, the supply unit 20 may be configured to circulate liquid water to the factory water source 21 or the water storage tank 22 through the gas removal path 40. The gas removal unit is not limited to the gas removal path 40, and may be configured, for example, to include a vent structure in the transfer path 31 that allows gas to pass through but blocks the passage of liquid water.

[0030] On the other hand, the vaporizer 23 of the supply unit 20 heats the liquid water supplied from the transfer path 31 (lower lateral extension portion 36) to vaporize it into water vapor, and causes the water vapor to flow into the supply path 12. A known configuration can be applied to this vaporizer 23. For example, the vaporizer 23 can have a configuration including an internal pump that sucks in the liquid water, a sealed tank that can store the liquid water sucked by the internal pump, and a temperature adjustment unit that can adjust the temperature of the liquid water (all not shown). The liquid water is heated by the temperature adjustment unit. In addition, the vaporizer 23 adjusts the supply amount of water vapor supplied to the processing vessel 11 by controlling the amount of liquid water drawn in and the amount of heat by the control unit 70. It is also possible to introduce the liquid water into the vaporizer 23 by the pressure difference between the processing vessel 11, which is evacuated, and the transfer path 31, without providing an internal pump.

[0031] Supply path 12 is configured with supply piping 13 having a flow path through which water vapor can flow, and is connected, for example, to the top of the sealed tank of vaporizer 23 and extends to processing apparatus main body 10. As a result, water vapor generated in the sealed tank naturally flows into supply path 12. This water vapor flows through supply path 12 and into processing vessel 11. Supply unit 20 of substrate water vapor processing system 1 is basically configured as described above.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an exhaust section 50 of the substrate water vapor processing system 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the exhaust section 50 forms a downstream portion of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 that exhausts an exhaust containing water vapor used in the processing device main body 10. The exhaust from the processing device main body 10 contains hydrogen chloride generated from chlorine removed from the substrate G or an inert gas in addition to water vapor. The exhaust section 50 includes, in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the flow direction of the exhaust, a dry pump 51, a heat exchanger 52, a discharge side tank 53, a drainage pump 54, a factory drainage section 55, and a factory exhaust section 56.

[0033] The discharge path 14 connecting the processing apparatus main body 10 and the dry pump 51 is composed of a discharge pipe 15 having a flow path through which the discharged material can flow. The discharge pipe 15 is provided with a discharge side valve 57 that opens and closes the flow path of the discharge pipe 15 under the control of the control unit 70. That is, the discharged material from the processing apparatus main body 10 is discharged to the discharge unit 50 when the discharge side valve 57 is open, and discharge to the discharge unit 50 is blocked when the discharge side valve 57 is closed.

[0034] The dry pump 51 is connected to the processing apparatus main body 10 via the exhaust pipe 15, and thus has a function of suctioning the processing space of the processing vessel 11 under the control of the control unit 70. As a result, the dry pump 51 creates a vacuum atmosphere in the processing space of the processing vessel 11, and discharges waste from the processing apparatus main body 10 to the exhaust unit 50. The dry pump 51 also pumps the waste that has discharged from the processing apparatus main body 10 downstream of the dry pump 51.

[0035] The exhaust unit 50 connects the dry pump 51 and the heat exchanger 52 via a common exhaust path 58. The common exhaust path 58 is composed of a common exhaust pipe 59 having a flow path therein through which the exhaust material can flow.

[0036] The heat exchanger 52 functions as a gas-liquid separator that cools the discharged material flowing in from the common discharge path 58 and separates the discharged material into exhaust gas (gas) and waste liquid (liquid). The heat exchanger 52 may have a known configuration. For example, the heat exchanger 52 may have a configuration including a main body that is provided around the common discharge pipe 59 and performs heat exchange using a refrigerant, a chiller unit that cools the refrigerant, and a circulation path having a pump that circulates the refrigerant between the main body and the chiller unit (all not shown). The heat exchanger 52 may be capable of adjusting the temperature of the discharged material under the control of the control unit 70. Alternatively, instead of providing the main body around the common discharge pipe 59, a flow path through which the discharged material flows directly may be provided in the main body to perform efficient heat exchange. The gas-liquid separator is not limited to the heat exchanger 52, and various structures that separate the discharged material into exhaust gas and waste liquid may be applied.

[0037] The discharge tank 53 is provided vertically below the heat exchanger 52, and is connected to a common discharge path 58 that passes through the heat exchanger 52. The discharge tank 53 is formed as a bottomed cylinder that extends long in the vertical direction, similar to the water storage tank 22, and has a lid at the upper end that seals the internal space 53a. For example, the common discharge pipe 59 is connected to the center position of the lid.

[0038] The exhaust gas and waste liquid separated by the heat exchanger 52 flow into the internal space 53a of the discharge tank 53 from the lid (upper end) via the common discharge path 58. The exhaust gas and waste liquid maintain a separated state in the internal space 53a, with the waste liquid accumulating at the bottom side and the exhaust gas accumulating at the upper end side. A coating is formed on the inner surface of the discharge tank 53 to suppress corrosion caused by hydrogen chloride. The discharge tank 53 may be provided with various gas-liquid separation structures (such as a labyrinth structure) at the portion to which the common discharge pipe 59 is connected in order to capture the water vapor that has passed through the heat exchanger 52.

[0039] The discharge tank 53 also includes a discharge-side liquid level detection unit 60 that detects the level of the waste liquid stored in the internal space 53a and transmits the detection result to the control unit 70. For example, the discharge-side liquid level detection unit 60 has a discharge determination sensor 61 for determining discharge and stop of discharge of the waste liquid, and a discharge upper limit sensor 62 for detecting the upper limit of the stored waste liquid (see HH in FIG. 3) stored in the discharge tank 53. The discharge determination sensor 61 can detect an upper value (see H in FIG. 3) and a lower value (see L in FIG. 3), and the discharge unit 50 discharges the waste liquid from the discharge tank 53 when the water level reaches the upper value. Conversely, the discharge unit 50 stops the discharge of the waste liquid from the discharge tank 53 when the water level reaches the lower value.

[0040] The discharge unit 50 connects the discharge tank 53 and the factory drainage unit 55 via a drainage path 64. The drainage path 64 is connected to the bottom of the discharge tank 53 and is composed of a drainage pipe 65 having an internal flow path through which the liquid accumulated in the discharge tank 53 can flow. The inner surface of the drainage pipe 65 is preferably coated with a coating capable of preventing corrosion even when water containing hydrogen chloride flows through it.

[0041] Further, a drainage pump 54 is installed in the drainage path 64, which sucks up the drainage stored in the discharge tank 53 and sends it to the factory drainage section 55. The operation and stop of the drainage pump 54, the amount of drainage sent out, etc. are controlled by the control section 70.

[0042] The factory drainage section 55 is a place or device that can continuously receive the wastewater discharged from the discharge tank 53. The factory drainage section 55 may be, for example, a wastewater treatment device that is installed inside or outside the factory and can collectively treat liquids discharged from other equipment in the factory, or a drainage pipe leading to the outside of the factory.

[0043] Furthermore, the exhaust section 50 connects the discharge tank 53 and the factory exhaust section 56 via an exhaust path 67. The exhaust path 67 is connected to the upper part of the discharge tank 53 and is composed of an exhaust pipe 68 having an internal flow path through which gas accumulated in the discharge tank 53 can flow. A dew point meter 69 is installed in the exhaust path 67 to detect a dew point temperature in the exhaust path 67. The dew point meter 69 is connected to the control unit 70, detects the dew point temperature at which moisture condenses in the exhaust path 67, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 70.

[0044] The factory exhaust unit 56 is a place or device that can continuously receive the gas discharged from the discharge tank 53. The factory exhaust unit 56 may be, for example, an exhaust treatment device that is installed inside or outside a factory and can collectively treat gases discharged from other facilities in the factory.

[0045] 1, the control unit 70 of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 is a control computer having one or more processors 71, a memory 72, an input / output interface not shown, and an electronic circuit. The one or more processors 71 are one or a combination of a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a circuit made of a plurality of discrete semiconductors, and executes and processes a program stored in the memory 72. The memory 72 includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory (a storage medium such as a computer storage medium, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, etc.), and stores a program and a recipe.

[0046] The control unit 70 is communicatively connected to the processing device main body 10, each valve, the vaporizer 23, the dry pump 51, the drain pump 54, and the like of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 via the input / output interface. The control unit 70 is also connected to the supply side water level detection unit 27 (see FIG. 2), the drain side water level detection unit 60, the dew point meter 69 (see FIG. 3), and the like via the input / output interface so as to be able to receive signals. The control unit 70 is also connected to an input / output device (such as a touch panel, a monitor, a speaker, a keyboard, and a mouse) (not shown) via the input / output interface. The control unit 70 outputs a control command to each component of the substrate water vapor processing system 1 based on a recipe input by a user via the input / output device to perform water vapor processing.

[0047] The substrate water vapor processing system 1 according to one embodiment is basically configured as described above, and its operation and effects will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a substrate water vapor processing method.

[0048] The substrate water vapor processing system 1 performs water vapor processing on a substrate G that has been dry etched with a processing gas containing chlorine. In the substrate water vapor processing method, the control unit 70 performs a loading step of loading the substrate G into a processing container 11 of the processing device main body 10. The control unit 70 also simultaneously performs a supply step, a processing step, and a discharge step, and causes water vapor to flow through the supply unit 20, the processing container 11, and the discharge unit 50 in this order.

[0049] In detail, the loading process involves the following step (a), the supply process involves the following steps (b) to (d), the treatment process involves the following step (e), and the discharge process involves the following steps (f) and (g). (a) A step of loading and arranging a substrate G into the processing vessel 11 and arranging it opposite the water vapor discharge portion [step S11] (b) A storage step of supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22 and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank 22 [Step S12] (c) A gas removal step of removing the gas (air) from the transfer path 31 from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 [Step S13] (d) A water vapor generation step of transferring liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 via the transfer path 31 and generating water vapor in the vaporizer 23 [step S14] (e) A water vapor processing step [step S15] in which the water vapor generated by the vaporizer 23 is supplied to the processing vessel 11 and the substrate G is processed with the water vapor. (f) A discharge separation step in which the discharge discharged from the treatment vessel 11 is separated into exhaust gas and waste liquid by the heat exchanger 52 and the discharge side tank 53 [Step S16] (g) An exhaust gas and waste liquid discharge step of discharging the exhaust gas from the exhaust path 67 and discharging the waste liquid from the waste liquid path 64 [Step S17]

[0050] The carry-in process (carry-in and place process) is a process carried out before the processing process (steam processing process). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 70 carries out this carry-in process before carrying out the supply process, and places the substrate that has been processed with a processing gas containing chlorine in the substrate processing apparatus 2 into the processing vessel 11. If there is a substrate G that has previously been subjected to steam processing in the processing vessel 11, the control unit 70 carries out the processed substrate G and then carries in a new substrate G. Alternatively, in the substrate steam processing method, the carry-in process may be carried out during the supply process (storage process, gas removal process). This can promote the shortening of the processing time of the entire process.

[0051] In addition, the supply step is related to the operation of the supply unit 20, the processing step is related to the operation of the processing device main body 10, and the discharge step is related to the operation of the discharge unit 50. For this reason, the operation of the supply unit 20, the operation of the processing device main body 10, and the operation of the discharge unit 50 will be described separately below.

[0052] Fig. 5 is a timing chart showing the supply step of the water vapor processing method for substrates. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow state of liquid water in the supply unit 20 in the supply step, where (a) shows the storage step, (b) shows the gas removal step, and (c) shows the water vapor generation step. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the control unit 70 controls the opening and closing of each valve of the supply unit 20 to carry out the storage step, the gas removal step, and the water vapor generation step.

[0053] Specifically, the control unit 70 opens the liquid water supply side valve 26 when the supply side water level detection unit 27 detects that the water level in the water storage tank 22 is at a lower value or when the water level has not reached the upper value at the start of the supply process. As a result, liquid water is supplied from the factory water supply source 21 to the water storage tank 22 via the liquid water supply side valve 26, and the liquid water is stored in the storage space 22a (see FIG. 6(a)). Even if air is mixed into the liquid water from the factory water supply source 21 or air is present in the liquid water supply path 24, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can remove air from within the water storage tank 22 by temporarily storing the liquid water in the storage space 22a of the water storage tank 22.

[0054] 5, the supply-side water level detection unit 27 detects that the water level of the water storage tank 22 has reached an upper value. The control unit 70, which has received a detection signal from the supply-side water level detection unit 27, closes the liquid water supply-side valve 26 to stop the supply of liquid water (storing process) to the water storage tank 22. This allows the storage space 22a of the water storage tank 22 to store an amount of liquid water necessary for the water vapor treatment of the substrate G while maintaining a still water state in which the liquid water and air are separated.

[0055] Also, at time ta, the control unit 70 determines that the amount of stored water has reached a level that allows liquid water to be transferred from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23. However, in the substrate water vapor processing method according to the present embodiment, a gas removal step is performed to remove gas present in the transfer path 31 before liquid water is injected from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23.

[0056] When the control unit 70 starts the gas removal process, it closes the vaporizer upstream side valve 39 of the transfer path 31, while opening the gas removal side valve 43, and further supplies pressurized gas from the pressure adjustment unit 30 to the storage space 22a. Since the liquid water supply side valve 26 is closed due to the stop of the storage process, when pressurized gas is supplied from the pressure adjustment unit 30, the internal pressure of the water storage tank 22 rises, and the liquid water stored in the storage space 22a is pressure-transferred from the outlet pipe 32 to the transfer pipe 33 (see FIG. 6(b)). The liquid water that flows into the outlet pipe 32 flows in the order of the outlet pipe 32 and the transfer pipe 33, but since the vaporizer upstream side valve 39 is closed, it accumulates in the vertical extension part 35 of the transfer pipe 33 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the air that was present in the transfer path 31 or the air mixed in the liquid water escapes from the transfer path 31 to the gas removal path 40.

[0057] The air pushed out from the transfer path 31 to the gas removal path 40 is discharged through the gas removal path 40 to the waste tank 42. The control unit 70 continues the gas removal process until the liquid water fills the transfer path 31. For example, the control unit 70 may provide a flow meter (not shown) at the connection part of the gas removal path 40 to the waste tank 42, and terminate the gas removal process based on the liquid water reaching a stable flow rate without gas being mixed in. This allows the liquid water to fill the transfer path 31 and the gas removal path 40, and air is reliably removed from the transfer path 31. The control unit 70 may remove air from the transfer path 31 by performing the gas removal process for a predetermined period of time without providing a flow meter.

[0058] At time tb in FIG. 5, the control unit 70 shifts from the gas removal process to the water vapor generation process. The control unit 70 closes the gas removal valve 43 while opening the vaporizer upstream side valve 39 of the transfer path 31, and further operates the vaporizer 23 (see FIG. 6(c)). When the vaporizer 23 starts operating, it draws in liquid water from the transfer path 31 under the rotation of the internal pump or by differential pressure, and vaporizes (steams) the drawn liquid water. Since the gas removal process has been performed first, the liquid water transferred from the transfer path 31 does not contain air. Therefore, the vaporizer 23 can stably generate water vapor that does not contain air, and send the generated water vapor to the processing device main body 10 via the supply path 12.

[0059] The control unit 70 continues the water vapor generation process in the supply unit 20 during the water vapor treatment process of the processing device main body 10. At this time, the control unit 70 monitors the water level of the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22 using the supply side water level detection unit 27, and when the water level falls below the lower value (time tc in FIG. 5), stops the water vapor generation process and performs the storage process again. Furthermore, by repeating the gas removal process and water vapor generation process after the storage process, the supply unit 20 can stably generate water vapor.

[0060] In addition, in the supply process, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 may simultaneously supply liquid water to the water storage tank 22 (storage process), remove gas from the transfer path 31 (gas removal process), and transfer liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23 (water vapor generation process).

[0061] Then, in the processing step (steam processing step) of the processing apparatus main body 10, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 removes chlorine from the substrate G by the water vapor supplied from the vaporizer 23 through the supply path 12 to the processing vessel 11. At this time, the processing space of the processing vessel 11 is supplied with water vapor with a constant supply amount per unit time and with suppressed pressure fluctuations, because air has been removed from the liquid water in the gas removal step. Therefore, the processing apparatus main body 10 supplies water vapor so as to be uniformly distributed on the processing surface of the substrate G, thereby removing chlorine from the substrate G evenly. This allows the substrate water vapor processing system 1 to maintain a constant amount of chlorine removal for each substrate G. In other words, the processing apparatus main body 10 can perform the water vapor processing stably (without process fluctuations).

[0062] Fig. 7 is a timing chart showing the discharge step of the water vapor processing method for a substrate. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow state of the discharged material in the discharge step of the water vapor processing method for a substrate, where (a) shows the discharged material separation step, and (b) shows the exhaust gas waste liquid discharge step.

[0063] While carrying out the water vapor treatment process, the control unit 70 carries out a discharge process in which the discharge unit 50 discharges the discharged material from the treatment vessel 11, as shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. In the discharge process, the control unit 70 opens the discharge side valve 57 and drives the dry pump 51 to discharge the discharged material, which is mainly composed of gas used in the water vapor treatment, from the treatment vessel 11 to the discharge unit 50 side. The discharged material contains water vapor and hydrogen chloride, and flows out of the treatment apparatus main body 10 at a high temperature. This discharged material moves from the dry pump 51 to the heat exchanger 52 via a common discharge path 58.

[0064] The control unit 70 also drives the heat exchanger 52 to cool the exhaust material transferred to the heat exchanger 52. The heat exchanger 52 lowers the temperature of the exhaust unit 50 to, for example, about room temperature (25°C). This separates the exhaust material into exhaust gas and waste liquid. The exhaust gas contains water vapor and a small amount of hydrogen chloride, while the waste liquid contains liquid water and more hydrogen chloride than the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas is mainly composed of water vapor, but does not contain mist in which liquid water becomes fine particles, so it can be treated as dry gas. The exhaust unit 50 causes the separated exhaust gas and waste liquid to flow into the exhaust side tank 53 downstream of the heat exchanger 52 (see FIG. 8(a)).

[0065] The exhaust gas accumulates in the upper part of discharge-side tank 53 and flows out into exhaust path 67 connected to discharge-side tank 53. The exhaust gas flowing out into exhaust path 67 passes through dew point meter 69 and is discharged to factory exhaust section 56. This exhaust gas contains little hydrogen chloride and is a gas that does not contain liquid, so it flows to factory exhaust section 56 without corroding exhaust path 67. In other words, substrate water vapor processing system 1 does not require corrosion countermeasures for exhaust path 67 and can reduce the frequency of maintenance of exhaust path 67.

[0066] On the other hand, the control unit 70 operates the drainage pump 54 based on the detection result of the discharge-side liquid level detection unit 60 of the discharge-side tank 53 to discharge the waste liquid stored in the discharge-side tank 53. Specifically, when the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the discharge-side tank 53 reaches the upper value at the time td in FIG. 7, the control unit 70 starts driving the drainage pump 54 to cause the waste liquid in the discharge-side tank 53 to flow out to the drainage path 64. In the drainage path 64, the waste liquid passes through the drainage pump 54 and is sent directly to the downstream side and discharged to the factory drainage section 55 (see FIG. 8(b)). As described above, the drainage pipe 65 of the drainage path 64 is coated with a coating that is resistant to corrosion caused by hydrogen chloride. Therefore, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can smoothly discharge the waste liquid containing hydrogen chloride to the factory drainage section 55.

[0067] 7, when the discharge-side liquid level detection unit 60 detects that the drainage liquid stored in the discharge-side tank 53 has reached a lower level, the control unit 70 stops driving the drainage pump 54. At this time, the control unit 70 performs surplus operation by operating the drainage pump 54 for a predetermined period (e.g., 30 seconds), and stops the drainage pump 54 after this surplus operation. By performing this surplus operation, it is possible to reduce the amount of drainage liquid remaining in the drainage piping 65, and to more reliably suppress corrosion of the drainage path 64.

[0068] Furthermore, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 detects the dew point temperature at which the exhaust gas condenses during the exhaust process using a dew point meter 69. When the temperature of the exhaust gas reaches a predetermined dew point temperature value (see time tf in FIG. 7), the control unit 70 closes the exhaust side valve 57 and stops driving the dry pump 51 and the heat exchanger 52 to regulate (prohibit) the exhaust of exhaust materials from the processing apparatus main body 10. This prevents the exhaust gas from flowing into the exhaust path 67, thereby preventing condensation from occurring in the exhaust path 67. Furthermore, since the heat exchanger 52 does not operate, the temperature of the structure downstream of the dry pump 51 increases, and the temperature of the exhaust gas can be raised from the predetermined dew point temperature value.

[0069] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0070] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate water vapor processing method in which a substrate G that has been processed with a processing gas in a substrate processing apparatus 2 is processed with water vapor inside a processing vessel 11, the processing vessel 11 is connected to a supply unit 20 including at least a water storage tank 22 and a vaporizer 23, and a discharge unit 50 including at least a gas-liquid separator (heat exchanger 52), and the method includes the steps of (a) loading a substrate G into the processing vessel 11, (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank 22 and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank 22, and (c) storing the liquid water in the water storage tank 22. (d) removing gas from the water storage tank 22 through the transfer path 31 to the vaporizer 23; (e) supplying the water vapor generated in the vaporizer 23 to the processing vessel 11 and processing the substrate G with the water vapor; (f) separating the discharged material discharged from the processing vessel 11 into exhaust gas and waste liquid by a gas-liquid separation section; and (g) discharging the exhaust gas from the exhaust path 67 and discharging the waste liquid from the waste liquid path 64.

[0071] As described above, the substrate water vapor processing method can remove gas from the transfer path 31 and transfer the liquid water stored in the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23, thereby stabilizing the amount of water vapor supplied from the vaporizer 23 to the processing vessel 11. Furthermore, the substrate water vapor processing method can suppress corrosion of the exhaust path 67 and reduce the frequency of maintenance by separating the discharged matter from the processing vessel 11 into exhaust gas and waste liquid by the gas-liquid separator (heat exchanger 52) and discharging them separately. Therefore, the substrate water vapor processing method can more stably process the substrate G with water vapor.

[0072] Moreover, the substrate G to be processed with water vapor is a substrate that has been processed with a processing gas containing chlorine. Thus, the substrate water vapor processing method can remove chlorine from the substrate G by the water vapor processing.

[0073] In addition, a gas removal path 40 is connected to the transfer path 31, and in the step (c), the gas in the transfer path 31 is removed into the gas removal path 40 to fill the transfer path 31 with liquid water, and in the step (d) following the step (c), liquid water is supplied from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23. This makes it possible for the substrate water vapor processing method to more reliably remove the gas present in the transfer path 31.

[0074] Further, a dew point meter 69 is connected to exhaust path 67, and monitors the dew point temperature of exhaust path 67. When it is detected that the dew point temperature has reached a predetermined dew point temperature value, the discharge of the exhaust from processing vessel 11 is stopped. In this way, the substrate water vapor processing method can prevent exhaust gas from condensing in exhaust path 67 and becoming waste liquid. Therefore, corrosion of exhaust path 67 can be more effectively prevented, and for example, even piping without a corrosion prevention coating can be used for a long period of time.

[0075] Furthermore, a substrate water vapor processing system 1 according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes a processing vessel 11 in which a substrate G is processed with water vapor, a supply unit 20 connected to the processing vessel 11 and supplying water vapor to the processing vessel 11, and a discharge unit 50 connected to the processing vessel 11 and discharging waste from the processing vessel 11. The supply unit 20 has a water storage tank 22 for storing liquid water, an vaporizer 23 for generating water vapor from the liquid water, a transfer path 31 connecting the water storage tank 22 and the vaporizer 23, and a gas removal unit (gas removal path 40) connected to the transfer path 31 for removing gas from the transfer path 31. The discharge unit 50 has a gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52) for separating the waste into exhaust gas and waste liquid, an exhaust path 67 capable of discharging the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separation unit, and a drainage path 64 provided separately from the exhaust path 67 and capable of discharging the waste liquid separated by the gas-liquid separation unit. This enables the substrate water vapor processing system 1 to process the substrate G with water vapor more stably.

[0076] In addition, the exhaust path 67 is provided with a dew point meter 69 that monitors the dew point temperature of the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separator (heat exchanger 52). By using this dew point meter 69, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can quickly avoid the occurrence of condensation due to the exhaust gas.

[0077] Further, the discharge unit 50 has a discharge side tank 53 to which a drainage path 64 is connected and which stores the drainage liquid separated by the gas-liquid separation unit (heat exchanger 52), and a drainage pump 54 provided in the drainage path 64 for discharging the drainage liquid from the discharge side tank 53, and operates the drainage pump 54 when the water level of the drainage liquid in the discharge side tank 53 reaches a predetermined discharge side upper value. This allows the substrate water vapor processing system 1 to reduce power consumption and discharge the drainage liquid in the discharge side tank 53 at an appropriate time.

[0078] In addition, after the level of the drainage liquid in the discharge tank 53 reaches a predetermined discharge lower value, the drainage pump 54 continues to operate for a predetermined period of time. This allows the substrate water vapor processing system 1 to effectively suppress corrosion of the drainage path 64 caused by the drainage liquid remaining in the drainage path 64.

[0079] The gas-liquid separation unit is a heat exchanger 52 that cools the waste discharged from the processing vessel 11. In this way, the substrate water vapor processing system 1 can effectively separate the exhaust gas and the waste liquid by cooling the waste discharged as a gas.

[0080] Furthermore, the water storage tank 22 includes a supply-side water level detection unit 27 that detects the level of liquid water, and when the level of liquid water falls below a supply-side lower value based on detection by the supply-side water level detection unit 27, the supply of water to the water storage tank 22 is started, and when the level of liquid water exceeds a supply-side upper value, the supply of water to the water storage tank 22 is stopped. This allows the substrate water vapor processing system 1 to more stably store liquid water in the water storage tank 22 and transfer liquid water from the water storage tank 22 to the vaporizer 23.

[0081] The substrate water vapor processing method and substrate water vapor processing system 1 according to the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent. For example, the substrate water vapor processing method and substrate water vapor processing system 1 are not limited to water vapor processing for removing chlorine from the substrate G, and may be used to remove other substances attached to the substrate G by water vapor. Alternatively, the substrate water vapor processing method and substrate water vapor processing system 1 may be used to promote chemical reactions or sterilization of substances by using water vapor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Substrate water vapor processing system 10 Processing device main body 11 Processing vessel 20 Supply section 22 Water Tank 23 Carburetor 27 Supply side water level detector 31 Transport Route 40 Gas removal route 50 Discharge section 52 Heat exchanger 53 Discharge tank 54 Drainage pump 60 Discharge side liquid level detection unit 64 Drainage route 67 Exhaust route 69 Dew point meter 70 Control section

Claims

1. 1. A substrate steam processing method for performing a process with water vapor inside a processing vessel on a substrate that has been processed with a processing gas in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: A supply unit including at least a water storage tank and a vaporizer, and a discharge unit including at least a gas-liquid separation unit are connected to the treatment vessel, (a) loading the substrate into the processing chamber; (b) supplying liquid water to the water storage tank and storing the liquid water in the water storage tank; (c) removing gas from a transfer path from the water tank to the vaporizer; (d) transferring the liquid water from the water storage tank to the vaporizer via the transfer path and generating the water vapor in the vaporizer; (e) supplying the water vapor generated in the vaporizer to the processing vessel and processing the substrate with the water vapor; (f) separating the discharged material discharged from the treatment vessel by the treatment with the water vapor into an exhaust gas and an exhaust liquid by the gas-liquid separation unit; (g) discharging the exhaust gas from an exhaust path and discharging the waste liquid from a drainage path. A method for treating substrates with water vapor.

2. The substrate to be treated with water vapor is a substrate treated with the treatment gas containing chlorine. The method for processing a substrate with water vapor according to claim 1 .

3. A gas removal path is connected to the transfer path, In the step (c), the gas in the transfer path is discharged to the gas removal path to fill the transfer path with the liquid water; In the step (d) after the step (c), the liquid water is supplied from the water storage tank to the vaporizer.

3. The method for processing a substrate with water vapor according to claim 1.

4. A dew point meter is connected to the exhaust path, a dew point meter for monitoring a dew point temperature of the exhaust path, and when it is detected that the dew point temperature has reached a predetermined dew point temperature value, the discharge of the exhaust from the treatment vessel is stopped. The method for processing a substrate with water vapor according to claim 1 .

5. a processing vessel in which a substrate is processed with water vapor; a supply unit connected to the processing vessel and supplying the water vapor to the processing vessel; a discharge part connected to the treatment vessel and configured to discharge a waste material from the treatment vessel; The supply unit includes: A water storage tank for storing liquid water; a vaporizer for generating water vapor from the liquid water; a transfer path connecting the water storage tank and the vaporizer; A gas removal unit connected to the transfer path and removing gas from the transfer path, The discharge section is A gas-liquid separation section that separates the discharged material into exhaust gas and waste liquid; an exhaust path capable of discharging the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separation unit; A drainage path that is provided separately from the exhaust path and can discharge the drainage liquid separated by the gas-liquid separation unit. Substrate water vapor processing system.

6. The exhaust path is provided with a dew point meter for monitoring a dew point temperature of the exhaust gas separated by the gas-liquid separation unit. The substrate water vapor processing system of claim 5 .

7. The discharge section is a discharge tank connected to the drainage path and configured to store the drainage liquid separated by the gas-liquid separator; a drainage pump provided in the drainage path to drain the drainage from the discharge tank, When the water level of the drainage in the drain tank reaches a predetermined drain upper value, the drainage pump is operated.

7. The substrate water vapor processing system according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The drainage pump is continued to operate for a predetermined period of time after the water level of the drainage in the drain tank reaches a predetermined drain lower value. The substrate water vapor processing system of claim 7 .

9. The gas-liquid separation unit is a heat exchanger that cools the discharged material discharged from the processing vessel. The substrate water vapor processing system according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

10. The water storage tank includes a water level detection unit that detects the water level of the liquid water, When the water level of the liquid water falls below a supply-side lower value based on detection by the water level detection unit, water supply to the water storage tank is started, and when the water level of the liquid water exceeds a supply-side upper value based on detection by the water level detection unit, water supply to the water storage tank is stopped. The substrate water vapor processing system according to any one of claims 5 to 9.

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