Substrate Processing Equipment

By using a cooling gas supply unit to direct cooling gas through the motor valves in substrate processing devices, the heat transfer to processing fluids is minimized, addressing the issue of temperature increases and ensuring reliable substrate processing.

JP7671663B2Active Publication Date: 2025-05-02SCREEN HOLDINGS CO LTD
View PDF 7 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021155513
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-09-24
Publication Date
2025-05-02
Estimated Expiration
2041-09-24

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In substrate processing devices, the heat generated by motor valves is transmitted to processing fluids, causing an increase in fluid temperature, which can lead to processing failures due to increased processing speed and amount.

Method used

The substrate processing device incorporates a cooling gas supply unit that blows cooling gas through the side surfaces of the motor valves, effectively reducing the motor temperature and preventing heat transfer to the processing fluids.

Benefits of technology

This solution effectively suppresses the temperature increase of processing fluids, preventing processing failures and ensuring consistent substrate processing quality.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 0007671663000001
    Figure 0007671663000001
  • Figure 0007671663000002
    Figure 0007671663000002
  • Figure 0007671663000003
    Figure 0007671663000003
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus which can suppress processing fluid from having a high temperature due to heat generation of a motor.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a processing unit 1, a fluid box 100B, and a cooling gas supply section 300. The processing unit 1 supplies processing fluid to a substrate W and processes the substrate W. The fluid box 100B supplies processing fluid to the processing unit 1. The cooling gas supply section 300 is arranged within the fluid box 100B. The fluid box 100B has valves 211 and 221 for opening / closing a passing route of processing fluid and motors 212 and 222 for driving the valves 211 and 221. The cooling gas supply section 300 blows out cooling gas so as to pass side faces 212a and 222a of the motors 212 and 222.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing unit that processes a substrate by supplying a processing fluid to the substrate, and a processing fluid supply unit that supplies the processing fluid to the substrate processing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a resist coating and developing processing system including a first processing unit group including a resist coating unit, and a chemical unit that supplies a predetermined processing liquid to the first processing unit group. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-35185 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing unit (resist coating unit) and a processing fluid supply unit (chemical unit) for supplying a processing fluid to the substrate processing unit as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to supply a predetermined amount of processing fluid from the processing fluid supply unit to the substrate processing unit at a predetermined timing. For this reason, the processing fluid supply unit is provided with a valve for opening and closing a passage through which the processing fluid passes, and a motor for driving the valve.

[0005] A standby current flows through the motor of such an opening / closing valve not only when the valve is opening or closing, but also when the valve is not opening or closing. If the motor is continuously driven to control the supply of processing fluid, the motor becomes hot. In recent years, with the increasing demand for substrate processing quality, the demand for the temperature of the processing fluid has also increased. In this situation, the inventor discovered that the heat of the motor is transferred to the processing fluid via the valve or the like, causing the temperature of the processing fluid to rise, which affects the processing speed and the increase in the processing amount of substrates by the processing fluid, causing processing defects.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing a processing fluid from becoming too hot due to heat generated by a motor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a substrate processing unit, a processing fluid supply unit, and a cooling gas supply unit. The substrate processing unit processes a substrate by supplying a processing fluid to the substrate. The processing fluid supply unit supplies the processing fluid to the substrate processing unit. The cooling gas supply unit is disposed within the processing fluid supply unit. The processing fluid supply unit has a valve that opens and closes a passage through which the processing fluid passes, and a motor that drives the valve. The cooling gas supply unit blows out cooling gas so as to pass over a side of the motor.

[0008] In an aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the processing fluid supply unit may further include a support member supporting the valve and the motor, and the cooling gas supply unit may blow out the cooling gas along the support member.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the processing fluid supply unit may include a plurality of the valves and a plurality of the motors, and the support member may be a partition plate that separates the motors from each other.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus, the processing fluid supply unit may have a plurality of the support members. The plurality of support members may be spaced apart from one another in a predetermined direction. The cooling gas supply unit may be a pipe member extending in the predetermined direction. The cooling gas supply unit may have a plurality of outlets for blowing out the cooling gas. The plurality of outlets may be spaced apart from one another in the predetermined direction.

[0011] The partition plate may extend along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction. Adjacent partition plates may face each other in a predetermined direction with the motor therebetween. The plurality of blowing ports may blow out the cooling gas so as to be along the plurality of partition plates, respectively. In one aspect of the present invention, in a substrate processing apparatus ,before The plurality of motors are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction. First motor and second motor The cooling gas supply unit may blow out the cooling gas so as to pass between the pair of motors.

[0012] In an aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus may further include a pipe through which the processing fluid passes, and the cooling gas supply unit may blow out the cooling gas so as to pass a side surface of the motor while avoiding the pipe.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus may include a plurality of the processing fluid supply units. Each of the processing fluid supply units may further include a housing that houses a plurality of the valves and a plurality of the motors. The plurality of processing fluid supply units include The housing The processing fluid supply units may be stacked vertically in a state in which air therein can pass through each other. The cooling gas supply unit may be disposed in at least the uppermost processing fluid supply unit. The cooling gas supply section does not have to be disposed in the processing fluid supply unit at the lowest stage. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing the processing fluid from becoming hot due to heat generated by a motor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]1 is a side view diagrammatically illustrating a processing unit and a fluid box of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a processing unit and a fluid box of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a fluid box of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a side view showing a structure of a processing fluid supply unit and a cooling gas supply unit of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a front view showing a structure of a processing fluid supply unit and a cooling gas supply unit of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference symbols and the description will not be repeated. In addition, in the drawings, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are appropriately illustrated to facilitate understanding. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are mutually orthogonal, the X-axis and Y-axis are parallel to the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis is parallel to the vertical direction. In addition, in the drawings, hatching indicating a cross section may be omitted in some cases to make the drawings easier to see.

[0017] A substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. The substrate processing apparatus 100 processes a substrate W. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for a field emission display (FED), a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, a ceramic substrate, or a substrate for a solar cell. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a semiconductor wafer. The substrate W is, for example, substantially disk-shaped.

[0018] First, a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. More specifically, Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a processing unit 1 and a fluid box 100B of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The substrate processing apparatus 100 processes a substrate W. More specifically, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes substrates W one by one.

[0019] 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of processing units 1, a fluid cabinet 100A, a plurality of fluid boxes 100B, a plurality of load ports LP, an indexer robot IR, a center robot CR, and a controller 101. The processing units 1 are an example of a "substrate processing unit" in the present invention. The fluid boxes 100B are an example of a "processing fluid supply unit" in the present invention.

[0020] Each load port LP accommodates a stack of substrates W. The indexer robot IR transports the substrates W between the load port LP and the center robot CR. The center robot CR transports the substrates W between the indexer robot IR and the processing units 1. Note that a placement stage (path) on which the substrate W is temporarily placed may be provided between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR, and the device may be configured to indirectly transfer the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR via the placement stage.

[0021] Each of the processing units 1 supplies a processing fluid to an upper surface Wa and a lower surface Wb (see FIG. 3) of the substrate W to process the upper surface Wa and the lower surface Wb of the substrate W. Note that each of the processing units 1 may supply a processing fluid only to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W to process only the upper surface Wa of the substrate W.

[0022] The processing units 1 form a plurality of towers TW (four towers TW in FIG. 1) that are arranged to surround the center robot CR in a plan view. Each tower TW includes a plurality of processing units 1 (three processing units 1 in FIG. 1) stacked vertically.

[0023] The fluid cabinet 100A contains a processing fluid. The multiple fluid boxes 100B correspond to multiple processing units 1, respectively. Specifically, multiple fluid boxes 100B (three in FIG. 2) are stacked vertically. Each fluid box 100B is disposed adjacent to a processing unit 1. A partition wall 1a is disposed at the boundary between the processing unit 1 and the fluid box 100B. The partition wall 1a prevents the processing fluid in the processing unit 1 from entering the fluid box 100B. The partition wall 1a may be integral with the processing unit 1 or the fluid box 100B, or may be provided separately from the processing unit 1 or the fluid box 100B. The processing fluid in the fluid cabinet 100A is supplied to the processing unit 1 corresponding to the fluid box 100B through any one of the fluid boxes 100B.

[0024] Next, the control device 101 will be described. The control device 101 controls the operation of each part of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, the control device 101 controls the load port LP, the indexer robot IR, and the center robot CR. The control device 101 also controls the processing unit 1 and the fluid box 100B. The control device 101 includes a control unit 102 and a storage unit 103.

[0025] The control unit 102 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor of the control unit 102 executes a computer program stored in a storage device of the storage unit 103 to control the processing unit 1.

[0026] The storage unit 103 stores data and computer programs. The data includes recipe data. The recipe data includes information indicating a plurality of recipes. Each of the plurality of recipes defines the processing content and processing procedure for the substrate W.

[0027] The storage unit 103 has a main storage device. The main storage device is, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 103 may further have an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, at least one of a semiconductor memory and a hard disk drive. The storage unit 103 may include a removable medium. The control unit 102 controls the operation of each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 100 based on the computer programs and data stored in the storage unit 103.

[0028] Next, the processing unit 1 and the fluid box 100B of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be further described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structures of the processing unit 1 and the fluid box 100B of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment.

[0029] 3, the processing unit 1 includes a chamber 2, a spin chuck 3, a spin motor unit 5, a first nozzle 11, and a second nozzle 12. The substrate processing apparatus 100 also includes a first supply pipe 13 and a second supply pipe 14. A control device 101 (a control unit 102) controls the spin chuck 3 and the spin motor unit 5. The first supply pipe 13 and the second supply pipe 14 are examples of the "pipes" in the present invention.

[0030] The chamber 2 has a substantially box shape and accommodates the substrate W, the spin chuck 3, the spin motor unit 5, the first nozzle 11, the second nozzle 12, a part of the first supply pipe 13, and a part of the second supply pipe 14.

[0031] The spin chuck 3 horizontally holds the substrate W. There is no particular limitation on the method of holding the substrate W by the spin chuck 3, and for example, the lower surface Wb of the substrate W may be sucked by suction, or the peripheral portion of the substrate W may be supported.

[0032] The spin motor unit 5 rotates the substrate W and the spin chuck 3 together about a rotation axis AX1. The rotation axis AX1 extends in the vertical direction.

[0033] The first nozzle 11 supplies a processing fluid to the substrate W. The processing fluid is, for example, a processing liquid or a processing gas. The processing fluid is not particularly limited as long as it is a fluid that comes into contact with the substrate W. The processing liquid as the processing fluid is, for example, a chemical liquid or a rinsing liquid.

[0034] The chemical liquid may be, for example, dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF), hydrofluoric acid (HF), hydronitric acid (a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid (HNO3)), buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF), ammonium fluoride, HFEG (a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and ethylene glycol), phosphoric acid (H3PO4), sulfuric acid, acetic acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia water, hydrogen peroxide water, organic acids (e.g., citric acid, oxalic acid), organic alkalis (e.g., TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide), sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide water mixture (SPM), ammonia-hydrogen peroxide water mixture (SC1), hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide water mixture (SC2), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a surfactant, a corrosion inhibitor, or a hydrophobizing agent.

[0035] The rinse liquid is, for example, deionized water, carbonated water, electrolytic ionized water, hydrogen water, ozone water, or hydrochloric acid water with a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 ppm to 100 ppm).

[0036] The processing gas as the processing fluid is, for example, a reactive gas that reacts with the substrate W or an inert gas. The reactive gas is, for example, an ozone gas, a fluorine gas, a gas containing hydrogen fluoride, or a gas containing IPA. The inert gas is, for example, nitrogen, helium, or argon.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first nozzle 11 supplies the processing liquid to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. The processing liquid is supplied to the first nozzle 11 via a first supply pipe 13. The first supply pipe 13 is a tubular member through which the processing liquid flows.

[0038] The second nozzle 12 supplies a processing fluid to the substrate W. In this embodiment, the second nozzle 12 supplies a processing liquid to the lower surface Wb of the substrate W. The processing liquid is supplied to the second nozzle 12 via a second supply pipe 14. The second supply pipe 14 is a tubular member through which the processing liquid flows.

[0039] Continuing to refer to Fig. 3, the fluid box 100B will be described. The fluid box 100B has a substantially box or frame shape. The fluid box 100B has valves 211 and 221, and motors 212 and 222 (see Fig. 4). The valves 211 and 221 are supplied with a processing fluid from the fluid cabinet 100A via a branching section 25.

[0040] Next, the detailed structure of the fluid box 100B will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the fluid box 100B of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the structures of the processing fluid supply unit 200 and the cooling gas supply unit 300 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment. Fig. 6 is a front view showing the structures of the processing fluid supply unit 200 and the cooling gas supply unit 300 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the fluid box 100B has a processing fluid supplying part 200 that supplies a processing fluid to the processing unit 1. The number of the processing fluid supplying parts 200 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, six processing fluid supplying parts 200A to 200F are provided as the processing fluid supplying parts 200. Each of the processing fluid supplying parts 200A to 200F is connected to the fluid cabinet 100A (see FIG. 1), and a processing fluid is supplied from the fluid cabinet 100A. Each of the processing fluid supplying parts 200A to 200F is connected to a first supply pipe 13 and a second supply pipe 14 (see FIG. 3). Each of the processing fluid supplying parts 200A to 200F supplies a processing fluid to a first nozzle 11 and a second nozzle 12 (see FIG. 3) at a predetermined timing for a predetermined time.

[0042] The processing fluid supply units 200A-200F are stacked on top of each other. In this embodiment, the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F are stacked in the horizontal direction (here, the X direction). Each of the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F is supplied with one of the above-mentioned processing fluids. In this embodiment, a high-temperature processing fluid is supplied to at least one of the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F. Also, a room-temperature processing fluid is supplied to at least one of the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F.

[0043] 5 and 6, each of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F has a first supply unit 210 and a second supply unit 220. Each of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F may have only one of the first supply unit 210 and the second supply unit 220. The first supply unit 210 supplies the processing fluid to the first nozzle 11. The second supply unit 220 supplies the processing fluid to the second nozzle 12.

[0044] The first supply unit 210 includes a valve 211 and a motor (First motor) The system further includes a valve 211, a flowmeter 212, a flowmeter 213, and a connection pipe 214. The valve 211 is connected to the first supply pipe 13. The valve 211 opens and closes a passage for the processing fluid. The passage for the processing fluid is configured by the connection pipe 214, the first supply pipe 13, etc. The type of the valve 211 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a needle valve. The motor 212 drives the valve 211.

[0045] The flowmeter 213 is connected to the fluid cabinet 100A. The flowmeter 213 measures the amount of the processing fluid passing through the distribution path. The connection pipe 214 connects the flowmeter 213 and the valve 211. In the first supply unit 210, the motor 212 drives the valve 211 to adjust the opening of the passage, thereby adjusting the amount of the processing fluid supplied to the first nozzle 11. More specifically, the control unit 102 adjusts the amount of the processing fluid supplied to the first nozzle 11 by driving the motor 212 based on the measurement result of the flowmeter 213.

[0046] The second supply unit 220 includes a valve 221 and a motor (Second motor) The valve 221 includes a flowmeter 222, a flow meter 223, and a connection pipe 224. The valve 221 is connected to the second supply pipe 14. The valve 221 opens and closes a passage for the processing fluid. The passage for the processing fluid is configured by the connection pipe 224, the second supply pipe 14, etc. The type of the valve 221 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a needle valve. The motor 222 drives the valve 221.

[0047] The flowmeter 223 is connected to the fluid cabinet 100A. The flowmeter 223 measures the amount of the processing fluid passing through the distribution path. The connection pipe 224 connects the flowmeter 223 and the valve 221. In the second supply unit 220, the motor 222 drives the valve 221 to adjust the opening of the passage, thereby adjusting the amount of the processing fluid supplied to the second nozzle 12. More specifically, the control unit 102 adjusts the amount of the processing fluid supplied to the second nozzle 12 by driving the motor 222 based on the measurement result of the flowmeter 223.

[0048] Here, if the processing of the substrate W continues, the motors 212 and 222 continue to drive. As a result, the motors 212 and 222 reach high temperatures. The heat of the motors 212 and 222 is transferred to the processing fluid via the valves 211 and 221, causing the temperature of the processing fluid to rise. As a result, the processing fluid with an increased temperature is supplied to the substrate W, which increases the processing speed and amount of the substrate W.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a cooling gas supply unit 300 for suppressing an increase in temperature of the motors 212 and 222. The cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas so that the cooling gas passes through the side surface (here, the lower surface) 212a of the motor 212 and the side surface (here, the upper surface) 222a of the motor 222. Therefore, the temperature of the motors 212 and 222 can be suppressed from becoming high due to the cooling gas. Therefore, the heat of the motors 212 and 222 can be suppressed from being transferred to the processing fluid, and therefore the temperature of the processing fluid can be suppressed from increasing. As a result, the processing fluid with an increased temperature can be suppressed from being supplied to the substrate W, and therefore the processing speed and processing amount of the substrate W can be suppressed from increasing. Thus, in this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the cooling gas supply unit 300, and therefore the processing fluid can be suppressed from becoming high temperature due to the heat generated by the motors 212 and 222.

[0050] Furthermore, for example, when one of the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F supplies ammonia water and another of the processing fluid supply units 200A-200F supplies hydrogen peroxide water and an ammonia-hydrogen peroxide water mixture (SC1) is discharged onto the substrate W, a small amount of ammonia water is mixed into the hydrogen peroxide water. In this case, when the temperature of the ammonia water rises and the volume of the ammonia water changes, the degree of dilution of the ammonia changes significantly. In other words, when the processing fluid is used in a diluted form, the effect of temperature change becomes large, so it is particularly effective to suppress the temperature change of the processing fluid.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 constantly blows out cooling gas while the substrate W is being processed with the processing fluid. However, for example, the temperatures of the motors 212 and 222 may be measured and cooling gas may be blown out only when the motors 212 and 222 reach or exceed a predetermined temperature.

[0052] In this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 is a pipe member extending in the stacking direction (X direction) of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F. The stacking direction of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F is an example of the "predetermined direction" in the present invention. The cooling gas supply unit 300 has an outlet 300a for blowing out the cooling gas. There may be one or more outlets 300a. An embodiment having a plurality of outlets 300a will be described below.

[0053] The multiple blowing ports 300a are spaced apart from each other in the stacking direction (X direction) of the processing fluid supply unit 200. Cooling gas is supplied to the cooling gas supply unit 300 from the fluid cabinet 100A. The cooling gas supplied from the fluid cabinet 100A to the cooling gas supply unit 300 is blown out from the multiple blowing ports 300a. In this way, the cooling gas supply unit 300 has multiple blowing ports 300a, and the multiple blowing ports 300a are spaced apart from each other in the stacking direction (predetermined direction), thereby making it possible to prevent the multiple motors 212 and 222 from becoming too hot due to a single cooling gas supply unit 300.

[0054] The type of cooling gas is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, air or an inert gas such as nitrogen. The temperature of the cooling gas is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, room temperature.

[0055] Each of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F further includes a support member 230. The support member 230 supports the valves 211 and 221 and the motors 212 and 222. In this embodiment, the support member 230 is a partition plate. Specifically, the valves 211 and the motors 212 are arranged in groups of multiples (six in this case) at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. The valves 221 and the motors 222 are arranged in groups of multiples (six in this case) at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. The valves 211 and the motors 212, and the valves 221 and the motors 222 are arranged in groups of multiples at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The support member 230 separates the valves 211, the motors 212, the valves 221, and the motors 222 adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction (X direction). In other words, the multiple motors 212 and 222 include multiple sets (six sets here) of a pair of motors 212 and 222 spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. The multiple valves 211 and 221 include multiple sets (six sets here) of a pair of valves 211 and 221 spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0056] The multiple support members 230 are spaced apart from each other in a predetermined direction (X direction). The support member 230 has a plate body 231, two first support plate parts 232, and two second support plate parts 233. The two first support plate parts 232 protrude in the horizontal direction from the plate body 231. In this embodiment, the two first support plate parts 232 protrude from the plate body 231 on the opposite side to the processing unit 1 (one side X1 in the X direction). The two first support plate parts 232 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and support the valves 211 and 221, respectively. The two second support plate parts 233 protrude in the horizontal direction from the plate body 231. In this embodiment, the two second support plate parts 233 protrude from the plate body 231 on the opposite side to the processing unit 1 (one side X1 in the X direction). The two second support plate parts 233 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, and respectively support the flow meters 213 and 223. The two second support plate parts 233 are disposed relative to the two first support plate parts 232 in a direction (Y direction) intersecting with the stacking direction (X direction) of the treatment fluid supply part 200.

[0057] The first supply pipe 13 has a connection part 13a connected to the valve 211, a first part 13b extending from the connection part 13a to the front side (one side Y1 in the Y direction), and a second part 13c extending upward from the first part 13b. The second supply pipe 14 has a connection part 14a connected to the valve 221, a first part 14b extending from the connection part 14a to the front side (one side Y1 in the Y direction), and a second part 14c extending upward from the first part 14b.

[0058] As described above, the support members 230 are partition plates that separate the motors 212 from each other and the motors 222 from each other. Therefore, air in the space sandwiched between the support members 230 is unlikely to circulate in the stacking direction (X direction) of the processing fluid supply units 200A to 200F. Therefore, heat is likely to be trapped in the space sandwiched between the support members 230. For this reason, when the support members 230 are partition plates, it is particularly effective to apply the present invention to prevent the temperatures of the motors 212 and 222 from becoming high. In addition, in this embodiment, the space S200 is formed by the adjacent support members 230 and the motors 212 and 222. Heat is likely to be trapped in the space S200 because the motor 212 is disposed above it.

[0059] In this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas along the support member 230. Therefore, the air in the space S200 flows along the support member 230 toward the back side (the other side Y2 in the Y direction), so that it is possible to prevent heat from being trapped in the space S200. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the motors 212 and 222 from becoming too hot. Specifically, the multiple blowing ports 300a are formed in the cooling gas supply unit 300 on the back side (the other side Y2 in the Y direction).

[0060] Moreover, in this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas so that the cooling gas passes between the pair of motors 212 and 222. Therefore, the heat trapped between the pair of motors 212 and 222 can be effectively guided to the rear side. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the motors 212 and 222 from becoming too hot. Specifically, the cooling gas supply unit 300 is disposed between the pair of motors 212 and 222 when viewed from the front side (one side Y1 in the Y direction).

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas so as to pass through the side surface 212a of the motor 212 and the side surface 222a of the motor 222 while avoiding the first supply pipe 13 and the second supply pipe 14. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an excessive decrease in temperature of the processing fluid passing through the inside of the first supply pipe 13 and the second supply pipe 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the blowout port 300a does not overlap the first supply pipe 13 and the second supply pipe 14 when viewed from the front side. In this embodiment, the blowout port 300a is disposed between the second supply pipe 14 and the support member 230 when viewed from the front side.

[0062] 5, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas slightly downward on the rear side. In this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas toward the center C200 in the vertical direction of the gap between the valve 211 and the valve 221. Therefore, the air between the motor 212 and the motor 222 can efficiently pass between the valve 211 and the valve 221.

[0063] 6, the space S200 is divided into a first space S200a and a second space S200b by the second supply pipe 14 when viewed from the front side. In this embodiment, two air outlets 300a are arranged for one space S200. One of the two air outlets 300a blows out the cooling gas toward the center of the first space S200a, and the other of the two air outlets 300a blows out the cooling gas toward the center of the second space S200b.

[0064] The cooling gas supply unit 300 is disposed in at least the uppermost fluid box 100Ba (see FIG. 2) among the multiple fluid boxes 100B stacked vertically. In this embodiment, the multiple fluid boxes 100B are stacked vertically in a state in which the air inside them can pass through each other. For this reason, the heat of the lowermost fluid box 100Bc (see FIG. 2) and the heat of one or more (here, one) middle fluid boxes 100Bb (see FIG. 2) tend to accumulate in the uppermost fluid box 100Ba. Therefore, the motors 212 and 222 of the uppermost fluid box 100Ba tend to become hot. In this embodiment, as described above, by disposing the cooling gas supply unit 300 at least in the uppermost fluid box 100Ba, it is possible to prevent the motors 212 and 222 of the uppermost fluid box 100Ba, which tend to become hot, from becoming hot. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the motors 212 and 222 from varying between the multiple fluid boxes 100B. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in temperature of the processing fluid among the plurality of fluid boxes 100B, and as a result, it is possible to suppress variations in processing speed and processing amount for the substrate W among the plurality of processing units 1.

[0065] In this embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 is not disposed in at least the lowest fluid box 100Bc. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the motors 212 and 222 in at least the lowest fluid box 100Bc from becoming too low. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the temperature of the processing fluid from varying among the multiple fluid boxes 100B.

[0066] Moreover, the inside of the fluid box 100B is maintained at a negative pressure. This can prevent volatile components of the processing fluid from leaking from the fluid box 100B to the outside. Specifically, a suction device (not shown) is connected to the fluid box 100B, and several hundred liters or more of air is exhausted per minute. The cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out a smaller amount of cooling gas into the fluid box 100B than the exhaust amount (several hundred liters / minute or more) of the suction device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the fluid box 100B from becoming a positive pressure. It is preferable that the amount of cooling gas blown out by the cooling gas supply unit 300 is one tenth or less of the exhaust amount of the suction device.

[0067] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, a certain component among all the components shown in one embodiment may be added to a component of another embodiment, or some components among all the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0068] In addition, the drawings are mainly schematic illustrations of each component to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. In addition, the configurations of each component shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.

[0069] For example, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which each fluid box 100B has a plurality of valves 211 and 221 and a plurality of motors 212 and 222, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each fluid box 100B may have one valve 211 or 221 and one motor 212 or 222.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the fluid box 100B is stacked in three layers, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fluid box 100B does not have to be stacked in the vertical direction. For example, the fluid box 100B may be stacked in only two layers, or may be stacked in four or more layers.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 is not disposed in at least the lowest fluid box 100Bc, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cooling gas supply unit 300 may be disposed in all of the fluid boxes 100Bc.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the support member 230 is a partition plate, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support member 230 does not have to be in the shape of a plate.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the example in which the plurality of processing fluid supply units 200 are stacked has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one processing fluid supply unit 200 may be provided for one fluid box 100B.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the processing fluid supply units 200 are stacked in the horizontal direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the processing fluid supply units 200 may be stacked in the vertical direction. In this case, the cooling gas supply unit 300 may be disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction.

[0075] In the above embodiment, an example in which one cooling gas supply unit 300 is disposed in one fluid box 100B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two or more cooling gas supply units 300 may be disposed in one fluid box 100B.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the cooling gas supply unit 300 blows out the cooling gas so that the cooling gas passes between the pair of motors 212 and 222. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cooling gas supply unit 300 may blow out the cooling gas toward the motor 212 or 222. [Industrial Applicability]

[0077] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1: Processing unit (substrate processing unit) 13: First supply pipe (piping) 14: Second supply pipe (piping) 100: Substrate processing apparatus 100B, 100Ba, 100Bb, 100Bc: Fluid box (processing fluid supply unit) 211, 221: Valve 212, 222: Motor 212a, 222a: Side 230: Support member 300: Cooling gas supply section W: Substrate

Claims

1. a substrate processing unit that supplies a processing fluid to a substrate to process the substrate; a processing fluid supply unit for supplying the processing fluid to the substrate processing unit; a cooling gas supply unit disposed within the processing fluid supply unit; Equipped with the treatment fluid supply unit includes a plurality of valves for opening and closing a passageway for the treatment fluid, a plurality of motors for driving the valves, and a plurality of partition plates for separating adjacent motors, the partition plates being spaced apart from each other in a predetermined direction and extending along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, the adjacent partition plates facing each other in the predetermined direction with the motors therebetween; The cooling gas supply unit has a plurality of outlets spaced apart from each other in the predetermined direction, The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the plurality of blowing ports blow out the cooling gas so as to pass through side surfaces of the plurality of motors and along the plurality of partition plates, respectively.

2. The motor includes a first motor and a second motor spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling gas supply unit blows out the cooling gas so that the cooling gas passes between the first motor and the second motor.

3. Further comprising a pipe through which the processing fluid passes, 3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling gas supply unit blows out the cooling gas so as to pass a side surface of the motor while avoiding the piping.

4. A plurality of the processing fluid supply units are provided, Each of the processing fluid supply units further includes a housing that houses a plurality of the valves and a plurality of the motors; the plurality of treatment fluid supply units are stacked vertically in a state in which air inside the housing can pass through each other, the cooling gas supply unit is disposed in at least the uppermost processing fluid supply unit, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling gas supply unit is not disposed in a lowermost processing fluid supply unit.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Coating device

    JP1986214520A

  • Treatment liquid supply method and treatment liquid supplying apparatus

    JP2006035185A

  • Liquid processing apparatus, liquid processing method, program, and program storage medium

    JP2011035135A

  • Suck-back valve, suck-back valve system and substrate processing apparatus

    JP2016111306A

  • Processing liquid supply device and control method therefor

    JP2020155620A