Substrate Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing device capable of easily desorbing air bubbles from an air bubble supply tube regardless of a contact angle.SOLUTION: An upward layer flow of process liquid is formed inside of a processing tub, and a substrate is immersed in the process liquid. A plurality of air bubble supply tubes 51 is disposed inside of the processing tub, and the plurality of air bubble supply tube 51 supplies air bubbles from below the substrate into the process liquid stored in the processing tub. A plurality of air bubble holes 65 discharging air bubbles is formed on both side faces of the air bubble supply tube 51 and at least above each air bubble hole 65, a tabular guide body 60 which guides upward air bubbles discharged from the air bubble hole 65 is erected in a vertical direction. The air bubbles discharged from the air bubble holes 65 rise while being guided by the guide body 60, which is erected in the vertical direction, and are discharged into the process liquid, so that the air bubbles can be easily desorbed from the air bubble supply tube 51 regardless of a contact angle of a material of the air bubble supply tube 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing surface treatment such as etching on substrates using a processing liquid. Substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor substrates, substrates for liquid crystal display devices, substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) used in organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform various processes on semiconductor substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates"). One such substrate processing apparatus is a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that stores a processing liquid in a processing tank and immerses multiple substrates in the processing liquid at the same time to perform etching and other processes.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses the provision of a processing liquid discharge unit that discharges processing liquid below a plurality of substrates held by a substrate holder in a processing tank, and an air bubble supply unit that supplies air bubbles. By supplying air bubbles into the processing liquid in addition to discharging the processing liquid, the flow rate of the processing liquid in the processing tank increases, improving the efficiency of surface processing of the substrates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-106254 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when bubbles are supplied from the bubble supply unit, the bubbles sometimes do not easily leave the bubble holes. This is particularly true when the bubble holes are formed in a bubble supply pipe made of a material with a large contact angle (e.g., PFA (perfluoroalkoxyalkane)). When bubbles do not easily leave the bubble holes, multiple bubbles coalesce to form giant bubbles, resulting in significant variations in bubble size. This results in the problem of making it difficult to achieve the desired effect of supplying bubbles into the treatment liquid.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a substrate processing apparatus that allows bubbles to be easily released from a bubble supply pipe regardless of the contact angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 provides a substrate processing apparatus for performing surface treatment on a substrate with a processing liquid, comprising: a processing tank for storing the processing liquid; a processing liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid into the processing tank; a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate and immersing the substrate in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank; and a tubular bubble supply pipe disposed inside the processing tank for supplying bubbles from below the substrate held in the substrate holding unit to the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, wherein a plurality of bubble holes for discharging bubbles are provided on a side surface of the bubble supply pipe, and a plate-shaped guide is provided above each of the plurality of bubble holes for guiding the bubbles discharged from the bubble holes upward.

[0008] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, the plurality of bubble holes are provided on both side surfaces of the bubble supply pipe.

[0009] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 or claim 2, the bubble supply pipe has a rectangular prism shape, and the guide is provided along a side surface of the bubble supply pipe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the inventions of claims 1 to 3, a plate-shaped guide is erected above each of the multiple bubble holes to guide the bubbles ejected from the bubble holes upward. Therefore, the bubbles ejected from the bubble holes are guided by the guide and rise up, and are released into the processing liquid, so that the bubbles can easily detach from the bubble supply pipe regardless of the contact angle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the lifter is raised. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the lifter is lowered. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view of the nozzles, the dispersion plate, and the punching plate as seen from the bottom of the treatment tank. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the bubble supply pipe. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a dielectric body. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a plurality of dielectric bodies and a substrate. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how bubbles are ejected from bubble holes. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how bubbles are released from the inductor. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how bubbles are discharged from a plurality of bubble supply pipes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that performs surface treatment with a processing liquid on a plurality of substrates W such as semiconductor wafers all at once. In FIG. 1 and each subsequent figure, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and numbers of each part are exaggerated or simplified as necessary. Also, in FIG. 1 and each subsequent figure, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is appropriately attached with the Z-axis direction as the vertical direction and the XY plane as the horizontal plane to clarify their directional relationships.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes a processing tank 10 for storing a processing liquid, a lifter 20 for holding a plurality of substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates") W and moving up and down, a processing liquid supply unit 30 for supplying the processing liquid to the processing tank 10, a drainage unit 40 for discharging the processing liquid from the processing tank 10, a bubble supply unit 50 for supplying bubbles into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10, and a control unit 70 for controlling the operations of each part in the apparatus.

[0015] The processing tank 10 is a storage container made of a chemical-resistant material such as quartz. The processing tank 10 has a double-tank structure including an inner tank 11 for storing the processing liquid and immersing the substrate W therein, and an outer tank 12 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper end of the inner tank 11. The inner tank 11 and the outer tank 12 each have an upper opening that opens upward. The height of the upper edge of the outer tank 12 is higher than the height of the upper edge of the inner tank 11. When the processing liquid is further supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 30 in a state where the processing liquid is stored up to the upper end of the inner tank 11, the processing liquid overflows from the upper part of the inner tank 11 and flows into the outer tank 12.

[0016] In this specification, the "processing liquid" is a term for a concept including various chemical solutions and pure water. Examples of the chemical solution include a liquid for performing etching treatment or a liquid for removing particles. Specifically, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), SC-1 solution (a mixed solution of ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide water, and pure water), SC-2 solution (a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide water, and pure water), or phosphoric acid, etc. are used. The chemical solution also includes those diluted with pure water.

[0017] The lifter 20 is a transport mechanism for holding and transporting the substrates W up and down. The lifter 20 has a back plate 22 extending vertically (Z direction) and three holding bars 21 extending horizontally (Y direction) from the lower end of the back plate 22. Each holding bar 21 has a plurality of (e.g., 50) holding grooves engraved at a predetermined pitch. The plurality of substrates W are held in an upright position (a position in which the normal to the main surface is horizontal) parallel to each other at a predetermined interval on the three holding bars 21 with their peripheral edges fitted into the holding grooves.

[0018] The lifter 20 is connected to a drive mechanism 24 conceptually shown in Fig. 1 and moves up and down. Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the lifting and lowering operation of the lifter 20. When the drive mechanism 24 is operated, the lifter 20 moves up and down, and the substrate W is moved up and down between an immersion position inside the processing bath 10 (position in Fig. 3) and a lifted position above the processing bath 10 (position in Fig. 2), as shown by arrow AR1 in Fig. 1. When the substrate W is lowered to the immersion position while processing liquid is stored in the processing bath 10, the substrate W is immersed in the processing liquid and surface processing is performed.

[0019] Returning to Fig. 1, the processing liquid supply unit 30 includes a nozzle 31 and a piping system for supplying the processing liquid to the nozzle 31. The nozzle 31 is disposed at the bottom of the inner tank 11 of the processing tank 10. A distribution plate 15 is provided directly above the nozzle 31 so as to face the nozzle 31. Furthermore, a punching plate 17 is provided above the distribution plate 15.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a view of the nozzles 31, distribution plate 15, and punched plate 17 as viewed from the bottom of the treatment tank 10. The tip portion (the portion extending into the treatment tank 10) of the pipe 32 of the treatment liquid supply unit 30 constitutes the pipe 132. A plurality of nozzles 31 are formed above the pipe 132. Each nozzle 31 is connected to the pipe 132. A distribution plate 15 is provided above each of the plurality of nozzles 31. The distribution plate 15 is a disk-shaped member provided parallel to the horizontal plane. The nozzles 31 protrude vertically upward from the pipe 132 toward the distribution plate 15. A punched plate 17 is provided further above the distribution plate 15, spanning the entire horizontal cross section of the inner tank 11. A plurality of treatment liquid holes 17a are formed on the entire surface of the punched plate 17.

[0021] The processing liquid fed to the pipe 132 is discharged from the nozzle 31 toward the distribution plate 15 located directly above. When the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10 is discharged upward from the nozzle 31, the flow of the processing liquid hits the distribution plate 15, dispersing the pressure of the liquid and causing the processing liquid to spread horizontally along the surface of the distribution plate 15. The processing liquid spread horizontally by the distribution plate 15 then rises through the multiple processing liquid holes 17a in the punched plate 17 and forms a laminar flow in the processing tank 10 that flows from bottom to top.

[0022] 1, the piping system that supplies the processing liquid to the nozzle 31 is configured by piping 32 equipped with a pump 33, a heater 34, a filter 35, a flow rate control valve 36, and a valve 37. The pump 33, heater 34, filter 35, flow rate control valve 36, and valve 37 are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream of the piping 32 (from the outer tank 12 to the inner tank 11).

[0023] The tip side of the pipe 32 extends into the treatment tank 10 to form pipe 132 (FIG. 4), and the base end side of the pipe 32 is connected to the outer tank 12. The pipe 32 guides the treatment liquid flowing out of the outer tank 12 back to the inner tank 11. In other words, the treatment liquid supply unit 30 circulates the treatment liquid in the treatment tank 10. The pump 33 discharges the treatment liquid from the outer tank 12 into the pipe 32 and sends the treatment liquid to the nozzle 31. The heater 34 heats the treatment liquid flowing through the pipe 32. When phosphoric acid or the like is used as the treatment liquid, the treatment liquid is heated by the heater 34, and the heated treatment liquid is stored in the treatment tank 10.

[0024] The filter 35 filters the processing liquid flowing through the pipe 32 to remove impurities and the like. The flow rate control valve 36 adjusts the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through the pipe 32. The valve 37 opens and closes the flow path of the pipe 32. By operating the pump 33 and opening the valve 37, the processing liquid discharged from the outer bath 12 flows through the pipe 32 and is supplied to the nozzle 31, and the flow rate is regulated by the flow rate control valve 36.

[0025] The chemical liquid supply unit 80 includes a chemical liquid supply source 81, a valve 82, a nozzle 83, and a pipe 84. The tip end of the pipe 84 is connected to the nozzle 83, and the base end is connected to the chemical liquid supply source 81. A valve 82 is provided midway along the path of the pipe 84. When the valve 82 is opened, the chemical liquid is supplied from the chemical liquid supply source 81 to the nozzle 83, and the chemical liquid is ejected from the nozzle 83 toward the outer bath 12 of the processing bath 10. The chemical liquid supplied from the chemical liquid supply unit 80 to the outer bath 12 is supplied into the inner bath 11 by the processing liquid supply unit 30. Note that the nozzle 83 of the chemical liquid supply unit 80 may be configured to supply the chemical liquid directly to the inner bath 12.

[0026] The pure water supply unit 90 includes a pure water supply source 91, a valve 92, a nozzle 93, and a pipe 94. The tip end of the pipe 94 is connected to the nozzle 93, and the base end is connected to the pure water supply source 91. A valve 92 is provided midway along the path of the pipe 94. When the valve 92 is opened, pure water is supplied from the pure water supply source 91 to the nozzle 93, and is then ejected from the nozzle 93 toward the outer bath 12 of the processing bath 10. The chemical solution is supplied from the chemical solution supply unit 80 to the processing bath 10, and the pure water is supplied from the pure water supply unit 90, thereby diluting the chemical solution.

[0027] The drainage unit 40 includes a pipe 41 and a valve 45. The tip of the pipe 41 is connected to the bottom wall of the inner tank 11 of the processing tank 10. A valve 45 is provided midway along the path of the pipe 41. The base of the pipe 43 is connected to a drainage facility in the factory where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed. When the valve 45 is opened, the processing liquid stored in the inner tank 11 is rapidly discharged from the bottom of the inner tank 11 into the pipe 41 and treated in the drainage facility.

[0028] The bubble supply unit 50 includes a plurality of bubble supply pipes 51 (six in this embodiment) and a piping system for supplying gas to the pipes. The six bubble supply pipes 51 are disposed inside the inner tank 11 of the processing tank 10, above the punching plate 17 and below the substrate W held in an immersion position by the lifter 20. Each of the six bubble supply pipes 51 ejects gas into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10. When gas is supplied from the six bubble supply pipes 51 into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10, the gas forms bubbles and rises in the processing liquid. The gas supplied by the bubble supply unit 50 is, for example, an inert gas. The inert gas is, for example, nitrogen or argon (nitrogen is used in this embodiment).

[0029] The piping system that supplies gas to the six bubble supply pipes 51 includes pipes 52, a gas supply mechanism 53, and a gas supply source 54. The tip side of one pipe 52 is connected to each of the six bubble supply pipes 51. The base end side of the pipe 52 is connected to the gas supply source 54. A gas supply mechanism 53 is provided for each of the pipes 52. In other words, one gas supply mechanism 53 is provided for each of the six bubble supply pipes 51. The gas supply source 54 sends out gas to each pipe 52. The gas supply mechanism 53 is equipped with a mass flow controller, an on-off valve, etc. (not shown), and supplies gas to the bubble supply pipes 51 via the pipes 52 and adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the bubble supply pipe 51. While this figure shows one of six bubble supply pipes 51, the other bubble supply pipes 51 have exactly the same configuration. The bubble supply pipe 51 is a long tubular member. The bubble supply pipe 51 is made of, for example, PFA (perfluoroalkoxyalkane), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), or quartz (PFA is used in this embodiment). The bubble supply pipe 51 includes a main body 55 and a dielectric body 60. In this embodiment, the main body 55 has a hollow rectangular prism shape. The hollow portion of the main body 55 is connected in communication with the piping 52, and a gas supply mechanism 53 supplies gas to the internal space of the main body 55.

[0031] 5, a plurality of inductors 60 are provided on both side surfaces (surfaces parallel to the YZ plane) of a main body 55 having a rectangular prism shape extending in the Y direction. Each inductor 60 is a plate-like member having a rectangular prism shape. The multiple inductors 60 are provided parallel to each other at equal intervals on the side surfaces of the main body 55 so that their longitudinal directions are aligned along the vertical direction (Z direction).

[0032] 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the guide 60. A circular air bubble hole 65 is formed in the guide 60. The air bubble hole 65 is formed on one of the faces of the rectangular prism-shaped guide 60 that is parallel to the YZ plane. The air bubble hole 65 communicates with the internal space of the main body 55. Therefore, the gas supplied from the gas supply mechanism 53 to the internal space of the main body 55 is discharged from the air bubble hole 65.

[0033] The overall length h of the dielectric 60 is, for example, 8 mm. The width w of the dielectric 60 is, for example, 1 mm. The thickness t of the dielectric is, for example, 0.5 mm. The diameter of the circular air bubble hole 65 is, for example, 0.5 mm. The length l from the top end of the dielectric 60 to the center of the air bubble hole 65 is, for example, 5 mm. That is, the air bubble hole 65 is formed below the center of the dielectric 60.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between multiple inductors 60 and substrates W. A plurality of substrates W (e.g., 25 or 50) are held parallel to one another at regular intervals by a lifter 20 at an immersion position inside the processing bath 10. Meanwhile, a plurality of inductors 60 are also provided parallel to one another at regular intervals along the side of a rectangular prism-shaped main body 55. The holding intervals of the multiple substrates W (the distance between adjacent substrates W) and the installation intervals of the multiple inductors 60 (the distance between adjacent inductors 60) are equal. Each of the multiple inductors 60 is installed so as to be located between adjacent substrates W held by the lifter 20. Therefore, bubbles formed by discharging gas from the bubble holes 65 formed in the inductors 60 rise between the adjacent substrates W.

[0035] The control unit 70 controls the various operating mechanisms provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The hardware configuration of the control unit 70 is similar to that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 70 includes a CPU, which is a circuit that performs various arithmetic processing, a ROM, which is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM, which is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, and a storage unit (e.g., a magnetic disk) that stores control software, data, and the like. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the valve 37 of the processing liquid supply unit 30, the gas supply mechanism 53, and the like.

[0036] The control unit 70 also stores a recipe (hereinafter referred to as a "processing recipe") that defines the procedure and conditions for processing the substrate W. The processing recipe is acquired by the substrate processing apparatus 1, for example, by an operator of the apparatus inputting the recipe via a GUI and storing it in the storage. Alternatively, the processing recipe may be transferred to the substrate processing apparatus 1 by communication from a host computer that manages multiple substrate processing apparatuses 1 and stored in the storage. The control unit 70 controls the operation of the gas supply mechanism 53 and the like based on the description of the processing recipe stored in the storage, thereby causing the surface processing of the substrate W to proceed as described in the processing recipe.

[0037] Next, a processing operation in the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the processing liquid circulates by overflowing from the inner bath 11 to the outer bath 12 of the processing bath 10 and then returning from the outer bath 12 to the inner bath 11. Specifically, the processing liquid flowing from the outer bath 12 to the piping 32 is sent to the nozzle 31 by the pump 33. At this time, the processing liquid flowing through the piping 32 is heated by the heater 34 as necessary. The flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through the piping 32 is regulated by the flow rate adjustment valve 36.

[0038] The processing liquid fed to the nozzle 31 is discharged from the nozzle 31 upward into the inner tank 11. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 31 hits the distribution plate 15 and spreads horizontally along the surface of the distribution plate 15. The processing liquid spread horizontally by the distribution plate 15 reaches the punched plate 17, passes through the multiple processing liquid holes 17a, and forms an upward laminar flow in the inner tank 11 from the processing liquid holes 17a. The processing liquid that reaches the top of the inner tank 11 overflows and flows into the outer tank 12.

[0039] The substrates W are immersed in the processing liquid while a laminar flow of the processing liquid rising in the processing tank 10 is formed. Specifically, the lifter 20 receives a plurality of substrates W transported by a transport mechanism external to the apparatus at a lifting position above the processing tank 10. The substrates W are placed on three holding rods 21 and held by the lifter 20. Next, the control unit 70 operates the drive mechanism 24 to lower the lifter 20, and the substrates W are lowered to an immersion position in the processing tank 10, where they are immersed in the processing liquid.

[0040] When a laminar flow of the processing liquid is formed in the processing tank 10, the lifter 20 holds the substrates W in the immersion position, causing the laminar flow of the processing liquid to flow between the substrates W, exposing the surfaces of the substrates W to the processing liquid, and surface processing of the substrates W (etching processing in this embodiment) progresses. Here, the flow velocity of the laminar flow of the processing liquid formed by the distribution plate 15 and the punching plate 17 is relatively slow. Therefore, the flow velocity of the processing liquid flowing along the surfaces of the substrates W is also not very fast, which reduces processing efficiency. For this reason, in this embodiment, bubbles are supplied into the processing liquid from the bubble supply unit 50.

[0041] The gas supply mechanism 53 of the bubble supply unit 50 supplies gas to the corresponding bubble supply pipe 51. A plurality of bubble holes 65 for discharging bubbles are provided on both side surfaces of the square pillar-shaped bubble supply pipe 51 (see FIG. 5). The gas supplied to the bubble supply pipe 51 is discharged from the plurality of bubble holes 65.

[0042] The bubble supply pipe 51 in this embodiment is made of PFA, which has a relatively large contact angle. Therefore, simply discharging gas from the bubble hole makes it difficult for the bubbles to leave the bubble hole, and multiple bubbles may coalesce to form large bubbles, resulting in significant variation in bubble size. Therefore, in this embodiment, the bubble supply pipe 51 is provided with an induction member 60.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state in which bubbles are discharged from the bubble holes 65. The gas fed to the bubble supply pipe 51 is discharged from the bubble holes 65 formed in the guide 60 to form bubbles BA. The formed bubbles BA are guided along the surface of the guide 60 erected along the vertical direction and rise as shown in FIG. 8.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the state in which the bubble BA detaches from the guide 60. The bubble BA discharged from the bubble hole 65 and guided along the surface of the guide 60 to rise eventually reaches the upper end of the guide 60. The bubble BA that has reached the upper end of the guide 60 quickly detaches from the corner of the upper end and is discharged into the processing liquid. That is, by providing the guide 60 along the vertical direction, the bubble BA discharged from the bubble hole 65 is smoothly and quickly discharged into the processing liquid, and it is possible to prevent a plurality of bubbles BA from merging to form a huge bubble.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state in which bubbles are discharged from a plurality of bubble supply pipes 51. The six bubble supply pipes 51 supply bubbles into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10 from below the substrate W held at the immersion position by the lifter 20. Since the bubble holes 65 are provided on both side surfaces of the bubble supply pipe 51 having a square prism shape, bubbles are supplied from both side surfaces of the bubble supply pipe 51. In addition, since the plurality of guides 60 are installed so as to be positioned between adjacent substrates W held by the lifter 20, the bubbles discharged from the bubble supply pipe 51 rise between the adjacent substrates W. That is, a large number of bubbles rise near the surface of the substrate W.

[0046] As described above, when no bubbles are supplied, the flow velocity of the laminar flow of the processing liquid formed by the dispersion plate 15 and the punching plate 17 is relatively low. However, when a large number of bubbles rise in the processing liquid along the surface of the substrate W, the flow velocity of the processing liquid increases. By increasing the flow velocity of the processing liquid near the surface of the substrate W, it is possible to improve the surface treatment efficiency of the substrate W and increase the etching rate.

[0047] In particular, when the processing liquid is alkaline TMAH, the etching rate increases as the dissolved oxygen concentration in the processing liquid decreases. By supplying nitrogen bubbles into the processing liquid from a plurality of bubble supply pipes 51, the dissolved oxygen concentration in the processing liquid can be reduced, and as a result, the etching rate of the substrate W can be increased.

[0048] After the etching process for a predetermined time is completed, the processing liquid in the processing tank 10 is replaced with pure water, and the pure water rinsing process of the substrate W is performed. Thereafter, the control unit 70 operates the drive mechanism 24 to raise the lifter 20 and pull up the substrate W from the processing tank 10. Subsequently, a transfer mechanism outside the apparatus receives the processed substrate W from the lifter 20. In this way, a series of processes in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is completed.

[0049] In the present embodiment, a laminar flow of the processing liquid upward is formed inside the processing tank 10, and the substrate W is immersed in the processing liquid. A plurality of bubble supply pipes 51 are arranged inside the processing tank 10, and these plurality of bubble supply pipes 51 supply bubbles into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 10 from below the substrate W held by the lifter 20. A plurality of bubble holes 65 for discharging bubbles are formed on both side surfaces of the bubble supply pipe 51, and at least above each bubble hole 65, a plate-like guide 60 for guiding the bubbles discharged from the bubble hole 65 upward is erected along the vertical direction. As a result, the bubbles discharged from the bubble holes 65 are guided by the guide 60 erected along the vertical direction, rise, and are released into the processing liquid. Regardless of the contact angle of the material of the bubble supply pipe 51, the bubbles can be easily detached from the bubble supply pipe 51. As a result, it is possible to prevent a plurality of bubbles discharged from the bubble holes 65 from coalescing to form a huge bubble, and to prevent variations in the size of the bubbles.

[0050] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained. However, the present invention can be variously modified other than those described above as long as it does not deviate from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, the bubble supply pipe 51 including the derivative 60 was formed of PFA, but it is not limited thereto, and the bubble supply pipe 51 may be formed of other materials, such as PEEK or quartz. When phosphoric acid is used as the treatment liquid, since the treatment liquid is heated to a high temperature, it is preferable to form the bubble supply pipe 51 of quartz having excellent heat resistance. However, since bubbles are likely to separate in the first place with a material having a relatively small contact angle such as quartz, the effect of providing the derivative 60 becomes clearer when the bubble supply pipe 51 is formed of a material having a large contact angle such as PFA.

[0051] Further, in the above embodiment, the bubble supply pipe 51 has a square prism shape, but it is not limited thereto, and the bubble supply pipe 51 may have other polygonal prism shapes (for example, hexagonal prism shape, octagonal prism shape, etc.), or may have a cylindrical shape. Even if the bubble supply pipe 51 has a cylindrical shape or the like, the bubble supply pipe 51 is provided with bubble holes 65, and at least above the bubble holes 65, a plate-shaped derivative 60 is provided along the vertical direction. In this way, the bubbles discharged from the bubble holes 65 are guided by the derivative 60 and rise to be released into the treatment liquid, and the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. However, if the bubble supply pipe 51 has a square prism shape as in the above embodiment, the derivative 60 can be easily provided along its side surface.

[0052] Further, in the above embodiment, the derivative 60 was erected along the vertical direction, but the derivative 60 may be provided with a slight inclination from the vertical direction. Even in this case, the bubbles discharged from the bubble holes 65 are guided by the derivative 60 and rise, and the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0053] Also, the dimensions of the derivative 60 are not limited to the examples of the above embodiment, and appropriate values can be set.

[0054] In addition, the number of the bubble supply pipes 51 provided in the processing tank 10 is not limited to six, and one or more pipes may be used.

[0055] Also, in the above embodiment, an etching process was performed as the surface treatment of the substrate W with the processing liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a cleaning process of the substrate W may be performed with the processing liquid.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0056] 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Processing tank 11 Inner tank 12 Outer tank 15 Dispersion plate 17 Punching plate 20 Lifter 30 Processing liquid supply unit 31 Nozzle 33 Pump 50 Bubble supply unit 51 Bubble supply pipe 53 Gas supply mechanism 60 Inductor 65 Bubble holes 70 Control unit 80 Chemical liquid supply unit 90 Pure water supply unit W Substrate

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing surface treatment on a substrate with a processing liquid, comprising: a processing tank for storing the processing liquid; a processing liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid into the processing tank; a substrate holding unit for holding the substrate and immersing the substrate in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank; a tubular bubble supply pipe disposed inside the processing tank for supplying bubbles to the processing liquid stored in the processing tank from below the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and a plurality of bubble holes for discharging bubbles are provided on a side surface of the bubble supply pipe; a plate-shaped guide for guiding the bubbles discharged from the bubble holes upward is erected above each of the plurality of bubble holes. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by this.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the plurality of bubble holes are provided on both side surfaces of the bubble supply pipe. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by this.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the bubble supply pipe has a square prism shape, and the guide is provided along a side surface of the bubble supply pipe. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by this.

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