Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

This substrate processing apparatus comprises: a processing vessel that has a carry in / out opening for substrates, and that accommodates the substrates; a lid that opens / closes the carry in / out opening; a gate opening / closing part that moves the lid; a substrate transfer part that holds and passes the substrate through the carry in / out opening; a first open / close valve that opens / closes a first flow path for supplying a purge gas to the processing vessel; and a control unit. The control unit determines whether carrying out of one of the substrates is followed by carrying in of another substrate. If carrying out of said one substrate is followed by carrying in of said another substrate, the control unit performs the carrying in of said another substrate after the carrying out of said one substrate, without switching the carry in / out opening from open state to closed state, and without switching the first flow path from closed state to open state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Background Art

[0002] The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 dries a substrate by replacing a drying liquid pooled on the substrate with a supercritical fluid. The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing container that houses the substrate and a supply line that supplies a supercritical fluid and a purge gas to the processing container. The processing container is provided with a carry-in / carry-out port for the substrate. The carry-in / carry-out port is opened and closed by a lid. The supply line is provided with an on-off valve that opens and closes a flow path of the supercritical fluid or the purge gas.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a technique for reducing the number of opening and closing operations of a substrate processing apparatus and improving the lifespan of mechanical components of the substrate processing apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a processing container for housing a substrate, having a substrate loading / unloading port, a lid for opening and closing the loading / unloading port, a gate opening / closing unit for moving the lid, a substrate transport unit for passing the substrate through the loading / unloading port while holding it, a first on / off valve for opening and closing a first flow path for supplying purge gas to the processing container, and a control unit. The control unit determines whether or not a substrate is loaded following the unloading of a substrate, and if a substrate is loaded following the unloading of a substrate, the control unit loads the substrate after the unloading of the substrate without switching the loading / unloading port from an open state to a closed state and without switching the first flow path from a closed state to an open state. The control unit opens the first channel to supply the purge gas to the processing container while unloading the substrate, and closes the first channel after the substrate has been unloaded but before the substrate has been loaded. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the number of opening and closing operations of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced, and the lifespan of the mechanical components of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the processing vessel of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the loading / unloading port in an open state. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the closed state of the loading / unloading port. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a supply section and a discharge section. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the components of the control unit in terms of functional blocks. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing method according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus immediately before step S101, and in steps S104 and S107. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus in steps S101 to S102 and S105. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus during the voltage boosting in step S103. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus during the flow in step S103. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus during depressurization in step S103. [Figure 12] Figure 12(A) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the valve body in the open position, and Figure 12(B) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the valve body in the closed position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions may be omitted. In this specification, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are perpendicular to each other. The X-axis and Y-axis directions are horizontal, and the Z-axis direction is vertical.

[0009] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 1 dries a substrate W by replacing the drying liquid L, which is placed on the substrate W, with a supercritical fluid. The substrate W includes semiconductor substrates such as silicon wafers, or glass substrates. A supercritical fluid is a fluid that has been subjected to a temperature above its critical temperature and a pressure above its critical pressure, and is in a state where it is impossible to distinguish between liquid and gas. By replacing the drying liquid L with a supercritical fluid, the appearance of a liquid-gas interface in the uneven pattern of the substrate W can be suppressed. As a result, the generation of surface tension can be suppressed, and the collapse of the uneven pattern can be suppressed. The drying liquid L is, for example, an organic solvent such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), and the supercritical fluid is, for example, CO2. Note that the contents of this disclosure are also applicable to processing other than supercritical drying.

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing container 20, a tray 22, a lid 24, and a gate opening / closing unit 26. The processing container 20 is a pressure-resistant container that can withstand a pressure of supercritical or higher. The processing container 20 has a carry-in / out port 21 on its side surface. The substrate W is carried into the processing container 20 through the carry-in / out port 21 in a state where the drying liquid L is stored in a liquid state. After being dried inside the processing container 20, the substrate W is carried out of the processing container 20 through the carry-in / out port 21.

[0011] The tray 22 horizontally holds the substrate W with the drying liquid stored thereon from below. The tray 22 has, for example, a horizontal plate 221 and a plurality of pins 222 provided on the upper surface of the plate 221, and holds the substrate W horizontally with the plurality of pins 222. The tray 22 passes through the carry-in / out port 21 while holding the substrate W. The tray 22 is an example of a substrate transfer unit. Note that the tray 22 may be fixed inside the processing container 20, or the substrate transfer unit may be provided separately from the tray 22. The substrate transfer unit may have a transfer arm that holds the substrate W and a drive unit that drives the transfer arm.

[0012] The lid 24 opens and closes the carry-in / out port 21 of the processing container 20. A sealing material 25 for preventing fluid leakage is provided on the opposing surface of the lid 24 to the carry-in / out port 21. The lid 24 is integrated with the tray 22, and the tray 22 is moved together with the lid 24. As described above, the tray 22 may be fixed inside the processing container 20, or only the lid 24 may be moved.

[0013] The gate opening / closing unit 26 opens and closes the carry-in / out port 21 by moving the lid 24. The gate opening / closing unit 26 moves the tray 22 together with the lid 24. When the gate opening / closing unit 26 closes the carry-in / out port 21 by moving the lid 24, it carries the tray 22 into the processing container 20. When the gate opening / closing unit 26 opens the carry-in / out port 21 by moving the lid 24, it carries the tray 22 out of the processing container 20.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a processing container 20 is provided with a supply port 27 and a discharge port 28. The supply port 27 is provided on a side surface opposite to the carry-in outlet 21 of the processing container 20 and is connected to a supply line 41. The discharge port 28 is provided below the carry-in outlet 21 and is connected to a discharge line 51. Note that the number and position of the supply port 27 and the number and position of the discharge port 28 are not particularly limited.

[0015] Inside the processing container 20, a supply header 31 and a discharge header 33 are provided. The supply header 31 is connected to the supply port 27 and has a plurality of supply ports that open toward the carry-in outlet 21 of the processing container 20. The discharge header 33 is connected to the discharge port 28 and has a plurality of discharge ports that open toward the supply header 31.

[0016] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 90. The control unit 90 is, for example, a computer and includes an arithmetic unit 91 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit 92 such as a memory. The storage unit 92 stores programs for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 90 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by causing the arithmetic unit 91 to execute the programs stored in the storage unit 92.

[0017] Next, an example of the supply unit 40 and the discharge unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, TS represents a temperature sensor and PS represents a pressure sensor. The supply unit 40 supplies various fluids from the outside to the inside of the processing container 20. The supply unit 40 has a supply line 41. The supply line 41 connects a fluid supply source and the processing container 20 and supplies a supercritical fluid from the fluid supply source to the processing container 20.

[0018] The supply line 41 has, for example, individual lines 41A and 41B and a common line 41C. The upstream ends of the individual lines 41A and 41B are connected to the fluid supply source, and the downstream ends of the individual lines 41A and 41B are connected to the upstream end of the common line 41C. The downstream end of the common line 41C is connected to the supply port 27 of the processing container 20.

[0019] Individual line 41A is used to supply the raw material for the supercritical fluid (e.g., liquid CO2). Individual line 41A is equipped with an on-off valve 42 and a throttle 43. The on-off valve 42 opens and closes the flow path of individual line 41A. The flow path of individual line 41A corresponds to the second flow path, and the on-off valve 42 corresponds to the second on-off valve. When the on-off valve 42 opens the flow path, the raw material for the supercritical fluid is supplied to the common line 41C, heated in the common line 41C, and supplied to the inside of the processing container 20 as a gas or supercritical fluid. On the other hand, when the on-off valve 42 closes the flow path, the supply of the raw material for the supercritical fluid to the common line 41C is stopped.

[0020] Individual line 41B is used for supplying purge gas (e.g., N2 gas). Individual line 41B is equipped with an on-off valve 44. The on-off valve 44 opens and closes the flow path of individual line 41B. The flow path of individual line 41B corresponds to the first flow path, and the on-off valve 44 corresponds to the first on-off valve. The first flow path is sometimes referred to as the purge gas flow path. When the on-off valve 44 opens the purge gas flow path, purge gas is supplied to the inside of the processing container 20 via the common line 41C. On the other hand, when the on-off valve 44 closes the purge gas flow path, the supply of purge gas to the common line 41C is stopped.

[0021] The common line 41C supplies various fluids to the processing container 20. Along the common line 41C, a heater 45, an on-off valve 46, and a filter 47 are installed in this order from upstream to downstream. Between the heater 45 and the on-off valve 46, a branch line 48 branches off from the common line 41C. An on-off valve 49 is installed along the branch line 48.

[0022] When the pressure in the processing container 20 is released, the on-off valve 46 closes the flow path of the common line 41C, and the on-off valve 49 opens the flow path of the branch line 48. This allows the pressure in the heater 45 to be released independently of the pressure in the processing container 20. The reduced pressure in the heater 45 prevents the cooled gas from flowing into the processing container 20 through the filter 47, thereby preventing particles from flowing into the processing container 20.

[0023] Furthermore, the reason for releasing the pressure from the heater 45 after processing the nth (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1)th substrate W is to process the (n+1)th substrate W under the same conditions as the first substrate W, thereby reducing variations in the processing quality of the substrates W.

[0024] The discharge section 50 discharges fluid from inside the processing container 20. The discharge section 50 has a discharge line 51. The upstream end of the discharge line 51 is connected to the discharge port 28 of the processing container 20. Along the discharge line 51, a flow meter 52, a back pressure valve 53, and an on / off valve 54 are installed in this order from upstream to downstream.

[0025] The back pressure valve 53 maintains the pressure in the processing container 20 at a set pressure. The set pressure of the back pressure valve 53 can be changed as needed. The on-off valve 54 opens and closes the flow path of the discharge line 51. When the on-off valve 54 opens the flow path, the fluid is discharged from the processing container 20 while the back pressure valve 53 maintains a constant pressure in the processing container 20.

[0026] A bypass line 55 is provided in the middle of the discharge line 51, which bypasses the back pressure valve 53 and the on-off valve 54. An on-off valve 56 is provided in the middle of the bypass line 55. The on-off valve 56 opens and closes the flow path of the bypass line 55. When the on-off valve 56 opens the flow path, the fluid is discharged from the processing container 20, and the pressure in the processing container 20 returns to atmospheric pressure.

[0027] Next, an example of the components of the control unit 90 will be described with reference to Figure 5. Note that the functional blocks shown in Figure 5 are conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. All or part of each functional block can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit. Each processing function performed by each functional block can be implemented, in whole or in any part, by a program executed on the CPU, or by hardware using wired logic.

[0028] The control unit 90 includes, for example, a management unit 93, a determination unit 94, a gate opening / closing control unit 95, and an opening / closing valve control unit 96. The management unit 93 acquires information regarding the processing plan and processing recipe of the substrate W from, for example, a host computer, and manages that information. The processing plan includes the number of substrates to be processed and the processing timing. The processing recipe includes processing conditions (for example, the order of the processes, the time for each process, the temperature, pressure, or flow rate at each process, etc.).

[0029] The determination unit 94 determines, based on the information acquired by the management unit 93, whether or not substrate W will be loaded following the unloading of substrate W. The gate opening / closing control unit 95 controls the opening and closing of the loading / unloading port 21 of the processing container 20 by controlling the gate opening / closing unit 26. The opening / closing valve control unit 96 controls the opening and closing of the opening / closing valves 42, 44, 46, 49, 54, and 56.

[0030] As will be described in more detail later, when a substrate W is loaded in following the unloading of a substrate W, the control unit 90 loads the substrate W after the unloading of the substrate W without switching the loading / unloading port 21 from an open state to a closed state, and without switching the purge gas flow path from a closed state to an open state. When a substrate W is loaded in following the unloading of a substrate W, the control unit 90 loads the substrate W after the unloading of the substrate W, with the desired switching operation prohibited.

[0031] Next, a substrate processing method according to one embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6. Steps S101 to S107 shown in Figure 6 are performed under the control of the control unit 90. The processing from step S101 onward begins when the power to the substrate processing apparatus 1 is turned on, the startup of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is completed, and the management unit 93 acquires the processing plan for the substrate W.

[0032] Figure 7 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1 immediately before step S101. In Figure 7, the thick lines represent the fluid flow. The on-off valves 44, 46, 54, and 56 on the thick lines have their respective flow paths open, while the other on-off valves 42 and 49 have their respective flow paths closed. The supply unit 40 supplies purge gas to the processing container 20, and the discharge unit 50 discharges the purge gas accumulated in the processing container 20.

[0033] The purge gas keeps the inside of the processing container 20 clean before processing of the substrate W begins (or while processing of the substrate W is interrupted). The purge gas is supplied to the processing container 20 when the processing container 20 does not contain the substrate W, and is discharged from the processing container 20. The purge gas may also be supplied to the processing container 20 during the process of the substrate W being removed from the processing container 20 (for example, in step S104).

[0034] In step S101, as shown in Figure 8, the on-off valve 44 closes the purge gas flow path. The control unit 90 switches not only the on-off valve 44, but also the on-off valves 46, 54, and 56 from the open state to the closed state. The open state is a state in which the flow path is open, and the closed state is a state in which the flow path is closed. All on-off valves 42, 44, 46, 49, 54, and 56 close their respective flow paths. The supply unit 40 stops supplying purge gas, and the discharge unit 50 stops discharging purge gas. After that, it is preferable for the control unit 90 to confirm with the pressure sensor PS that the pressure in the processing container 20 is below a threshold.

[0035] Furthermore, in step S101, the gate opening / closing unit 26 opens the loading / unloading port 21 by moving the lid 24. Since the supply unit 40 has stopped supplying purge gas, it is possible to suppress the sealing material 25 from being blown away by the pressure of the processing container 20 when the gate opening / closing unit 26 opens the loading / unloading port 21. Also, since the supply unit 40 has stopped supplying purge gas, even when the gate opening / closing unit 26 opens the loading / unloading port 21, it is possible to suppress the outflow of high-temperature purge gas through the loading / unloading port 21. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the exposure of the substrate W waiting near the loading / unloading port 21 to high-temperature purge gas, and thus suppress the drying of the substrate W.

[0036] In step S102, a transport robot (not shown) places the substrate W on the tray 22, and the gate opening / closing unit 26 moves the lid 24 to transport the substrate W into the processing container 20 and close the input / output port 21. At this time, all the on / off valves 42, 44, 46, 49, 54, and 56 close their respective passages to prevent backflow of fluid. Inside the processing container 20, the tray 22 holds the substrate W horizontally with the liquid film of the drying liquid L facing upwards.

[0037] In step S103, pressure boosting, fluid flow, and depressurization are performed in this order. Pressure boosting is the process in which the supply unit 40 supplies supercritical fluid to the processing container 20, raising the pressure in the processing container 20 to a set pressure above the critical pressure. Fluid flow is the process in which the supply unit 40 and the discharge unit 50 discharge the fluid accumulated in the processing container 20 while maintaining a constant pressure in the processing container 20. The discharged fluid contains not only supercritical fluid but also the drying liquid L dissolved in the supercritical fluid. The drying liquid L disappears from the substrate W, and the substrate W dries. Depressurization is the process in which the discharge unit 50 discharges the fluid accumulated in the processing container 20, lowering the pressure in the processing container 20.

[0038] Figure 9 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1 during the pressure increase in step S103. In Figure 9, the thick lines represent the fluid flow. The on-off valves 42 and 46 on the thick lines open their respective flow paths, while the other on-off valves 44, 49, 54, and 56 close their respective flow paths. The supply unit 40 supplies supercritical fluid to the processing container 20 and raises the pressure in the processing container 20 to a set pressure above the critical pressure. During this time, the discharge unit 50 does not discharge the fluid accumulating in the processing container 20.

[0039] Figure 10 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1 during the flow in step S103. In Figure 10, the thick lines represent the fluid flow. The on-off valves 42, 46, and 54 on the thick lines open their respective flow paths, while the other on-off valves 44, 49, and 56 close their respective flow paths. The supply unit 40 and the discharge unit 50 discharge the fluid accumulated in the processing container 20 while maintaining a constant pressure in the processing container 20. The discharged fluid contains not only the supercritical fluid but also the drying liquid L dissolved in the supercritical fluid. The drying liquid L disappears from the substrate W, and the substrate W dries.

[0040] Figure 11 shows an example of the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1 during depressurization in step S103. In Figure 11, the thick lines represent the fluid flow. The on-off valves 49, 54, and 56 on the thick lines open their respective flow paths, while the other on-off valves 42, 44, and 46 close their respective flow paths. The discharge section 50 discharges the fluid accumulated in the processing container 20, thereby lowering the pressure in the processing container 20. Subsequently, it is preferable for the control unit 90 to confirm with the pressure sensor PS that the pressure in the processing container 20 is below a threshold.

[0041] When the discharge section 50 releases the pressure from the processing container 20, the on-off valve 46 closes the flow path of the common line 41C, and the on-off valve 49 opens the flow path of the branch line 48. This allows the pressure of the heater 45 to be released independently of the pressure of the processing container 20. The reduced pressure of the heater 45 prevents the cooled gas from flowing into the processing container 20 via the filter 47, thereby preventing particles from flowing into the processing container 20.

[0042] In step S104, the gate opening / closing unit 26 moves the lid 24 to open the loading / unloading port 21 and unload the substrate W from the processing container 20. The unloading of the substrate W creates a space inside the processing container 20 with the same volume as the substrate W. To prevent air from entering this space from outside the processing container 20, the on / off valve 44 opens the purge gas passage while the substrate W is being unloaded, as shown in Figure 7, just before step S101.

[0043] The control unit 90 supplies purge gas to the processing container 20 by opening the purge gas passage through the on-off valve 44, while simultaneously removing the substrate W. Even if the removal of the substrate W creates a space inside the processing container 20 with the same volume as the substrate W, this space can be filled with purge gas, thereby preventing air from entering the processing container 20 from the outside.

[0044] In step S105, since the substrate W has been removed, the on-off valve 44 closes the purge gas flow path as shown in Figure 8. This prevents the high-temperature purge gas from flowing out through the inlet / outlet 21. The control unit 90 switches not only the on-off valve 44 but also the on-off valves 46, 54, and 56 from the open state to the closed state. All on-off valves 42, 44, 46, 49, 54, and 56 close their respective flow paths to prevent backflow of fluid.

[0045] In step S106, the determination unit 94 determines whether or not substrates W will be loaded following the unloading of substrates W. Specifically, the determination unit 94 determines whether or not the number of substrates W to be processed has reached the number of substrates to be processed in the processing plan, that is, whether or not there are any substrates W remaining to be processed. Hereinafter, the number of substrates to be processed in the processing plan may be referred to as the planned number.

[0046] If there are still substrates W to be processed (step S106, NO), the control unit 90 repeats the processing from step S102 onwards, including loading the substrates W. On the other hand, if the number of substrates W to be processed has reached the planned number and there are no substrates W to be processed (step S106, YES), the control unit 90 performs step S107.

[0047] In step S107, the gate opening / closing unit 26 moves the cover 24 to close the loading / unloading port 21, and as shown in Figure 7, the opening / closing valve 44 opens the purge gas passage. The control unit 90 switches not only the opening / closing valve 44, but also the opening / closing valves 46, 54, and 56 from the closed state to the open state. As a result, the state of the substrate processing apparatus 1 becomes the same as the state immediately before step S101.

[0048] The purge gas keeps the inside of the processing container 20 clean until the control unit 93 obtains the next processing plan. The purge gas is supplied to the processing container 20 and discharged from the processing container 20 when the processing container 20 does not contain the substrate W. Once the control unit 93 obtains the next processing plan, the processing from step S101 onwards is performed.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, when the (n+1)th substrate W is loaded in following the unloading of the nth substrate W (step S106, NO), the control unit 90 skips steps S107 and S101 and processes from step S102 onwards. In other words, when the (n+1)th substrate W is loaded in following the unloading of the nth substrate W (step S106, NO), the control unit 90 loads the (n+1)th substrate W without switching the loading / unloading outlet 21 from an open state to a closed state and without switching the purge gas flow path from a closed state to an open state.

[0050] By skipping steps S107 and S101, the closing and opening of the input / output port 21 can be skipped once each, reducing the number of opening and closing operations of the gate opening / closing unit 26 and improving the lifespan of the gate opening / closing unit 26 and the sealing material 25. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by skipping steps S107 and S101, the switching of the on / off valves 44, 46, 54, and 56 from the closed state to the open state and the switching from the open state to the closed state can be skipped once each, reducing the number of opening and closing operations of the on / off valves 44, 46, 54, and 56 and improving the lifespan of the on / off valves 44, 46, 54, and 56. Moreover, by skipping steps S107 and S101, throughput can be improved.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the (n+1)th substrate W is not loaded after the nth substrate W is unloaded (step S106, YES), the control unit 90 performs step S107. In step S107, the loading / unloading outlet 21 is closed and the purge gas flow path is opened. This keeps the inside of the processing container 20 clean until the management unit 93 acquires the next processing plan.

[0052] Furthermore, the control unit 90 in this embodiment removes the nth substrate W while supplying purge gas to the processing container 20 by opening the purge gas flow path. Even if the removal of the nth substrate W creates a space inside the processing container 20 with the same volume as the substrate W, this space can be filled with purge gas, preventing air from entering the processing container 20 from the outside. In this case, the control unit 90 closes the purge gas flow path after the removal of the nth substrate W and before the loading of the (n+1)th substrate W. This prevents high-temperature purge gas from flowing out through the loading / unloading outlet 21. Therefore, the (n+1)th substrate W waiting near the loading / unloading outlet 21 is prevented from being exposed to high-temperature purge gas, and the drying of the (n+1)th substrate W is prevented.

[0053] Furthermore, the control unit 90 of this embodiment determines, after blocking the purge gas flow path (step S105) and before loading the next substrate W (step S102), whether or not the (n+1)th substrate W will be loaded following the unloading of the nth substrate W. By making this determination immediately before loading the (n+1)th substrate W, it is easier to respond to changes in the processing plan. The timing of the determination is not particularly limited.

[0054] Next, an example of the structure of the on-off valve 44 will be described with reference to Figure 12. The on-off valve 44 has a first port 441, a second port 442, and a valve body 443. The first port 441 and the second port 442 are such that one (e.g., the first port 441) is the inlet for the fluid (e.g., purge gas), and the other (e.g., the second port 442) is the outlet for the fluid.

[0055] The valve body 443 moves between an open position (see Figure 12(A)) and a closed position (see Figure 12(B)). The open position is the position that connects the first port 441 and the second port 442. The closed position is the position that blocks the first port 441 and the second port 442. The valve body 443 is, for example, a diaphragm.

[0056] When the valve body 443 stops in the closed position, the surface 443b of the valve body 443 that receives pressure from the second port 442 is larger than the surface 443a of the valve body 443 that receives pressure from the first port 441. For example, the first port 441 and the second port 442 are arranged concentrically, the first port 441 is arranged in a circular shape, and the second port 442 is arranged in an annular shape surrounding the first port 441.

[0057] The second port 442 is closer to the processing vessel 20 than the first port 441. The second port 442 applies a pressure equivalent to the pressure in the processing vessel 20 (for example, a pressure above the critical pressure) to the valve body 443. On the other hand, the first port 441 applies a pressure of approximately atmospheric pressure (for example, a pressure of 1 MPa or less) to the valve body 443.

[0058] As described above, the second port 442 is closer to the processing container 20 than the first port 441. Since the pressure in the processing container 20 is high, the valve body 443 receives the high pressure over a large area, which reduces the closing force that stops the valve body 443 in the closed position. As a result, damage to the valve body 443 can be suppressed, and the lifespan of the valve body 443 can be extended. The contents of this disclosure are also applicable to on-off valves 42, 46, 49, 54, and 56 other than on-off valve 44.

[0059] The on / off valve 44 has an elastic body 444 that biases the valve body 443 from the open position to the closed position. The elastic body 444 biases the valve body 443 from the open position to the closed position with its elastic restoring force. The elastic body 444 is, for example, a spring. The substrate processing apparatus 1 has a drive unit 60 that pushes the valve body 443 against the biasing force F of the elastic body 444.

[0060] The drive unit 60 pushes the valve body 443 from the closed position to the open position, for example, using air pressure. The drive unit 60 includes one or more solenoid valves, and can switch the air pressure supplied to the on-off valve 44 between a first set pressure P1 that is higher than atmospheric pressure and a second set pressure P2 (P2 > P1) that is higher than the first set pressure P1. To improve maintainability, the drive unit 60 may also be able to switch the air pressure supplied to the on-off valve 44 to atmospheric pressure.

[0061] When the drive unit 60 supplies air pressure equal to the second set pressure P2 to the on-off valve 44, the valve body 443 moves from the closed position to the open position and stops in the open position. On the other hand, when the drive unit 60 supplies air pressure equal to the first set pressure P1 to the on-off valve 44, the valve body 443 moves from the open position to the closed position and stops in the closed position.

[0062] The control unit 90 controls the drive unit 60 to move the valve body 443 from the open position to the closed position, pushing the valve body 443 against the biasing force F of the elastic body 444 with a first set pressure P1. This reduces the impact when the valve body 443 reaches the closed position, or reduces the closing force that stops the valve body 443 in the closed position. As a result, damage to the valve body 443 can be suppressed, and the lifespan of the valve body 443 can be extended. The contents of this disclosure are also applicable to on-off valves 42, 46, 49, 54, and 56 other than the on-off valve 44.

[0063] The embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method described above have been explained, but the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions, deletions, and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims. These also naturally fall within the technical scope of the disclosure.

[0064] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-167483, filed with the Japan Patent Office on October 19, 2022, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-167483 are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1. Substrate processing device 20 Processing containers 21 Loading / Unloading Exit 22 Tray (Circuit board transport section) 24 Lid 26 Gate opening / closing section 44. Shut-off valve (1st shut-off valve) 90 Control Unit W board

Claims

1. A processing container is provided for loading and unloading substrates, and for housing the substrates. A lid that opens and closes the aforementioned loading / unloading port, A gate opening / closing mechanism for moving the lid, A substrate transport unit that holds the substrate and passes it through the input / output port, A first on / off valve that opens and closes a first flow path for supplying purge gas to the processing container, Control unit and Equipped with, The control unit determines whether or not a substrate will be loaded following the unloading of the substrate, and if a substrate will be loaded following the unloading of the substrate, it loads the substrate after the unloading of the substrate without switching the loading outlet from an open state to a closed state and without switching the first flow path from a closed state to an open state. The control unit opens the first channel to supply the purge gas to the processing container while unloading the substrate, and closes the first channel after the substrate has been unloaded but before the substrate has been loaded.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines, after the first flow path is blocked and before the substrate is loaded, whether or not the substrate is loaded following the unloading of the substrate.

3. A processing container is provided for loading and unloading substrates, and for housing the substrates. A lid that opens and closes the aforementioned loading / unloading port, A gate opening / closing mechanism for moving the lid, A substrate transport unit that holds the substrate and passes it through the input / output port, A first on / off valve that opens and closes a first flow path for supplying purge gas to the processing container, Control unit and Equipped with, The control unit determines whether or not a substrate will be loaded following the unloading of the substrate, and if a substrate will be loaded following the unloading of the substrate, it loads the substrate after the unloading of the substrate without switching the loading outlet from an open state to a closed state and without switching the first flow path from a closed state to an open state. The first on-off valve has a valve body that moves between an open position that connects the first port and the second port and a closed position that blocks the first port and the second port. When the valve body stops in the closed position, the surface of the valve body that receives pressure from the second port is larger than the surface of the valve body that receives pressure from the first port. A substrate processing apparatus wherein the second port is a port closer to the processing vessel than the first port.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, if no substrate is loaded following the unloading of the substrate, the control unit closes the loading / unloading outlet and opens the first flow path after the substrate has been unloaded.

5. The system includes a second on / off valve that opens and closes a second channel for supplying supercritical fluid to the processing container, The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supercritical fluid replaces the drying liquid that is poured onto the substrate inside the processing vessel.

6. The first on-off valve has a valve body that moves between an open position that connects the first port and the second port and a closed position that blocks the first port and the second port, and an elastic body that biases the valve body from the open position toward the closed position. The substrate processing apparatus has a drive unit that pushes the valve body against the biasing force of the elastic body, The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to move the valve body from the open position to the closed position, thereby pushing the valve body against the restoring force of the elastic body.

7. A substrate processing method comprising: opening the inlet and outlet of a processing container; loading a substrate into the processing container; closing the inlet and outlet; supplying a fluid into the processing container; opening the inlet and outlet; unloading the substrate from the processing container; and opening and closing a first channel for supplying purge gas to the processing container, The system determines whether or not a substrate is loaded following the unloading of the substrate, and if a substrate is loaded following the unloading of the substrate, the system loads the substrate after the unloading of the substrate without switching the loading outlet from an open state to a closed state and without switching the first flow path from a closed state to an open state. A substrate processing method comprising: opening the first channel to supply the purge gas to the processing container while unloading the substrate; and closing the first channel after the unloading of the substrate but before the loading of the substrate.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, further comprising determining whether or not the substrate will be loaded following the unloading of the substrate after the first channel is blocked and before the substrate is loaded.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising, if no substrate is loaded following the loading of the substrate, closing the loading outlet and opening the first flow path after the loading of the substrate.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising supplying a supercritical fluid inside the processing container to replace the drying liquid that has been poured onto the substrate with the supercritical fluid.

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