JP2001358094A - Processing method and processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a processing method which can perform processing reliably, consumes less nitrogen gas, and has a low running cost;
A processing device for that purpose is provided. SOLUTION: First, after opening valves 17 and 27 and filling a container 3 with nitrogen gas, the valves 17 and 27 are closed. When the substrate W is transported by the roller conveyor 1 and comes below the container 3, the lamp 7 in the container 3 filled with nitrogen gas is driven, and the substrate W transported by the roller conveyor 1 and the oxygen around the substrate W The gas containing is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet light to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product contact the substrate W to oxidize the attached organic compound. Decompose and remove.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for treating an object to be treated, and more particularly to a method and apparatus utilizing vacuum ultraviolet light.
Oxide coating on the surface of metals and semiconductor materials, dry precision cleaning of organic compound stains attached to the surface of objects to be processed such as metals, semiconductors, glass plates, etc. The present invention relates to a processing method for removing a photoresist that has become damaged, and a processing apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of this kind of processing method is disclosed in JP-A-7-19.
No. 6303. Here, a vacuum ultraviolet light source was built in a container having a light extraction window, and nitrogen gas was constantly flowed in the container during processing.

[0003]

In the method described in the above-mentioned publication, the nitrogen gas must be constantly flowed into the vessel during the processing, so that the consumption of the nitrogen gas is large and the running cost is increased. Was. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing method that can perform processing reliably, consumes a small amount of nitrogen gas and has a low running cost, and a processing apparatus therefor.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a vacuum ultraviolet light source is accommodated in an airtight container having a transmission portion that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, and the vacuum ultraviolet light emitted by the vacuum ultraviolet light source is transmitted. A treatment method of irradiating a fluid containing oxygen through the transmission section to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and contacting the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product with an object to be oxidized, Nitrogen gas is intermittently supplied to the container for processing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the oxygen concentration in the container is monitored during the process while the supply of the nitrogen gas to the container is stopped, and the oxygen concentration becomes higher than a predetermined value. The processing is stopped when the condition is reached.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the oxygen concentration in the container is monitored during the process while the supply of the nitrogen gas to the container is stopped, and the oxygen concentration is set to a predetermined value. When the temperature becomes higher, the nitrogen gas is supplied to the container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a nitrogen gas is supplied to the container every time a predetermined number of substrates are processed.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the nitrogen gas is supplied to the container every time the processing is performed for a predetermined time.

[0009] The invention according to claim 6 is an airtight container having a transmission portion that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, a vacuum ultraviolet light source provided in the container and irradiating the object to be processed with vacuum ultraviolet light, A processing apparatus comprising: a nitrogen gas supply source that supplies nitrogen gas into the container; and a control device that intermittently operates the nitrogen gas supply.

The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in claim 6, a means for monitoring the oxygen concentration in the container is further provided.

[0011] The invention according to claim 8 is that the vacuum ultraviolet light source is accommodated in an airtight container having a transmission portion that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, and the vacuum ultraviolet light emitted by the vacuum ultraviolet light source is transmitted through the transmission portion. In a treatment method of irradiating a fluid containing oxygen to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and contacting the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product with an object to be oxidized, the inside of the container is substantially reduced. It is characterized by processing in a vacuum state.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the eighth aspect, the pressure in the container is monitored during execution of the process, and the process is stopped when the pressure becomes higher than a predetermined value.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth or ninth aspect, the pressure in the container is monitored during execution of the process, and if the pressure becomes higher than a predetermined value, the pressure in the container is reduced. It is characterized by the following.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, the pressure in the container is reduced each time a predetermined number of substrates are processed.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the pressure in the container is reduced every time the processing is performed for a predetermined time.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention provides an airtight container having a transmission part that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, a vacuum ultraviolet light source provided in the container, and irradiating the object to be processed with vacuum ultraviolet light, A processing apparatus, comprising: a decompression device that decompresses the inside of the container; and a control device that controls an operation of the decompression device.

According to a fourteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, a means for monitoring the pressure in the container is further provided.

[0018]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a first embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention. In this substrate processing apparatus, a rectangular glass substrate W (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate W), which is an object to be processed, is horizontally or slightly inclined by a roller conveyor 1 in a horizontal direction from left to right in the drawing. While being conveyed, vacuum ultraviolet light is irradiated to decompose and remove dirt on the organic compound. The roller conveyor 1 of the substrate processing apparatus is installed in a clean room and is placed in a clean and oxygen-containing gas atmosphere. The substrate W conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and the surrounding oxygen-containing gas are vacuum ultraviolet light. Light is irradiated to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product oxidize an organic compound attached in contact with the substrate W to decompose and remove the organic compound.

This substrate W is to be cleaned of dirt adhering to its surface before undergoing a process such as formation of a photoresist film, exposure, development and etching in order to manufacture a liquid crystal display device. It is assumed that. In addition,
Although not shown, a wet processing unit that supplies a processing liquid such as a cleaning liquid to the substrate W to perform wet cleaning or wet processing is further provided on the right side of FIG.
To the left of the substrate supply device for supplying the substrate W,
Each is provided.

In FIG. 1, an airtight container 3 made of an opaque material has a window 5 as a transmission portion for transmitting vacuum ultraviolet light.
Is provided. The window 5 is made of flat glass made of synthetic quartz glass, which is a material that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light. Inside the container 3, a dielectric barrier discharge lamp 7 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a lamp 7) in which xenon gas is sealed is provided as a vacuum ultraviolet light source. The container 3 is provided at a position above the roller conveyor 1 that conveys the substrate W, with the window 5 facing downward so that the window 5 faces the substrate on the roller conveyor 1. The container 3 has a nitrogen gas inlet 9.
And an outlet 11. The inlet 9 is connected to a pipe 13
Is connected to a supply source 15 of nitrogen gas through a pipe 13. The piping 13 is provided with an air valve 17 and a regulator 19, and the regulator 19 is further provided with a pressure gauge 21. The outlet 11 is connected to an exhaust system (not shown) provided in a clean room by a pipe 29 having an air valve 27.

Further, the container 3 is provided with an oxygen concentration meter 23 for measuring and detecting the oxygen concentration in the container 3, and the detection result is transmitted to the control device 25. The control device 25 controls the air valves 17 and 27 based on the measurement result of the oximeter 23.
Open / close control. Further, a driving device (not shown) is connected to the lamp 7, and the control device 25 controls the driving device to control the extinguishing and lighting states of the lamp 7. The roller conveyor 1 is also connected to the control device 25,
The control device 25 also controls the transfer operation of the substrate W.

The processing method of the present invention using this apparatus will be described below. When the process is started, first, as a first step, the control device 25 opens the air valves 17 and 27 to supply nitrogen gas into the container 3, and cleans the inside so that the inside of the container 3 is filled with nitrogen gas. Replace. When the oximeter 23 detects that the replacement has been sufficiently performed and the oxygen concentration in the container 3 has become sufficiently low, information on the detection result is transmitted to the control device 25. Then, the control device 25 closes the air valves 17 and 27 and stops the supply of the nitrogen gas into the container 3.

Next, as a second stage, the control device 25 controls the lamp 7 to be turned on, and
Of the substrate W is started. The substrate W conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and passing below the window 5 of the container 3 and the gas containing oxygen around the substrate W are irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet light, and the peripheral gas is irradiated with ozone and active oxidation by a photochemical reaction. Sexual decomposition products are produced. Then, the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product oxidize the organic compound attached in contact with the substrate W to be decomposed and removed. A plurality of substrates W are continuously conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and are continuously processed.

This second step is continuously and repeatedly executed until a predetermined number of substrates are processed. When the processing of the group of substrates to be processed in this second stage is completed, if there is no other substrate to be processed continuously, the control device 25 turns off the lamp 7 and turns off the roller 7. The conveyor 1 is stopped, and the processing operation ends. If there is another group of substrates to be processed continuously, the control device 25 returns to the first stage and continues the processing. That is, returning to the first stage, the nitrogen gas is supplied into the container 3 and the inside is replaced so that the inside of the container 3 is filled with the nitrogen gas. Is performed.

During the execution of the second stage, the control device 25 monitors the detection result of the oximeter 23 and
Keep monitoring the oxygen concentration in the inside. If the oxygen concentration in the container 3 becomes higher than a predetermined value for some reason during the execution of the second step, the execution of the second step is stopped at that time, and the operation proceeds to the first step. After returning and replacing the inside of the vessel 3 with nitrogen gas, the processing of the second stage is continued again.

Here, the group of substrates to be processed is, for example, a handling unit of the substrate to be processed and is a lot of a group of a plurality of substrates, a set of a plurality of lots, or An arbitrary set of substrates to be processed, such as a group of substrates to be processed in the morning. In the above embodiment, the supply of nitrogen gas is performed every time a group of substrates is processed. However, the supply of nitrogen gas is performed every time one substrate is processed or every time a predetermined number of substrates are processed. Alternatively, the nitrogen gas may be supplied every time the treatment is performed for a predetermined time.

As described above, according to the processing method of the present invention, the nitrogen gas is not continuously flown into the container 3 in the second stage in which the vacuum ultraviolet light irradiation is actually being performed. Only in the first stage which can be said, the replacement operation is performed by supplying the nitrogen gas into the container 3. Therefore, the nitrogen gas is not continuously supplied during the processing, so that the consumption of the nitrogen gas is relatively small and the running cost is low. Further, even during the execution of the second stage during the processing, the oxygen concentration in the container 3 is monitored, and if the oxygen concentration increases, the processing is stopped and the nitrogen gas in the container 3 is replaced. Even if the nitrogen gas substituted in the first stage leaks due to the insufficient airtightness of the container 3 and the oxygen concentration in the container 3 becomes high, the occurrence of the failure of the oxidation treatment caused by the nitrogen gas will not increase. It can be prevented beforehand.

In this embodiment, the oxygen concentration meter 23 is provided to monitor the oxygen concentration in the container 3.
As long as the oxygen concentration in the container 3 can be substantially monitored, other means such as a pressure gauge may be used.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of the embodiment.
In this substrate processing apparatus, a rectangular glass substrate W (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate W) is transported horizontally from left to right in FIG. Irradiation with ultraviolet light decomposes and removes dirt on the organic compound. The roller conveyor 1 of this substrate processing apparatus is installed in a clean room and is placed in a clean and oxygen-containing gas atmosphere, and the substrate W conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and the surrounding oxygen-containing gas are vacuum ultraviolet rays. Light is irradiated to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product oxidize an organic compound attached in contact with the substrate W to decompose and remove the organic compound.

Before manufacturing the liquid crystal display device, the substrate W should be cleaned of dirt adhering to its surface before undergoing a process such as formation of a photoresist film, exposure, development and etching. It is assumed that. In addition,
Although not shown, a wet processing unit that supplies a processing liquid such as a cleaning liquid to the substrate W to perform wet cleaning or wet processing is further provided on the right side of FIG.
To the left of the substrate supply device for supplying the substrate W,
Each is provided.

In FIG. 2, an airtight container 3 made of an opaque material is formed by defining a plurality of independent small chambers 4, and each of the small chambers 4 has a window as a transmission part that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light. 5 are provided. The window 5 is made of flat glass made of synthetic quartz glass, which is a material that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light. Inside each small chamber 4, a lamp 7 filled with xenon gas is provided as a vacuum ultraviolet light source. The container 3 is provided at a position above the roller conveyor 1 that conveys the substrate W, with the window 5 facing downward so that the window 5 faces the substrate on the roller conveyor 1. Container 3
A vacuum pump 31 is connected to all the small chambers 4 by a pipe 33, and a pressure gauge 35 is connected to all the small chambers 4 by a pipe 37. The detection result of the pressure gauge 35 is transmitted to the control device 25. The control device 25 is a pressure gauge 3
The drive of the vacuum pump 31 is controlled on the basis of the measurement result of Step 5. A driving device (not shown) is connected to the lamp 7, and the control device 25 controls the driving device,
It controls the turning off and lighting of the lamp 7. The roller conveyor 1 is also connected to the control device 25,
Also controls the transfer operation of the substrate W.

The processing method of the present invention using this apparatus will be described below. When the process is started, first, as a first stage, the control device 25 drives the vacuum pump 31 to suck and evacuate the gas in all the small chambers 4 of the container 3 to substantially evacuate the inside of the small chamber 4. State. When the pressure gauge 35 detects that the inside of the small chamber 4 has been sufficiently exhausted and the pressures in all the small chambers 4 have become sufficiently low, information on the detection result is transmitted to the control device 25. Then, the control device 25 stops the driving of the vacuum pump 31 and keeps the inside of the small chamber 4 substantially in a vacuum state. Here, the substantial vacuum state refers to a state in which the vacuum ultraviolet light emitted from the lamp 7 is not substantially attenuated in the small chamber 4, that is, a state in which the attenuation in the small chamber 4 is substantially negligible. .

Next, as a second stage, the control device 25 controls the lamp 7 to be turned on, and
Of the substrate W is started. The substrate W conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and passing below the window 5 of the container 3 and the gas containing oxygen around the substrate W are irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet light, and the peripheral gas is irradiated with ozone and active oxidation by a photochemical reaction. Sexual decomposition products are produced. Then, the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product oxidize the organic compound attached in contact with the substrate W to be decomposed and removed. A plurality of substrates W are continuously conveyed by the roller conveyor 1 and are continuously processed.

This second step is continuously and repeatedly executed until the substrate is processed by a predetermined amount or by a predetermined time. When the processing of the group of substrates to be processed in the second stage is completed, if there is no other substrate to be processed continuously, the control device 25 sets the lamp 7.
Is turned off, the roller conveyor 1 is stopped, and the processing operation is terminated. If there is another group of substrates to be processed continuously, the control device 25 returns to the first stage and continues the processing. That is, returning to the first stage, the vacuum pump 31 is driven to keep the inside of the small chamber 4 of the container 3 substantially in a vacuum state, and then the process proceeds to the second stage to process the other group of substrates. .

During the execution of the second stage, the control device 25 monitors the detection result of the pressure gauge 35 and keeps monitoring the pressure in the small chamber 4 of the container 3. If the pressure in the small chamber 4 of the container 3 becomes higher than a predetermined value for some reason during the execution of the second stage, the execution of the second stage is stopped at that time, and the first stage is stopped. After returning to the step, the inside of the small chamber 4 is depressurized to a substantially vacuum state, and then the processing of the second step is continued again.

Here, the above-mentioned group of substrates is, for example, a unit of handling of a substrate to be processed and a set of a plurality of substrates or a set of a plurality of lots.
Alternatively, it is an arbitrarily determined set of substrates to be processed, such as a group of substrates to be processed in the morning of the day. In the above embodiment, the vacuum pump is driven every time a group of substrates is processed. However, the vacuum pump is driven every time one substrate is processed or every time a predetermined number of substrates are processed. Alternatively, the vacuum pump may be driven each time processing is performed for a predetermined time. Further, the vacuum pump may be constantly driven.

Further, in this embodiment, the interior of the container 3 is divided into a plurality of small chambers 4 in order to easily obtain strength enough to withstand a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the container 3. , One lamp 7 was provided. However, if sufficient strength can be obtained by the material and shape of the container 3, as shown in the first embodiment, a container having one large internal space is used, and a plurality of lamps are provided in the large internal space. May be provided.

In this embodiment, the pressure gauge 35 is provided to monitor the pressure in the container 3. However, if the pressure in the container 3 can be monitored substantially, another pressure gauge such as an oxygen concentration meter can be used. Means may be used.

As described above, according to the processing method of the present invention, there is no need to keep flowing nitrogen gas into the vessel 3 during the vacuum ultraviolet light irradiation processing, and no nitrogen gas is consumed. Is low. Further, even during the execution of the second stage during the processing, the pressure in the container 3 is monitored, and if the pressure increases, the processing is stopped and the pressure in the container 3 is reduced. Is insufficient, the pressure in the container 3 may be increased even though the pressure is reduced in the first stage, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defective oxidation treatment.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, there is provided a processing method which can perform processing reliably, consumes a small amount of nitrogen gas, and has a low running cost.
A processing device for that purpose can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W ... Substrate 1 ... Roller conveyor 2 ... Peel processing chamber 3 ... Container 4 ... Small chamber 7 ... Lamp 15 ... Nitrogen gas supply source 23 ... Oxygen concentration meter 25 ... Control device 31 ... Vacuum pump 35 ... Pressure gauge

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/304 645 H01L 21/30 572A 21/31 21/302 HF term (Reference) 2H096 AA25 CA01 LA01 5F004 AA14 AA16 BA19 BB05 BB24 BC07 BD01 CA01 DA25 DA26 DB26 DB27 EA34 5F045 AA20 AB32 AC11 AF03 BB14 DP23 EE14 EK12 EK19 5F046 MA13

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum ultraviolet light source is accommodated in an airtight container having a transmission part that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, and the vacuum ultraviolet light emitted by the vacuum ultraviolet light source is converted into a fluid containing oxygen through the transmission part. In the treatment method of irradiating to generate ozone and active oxidative decomposition products by a photochemical reaction, and contacting the ozone and active oxidative decomposition products with an object to be oxidized, nitrogen gas is intermittently supplied to the container. A processing method characterized by processing. 2. A process for monitoring the oxygen concentration in the container during execution of the process while stopping the supply of nitrogen gas to the container, and stopping the process if the oxygen concentration becomes higher than a predetermined value. 2. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The process of monitoring the oxygen concentration in the container during execution of the process with the supply of nitrogen gas to the container stopped, and when the oxygen concentration becomes higher than a predetermined value, 3. The supply of nitrogen gas is performed.
The processing method described. 4. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein a nitrogen gas is supplied to the container every time a predetermined number of substrates are processed. 5. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein a nitrogen gas is supplied to the container every time the processing is performed for a predetermined time. 6. An airtight container having a transmission part that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, a vacuum ultraviolet light source provided in the container and irradiating vacuum ultraviolet light to an object to be processed, and nitrogen contained in the container. A processing apparatus comprising: a nitrogen gas supply source for supplying a gas; and a control device for intermittently operating the nitrogen gas supply. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for monitoring the oxygen concentration in the container. 8. A vacuum ultraviolet light source is accommodated in an airtight container having a transmission portion that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, and the vacuum ultraviolet light emitted by the vacuum ultraviolet light source is converted into a fluid containing oxygen through the transmission portion. In the treatment method of irradiating to generate ozone and an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction, and bringing the ozone and the active oxidative decomposition product into contact with an object to be oxidized, the inside of the container is substantially evacuated and the A processing method characterized in that: 9. The processing method according to claim 8, wherein the pressure in the container is monitored during the processing, and the processing is stopped when the pressure becomes higher than a predetermined value. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the pressure in the container is monitored during the processing, and if the pressure becomes higher than a predetermined value, the pressure in the container is reduced. Processing method. 11. The processing method according to claim 8, wherein the pressure in the container is reduced each time a predetermined number of substrates are processed. 12. The processing method according to claim 8, wherein the pressure in the container is reduced each time the processing is performed for a predetermined time. 13. An airtight container having a transmission part that transmits vacuum ultraviolet light, a vacuum ultraviolet light source provided in the container and irradiating vacuum ultraviolet light to an object to be processed, and depressurizing the inside of the container. A processing apparatus, comprising: a decompression device that performs pressure reduction; and a control device that controls an operation of the pressure reduction device. 14. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising means for monitoring the pressure in the container.