JP2014090031A - Etching method and etching device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an etching method and an etching apparatus capable of etching a resist film without using dry etching in a manufacturing process of a thin film transistor.
A resist film is formed by spraying a treatment liquid containing ozone micro-nano bubbles onto a substrate to be processed having a resist film formed on the substrate to oxidatively decompose the resist film. 17 is etched.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an etching method and an etching apparatus using a wet process.

  Conventionally, in display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and organic EL display devices, for example, pixels arranged in a matrix on a glass substrate are controlled by transistors arranged in the vicinity thereof. As this transistor, a thin film transistor (TFT) made of an amorphous silicon thin film or a polysilicon thin film is used.

  For example, when an element such as a thin film transistor is formed in a predetermined pattern on a substrate constituting a liquid crystal display panel, an etching process is an essential process.

  For example, a first step of forming a gate electrode over a substrate, a first insulating layer over the gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor layer made of an oxide semiconductor over the first insulating layer, A second step of forming an electrode layer on the oxide semiconductor layer; a resist is formed on the electrode layer; the resist is exposed and developed using a halftone mask; Forming a resist film having a thin second region, etching the electrode layer and the oxide semiconductor layer using the resist film as a mask, removing the resist film in the second region, Then, a fourth step of etching the electrode layer using the resist film in the remaining first region as a mask, a fifth step of patterning the second insulating layer after forming the second insulating layer, Reduce the resistance of the oxide semiconductor layer in the uncovered region Method of manufacturing the thin film transistor and a sixth step has been proposed (e.g., see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-91279 A

  Here, in the manufacturing process of the conventional thin film transistor, wet etching using a solvent or the like is performed when etching (ashing) the resist film patterned by the halftone exposure process in the fourth process described above. Since the controllability of the thickness is poor and the uniformity of the film thickness of the resist film cannot be ensured, it has been necessary to use dry etching.

  Therefore, in the above-described conventional thin film transistor manufacturing process, wet etching and dry etching are mixed, and thus there is a problem that it takes a long time to manufacture the thin film transistor.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an etching method and an etching apparatus capable of etching a resist film without using dry etching in a thin film transistor manufacturing process. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the etching method of the present invention oxidizes and decomposes a resist film by injecting a treatment liquid containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles onto a substrate to be processed having a resist film formed on the substrate. Thus, the resist film is etched.

  Further, the etching apparatus of the present invention has a generating means for generating a processing liquid containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles, a nozzle header provided with an injection nozzle for injecting a processing liquid supplied from the generating means, and a nozzle header. And a holder for supporting the substrate to be processed having a resist film formed on the substrate, and spraying the processing liquid onto the substrate to be processed to oxidatively decompose the resist film, It is configured to perform etching.

  According to the present invention, unlike a conventional etching method, a resist film can be etched by a wet process (a process using a processing solution containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles) without using dry etching. Therefore, for example, in the manufacturing process of a thin film transistor in which etching is performed using a resist film as a mask, wet etching and dry etching are not mixed, and the time required for manufacturing the thin film transistor can be dramatically shortened.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a resist film etching apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a resist film etching apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the holder in the etching apparatus of the resist film which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the thin-film transistor which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the thin-film transistor which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the etching apparatus of the resist film which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the nozzle header part in the etching apparatus of the resist film which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the nozzle header part in the etching apparatus of the resist film which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

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

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of a resist film etching apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overall view of the resist film etching apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows a structure. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the structure of the holder in the resist film etching apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a resist film etching apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as an “etching apparatus”) 1 of the present embodiment is a processing liquid generating means (hereinafter referred to as a processing liquid generating means) for generating a processing liquid in which gaseous micro / nano bubbles are mixed. 2) and a processing liquid (pure water mixed with micro-nano bubbles) 5 mixed with micro-nano bubbles supplied from the generating unit 2 is applied to a substrate 48 on which a thin film transistor is formed. There is provided a nozzle header 36 including an injection nozzle 3 for injecting it.

  In addition, the etching apparatus 1 includes a processing tank 6 in which processing of the processing target substrate 48 is performed, and a holder 7 that supports the processing target substrate 48 so as to face the spray nozzle 3. The injection nozzle 3 is provided inside the treatment tank 6.

  Here, the micro / nano bubble means a bubble having a diameter of 0.01 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The ozone micro-nano bubble refers to a micro-nano bubble whose gas is ozone. The ozone micro / nano bubble liquid refers to a treatment liquid containing ozone micro / nano bubbles. The density of ozone micro / nano bubbles in the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid is 1,000 or more and 100,000 or less per ml.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing tank 6 has a loading gate 41 for loading the holder 7 supporting the substrate 48 to be processed into the processing tank 6, and the holder 7 to the outside of the processing tank 6. And an unloading gate 42 for unloading. In addition, the atmospheric pressure inside the processing tank 6 is maintained at atmospheric pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an air compressor 8 is connected to the generation unit 2. The air compressor 8 is connected to the generating means 2 through a pipe 10 provided with an on-off valve 9.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a gas (ozone) generator 21 is connected to the air compressor 8. The gas generator 21 is connected to the air compressor 8 via a pipe 22.

  Moreover, in the etching apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the pure water storage tank 14 in which the pure water 20 supplied to the production | generation means 2 was stored is provided.

  The pure water storage tank 14 is generated through a pipe 16 provided with a supply pump 19 for supplying the pure water 20 in the pure water storage tank 14 to the treatment tank 6 via the generation means 2. It is connected to the. The pure water storage tank 14 is for supplying pure water 20 to the generating means 2.

  Moreover, in the etching apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the discharge port 15 for discharging | emitting the process liquid 5 in the process tank 6 outside is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the above-described supply pump 19 is connected to the generation unit 2, and the supply pump 19 removes foreign substances present in the pure water 20 supplied to the treatment tank 6. This is connected to the generating means 2 via a pipe 16 provided with the filter 11.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the generating means 2 is connected to the injection nozzle 3 of the nozzle header 36, and the generating means 2 is a process in which gas micro-nano bubbles generated by the generating means 2 are mixed. It is configured to be connected to the injection nozzle 3 via a pipe 13 for supplying the liquid to the injection nozzle 3.

  And the production | generation means 2 is comprised so that an ozone micro nano bubble liquid may be produced | generated by what is called a pressure dissolution method.

  In the pressure dissolution method, a gas is dissolved in a liquid under pressure using Henry's law, and then bubbles are generated by opening under reduced pressure. That is, the ozone compressed by the air compressor 8 is supplied to the generating means 2 through the pipe 10 with the on-off valve 9 open.

  Then, in the generation unit 2, ozone is pressurized and dissolved in the pure water 20 supplied to the inside of the generation unit 2 by the supply pump 19 to generate an ozone micro-nano bubble liquid.

  The ozone micro / nano bubble liquid in the generating means 2 is supplied to the injection nozzle 3 via the pipe 13. The substrate to be processed 48 (that is, the resist film 17) is processed by spraying ozone micro / nano bubble liquid from the spray nozzle 3 onto the resist film 17 of the substrate to be processed 48.

  In addition, as a means for generating micro-nano bubbles, a pressure dissolution method is adopted. However, for example, an ultra-high speed swirling method, a gas-liquid mixed shear method, a pore method, an ultrasonic method, etc. should be adopted. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The target substrate 48 includes a substrate 4 such as a glass substrate on which a thin film transistor is formed, and an electrode layer formed on the substrate 4 and subjected to an etching process (for example, a Cu film that forms a source electrode, a drain electrode, etc. of the thin film transistor) ) 18 and a resist film 17 used in the etching process are used.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate 48 to be processed is configured such that the electrode layer 18 and the resist film 17 are provided on the surface of the substrate 48 to be sprayed nozzle 3 side. .

  In addition to the glass substrate, for example, a silicon substrate or a flexible substrate (polycarbonate substrate, polyethylene naphthalate substrate, polyimide substrate, carbide substrate) or the like can be used as the substrate 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder 7 keeps the substrate to be processed 48 in a predetermined direction (arrows shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) while keeping the distance between the substrate to be processed 48 and the nozzle header 36 constant. Y direction).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the holder 7 may be constituted by a belt portion 7a on which the substrate to be processed 48 is placed and a plurality of rollers 7b that convey the belt portion 7a. In addition, the conveyance speed of the to-be-processed substrate 48 is 1000 mm / min or more and 10000 mm / min or less, for example.

  The nozzle header 36 is fixedly disposed above the holder 7, and includes a header body 23 and a plurality of injection nozzles 3 provided at a lower portion of the header body 23. The header main body 23 is supplied with the ozone micro-nano bubble liquid generated by the generating means 2 through the pipe 13.

  The plurality of injection nozzles 3 are arranged in a line as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The arrangement direction of the ejection nozzles 3 is a direction orthogonal to the movement direction Y of the substrate to be processed 48 (that is, the width direction X of the substrate to be processed 48).

  The spray nozzle 3 sprays the processing liquid 5 mixed with gas (ozone) micro-nano bubbles in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle inner diameter of the injection nozzle 3 is defined as 0.05 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a flow rate of the ozone micro-nano bubble liquid suitable for cleaning the substrate to be processed 48 while preventing the injection nozzle 3 from being clogged.

Moreover, the injection amount of the ozone micro-nano bubble liquid in the injection nozzle 3 is 0.5 ml / cm ² · sec or more and 100 ml / cm ² · sec or less.

  Thus, the etching apparatus 1 processes the substrate to be processed 48 by spraying the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid from the plurality of spray nozzles 3 in the nozzle header 36 onto the substrate to be processed 48 supported by the holder 7 (that is, resist resist). The film 17 is configured to be etched).

  Next, a processing method of the substrate 48 to be processed by the above-described etching apparatus 1 and a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor will be described. 4 and 5 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

<Gate electrode formation process>
First, for example, a molybdenum film (thickness of about 150 nm) or the like is formed on the entire substrate of the insulating substrate 4 such as a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, or a heat-resistant plastic substrate by a sputtering method. Next, by performing resist patterning by photolithography using the first photomask, wet etching, and resist peeling cleaning on the molybdenum film, as shown in FIG. A gate electrode 31 is formed.

  In the present embodiment, the molybdenum film having a single layer structure is exemplified as the metal film constituting the gate electrode 31, but for example, a metal such as an aluminum film, a tungsten film, a tantalum film, a chromium film, a titanium film, or a copper film. The gate electrode 31 may be formed with a thickness of 50 nm to 300 nm using a film, or an alloy film or a laminated film thereof.

  Moreover, as a material which forms the said plastic substrate, a polyethylene terephthalate resin, a polyethylene naphthalate resin, a polyether sulfone resin, an acrylic resin, and a polyimide resin can be used, for example.

<Gate insulation film formation process>
Next, for example, a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, or a laminated film (thickness of about 200 nm to 500 nm) is formed on the entire substrate on which the gate electrode 31 is formed by the CVD method. ), A gate insulating film 32 is formed on the substrate 4 so as to cover the gate electrode 31.

<Organic semiconductor layer formation process>
Next, for example, a material such as pentacene is applied to the entire substrate on which the gate insulating film 32 is formed and patterned, and then baked at a temperature of about 100 to 150 ° C. for several minutes to several tens of minutes. By volatilizing, an organic semiconductor film 33 having a thickness of about 20 nm to 80 nm is formed on the gate insulating film 32 as shown in FIG.

  In addition to the above pentacene, pentacene derivatives, perylene derivatives, phthalocyanines, oligothiophenes, polythiophenes, fullerenes, fullerene derivatives, and the like can be used as a material for forming the organic semiconductor film 33.

<Electrode layer forming step>
Next, for example, a titanium film (thickness: 300 to 400 mm) for the electrode layer 18 and a copper film (thickness: about 50 nm to 400 nm) are sequentially formed on the entire substrate on which the organic semiconductor film 33 has been formed by sputtering. Then, as shown in FIG. 4A, an electrode layer 18 for source / drain electrodes is formed.

<Resist film formation process>
Next, a positive photoresist made of a material in which an orthonaphthoquinonediazide (NGD) compound that is a photosensitizer is mixed with a novolak resin, for example, is formed on the entire substrate on which the electrode layer 18 is formed. Using a photomask, patterning is performed into a predetermined shape using half exposure to form a resist film 17 having a thickness of 1 μm, for example, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the resist film 17 is patterned so that the film thickness of the portion 17a corresponding to the channel region C of the organic semiconductor film (organic semiconductor layer) 33 is reduced.

<First wet etching process>
Next, wet etching is performed on the electrode layer 18 and the organic semiconductor film 33 using the resist film 17 as a mask, so that the organic semiconductor film 33 and the electrode layer 18 are formed as shown in FIG. A part is removed to form an electrode layer 18 and an island of the organic semiconductor film 33, and an organic semiconductor layer 34 made of the organic semiconductor film 33 is formed.

<Etching (ashing) process>
Next, the etching process (ashing process) of the resist film 17 using the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid is performed using the etching apparatus 1 described above. More specifically, first, the substrate to be processed 48 on which the first wet etching process is performed is supported by the holder 7, and the substrate to be processed 48 is moved below the nozzle header 36 by the holder 7. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, gas micro / nano bubble liquids are jetted and supplied from a plurality of jet nozzles 3 aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the substrate 48 to be moved. Then, as shown in FIG. 4D, etching (ashing) is performed on the resist film 17 on the substrate 48 to be processed. As a result, the thickness of the entire resist film 17 is uniformly reduced, the portion 17a corresponding to the channel region C of the resist film 17 is removed, and the portion 18a corresponding to the channel region C of the electrode layer 18 is exposed.

  Next, the principle of etching the resist film 17 with the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid will be described.

  When ozone is dissolved in water (that is, in a state where it exists in water at a molecular level), OH radicals with strong oxidizing power are generated in the water by self-decomposition. The resist film 17 is oxidized and decomposed by the OH radicals, and the resist film 17 is etched.

  In particular, in this embodiment, ozone micro-nano bubble water is crushed (in this embodiment, micro-nano bubbles, which are minute gases, are subjected to some external stimulus (in this embodiment, an impact when the micro-nano bubbles are jetted from the jet nozzle 3 and collide with the substrate 48 to be processed). ), The OH radicals can be remarkably and efficiently generated in the water, so that the organic substance (resist film 17) can be more strongly oxidized and decomposed.

  At this time, since the resist film 17 is oxidatively decomposed, reactants resulting from the oxidative decomposition are quickly removed from the surface of the resist film 17 and discharged together with the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid. Therefore, it is possible to always supply new ozone micro-nano bubble liquid to the surface of the resist film 17.

  As a result, since the film thickness controllability of the resist film 17 to be etched is improved, the thickness of the entire resist film 17 can be reduced uniformly.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, unlike the conventional thin film transistor manufacturing method, the resist film 17 is etched by a wet process (a process using ozone micro-nano bubble liquid) without using dry etching. it can.

  As described above, the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid is generated by the generating unit 2 and supplied to the header body 23 of the nozzle header 36 through the pipe 13. The temperature of the ozone micro / nano bubble liquid is 15 ° C. or more and 50 ° C. or less.

  Further, as described above, since the micro / nano bubbles in the treatment liquid 5 are fine bubbles having a diameter of 0.01 μm or more and 50 μm or less, the micro / nano bubbles quickly reach the surface of the resist film 17 in a short time. The resist film 17 can be etched.

  Further, when cleaning the substrate 48 to be processed, the plurality of substrates 48 to be processed are cleaned while being sequentially conveyed by a so-called single wafer method.

  More specifically, in the above-described etching apparatus 1, first, the processing gate 5 inside the processing tank 6 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 15, and the carry-in gate 41 is opened to support the substrate 48 to be processed. The holder 7 is carried into the processing tank 6.

  Next, with the carry-in gate 41 closed, the processing liquid 5 mixed with ozone micro-nano bubbles is sprayed from the spray nozzle 3 to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed, and the substrate 48 is moved while moving the resist 48. The film 17 is etched.

  Then, after the etching process is completed, the carry-out gate 42 is opened, and the holder 7 that supports the substrate to be processed 48 is carried out of the processing tank 6. After unloading, the unloading gate is closed, and the etching process of the resist film 17 is completed.

<Second wet etching process>
Next, wet etching is performed on the electrode layer 18 and the organic semiconductor layer 34 using the resist film 17 that has been subjected to the etching treatment as a mask, so that the top of the organic semiconductor layer 34 is formed as shown in FIG. In addition, the source electrode 35 and the drain electrode 37 are formed, and the channel region C of the organic semiconductor layer 34 is exposed.

  In this step, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the organic semiconductor layer 34, only the surface of the channel region C is wet etched.

<Resist film peeling process>
Next, the resist film 17 remaining on the source electrode 35 and the drain electrode 37 is peeled off using the etching apparatus 1 described above, and the resist film 17 is removed. More specifically, as in the case of the above-described etching process, first, the holder 7 supports the substrate to be processed 50 shown in FIG. 5A in which the above-described second wet etching process has been performed, and the holder 7 Thus, the substrate to be processed 50 is moved below the nozzle header 36. Then, as in the case of FIG. 1, the gas micro / nano bubble liquid is jetted and supplied from the plurality of jet nozzles 3 aligned in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the substrate 50 to be moved, As shown in FIG. 5B, the resist film 17 on the substrate to be processed 48 is removed, and the resist film 17 is removed.

  Through the above steps, the thin film transistor 38 shown in FIG. 5B is manufactured, and the manufacturing process of the thin film transistor 38 is completed.

  Generally, the resist film is peeled off by a wet process using a stripping solution (stripping by dissolving the resist with a solvent). Since this solvent is used in a reservoir method, the resist film is peeled off when the resist film is continuously removed. There is a problem that the liquid deteriorates and needs to be replaced periodically. In general, since the stripping solution used is an organic alkali solution, there is a problem that a special waste liquid treatment is required.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the wet process (the removal process of the resist film 17 using the ozone micro-nano bubble liquid composed only of water and ozone) that does not use the above-described conventional stripping solution is used, the existing wastewater treatment is performed. Waste liquid can be treated with the equipment. Therefore, since the ozone micro-nano bubble liquid for removing the resist film 17 can be used disposable, unlike the case of using the above-mentioned conventional stripping liquid, the reservoir method is not necessary.

  As a result, it is not necessary to periodically replace the stripping solution, and a special waste liquid treatment for the stripping solution is not required, so that the liquid used for stripping the resist film 17 (ie, ozone micro-nano bubble solution) can be easily managed. It becomes.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the thin film transistor 38 can be manufactured by the first and second wet etching processes and the wet process (etching process using ozone micro-nano bubble liquid). Since wet etching and dry etching are not mixed in the manufacturing process, the time required for manufacturing the thin film transistor 38 can be dramatically shortened.

  In general, when dry etching is performed, it is necessary to use a complicated and expensive etching apparatus. However, in this embodiment, since dry etching is not performed, the thin film transistor 38 can be manufactured easily and at low cost. it can.

  In the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the resist film 17 is oxidatively decomposed by spraying the processing liquid 5 containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles onto the substrate 48 on which the resist film 17 is formed on the substrate 4. Thus, the resist film 17 is etched. Therefore, unlike the conventional etching method, the resist film 17 can be etched by a wet process (a process using the treatment liquid 5 containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles) without using dry etching. Accordingly, in the case of manufacturing the thin film transistor 38 in which the organic semiconductor layer 34 and the source / drain electrodes 35 and 37 are formed on the substrate 4, the organic semiconductor layer 34 is obtained by performing wet etching using the resist film 17 as a mask. When the source / drain electrodes 35 and 37 are formed, the thin film transistor 38 can be manufactured by a wet etching process and a wet process. As a result, wet etching and dry etching are not mixed in the manufacturing process of the thin film transistor 38, so that the time required for manufacturing the thin film transistor 38 can be dramatically shortened.

  (2) Since dry etching is not performed, the resist film 17 can be etched easily and at low cost.

  (3) Furthermore, since the reaction product resulting from the oxidative decomposition of the resist film 17 can be quickly removed from the surface of the resist film 17 and discharged together with the processing liquid 5, it is always new on the surface of the resist film 17. The processing liquid 5 can be supplied. Accordingly, since the film thickness controllability of the resist film 17 to be etched is improved, the thickness of the entire resist film 17 can be reduced uniformly.

  (4) In this embodiment, it is set as the structure which uses the micro nano bubble whose diameter is 0.01 micrometer or more and 50 micrometers or less. Accordingly, the micro / nano bubbles quickly reach the surface of the resist film 17 and the resist film 17 can be etched in a short time.

  (5) In this embodiment, ozone is used as the gas, and pure water containing ozone micro-nano bubbles is used as the treatment liquid 5. Therefore, the etching process of the resist film 17 can be performed using the environmentally friendly processing solution 5.

  (6) In the present embodiment, the resist film 17 is etched while conveying the substrate to be processed 48. In other words, the substrate 7 is transported while the processing liquid 5 is sprayed onto the substrate 48 to be processed by the holder 7. Therefore, the processing liquid 5 containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles can be uniformly sprayed over the entire surface of the substrate 48 to be processed. As a result, the etching effect can be further improved over the entire substrate 48 to be processed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a resist film etching apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a nozzle in the resist film etching apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows a header part. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Further, the etching method of the resist film 17 by the etching apparatus 1 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The etching apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is characterized in the arrangement configuration of the injection nozzle 3 in the nozzle header 36. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plurality of spray nozzles 3 are arranged in two rows in the nozzle header 36 in the direction X orthogonal to the moving direction Y of the substrate 48 and are staggered. Are arranged side by side.

  Accordingly, since the plurality of spray nozzles 3 can be arranged with high density in the moving direction Y of the substrate 48 to be processed and the direction X orthogonal to the direction, the flow rate of the processing liquid 5 per unit area of the substrate 48 to be processed Can be increased.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (6) described above.

  (7) In this embodiment, the plurality of injection nozzles 3 are arranged in a staggered manner in the nozzle header 36. Therefore, since the flow rate of the processing liquid 5 per unit area of the substrate 48 to be processed can be increased, the resist film 17 can be etched more easily and efficiently.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a nozzle header portion in the resist film etching apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Further, the etching method of the resist film 17 by the etching apparatus 1 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In the first embodiment, the plurality of spray nozzles 3 are configured to spray the processing liquid 5 in which gaseous micro / nano bubbles are mixed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed. The etching apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is characterized in that the plurality of spray nozzles 3 are configured to spray the processing liquid 5 in an oblique direction with respect to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the surface of the substrate to be processed 48 is inclined in the direction opposite to the movement direction Y of the substrate to be processed 48 (that is, the direction of the arrow Z in the figure). The treatment liquid 5 is jetted in an oblique direction.

  When processing the substrate 48 to be processed by the etching apparatus 1, the substrate 48 is moved in the predetermined movement direction Y while maintaining a constant distance between the substrate 48 and the nozzle header 36. At the same time, the processing liquid 5 is sprayed from the plurality of spray nozzles 3 in an oblique direction inclined to the side Z opposite to the moving direction Y of the substrate to be processed 48 with respect to the surface of the substrate to be processed 48.

  Accordingly, the reaction product resulting from the oxidative decomposition of the resist film 17 is caused to flow in the direction Z opposite to the moving direction Y of the substrate to be processed 48 by the processing liquid 5 injected obliquely from the injection nozzle 3. . Therefore, the reactant resulting from the oxidative decomposition of the resist film 17 diffuses into the processing liquid 5 without adhering again to the surface of the substrate to be processed 48 (that is, the surface of the resist film 17).

  In particular, when a large substrate 4 (for example, a large mother glass having a width of 2180 mm, a length of 2480 mm, and a thickness of 0.7 mm) is used, a plurality of substrates to be processed 48 are sequentially transferred by a single wafer method. When cleaning is performed, the reaction product generated by the oxidative decomposition of the resist film 17 is likely to be reattached. However, as in the present embodiment, by injecting the treatment liquid 5 obliquely from the spray nozzle 3, The reactant generated by the oxidative decomposition 17 diffuses into the processing liquid 5 without adhering again to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed.

  In the present embodiment, the injection nozzles 3 for injecting the processing liquid 5 in an oblique direction are arranged in a line in the direction X orthogonal to the moving direction Y of the substrate to be processed 48, as in the first embodiment. They may be arranged and may be arranged in a staggered manner as in the second embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (6) described above.

  (8) In the present embodiment, the plurality of spray nozzles 3 spray the processing liquid 5 in an oblique direction inclined to the opposite side to the moving direction Y of the target substrate 48 with respect to the surface of the target substrate 48. It is configured as follows. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the reactants resulting from the oxidative decomposition of the resist film 17 from reattaching to the surface of the substrate 48 to be processed (that is, the surface of the resist film 17).

  In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.

  In the above embodiment, the organic semiconductor layer 34 is used as the semiconductor layer. However, the semiconductor layer is not limited to this, and instead of the organic semiconductor layer 34, for example, a silicon-based semiconductor layer formed of amorphous silicon or polysilicon. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor layer formed using an oxide semiconductor film made of indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) or the like may be used as the semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a resist film etching method and an etching apparatus used in manufacturing a thin film transistor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Etching apparatus 2 Generation | occurrence | production means 3 Injection nozzle 4 Substrate 5 Processing liquid 6 Processing tank 7 Holder 15 Discharge port 17 Resist film 18 Electrode layer 20 Pure water 23 Header body 31 Gate electrode 32 Gate insulating film 33 Organic semiconductor film 34 Organic semiconductor layer 35 Source electrode 36 Nozzle header 37 Drain electrode 38 Thin film transistor 41 Carry-in gate 42 Carry-out gate 48 Substrate 50 Substrate Y Substrate moving direction

Claims (10)

  A process liquid containing gaseous micro / nano bubbles is sprayed on a target substrate having a resist film formed on the substrate to oxidatively decompose the resist film, thereby etching the resist film. Etching method to do.   2. The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the micro / nano bubbles is 0.01 μm or more and 50 μm or less.   The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the gas is ozone, and the treatment liquid is pure water containing micro-nano bubbles of the ozone.   The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the resist film is etched while conveying the substrate to be processed. Generating means for generating a treatment liquid containing gaseous micro-nano bubbles;
A nozzle header provided with an injection nozzle for injecting the processing liquid supplied from the generation unit;
A holder for supporting a substrate to be processed having a resist film formed on the substrate so as to face the nozzle header;
An etching apparatus configured to etch the resist film by spraying the processing liquid onto the substrate to be processed and oxidizing and decomposing the resist film.   The etching apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the diameter of the micro / nano bubbles is 0.01 μm or more and 50 μm or less.   The etching apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the gas is ozone, and the treatment liquid is pure water containing micro-nano bubbles of the ozone.   The said holder is comprised so that the said to-be-processed substrate may be conveyed, maintaining the state by which the said process liquid was injected with respect to the to-be-processed substrate. The etching apparatus according to any one of the above.   The said injection | spray nozzle is provided with two or more, The said some injection | spray nozzle is arrange | positioned along the zigzag form in the said nozzle header, The any one of Claims 5-8 characterized by the above-mentioned. Etching equipment.   A plurality of the spray nozzles are provided, and the plurality of spray nozzles spray the processing liquid in an oblique direction inclined to the opposite side to the moving direction of the substrate to be processed with respect to the surface of the substrate to be processed. The etching apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the etching apparatus is configured as described above.

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