JP2024068175A - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wafer processing device capable of performing satisfactory wafer drying while making the inside of a processing chamber into a clean atmosphere, especially, maintaining the clean atmosphere on a surface of a wafer, and a wafer processing method.SOLUTION: A wafer processing device comprises: a chamber 21 in which a wafer W with a liquid film formed on a surface is carried; a holding part 22 which is provided in the chamber 21 and holds the wafer W; a heating part 211 which is provided in an upper portion of the chamber 21 and heats the wafer W so as to generate an air layer between the surface and the liquid film of the wafer W held by the holding part 22; a transmission window 23 which is provided between the heating part 211 and the holding part 22 and includes a hole 23a; a gas supply part 26 which supplies a gas from the hole 23a toward the wafer W held by the holding part; and a motor 24 which rotates the transmission window 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

In the manufacturing process for producing semiconductors, liquid crystal panels, and the like, substrate processing equipment is used to supply a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate such as a wafer or liquid crystal substrate, for example to clean the substrate surface, and then to dry the substrate surface.

In the drying process using the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, problems occur, such as the collapse and blockage of patterns around memory cells and gates, due to the spacing and structure between patterns formed on the surface of the substrate, the surface tension of the processing liquid, etc. This tendency has intensified in recent years with the miniaturization that has resulted from the high integration and large capacity of semiconductors.

To prevent the above-mentioned collapse of the pattern, a substrate processing apparatus is known that, after supplying the processing liquid, rapidly heats the rotating substrate, creating an air layer between the substrate surface and the liquid film of the processing liquid, turns the liquid film into droplets, and expels them from the substrate by the centrifugal force of the rotation, thereby preventing the collapse of fine patterns due to surface tension and performing a drying process (Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-102652 A

However, in such substrate processing apparatuses that utilize the phenomenon of rapidly heating the substrate to generate an air layer between the substrate surface and the liquid film, thereby turning the liquid film into droplets (the Leidenfrost phenomenon), there is a problem with keeping the atmosphere around the substrate during processing, particularly the atmosphere above the substrate surface, clean. That is, in order to keep the atmosphere around the substrate during processing clean, it is effective to supply clean gas from the ceiling side of the processing chamber toward the substrate. However, above the substrate, a heating unit such as a halogen lamp is disposed to rapidly heat the substrate. Moreover, a transmission window is disposed below the heating unit to prevent the processing liquid from splashing on the heating unit and to prevent dust from falling due to the heating unit. This makes it difficult to create a clean atmosphere by supplying the above-mentioned gas.

The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can provide a clean atmosphere in the processing chamber, and in particular, can perform good substrate drying while maintaining a clean atmosphere on the surface of the substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a chamber into which a substrate having a liquid film formed on its surface is carried, a holding unit provided within the chamber for holding the substrate, a heating unit provided at the top of the chamber for heating the substrate so as to generate an air layer between the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and the liquid film, a transmission window provided between the heating unit and the holding unit and having a hole, a gas supply unit for supplying gas from the hole toward the substrate held by the holding unit, and a motor for rotating the transmission window.

In the substrate processing method according to the embodiment, a holding unit holds a substrate that has been brought into a chamber with a liquid film formed on its surface, a heating unit heats the substrate so as to generate an air layer between the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and the liquid film, a gas supply unit supplies gas to the substrate held by the holding unit through a hole in a transmission window provided between the heating unit and the holding unit, and a motor rotates the transmission window.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to create a clean atmosphere inside the processing chamber, and in particular to perform good substrate drying while maintaining a clean atmosphere on the surface of the substrate.

1 is a plan view showing a schematic overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying processing section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of gas, mist, water vapor components, etc. during drying processing in the drying processing section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a drying process according to the first embodiment. 5 is a diagram showing a gas velocity distribution when the substrate and the transmission window are rotated in the drying process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a transmission window holding part of a drying processing part of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. 13 is a bottom view of a transmission window holding part of a drying processing part of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the flow of gas, mist, water vapor components, and the like in the vicinity of a transmission window holding part of a drying processing part of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG.

[First embodiment]
A substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[Substrate processing equipment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a FOUP placement stage 3 for placing a FOUP 2 in which a substrate W is stored, a transport robot 4 for transporting the substrate W stored in the FOUP 2, a transport rail 5 along which the transport robot 4 moves, a substrate placement stage 6 for placing the substrate W transported by the transport robot 4, a transport robot 7 for transporting the substrate W placed on the substrate placement stage 6 to a processing chamber 10 and a drying processing section 20 described below, a transport rail 8 along which the transport robot 7 moves, a processing chamber 10 for performing processing using a processing liquid, a drying processing section 20 for drying the substrate W processed in the processing chamber 10, and a control section 60 for controlling each of these sections.

[Processing chamber]
2, a holder 11 for holding a substrate W is disposed in the processing chamber 10. The holder 11 has a rotating table 111, a rotating shaft 112, a motor 113, and holding pins 114. The rotating table 111 is coupled to the motor 113 via the rotating shaft 112. The motor 113 is electrically connected to the control unit 60, and rotates at a rotation speed set by a command from the control unit 60. The holding pins 114 are adapted to contact the outer periphery of the substrate W to hold the substrate W.

The cup 12 is cylindrical and is arranged to surround the periphery of the turntable 111. The upper part of the peripheral wall of the cup 12 is inclined radially inward and opens to expose the substrate W on the turntable 111. The cup 12 plays a role in collecting the processing liquid scattered from the substrate W rotated by the motor 113 and guiding the collected processing liquid to a discharge pipe (not shown). The cup 12 is provided so that it can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown). More specifically, the cup 12 can be raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism between an elevated position where the cup 12 covers the periphery of the substrate W to collect the scattered processing liquid and a lowered position where the substrate W can be loaded and unloaded by the transport robot 7.

The processing liquid supply unit 13 supplies processing liquid to the substrate W held by the holder 11. The processing liquid supply unit 13 has an arm drive mechanism 131, a swing arm 132, and a processing liquid discharge nozzle 133.

The arm drive mechanism 131 is disposed outside the cup 12 and is connected to one end of the swing arm 132 so that the swing arm 132 can be rotated. The arm drive mechanism 131 is also electrically connected to the control unit 60 and drives the swing arm 132 according to a program set in the control unit 60.

The processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 is connected to the other end of the swing arm 132 and is moved horizontally by the arm drive mechanism 131. The processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 discharges the processing liquid onto the surface of the substrate W to process the surface of the substrate W. When the substrate W is processed, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 moves horizontally from a standby position set outside the cup 12 to a processing position set at the center of the substrate W by the operation of the arm drive mechanism 131. The processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 is connected to the processing liquid supply source 30 by a processing liquid supply pipe 31. A valve (not shown) is installed in the middle of the processing liquid supply pipe 31. The valve and the processing liquid supply source 30 are electrically connected to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls the processing liquid supply source 30 and the valve to supply the processing liquid to the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133. The processing liquid is a liquid for performing a cleaning process on the substrate W, and an etching liquid or a cleaning liquid (APM, SC-1) is used.

The rinse liquid supply unit 14 supplies rinse liquid to the substrate W held by the holder 11. The rinse liquid supply unit 14 has an arm drive mechanism 141, a swing arm 142, and a rinse liquid discharge nozzle 143.

The arm drive mechanism 141 is disposed outside the cup 12 and is connected to one end of the swing arm 142 so that the swing arm 142 can rotate. The arm drive mechanism 141 is electrically connected to the control unit 60 and is driven by a program set in the control unit 60.

The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 143 is connected to the other end of the swing arm 142, and is moved horizontally by the arm drive mechanism 141 from a standby position set outside the cup 12 to a processing position set at the center of the substrate W. The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 143 discharges rinse liquid onto the surface of the substrate W to wash away the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 on the surface of the substrate W. The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 143 is connected to the rinse liquid supply source 40 by the rinse liquid supply pipe 41. A valve (not shown) is also installed in the middle of the rinse liquid supply pipe 41. The valve and the rinse liquid supply source 40 are electrically connected to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls the rinse liquid supply source 40 and the valve to supply the rinse liquid to the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 143. The rinse liquid is a liquid that replaces the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply source 30 present on the surface of the substrate W, and is a liquid that forms a liquid film used in the drying process in the drying process unit 20 described later. Ultrapure water is used as the rinsing liquid. In addition to ultrapure water, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) may also be used as the rinsing liquid, and a nozzle or supply source for discharging IPA may be provided in addition to the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143.

The transport door 15 opens and closes the entrance for the transport robot 7 to load the substrate W onto the rotating table 111. The transport door 15 is movable up and down by a lifting mechanism, allowing it to be opened and closed.

[Drying processing section]
As shown in FIG. 3, the drying processing unit 20 has a chamber 21, a holder 22, a transmission window 23, a motor 24, a transmission window holder 25, a gas supply unit 26, a cup 27, a rinsing liquid supply unit 28, and a lifting mechanism 29.

The chamber 21 is a rectangular parallelepiped with a space inside, with a cylinder at the top end. There is no partition between the rectangular parallelepiped and the cylinder, and they share the same space. The chamber 21 has a heating section 211 and a transport door 212.

The heating unit 211 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided on the ceiling of the chamber 21 as a part of the wall surface. The heating unit 211 irradiates light onto the surface of the substrate W in the chamber 21 to heat the substrate W. The heating unit 211 has a lamp 211a and a window 211b. In this embodiment, the lamp 211a is a straight-tube type halogen lamp. The lamp 211a is a halogen lamp arranged in parallel. Two groups of halogen lamps may be arranged vertically so as to be perpendicular to each other, forming a lattice shape. The window 211b is arranged directly below the lamp 211a and transmits light irradiated by turning on the lamp 211a. The window 211b prevents particles generated by the lamp 211a from adhering to the substrate W and causing metal contamination. The window 211b also prevents particles generated in the chamber 21 from adhering to the lamp 211a and causing deterioration of the lamp 211a. In this embodiment, quartz is used for the window 211b, but it is not limited to quartz and can be any material that can withstand the heat generated by the lamp 211a and transmits light. Also, although a circular shape is used for the window 211b, other shapes are possible as long as the light from the entire lamp 211a can be irradiated. The heating unit 211 is electrically connected to the control unit 60, and the lighting of the lamp 211a is controlled by the control unit 60.

The transport door 212 opens and closes the entrance for the transport robot 7 to load the substrate W into the chamber 21. The transport door 212 is movable up and down by a lifting mechanism, allowing it to be opened and closed.

The holding unit 22 holds the substrate W that has been loaded into the chamber 21. The holding unit 22 has a rotating table 221, a rotating shaft 222, a motor 223, and holding pins 224. The rotating table 221 is connected to the motor 223 via the rotating shaft 222. The motor 223 is electrically connected to the control unit 60, and rotates the rotating table 221 at a set rotation speed, for example, 100 rpm to 1000 rpm, in response to a command from the control unit 60. The holding pins 224 are adapted to contact the outer periphery of the substrate W to hold the substrate W.

The transmission window 23 is disposed below the heating unit 211 at a predetermined interval. As a result, a space A is formed between the heating unit 211 and the transmission window 23. The transmission window 23 is disposed above the holding unit 22 at a predetermined interval. As a result, a space B is formed between the substrate W held by the holding unit 22 and the transmission window 23. In other words, the transmission window 23 is disposed between the heating unit 211 and the holding unit 22. The transmission window 23 is also disk-shaped. The transmission window 23 has a hole 23a penetrating in the thickness direction at the center to supply gas to the space B above the substrate W held by the holding unit 22. In this embodiment, the hole 23a of the transmission window 23 is circular, and has a diameter of, for example, less than 8 mm. In this embodiment, quartz is used for the transmission window 23, as with the window 211b, but it is not limited to quartz and may be any material that can withstand the heat generated by the lamp 211a and transmit light.

The motor 24 rotates the transmission window 23 and is disposed at the upper end of the chamber 21. The motor 24 has a stator 24a and a rotor 24b. The stator 24a is annular and disposed outside the chamber 21 at the upper end of the chamber 21. Specifically, the upper end of the chamber 21 is cylindrical in size to fit the inner diameter of the stator 24a, and the stator 24a is disposed to fit into this cylindrical portion. The stator 24a has permanent magnets (not shown) and electromagnets (not shown) arranged alternately at equal intervals inside it. The rotor 24b is annular with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the stator 24a, and is disposed in the chamber 21 so as to face the inner circumference of the stator 24a. A small gap is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 24b and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the chamber 21. In addition, permanent magnets (not shown) are arranged at equal intervals inside the rotor 24b. The stator 24a generates a magnetic field in the electromagnet inside when a current flows due to an electric signal from the control unit 60. Therefore, an attractive force and a repulsive force are generated between the stator 24a and the rotor 24b, and the rotor 24b rotates without contacting the stator 24a. This causes the transmission window 23 to rotate via the transmission window holding unit 25 described later. The permanent magnet of the stator 24a has the role of holding the stator 24a and the rotor 24b without contacting each other even after the electric signal from the control unit 60 is cut off. The rotation direction of the transmission window 23 by the motor 24 is preferably the same as the rotation direction of the substrate W. In addition, the motor 24 rotates the transmission window 23 through the rotor 24b so that the rotation speed of the transmission window 23 is higher than the rotation speed of the substrate W.

The transmission window holding part 25 holds the outer edge of the transmission window 23, and is provided on the underside of the rotor 24b. The transmission window holding part 25 is annular, and has a protrusion 25a that protrudes horizontally from the bottom surface of the entire ring toward the center of rotation of the rotor 24b in order to hold the transmission window 23. The outer edge of the transmission window 23 is fixed to the protrusion 25a by a fixing member (not shown). When a current flows through the stator 24a due to an electrical signal from the control part 60, the transmission window holding part 25 rotates together with the rotor 24b. This causes the transmission window 23 to rotate as well.

The gas supply unit 26 supplies gas to the space A formed between the heating unit 211 and the transmission window 23. The gas supplied to the space A fills the space A and moves through the hole 23a to the space B formed between the substrate W held by the holding unit 22 and the transmission window 23. The gas supplied by the gas supply unit 26 is preferably an inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas. The gas supply unit 26 has a gas inlet 26a and a gas supply pipe 26b. The gas inlet 26a is located on the ceiling side of the chamber 21, and a plurality of gas inlets 26a are provided outside the heating unit 211. The flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas inlet 26a is preferably, for example, 30 L/min. The gas supply unit 26 is connected to the gas supply source 50 through the gas supply pipe 26b. A filter is provided in the gas supply pipe 26b, and clean gas is supplied to the space A through this filter. In addition, a valve (not shown) is set in the middle of the gas supply pipe 26b. The valve is electrically connected to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls the valve, making it possible to start and stop the supply of gas and adjust the flow rate of the gas being supplied. In addition, the gas supplied by the gas supply unit 26 is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) provided in the chamber 21.

The cup 27 is cylindrical and is arranged to surround the periphery of the turntable 221. The upper part of the peripheral wall of the cup 27 is inclined radially inward and is open to expose the substrate W on the turntable 221. The cup 27 is arranged so that it can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and can be raised and lowered to correspond to the height position of the turntable 221.

The rinse liquid supply unit 28 supplies rinse liquid to the substrate W held by the holder 22. The rinse liquid supply unit 28 has an arm drive mechanism 281, a swing arm 282, and a rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283.

The arm drive mechanism 281 is disposed outside the cup 27 and is connected to one end of the swing arm 282 so that the swing arm 282 can rotate. The arm drive mechanism 281 is electrically connected to the control unit 60 and is driven by a program set in the control unit 60.

The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283 is connected to the other end of the swing arm 282 and can be moved horizontally by the arm drive mechanism 281. The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283 serves to supply new rinse liquid to the liquid film in a puddle state that has become thin due to evaporation of the rinse liquid supplied in the processing chamber 10 during the transportation of the substrate W. This allows the optimum liquid film thickness of the rinse liquid required for the drying process to be obtained in advance through experiments, etc. This optimum liquid film thickness is a liquid film thickness that does not evaporate from the substrate W due to radiant heat from the transmission window 23 during the period from when the substrate W moves to the drying position U described later until the drying process is started, and is a liquid film thickness that allows the substrate W to be dried well when performing the drying process by the Leidenfrost phenomenon. The rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283 is connected to the rinse liquid supply pipe 42 of the rinse liquid supply source 40. In addition, a valve (not shown) is installed in the middle of the rinse liquid supply pipe 42. This valve and the rinse liquid supply source 40 are each electrically connected to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls the rinse liquid supply source 40 and valves to supply the rinse liquid to the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283. Ultrapure water is used as the rinse liquid. Note that, in addition to ultrapure water, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) may also be used as the rinse liquid, and a nozzle or supply source for discharging IPA may be provided in addition to the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283.

The lifting mechanism 29 is provided outside the chamber 21 and below the motor 223, and raises and lowers the rotating table 221. The lifting mechanism 29 also raises and lowers the rotating table 221 so that the substrate W is positioned at the preset waiting position D and drying position U.

The standby position D is a position lower than the outlet of the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 283. The standby position D is a position where the substrate W, which has been brought in with a puddle of rinse liquid after the processing in the processing chamber 10 is transferred onto the rotating table 221, and is set at a height position as far away as possible from the transmission window 23. The reason why the standby position D is set at a height position far away from the transmission window 23 is as follows. Even if the heating unit 211 heats the substrate W only during the drying process, the transmission window 23 accumulates heat due to the heat generated by the heating unit 211. In particular, the transmission window 23 of this embodiment is made of quartz, which has a low thermal conductivity, and therefore is prone to heat accumulation. For this reason, the transmission window 23 accumulates heat as the drying process is repeated, and the temperature of the transmission window 23 approaches the heating temperature of the substrate W by the heating unit 211. In other words, the temperature becomes higher than the temperature at which the rinse liquid evaporates. Under such an environment, if the substrate W on which the rinsing liquid film is formed is transported to a position close to the transmission window 23, the liquid film on the substrate W will evaporate due to the radiant heat from the high-temperature transmission window 23. At this time, the entire liquid film does not evaporate instantly, and a non-uniform drying state in which only a portion of the liquid film evaporates may occur. In this case, the surface tension of the remaining rinsing liquid may cause pattern blockage. For this reason, it is necessary to position the substrate W at a position away from the heating unit 211 to avoid the influence of such radiant heat. Therefore, the waiting position D is a position away from the transmission window 23 until the rinsing liquid piled on the substrate W is in a state where it is unlikely to evaporate due to the radiant heat of the transmission window 23 that has been repeatedly heated by the heating unit 211 and stored heat. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the substrate W is positioned at the waiting position D. The drying position U is the height position of the substrate W when the substrate W is close to the transmission window 23 and the drying process is performed by the heating unit 211. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the substrate W is positioned at the drying position U.

The control unit 60, which constitutes the control device, includes a microcomputer that centrally controls each unit, and a storage unit that stores substrate processing information and various programs related to substrate processing. This control unit 60 is electrically connected to the transfer robots 4 and 7, motors 113, 223 and 24, arm drive mechanisms 131, 141 and 281, heating unit 211, lifting mechanism 29, processing liquid supply source 30, rinsing liquid supply source 40, gas supply source 50, valves, etc., and controls them by program.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5 and the explanatory diagram of Fig. 6 in addition to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4. It is assumed that the FOUP 2 storing the substrate W is set on the FOUP placement stage 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport robot 4 moves along the transport rail 5 and stops so as to face the FOUP 2 set on the FOUP placement table 3. The transport robot 4 takes out the substrate W stored in the FOUP 2, moves along the transport rail 5 while holding it, and stops so as to face the substrate placement table 6. The transport robot 4 then places the substrate W on the substrate placement table 6. Next, the transport robot 7 moves along the transport rail 8 and stops so as to face the substrate placement table 6. The transport robot 7 holds the substrate W placed on the substrate placement table 6 and moves along the transport rail 8 while holding the substrate W. The transport robot 7 is positioned so as to face the processing chamber 10, and loads the substrate W into the processing chamber 10. At this time, the transport door 15 is open, and the cup 12 is in a lowered position below the rotating table 111.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate W brought in by the transport robot 7 is held on the rotating table 111. The substrate W held on the rotating table 111 is held by the holding pins 114 contacting the outer periphery of the substrate W. This allows the substrate W to be held rotatably together with the rotating table 111.

When the substrate W is held on the turntable 111, the control unit 60 controls the motor 113 to rotate the turntable 111 at a predetermined rotation speed. It also controls the lifting mechanism to raise the cup 12 to an elevated position that surrounds the substrate W.

After the substrate W starts rotating, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 shown in FIG. 2 moves from a position (standby position) retracted outside the cup 12 to the center (processing position) of the substrate W surface by the arm drive mechanism 131 and the swing arm 132 in order to process the surface of the substrate W. The processing position of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 may be a position slightly off the center. When the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 moves to the processing position, the control unit 60 transmits an electric signal to the processing liquid supply source 30. As a result, the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply source 30 to the substrate W surface through the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133. While the processing liquid is being supplied, the processing liquid scattered by the rotation of the substrate W is collected by the cup 12 and guided to the discharge pipe. Then, the processing liquid is discharged onto the substrate W surface, and when a predetermined time has elapsed since the discharge of the processing liquid was started, the supply of the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply source 30 is stopped. When the supply of the processing liquid is stopped, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 133 is moved to a standby position by the arm drive mechanism 131 and the swing arm 132.

Next, the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143 is moved by the arm drive mechanism 141 and the swing arm 142 from a position (standby position) where it was retracted outside the cup 12 to the center (processing position) of the surface of the substrate W. The processing position of the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143 may be a position slightly off the center. When the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143 moves to the processing position, the control unit 60 transmits an electric signal to the rinsing liquid supply source 40. As a result, the rinsing liquid is supplied from the rinsing liquid supply source 40 to the surface of the substrate W through the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143. While the rinsing liquid is being supplied, the rinsing liquid scattered by the rotation of the substrate W is collected by the cup 12 and guided to the discharge pipe. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the supply of the rinsing liquid was started, the supply of the rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid supply source 40 is stopped. At this time, the rotation of the motor 113 is gradually decelerated before the predetermined time is reached so that the rotation of the turntable 111 stops at the timing when the supply of the rinsing liquid stops. That is, the processing ends with the rinsing liquid puddled over the entire surface of the substrate W. By keeping the surface of the substrate W in this puddled state, contamination of the surface of the substrate W during transport of the substrate W to the drying processing unit 20 is suppressed. Furthermore, when the processing with the rinsing liquid is completed, the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 143 is moved to a standby position by the arm drive mechanism 141 and the swing arm 142. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the rinsing liquid is being supplied to the substrate W. Thereafter, the cup 12 is moved to a lower position below the substrate W, and the transport door 15 is opened, and the substrate W is transported by the transport robot 7 out of the processing chamber 10 with the rinsing liquid puddled on the surface of the substrate W.

Next, the drying process will be described using the flowchart in Figure 5. First, the substrate W covered with rinsing liquid is carried into the chamber 21 of the drying processing unit 20 by the transport robot 7 (step S01). At this time, the transport door 212 is open, and the cup 27 is positioned below the turntable 221. The carried-in substrate W is then held on the turntable 221. The substrate W held on the turntable 221 is held by the holding pins 224 coming into contact with the outer periphery of the substrate W. As a result, the substrate W is held so that it can rotate together with the turntable 221.

When the substrate W is held on the rotating table 221, the control unit 60 sends an electric signal to the gas supply source 50 and the motor 24. Then, the gas supply unit 26 supplies gas to the space A formed between the heating unit 211 and the transmission window 23. The gas supplied to the space A moves through the hole 23a to the space B formed between the substrate W held by the holder 22 and the transmission window 23. This creates a clean atmosphere on the surface of the substrate W. At the same time, the stator 24a of the motor 24 rotates the rotor 24b inside the stator 24a at a predetermined rotation speed without contacting the outside of the chamber 21. When the rotor 24b rotates, the transmission window 23 and the transmission window holder 25 fixed to the rotor 24b rotate (step S02).

Next, an electrical signal is sent from the control unit 60 to the lifting mechanism and the motor 223. As a result, the cup 27, which was positioned below the substrate W, is raised by the lifting mechanism so as to surround the substrate W. The motor 223 is also driven to rotate at a predetermined number of revolutions, causing the turntable 221 and the substrate W to rotate (step S03).

After the substrate W starts rotating, the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 283 is moved by the arm drive mechanism 281 and the swing arm 282 from a position (standby position) where it was retracted outside the cup 27 to the center (processing position) of the surface of the substrate W (step S04). The processing position of the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 283 may be a position slightly off the center. When the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 283 moves to the processing position, the control unit 60 transmits an electric signal to the rinsing liquid supply source 40. As a result, the rinsing liquid is supplied from the rinsing liquid supply source 40 to the surface of the substrate W (step S05). During the supply, the cup 27 collects the rinsing liquid scattered by the rotation of the substrate W and guides it to a discharge pipe (not shown). When a predetermined time has elapsed since the supply of the rinsing liquid started, the supply of the rinsing liquid from the rinsing liquid supply source 40 is stopped. When the processing with the rinsing liquid is completed, the rinsing liquid discharge nozzle 283 is moved to the standby position by the arm drive mechanism 281 and the swing arm 282 (step S06).

After the treatment with the rinsing liquid, the lifting mechanism 29 raises the substrate W to the drying position U while continuing to rotate the substrate W, and brings the substrate W closer to the transmission window 23 (step S07). At the same time, the cup 27 rises to a height position corresponding to the substrate W at the drying position U. This allows the cup 27 to collect the rinsing liquid that has splashed during the drying process.

By the time the substrate W is positioned at the drying position U, it is preferable to set the rotation speed of the transmission window 23 to a higher rotation speed than that of the substrate W, for example, 2000 rpm. This has the following advantages. As shown in FIG. 6, the gas supplied to the space B is subjected to a force moving in the direction of rotation due to the rotation of the substrate W and the transmission window 23. For this reason, the gas in the space B moves at a speed according to the rotation speed of the substrate W and the transmission window 23, specifically, at a speed faster toward the transmission window 23 side than toward the substrate W side. As a result, the closer to the transmission window 23, the lower the gas pressure becomes according to Bernoulli's theorem. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, an air current (upward air current) is generated from the side close to the substrate W with high pressure to the transmission window 23 side with low pressure. This air current moves mist and water vapor components generated on the surface of the substrate W during the drying process away from the substrate W, preventing them from reattaching to the substrate W. In addition, by rotating the substrate W before it is heated by the heating unit 211, the liquid film of the rinsing liquid on the surface of the substrate W is rotated along with the substrate W, and even after the substrate W is heated by the heating unit 211 and an air layer is generated between the surface of the substrate W and the liquid film, the liquid film of the rinsing liquid continues to rotate due to inertial force and centrifugal force is applied.

After the substrate W and cup 27 have risen, the lamps 211a of the heating unit 211 are turned on to heat the surface of the substrate W (step S08). At this time, the temperature of the lamps 211a is raised so that the temperature is equal to or higher than the temperature at which an air layer due to the Leidenfrost phenomenon occurs between the entire area between the liquid film and the surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is rapidly heated. This Leidenfrost phenomenon causes the liquid film to float from the surface of the substrate W via the air layer that occurs at the interface between the surface of the substrate W and the liquid film. As this floating state of the liquid film is maintained, the liquid film becomes liquid droplets, and the liquid droplets are blown radially outward of the substrate W by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate W, thereby drying the surface of the substrate W (step S09).

When the drying process of the substrate W is completed, the lamp 211a is turned off (step S10). Thereafter, the lifting mechanism 29 lowers the substrate W to the waiting position D while maintaining the rotation of the substrate W. The cup 27 also lowers to a height position corresponding to the substrate W at the waiting position U (step S11). After the substrate W has been lowered, the rotation of the substrate W by the motor 223, the rotation of the transmission window 23 by the motor 24, and the supply of gas to the space A by the gas supply unit 26 are stopped (step S12). Thereafter, the substrate W held by the holding pins 224 is released, and the cup 27 is lowered below the substrate W (step S13). The substrate W that has been dried is then carried out of the drying processing unit 20 by the transport robot 7 (step S14).

[effect]
Thus, according to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the gas supplied by the gas supply unit 26 to the space A formed between the heating unit 211 and the transmission window 23 moves through the holes 23a to the space B formed between the substrate W held by the holder 22 and the transmission window 23, thereby creating a clean atmosphere on the surface of the substrate W. By continuing to supply gas by the gas supply unit 26, a clean atmosphere can be created within the processing chamber, enabling good substrate processing to be performed.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the transmission window 23 can be rotated by providing a motor 24 on the transmission window 23 via the transmission window holder 25. In addition, since the rotation speed of the transmission window 23 is higher than that of the substrate W, the gas in space B moves at a faster speed toward the transmission window 23 side than toward the substrate W side. Therefore, according to Bernoulli's theorem, an air current (upward air current) is generated from the side close to the substrate W where the pressure is high to the transmission window 23 side where the pressure is low. This air current moves mist, water vapor components, etc. on the surface of the substrate W generated during the drying process in a direction away from the substrate W. In other words, it is possible to prevent mist, water vapor components, etc. from reattaching to the substrate W, and good substrate drying can be performed while maintaining a clean atmosphere on the surface of the substrate W.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the hole 23a can be provided in the center of the transmission window 23. This allows the gas to diffuse from the center of the substrate W to the outside in the radial direction of the substrate W, so that the entire space B can be efficiently made into a clean atmosphere.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the motor 24 has a rotor 24b provided inside the chamber 21 for rotating the transmission window 23, and a stator 24a provided outside the chamber 21 for rotating the rotor 24b, so that the stator 24a can rotate the rotor 24b in a non-contact state. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of dust due to contact between the stator 24a and the rotor 24b, and to maintain a clean atmosphere inside the chamber 21.

Second Embodiment
Next, a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7A, 7B, and 8. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a blade member 25b is provided in the transmission window holding portion 25.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the blade member 25b of the transmission window holding part 25 of the drying processing part 20 in the second embodiment is formed on a part of the bottom surface of the transmission window holding part 25. Also, as shown in FIG. 7B, the blade member 25b is formed so as to extend in the radial direction and has a shape that draws an arc in the rotation direction. Furthermore, the blade member 25b is formed in a plurality of pieces at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the transmission window holding part 25. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the protrusion 25a of the transmission window holding part 25 has a cylindrical part that extends downward from the end on the inner circumference side, unlike the first embodiment. The blade member 25b is formed at approximately the same height as this cylindrical part.

When the transmission window holding part 25 provided with the blade member 25b rotates, as shown in FIG. 8, the centrifugal force of the blade member 25b generates an airflow in which the gas below the blade member 25b of the transmission window holding part 25 passes through the blade member 25b and is discharged radially outward from the transmission window holding part 25. As a result, the mist and water vapor components that flow away from the substrate W due to the rotation of the transmission window 23 are discharged further radially outward, further preventing reattachment to the substrate W. In addition, the pressure of the gas near the blade member 25b is lowered according to Bernoulli's theorem. Therefore, the airflow (upward airflow) generated by the pressure difference with the surface of the substrate W becomes larger. In other words, a cleaner atmosphere can be created on the surface of the substrate W.

[Modification]
Modifications of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described below.

In this embodiment, the stator 24a of the motor 24 that rotates the transmission window 23 is provided outside the chamber 21, and the rotor 24b is provided inside the chamber 21 in a state of non-contact with the stator 24a, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the motor 24, i.e., the stator 24a and the rotor 24b, may be provided inside the chamber 21 to rotate the transmission window 23.

In addition, the series of steps of supplying rinsing liquid to the substrate W, which are steps prior to heating the substrate W by the heating unit 211, i.e., steps S04 to S06, may be omitted. For example, if the liquid film of rinsing liquid on the substrate W is of an optimal thickness before heating the substrate W by the heating unit 211, the series of steps of supplying rinsing liquid by the rinsing liquid supply unit 28 may be omitted. A detection unit that detects the thickness of the liquid film using a laser displacement meter or the like may be provided to determine whether the liquid film of the rinsing liquid is of an optimal thickness.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiment of the present invention and the modified examples of each part have been described above, these embodiments and the modified examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims.

1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 FOUP
3 FOUP placement stage 4 Transfer robot 5 Transfer rail 6 Substrate placement stage 7 Transfer robot 8 Transfer rail 10 Processing chamber 11 Holding section 12 Cup 13 Processing liquid supply section 14 Rinse liquid supply section 15 Transfer door 20 Drying processing section 21 Chamber 22 Holding section 23 Transmission window 23a Hole 24 Motor 24a Stator 24b Rotor 25 Transmission window holding section 25a Protrusion section 25b Blade member 26 Gas supply section 26a Gas inlet 27 Cup 28 Rinse liquid supply section 29 Lifting mechanism 30 Processing liquid supply source 31 Processing liquid supply pipe 40 Rinse liquid supply source 41 Rinse liquid supply pipe 42 Rinse liquid supply pipe 50 Gas supply source 60 Control section 111 Rotating table 112 Rotating shaft 113 Motor 114 Holding pin 131 Arm drive mechanism 132 Swing arm 133 Processing liquid discharge nozzle 141 Arm drive mechanism 142 Swing arm 143 Rinse liquid discharge nozzle 211 Heating unit 211a Lamp 211b Window 212 Transport door 221 Rotary table 222 Rotary shaft 223 Motor 224 Holding pin 281 Arm drive mechanism 282 Swing arm 283 Rinse liquid discharge nozzle

Claims (7)

a chamber into which a substrate having a liquid film formed on its surface is carried;
a holder provided in the chamber and holding the substrate;
a heating unit provided in an upper portion of the chamber and configured to heat the substrate so as to generate an air layer between the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and the liquid film;
a transmission window having a hole and provided between the heating unit and the holding unit;
a gas supply unit that supplies a gas from the hole toward the substrate held by the holder;
A motor that rotates the transmission window;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the hole is provided in the center of the transmission window. The motor is
a rotor provided in the chamber and configured to rotate the transmission window;
a stator provided outside the chamber and configured to rotate the rotor;
having
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stator rotates the rotor in a non-contact state. The substrate is provided so as to be rotatably driven,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of the transmission window is higher than the rotation speed of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the substrate and the transmission window rotate in the same direction. a circular window holding portion that holds the transmission window;
Equipped with
The motor rotates the transmission window via the transmission window holding portion,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission window holding portion has a bottom surface on which a plurality of blade members extending in a radial direction are formed along a circumference of the transmission window holding portion. a holding unit holding the substrate that has been brought into the chamber with a liquid film formed on the surface thereof;
a heating unit heating the substrate so as to generate an air layer between the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and the liquid film;
a gas supply unit supplies a gas toward the substrate held by the holder through a hole in a transmission window provided between the heating unit and the holder;
A motor rotates the transmission window.
A method for processing a substrate.

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