JPH10303166A - Substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating device which can clean cover members without manual aid. SOLUTION: In a treatment chamber 1, a tank body 4 having a treating tank in which a treating solution is contained and wafers W are treated by immersing wafers W in the treating solution is provided and automatic covers 25 and 26 are provided above the treating tank so as to open and close the opening of the treating tank. A nozzle pipe 40 for external surface having a plurality of nozzles 42 for external surface is attached to the side wall of the chamber 1 so that pure water for cleaning may be sprayed upon the upper surfaces of the covers 25 and 26 from the nozzles 42 in shower-like states. In addition, the tank body 4 is provided with a nozzle pipe for internal surface having a plurality of nozzles for internal surface so that the pure water for cleaning may be sprayed upon the internal surfaces of the covers 25 and 26 from the nozzles in shower-like states. Therefore, both the external and internal surfaces of the covers 25 and 26 can be cleaned automatically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing on substrates to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and a glass substrate for a PDP (plasma display panel).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a batch-type wafer processing apparatus for processing a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, simply referred to as "wafers") collectively is sometimes used. In this type of wafer processing apparatus, a plurality of wafers are collectively immersed in a processing liquid stored in a processing tank, thereby cleaning the wafer surface or removing a thin film formed on the wafer surface.

[0003] In such a wafer processing apparatus, the upper surface of the processing tank is opened to accommodate a wafer in the processing tank. However, as it is, foreign substances such as particles may be mixed into the processing liquid in the processing tank, or the chemical liquid atmosphere may leak out of the tank when the chemical liquid is used as the processing liquid. Therefore, a lid member is attached to the processing tank so as to be openable and closable so that the opening of the processing tank can be closed as required.

[0004]

However, when a chemical is used as a treatment liquid, the chemical atmosphere adheres to the entire lid member and crystallizes. As a result, a substance crystallized on the lower surface of the lid member (the surface facing the processing liquid) may fall when the lid member is closed, and may be mixed as particles into the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, There is a possibility that wafer processing cannot be performed well. Further, the opening and closing of the lid member may be hindered by the crystallized substance.

Therefore, conventionally, an operator periodically checks the state of the lid member, and whenever a crystallized substance adheres to the lid member, every time the crystallized substance adheres to the lid member, the lid member is manually operated using a hand shower or the like. Was to be washed. Such an operation is very complicated and places a heavy burden on the operator. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem and to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of cleaning a lid member without requiring any human labor.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is provided inside a processing chamber, has an opening at an upper part, and stores processing liquid. A treatment tank for immersing the substrate, a cover member for opening and closing the opening, a cover member driving means for driving the cover member, and a cover member provided inside the processing chamber; A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the lid member, the lid member can be cleaned without requiring any manual operation. Therefore, the lid member can always be kept in a clean state. Therefore, the operator does not need to frequently check the state of the lid member, and the period for the periodic inspection of the lid member can be greatly extended. Therefore, the burden on the worker can be significantly reduced.

Moreover, since the particles can be prevented from being mixed into the processing liquid, the substrate can be satisfactorily processed. The invention according to claim 2 is means for controlling the lid member driving means and the cleaning liquid supply means such that the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the lid member in a state where the opening is closed by the lid member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

According to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the lid member in a state where the opening is closed by the lid member, the cleaning liquid does not enter the processing tank. Therefore, even when a chemical is used as the treatment liquid, the concentration of the chemical does not decrease. Therefore, substrate processing can be performed favorably. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the cleaning liquid supply means includes an upper surface supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to an upper surface of the lid member, and a lower surface supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to a lower surface of the lid member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

Preferably, the cleaning liquid supply means is capable of selectively operating the upper surface supply means and the lower surface supply means. According to the present invention, the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the upper surface and the lower surface of the lid member, so that the entire lid member can be thoroughly cleaned. In other words, it is possible to wash out a substance that may crystallize on the upper surface side of the lid member and possibly cause a hindrance to opening and closing of the lid member, and crystallize on the lower surface of the lid member to remove the processing liquid stored in the processing tank. Substances that may be mixed as particles can be washed away. Therefore, the lid member can be more favorably cleaned.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the processing solution in the processing tank is exchanged, a means for operating the cleaning liquid supply means is further provided.
A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above. According to the present invention, the cleaning of the lid member is performed when the processing liquid in the processing tank is replaced, so that the cleaning liquid does not mix with the processing liquid being processed. Therefore, substrate processing can be performed favorably.
In particular, when a chemical solution is used as the processing liquid, if the lid member is closed and the cleaning liquid is supplied only to the upper surface of the lid member, the concentration of the chemical solution during replacement will not be reduced. It can be reused.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. This wafer processing apparatus is for performing a process on a wafer W by immersing a plurality of wafers W in a processing liquid in a processing tank 2 at a time and overflowing the processing liquid from the processing tank 2 in this state. And a processing chamber 1 for forming an external appearance of the wafer processing apparatus. The processing chamber 1 has side walls 1a, 1b,
1c, 1d, and a bottom wall 1e, and is substantially rectangular in plan view. Inside the processing chamber 1, a processing tank 2 in which a processing liquid is stored, which is substantially rectangular in plan view, and a liquid receiving tank 3 into which the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank 2 is guided.
The tank main body 4 in which is formed is provided. Tank body 4
Is supported by a support member 5 arranged on the bottom wall 1e of the processing chamber 1.

The upper surface of the processing tank 2 is an opening 2a for accommodating the wafer W in the processing tank 2 and for taking out the wafer W from the processing tank 2. The plurality of wafers W are collectively held by the wafer holding unit 6 in the processing tank 2. In the processing tank 2, the ends of a pure water supply pipe 7 and a chemical liquid supply pipe 8 for supplying pure water and a chemical liquid as the processing liquid to the processing tank 2 reach respectively. The pure water supply pipe 7 and the chemical liquid supply pipe 8 are attached to the inside of the treatment tank 2 and a predetermined portion of the tank main body 4 by two pipe attachment portions 9 and 10.

An end of the pure water supply pipe 7 opposite to the end is connected to a pure water tank (not shown) in which pure water is stored. 11 are interposed. By controlling the opening and closing of the pure water supply valve 11 by this configuration, for example, pure water is supplied to and stored in the processing tank 2 before the processing is started, or the supply is stopped after a predetermined amount of pure water is stored. You can do it.

The other end of the chemical supply pipe 8 opposite to the tip is connected to a chemical tank (not shown) in which a chemical such as hydrofluoric acid or ammonia is stored. A supply valve 12 is interposed. With this configuration, by controlling the opening and closing of the chemical liquid supply valve 12, for example, the chemical liquid is supplied to and stored in the processing tank 2 before the processing is started, or the supply is stopped after a predetermined amount of the chemical liquid is stored. You can do it.

In the lower part of the processing tank 2, two circulation / discharge ports 13a and 13b are provided. Circulation / discharge port 13
Circulation / discharge pipes 14a and 14b are connected to a and 13b, respectively. Circulation / discharge pipes 14a, 14
b is extended to the outside of the processing chamber 1 and is connected to the outside of the processing chamber 1 by the connecting portion 15. A circulation / discharge pipe 16 is connected to the connection portion 15. Circulation / discharge piping 1
6, a drain valve 17 is interposed. By controlling the opening and closing of the drain valve 17, for example, after the processing of the wafer W is completed, the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 2 is moved out of the tank. It can be discharged.

A liquid receiving groove 18 for receiving the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank 2 is formed on three side walls of the processing tank 2, and the liquid receiving groove 18 communicates with the liquid receiving tank 3. . With this configuration, the processing liquid received by the liquid receiving groove 18 is guided to the liquid receiving tank 3 by its own weight. An overflow outlet 19 is formed on the bottom surface of the liquid receiving tank 3.
An overflow discharge pipe 20 extending to the outside of the processing chamber 1 is connected.

A circulation pipe 21 is connected to one end of the overflow discharge pipe 20 on the side opposite to the overflow discharge port 19, and the circulation pipe 21 is connected to the connection portion 15 of the circulation / discharge pipe 16. It is connected between the drain valve 17. Further, a circulation pump 22 and a circulation filter 23 are interposed in the middle of the circulation pipe 21 in this order from the overflow discharge port 19 side.

With this configuration, for example, when processing the wafer W, the processing liquid overflowing from the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 by closing the drain valve 17
It is guided from the overflow discharge port 19 to the overflow discharge pipe 20, circulated in the circulation pipe 21 by the circulation pump 22, and returned from the circulation / discharge pipe 16 to the processing tank 2 through the circulation / discharge pipes 14 a and 14 b. That is, in this case, the process liquid stored in the processing tank 2 is circulated through the circulation pipe 21 and the circulation / discharge pipe 16 and returned to the processing tank 2 again, and is reused.

Further, for example, after the processing of the wafer W is completed, the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 2 and the processing liquid overflowed from the processing tank 2 are discharged out of the tank by opening the drain valve 17. , Can be guided out of the processing chamber 1. Above the processing tank 2,
A pair of auto covers 25 and 26 for opening and closing the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 are provided. The pair of auto covers 25 and 26 open and close at an opening / closing boundary 27 near the center of the processing tank 2 in a direction A substantially perpendicular to the side walls 1 a and 1 b of the processing chamber 1. Type. This pair of auto covers 25,
26 is symmetrical with respect to the opening / closing boundary line 27.
Therefore, the configuration of the auto cover will be described below by taking the auto cover 25 as an example.

The auto cover 25 has a cover body 25a facing the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 in the closed state. The cover main body 25a has a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view. A connecting member 27 is attached to a side 25b of the cover body 25a on the side close to the side wall 1d. Side 25 near the side wall 1c of the cover body 25a
c, and the side 27 near the side wall 1d of the connecting member 27
Attachment members 28 and 29 are attached to a, respectively. Each of the mounting members 28 and 29 has a rotating shaft 3
0, 31 are attached to the side walls 1c, 1d. The rotating shafts 30 and 31 are supported by bearings 32 and 33 fixed to the side walls 1 c and 1 d so as to be rotatable around a rotating axis 34.

The rotating shaft 30 extends to the outside of the processing chamber 1, and a connecting arm 35 is attached near the tip thereof. The connection arm 35 extends in a direction away from the side wall 1a with respect to a connection end with the rotation shaft 30, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a schematic view of the processing chamber 1 viewed from the side. In the vicinity of the end of the connection arm 35 opposite to the connection end,
A projection 36 is attached, and the tip of the rod 38 of the cylinder 37 is attached to the projection 36. The rod 38 can move up and down. Further, the cylinder 37 is rotatably connected to a pin 39 which stands substantially vertically on the side wall 1c.

In this configuration, when the rod 38 is extended, the connecting arm 35 is displaced counterclockwise about the rotation axis 34, and the cylinder 37 is displaced counterclockwise by a small amount about the pin 39 (FIG. 2). 3 is indicated by a two-dot chain line).
Accordingly, the rotation shaft 30 rotates about the rotation axis 34, and as a result, the cover main body 25a assumes the open position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. In this case, the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 is opened by extending the rod of the cylinder provided in connection with the automatic cover 26 almost simultaneously with the extension of the rod 38 of the automatic cover 25.

On the other hand, when the rod 38 is retracted, the connecting arm 35 is displaced downward about the rotation axis 34, and accordingly, the rotation shaft 30 also rotates about the rotation axis 34. As a result, the cover main body 25a assumes the closed posture shown by the solid line in FIG. In this case, the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 is closed by retracting the rod of the cylinder provided in association with the automatic cover 26 almost simultaneously with retracting the rod 38 of the automatic cover 25.

On the upper portions of the side walls 1a, 1b of the processing chamber 1, elongated outer surface nozzle tubes 40a, 40b (hereinafter collectively referred to as "outer surface nozzle tubes 40") are mounted by mounting members 41a, 41b, respectively. ing. A plurality of outer surface nozzles 42 are arranged in the outer surface nozzle tube 40 along the longitudinal direction of the outer surface nozzle tube 40. An external supply pipe 44 extending from the pure water tank storing pure water as a cleaning liquid is connected to a connection end 43 of the external nozzle pipe 40. Is provided with an outer surface supply valve 45. With this configuration, by controlling the opening and closing of the outer surface supply valve 45, the cleaning pure water is discharged from the outer surface nozzle 42 mainly toward the upper surfaces of the closed auto covers 25a and 25b, or the discharge is stopped. And so on.

The outer surface nozzle 42 is configured so that pure water for cleaning can be discharged in a shower shape. Therefore, from the outer surface nozzle 42, not only the upper surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 but also the auto covers 25 and
6, the outer surface of the connecting member 27 attached to the side surface of
Also, pure water can be supplied to the vicinity of the rotating shafts 30 and 31.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the tank body 4 as viewed from above, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. In the vicinity of the edge of the upper surface of the tank body 4, two concave portions 50a, 50
b are formed respectively. Each of the recesses 50a, 50b is provided with an elongated inner surface nozzle tube 51a, 51b for supplying pure water for cleaning to the inner surface of the auto cover 25, 26, respectively. Inner surface nozzle tubes 51a, 51b
, A plurality of inner surface nozzles 52a, 52b are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the inner surface nozzle tubes 51a, 51b. The inner surface supply pipes 53a, 53b extending from the pure water tank are connected to the inner surface nozzle pipes 51a, 51b. Inner surface supply valves 54a, 54b are interposed in the middle of the inner surface supply pipes 53a, 53b, respectively. By controlling the opening and closing of the inner surface supply valves 54a, 54b, the inner surface nozzles 52a, 53b are provided. Pure water can be discharged from 52b mainly toward the inner surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26, and the discharge can be prohibited.

The inner surface nozzles 52a and 52b are configured so that pure water can be discharged in a shower-like manner, similarly to the outer surface nozzle 42. With this configuration, the inner surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 are formed. Pure water can be supplied over the entire area. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the wafer processing apparatus. This wafer processing apparatus is provided with a control unit 60 as a control center. The control unit 60 is configured by a microcomputer or the like, and according to a predetermined control program, the chemical solution supply valve 11, the pure water supply valve 12, the drain valve 17, the outer surface supply valve 45, and the inner surface supply valve 54a. , 54b opening and closing,
The wafer cleaning process and the cover cleaning process are executed by controlling the advance and retreat of the rod 38 of the cylinder 37.

After completion of the wafer cleaning process performed with the auto covers 25 and 26 closed, the control unit 60 transfers the used processing liquid to the processing chamber 1 via the circulation / discharge pipes 14a and 14b and the circulation / discharge pipe 16. When discharging outside,
Execute the cover cleaning process. More specifically, the control unit 60 opens the drain valve 17 after the wafer cleaning process with the chemical liquid is completed, and discharges the chemical liquid in the processing tank 2 and the liquid receiving tank 3. The outer surface supply valve 45 is opened, and pure water for cleaning is discharged from the outer surface nozzle 42. In this case, the auto covers 25 and 26 remain closed as in the case of the wafer cleaning process. As a result, the pure water discharged from the outer surface nozzle 42 is supplied to the auto covers 25, 2
6, the outer surface of the connecting member 27, and the mounting member 28,
29. The pure water discharged from the outer surface nozzle 42 further reaches near the rotation shafts 30 and 31. As a result, the substances crystallized on the outer surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 and the substances crystallized near the rotation shafts 30 and 31 are washed away. On the other hand, in this case, since the auto covers 25 and 26 are closed, the discharged pure water does not reach the inside of the processing tank 2. Therefore, the concentration of the chemical solution during discharge does not decrease.

After the wafer cleaning process with the pure water is completed, the control unit 60 opens the drain valve 17 to open the processing tank 2.
Discharge the pure water inside. The outer supply valve 45 and the inner supply valves 54a and 54b are opened, and pure water for cleaning is discharged from the outer nozzle 42 and the inner nozzles 52a and 52b. Also in this case, the auto cover 2
Nos. 5 and 26 remain closed as in the wafer cleaning process.

As a result, the pure water discharged from the outer surface nozzle 45 and the inner surface nozzles 54a and 54b, respectively,
It is supplied to the outer and inner surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26. As a result, the substances crystallized on the outer surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 can be washed away, and the substances crystallized on the inner surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 that have not been cleaned at the time of chemical solution exchange are also washed away. In this case, the auto cover 25 is added to the pure water being discharged.
The pure water for cleaning supplied to the inner surface of 26 is mixed, but since it is the same pure water, there is no need to worry about occurrence of a problem such as a decrease in concentration.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the auto covers 25 and 26 can be automatically cleaned, so that the auto covers 25 and 26 can be kept in a clean state without requiring any human intervention. . Therefore, the auto covers 25 and 26 can always be kept clean.
Therefore, the period of the periodic inspection by the worker can be greatly extended, and the burden on the worker can be greatly reduced. Further, since the particles formed by crystallization can be prevented from being mixed into the processing liquid, the wafer W can be favorably processed.

When a chemical is used as the processing liquid, the auto covers 25 and 26 are closed.
Since the cover cleaning process for the outer surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 is performed, pure water for cleaning does not enter the processing tank 2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the concentration of the chemical solution being discharged as well as the concentration of the chemical solution being discharged from being reduced, so that the processing can be performed well and the discharged chemical solution can be re-used only by removing the foreign matter by the filter. Can be used.

When the used chemical is not reused, there is no problem even if the concentration of the discharged chemical is low. In this case, not only the outer surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 but also The inner surfaces of the auto covers 25 and 26 may be cleaned at the same time. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case where a double door type is applied as the auto covers 25 and 26 has been described as an example. However, for example, a cover that can slide along the opening 2a of the processing tank 2 may be used.
In addition, one that opens on one side may be used. In short, other processing tank 2
Any type can be applied as long as the opening 2a can be opened and closed.

In the above embodiment, an apparatus for processing a wafer W is described as an example. However, the present invention is also applied to, for example, an apparatus for processing a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device or a glass substrate for a PDP. Of course you can. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration viewed from a side of a processing chamber.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration as viewed from above a tank main body.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the wafer processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing chamber 2 Processing tank 2a Opening 25, 26 Auto cover (lid member) 37 Cylinder (lid driving means) 40, 40a, 40b Outer surface nozzle tube (washing liquid supply means, upper surface supply means) 42 Outer surface nozzle (washing liquid) Supply means, upper surface supply means) 44 outer surface supply pipe (cleaning liquid supply means, upper surface supply means) 45 outer surface supply valve (cleaning liquid supply means, upper surface supply means) 51a, 51b inner surface nozzle pipe (cleaning liquid supply means, lower surface supply means) 52a, 52b Inner surface nozzle (cleaning liquid supply means, lower surface supply means) 53a, 53b Inner surface supply pipe (cleaning liquid supply means, lower surface supply means) 54a, 54b Inner surface supply valve (cleaning liquid supply means, lower surface supply means) 60 control Department

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A processing tank provided inside a processing chamber and having an opening above and for immersing a substrate in which a processing liquid is stored, a lid member for opening and closing the opening, A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a lid member driving unit for driving the lid member; and a cleaning liquid supply unit provided inside the processing chamber and supplying a cleaning liquid to the lid member. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for controlling the lid member driving means and the cleaning liquid supply means such that the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the lid member in a state where the opening is closed by the lid member. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The cleaning liquid supply means includes upper surface supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to an upper surface of the lid member, and lower surface supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to a lower surface of the lid member. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for operating said cleaning liquid supply means when replacing the processing liquid in said processing tank.