JP2656232B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a processing technique, in particular,
The present invention relates to a technique which is effective when applied to a technique for removing a photoresist attached to a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A technology for removing photoresist adhering to a semiconductor wafer is disclosed in "Electronic Materials", published on November 10, 1981, by the
P137 to P148.

[0003] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices,
When removing the photoresist masking the semiconductor wafer in a predetermined pattern after the etching processing of the semiconductor wafer, a photoresist removing apparatus having the following structure is used instead of the oxygen plasma method in which the semiconductor wafer may be damaged. May be used.

That is, a semiconductor wafer is positioned on a mounting table provided in a processing chamber, heated to a relatively low temperature by a heater provided in the mounting table, and a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone flows through the processing chamber. Further, by irradiating the surface of the semiconductor wafer with ultraviolet rays or the like, oxygen or ozone is excited, and oxidizing a photoresist made of an organic substance or the like by nascent oxygen or the like generated when ozone is dissociated. And remove it.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-7936 discloses a processing apparatus in which a processing vessel is separated by an optical window in order to prevent a light source from coming into direct contact with a reaction gas. In the apparatus, a light source is provided on the upper wall of the processing container.

[0006]

However, the photoresist removing apparatus having the above-mentioned structure has a disadvantage that the removal rate of the photoresist adhered to the semiconductor wafer is generally low and the processing takes a relatively long time. Further, the present inventor has found that there is a problem that a relatively large amount of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone is required, and that there is a disadvantage that the productivity in the operation of removing the photoresist attached to the semiconductor wafer is low.

An object of the present invention is to provide a processing technique capable of improving productivity.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of a representative one will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

That is, a processing container, a table provided in the processing container and supporting the object to be processed, a guide plate forming a flow path with a predetermined gap between the surface of the object to be processed, and an ozone generator. A source, a nozzle for supplying a processing fluid containing ozone generated from the ozone generation source to the flow path, and a light disposed near the surface of the guide plate along the surface to excite the processing fluid through the guide plate. A light source for irradiating the surface of the object to be processed, the table is configured to be relatively displaceable with respect to the guide plate, and a gap between the guide plate and the object to be processed is made variable. Device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently supply a processing fluid to an object to be processed, improve the speed of processing the object by the processing fluid, and reduce the amount of the processing fluid used. This makes it possible to improve the productivity of processing. Further, since the light source is disposed along the guide plate near the surface thereof, the processing fluid containing ozone can be efficiently excited. Further, when the table is displaced relative to the guide plate, the gap between the guide plate and the object to be processed can be changed, and the width of the optimum width can be changed according to the type of the object to be processed and the composition of the processing fluid. A channel can be configured.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the processing device is configured as a photoresist removing device.

A mounting table 2 is provided substantially horizontally on the bottom of the processing container, that is, the main body 1. On the mounting table 2, for example, an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer having a surface coated with a photoresist or the like. 3 is removably positioned.

The mounting table 2 is rotatable in a horizontal plane so that the object 3 to be mounted is rotated at a predetermined speed.

A heater (not shown) is provided inside the mounting table 2 so that the processing target 3 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

In this case, a transparent guide plate 4 made of, for example, synthetic quartz glass is provided near the upper portion of the mounting table 2.
A structure in which a flow path 5 having a relatively small gap is formed between the processing object 3 disposed on the mounting table 2 and the processing table 3, disposed opposite to the mounting table 2 via the processing object 3. Have been. The guide plate 4 divides the inside of the main body 1 as a processing container into a space A as a light source room and a space B as a processing room in which the mounting table 2 is provided, as shown in the drawing.

The mounting table 2 is configured to be displaceable relative to the guide plate 4 by a displacement mechanism (not shown), and the gap of the flow path 5 can be adjusted to a desired value.

At the guide plate 4, a nozzle 6 is opened at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the workpiece 3, and a processing fluid 7 made of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone flows through the nozzle 6. It is configured to be supplied to the passage 5 in a laminar flow.

In the vicinity of the upper surface of the guide plate 4, there are provided a plurality of light sources 8, such as low-pressure mercury lamps, which are arranged to bend along the surface of the guide plate 4, and constitute a processing fluid 7. Ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range that excites oxygen, ozone, and the like that pass through the guide plate 4 and
The surface is irradiated with light.

A plurality of exhaust ports 9 are provided on the bottom side surface of the main body 1 so that the space between the guide plate 4 and the bottom surface of the main body 1 is exhausted inside the main body 1.

In the space A above the guide plate 4 where the light source 8 is located, for example, a nitrogen gas atmosphere, that is, an atmosphere containing no oxygen, is radiated from the light source 8 and transmitted through the guide plate 4. While ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range irradiated on the surface of the workpiece 3 are transmitted through the atmosphere existing between the light source 8 and the guide plate 4, they are prevented from being absorbed and attenuated by oxygen in the atmosphere. Have been.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the mounting table 2 is lowered so that the gap between the mounting table 2 and the upper guide plate 4 is relatively large, and after the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is mounted through an entrance (not shown) of the main body 1. A flow path 5 having a relatively narrow width is formed over the entire surface of the processing target 3 between the processing target 3 and the guide plate 4 which are raised and positioned on the mounting table 2.

Thereafter, the processing object 3 positioned on the mounting table 2 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater (not shown) provided on the mounting table 2, and the processing object 3 is moved together with the mounting table 2. Rotated.

Further, a processing fluid 7 composed of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone or the like is supplied through a nozzle 6 to a flow path 5 composed of the object 3 and the guide plate 4. The processing fluid 7 is circulated in a laminar flow over the entire surface of the processing target 3, and ultraviolet light in a predetermined wavelength range is transmitted from the light source 8 to the surface of the processing target 3 through the guide plate 4. .

Then, a photoresist or the like made of an organic substance and the like adhered to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is generated by dissociation of oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 excited by ultraviolet rays. It is oxidized by nascent oxygen or the like, is vaporized and removed as carbon dioxide gas or water vapor, and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 9.

Here, in the above-described oxidizing and removing process of the photoresist, oxygen of a relatively short life generated during the dissociation of oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 is generated near the surface of the workpiece 3. Efficient supply is important from the viewpoint of improving the removal rate of the photoresist and the like, but in the present embodiment, the guide plate 4 allows the processing between the workpiece 3 and the guide plate 4 to be performed. Since the relatively narrow flow path 5 through which the fluid 7 flows is configured, the generation generated by being excited by the processing fluid 7 made of oxygen, ozone, or the like flowing through the flow path 5 or the ultraviolet light from the light source 8. Oxygen and the like are efficiently supplied to the surface of the processing object 3, and the photoresist and the like attached to the surface of the processing object 3 such as a semiconductor wafer are oxidized and removed within a relatively short time.

Further, since the guide plate 4 is provided, the processing fluid 7 is intensively supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the target workpiece 3 and does not dissipate to the outside.
Can be reduced.

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

(1) A transparent guide plate 4 is provided in the vicinity of the mounting table 2 on which the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is located, along the surface of the workpiece 3, and A relatively narrow flow path 5 through which the processing fluid 7 flows in a laminar flow is formed between the surface of the workpiece and the guide plate 4, and the nozzle 6 for supplying the processing fluid 7 rotates the workpiece 3. Since the structure is opened through the guide plate 4 at a position eccentric from the center, oxygen or ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 is transmitted through the transparent guide plate 4 and irradiated in a predetermined wavelength range. The nascent oxygen generated by dissociation by ultraviolet rays or the like is efficiently supplied to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer,
The photoresist attached to the surface of the processing object 3 is quickly oxidized and removed, and the processing fluid 7 is intensively supplied to the surface of the processing object 3 and does not dissipate outside.
As a result of the reduction in the usage amount of the processing fluid 7, the productivity in the removal operation of the photoresist or the like adhered to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is improved.

(2) As a result of the above (1), it is possible to increase the number of objects 3 to be processed such as semiconductor wafers processed per unit time, and to incorporate them into an actual semiconductor device manufacturing line. it can.

(3) As a result of the above (1), there is no need to provide an unnecessarily large ozone production facility, and the apparatus can be reduced in cost and size.

(4) As a result of the above (1), since the nozzle 6 is opened at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the workpiece 3, for example, the nozzle 6 corresponding to the center of the opening of the nozzle 6 Irregularities in removal of the photoresist adhering to the surface of the processing object 3 due to the formation of turbulent flow of the processing fluid 7 on the surface of the processing object 3 are avoided.
The photoresist on the surface can be uniformly removed.

(5) Since the space A in which the light source 8 is located inside the main body 1 is in a nitrogen gas atmosphere,
For example, compared to the case where the space A is the normal atmosphere, ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range emitted from a light source 8 such as a low-pressure mercury lamp are absorbed by oxygen in the atmosphere while reaching the guide plate 4 and attenuated. Is avoided, and it becomes possible to irradiate the surface of the processing object 3 with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength range having higher illuminance.

(6) By displacing the mounting table 2 relative to the guide plate 4, the gap between the guide plate 4 and the workpiece 3 can be changed. The flow path 5 having an optimum width can be formed according to the type of the photoresist, the composition of the processing fluid 7, and the like, and the work of attaching and detaching the workpiece 3 to and from the mounting table 2 can be easily performed.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the nozzle 6a for supplying the processing fluid 7 to the flow path 5 between the guide plate 4 and the workpiece 3 is
Is different from the case of the first embodiment in that it is opened from the side in the peripheral portion of, and the other is the same.

In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) A transparent guide plate 4 is arranged in the vicinity of the mounting table 2 on which the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is located, along the surface of the workpiece 3. A relatively narrow flow path 5 through which the processing fluid 7 flows in a laminar flow is formed between the surface of the workpiece and the guide plate 4, and a nozzle 6 a for supplying the processing fluid 7 is provided around the workpiece 3. Due to the structure opened to the side of the part, oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 are generated by being dissociated by ultraviolet rays of a predetermined wavelength range transmitted through the transparent guide plate 4 and irradiated. Nascent oxygen is efficiently supplied to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer, and the photoresist adhering to the surface of the workpiece 3 is quickly removed, and the processing fluid 7 is removed.
Is intensively supplied to the surface of the processing object 3, does not dissipate outside, and the amount of the processing fluid 7 used is reduced.
The productivity in the work of removing photoresist and the like attached to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is improved.

(2) As a result of the above (1), it is possible to increase the quantity of the workpieces 3 such as semiconductor wafers to be processed per unit time, and to incorporate them into an actual semiconductor device manufacturing line. it can.

(3) As a result of the above (1), there is no need to provide an unnecessarily large ozone production facility, and the apparatus can be reduced in cost and size.

(4) As a result of the above (1), the nozzle 6a is opened to the side of the peripheral portion of the workpiece 3 so that, for example, the nozzle 6a intersects the surface of the workpiece 3 For example, when the processing fluid 7 is formed on the surface of the processing object 3 corresponding to the center of the opening, the photoresist adhered to the surface of the processing object 3 It is possible to avoid the occurrence of unevenness in the removal of the photoresist, and to uniformly perform the photoresist removal processing on the surface of the workpiece 3.

(5) Since the space A in which the light source 8 is located inside the main body 1 is in a nitrogen gas atmosphere,
For example, compared to the case where the space A is the normal atmosphere, ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range emitted from a light source 8 such as a low-pressure mercury lamp are absorbed by oxygen in the atmosphere while reaching the guide plate 4 and attenuated. Is avoided, and it becomes possible to irradiate the surface of the processing object 3 with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength range having higher illuminance.

(6) By displacing the mounting table 2 relative to the guide plate 4, the gap between the guide plate 4 and the workpiece 3 can be changed, and The flow path 5 having an optimum width can be formed according to the type of the photoresist, the composition of the processing fluid 7, and the like, and the work of attaching and detaching the workpiece 3 to and from the mounting table 2 can be easily performed.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Needless to say,
For example, the nozzle may be inclined with respect to the surface of the workpiece, and the light source may be embedded inside the guide plate.

In the above description, the case where the invention made by the present inventor is mainly applied to the photoresist removal processing of a semiconductor wafer, which is the background of the application, has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be widely applied to technologies that require efficient supply of a processing fluid to a processing object.

[0047]

Advantageous effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed by the present application will be briefly described as follows.
It is as follows.

That is, since the light source is disposed near the surface of the guide plate along the surface of the guide plate, the processing fluid containing ozone can be efficiently excited. Further, when the nozzle is provided through the light source and opened toward the surface of the processing object, the processing fluid can be reliably supplied into the gap, and in this case, the exhaust port is provided on the side of the opening of the nozzle. In this case, the processing fluid can be uniformly guided to the surface of the processing object. In this way, the processing fluid is efficiently supplied to the object to be processed, the speed of processing the object by the processing fluid is improved, and the amount of the processing fluid used can be reduced. Productivity can be improved.

When the mounting table is displaced relative to the guide plate, the gap between the guide plate and the object can be changed, and the type of the object and the composition of the processing fluid can be changed. Accordingly, a flow path having an optimum width can be formed, and the work to be processed can be easily attached to and detached from the mounting table.

Further, by setting the light source chamber to an atmosphere containing no oxygen such as a nitrogen gas atmosphere, high-quality processing can be performed without causing attenuation due to absorption of light from the light source by oxygen. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Mounting table 3 Workpiece 4 Guide plate 5 Flow path 6, 6a Nozzle 7 Processing fluid 8 Light source 9 Exhaust port

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing container; a table provided in the processing container, for supporting a processing target; a guide plate forming a flow path with a predetermined gap between the processing target and a surface of the processing target; A generation source; a nozzle for supplying a processing fluid containing ozone generated from the ozone generation source to the flow path; and a nozzle disposed near the surface of the guide plate along the surface of the guide plate to excite the processing fluid. A light source for irradiating the surface of the object to be processed with light to be caused to pass through the guide plate, the table is configured to be relatively displaceable with respect to the guide plate, and the guide plate and the object to be processed are provided. The processing apparatus characterized in that the gap between the processing unit and the processing unit is variable. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is provided below a light source chamber defined by the guide plate, and the light source chamber has an oxygen-free atmosphere. Processing equipment. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said light sources are provided. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein exhaust ports for exhausting the processing fluid supplied to the flow path are provided on both sides of the opening of the nozzle.