JP2829450B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid gas to a processing chamber of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer and processing the surface of the semiconductor wafer. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, when a photoresist layer or the like is formed on the surface of an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer, the surface of the semiconductor wafer is treated with hexamethyldisilazane (hereinafter referred to as HMDS) in order to improve the adhesion. Processing may be performed. During this pretreatment, the processing liquid is vaporized by a processing liquid vaporizer and supplied as a gas phase to a processing chamber for accommodating a semiconductor wafer, where it adheres to the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional processing apparatus of this type includes an N2 gas supply pipe c for supplying nitrogen (N2) gas as a carrier gas and a supply pipe for supplying a processing liquid gas to a processing chamber e. The bubbler b is disposed in the processing liquid storage part a connecting the device d. In the processing apparatus configured as described above, the HMDS gas is generated by the N2 bubbles generated by the bubbler b, and the HMDS gas is supplied to the processing chamber e through the supply pipe d. And
The wafer W is guided to the guide passage f in the processing chamber e and is jetted from the diffusion hole h of the diffusion plate g to the wafer W on the heating mounting table i. In this case, the processing chamber e is connected to the ejector k via the exhaust pipe j, and the inside of the processing chamber e is maintained at a negative pressure by supplying the driving pressure air from the driving air supply pipe m to the ejector k. It has become. In FIG. 3, n and o are open / close valves.

In the conventional processing apparatus of this type, when N2 bubbles are blown off at the liquid level in the processing liquid storage section a, droplets are generated, and a supply pipe is connected from the processing liquid storage section a to the processing chamber e. There was a problem that dew was formed within d.

Therefore, in order to prevent this, conventionally, a supply pipe d connecting the processing liquid storage section a and the processing chamber e is provided.
Is connected to another N2 supply pipe p, thereby diluting the HMDS gas in the supply pipe d to prevent dew condensation in the supply pipe d.

[0006]

However, in this type of conventional processing apparatus, an N2 gas supply pipe p must be separately connected to the supply pipe d, and the N2 gas supply amount and the HMDS gas supply Since it is necessary to control the amount and the like, there is a problem that a complicated and large number of piping structures and control devices are required, and that sufficient dew condensation cannot be prevented. Further, when the condensed droplets enter the processing chamber e, they adhere to the wafer W, which causes a problem that the quality of the wafer W is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a processing apparatus which simplifies a piping structure and can surely supply a processing liquid gas having a necessary and sufficient concentration for processing to a processing target processing chamber. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a processing object processing section, a processing liquid storage section, and a processing liquid vaporizing section separately. the assumed, in the processing solution vaporizing unit, provided microdroplets generating means of the processing liquid, the processing liquid supply means for supplying a predetermined amount of the processing liquid from the processing liquid containing portion provided in the microdroplet generator In the processing liquid vaporizing section, the fine droplets should be vaporized.
And gas supply means for supplying gas .

In the present invention, the means for generating fine droplets may be any means as long as the processing liquid is converted into fine droplets. For example, an ultrasonic vibrator for converting electric energy into mechanical energy may be used. Can be. In this case, the ultrasonic transducer generates vibration when driven by an electric signal, and can be formed by, for example, a piezoelectric element. If a particularly large output is required, a magnetostrictive element can be used.

The above-mentioned processing liquid supply means is provided between the processing liquid storage section and the processing liquid vaporization section, and has any structure as long as it supplies a predetermined amount of processing liquid to the processing liquid vaporization section. However, for example , the processing liquid storage section and the processing liquid vaporization section are connected.
It is preferable that the supply amount of the processing liquid can be controlled by a throttle provided in a continuous pipe . Thereby, the concentration of the processing liquid gas can be controlled. However, the concentration of the processing liquid gas can also be controlled by controlling the driving power of the ultrasonic vibrator.

[0011]

According to the processing apparatus of the present invention constructed as [action] above, microdroplets generating means of the processing liquid in the processing liquid vaporizing section is provided, a predetermined amount from the processing liquid containing portion to the microdroplet generator the treatment liquid supply means for supplying the processing liquid is provided, and the treatment liquid gas
Gas to vaporize fine droplets
The Rukoto providing gas supply means, processing solution in the processing liquid containing portion is supplied to the microdroplet generator at a constant feed amount through the treatment liquid supply means, the supplied process liquid and fine droplets Do Ri, in contact with the gas supplied from the gas supply means
Vaporize. At this time, the finer the droplet, the larger the surface area ratio (the size of the surface area per liquid amount), so that the processing liquid is more likely to evaporate (vaporize) . In addition, fine droplets hardly dew in the supply pipe. The evaporated processing liquid is supplied at a predetermined concentration to the processing target processing unit via a supply pipe, where it is subjected to processing of the processing target surface.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus to which the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

The semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus supplies a processing object processing unit 1 for accommodating a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as a processing object and a processing liquid vaporizer 2 as a processing liquid vaporizing unit. 3, a processing liquid gas vaporized by the processing liquid vaporizer 2, that is, HMDS gas, is supplied into the processing unit 1 through the supply pipe 3, and the surface of the wafer W is treated as a pre-stage of another processing. It is configured to perform pre-processing.

In this case, the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table 4 having a built-in heating mechanism (not shown) in the chamber 1a of the processing section 1.
One end is connected to the supply pipe 3, and the other end is provided with a diffusion plate 6 provided with a large number of diffusion holes 5 and a guide passage 7 of, for example, a cone shape for HMDS gas. An openable / closable lid 1b is mounted on the upper part of the chamber 1a.
Opening / closing allows the wafer W to enter and exit the chamber 1a. An exhaust pipe 20 for exhausting the inside of the chamber 1a and exhausting the gas after processing is connected to the bottom of the processing unit 1. The exhaust pipe 20 is provided with an ejector 21 (pneumatic vacuum device) for suctioning the inside of the chamber 1a to a negative pressure, and the ejector 21 is connected to a driving air supply pipe 22 for supplying pressure air for driving. ing. The exhaust pipe 20 and the driving air supply pipe 22 are provided with opening / closing valves 23 and 24, respectively. Also,
The HMDS gas supply pipe 3 is provided with a switching valve 25 for switching and connecting the supply pipe 3 to an intake system.

On the other hand, the processing liquid vaporizer 2 is provided with the supply pipe 3
And a fine liquid droplet generating means 10 disposed in a vaporizing chamber 9 to which a N2 gas supply pipe 8 is connected, and connected to the fine liquid droplet generating means 10 via a processing liquid (HMDS liquid) supply pipe 11. A processing liquid storage unit 13 that stores the HMDS liquid 12. In this case, the fine droplet generation means 10 is formed by an ultrasonic oscillator, and is oscillated by driving a driver 15 (ultrasonic oscillator) disposed outside the vaporizing chamber 9. In this case, the ultrasonic transducer 10 is formed of, for example, a piezoelectric element or a magnetostrictive element, can be driven by an electric signal from the driver 15, and can control its vibration output by controlling the electric signal. In the middle of the processing liquid supply pipe 11 , a pipe
11 cooperates with aperture 14 of the treatment liquid supply means is through
It is set, this aperture 14, the control unit 16 for transmitting a command signal for controlling the flow rate of the HMDS liquid is connected. A flow meter 8a is provided in the N2 gas supply pipe 8 so that the supply amount of N2 gas can be controlled. A temperature adjusting means 17 is provided on the outer periphery of the vaporizing chamber 9 so that the temperature inside the vaporizing chamber 9 is maintained at, for example, 22 ° C. Note that the vaporization concentration of the HMDS liquid can be adjusted by controlling the flow rate of the HMDS liquid or the vibration output of the ultrasonic vibrator 10.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the processing liquid supply piping 1
A predetermined amount, for example, 5 to 10 mcc of HM
When the DS liquid 12 is supplied onto the ultrasonic vibrator 10 in the vaporization chamber 9, the HMDS liquid is supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator 10 at, for example, 20K.
It becomes fine droplets by vibration of frequency of about Hz , and N2
It comes into contact with the N2 gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 8 into the vaporization chamber 9 and is vaporized. At this time, since the droplets are fine, the evaporation rate is high, for example, about 60 msec when the radius is 10 μm. Then, the vaporized HMDS gas flows through the supply pipe 3, passes through the diffusion holes 5 of the diffusion plate 6 in the guide passage 7 of the processing section 1, and is uniformly diffused and applied to the surface of the wafer W. At this time, when supplying the HMDS gas to the processing unit 1, the open / close valves 23 and 24 are opened and the ejector 2 is opened.
1 to supply pressure air for driving from the driving air supply pipe 22;
The ejector 21 sucks and exhausts the atmosphere of the chamber 1a and the like of the processing unit 1 to reduce the pressure. Then, after the N2 gas mixed with the HMDS is supplied to the processing section 1, the operation of the ejector 21 is stopped by closing the opening / closing valve 24, and the HMDS gasified by the positive pressure of the N2 gas is pumped to perform normal HMDS processing. State.

The gas phase HMDS supplied into the chamber 1a of the processing section 1 is sprayed on the heated wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. This allows
Adhesion and adhesion between the photoresist and the wafer W in a photoresist liquid application step described later are improved.

The semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus configured as described above is specifically used by being incorporated in a part of the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus shown in FIG. That is, the apparatus mainly includes a processing mechanism unit 30 provided with a processing mechanism for performing various processes on the wafer W, and a loading / unloading mechanism 31 for loading / unloading the wafer W into / from the processing mechanism unit 30. Have been.

The loading / unloading mechanism 31 moves the wafer W before processing.
, A wafer carrier 33 for storing the processed wafer W, an arm 34 for holding the wafer W by suction, and an X for moving the arm 34 in the X, Y, and θ directions, respectively. Direction moving mechanism 3
5, a Y-direction moving mechanism 36 and a θ-direction moving mechanism 37, and a mounting table 38 for transferring the wafer W to and from the processing mechanism unit 30. The processing mechanism unit 30 includes a preprocessing mechanism 1 (specifically, an object processing unit), which is a processing apparatus of the present invention that performs preprocessing for improving the adhesion between the wafer W and the resist film. Mechanism 39a, 39b for applying a resist solution on the upper surface of wafer W
And a cooling mechanism 40 for cooling the wafer W before applying the resist liquid by the coating mechanisms 39a and 39b to adjust the temperature to a predetermined temperature, and evaporating a solvent remaining in the resist film applied to the wafer W. And a bake mechanism 41 for performing a heat treatment for the heat treatment. In addition, the processing mechanism unit 30 includes the above-described processing mechanisms 1 and 39a to 39a.
Arm 42 for loading and unloading wafer W to and from 41
A transport mechanism 42 having a is disposed movably along the transport path 43.

In the processing unit configured as described above, the wafer W loaded from the loading / unloading mechanism 31 is
After being pre-processed by the pre-processing mechanism 1, after being subjected to cooling processing and coating processing, it is subjected to heat processing by the baking mechanism 41, and thereafter, is transferred to the loading / unloading mechanism 31, and is then transferred to the wafer carrier 33.
It is stored in.

In the above embodiment, the case where the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a wafer preprocessing apparatus has been described. However, in addition to the preprocessing apparatus, for example, a coating apparatus, a developing apparatus,
Of course, the present invention can be applied to a processing apparatus such as a CVD apparatus and a cleaning apparatus.

[0023]

As described above, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, since the processing apparatus is configured as described above, the processing liquid gas is controlled by controlling the fine droplet generating means or the supply amount of the processing liquid. Can be easily and reliably controlled. Moreover, the droplets formed by the fine droplets generating means Ri Do fine, in contact with the gas supplied from the gas supply means
Because of the vaporization , dew condensation in the piping hardly occurs, the droplets of the processing liquid do not adhere to the surface of the processing object, and excellent effects such as preventing the deterioration of the quality of the processing object can be obtained. Can be

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus to which a processing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus having the semiconductor wafer pre-processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing part process part 2 Processing liquid vaporizer 3 Supply pipe 8 N2 gas supply pipe (gas supply means) 9 Vaporization chamber 10 Fine droplet generation means (ultrasonic oscillator) 11 Processing liquid supply pipe (processing liquid supply Means) 12 HMDS liquid (processing liquid) 13 Processing liquid storage part 14 Aperture (processing liquid supply means) W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01L 21/027 G03F 7/26

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing apparatus having a processing target processing unit, a processing liquid storage unit, and a processing liquid vaporizing unit separately, wherein the processing liquid vaporizing unit includes the processing liquid fine droplet generating means. provided, the processing liquid supply means for supplying a predetermined amount of the processing liquid from the processing liquid containing portion provided in the fine droplet generating means, the processing
A gas is supplied to the evaporator to vaporize the micronized droplets.
A processing apparatus comprising a gas supply unit for supplying gas .