JP3362767B2 - Processing method and processing apparatus - 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 method and a processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to an object to be processed such as an LCD substrate or a semiconductor wafer for processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a liquid crystal display (LC
D) In the manufacturing process of the device, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxi) is formed on the LCD substrate (glass substrate).
In order to form a thin film, electrode pattern, etc. of de), a circuit pattern etc. is reduced using a photolithography technique similar to that used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, transferred to a photoresist, and then developed. Processing is performed.

For example, after cleaning a rectangular LCD substrate (glass substrate) which is an object to be processed by a cleaning device, the LCD
The substrate is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment with an adhesion treatment device,
After cooling by a cooling processing device, a photoresist film, that is, a photosensitive film is applied and formed by a resist applying device. Then, the photoresist film is heated by a heat treatment device to be subjected to a baking treatment, a predetermined pattern is exposed by an exposure device, and a developing solution is applied to the exposed LCD substrate by a developing device. After development, the developing solution is rinsed with a rinsing solution to complete the process.

Here, the developing process is performed by first exposing the LCD after exposure.
Development is performed by supplying a developing solution to the surface of the substrate by a spin coating method, a spray method, or the like. Next, while supplying the rinse liquid to the surface of the LCD substrate, the LCD substrate is rotated to wash away the developing solution by centrifugal force, and after cleaning, the LCD substrate is rotated at a high speed to dry the LCD substrate. . In addition, the developer that has been washed off together with the rinse liquid from the surface of the LCD substrate is collected and reused, so that the utilization of resources is made effective.

[0005]

However, in the conventional developing process of this type, the concentration of the developer is difficult to adjust because the developer to be recovered is considerably diluted by the rinse liquid. It was difficult to reuse the developer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and facilitates the regeneration of the processing liquid by recovering the processing liquid used for the processing of the object to be processed in a state in which the concentration does not drop extremely. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method and a processing device .

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 holds and rotates the object to be processed.
A cup that can be moved up and down around the spin chuck
And further, the cup is divided into upper and lower partitions.
And its upper end is located below the upper end of the cup
Has a ring wall arranged in
Ascend and descend together to raise and lower the cup
The lifting cylinder is connected to the outer surface of the cup.
The outer circumference is on the bottom of the cup, which is independent of the cup.
A wall and a partition wall located inside the peripheral wall are provided.
Above the ring wall and above the cup top
The lower space communicates with the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall.
However, the lower space inside the ring wall is
Space that communicates with the inner space and is between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall
A first drainage hole is provided on the bottom surface of the cup in
On the bottom surface of the cup in the space inside the partition wall
Using a processing apparatus having a second drain hole , a processing solution supplying step of supplying the processing solution to the surface of the object to be processed in the cup, and raising the cup to move the processing solution. A collection container arranging step of arranging a collection container formed in a space below the ring wall around the object to be processed, and the object to be processed on the surface of the object to be processed by rotating the object to be processed at a first rotation speed. A process liquid recovery step of shaking off the process liquid into the recovery container and recovering it from the second drain hole communicating with the space inside the partition wall, and lowering the cup to remove the process liquid from the ring wall.
The space above and below the top of the cup
A cleaning step of arranging the cleaning object around the body, supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the object to be processed, and rotating the object to be processed at a second rotation speed; And a drying step of drying the object to be processed by rotating the object at a rotational speed of.

In the treatment method of the first aspect, in the treatment liquid supplying step, the treatment liquid is supplied to the surface of the treatment object and left for a predetermined time to treat the treatment object. Next, in a collection container placement step, a collection container is placed around the object to be processed. Then, in the treatment liquid collecting step, first, the treatment liquid on the surface of the treatment subject is dropped by the centrifugal force to the periphery by rotating the treatment subject at the first rotation speed, and the treatment liquid disposed around the treatment subject is collected. Collect the processing liquid in the container. This makes it possible to collect the treatment liquid in a state where the concentration has not yet been drastically reduced. This first
The number of rotations of is, for example, 50 to 50, as described in claim 2.
It can be in the range of 150 rpm. that way,
Most of the processing liquid on the surface of the object to be processed can be recovered in the recovery container in a short time of about 1 to 3 seconds. In this treatment liquid recovery step, as described in claim 3, the cleaning liquid may be supplied to the surface of the object to be treated.

Next, in the cleaning step, a cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface of the object to be processed. Then, the object to be processed is washed by rotating the object to be processed at the second rotation speed. This second number of revolutions is, for example, 10 as described in claim 2.
It can be in the range of 0 to 200 rpm. In this cleaning step, the back surface cleaning can be performed simultaneously by supplying a cleaning liquid to the back surface of the object to be processed as described in claim 4.

Next, in the drying step, the object to be processed is dried by rotating the object to be processed at the third rotation speed. The third rotation speed is, as described in claim 3,
For example, the range may be 1200 to 2000 rpm. Then, the surface of the object to be processed can be dried in about 20 seconds. In this drying step, when the object to be processed is rotated at a rotational speed exceeding 2000 rpm, the cleaning liquid shaken off from the surface of the object to be processed becomes a mist, and the cleaning liquid reattaches to the surface of the object to be processed. Further, if the object to be processed is rotated at a rotation speed of less than 1200 rpm, it takes too long to dry and the processing time becomes long . Further , as described in claim 5 , a drying gas may be supplied to the surface of the object to be processed in the drying step.

In the present invention, when the object to be processed is, for example, a rectangular substrate, the processing liquid supply means is arranged in the direction of the short side of the object to be processed in the processing liquid supply step as described in claim 6. It is preferable to supply the treatment liquid to the surface of the object to be treated while moving it. By doing so, the moving distance of the processing liquid supply means is reduced and the supply time is shortened, so that the processing can be made uniform and the processing time can be shortened.
Further, the processing apparatus of the present invention includes a spin chuck that holds and rotates an object to be processed, a processing liquid supply nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to the object to be processed held by the spin chuck, and a spin chuck that is held by the spin chuck. It has a cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the object to be processed, and a cup arranged around the spin chuck and capable of moving up and down. The cup divides the inside of the cup into upper and lower parts, and the upper end portion is higher than the upper end portion of the cup. has arranged ring wall annularly positioned below, before
The cup and ring wall rise and fall together as a unit,
The lifting cylinder that raises and lowers the cup is located outside the cup.
A cup connected to the side and independent of the cup.
It is located on the outer peripheral wall on the bottom surface and inside the outer peripheral wall.
A partition wall is provided, a space portion above the ring wall and below the upper end of the cup communicates with a space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall, and a lower space portion inside the ring wall is , Communicating with the space inside the partition wall, the cup bottom surface in the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall,
A first drainage hole is provided, and a second drainage hole is provided on the bottom surface of the cup in the space inside the partition wall .
When the object to be processed is rotated and the processing solution on the object to be processed is shaken off, the ring wall is positioned above the object to be processed on the spin chuck, and the object to be processed is cleaned by the cleaning solution from the cleaning solution supply nozzle. When cleaning the body, position the ring wall below the object to be processed on the spin chuck,
Further, it further comprises control means for controlling the elevation of the cup so that the upper end of the cup is located above the object to be processed.
It is characterized by that. In this case, the second
The processing liquid collected from the drain hole is stored in the tank that stores the processing liquid.
It has a recovery circuit for returning, and the recovery circuit concerned has the recovery process.
To have a reprocessing means for reprocessing the liquid
You may.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing system for processing an LCD substrate G as an object to be processed using a photolithography technique.

This processing system, as shown in FIG.
A loader unit 1 for loading and unloading an LCD substrate G (hereinafter, referred to as “substrate G”), a first processing unit 2 for the substrate G, and a relay unit 3 are provided to be connected to the first processing unit 2. Second processing unit 4
It is mainly composed of and. An exposure device 6 for exposing a predetermined fine pattern on the resist film can be connected to the second processing unit 4 via the transfer unit 5. The loader unit 1 includes a cassette mounting table 8 on which a cassette 7 containing an unprocessed substrate G and a cassette 7a containing a processed substrate G are mounted, and cassettes 7 and 7a on the cassette mounting table 8. Movement and rotation (θ) in the horizontal (X, Y) direction and the vertical (Z) direction in order to carry in and out the substrate G between
It is composed of possible substrate loading / unloading tweezers 9.

The first processing section 2 has a brush cleaning device 12 for cleaning the substrate G with a brush on one side of the transfer path 11 of the main arm 10 which is movable in the X, Y and Z directions and rotatable in the θ direction. And a jet water cleaning device 13 for cleaning the substrate G with high-pressure jet water, an adhesion processing device 14 for hydrophobicizing the surface of the substrate G, and a cooling processing device 15 for cooling the substrate G to a predetermined temperature. A resist coating device 16 and a coating film removing device 17 are arranged on the other side of the transport path 11.

On the other hand, similar to the first processing section 2, the second processing section 4 has a main arm 10a which is movable in the X, Y and Z directions and rotatable in the θ direction.
A heat treatment device 18 for heating the substrate G before and after applying the resist solution to perform pre-baking or post-baking is disposed on one side of the transport path 11a of 0a, and the method of the present invention is provided on the other side of the transport path 11a. The developing device 20 for carrying out is arranged.

In the delivery section 5, a cassette 19a for temporarily holding the substrate G, and a pair of tweezers 19b for carrying the substrate G in and out of the cassette 19a,
A delivery table 19c for the substrate G is provided. The configurations of the first processing unit 2 and the second processing unit 4, the arrangement of various devices, and the like can be appropriately changed.

In the processing system configured as described above, the unprocessed substrate G accommodated in the cassette 7 is taken out by the loading / unloading tweezers 9 of the loader unit 1, and then the main arm of the first processing unit 2 is used. It is transferred to the brush cleaning device 12 and transferred to the brush cleaning device 12. The substrate G brush-cleaned in the brush cleaning device 12 is cleaned in the jet water cleaning device 13 with high-pressure jet water as needed. After that, the substrate G is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment by the adhesion processing device 14 and cooled by the cooling processing device 15, and then a photoresist film, that is, a photosensitive film is applied and formed by the resist applying device 16, and subsequently, Then, the unnecessary resist film on the peripheral portion of the substrate G is removed by the coating film removing device 17. Then, after the photoresist film is heated by the heat treatment device 18 to be subjected to baking treatment, a predetermined pattern is exposed by the exposure device 6. Then, the exposed substrate G is conveyed into the developing device 20, and after being developed with the developing solution, the developing solution is washed away with the rinse solution to complete the developing process.

The developed and processed substrate G is housed in the cassette 7a of the loader unit 1 and then carried out and transferred to the next processing step.

Next, the structure of the developing device 20 incorporated in the above processing system will be described. FIG. 2 shows the developing device 2.
3 is a schematic front view for explaining the configuration of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the developing device 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the developing device 20 includes a spin chuck 21 for holding and rotating the substrate G by vacuum suction, and a spin chuck 21 for rotating the spin chuck 21.
And a cylindrical cup 22 having an open upper surface, which is arranged so as to surround the substrate G. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate G has a rectangular shape with a long side length of L1 and a short side length of L2 in a plan view. Spin chuck 21
Is supported on the upper end of the rotary shaft 26 of the motor 25,
The rotation of the spin chuck 21 by the operation of the motor 25 causes the substrate G to rotate.
The motor 25 is controlled by the control means 27, and the amount of rotation and the number of rotations of the substrate G are arbitrarily set by the control of the control means 27.

The cup 22 surrounding the spin chuck 21 and the substrate G is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and the pinston rod 31 of the lifting cylinder 30 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the outer surface of the cup 22 via a bracket 32. As a result, the cup 22 is moved up and down as the lifting cylinder 30 is extended. This lifting cylinder 3
The operation of 0 is controlled by the control means 27 described above.

The upper end of the cup 22 is formed on an inwardly inclined surface 33, and the inner peripheral surface of the cup 22 is annularly arranged so as to vertically divide the inside of the cup 22. A ring wall 34 that slopes toward one side is provided. Inside the cup 22, a space below the ring wall 34 serves as a recovery container 35 that is arranged around the substrate G when recovering the developer from the surface of the substrate G, as described later. A space above the ring wall 34 and below the inclined surface 33 serves as a casing cover 36 that is arranged around the substrate G when the substrate G is washed and dried as described later. When the cup 22 is lowered by the shortening operation of the elevating cylinder 30 described above, the ring wall 34 moves to a position below the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 as shown by the solid line 34 in FIG. As a result, the casing cover 36 is placed around the substrate G. On the other hand, when the lifting cylinder 30 is extended and the cup 22 is lifted, the ring wall 34 is positioned above the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 as shown by the chain double-dashed line 34 'in FIG. To the state where the recovery container 35 is arranged around the substrate G.

On the bottom surface 40 of the cup 22, there are provided an annular outer peripheral wall 41 and a partition wall 42 arranged inside the outer peripheral wall 41 with a predetermined interval, and the casing cover 36 described above is provided. The atmosphere inside communicates with the space between the outer peripheral wall 41 and the partition wall 42, and the atmosphere inside the recovery container 35 communicates with the space inside the partition wall 42. Further, below the bottom surface 40 of the cup 22, a drainage hole 43 that communicates with the space between the outer peripheral wall 41 and the partition wall 42 and a drainage hole 44 that communicates with the space inside the partition wall 42 are provided. ing. Also, the cup 22
Around the center of the bottom surface 40 of the above, back surface cleaning nozzles 45 for supplying, for example, pure water as a cleaning liquid toward the back surface of the substrate G sucked and held by the spin chuck 21 are provided at a plurality of positions.

Further, above the cup 22, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 50 for supplying, for example, pure water as a cleaning liquid to the center of the surface of the substrate G sucked and held by the spin chuck 21.
Similarly, a drying gas supply nozzle 51 for supplying an inert gas such as N 2 gas as a drying gas is arranged in the center of the surface of the substrate G. The operations of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 50 and the drying gas supply nozzle 51 are also controlled by the control means 27 described above.

Further, on the upper side of the cup 22 (on the right side in FIGS. 2 and 3), a developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution as a processing solution to the surface of the substrate G sucked and held by the spin chuck 21. 55 is arranged, and the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is configured to be moved across the upper portion of the cup 22 by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, to the developing solution supply nozzle 55, a solution sending circuit 58 for sending the developing solution stored in the tank 56 by operating a pump 57 is connected. As shown in FIG. 4, a large number of developing solution discharge ports 59 are closely arranged over the entire width on the lower surface of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 and are accumulated in the tank 56 by the operation of the pump 57. By sending the developing solution through the solution sending circuit 58, the developing solution can be discharged from these discharge ports 59 in a film shape without a gap. In addition,
The operation of the pump 57 is also controlled by the control means 27 described above, and the timing for discharging the developing solution is set arbitrarily by the control of the control means 27.

The length L of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is
Since the substrate G is formed to be longer than the long side length L1 (L> L1), as described above, the developing solution is discharged in a film form from the large number of ejection ports 59 on the lower surface of the developing solution supply nozzle 55. On the other hand, by moving the developing solution supply nozzle 55 so as to cross over the cup 22, the developing solution can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate G.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tank 56 for storing the developing solution and the drain hole 4 communicating with the space inside the partition wall 42 of the bottom surface 40 of the cup 22 described above.
A recovery circuit 60 for returning the developer recovered from the surface of the substrate G by the recovery container 35 to the inside of the tank 56 is connected between 4 and 4, as described later. In the middle of the recovery circuit 60, a regeneration processing means 61 for regenerating the developer recovered by the recovery container 35 is provided. The regeneration processing means 61 is composed of a gas-liquid separation mechanism 62 for removing bubbles from the collected developer and a filter 63 for removing impurities in the developer.

The process steps in the developing device 20 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, first, the main arm 10a of the processing system described in FIG. 1 enters the developing device 20,
The substrate G is carried into the developing device 20 (S1). Then, the substrate G is firmly adsorbed and held on the spin chuck 21. After passing the substrate G onto the spin chuck 21, the main arm 10a retreats out of the developing device 20.

Next, the motor 25 is appropriately operated by the control of the control means 27 to rotate the substrate G on the spin chuck 21 by a desired angle, and as shown by the chain double-dashed line G "in FIG. The direction of the substrate G is aligned so that the long side of is parallel to the developing solution supply nozzle 55 (S2).

Next, the drive mechanism (not shown) starts the movement of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 so as to cross the upper portion of the cup 22. During this movement, the developer supply nozzle 55
The developing solution is discharged in a film form from a large number of ejection ports 59 provided on the lower surface, and the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate G (S
3). Then, by leaving it for a predetermined time, the substrate G
The surface is developed (S4).

Here, since the orientation of the substrate G has already been performed in the step S2 so that the long side of the substrate G is parallel to the developing solution supply nozzle 55, the developing solution supply nozzle is formed in the step S3. 55 supplies the developing solution to the surface of the substrate G while moving along the short side direction of the substrate G. Therefore, the timing for discharging the developing solution by the developing solution supply nozzle 55 should be set only while the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is moving along the short side direction while the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is located above the substrate G. You can control it. The control of the discharge timing of the developing solution is performed by the control means 27 described above.
Is performed by controlling the operation of the pump 57.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, since the length L of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is longer than the length L1 of the long side of the substrate G, the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is When the developing solution is discharged from the discharge port 59 by moving it once above the substrate G, the developing solution discharged in the form of a film is formed on the substrate G.
It becomes possible to supply it evenly on the surface. Therefore, it is sufficient to discharge the developing solution from the ejection port 59 only while the developing solution supply nozzle 55 moves along the length L2 of the short side of the substrate G, and the developing solution supply time can be shortened, so that the developing process can be performed uniformly. Can be changed. Further, the moving distance of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 can be shortened, and the development processing time can be shortened.

For example, as shown by the solid line G in FIG. 3, when the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is moved to supply the developing solution in a state where the long side of the substrate G is perpendicular to the developing solution supply nozzle 55, The developing solution supply nozzle 55 moves along the long side direction of the substrate G. In this case, the developing solution must be continuously ejected from the ejection port 59 while the developing solution supply nozzle 55 moves along the long side length L1 of the substrate G. Then, as the moving distance of the developer supply nozzle 55 becomes longer, the supply time of the developer also has to be lengthened. For this reason, on the surface of the substrate G, the contact time with the developing solution becomes longer at the portion where the developing solution is supplied earlier, and the contact time with the developing solution becomes shorter at the section where the developing solution is supplied later, so The length of contact time is greatly increased locally, which makes it difficult to perform uniform development processing. For example, when a pattern is formed on a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display and the contact time with the developing solution is partially different, the line width characteristic of the surface of the substrate G is deteriorated and the thick portion of the developing pattern and the thin portion of the developing pattern are thin. There will be some parts. On the other hand, in order to make the contact time with the developing solution on the surface of the substrate G as uniform as possible as a whole, it is possible to increase the moving speed of the developing solution supply nozzle 55. However, in that case, it becomes difficult to uniformly supply the developer discharged in a film form from the discharge port 59 to the entire surface of the substrate G, and it becomes impossible to form a uniform liquid volume. Furthermore, if the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is moved along the long side direction of the substrate G, the moving distance of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 also becomes longer, and it is difficult to shorten the development processing time.

On the other hand, as described in the embodiment of the present invention, if the developing solution supply nozzle 55 is moved along the short side direction of the substrate G to supply the developing solution, the developing solution is supplied. Compared with the case where the supply nozzle 55 is moved along the long side direction of the substrate G, the supply time of the developing solution can be considerably shortened, and the contact time with the developing solution becomes almost equal. Therefore, there is an advantage that the development processing becomes uniform and the line width characteristics on the surface of the substrate G are excellent. Further, since the moving distance of the developing solution supply nozzle 55 can be shortened, the processing time can be shortened.

When the developing process is completed, first, the cup 22 is raised by the extension operation of the elevating cylinder 30 described with reference to FIG. As a result, the ring wall 34 moves to a position above the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 as shown by the chain double-dashed line 34 ′ in FIG. 2, and the recovery container 35 is arranged around the substrate G. It will be in the state of being. Then, for example, pure water as a cleaning liquid starts to be supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 50 above the cup 22 toward the center of the surface of the substrate G. Further, the motor 25 is operated under the control of the control means 27 to rotate the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 at the first rotation speed. As a result, the developing solution accumulated on the substrate G is first shaken off by the centrifugal force and collected in the collecting container 35 in a state where the concentration is not drastically reduced (S5).

The first number of rotations for rotating the substrate G in this step S5 can be set in the range of 50 to 150 rpm, for example. Then, in a short time of about 1 to 3 seconds, most of the developing solution can be shaken off to the periphery of the substrate G by the centrifugal force and collected in the collecting container 35 first. The developer collected in the collecting container 35 in this way is in a state in which the cleaning solution is not mixed so much so that the concentration is not drastically reduced. Then, the collected developing solution is sent through a collecting circuit 60 connected to a drainage hole 44 provided on the bottom surface 40 of the cup 22, and the developing solution whose bubbles are removed and filtered by the regeneration processing means 61 is discharged. Tank 5
It will be returned to 6 as it is. In this way, the developer collected in the collecting container 35 can be returned as it is to the tank 56 without adjusting the concentration, so that the developer can be reused easily.

Next, in this step S5, even after the substrate G is rotated at the first rotation speed for about 1 to 3 seconds to collect the developer, the substrate G is removed from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 50 above the cup 22. Pure water as a cleaning liquid is continuously supplied toward the center of the surface. Then, the operating amount of the motor 25 is changed by the control of the control means 27, and the spin chuck 21
The substrate G held above is rotated at the second rotation speed. In this way, the substrate G is cleaned by continuously supplying the cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate G and shaking the cleaning liquid around by the centrifugal force (S6).

The second number of revolutions for rotating the substrate G in this step S6 can be set in the range of 100 to 200 rpm, for example. Then, the substrate G can be cleaned in about 18 seconds, for example. Further, in this step S6, the cup 22 is lowered by the shortening operation of the lifting cylinder 30 described above. As a result, as shown by the solid line 34 in FIG.
1 is moved to a position lower than the substrate G held on 1,
The casing cover 36 is arranged around the substrate G. As a result, the cleaning liquid shaken off from the substrate G by the centrifugal force is captured by the casing cover 36. Then, the captured developer is appropriately discarded through the drain hole 43 provided on the bottom surface 40 of the cup 22.

Further, in this step S6, for example, pure water is supplied as a cleaning liquid from the back surface cleaning nozzle 45 described in FIG. 2 toward the back surface of the substrate G, and back surface cleaning is also performed at the same time. Note that the cleaning liquid thus spent on the back surface cleaning is also shaken off by the centrifugal force, and the casing cover 36
It is captured by and is appropriately discarded from the drainage hole 43.

Next, in step S6, the substrate G is rotated at the second rotational speed for about 18 seconds to wash away the developing solution, and then the supply of the cleaning solution from the cleaning solution supply nozzle 50 above the cup 22 is stopped. To do. Then, supply of an inert gas such as N 2 gas as a drying gas is started from the drying gas supply nozzle 51 above the cup 22 toward the center of the surface of the substrate G. Further, the operating amount of the motor 25 is changed by the control of the control means 27, and the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 is rotated at the third rotation speed. In this way, the substrate G is dried by continuously rotating the substrate G at the third rotation speed while continuously supplying the drying gas to the surface of the substrate G (S7).

In this step S7, the third rotation speed for rotating the substrate G is, for example, 1200 to 2000 rp.
It can be in the range of m. Then, the surface of the substrate G can be dried in about 20 seconds. In this step S7, when the substrate G is rotated at a rotational speed exceeding 2000 rpm, the cleaning liquid shaken off from the surface of the substrate G is scattered and becomes a mist, and the cleaning liquid is reattached to the surface of the substrate G. In addition, the substrate G is 1200 rp
If it is rotated at a rotation speed of less than m, it takes too long to dry and the processing time becomes long.

Next, in this step S7, the substrate G is rotated at the third rotation speed for about 20 seconds to dry, and then the drying gas is supplied from the drying gas supply nozzle 51 above the cup 22. To stop. The operation of the motor 25 is also stopped by the control of the control means 27, and the rotation of the substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 is stopped. This completes the processing in the developing device 20 (S8).

Next, the main arm 10a of the processing system described in FIG. 1 enters the developing device 20. And
The substrate G held on the spin chuck 21 is transferred onto the main arm 10a. After that, the main arm 10
The substrate G is carried out of the developing device 20 as a moves out of the developing device 20 (S9).

In this embodiment, the example in which the processing method of the present invention is applied to the developing device incorporated in the processing system of the LCD substrate has been described, but the method of the present invention is not limited to etching processing, cleaning processing, etc. Of course, it can be applied to the case of performing. It can also be applied to the case of processing a silicon wafer or the like as the object to be processed.
Further, like the developing solution supply nozzle 55, the cleaning solution supply nozzle 50 may be configured to move across the upper portion of the cup 22. Further, the drying gas supply nozzle 51 may be of a fixed type.

[0045]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the treatment liquid used for treating the object to be treated can be recovered in a state where the concentration is not extremely lowered, and the treatment liquid can be reused with almost no concentration adjustment. Therefore, the treatment liquid can be easily regenerated. If the developing solution supply means is moved along the short side direction of the object to be supplied to supply the processing solution, the processing solution supply time can be shortened, and the processing becomes uniform and the processing time becomes longer. It has a feature that it can be made short.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing system for applying and developing an LCD substrate as an object to be processed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view for explaining the configuration of the developing device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a developing device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a processing liquid supply nozzle.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing steps according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

G LCD substrate 27 Control means 35 collection container 45 Backside cleaning nozzle 50 Cleaning liquid supply nozzle 51 Drying gas supply nozzle 55 Developer Supply Nozzle

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshitaka Matsuda               Kumamoto Prefecture Kikuchi-gun Otsu-machi large section Takao character Heisei               No. 272 4 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd.               Ceremony Company Otsu Office (72) Inventor Norio Uchihira               Kumamoto Prefecture Kikuchi-gun Otsu-machi large section Takao character Heisei               No. 272 4 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd.               Ceremony Company Otsu Office (72) Inventor Mitsuhiro Sakai               Kumamoto Prefecture Kikuchi-gun Otsu-machi large section Takao character Heisei               No. 272 4 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd.               Ceremony Company Otsu Office (72) Inventor Ikuo Sato               Kumamoto Prefecture Kikuchi-gun Otsu-machi large section Takao character Heisei               No. 272 4 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd.               Ceremony Company Otsu Office                (56) References JP-A-55-96944 (JP, A)                 JP-A-56-130923 (JP, A)                 Actual Development Sho 61-51732 (JP, U)

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A spin chuck for holding and rotating an object to be processed.
It has a cup that can be raised and lowered around the
In addition, the cup is divided into upper and lower parts inside the cup and
The end is located below the upper end of the cup and is arranged in a ring.
The cup wall and the ring wall are integrated.
Lift up and down to raise and lower the cup.
The binder is connected to the outer surface of the cup,
On the bottom of the cup, which is independent of the cup,
A partition wall located inside the outer peripheral wall is provided.
Space above the wall and below the top of the cup
Part communicates with the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall,
The lower space inside the partition wall is the space inside the partition wall.
In front of the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall.
There is a first drainage hole on the bottom of the cup,
The second drainage liquid is formed on the bottom surface of the cup in the space inside the wall.
Using the processing device hole is provided, a treatment liquid supplying step of supplying a treatment liquid to the surface of the object to be processed within the cup, by raising the cup, the ring wall around the object to be processed And a collection container arranging step of arranging a collection container formed in a space below the processing container, and the treatment liquid on the surface of the treatment object is shaken off into the collection container by rotating the treatment object at the first rotation speed. , A processing liquid collecting step of collecting from the second drain hole communicating with the space inside the partition wall, and a step of lowering the cup so as to be above the ring wall.
The space below the top of the cup around the object
A cleaning step of arranging, supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the object to be processed, and rotating the object to be processed at a second rotation speed; and a cleaning step to clean the object to be processed at a third rotation speed. And a drying step of drying the object to be processed by rotating the object to be processed. 2. The first rotation speed is 50 to 150 rpm
2. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein the second rotation speed is 100 to 200 rpm, and the third rotation speed is 1200 to 2000 rpm. 3. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the processing liquid recovery step, a cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface of the object to be processed. 4. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the back surface of the object to be processed in the cleaning step.
Or the processing method according to any one of 3 above. 5. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein a drying gas is supplied to the surface of the object to be processed in the drying step. 6. The object to be processed is a rectangular substrate,
In the liquid supply process, the processing liquid supply means is used for the short side of the object.
Supply the processing liquid to the surface of the object to be processed while moving in the direction
The processing method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 . 7. A spin chuck for holding and rotating an object to be processed.
And the object to be processed held by the spin chuck.
A processing liquid supply nozzle for supplying a processing liquid, and the spin chuck
Supply the cleaning liquid to the object to be processed held in the
Placed around the supply nozzle and the spin chuck, and moved up and down
A cup capable of dividing the inside of the cup into upper and lower parts and an upper end portion thereof.
Is located below the upper edge of the cup and is arranged in an annular shape
It has a ring wall, and the cup and the ring wall are integrated.
Lifting cylinder that moves up and down to raise and lower the cup
Is connected to the outer surface of the cup and is an outer peripheral wall on the bottom surface of the cup which is independent of the cup.
And a partition wall located inside the outer peripheral wall.
It is the a above is than the ring wall, below the cup upper edge
One space communicates with the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall
And, the lower space of the inside of the ring wall, of the partition wall
Side of the cup bottom in the space between the outer peripheral wall and the partition wall
The first drainage hole is provided on the surface, and the cup bottom surface in the space inside the partition wall is provided.
Is provided with a second drainage hole , rotates the object to be processed, and shakes the processing solution on the object to be processed.
When the ring wall is attached, the ring wall
Above the cleaning liquid supply nozzle.
When cleaning the object to be treated with a cleaning solution, the ring wall
Is positioned below the object to be processed on the spin chuck,
In addition, the upper end of the cup should be positioned above the object to be processed.
And further has a control means for controlling the raising and lowering of the cup
A processing device characterized by the above. 8. A processing liquid recovered from the second drain hole.
Has a recovery circuit that returns the processing liquid to the tank
A recovery circuit is provided for reprocessing the recovered processing liquid.
The device according to claim 7 , further comprising a reproduction processing unit.
On-board processing equipment.