JP3585200B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing processing on various substrates to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
BACKGROUND In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a batch-type wafer processing apparatus that collectively processes a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, simply referred to as “wafers”) may be used. This type of wafer processing apparatus is used to collectively immerse a plurality of wafers in a chemical solution or the like, thereby cleaning the wafer surface or removing a thin film formed on the wafer surface. A plurality of chemical processing sections for performing a chemical processing, and a reduced-pressure drying section for washing the wafer after the chemical processing with water and further drying under reduced pressure.
[0003]
FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying unit. The reduced-pressure drying section is for washing the wafer W with pure water and drying the wafer W using IPA (isopropyl alcohol) vapor, and includes a chamber 700 and a cover 701 that is openably and closably mounted on the upper surface of the chamber 700. And an O-ring 702 that seals between the chamber 700 and the cover 701 to prevent outside air from entering the chamber 700 when the cover 701 is closed. A possible wafer guide 703, a storage tank 704 that is disposed below the chamber 700 and stores pure water, a nozzle 705 that is disposed above the chamber 700 and discharges IPA vapor, and the inside of the chamber 700 An exhaust pipe 707 to which a decompression pump 706 for reducing pressure is connected is provided.
[0004]
When the wafer W is transferred by a wafer transfer robot (not shown), the cover 701 is opened, and the wafer W is transferred from the wafer transfer robot to the wafer guide 703 in this state. In the wafer guide 703, the wafer W is aligned and held vertically and collectively. Thereafter, the wafer guide 703 is lowered, and is stored in a storage tank 704 storing pure water, as shown by a two-dot chain line, and is washed in the storage tank 704. Thereafter, IPA vapor is supplied from the nozzle 705 into the chamber 700, and the wafer guide 703 is raised to a position indicated by a solid line. During this ascent process, the water droplets adhering to the wafer W are replaced with the IPA vapor, the water droplets are removed from the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is covered with the IPA vapor. Further, in this state, the pressure reducing pump 706 is driven, and the pressure in the chamber 700 is reduced. As a result, the IPA vapor covering the surface of the wafer W evaporates. Thereby, the wafer W is dried.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
When the pressure in the chamber 700 is reduced, an airflow is generated in the chamber 700 from above the chamber 700 to a downward direction to which the exhaust pipe 707 is connected. There is no particular problem when the space between the chamber 700 and the cover 701 is securely sealed by the O-ring 702. A gap is formed therebetween, and outside air is sucked into the chamber 700 from the gap. As a result, as shown by the white arrow, the outside air containing the particles directly hits the wafer W during the drying process. As a result, there has been a problem that the yield of the semiconductor device is reduced.
[0006]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem and to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing the outside air from directly hitting the substrate even when outside air including particles enters. .
[0007]
Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object has a reduced-pressure processing container for reducing the pressure inside by a decompression means, accommodating a substrate, and performing processing, a lid body capable of opening and closing the reduced-pressure processing container, When the decompression processing container is closed with the lid, a sealing member for sealing between the decompression processing container and the lid with a sealing surface,An internal space provided inside the decompression processing container and capable of accommodating the substrate is provided. The internal space communicates with a space in the decompression processing container below a position where the substrate is accommodated in the internal space. Communication port is formed,The airflow that flows into the decompression chamber from the gap between the sealing surfacesBasePrevents direct contact with the boardShielding containerAnd a substrate processing apparatus.
[0008]
According to the present invention, between the sealing member and the substrateIs shielded by the shielding containerTherefore, even if the sealing surface of the sealing member is deteriorated and external air is sucked into the decompression processing container, it is possible to prevent the external air from directly hitting the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the substrate, so that the processing can be performed favorably. Therefore, a high-quality substrate can be provided, and a decrease in the yield of substrate processing can be suppressed.
In addition, since a communication port is formed below the substrate housing position of the shielding container to communicate the internal space of the shielding container and the internal space of the decompression container, the airflow flowing from the inside of the shielding container to the communication port is reduced. Can be caused. Therefore, even if external air is sucked into the decompression processing container from the sealing surface of the seal member, the external air is prevented from being guided into the shielding container from the communication port by the air flow.
Moreover, since the air in the inner space of the shielding container flows out through the communication port, a large amount of air can flow out in a short time. Thus, the decompression speed is increased, so that efficient processing can be performed.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the shieldingcontainerIs,UpHas an opening facing the lidAndWherein the decompression means decompresses a shielding space formed between the decompression processing container and the shielding container.In oneIt is a substrate processing apparatus of a statement.
[0010]
In the present invention, for example, in a state where the substrate is housed inside the shielding container, the shielding space can be depressurized by the decompression means to perform the processing. Therefore, the inner space of the shielding container and the shielding space communicate with each other.BecauseThen, an airflow is generated from the internal space of the shielding container toward the shielding space. Therefore, even if external air is sucked into the decompression processing container from the gap between the sealing surfaces of the sealing member, the external air is prevented from being guided into the shielding container by the airflow. Therefore, the outside air does not directly hit the substrate in the shielding container. Therefore, the same operation and effect as those of the first aspect can be obtained.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 further includes sealing means for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid.M3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
In the present invention, the gap between the shielding container and the lid isButFrom the gap to the inside of the shielding container.Fresh airIs also prevented from being guided. Therefore, the outside air does not directly hit the substrate in the shielding container.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 4 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sealing means is an O-ring for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid.
[0013]
According to the present invention, since the gap between the shielding container and the lid is sealed by the O-ring, the gap can be reliably sealed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the outside air from entering the inside of the shielding container, and it is possible to more reliably prevent particles from adhering to the substrate. Therefore, a higher quality substrate can be provided as compared with the first to third aspects of the present invention.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sealing means is a labyrinth mechanism for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid in a non-contact manner. is there.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the clearance gap between a shielding container and a cover is sealed by non-contact, there is no generation of a particle in a sealing part. Therefore, particles on the substrate can be more reliably prevented as compared with the invention described in claim 4 in which the sealing is performed on the sealing surface. Therefore, a higher quality substrate can be provided as compared with the invention described in claim 4 above.
[0015]
The invention according to claim 6 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seal member is a lip packing.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since the clearance gap between a decompression processing container and a lid can be satisfactorily sealed, the invasion of outside air to a decompression processing container can be suppressed to the minimum.
The invention according to claim 7 further includes a storage tank provided in the decompression processing container below the shielding container and storing pure water for cleaning the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects.
The invention according to claim 8 is such that the inside of the depressurization processing vessel is decompressed by the decompression means, the substrate is accommodated in the decompression processing vessel, and the decompression processing vessel is opened and closed. A lip packing for sealing between the decompression processing container and the lid with a sealing surface when closed by a body, and an internal space provided inside the decompression processing container and capable of accommodating the substrate. Further comprising an opening facing the lid, a shielding container for preventing an airflow flowing into the decompression processing container from the gap of the sealing surface from directly hitting the substrate, and the shielding container, A sealing means for sealing a gap between the cover and the cover in a non-contact manner.
The invention according to claim 9 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sealing means is a labyrinth mechanism.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a wet station to which a reduced-pressure drying unit as a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The wet station 1 is for performing a chemical treatment on a plurality of (for example, 26) wafers W stored in a cassette C.
[0017]
The wet station 1 includes an alignment unit 2 for adjusting the orientation of two cassettes (for example, 52) of wafers W (for example, 52), and an unloading unit for collectively removing the wafers W whose orientation has been adjusted from the cassette C. 3, a plurality of chemical processing units 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 for performing chemical processing on wafers W taken out of the cassette by the unloading unit 3, and a plurality of wafers W after the chemical processing. And a reduced-pressure drying unit 10 for simultaneously washing with water and drying under reduced pressure. The alignment unit 2, the take-out unit 3, the chemical processing units 4 to 9 and the reduced-pressure drying unit 10 are linearly arranged along a predetermined processing unit arrangement direction a.
[0018]
The chemical processing units 4 to 9 process the wafers W by immersing a plurality of wafers W in a predetermined chemical at a time. That is, a storage tank (not shown) capable of storing a chemical such as ammonia, hydrofluoric acid, or sulfuric acid is disposed inside each of the chemical processing units 4 to 9, and is stored in the storage tank in which the chemical is stored. By immersing the wafer W, the surface of the wafer W is cleaned or a thin film formed on the surface of the wafer W is removed.
[0019]
In addition, the wet station 1 includes a wafer transfer robot 11 for transferring a plurality of wafers W collectively from the unloading unit 3 to the reduced-pressure drying unit 10. The wafer transfer robot 11 is movable along the processing unit arrangement direction a, and has a wafer holding chuck 12 that can be opened and closed in the processing unit arrangement direction a. The wafer holding chuck 12 is attached to the wafer transfer robot 11 so as to be able to move up and down. With this configuration, the wafer W can be transferred to the inside of the chemical processing units 4 to 9 and the reduced-pressure drying unit 10.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the wafer holding chuck 12. The wafer holding chuck 12 has a pair of chuck portions 13 arranged to face each other in the processing unit arrangement direction a. Each of the chuck portions 13 extends in the wafer arrangement direction b with a pair of arm portions 14 (only one side is shown) arranged at predetermined intervals in a wafer arrangement direction b substantially orthogonal to the processing unit arrangement direction a. And a pair of upper and lower holding portions 15 that connect the arm portions at the lower end of the arm portion 14. A large number of V-shaped holding grooves 16 are formed in the holding portion 15 of each chuck portion 13.
[0021]
When holding the wafer W, the pair of chuck portions 13 are brought close to each other. As a result, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is engaged with each holding groove 16 of the pair of chuck portions 13. As a result, the wafer W is held vertically by the wafer holding chuck 12. Therefore, the plurality of wafers W are vertically aligned and held by the wafer holding chuck 12 along the wafer arrangement direction b.
[0022]
3 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the reduced-pressure drying unit 10 viewed from the side where the chemical solution processing unit 9 is located. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the reduced-pressure drying unit 10 viewed from the side where the wafer holding robot 11 is located. FIG. The reduced-pressure drying unit 10 is for washing away the chemical solution or the like adhering to the wafer W using pure water and drying the washed wafer W using IPA (isopropyl alcohol) vapor. The reduced-pressure drying unit 10 includes a chamber 20, a wafer guide 40 for collectively holding a plurality of wafers W in the chamber 20, a lifter 60 for raising and lowering the wafer guide 40, and a lower part in the chamber 20. A storage tank 80 is provided and stores pure water, and a shielding unit 100 is provided in the upper part of the chamber 20.
[0023]
The chamber 20 is substantially rectangular in plan view, and is surrounded by side walls 21, 22, 23, and 24. On the upper surface of the chamber 20, an auto cover 120 is mounted so as to be openable and closable. The auto cover 120 can be automatically opened and closed by an opening / closing mechanism 122 using a fulcrum 121 on a side opposite to the side on which the wafer holding robot 11 is provided as a fulcrum. The auto cover 120 is opened when the wafer W is transferred between the wafer holding chuck 13 and the wafer guide 40 in the chamber 20, and is closed during the pure water cleaning process and the drying process.
[0024]
A lip packing 123 for sealing between the auto cover 120 and the chamber 20 when the auto cover 120 is closed is provided on the upper surface of the chamber 20. This prevents outside air containing particles from entering the chamber 20 from the outside of the chamber 20 and prevents the IPA vapor from leaking out of the chamber 20.
[0025]
The shielding unit 100 is mainly for shielding the wafer W placed at the substrate processing position from the outside air which may enter the chamber 20 when the sealing surface of the lip packing 123 is deteriorated. Are arranged in the space of almost the upper half. The shielding portion 100 has four side walls 101, 102, 103 and 104 arranged near the side walls 21 to 24 of the chamber 20 so as to be along the respective side walls 21 to 24. Near the upper ends of the side walls 101 to 104, step portions 101a, 102a, 103a, and 104a that enter the inside of the chamber 20 are formed. The upper surface of the shielding unit 100 is opened mainly to allow the wafer holding chuck 12 to enter the chamber 20.
[0026]
On the inner wall of the auto cover 120, a protruding portion 300 that protrudes downward when the auto cover 120 is closed is attached. The protruding portion 300 is arranged so as to be located outside the step portions 101 a to 104 a formed at the upper ends of the side walls 101 to 104 of the shielding portion 100 when the auto cover 120 is closed. That is, the labyrinth mechanism 301 that seals the gap between the upper surface of the shielding unit 100 and the auto cover 120 in a non-contact manner is configured by the protruding portion 300 and the step portions 101a to 104a.
[0027]
A vertically long notch 106 is formed on the side wall 102 on the side where the lifter 60 is disposed among the side walls 101 to 104 to allow the lifter 60 to move up and down. Also,Shielding part 100Is open at the bottom. With this configuration, the wafer guide 40 can be raised until the wafer W reaches the substrate processing position in the housing space 105.
[0028]
As described above, the inner space of the chamber 20 is partitioned into the housing space 105 which is the inner space of the shield 100 and the shield space 107 which is the outer space by the shield 100 whose upper end is sealed by the labyrinth mechanism 301. I have. However, since the lower surface of the shielding unit 100 is open, the housing space 105 and the shielding space 107 are communicated by an opening (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication port”) 108 on the lower surface.
[0029]
The wafer guide 40 is formed to be long along the wafer arrangement direction b, and includes four guide portions 41, 42, 43, and 44 that are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in a processing unit arrangement direction a orthogonal to the wafer arrangement direction b. A connecting portion 45 is provided for connecting the tip portions of the guide portions 41 to 44 to each other. Two holding plates 46 and 47 which are opposed to the guide portion 41 with the guide portion 41 interposed therebetween and which are long along the wafer arrangement direction b are attached by bolts 52 and 53, respectively. Two holding plates 48 and 49 which are opposed to the guide portion 44 with the guide portion 44 therebetween and which are long in the wafer arrangement direction b are attached by bolts 54 and 55. Further, one holding plate 50 and 51 long along the wafer arrangement direction b are attached to the guide portions 42 and 43 by bolts 56 and 57 on the outer surfaces of the guide portions 42 and 43, respectively. .
[0030]
On the upper side of each of the holding plates 46 to 51, a plurality of substantially V-shaped holding grooves 58 are formed. One holding groove formed in one of the holding plates forms one group together with the other five holding grooves located on a straight line along the processing unit arrangement direction a in plan view of the other holding plate. ing. The six holding grooves 58 included in this one group are arranged along the shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. One wafer W is held vertically with its peripheral edge engaged with the holding groove 58 included in one group. In the wafer guide 40, a plurality of groups including the above-described six holding grooves 58 are formed in the wafer arrangement direction b, so that the wafer guide 40 collectively arranges a plurality of wafers W. The alignment can be maintained along the direction b.
[0031]
As described above, since the wafer W is held by the six holding grooves 58, the holding state is very stable. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a trouble such as the wafer W from falling down. Therefore, it is possible to avoid damaging the wafer W, so that a high-quality wafer W can be provided.
The lifter 60 moves the wafer guide 40 up and down between a predetermined pure water processing position (shown by a solid line) and a substrate processing position (shown by a two-dot chain line). The pure water processing position is set to a position inside the storage tank 80 such that when pure water is stored in the storage tank 80, the wafer W is completely immersed in the pure water. . The substrate processing position is set at a position where the lower end of the wafer W held by the wafer guide 40 is completely contained in the storage space 105 of the shielding unit 100. The wafer guide 40 is lowered to the pure water processing position mainly when the wafer W is subjected to pure water cleaning processing. The wafer guide 40 is raised to the substrate processing position when receiving the wafer W from the wafer holding chuck 12 and when drying the wafer W after the pure water cleaning process is completed.
[0032]
The lifter 60 connects the guide portions 41 to 44 on the side wall 22 side of the connection plate 45 and supports the support arm 61, a support portion 62 attached to the upper end of the support arm 61, and a lower end of the support portion 62. , A support shaft 63 extending downward, and an elevating mechanism 64 for moving the support shaft 63 in the vertical direction. When the support shaft 63 is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 64, the support section 62 and the support arm 61 are also moved up and down accordingly, and as a result, the wafer guide 40 is moved up and down.
[0033]
Reference numeral 78 denotes a bellows for protecting the elevating mechanism 64 and the like from IPA vapor used when drying the wafer W and for preventing particles generated by the elevating mechanism 64 from entering the chamber 20. is there.
The storage tank 80 is substantially rectangular in plan view, has side walls 81, 82, 83, and 84, and a bottom wall 85, and has an open upper surface. A nozzle 86 is arranged near the bottom wall 85 of the storage tank 80. The nozzle 86 is connected to a pure water supply passage 87 through which pure water is guided from a pure water tank (not shown). A pure water supply valve 88 is provided at an intermediate portion of the pure water supply passage 87. With this configuration, pure water can be supplied to the storage tank 80 by controlling the opening and closing of the pure water supply valve 88.
[0034]
On the upper sides of the side walls 81 to 84 of the storage tank 80, a plurality of V-shaped notches 90 having a predetermined depth are formed at predetermined intervals. With this configuration, the pure water stored in the storage tank 80 can overflow out of the storage tank 80 via the notch 90. As a result, the chemical solution, particles, and the like originally attached to the wafer W and dissolved in the pure water during the pure water cleaning process can be discharged out of the storage tank 80.
[0035]
A drain discharge path 26 extending to the outside of the chamber 20 is connected to the bottom wall 25 of the chamber 20. Thereby, the pure water in which the chemical solution or particles overflowed from the storage tank 80 during the pure water cleaning process and have been dissolved can be discharged to the outside of the chamber 20.
In addition, a drain discharge passage 92 in which a drain valve 91 is interposed is connected to the bottom wall 85 of the storage tank 80. With this configuration, by controlling the opening and closing of the drain valve 91, the pure water stored in the storage tank 80 can be discharged to the outside of the storage tank 80. Thereby, the used pure water can be discharged after the pure water cleaning process.
[0036]
Two IPA tubes 140 extending long along the wafer arrangement direction b are arranged in the upper part of the accommodation space 105. The IPA pipe 140 has a plurality of IPA discharge holes 141 for supplying IPA vapor into the chamber 20. IPA vapor is discharged from the IPA discharge hole 141 during the drying process after the pure water cleaning process. On the other hand, after the pure water cleaning process, the wafer guide 40 is raised toward the upper position. During this ascent, the IPA vapor supplied into the chamber 20 is replaced with water droplets adhering to the surface of the wafer W. That is, water droplets are removed from the surface of the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is covered with the IPA vapor.
[0037]
An exhaust pipe 30 is connected to an intermediate portion of the discharge path 26. Further, the pure water supply path 87 is connected to the exhaust pipe 30 via a pure water discharge path 96 in which a pure water discharge valve 95 is provided. A pressure reducing pump 31 is connected to the exhaust pipe 30.
The decompression pump 31 is driven during the drying process. In this case, the air in the chamber 20 is sucked through the exhaust pipe 30, and the pressure in the chamber 20 is reduced. As a result, the IPA vapor covering the surface of the wafer W evaporates. Thereby, the wafer W can be dried.
[0038]
At the same time that the pressure reducing pump 31 is driven, the pure water discharge valve 95 is opened. As a result, pure water in the pure water supply path 87 from the nozzle 86 to the closed pure water supply valve 88 is sucked through the pure water discharge path 96. Thus, the inside of the pure water supply passage 87 is dried.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the opening / closing mechanism 122, and is a diagram viewed from the h direction in FIG. The opening / closing mechanism 122 is for automatically opening and closing the auto cover 120 with the fulcrum 121 on the back surface 26 side of the chamber 20 as a fulcrum, and its operation is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The opening / closing mechanism 122 includes a movable section 250 attached to a fulcrum side of the auto cover 120. The movable portion 250 has a substantially rectangular shape in a side view, and is rotatably attached to the fulcrum portion 121 at an attachment end where the auto cover 120 is attached. A first rod 252 of a first cylinder 251 for rotating the movable section 250 about the fulcrum 121 is provided at a swinging end opposite to the mounting end of the movable section 250 via a connection pin 253. Are linked.
[0039]
More specifically, the first cylinder 251 moves the movable portion 250 between a closed position where the movable portion 250 is substantially horizontal and an open position where the swinging end is located below the mounting end. It is rotated about the part 121. The first cylinder 251 is obliquely attached to the outside of the side wall 24 of the chamber 20 so as to advance and retreat obliquely toward the upper part of the back surface 26 of the chamber 20. The swing end of the movable part 250 is rotatably attached to a connection pin 253 fixed to the first rod 252 of the first cylinder 251.
[0040]
With this configuration, when the first rod 252 is extended, the movable portion 250 rotates around the fulcrum portion 121 and eventually reaches the closed position as shown by the solid line. As a result, the auto cover 120 is closed. On the other hand, when the first rod 252 is retracted from this state, the movable portion 250 rotates around the fulcrum portion 121 in the opposite direction to the above, and eventually reaches the open position as indicated by the two-dot chain line. As a result, the auto cover 120 is opened.
[0041]
Further, the opening / closing mechanism 122 includes a distal end closing portion 260 for securely closing the auto cover 120 when the auto cover 120 is closed. An engagement claw 270 that protrudes downward in the closed state is attached to the distal end 120a of the auto cover 120. The tip of the engagement claw 270 projects horizontally when the auto cover 120 is closed. When the auto cover 120 is closed, the distal end closing section 260 securely closes the auto cover 120 by pressing the engaging claw 270 from above.
[0042]
The distal end closing portion 260 is elongated in a side view, and the engaging claw 261 engages with the engaging claw 270 with the engaging claw 261 having its leading end engaged with the engaging claw 270 from above. A second cylinder 262 is provided for rotating between the position and the position at which the engagement is released. The engaging claw 261 is rotatably attached to a fixing pin 264 attached to the side wall 24, and is rotatably attached to a mounting pin 265 having an end opposite to the distal end fixed to the second rod 263. Installed. The second rod 263 of the second cylinder 262 is capable of moving back and forth along the vertical direction.
[0043]
With this configuration, when the second rod 263 extends in the upward direction, the engaging claw 261 rotates about the fixing pin 264 in association with this, and eventually, as shown by the solid line, the distal end of the engaging claw 261. Are engaged with the engagement claws 270. As a result, the engagement claw 270 is pressed from above by the engagement claw 261. Thereby, the auto cover 120 is reliably closed. When the second rod 263 is retracted downward from this state, the engagement claws 261 rotate in the opposite direction. As a result, the engaged state is released.
[0044]
FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying unit 10. As described above, the auto cover 120 is closed during the drying process. In this case, the inside and outside of the chamber 20 are shut off by the lip packing 123. When the pressure reducing pump 31 is driven in such a state, the air in the shielding space 107 is sucked from above the chamber 20 toward the exhaust pipe 30 below. On the other hand, since the accommodation space 105 is communicated with the shielding space 107 by the communication port 108 of the shielding unit 100, the air in the accommodation space 105 is guided to the shielding space 107 through the communication port 108, and further, the exhaust pipe Aspirated toward 30. That is, an airflow 400 is generated from the accommodation space 105 to the shielding space 107 below the shielding portion 100.
[0045]
By the way, the sealing surface 123a of the lip packing 123 blocking the inside and outside of the chamber 20 may deteriorate due to aging or the like. In this case, a gap is formed between the auto cover 120 and the chamber 20. When the drying process is performed in such a state, outside air is sucked into the chamber 20 from the gap as indicated by a white arrow.
[0046]
Since the sucked outside air is prevented from being guided to the upper surface of the shielding portion 100 by the labyrinth mechanism 301, the outside air passes through between the side walls 101 to 104 of the shielding portion 100 and the side walls 21 to 24 of the chamber 20. It is guided to below the part 100. On the other hand, an airflow 400 is generated from the accommodation space 105 to the shielding space 107 below the accommodation space 105. Therefore, the outside air is guided toward the exhaust pipe 30 by the airflow 400 without going to the opening on the lower surface of the shielding unit 100. That is, the outside air is sucked into the exhaust pipe 30 without hitting the wafer W located at the substrate processing position of the accommodation space 105.
[0047]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the shielding unit 100 that can completely accommodate the wafer W is disposed in the chamber 20 and the upper surface of the shielding unit 100 is sealed by the labyrinth mechanism 301. Even if outside air is sometimes sucked into the chamber 20, the outside air does not directly hit the wafer W. Therefore, the particles are prevented from adhering to the wafer W, so that the drying process can be performed favorably. Therefore, a high quality wafer W can be provided.
[0048]
In the above description, the labyrinth mechanism 301 seals the upper surface of the shielding unit 100 and the auto cover 120 in a non-contact manner. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the space between the upper surface of the shielding unit 100 and the auto cover 120 may be sealed by an O-ring 411 attached to a base unit 410 provided at the upper end of the shielding unit 100. Good. By doing so, the periphery of the lip packing 123 and the upper part of the shielding portion 100 are more reliably sealed, so that the outside air is more reliably prevented from directly hitting the wafer W.
[0049]
FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying unit which is a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as in FIG.
The shielding unit 100 according to the first embodiment is arranged in a substantially upper half space of the chamber 20 and has an open lower surface, whereas the shielding unit 100 according to the second embodiment includes: It is arranged over almost the entire internal space of the chamber 20 and its lower surface is not open. That is, the bottom wall 109 of the shielding unit 100 is disposed near the bottom wall 25 of the chamber 20 along the bottom wall 25, and the shielding space 107 is formed by the side walls 101 to 104 and the bottom wall 109 of the shielding unit 100. It is a space between the side walls 21 to 24 and the bottom wall 25 of the chamber 20.
[0050]
In the first embodiment, the upper surface of the shielding unit 100 and the auto cover 120 are sealed by a sealing means such as a labyrinth mechanism 301 and an O-ring 411.Like the labyrinth mechanism 301 and the O-ring 411No sealing means is provided. That is, the protruding portion 300 attached to the inner wall of the auto cover 120 is not provided, so that a gap remains between the upper surface of the shielding portion 100 and the auto cover 120.
[0051]
As described above, in the second embodiment, the accommodation space 105 and the shielding space 107 defined by the shielding unit 100 are not communicated with each other on the lower surface of the shielding unit 100 but are communicated on the upper surface of the shielding unit 100. It can be said that it is.
The exhaust pipe 30 to which the decompression pump 31 is connected is directly connected to the shielding space 107. Therefore, when the pressure reducing pump 31 is driven, the air in the shielding space 107 is sucked into the exhaust pipe 30. Along with this, the air in the accommodation space 105 is sucked into the shielding space 107 from the upper surface of the shielding part 100, and an airflow 430 from the accommodation space 105 to the shielding space 107 is generated. Since the airflow 430 blocks the flow of air from the shielding space 107 to the housing space 105, the airflow 430 substantially functions to seal a gap between the shielding unit 100 and the auto cover 120. Therefore, even if outside air is sucked into the chamber 20 from the gap between the sealing surfaces 123 a of the lip packing 123, the outside air is prevented from being guided to the housing space 105 by the airflow 430, and passes through the shielding space 107 as it is and the exhaust pipe Sucked in 30. Therefore, the outside air does not hit the wafer W stored in the storage space 105.
[0052]
As described above, also according to the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent the outside air from directly hitting the wafer W, so that the drying process can be performed favorably, and therefore, it is possible to contribute to the provision of a high quality wafer W.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying unit which is a substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 9, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as in FIG.
[0053]
Although the third embodiment is based on the configuration of the shielding unit 100 and the configuration related to the shielding unit 100 described in the first embodiment, the configuration shown in FIG. It goes without saying that the configuration described in the embodiment may be based.
In the above-described embodiment, the exhaust pipe 30 is connected to an intermediate portion of the discharge path 26 connected to the bottom wall 25 of the chamber 20 to generate an airflow that flows downward from above the chamber 20. In the third embodiment, the exhaust pipe 30 is connected to the upper part of the side wall 24 of the chamber 20 to generate an airflow that goes upward from below the chamber 20. Specifically, the exhaust pipe 30 is arranged above the side wall 24 and near the position where the lip packing 123 is provided.
[0054]
In this configuration, when the decompression pump 31 is driven, an airflow 440 is generated from below the chamber 20 toward the exhaust pipe 30 through between the side wall 104 of the shielding unit 100 and the side wall 24 of the chamber 20. The airflow 440 also includes air in the storage space 105 that descends toward the lower surface of the shield 100 and is guided from the communication port 108 to between the side wall 104 of the shield 100 and the side wall 24 of the chamber 20. It is. On the other hand, the outside air sucked into the chamber 20 from the gap of the sealing surface 123a of the lip packing 123 on the side wall 24 to which the exhaust pipe 30 is connected is prevented from entering the housing space 105 by the labyrinth mechanism 301. Is guided to the shielding space 107, and immediately thereafter, is sucked into the exhaust pipe 30. The air sucked in from the side walls 21 to 23 to which the exhaust pipe 30 is not connected is sucked into the exhaust pipe 30 along the side walls 101 to 103 of the shielding unit 100.
[0055]
As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the exhaust pipe 30 is connected to the upper portion of the side wall 24 of the chamber 20 and to the vicinity of the lip packing 123, the outside air sucked into the chamber 20 is immediately discharged. Can be recovered. Therefore, the possibility of the outside air being exposed to the wafer W can be further reduced as compared with the above embodiment, and the drying process can be performed more favorably. Therefore, a higher quality wafer W can be provided.
[0056]
Although the embodiments of the present invention are as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the auto cover 120 can be opened and closed with the fulcrum 121 attached to the upper end of the chamber 20 as a fulcrum. . In this case, the shielding unit 100 may be fixed to the auto cover 120, for example, instead of being fixed in the chamber 20. According to this configuration, no gap is formed between the auto cover 120 and the shielding unit 100. That is, since one path through which outside air can enter the accommodation space 105 can be eliminated, the outside air can be more reliably prevented from directly hitting the wafer W.
[0057]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an apparatus for processing a wafer W is described. However, the present invention is applied to various substrates such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display and a PDP (plasma display panel). The present invention can be widely applied to an apparatus for processing a processing substrate.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a wet station including a reduced-pressure drying unit which is a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a wafer holding chuck.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an internal configuration of a reduced-pressure drying unit as viewed from a side where a chemical processing unit is located.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the reduced-pressure drying unit as viewed from a side where a wafer holding robot is located.
FIG. 5 is a side view seen from a direction h in FIG. 4 for explaining the configuration of the opening / closing mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying unit.
FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying section when an O-ring is used as a sealing means.
FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying unit which is a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a reduced-pressure drying unit which is a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional vacuum drying unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Wet station
10 Vacuum drying section
20 chambers (decompression container)
31 Pressure reducing pump (pressure reducing means)
100 shielding part (shielding means)
120 Auto cover (lid)
123 Lip packing (seal member)
123a Seal surface
301 Labyrinth mechanism (sealing means)
411 O-ring (sealing means)

Claims (9)

The internal pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing means, a reduced pressure processing container for housing the substrate and performing the processing,
A lid body capable of opening and closing the decompression processing container,
When the decompression processing container is closed with the lid, a sealing member for sealing between the decompression processing container and the lid with a sealing surface,
An internal space provided inside the decompression processing container and capable of accommodating the substrate is provided. The internal space communicates with a space in the decompression processing container below a position where the substrate is accommodated in the internal space. communicating port is formed to a substrate processing apparatus characterized by airflow flowing into the vacuum processing vessel from a gap of the seal face and a shielding container to prevent hitting directly on Kimoto plate. The shielding container have a opening facing the upper Symbol lid,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decompression unit decompresses a shielding space formed between the decompression processing container and the shielding container. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein further including that a sealing means for sealing the gap between the shielding container and the lid. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sealing means is an O-ring for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sealing means is a labyrinth mechanism for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid in a non-contact manner. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is a lip packing.   The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a storage tank provided in the decompression processing container below the shielding container and storing pure water for cleaning the substrate.   The internal pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing means, a reduced pressure processing container for housing the substrate and performing the processing,
  A lid body capable of opening and closing the decompression processing container,
  When the decompression processing container is closed with the lid, a lip packing for sealing the space between the decompression processing container and the lid with a sealing surface,
  It is provided inside the decompression processing container, has an internal space capable of accommodating the substrate, further has an opening facing the lid, and an airflow flowing into the decompression processing container from a gap in the sealing surface. A shielding container that prevents direct contact with the substrate,
  A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: sealing means for sealing a gap between the shielding container and the lid in a non-contact manner.   9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said sealing means is a labyrinth mechanism.

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