JP3827205B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus suitable for use in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist solution is applied to the wafer surface, a resist coating process for forming a resist film, an exposure process for exposing a pattern on the wafer, and development on the exposed wafer. A development process or the like is performed to form a predetermined circuit pattern on the wafer.
[0003]
In the resist coating process, a spin coating method is mainly used as a method for coating a resist solution. According to this spin coating method, a resist solution is discharged to the center of the wafer, and the wafer is rotated. As a result, the resist solution applied on the wafer is diffused by centrifugal force, and a uniform resist film can be formed over the entire surface of the wafer.
Thereafter, the substrate processing apparatus is heated to dry the solvent in the applied resist solution.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in order to dry the solvent in the resist solution by heating the wafer and obtain a uniform resist film, the wafer is uniformly heated and the resist is uniformly dried by controlling the air flow in the substrate processing apparatus. There is a need.
[0005]
However, in the conventional general heat treatment apparatus, a gas such as air is supplied to the central portion of the wafer and dried, so that a uniform air flow is controlled at the central portion of the wafer and the peripheral portion of the wafer ( Gas supply) was difficult. Similarly, since the gas is exhausted from the peripheral portion of the wafer, it is difficult to uniformly control the air flow (gas discharge) at the central portion of the wafer and the peripheral portion of the wafer.
That is, a gas such as air is supplied to the central portion of the wafer, and the gas containing the solvent evaporated in the central portion of the wafer flows to the peripheral portion of the wafer. Could not be dried.
[0006]
Further, instead of the above-described spin coating method in which the wafer is rotated, a method in which a resist solution having a low viscosity is uniformly applied on the wafer in a lattice shape has been considered.
When a resist solution having a relatively low viscosity is used as described above, if the coating solution is heated at a high temperature after coating, the evaporation rate becomes too high, and there is a possibility that spots are formed on the resist film. Therefore, after the resist solution is applied onto the wafer, a method is adopted in which the inside of the apparatus is decompressed and dried, and the solvent in the resist solution is slowly dried.
Even in this apparatus, it is necessary to further control the air flow in the processing apparatus to uniformly dry the resist.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of controlling a gas flow in a processing chamber for processing a substrate and performing a favorable process on the substrate. Yes.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate, and has a communication hole extending in a three-dimensional direction by connecting pores in a chamber forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate. A vertical hole formed of porous ceramics and having an opening on the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface, and a gas barrier layer formed on the first surface and the inner wall of the vertical hole A rectifying plate is provided, and gas is supplied to the processing surface of the substrate through the communication hole, or gas in the chamber is exhausted, and gas in the chamber is exhausted through the vertical hole, or It is characterized by supplying gas to the processing surface.
[0009]
As described above, in the present invention, the first surface and the second surface opposite to the first surface are formed by the porous ceramics having the communicating holes extending in the three-dimensional direction by connecting the pores. The flow of gas supplied and exhausted is controlled using a rectifying plate including a vertical hole having a portion and a gas barrier layer formed on the first surface and the inner wall of the vertical hole.
[0010]
That is, gas is supplied into the chamber through the communication hole, or the gas in the chamber is exhausted, and the gas in the chamber is exhausted through the vertical hole, or the gas is supplied into the chamber. As a result, the gas flow is controlled, and for example, the resist on the substrate processing surface can be uniformly dried to obtain a uniform resist film. In addition, since the communication hole is provided, gas can be supplied and exhausted in a minute region of the substrate.
The supplied gas and the exhausted gas pass through one rectifying plate, but the portions through which the respective gases pass are blocked by the gas barrier layer, so they are not mixed.
[0011]
Here, gas is supplied into the chamber from a chamber that forms a processing chamber for processing the substrate, a disk-shaped rectifying plate disposed to face the processing surface of the substrate, and a side wall of the rectifying plate. Supply means, and exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the chamber from the first surface side of the rectifying plate, and supplying gas to the processing surface of the substrate through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate In addition, it is desirable that the gas in the chamber is exhausted from the first surface side through the vertical hole.
Thus, since the gas is supplied to the processing surface of the substrate through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate, the gas can be supplied uniformly over the entire surface of the substrate processing surface. In addition, since the communication hole is provided, gas can be supplied to a minute region of the substrate.
[0012]
A chamber for forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate; a disc-shaped rectifying plate disposed opposite to the processing surface of the substrate; and exhausting gas in the chamber from the side wall of the rectifying plate. And a supply means for supplying gas into the chamber from the first surface side of the rectifying plate, and the gas supplied from the supply means is supplied to the processing surface of the substrate through the vertical hole. It is desirable to supply and exhaust the gas in the chamber through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate.
As described above, since the gas in the chamber is exhausted through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate, the gas can be exhausted uniformly from the entire surface of the substrate processing surface. In addition, since the communication hole is provided, gas can be exhausted in a minute region of the substrate.
[0013]
The rectifying plate described above is preferably made of porous ceramics, and the material is preferably silicon carbide or alumina. The rectifying plate is preferably a porous ceramic sintered body made of silicon carbide or alumina.
When such a current plate is made of porous ceramics, it can be easily formed by a ceramic manufacturing technique. Moreover, when it consists of silicon carbide or alumina, contamination of the substrate or the like can be suppressed.
[0014]
Further, it is desirable that the porous ceramics constituting the current plate have a porosity of 20 to 40% and an average pore diameter of 50 to 500 μm. Since it has such a porosity and an average pore diameter, gas can be supplied and discharged uniformly, and sufficient mechanical strength as a current plate can be maintained.
[0015]
Further, it is desirable that the porosity is formed so as to decrease from the first surface side to the second surface side. Thus, since the porosity is formed so as to decrease from the first surface side to the second surface side, the gas supplied from the side wall of the current plate is second from the first surface side. Gradually move to the face side. As a result, even if the gas is supplied from the side wall of the current plate, the gas can be released from the second surface substantially uniformly, and the gas can be supplied uniformly to the entire surface of the substrate processing surface.
[0016]
In addition, you may form so that a porosity may become large as it goes to the 2nd surface side from the 1st surface side. In this case, the gas can be uniformly exhausted from the entire surface of the substrate processing surface by configuring the exhaust through the communication hole.
[0017]
Moreover, it is desirable that the above-described vertical hole is a hole formed in parallel to an axis line connecting the first surface of the current plate and the second surface facing the first surface. The diameter of the first surface of the vertical hole and the opening of the first surface is larger than the diameter of the vertical hole connecting the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface, and It is desirable that the opening and the vertical hole are connected by a tapered surface.
Since the tapered surface is formed in this way, gas can be supplied and exhausted smoothly.
[0018]
It is desirable that a plurality of the vertical holes are formed in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the current plate. As described above, since a plurality of the vertical holes are formed in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the rectifying plate, gas can be supplied and exhausted uniformly through the vertical holes over the entire processing surface of the substrate. In addition, since a plurality of the vertical holes are formed in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the current plate, gas can be supplied and exhausted for each minute region of the substrate.
It is desirable that the vertical holes are formed such that the diameter of the vertical holes increases and the distribution state thereof becomes denser as the distance from the center of the current plate increases. In this way, when formed, gas can be supplied and exhausted through the vertical holes more uniformly over the entire processing surface of the substrate.
[0019]
The gas barrier layer described above is preferably made of a fluororesin in consideration of substrate contamination. In consideration of sufficient shielding properties, the gas barrier layer preferably has a thickness of 10 μm or more.
[0020]
The gas barrier layer is formed on at least the first surface and the inner wall of the vertical hole. As for the side wall of the current plate, it is preferable to form a gas barrier layer on the entire side wall except for the communication holes for supplying and exhausting. This is because the gas supplied and exhausted from the side wall of the rectifying plate does not leak and does not cause an uneven gas flow.
[0021]
Moreover, it is desirable that the distance between the current plate and the processing surface of the substrate is 0.1 mm to 50 mm. If the distance is large, a lateral flow occurs along the substrate processing surface between the current plate and the substrate processing surface, and gas cannot be supplied or exhausted in the minute region, making it difficult to replace the gas in the minute region. It is because it becomes.
[0022]
A chamber forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate; a rectifying plate disposed opposite to the substrate; a supply means for supplying gas into the chamber from a side wall of the rectifying plate; An exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the chamber from the first surface side of the plate, and has a plurality of through holes between the first surface of the current plate and the exhaust port formed in the chamber. It is desirable that a back plate is disposed.
Since the back plate is arranged in this way, the back pressure of the first surface of the rectifying plate can be equalized, and gas can be supplied and exhausted uniformly from the plurality of vertical holes.
[0023]
The rectifying plate described above can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a hot plate that places and heats a substrate and a lifting member that supports and lifts the substrate.
Further, the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus in which the inside of the chamber is decompressed by the exhaust means.
[0024]
A substrate processing method according to the present invention is a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus described above, and is arranged close to the processing surface of the substrate, using a rectifying plate. A step of covering, and a step of supplying a gas to the substrate processing surface through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate and exhausting the gas in the chamber from the first surface side through the vertical hole of the rectifying plate. It is characterized by.
By doing so, the gas can be uniformly supplied to the entire substrate processing surface and the gas can be exhausted uniformly from the vertical holes. For example, the resist can be uniformly dried to obtain a uniform resist film. it can.
In addition, since the communication hole and the vertical hole are provided, gas can be supplied and exhausted in a minute region of the substrate.
[0025]
Further, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus described above, the step of bringing the substrate close to the processing surface of the substrate and covering the substrate with a current plate, and a first of the current plate And a step of supplying gas from the surface side to the substrate processing surface through the vertical hole and exhausting the gas in the chamber through the communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate.
By doing so, the gas can be uniformly supplied to the entire substrate processing surface and the gas can be exhausted uniformly from the communication hole. For example, the resist can be uniformly dried to obtain a uniform resist film. it can.
In addition, since the communication hole and the vertical hole are provided, gas can be supplied and exhausted in a minute region of the substrate.
[0026]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. Prior to the description of the substrate processing apparatus, the coating and developing processing apparatus unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are a plan view, a front view, and a rear view showing an outline of a coating and developing treatment apparatus unit including a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment apparatus unit 1 includes, for example, a cassette station 2 that carries 25 wafers W from the outside in units of cassettes, and carries the wafers W into the cassette C. And a processing station 3 in which various processing apparatuses that perform predetermined processing in a single wafer type are arranged in multiple stages. Further, an interface unit 4 for transferring the wafer W to and from an exposure apparatus (not shown) adjacent to the processing station 3 is provided.
[0027]
The coating and developing treatment unit 1 is composed of a first processing unit group G1 to a fourth processing unit group G4. The first processing device group G1 and the second processing device group G2 are disposed on the front side of the coating and developing processing device unit 1, and the third processing device group G3 is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2. The fourth processing unit group G4 is arranged adjacent to the interface unit 4. Further, as an option, a fifth processing unit group G5 indicated by a broken line can be separately arranged on the back side of the coating and developing processing unit 1.
[0028]
The cassette station 2 is configured such that a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a line along the arrow X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined position on the cassette placement unit 5. A wafer transfer body 7 that can be transferred in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction) is movably disposed along the transfer path 8 to selectively access each cassette C. Configured to get.
[0029]
The wafer carrier 7 has an alignment function for aligning the wafer W. As will be described later, the wafer transfer body 7 is configured to be accessible also to the extension devices 32 (shown in FIG. 3) belonging to the third processing device group G3 of the processing station 3.
[0030]
In the processing station 3, a main transfer device 13 is disposed at the center thereof.
Various processing devices are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer device 13 to form a processing device group. The main transfer device 13 can load and unload the wafer W with respect to various processing devices described later disposed in the processing device groups G1 to G5.
Note that the number and arrangement of the processing apparatus groups differ depending on the type of processing performed on the wafer W. Any number of processing device groups may be selected as long as it is plural.
[0031]
In the first processing unit group G1, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating unit 17 for applying a resist solution to the wafer W and a development processing unit 18 for developing the exposed wafer W are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom. Are stacked. Similarly, in the second processing unit group G2, the resist coating unit 19 and the development processing unit 20 are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom.
[0032]
In the third processing unit group G3, as shown in FIG. 3, a cooling device 30 for cooling the wafer W, an adhesion device 31 for improving the fixability between the resist solution and the wafer W, and the wafer W are put on standby. An extension device 32, pre-baking devices 33 and 34 as substrate processing devices according to this embodiment, post-baking devices 35 and 36 for performing substrate processing after development processing, and the like are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in seven stages. .
[0033]
In the fourth processing unit group G4, the cooling unit 40, the extension / cooling unit 41 that naturally cools the mounted wafer W, the extension unit 42, the cooling unit 43, and post-exposure baking for performing substrate processing after exposure. Devices 44 and 45, post-baking devices 46 and 47, and the like are stacked in eight stages in order from the bottom.
[0034]
A wafer carrier 50 is disposed at the center of the interface unit 4. The wafer carrier 50 is configured to move in the arrow X direction and the arrow Z direction and to rotate in the θ direction (around the Z axis). The extension / cooling device 41 and the extension device 42 belonging to the fourth processing unit group G4, the peripheral exposure device 51 and the like are accessed, and the wafer W can be transferred to each device.
[0035]
Next, the above-described pre-baking apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a current plate of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
A pre-baking apparatus 33 shown in FIG. 4 includes a chamber 55 for forming a processing chamber S for processing a wafer W, a hot plate 75 located in the chamber 55, and an upper surface (mounting surface) of the hot plate 75. And a current plate 70 facing each other.
[0036]
The chamber 55 includes a lid 60 as a first chamber that can be raised and lowered by a drive mechanism (not shown), and a holder 61 as a second chamber that can hold the lid 60 below. .
The lid body 60 is formed of a headed cylindrical body made of aluminum or stainless steel that opens downward. An exhaust pipe 84 for exhausting air as a purge gas in the processing chamber S out of the casing 33a of the pre-baking device 33 is provided at the center of the lid 60.
Further, a supply pipe 88 for supplying air to the rectifying plate 70 is provided on the side wall portion of the lid body 60.
[0037]
The holding body 61 includes a ring-shaped first support member 81 that supports the outer edge portion of the hot plate 75 and a cylindrical second support member 82 that supports the first support member 81. The holding body 61 has a support ring 83 that surrounds the support members 81 and 82. A cylindrical case 85 serving as an outer peripheral portion of the holding body 61 is disposed on the outer periphery of the support ring 83.
[0038]
The hot plate 75 is made of a disc having a thickness of about 2 to 10 mm, and is made of a ceramic material such as silicon carbide or aluminum nitride. The front surface of the hot plate 75 is a mounting surface 75a for the wafer W, and a heater 76 serving as a heat source is provided on the back surface using a printing technique. The heater 76 is configured such that the amount of heat generated by the first controller 77 can be controlled. Thus, the amount of heat generated by the heater 76 is controlled, and the temperature of the hot plate 75 can be maintained and changed.
[0039]
A plurality of elevating pins 78 are provided below the hot plate 75 for supporting the wafer W when the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. These lifting pins 78 are configured to be lifted and lowered by a lifting drive mechanism 79. A through hole 80 that opens in the vertical direction is provided near the center of the hot plate 75. Thereby, the raising / lowering pin 78 moves to an up-down direction, and it is comprised so that it may protrude through the through-hole 80 and the heat plate 75 upwards.
[0040]
The rectifying plate 70 is disposed above the placement surface 75 a of the hot plate 75 and is held in the lid body 60 of the chamber 55.
The current plate 70 is formed of porous ceramics having communication holes that are connected to pores and extend in a three-dimensional direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a vertical hole 70c having an opening on the upper surface 70a and the lower surface 70b opposite to the upper surface 70a, and a gas barrier layer 70d formed on the inner wall of the upper surface 70a and the vertical hole 70c are formed. Yes. In FIG. 4, the gas barrier layer is not shown.
[0041]
As the material of the porous ceramic, silicon carbide or alumina is used. In the case of silicon carbide or alumina, contamination of the wafer W and contamination inside the chamber 55 can be prevented.
The rectifying plate 70 can be obtained by sintering porous ceramics made of silicon carbide or alumina. For example, silicon carbide or alumina is put into a solvent and stirred to form a slurry. Thereafter, it is placed in a predetermined mold and dried to form a molded body. Then, a porous ceramic sintered body can be obtained by firing the molded body at a predetermined temperature.
[0042]
The rectifying plate 70 is made of a porous ceramic body having a porosity of 20 to 40% and an average pore diameter of 50 to 500 μm. If the porosity exceeds 40%, the mechanical strength becomes weak and it is not suitable for a current plate. Moreover, when the porosity is less than 20%, the gas flow resistance increases, which is not suitable for the current plate.
[0043]
Further, the rectifying plate 70 is formed in a disc shape, and a straight vertical hole 70c is formed in parallel with an axis thereof (an axis connecting the upper surface and the lower surface). As shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of the vertical holes 70 c are formed in the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the rectifying plate 70.
It is preferable to provide a large number of the vertical holes 70 in order to uniformly exhaust a minute region, but the relationship between the mechanical strength of the rectifying plate 70 and the communication holes (supply holes) formed by connecting the pores. It is necessary to consider. The diameter of the vertical hole 70c is set to 0.1 mm to 2 mm.
[0044]
The gas barrier layer 70d formed on the upper surface 70a of the rectifying plate 70 and the inner wall of the vertical hole 70c is made of a fluorine-based resin, for example, Teflon (registered trademark), which is a heat-resistant and antifouling resin, and has a thickness thereof. Is formed to be 10 μm or more.
Two gas flow paths are formed in the rectifying plate 70 by the gas barrier layer 70d. That is, two gas flow passages are formed, a communication hole for supplying and a vertical hole for exhausting. In addition, since the gas barrier layer 70d is formed of a fluorine-based resin, a good gas barrier property can be secured and the wafer or the like is not contaminated. In addition, when the gas barrier layer 70d is less than 10 μm, good gas barrier properties cannot be ensured. Therefore, the gas barrier layer preferably has a thickness of 10 μm or more.
The gas barrier layer 70d does not need to be formed on the rectifying plate side wall 70e. However, from the viewpoint of preventing gas leakage from the side wall 70e, the gas barrier layer 70d is formed on the entire side wall except for the communication holes to which the gas is supplied. Is preferably formed.
[0045]
The distance between the lower surface 70a of the rectifying plate 70 and the surface of the wafer W, more precisely, the surface of the resist solution applied to the surface of the wafer W is suitably 0.1 mm to 50 mm.
If this distance is large, a lateral flow along the substrate processing surface occurs between the current plate and the substrate processing surface, and gas cannot be supplied or exhausted in the micro region, and gas replacement in the micro region is not possible. It becomes difficult. On the other hand, if the distance is narrow, the current plate 70 and the processing surface of the wafer W may come into contact with each other, and the wafer W may be damaged.
[0046]
A transfer port 86 for loading / unloading the wafer W is provided on the side of the casing 33a in the pre-baking apparatus 33. Further, a shutter 87 capable of opening and closing the transport port 86 is attached. Further, a back plate 71 having a plurality of through holes 71 a is provided above the current plate 70 in order to ensure a uniform back pressure.
[0047]
Next, a substrate processing method using the pre-baking apparatus 33 will be described together with a photolithography process performed in the coating phenomenon processing apparatus unit 1.
First, the wafer transfer body 7 takes out an unprocessed wafer W from the cassette C and carries it into the adhesion device 31. In this adhesion device 31, the wafer W coated with an adhesion enhancing agent such as HMDS for improving the adhesion with the resist solution is transferred to the cooling device 30 by the main transfer device 13 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating device 17 or 19, and a predetermined amount of resist solution is applied onto the wafer W. Then, the wafer W having the resist film formed on the surface is transferred to the pre-baking device 33 or 34, and substrate processing for evaporating the solvent in the resist solution is performed.
[0048]
Next, the wafer W for which the substrate processing has been completed is transferred to the extension / cooling device 41 by the main transfer device 13 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. Then, the wafer W is taken out from the extension / cooling device 41 by the wafer carrier 50. Thereafter, the wafer is conveyed to an exposure device (not shown) through the peripheral exposure device 51. The wafer W that has undergone the exposure process is transferred to the extension 42 by the wafer transfer body 50. Further, it is transferred to the post-exposure baking device 44 or 45 by the main transfer device 13. Then, the wafer W is sequentially transferred by the main transfer device 13 to the cooling device 43, the development processing device 18 or 20, the post-baking device 35, 36, 46 or 47, and the cooling device 30 and subjected to predetermined processing in each device. . Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the cassette C by the wafer carrier 7 via the extension device 32, and a series of predetermined coating and developing processes are completed.
[0049]
Next, a substrate processing method using the above-described pre-baking apparatus 33 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
First, before the substrate processing is started, supply of air from the supply pipe 88 is started, and at the same time, exhaust from the exhaust pipe 84 is started. Thereby, the inside of the casing 33a starts to be purged. The first controller 77 controls the heater 76 to start heating the hot plate 75.
[0050]
Next, the shutter 87 of the transfer port 86 is opened, and the main transfer device 13 loads the wafer W into the pre-baking device 33.
Then, the wafer W transferred to the upper side of the hot plate 75 is supported on the lift pins 78 that have been waiting in advance above the hot plate 75.
Thereafter, the lid body 60 is lowered, and the processing chamber S is formed integrally with the holding body 61 as shown in FIG. In this case, the atmosphere in the processing chamber S is purged by the air from the supply pipe 88. Then, the wafer W is lowered together with the lift pins 78 by the lift drive mechanism 79 and placed on the hot plate 75.
In this state, heating of the wafer W is started, and the wafer W is heated at a predetermined heating temperature for a predetermined time.
[0051]
At this time, the air supplied from the supply pipe 88 is introduced from the side wall of the rectifying plate 70, and this air flows in the communication hole formed in the rectifying plate 70 toward the central portion of the wafer W as shown in FIG. , And is discharged from the lower surface 70a of the current plate 70. Since the gas barrier layer 70d is formed, the air flowing through the communication hole does not leak from the upper surface 70a of the rectifying plate 70 and the inner wall of the vertical hole 70c.
Further, the air discharged from the lower surface 70 a of the rectifying plate 70 is supplied to the processing surface of the wafer W. On the other hand, exhaust is performed through the vertical hole 70c. That is, the exhaust flows through the vertical hole 70c, the back plate 71a (through hole 71a), and the exhaust pipe 84, and is discharged to the outside.
[0052]
As described above, air is supplied into the processing chamber S through a large number of communication holes formed by connecting pores, so that air flows from a large number of openings of the communication holes on the lower surface of the rectifying plate 70. Released. As a result, air is supplied for each minute region of the processing surface of the wafer W. Further, since a plurality of vertical holes 70c are provided in the diameter and circumferential directions, air is discharged for each minute region of the wafer processing surface.
As described above, since air is replaced for each minute region, the solvent can be evaporated more uniformly and a more uniform resist film can be formed.
[0053]
After the above-described air replacement is performed and heating is performed for a predetermined time, the lid body 60 is raised and the processing chamber S is opened. Thereafter, the wafer W is raised again by the lift pins 78 and the heating by the hot plate 75 is completed.
Next, the main transfer device 13 enters again from the transfer port 86, and the wafer W is delivered to the main transfer device 13. Then, the wafer W is carried out of the casing 33a from the transfer port 86, and a series of substrate processing ends.
[0054]
As described above, air can be replaced for each minute region on the processing surface of the wafer W, and the solvent in the resist solution in each region can be uniformly evaporated. Thus, a uniform resist film thickness can be obtained by controlling the airflow during drying.
[0055]
In the above embodiment, air is introduced from the communication hole on the side wall of the rectifying plate 70 and exhausted from the vertical hole 70c. However, as shown in FIG. 8, air may be introduced from the upper surface side of the rectifying plate and discharged from the communication hole on the rectifying plate side wall via the vertical hole 70 c and the lower surface 70 b of the rectifying plate 70. .
[0056]
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the vertical hole 70c of the baffle plate 70 shows the case where multiple (16 pieces) are formed in the circumferential direction, and a center hole and multiple (4 pieces) are formed in the radial direction as shown in FIG. It was.
However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and in order to perform more uniform air supply and exhaust, the number and arrangement position can be appropriately selected.
[0057]
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the diameter of the vertical hole 70 c may be gradually increased from the center of the current plate 70 toward the peripheral end. Further, the number of the vertical holes 70c may be increased from the center of the current plate 70 toward the peripheral end. In FIG. 8, the innermost peripheral hole 70c is the smallest (four shown), the outermost peripheral hole 70c is the largest (16), and the intermediate vertical holes 70c are formed in the same number (eight) in a plurality of rows. Has been. In this way, the innermost circumference to the outermost circumference may be blocked, and the number of circumferential vertical holes 70c in the same block may be the same.
[0058]
Furthermore, in the said embodiment, it demonstrated that the porosity of the baffle plate was 20 to 40%.
However, this porosity need not be constant in the thickness direction (depth direction from the upper surface to the lower surface). Rather, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the porosity is preferably formed so as to decrease from the upper surface to the lower surface. In addition, in the figure, the code | symbol H has shown the communicating hole to which the pore was connected.
Thus, since the porosity is formed so as to decrease from the upper surface to the lower surface, the air introduced from the side wall of the rectifying plate 70 is conceptually shown by the arrow in FIG. It is easy to circulate in the center direction, and air can be uniformly discharged from the lower surface 70 b of the rectifying plate 70.
[0059]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, when air is supplied from the vertical hole 70c and exhausted through the communication hole, the porosity is formed so as to increase from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. There is a need. This is because if the porosity on the lower surface side is small, it is difficult to introduce the exhaust gas to the communication hole.
[0060]
In the above embodiment, a straight hole is shown as the vertical hole 70c. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the diameter of the opening in the upper and lower surfaces is larger than the diameter of the vertical hole 70c and A tapered surface 70 c 1 is preferably formed between the holes 70. Since the tapered surface is formed in this way, air can be supplied and exhausted smoothly.
[0061]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the rectifying plate 70 is arranged above the wafer W has been shown, but the rectifying plate 70 may be arranged below the wafer W.
That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the lower chamber 90 holds the rectifying plate 70, the suction pad 92 is disposed above the current plate 70, and the wafer W is sucked and held. Then, air is supplied from the supply pipe 88, air is discharged from the upper surface through the communication hole, and is supplied to the processing surface of the wafer. On the other hand, the exhaust is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 91 through the vertical hole 70c.
[0062]
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where air was used was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, For example, it can apply also when using inert gas etc.
In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus provided with the heater has been described as an example. However, the substrate processing apparatus that reduces the pressure in the chamber without drying the heater and dries the resist under the reduced pressure environment is also described. Can be applied. According to this apparatus, after the resist solution is applied onto the wafer, the inside of the apparatus is reduced in pressure and dried, and the solvent in the resist solution can be slowly dried. The solvent evaporates and a very uniform resist film is formed.
[0063]
The embodiment described above has been described with respect to the wafer processing apparatus after the coating process in the photolithography process of the semiconductor wafer device manufacturing process, but can also be applied to other semiconductor wafer device manufacturing processes. The present invention can also be applied to substrates other than semiconductor wafers, such as LCD substrate processing apparatuses and photomask substrate processing apparatuses.
[0064]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the favorable process can be performed with respect to a board | substrate by controlling the airflow in the process chamber which processes a board | substrate.
For example, if the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus that dries a resist, the airflow when the solvent in the resist solution is dried can be controlled, and a uniform resist film thickness can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an external appearance of a coating and developing treatment system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
5A and 5B are diagrams showing a current plate, where FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 5A.
6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a lid of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is closed.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of relevant parts showing the flow of air in the processing chamber during the substrate processing in the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the principal part showing the flow of air in the processing chamber when the air is supplied from the vertical hole to the processing surface, which is a modification example shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a modification of the current plate.
FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of a rectifying plate showing a state in which the porosity is different in the thickness direction, and FIG. 10B is a diagram schematically showing the flow of air.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example in which a tapered surface is formed in a vertical hole.
FIG. 12 is a longitudinal section showing a modified example in which a rectifying plate is arranged below the substrate.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Coating and developing treatment system
3 processing stations
33 Pre-baking equipment
60 lid
61 Holder
70 Rectifier plate
70a Top surface
70b bottom surface
70c vertical hole
70c1 taper surface
70d gas barrier layer
71 Back plate
71a Through hole
75 Hot plate
84 Exhaust pipe
88 Supply pipe

Claims (22)

In the substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the substrate,
In the chamber forming the processing chamber for processing the substrate,
A vertical hole formed of porous ceramics having communication holes extending in the three-dimensional direction with pores connected, and having an opening on the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface, and the first surface And a rectifying plate provided with a gas barrier layer formed on the inner wall of the vertical hole,
While supplying gas to the processing surface of the substrate through the communication hole, or exhausting the gas in the chamber,
A substrate processing apparatus configured to exhaust gas in a chamber or supply gas to a processing surface of a substrate through the vertical hole. A chamber for forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate; a disc-shaped rectifying plate disposed opposite to the processing surface of the substrate; and a supply for supplying gas into the chamber from the side wall of the rectifying plate Means, and exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the chamber from the first surface side of the current plate,
While supplying gas to the processing surface of the substrate through the communication hole in the side wall of the current plate,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is configured to exhaust the gas in the chamber from the first surface side through the vertical hole. A chamber for forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate; a disc-shaped rectifying plate disposed to face the processing surface of the substrate; and an exhaust for exhausting gas in the chamber from the side wall of the rectifying plate Means and supply means for supplying gas into the chamber from the first surface side of the current plate,
While supplying the gas supplied from the supply means to the processing surface of the substrate through the vertical hole,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas in the chamber is exhausted through a communication hole in a side wall of the rectifying plate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a material of the porous ceramic constituting the current plate is silicon carbide or alumina. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rectifying plate is a sintered body of porous ceramics made of silicon carbide or alumina. 6. The substrate processing according to claim 1, wherein the porous ceramic constituting the current plate has a porosity of 20 to 40% and an average pore diameter of 50 to 500 μm. apparatus. The porous ceramics constituting the rectifying plate are formed so that the porosity decreases from the first surface side to the second surface side. A substrate processing apparatus as described above. The porous ceramics constituting the rectifying plate are formed so that the porosity increases from the first surface side to the second surface side. A substrate processing apparatus as described above. The said vertical hole is a hole formed in parallel with the axis line which connects the 2nd surface which opposes the 1st surface and 1st surface of a baffle plate of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The substrate processing apparatus described in any one. The first surface of the vertical hole and the diameter of the opening in the first surface are larger than the diameter of the vertical hole connecting the first surface and the second surface facing the first surface, and the opening. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion and the vertical hole are connected by a tapered surface. A plurality of the vertical holes are formed in a radial direction and a circumferential direction of the rectifying plate, wherein the vertical holes are defined in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10. Substrate processing equipment. The diameter of the vertical hole is formed to be larger as the distance from the center of the current plate is increased. Any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, and 11 A substrate processing apparatus as described above. The diameter of a vertical hole is large and it is formed so that the distribution state becomes dense as it leaves | separates from the center of the said baffle plate, The claim 1, Claim 2, Claim 3, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, claim 11 or claim 12. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas barrier layer is made of a fluorine resin. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas barrier layer has a thickness of 10 μm or more. The gas barrier layer is formed on the first surface and the inner wall of the vertical hole;
A gas barrier layer is formed on the entire side wall of the rectifying plate side wall for exhausting gas or supplying a gas, excluding the communication holes, wherein the gas barrier layer is formed. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the current plate and a processing surface of the substrate is 0.1 mm to 50 mm. A chamber forming a processing chamber for processing a substrate; a rectifying plate disposed opposite to the substrate; a supply means for supplying gas into the chamber from a side wall of the rectifying plate; An exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the chamber from the first surface side,
The back plate having a plurality of through holes is disposed between the first surface of the rectifying plate and the exhaust port formed in the chamber. Substrate processing equipment. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a hot plate that mounts and heats the substrate, and a lifting member that supports and lifts the substrate. 5. 20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 19, wherein the inside of the chamber is decompressed by the evacuation means. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20.
A gas is supplied to the substrate processing surface through the step of making it close to the processing surface of the substrate and covered with a rectifying plate, and a communication hole in the side wall of the rectifying plate, and the gas in the chamber is passed through the vertical hole of the rectifying plate. And evacuating from the first surface side. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 20.
A step of covering the substrate with the processing surface of the substrate and covering with a rectifying plate; and supplying a gas from the first surface side of the rectifying plate to the substrate processing surface through a vertical hole; And a step of exhausting through the communication hole in the side wall.

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