JP7664706B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

As a wet etching device that uses a processing liquid to etch a film laminated on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, there is a batch-type substrate processing device that immerses multiple substrates in the processing liquid all at once. Such batch-type substrate processing devices are highly productive because they can process multiple substrates at once.

However, because batch-type substrate processing equipment immerses multiple substrates in a processing solution with the same conditions, it is difficult to finely adjust the etching depth for each substrate according to differences in the film thickness formed on each substrate. For this reason, single-wafer substrate processing equipment is used, which processes substrates one by one by supplying etching processing solution near the center of rotation of the substrate while rotating it and spreading the processing solution over the surface of the substrate.

Acid liquids such as hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, and sulfuric acid are used as etching processing liquids. For example, when etching a nitride film on a substrate having a laminated oxide film and nitride film, some substrate processing equipment uses phosphoric acid as the processing liquid. The higher the temperature of phosphoric acid, the higher its etching ability, and as the temperature of the phosphoric acid decreases, its etching performance decreases. For this reason, in order to obtain the desired etching rate, the phosphoric acid must be kept at a high temperature. For example, the nitride film is etched by heating an aqueous solution of phosphoric acid to 150°C to 160°C and supplying it to the substrate.

However, substrates such as silicon wafers have a high thermal conductivity. As a result, the phosphoric acid supplied to the surface of the substrate is prone to drop in temperature because its heat escapes through the substrate. In other words, the phosphoric acid supplied near the center of rotation maintains a high temperature, but as it moves toward the outer periphery of the substrate, the temperature of the phosphoric acid drops due to heat dissipation.

When the temperature of the phosphoric acid differs depending on the position on the surface of the substrate in this way, the etching rate differs depending on the position on the substrate, making it difficult to process the entire substrate uniformly. To address this issue, there is a substrate processing apparatus that performs etching while maintaining the temperature of the phosphoric acid on the substrate surface (see Patent Document 1).

This substrate processing apparatus provides a heater plate above the substrate surface that is large enough to cover the surface of the substrate, and brings the heater plate close to the substrate surface, supplying high-temperature phosphoric acid from a discharge port provided near the center of the heater plate. The distance between the substrate and the heater plate is about a few millimeters, and the phosphoric acid comes into contact with or partially comes into contact with the heater plate, and flows over the substrate surface while being heated. This makes it possible to maintain the etching performance of the phosphoric acid.

Special Publication No. 2011-090141

As mentioned above, substrates have high thermal conductivity. Therefore, even if you try to maintain the temperature of the phosphoric acid supplied to the front surface of the substrate by heating it from a heater plate, the heat escapes from the back surface of the substrate. In particular, because the substrate is rotating, the peripheral speed is faster toward the periphery of the substrate, making it easier for heat to escape and causing the temperature of the phosphoric acid to decrease. In other words, because the temperature of the phosphoric acid decreases from the center of the substrate toward the periphery, the etching rate decreases from the center of the substrate toward the periphery.

In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the heater in the heater plate is divided into three areas, the inner peripheral area, the middle area, and the outer peripheral area, from the center of the substrate toward the outer periphery, making it possible to control the temperature for each area. Since the temperature of the outer periphery tends to decrease, the heater in the outer peripheral area is made to have a higher temperature than the heater in the inner peripheral area, preventing the temperature of the outer periphery from decreasing. However, even if the temperature at which the processing liquid is heated is controlled in this way, it is not possible to prevent heat dissipation from the back surface of the substrate due to the high thermal conductivity of the substrate. Furthermore, since the outer periphery of the rotating substrate has a peripheral speed, the temperature of the processing liquid on the outer periphery side is likely to decrease.

In this way, the temperature is more likely to drop around the outer periphery of the substrate, and the processing rate of the processing liquid decreases. For this reason, when strict processing requirements are placed on the substrate surface, it becomes difficult to meet both the processing rate and uniformity requirements.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems described above, and its purpose is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can suppress a decrease in the processing rate of substrates by suppressing a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a holding section for holding a substrate, a rotating body that is equipped with the holding section and has an opposing surface that faces the substrate held in the holding section with a gap therebetween and is rotatably arranged, a supply section that supplies heated processing liquid near the center of a surface of the substrate held in the holding section opposite the surface facing the opposing surface, a heat dissipation suppression member that faces the substrate without contacting it between the opposing surface and the surface of the substrate facing the opposing surface, and a drive mechanism that moves the heat dissipation suppression member forward and backward relative to the substrate.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can suppress a decrease in the processing rate of a substrate by suppressing a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment; 2 is an axial cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. 3A to 3C are explanatory views showing the operation of the heat radiation suppressing member of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2 . 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the operation of a holding unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a processing liquid holding unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. 2 is a plan view showing an opposing surface and a heat radiation suppressing member of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[overview]
As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment processes the front surface by supplying a processing liquid heated in a supply unit 40 to one surface (hereinafter referred to as the front surface) of the substrate 100 while rotating the substrate 100 together with the rotor 10. At this time, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a drive mechanism 52 moves a heat dissipation suppressing member 51 close to the other surface (hereinafter referred to as the back surface) of the substrate 100 to narrow the space between the heat dissipation suppressing member 51 and the substrate 100, making it difficult for heat to escape from the back surface and suppressing a decrease in temperature of the processing liquid. The heat dissipation suppressing member 51 is movable between the back surface of the substrate 100 and the opposing surface 111 of the rotor 10 facing the back surface of the substrate 100 without contacting the substrate 100 and is capable of advancing and retreating relative to the substrate 100.

The substrate 100 processed in this embodiment is, for example, a silicon wafer on which a nitride film is formed, and phosphoric acid is used as the processing liquid to etch the nitride film.

[composition]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a rotating body 10, a rotating mechanism 20, a holding section 30, a supply section 40, a heat retention section 50, and a control section 60.

(rotating body)
The rotating body 10 has an opposing surface 111 that faces the substrate 100 held by the holding part 30 with a gap therebetween, and is provided to be rotatable together with the holding part 30. The rotating body 10 has a table 11 and a base 12. The table 11 has a cylindrical shape with one end closed by the opposing surface 111. The opposing surface 111 is a circular surface with a larger diameter than the substrate 100. A circular through-hole 11a is formed in the center of the opposing surface 111. A drain port 11b, which is a through-hole for discharging the processing liquid, is formed in a side surface 112 of the table 11.

The base 12 is a cylindrical member having the same diameter as the table 11 and connected to the opposite side of the opposing surface 111. The base 12 is a member having a structure for supporting the table 11. The base 12 is provided with a shielding portion 121 at the boundary with the table 11. The shielding portion 121 is a disk parallel to the opposing surface 111, and blocks the downward outflow of the processing liquid that has flowed in from the through hole 11a. The table 11 and the base 12 that constitute the rotating body 10 are formed of a material that is resistant to the processing liquid. For example, it is preferable to form the rotating body 10 from a fluorine-based resin such as PTFE or PCTFE. In addition, such a rotating body 10 is provided on a fixed base 13 fixed to an installation surface (not shown) or a stand installed on the installation surface, so that it can be rotated by a rotation mechanism 20 described later. The fixed base 13 is provided with a protective wall 13a. The protective wall 13a is a double cylindrical wall that is concentric with the base 12 and stands on the fixed base 13, and covers the lower edge of the base 12 in a non-contact manner. This forms a labyrinth structure, which is a curved path, between the protective wall 13a and the base 12, making it difficult for the treatment liquid that flows down along the outer wall of the base 12 to flow into the inside of the base 12.

(Rotation mechanism)
The rotation mechanism 20 is a mechanism for rotating the rotor 10. The rotation mechanism 20 has a fixed shaft 21 and a driving source 22. The fixed shaft 21 is a cylindrical member arranged coaxially with the rotor 10. The lower end of the fixed shaft 21 is fixed to the fixed base 13 together with the driving source 22 described later. The shielding portion 121 is provided with a through hole 121a through which the fixed shaft 21 is inserted. A nozzle head 211 is provided at the upper end of the fixed shaft 21, and faces the through hole 11a of the opposing surface 111. Although not shown, the nozzle head 211 is provided with a plurality of nozzles with their tips open on the top surface. The nozzles are provided inside the fixed shaft 21 and connected to pipes that supply cleaning water, processing liquid, etc., but details will be omitted.

A cylindrical annular wall 121b protruding toward the through hole 11a is erected on the periphery of the through hole 121a. The nozzle head 211 is not in contact with the shielding portion 121 and has an annular groove 131c that accommodates the annular wall 121b so as to cover it with a gap. This forms a labyrinth structure, which is a curved path, between the annular wall 121b and the annular groove 131c, and prevents the processing liquid that flows in through the through hole 11a of the opposing surface 111 from flowing out to the outside along the fixed shaft 21 through the through hole 121a.

The driving source 22 is a hollow motor having a hollow rotor 22a and a stator 22b that rotates it. The driving source 22 is fixed to the fixed base 13 together with the fixed shaft 21. On the opposite side of the annular wall 121b of the through hole 121a, a rotating cylinder 121d through which the fixed shaft 21 is inserted without contact is provided. The hollow rotor 22a of the driving source 22 is connected to the rotating cylinder 121d, and the fixed shaft 21 is inserted without contact. When the coil of the stator 22b of the driving source 22 is energized, the rotating cylinder 121d rotates together with the rotor 22a, and the table 11 rotates together with the base 12. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the upper side of the dashed line in FIG. 2 is the part that rotates together with the substrate 100, and the lower side is the part that does not rotate together with the substrate 100.

(Holding part)
The holding unit 30 holds the substrate 100 parallel to and spaced from the opposing surface 111. The holding unit 30 has a rotating member 31, a holding pin 32, and a drive mechanism 33. As shown in FIG. 4 , the rotating members 31 are cylindrical members arranged at equal intervals along the periphery of the substrate 100. The rotating members 31 are provided to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the fixed shaft 21. The top surface of the rotating member 31 is exposed from the opposing surface 111.

The holding pin 32 is erected at a position eccentric to the center of rotation of the top surface of the rotating member 31. The holding pin 32 is cylindrical and has a recess into which the edge of the substrate 100 fits. As the rotating member 31 rotates, the holding pin 32 moves between a holding position (see FIG. 4(A)) where it contacts the edge of the substrate 100 to hold the substrate 100, and a release position (see FIG. 4(B)) where it moves away from the edge of the substrate 100 to release the substrate 100.

The drive mechanism 33 moves the holding pin 32 between the holding position and the release position by rotating the rotating member 31. The drive mechanism 33 has a drive shaft 331, a small gear 332, and a large gear 333.

The drive shaft 331 is a cylindrical member provided on the opposite side of the top surface of the rotating member 31, coaxially with the axis of rotation of the rotating member 31. The shielding part 121 has a through hole 121c through which the drive shaft 331 is inserted. A cylindrical annular wall 121e protruding toward the rotating member 31 is provided on the periphery of the through hole 121c. The rotating member 31 is not in contact with the shielding part 121, and has an annular groove 31a that accommodates the annular wall 121e so as to cover it with a gap. As a result, a labyrinth structure, which is a curved path, is formed between the annular wall 121e and the annular groove 31a, and the processing liquid is prevented from flowing out to the outside along the drive shaft 331 through the through hole 121c.

The small gear 332 is a sector gear provided at the end of the drive shaft 331 opposite the rotating member 31. The large gear 333 is a gear with gear grooves intermittently formed to correspond to the small gear 332. The large gear 333 is rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of the rotating cylinder 121d by a bearing (not shown). The large gear 333 has six protrusions formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction at intervals corresponding to the small gear 332, and a gear groove that meshes with the small gear 332 is formed on the outer periphery of the tip of each protrusion.

The large gear 333 is biased in the rotational direction (counterclockwise direction) indicated by the arrow α in FIG. 4A by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown). As a result, the small gear 332 is biased in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow β1, so that the rotating member 31 is linked to the rotation of the small gear 332, and the holding pin 32 moves toward the center of the rotating body 10 and is maintained in a holding position in contact with the substrate 100. During substrate processing, the rotating member 31, drive shaft 331, holding pin 32, small gear 332, and large gear 333 rotate together with the rotating body 10 while maintaining this holding position.

The large gear 333 is prevented from rotating by a stopper mechanism (not shown). When the rotating body 10 is rotated in the direction of the arrow γ as shown in FIG. 4(B) with the large gear 333 prevented from rotating, the small gear 332 meshing with the prevented large gear 333 rotates in the counterclockwise direction as shown by the arrow β2. This causes the rotating member 31 to rotate, and the retaining pin 32 moves away from the edge of the substrate 100 and reaches the release position.

(Supply Department)
1 , the supply unit 40 supplies a treatment liquid to a surface of the substrate 100, that is, to a surface opposite to the facing surface 111 of the substrate 100 held by the holder 30. The supply unit 40 includes a treatment liquid supply mechanism 41, a treatment liquid holding unit 42, a lifting mechanism 43, and a heating unit 44.

The processing liquid supply mechanism 41 has processing liquid supply units 411, 412, and 413 that supply three types of processing liquid. The processing liquid supply unit 411 supplies pure water (H ₂ O) as the processing liquid. The processing liquid supply unit 412 supplies an aqueous solution containing phosphoric acid (H ₃ PO ₄ ) (hereinafter referred to as a phosphoric acid solution) as the processing liquid. The processing liquid supply unit 413 supplies an aqueous solution containing hydrogen fluoride (HF) (hereinafter referred to as a hydrofluoric acid solution). The processing liquid supply units 411, 412, and 413 each have a processing liquid tank 41a that stores the processing liquid.

Individual feed pipes 41b are connected in parallel from each processing liquid tank 41a to processing liquid supply pipes 41c. The tip of the processing liquid supply pipe 41c faces the substrate 100 held by the holder 30. This allows the processing liquid from each processing liquid tank 41a to be supplied to the surface of the substrate 100 via the individual feed pipes 41b and the processing liquid supply pipes 41c.

Each individual supply pipe 41b is provided with a flow rate adjustment valve 41d and a flow meter 41e. By adjusting each flow rate adjustment valve 41d, the amount of treatment liquid flowing from the corresponding treatment liquid tank 41a to the treatment liquid supply pipe 41c is adjusted. The amount of treatment liquid flowing through each individual supply pipe 41b is detected by the corresponding flow meter 41e. The production equipment and production method for the treatment liquid stored in each treatment liquid tank 41a are not limited to any particular one.

The treatment liquid holding section 42 is circular and has a larger diameter than the substrate 100, and has a wall that rises on the side opposite the rotor 10 at the periphery, forming a tray shape. The treatment liquid holding section 42 has a double structure to achieve both heat resistance and liquid resistance. In other words, the base is formed from a heat-resistant material, and the periphery is covered with a material that is resistant to the treatment liquid. For example, the treatment liquid holding section 42 is preferably configured by using quartz as the base and forming a cover of a fluorine-based resin such as PTFE or PCTFE around it. The outer bottom surface of the treatment liquid holding section 42 faces the substrate 100.

The treatment liquid holding section 42 has an outlet 42a through which the tip of the treatment liquid supply pipe 41c is inserted and exposed on the substrate 100 side. As shown in FIG. 5, the outlet 42a is offset from the axis of rotation of the rotating body 10. This is because the part of the substrate 100 facing the outlet 42a is changed successively as the substrate 100 rotates, thereby contributing to uniformizing the temperature of the treatment liquid.

The lifting mechanism 43 is a mechanism that moves the processing liquid holding unit 42 in a direction toward and away from the substrate 100. As the lifting mechanism 43, various mechanisms that move the processing liquid holding unit 42 in a direction parallel to the axis of the rotating body 10, such as a cylinder or a ball screw mechanism, can be applied, but details are omitted.

A gap D1 is provided between the treatment liquid holding unit 42 waiting above and the facing surface 111, allowing the substrate 100 supported by the hand of a transport robot (not shown) to be brought in. The lifting mechanism 43 lowers the treatment liquid holding unit 42 to a position where a gap D2 is formed between the treatment liquid holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100. This gap D2 is, for example, 4 mm or less, but non-contact is maintained between the treatment liquid holding unit 42 and the substrate 100 so that the treatment liquid can flow.

The heating unit 44 heats the processing liquid supplied by the supply unit 40. The heating unit 44 has a heater 441 provided on the surface of the processing liquid holding unit 42 opposite to the surface facing the substrate 100. The heater 441 is in the form of a circular sheet. The heater 441 is composed of, for example, three heater pieces whose heat generation amount can be individually controlled. That is, two annular heater pieces are arranged concentrically on the outside of the circular heater piece. With such a heater 441, the heat generation amount of the three heater pieces arranged concentrically can be individually controlled, thereby changing the temperature of the processing liquid for each concentric part. Note that the diameter of the heating unit 44 is preferably equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate 100, that is, the same diameter or larger, in order to suppress a temperature drop on the outer periphery of the substrate 100.

The heater 441 has a through hole 441a through which the treatment liquid supply pipe 41c is inserted. The through hole 441a is located so as to overlap and be continuous with the discharge port 42a of the treatment liquid holding section 42, and is offset from the axis of the rotor 10. The treatment liquid is heated to a preset temperature by a heating device (not shown) in the supply section 40, and is supplied to the substrate 100 and heated by the heating section 44. This allows the treatment liquid supplied to the substrate 100 to be spread over the entire surface of the substrate 100 while maintaining the preset temperature. In particular, by setting the heater 441 on the outer periphery at a high temperature, the effect of raising the temperature on the outer periphery of the substrate 100, which is prone to temperature drops, is obtained.

(Insulation section)
2 and 3, the heat retention unit 50 has a heat dissipation suppressing member 51 that faces the substrate 100 without contacting it, between the opposing surface 111 of the rotating body 10 and the substrate 100. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a plurality of heat dissipation suppressing members 51 are provided at positions having different distances from the rotation center of the rotating body 10, and each of them is independently movable forward and backward with respect to the substrate 100 (the rear surface of the substrate 100). From the inner periphery side close to the rotation center of the rotating body 10 toward the outer periphery side, there are a heat dissipation suppressing member 51A, a heat dissipation suppressing member 51B, and a heat dissipation suppressing member 51C.

The surfaces of the three heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C facing the substrate 100 are configured as heat dissipation suppression surfaces 511a, 511b, and 511c. The three heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C are ring-shaped and concentric with the center of rotation of the rotating body 10. In other words, the ring-shaped heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C with different diameters are arranged concentrically with the center of rotation of the rotating body 10, and the upper surfaces of each are the heat dissipation suppression surfaces 511a, 511b, and 511c. In this embodiment, the heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C are ring-shaped plates arranged concentrically. Here, the diameter of the outermost heat dissipation suppression member 51C, that is, the diameter of the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c, is greater than or equal to the diameter of the substrate 100. That is, the diameter of the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c is set so that its outermost periphery is located at the same position as the outermost periphery of the substrate 100 or further outward. In this embodiment, the diameter of the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c is larger than that of the substrate 100. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the outer edge of the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c is curved so as to recess inward toward the rotation center side of the rotating body 10 only in the portion where the rotating member 31 of the holding part 30 is located, so as to avoid the rotating member 31. In the following description, when the three heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C and the heat dissipation suppression surfaces 511a, 511b, and 511c are not distinguished from each other, they are described as the heat dissipation suppression member 51 and the heat dissipation suppression surface 511.

The opposing surface 111 is provided with a recess in which the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is accommodated. Each heat dissipation suppression member 51 is accommodated in the table 11 and is configured as a part of the table 11 or a part of the rotating body 10. Therefore, each heat dissipation suppression member 51 rotates together with the rotating body 10. In other words, the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is provided so as to be movable between a storage position in which it is accommodated in the rotating body 10 and an approach position in which it approaches the substrate 100. The heat dissipation suppression surface 511 is exposed from the opposing surface 111 and faces the substrate 100. Each heat dissipation suppression surface 511 is provided so as to be able to appear and disappear from the opposing surface 111 according to the movement of the heat dissipation suppression member 51. When the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is in the storage position, the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 is flush with the opposing surface 111. By making the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 flush with the opposing surface 111, a gap is formed that allows the hand of a transport robot to be inserted between the back surface of the substrate 100 and the opposing surface 111 of the rotating body 10 when the substrate 100 is loaded and unloaded. When the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is in the approach position, the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 protrudes from the opposing surface 111 and approaches the back surface of the substrate 100.

The heat retention unit 50 also has a drive mechanism 52 that moves the heat radiation suppression member 51 forward and backward relative to the substrate 100. The drive mechanism 52 moves the heat radiation suppression surface 511 by individually driving the heat radiation suppression members 51.

The drive mechanism 52 is provided independently for each heat dissipation suppression member 51. Each drive mechanism 52 has a drive source 521, a link arm 522, a biasing arm 523, a transmission unit 524, and a connection unit 525. The drive source 521 is a cylinder having a drive rod that advances and retreats in a direction parallel to the axis of the rotating body 10. The drive source 521 is supported by a support wall 13b that is raised from the fixed base 13. The link arm 522 is provided on a support column 13c that is raised from the fixed base 13 so as to be rotatable around an axis 522a, and one end is rotatably connected to the drive rod of the drive source 521. The biasing arm 523 is a member that can advance and retreat in a direction parallel to the drive rod, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the other end of the link arm 522. A pin 523a is erected on the upper end of the biasing arm 523.

The transmission unit 524 is a member that transmits power without contact. The transmission unit 524 has three pairs of ring magnets, which are ring-shaped magnets of the same diameter, corresponding to the heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C. In other words, the pair of ring magnets 524A and 524a, the pair of ring magnets 524B and 524b, and the pair of ring magnets 524C and 524c, which are arranged coaxially above and below without contact by repulsive force, are arranged coaxially from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side. The lower ring magnets 524a, 524b, and 524c are supported by the pin 523a of the biasing arm 523, and rise and fall according to the vertical movement of the biasing arm 523. The upper ring magnets 524A, 524B, and 524C rise and fall according to the rise and fall of the ring magnets 524a, 524b, and 524c.

The connecting portion 525 is disposed parallel to the axis of the rotating body 10, with one end supported by the ring magnet 524A, the ring magnet 524B, and the ring magnet 524C, respectively, and the other end connected to the heat dissipation suppression members 51A, 51B, and 51C. Therefore, the downward driving force of the driving source 521 rotates the link arm 522 to raise the biasing arm 523, and raises the heat dissipation suppression member 51 via the transmission portion 524 and the connecting portion 525.

The ring magnets 524A, 524B, 524C and the connecting portion 525 of the transmission portion 524 rotate together with the rotating body 10. On the other hand, the ring magnets 524a, 524b, 524c do not rotate. In other words, the driving source 521, the link arm 522, and the biasing arm 523 are fixed to the fixed base 13 as described above and do not rotate, and the ring magnets 524a, 524b, 524c supported by the biasing arm 523 do not rotate either. As a result, the non-contact transmission portion 514 allows the heat dissipation suppression member 51 to rotate together with the rotating body 10 while allowing the heat dissipation suppression member 51 to rise and fall. Therefore, the heat dissipation suppression member 51 can advance and retreat relative to the substrate 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the driving mechanism 52 is provided to support a pair of heat dissipation suppression members 51, that is, two locations.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shielding portion 121 has through holes 121f through which the connecting portions 525 are inserted. A cylindrical annular wall 121g protruding toward the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is erected on the periphery of the through hole 121f. The connecting portion 525 is not in contact with the shielding portion 121, and an annular groove 525a is provided in the enlarged portion to accommodate the annular wall 121g so as to cover it with a gap. As a result, a labyrinth structure, which is a curved path, is formed between the annular wall 121g and the annular groove 525a, and the processing liquid is prevented from flowing out to the outside along the connecting portions 525 through the through holes 121f.

(Control Unit)
The control unit 60 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 60 has a processor that executes a program to realize various functions of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a memory that stores various information such as the program and operating conditions, and a drive circuit that drives each element. In other words, the control unit 60 controls the rotation mechanism 20, the processing liquid supply mechanism 41, the lifting mechanism 43, the heating unit 44, the drive mechanism 52, etc.

The control unit 60 of this embodiment detects the difference in processing rate between the inner, middle, and outer periphery sides of the surface of the substrate 100 through experiments and actual processing, and raises the heat dissipation suppression member 51 according to this difference in processing rate. By bringing the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 closer to the substrate 100, the processing rate at which the temperature drop of the processing liquid is suppressed increases, so the heat dissipation suppression member 51 in the position where the detected processing rate is low is raised.

The control unit 60 can also control the raising and lowering of the heat dissipation suppression member 51 based on information about the film thickness distribution of the substrate 100. For example, the control unit 60 selects one of the heat dissipation suppression members 51 based on the information about the film thickness distribution, and drives it in a direction toward the substrate 100. The information about the film thickness distribution is information that indicates which locations on the surface of the substrate 100 are thick and which locations are thin in the thickness of the film to be removed. This information can be, for example, information that numerically indicates the degree of thickness in the inner peripheral region, middle region, and outer peripheral region of the substrate 100.

In addition, since the film thickness distribution is determined by the equipment in the previous process, the film thickness distribution linked to the equipment in the previous process may be stored in advance in memory so that the film thickness distribution can be determined based on information identifying the equipment. Such information identifying the equipment is also included in the film thickness distribution information. The film thickness distribution information is input in advance via an input device and a communication device connected to the control unit 60 and stored in memory.

[Action]
The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7 in addition to Figs. 1 to 6. Note that a substrate processing method for processing a substrate according to the following procedure is also one aspect of this embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing liquid holding section 42 of the supply section 40 is in an upper standby position, and as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3(A), the heat radiation suppression surface 511 of the heat retention section 50 is flush with the opposing surface 111 of the rotating body 10. At this time, a gap D1 is provided between the processing liquid holding section 42 and the opposing surface 111, allowing the substrate 100 supported by the hand of a transport robot (not shown) to be carried in. Also, a gap d1 is provided between the back surface of the substrate 100 and the opposing surface 111, allowing the hand of the transport robot supporting the substrate 100 to be inserted. In other words, when the substrate 100 is carried in and out, the hand of the transport robot is not obstructed when it is inserted between the back surface of the substrate 100 and the rotating body 10.

In addition, by applying electricity to the heater 441 in advance, the surface of the treatment liquid holding unit 42 opposite to the surface facing the substrate 100 is heated, and the treatment liquid holding unit 42 is maintained at a predetermined temperature (for example, a temperature within a temperature range of 180°C to 225°C). Note that, for example, since the temperature of the outer peripheral region drops the most due to heat dissipation, the outer peripheral region may be heated to a higher temperature than other regions.

In this state, as shown in Figures 1 and 4 (A), the substrate 100 mounted on the hand of the transport robot is brought between the processing liquid holding part 42 and the rotating body 10, and its periphery is supported by a plurality of holding pins 32, so that it is held on the opposing surface 111 of the rotating body 10 (step S01). At this time, the substrate 100 is positioned so that its center coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotating body 10.

Next, the rotating body 10 rotates at a relatively slow predetermined speed (e.g., about 50 rpm). This causes the substrate 100 to rotate together with the holding part 30 at the predetermined speed (step S02).

Then, from the discharge port 42a of the processing solution holding unit 42, the hydrofluoric acid solution is supplied to the gap between the processing solution holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 (step S03). When the hydrofluoric acid solution is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate 100, the hydrofluoric acid solution moves sequentially toward the outer periphery of the substrate 100, so that the surface of the substrate 100 is etched and the oxide film and organic matter are removed.

The processing liquid that flows out toward the outer periphery of the substrate 100 is discharged to the outside through the gaps in the holding pins 32, as shown by the white arrows in FIG. 2. The waste liquid that flows into the inside of the rotating body 10 is discharged from the discharge port 11b. The surroundings of the through holes 121a, 121c, and 121f of the shielding portion 121 have a labyrinth structure, which prevents the processing liquid from flowing out into the base 12. This flow is also the same for the processing liquid described below.

Next, the processing solution holding unit 42 stops the supply of the hydrofluoric acid solution (step S04) and supplies pure water from the outlet 42a into the gap between the processing solution holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 (step S05). When the pure water is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate 100, the pure water moves sequentially toward the outer periphery of the substrate 100, thereby washing away the hydrofluoric acid on the surface of the substrate 100. Then, the processing solution holding unit 42 stops the supply of pure water (step S06).

The processing liquid holding unit 42 is lowered to a position where a predetermined distance D2 (e.g., 4 mm or less) is formed between the processing liquid holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 (step S07). Then, the preset heat dissipation suppression member 51 of the heat retention unit 50 is raised, narrowing the distance d1 between the surface facing the facing surface 111 of the substrate 100 and the surface facing the facing surface 111 to a closer distance d2 (step S08).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the driving source 521 that drives the heat dissipation suppression member 51C in the outer periphery operates, the link arm 522 rotates and the biasing arm 523 is biased upward. Then, the ring magnet 524c in the outer periphery rises, and the corresponding ring magnet 524C rises due to a repulsive force. This causes the connecting portion 525 to rise and bias the heat dissipation suppression member 51C upward, so that the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c approaches the substrate 100.

This operation is also the same when the heat dissipation suppression surfaces 511b and 511a are brought closer to the substrate 100, as shown in Figures 3(C) and (D). It is possible to freely control which of the three heat dissipation suppression surfaces 511a, 511b, and 511c is brought closer to the substrate 100 or not. For example, in the case of a substrate 100 with a thick film thickness in the middle region, only the heat dissipation suppression surface 511b may be brought closer to the substrate 100. In this case, the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c may also be brought closer to the substrate 100, taking into account the temperature drop in the peripheral region.

The treatment liquid holding unit 42 supplies phosphoric acid to the gap between the treatment liquid holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 (step S09). In this manner, the phosphoric acid solution supplied between the treatment liquid holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 is heated to a high temperature by the treatment liquid holding unit 42, which is heated by the heater 441.

In this state, when the phosphoric acid solution is continuously supplied from the outlet 42a of the processing solution holding unit 42, the phosphoric acid solution moves sequentially toward the outer periphery of the substrate 100, and the pure water on the surface of the substrate 100 is replaced by phosphoric acid, while the nitride film is removed by etching.

The phosphoric acid solution supplied near the center of the substrate 100 tends to lose heat as it moves toward the periphery of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, however, the distance d1 between the substrate 100 and the opposing surface 111 is narrowed to distance d2 by the approach of the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c to the substrate 100, narrowing the heat dissipation space on the back surface of the substrate 100 and making it easier for heat to accumulate. In addition, this is coupled with the effect of blocking heat dissipation to the outside due to the insulation of the heat dissipation suppression member 51C, suppressing heat dissipation from the back surface of the substrate 100. This suppresses a decrease in the treatment rate due to a decrease in the temperature of the phosphoric acid solution. After a predetermined treatment time has elapsed, the treatment solution holding unit 42 stops supplying the phosphoric acid solution (step S10).

Next, the processing solution holding unit 42 supplies pure water from the discharge port 42a into the gap between the processing solution holding unit 42 and the surface of the substrate 100 (step S11). When the pure water is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate 100, the pure water moves sequentially toward the outer periphery of the substrate 100, thereby washing away the phosphoric acid on the surface of the substrate 100. Then, when a predetermined cleaning time has elapsed, the processing solution holding unit 42 stops supplying the pure water (step S12).

The substrate 100 stops rotating, the heat dissipation suppression member 51C descends, the heat dissipation suppression surface 511c becomes flush with the opposing surface 111 (step S13), and the processing solution holding unit 42 ascends (step S14). The heat dissipation suppression member 51C may be lowered immediately after the supply of the phosphoric acid solution is stopped. Then, the hand of the transport robot is inserted under the substrate 100, the substrate 100 is released from the holding unit 30, and the substrate 100 is removed by the hand of the transport robot (step S15).

[effect]
(1) The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment as described above includes a holding section 30 that holds a substrate 100, a rotating body 10 that is equipped with the holding section 30 and has an opposing surface 111 that faces the substrate 100 held by the holding section 30 with a gap therebetween and is rotatably arranged, a supply section 40 that supplies heated processing liquid to the surface of the substrate 100 held by the holding section 30 opposite the surface that faces the opposing surface 111, and a heat retention section 50 that has a heat dissipation suppression member 51 that faces the substrate 100 without contacting it between the opposing surface 111 and the surface of the substrate 100 that faces the opposing surface 111, and a drive mechanism 52 that moves the heat dissipation suppression member 51 forward and backward relative to the substrate 100.

In the substrate processing method of this embodiment, the rotating body 10 rotates the substrate 100 held by the holding part 30 so as to face the facing surface 111, the supply part 40 supplies heated processing liquid to the surface of the substrate 100 held by the holding part 30 opposite the surface facing the facing surface 111, and the heat dissipation suppression member 51 advances and retreats without contacting the substrate 100 between the facing surface 111 and the surface of the substrate 100 facing the facing surface 111.

Therefore, by bringing the heat radiation suppression member 51 closer to the substrate 100, heat radiation from the back surface of the substrate 100 can be suppressed, and thus the temperature drop of the processing liquid can be suppressed, and the decrease in the processing rate of the substrate 100 can be suppressed. For example, as in this embodiment, by making the diameter of the heat radiation suppression member 51 equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate 100, the outer periphery of the heat radiation suppression member 51 is located at the same position as or outside the outer periphery of the substrate 100, which is prone to a drop in heat radiation suppression temperature, so that heat is more likely to be trapped and the heat retention effect can be improved. In addition, when adjusting the heating temperature of the processing liquid, that is, when adjusting the temperature of the processing liquid by the heating unit 44 of the processing liquid holding unit 42, it takes time for the temperature change to be reflected, but in this embodiment, the movement of the heat radiation suppression member 51 suppresses heat radiation from the back surface of the substrate 100, and therefore the response is good. In other words, the temperature drop of the processing liquid can be prevented, and the time until the desired temperature is reached can be shortened. In addition, when focusing on the heating unit 44, the output of the heating unit 44 does not need to be increased more than necessary, so power consumption can be suppressed.

(2) Multiple heat dissipation suppression members 51 are provided at positions at different distances from the center of rotation of the rotating body 10, and each is independently movable forward and backward relative to the substrate 100.

The temperature of the processing liquid varies depending on the distance from the center of rotation of the substrate 100, and the processing rate varies accordingly. In this embodiment, the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is brought closer to the substrate 100 in areas where the processing liquid temperature is low or where the processing rate is low, thereby suppressing temperature drops and improving the processing rate, making it possible to make the processing uniform within the surface. Furthermore, by changing the heat dissipation suppression member 51 that is brought closer depending on the individual differences of the substrate 100, it is possible to adjust the processing within the surface, which is difficult to do with batch processing. Furthermore, it is also possible to deliberately change the processing rate at different positions within the surface.

(3) The heat dissipation suppression member 51 is ring-shaped and concentric with the center of rotation of the rotating body 10. Therefore, it is possible to correct the temperature distribution and processing rate that differ concentrically, and to achieve uniform processing within the surface.

(4) The heat dissipation suppression member 51 is stored in the rotating body 10, and the heat dissipation suppression member 51 has a heat dissipation suppression surface 511 that is exposed from the opposing surface 111 and faces the substrate 100, and the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 is provided so as to be able to appear and disappear from the opposing surface 111. For example, when the substrate 100 is loaded into and unloaded from the holding unit 30, the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is in a storage position stored in the rotating body 10, so that a gap is formed between the surface of the substrate 100 that faces the opposing surface 111 and the opposing surface 111, allowing the substrate 100 to be loaded and unloaded, and when the substrate 100 is processed by supplying a processing liquid by the supply unit 40, the heat dissipation suppression member 51 is in a close position closer to the substrate 100 held by the holding unit 30 than when loaded and unloaded. Therefore, a space for loading and unloading the substrate 100 is secured between the substrate 100 and the facing surface 111, while the heat dissipation suppression surface 511 is brought close to the substrate 100 during processing, thereby preventing a decrease in the processing rate.

(5) The drive mechanism 52 includes a transmission unit 524 that transmits the drive force from the drive source 521 to the heat dissipation suppression member 51 in a non-contact manner. Therefore, the part of the drive mechanism 52 that rotates with the rotor 10 does not come into contact with the fixed part, preventing the generation of dust due to sliding.

(6) The rotating body 10 has a shielding portion 121 that blocks the outflow of the processing liquid to the outside, and the shielding portion 121 has a through hole 121f through which the connecting portion 525 that connects the driving mechanism 52 and the heat dissipation suppression member 51 passes, and a labyrinth-structured gap is formed between the connecting portion 525 and the through hole 121f. Therefore, the processing liquid from the shielding portion 121 is prevented from flowing out to the outside along the connecting portion 525 through the through hole 121f. Therefore, as in this embodiment, components arranged below the device, such as the rotating mechanism 20, the driving mechanism 33, the lifting mechanism 43, and the driving mechanism 52, are prevented from being affected by the processing liquid.

(7) The driving mechanism 52 is provided so that the heat dissipation suppression members 51 can be driven individually, and has a control unit 60 that controls the driving mechanism 52 based on information about the film thickness distribution of the substrate 100. Therefore, the processing rate can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the film thickness distribution of the substrate 100.

For example, the control unit 60 selects one of the heat radiation suppressing members 51 based on the information on the film thickness distribution of the substrate 100, and drives it in a direction approaching the substrate 100. More specifically, based on the information on the film thickness distribution of the substrate 100, the heat radiation suppressing member 51 corresponding to the portion of the substrate 100 where the processing rate is to be increased moves in a direction approaching the substrate 100. This makes it possible to increase the processing rate of a desired region of the substrate 100. By bringing the heat radiation suppressing member 51 corresponding to the thick film thickness region closer than the heat radiation suppressing members 51 of other regions, the processing rate of the thick region can be increased and the film thickness of the entire substrate 100 can be made uniform. In addition, when it is desired to adjust the film thickness distribution to a desired one, such as to make a specific region thicker or thinner rather than to make the film thickness of the entire substrate 100 uniform, the heat radiation suppressing member 51 corresponding to the portion to be thinned can be brought closer to the substrate 100 to increase the processing rate. In other words, it is possible to respond to various film thickness aspects desired by the user.
(Modification)
(1) When the heat-dissipation suppressing member 51 is brought close to the substrate 100, a plurality of distances from the substrate 100 may be set. The number of heat-dissipation suppressing members 51 may be one, two, or four or more. By using one or two members, the mechanism and control can be simplified, and by using four or more members, the processing rate within the surface can be adjusted more finely.

(2) The driving mechanism 52 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the transmission unit 524 may be configured with a member that transmits power by contact, such as a roller or a bearing. The driving mechanism 52 may be configured with a cylinder that directly raises the transmission unit 524 or the heat dissipation suppression member 51 with a driving rod.

(3) As long as the processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is a process in which the temperature of the processing liquid and the substrate 100 affects the processing rate, the processing content and processing liquid are not limited to those exemplified above. The substrate 100 and film to be processed are also not limited to those exemplified above.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiment of the present invention and the modified examples of each part have been described above, these embodiments and the modified examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims.

1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Rotating body 11 Table 11a Through hole 11b Discharge port 12 Base 13 Fixed base 13a Protective wall 13b Support wall 13c Support 20 Rotation mechanism 21 Fixed shaft 22 Drive source 30 Holding portion 31 Rotating member 31a Annular groove 32 Holding pin 33 Drive mechanism 40 Supply portion 41 Processing liquid supply mechanism 41a Processing liquid tank 41b Individual supply pipe 41c Processing liquid supply pipe 41d Flow rate adjustment valve 41e Flow meter 42 Processing liquid holding portion 42a Discharge port 43 Lifting mechanism 44 Heating portion 50 Heat retention portion 51, 51A, 51B, 51C Heat radiation suppression member 52 Drive mechanism 60 Control portion 100 Substrate 111 Opposing surface 112 Side surface 121 Shielding portion 121a Through hole 121b Annular wall 121c Through hole 121d Rotating cylinder 121e Annular wall 121f Through hole 121g Annular wall 131c Annular groove 211 Nozzle head 331 Drive shaft 332 Small gear 333 Large gear 411, 412, 413 Treatment liquid supply unit 441 Heater 441a Through holes 511, 511a, 511b, 511c Thermal suppression surface 514 Transmission unit 521 Drive source 522 Link arm 522a Shaft 523 Pressing arm 523a Pin 524 Transmission units 524A, 524B, 524C, 524a, 524b, 524c Ring magnet 525 Connection unit 525a Annular groove

Claims (11)

A holder for holding the substrate;
a rotating body including the holding part, having a facing surface facing the substrate held by the holding part with a gap therebetween, and rotatably provided;
a supply unit that supplies a heated processing liquid to a vicinity of a center of a surface of the substrate held by the holder, the surface being opposite to a surface facing the facing surface;
a heat radiation suppressing member that faces the substrate without contacting the substrate and is located between the facing surface and a surface of the substrate that faces the facing surface;
a drive mechanism for moving the heat radiation suppressing member toward and away from the substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat dissipation suppression members are provided at positions at different distances from the center of rotation of the rotating body, and each of them can independently advance and retreat with respect to the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heat dissipation suppression member is ring-shaped and concentric with the center of rotation of the rotating body. The heat radiation suppressing member is housed in the rotor,
the heat-dissipation suppressing member has a heat-dissipation suppressing surface that is exposed from the opposing surface and faces the substrate,
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiation suppression surface is provided so as to be able to appear and disappear from the opposing surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the driving mechanism includes a transmission part that transmits the driving force from the driving source to the heat dissipation suppression member in a non-contact manner. the rotating body has a shielding portion that blocks the outflow of the treatment liquid to the outside,
the shielding portion has a through hole through which a connecting portion that connects the driving mechanism and the heat radiation suppressing member passes,
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gap having a labyrinth structure is formed between the connecting portion and the through hole. the drive mechanism is provided to be capable of individually driving the plurality of heat radiation suppression members,
a control unit that controls the driving mechanism based on information about the film thickness distribution of the substrate;
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit selects one of the heat dissipation suppression members based on information on the film thickness distribution of the substrate and drives it in a direction approaching the substrate. The substrate held by the holder so as to face the facing surface is rotated by the rotating body,
a supply unit supplies a heated processing liquid to a vicinity of a center of a surface of the substrate held by the holding unit opposite to a surface facing the facing surface;
a heat radiation suppressing member that advances and retreats between the opposing surface and a surface of the substrate opposing the opposing surface without coming into contact with the substrate; When the substrate is loaded into and unloaded from the holding portion, the heat dissipation suppressing member is placed in a storage position in the rotating body, thereby forming a gap between a surface of the substrate facing the opposing surface and the opposing surface, allowing the substrate to be loaded and unloaded;
The substrate processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that, when the substrate is processed by supplying the processing liquid by the supply section, the heat dissipation suppression member is in an approach position closer to the substrate held by the holding section than when the substrate is loaded and unloaded. the plurality of heat radiation suppressing members are provided at positions having different distances from the rotation center of the rotating body, and each of the heat radiation suppressing members is independently movable forward and backward with respect to the substrate;
11. A substrate processing method as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that, when processing a substrate by supplying the processing liquid by the supply unit, the heat dissipation suppression member corresponding to a portion of the substrate where the processing rate is increased moves in a direction approaching the substrate based on information on a film thickness distribution of the substrate.

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