JP4194302B2 - Development device and development processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a developing device for supplying a developing solution to a substrate that has been subjected to an exposure process by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate and performing the development process.And development processing methodAbout.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  A mask for forming a circuit pattern on the surface of a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate of a liquid crystal display, for example, a photoresist solution (hereinafter referred to as a resist) is applied to the wafer surface, irradiated with light or the like, and then the resist For example, in the case of a negative type, a portion exposed to light is cured, and therefore, a non-cured portion, that is, a portion where the resist is easily dissolved is dissolved by a developer. For example, in the case of a positive resist, the exposed portion is dissolved with a developer.
[0003]
  For example, a state in which a negative resist is developed will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, first, a developing solution is applied to the resist 10 on the surface of, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) W after the exposure process. Thereafter, when the state is maintained for a predetermined time, the portion 11 that is soluble in the developer is dissolved. Subsequently, a cleaning solution is supplied to the surface of the wafer W, the developer on the wafer W is washed away, and dried to obtain a resist pattern 12.
[0004]
  In the developing process using the conventional developing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 17A, the exposed wafer is held in a substantially horizontal posture, and the wafer W is rotated on the spin chuck 13 that can rotate around the vertical axis. The development process is performed by placing. First, the developing solution D is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W, and then a static development is performed for a predetermined time, for example, about 60 seconds, so that the development reaction proceeds. When a predetermined time elapses, as shown in FIG. 17B, a cleaning liquid R such as pure water is supplied from a cleaning liquid nozzle 14 set so as to face, for example, the central portion of the wafer surface, and the wafer. By rotating W at a peripheral speed of about 1000 rpm, for example, the developer D containing the resist dissolving component is washed away by the action of the centrifugal force, and finally the wafer W is rotated at a high speed as shown in FIG. dry.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  However, in recent years, the size of the wafer W has increased, and in the conventional method of washing away the developer D using the centrifugal force while rotating the wafer W, the centrifugal force that acts on the peripheral portion of the wafer W and the central portion The difference with the acting centrifugal force becomes large, and cleaning may be insufficient in the central portion where the centrifugal force is weak. That is, for example, the dissolved component of the resist in the valleys of the resist pattern has a high concentration, and further includes the one in which the dissolved resist component is precipitated, undissolved resist particles, and so on. It may be. When the centrifugal force is small, such a dissolved product has a stronger frictional force against the surface of the wafer W or the resist pattern wall than the centrifugal force. It may remain. And there exists a possibility that this melted product may dry and leave a development defect while adhering to the pattern surface (resist surface, base surface).
[0006]
  On the other hand, a method for increasing the centrifugal force at the center by increasing the number of rotations of the wafer W has been studied. In this case, however, the centrifugal force at the peripheral portion is too strong and the resist pattern may be peeled off or fallen down. There is a concern that it will.
[0007]
  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of reducing development defects and cleaning a developing solution in a short time.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In the developing device of the present invention, a resist is applied to the surface of the substrate, and the substrate subjected to the exposure processing is developed.
  A substrate holder for holding the substrate horizontally;
  A developer supply nozzle for supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
  A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the developer is applied, having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate; ,
  The cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side of the substrate at a height position where the lower end portion of the discharge port is below the liquid level of the developer and the distance from the surface of the substrate is 0.4 mm or less. And a moving mechanism that moves the head over.
[0009]
  According to the developing device of the present invention, the lateral pushing action that occurs when the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle collides with the surface of the substrate, and the pushing action by the side wall surface of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle. In combination, the developer containing the resist component on the substrate surface can be discharged. For this reason, since it can suppress that a developing solution and a resist component remain on the surface of a board | substrate, a pattern with few image development defects can be obtained.
[0010]
  A developing device according to another invention is a developing device that develops a substrate subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate.
  A substrate holder for holding the substrate horizontally;
  A developer supply nozzle for supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
  A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the developer is applied, having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate; ,
  A gas blowing port provided on the side surface of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle on the traveling direction side and inclined forward;
  A moving mechanism for moving the cleaning liquid supply nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the substrate at a height position where the lower end portion of the discharge port is below the level of the developer. To do.
[0011]
  In addition, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle may have, for example, a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the advancing direction, and each of the discharge ports may be provided with a flow rate adjusting unit, for example. Further, for example, the cleaning liquid may be supplied after the substrate coated with the developer is rotated for a predetermined time. Furthermore, after the cleaning liquid is moved from one end side to the other end side of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid from the discharge port of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle, the substrate is removed while supplying the cleaning liquid to the central portion of the substrate, for example. You may make it perform the washing | cleaning to rotate. Furthermore,The gas blowing port is arranged in a predetermined direction with respect to the developer film formed on the substrate and disposed in the length direction of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle. Gas may be supplied at an angle.
[0012]
The development processing method of the present invention is a development processing method for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate.
Supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held horizontally to form a developer film;
A step of moving the cleaning liquid supply nozzle having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate a plurality of times from one end side to the other end side of the substrate;
A step of supplying a cleaning liquid toward the substrate during the movement of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and cleaning the substrate,
The cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved at a height position where a lower end portion of the discharge port is immersed in a developer or cleaning liquid on the substrate surface.
[0013]
In the step of supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle toward the substrate, a gas may be ejected from the gas blowing port provided on the traveling direction side of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle toward the substrate. The gas blowing port is disposed along the length direction of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and is inclined to the front side in the traveling direction, and is dissolved by blowing gas toward the substrate and melting out from the resist. The product may be swept out.
[0014]
A development processing method according to another invention is a development processing method for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate.
Supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held horizontally to form a developer film;
The cleaning liquid supply nozzle is placed at the height position where the lower end of the discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the effective area of the substrate is immersed in the developer or cleaning liquid on the substrate surface. A step of moving a plurality of times from one end side to the other end side,
A step of supplying a cleaning liquid toward the substrate during the movement of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and cleaning the substrate,
The plurality of movements includes a step of rotating the substrate around the vertical axis when the cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side of the substrate in the second and subsequent times. . Here, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle may have a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the traveling direction. Further, in the step of rotating the substrate around the vertical axis, the number of rotations of the substrate may be changed.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  A first embodiment of a developing device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the developing device, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a spin chuck that vacuum-sucks the central portion of the back surface of a wafer W having a size of, for example, 8 inches, and holds it substantially horizontally. ing. In a state where the wafer W is attracted and held by the spin chuck 2, an outer cup 30 and an inner cup 31 are provided so as to surround the side periphery of the wafer W. Further, the inner cup 31 is formed such that the upper side of the cylinder is inclined upward and the upper side opening is narrower than the lower side opening, and when the outer cup 30 is raised by the elevating part 32, the outer cup 30 is formed. It is comprised so that it may move up and down interlockingly in a part of movement range. Further, a disk 33 surrounding the rotation axis of the spin chuck 2 is provided below the spin chuck 2. Further, a recess is formed around the entire circumference of the disk 33, and a liquid discharge port 34 is formed on the bottom surface. And a liquid receiving portion 35 in which is formed. Further, a ring body 36 having a mountain-shaped cross section whose upper end approaches the back surface of the wafer W is provided at the peripheral edge of the disk 33.
[0016]
  Next, the developing solution supply nozzle 4 serving as a developing supply means for supplying (applying) the developing solution to the wafer W sucked and held by the spin chuck 2 will be described. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the developer supply nozzle 4 forms a developer discharge region having a length equal to or longer than the width of the effective region (device formation region) of the wafer W, for example. For example, a discharge port 40 having, for example, a slit shape arranged in the length direction of the nozzle, and a developer storage part 42 communicating with the discharge port 40 via a developer channel 41 are provided. The developer storage section 42 is connected to the developer supply section 44 via a supply path 43, for example, a pipe, and an open / close valve V1 is provided in the middle thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 45 denotes a buffer rod made of, for example, a quartz rod or a porous body disposed inside the discharge port 40. The buffer rod 45 allows the developer discharge pressure from the flow path 41 to be longer than that of the developer supply nozzle 4. It is uniform in the vertical direction, and the leakage of the developer from the discharge port 40 is prevented. As shown in FIG. 2, such a developer supply nozzle 4 can be moved up and down by a first moving mechanism 46, and further moved laterally along a guide rail G provided outside the outer cup 30. It is provided as possible. The developer supply nozzle 4 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, a slit-shaped discharge port 40 may be formed and the buffer rod 45 may not be provided.
[0017]
  Next, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 serving as a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying the cleaning liquid to the wafer W will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is formed so that, for example, a cleaning liquid discharge area can be formed over a length equal to or greater than the width of the effective area (device formation area) of the wafer W. For example, there are provided, for example, slit-shaped discharge ports 50 arranged in the length direction, and a cleaning liquid reservoir 52 communicating with the discharge ports 50 via a cleaning liquid channel 51. The cleaning liquid storage unit 52 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply unit 54 via a supply path 53 such as a pipe, and an open / close valve V2 is provided in the middle thereof. Reference numeral 55 denotes a buffer bar having the above-described function.
[0018]
  The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 can be moved up and down by the second moving mechanism 56, and is further opposed from the standby position, for example, a position on one end side of the guide rail G through the upper side of the wafer W with the wafer W interposed therebetween. It can be moved horizontally to the position where Here, the positions at which the first moving mechanism 46 and the second moving mechanism 56 are shown in FIG. 2 are the standby positions of the developer supply nozzle 4 and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 in the non-working state, as described above. Here, for example, standby portions 57 and 58 of a first moving mechanism 46 and a second moving mechanism 56 configured by a vertically movable plate-like body are provided. The outer cup 30, the inner cup 31, the elevating part 32, the first moving mechanism 46, and the second moving mechanism 56 are formed as a unit surrounded by a box-shaped casing 59. The wafer W is carried in and out by a transfer arm (not shown) through a transfer port (not shown).
[0019]
  The drive unit 20, the elevating unit 32, the first moving mechanism 46 and the second moving mechanism 56, and the open / close valves V <b> 1 and V <b> 2 that have been described so far are connected to the control unit 6. Each part is configured to open and close the on-off valves V1 and V2, move the developing solution supply nozzle 4 by the first moving mechanism 46, and move the cleaning solution supply nozzle 5 by the second moving mechanism 56 in accordance with the elevation of 2. It is possible to control in conjunction with. At this time, the timing of the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valves V1, V2, the timing of starting and stopping the movement of the first moving mechanism 46 and the second moving mechanism 56, and the moving speed are set in accordance with a processing recipe set in advance by the control unit 6. Based on the control.
[0020]
  Next, the process of developing using the above-described developing device will be described with reference to FIG. First, in a state where both the outer cup 30 and the inner cup 31 are set at the lowered position, the spin chuck 2 is raised above the outer cup 30, and the wafer W on which exposure processing has already been performed by applying a resist in the previous process. Is transferred to the spin chuck 2 from a transfer arm (not shown). Then, for example, the spin chuck 2 is lowered so that the wafer W comes to a predetermined position indicated by a solid line in FIG.
[0021]
  Subsequently, the developer supply nozzle 4 is guided to the discharge start position between the outer cup 30 and the peripheral edge of the wafer W by the first moving mechanism 46, and then the discharge port 40 is a position that is, for example, about 1 mm higher than the wafer W surface level. Set to Here, while opening the on-off valve V1 and starting the discharge of the developer D from the discharge port 40, the developer supply nozzle 4 is moved from one end side to the other end side of the wafer W as shown in FIG. The developer D is applied to the surface of the wafer W at a scanning speed of about 65 mm / second, for example, to form a developer film with a film thickness of about 1 mm, for example. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the development reaction is carried out by performing static development while maintaining this state for a predetermined time, for example, about 60 seconds. On the other hand, after passing through the other end side of the wafer W, the developer supply nozzle 4 closes the opening / closing valve V <b> 1 to stop the discharge of the developer D and is returned to the standby unit 57.
[0022]
  Subsequently, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is guided to the discharge start position by the second moving mechanism 56, and then the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is lowered, and the tip of the discharge port 50, which is the lower end portion of the nozzle, and the surface of the wafer W are disposed. The separation distance L is set to 0.4 mm or less, for example, 0.3 mm. Note that the surface of the wafer W here means the surface of the resist film, but the thickness of the resist film in which the development defect, which is a problem of the present invention, is usually about 0.5 μm. It is sufficiently smaller than the distance L. Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the opening / closing valve V2 is opened, and the cleaning liquid R such as pure water is supplied from the discharge port 50 at a flow rate of, for example, 2.0 liters / minute (0.05 m / second in flow rate), for example, 1.7 kgf. / Cm²While discharging at a discharge pressure of (0.17 MPa), the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is moved from one end side to the other end side of the wafer W at a scanning speed of, for example, about 120 mm / sec. If this operation is called scan cleaning, then the scan cleaning is performed twice in succession, and the scan cleaning is performed three times in total. In this example, since it takes about 1.7 seconds to scan from one end of the 8-inch wafer W to the other end, the scan cleaning time is about 5.1 seconds. The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 closes the on-off valve V2 to stop the discharge of the cleaning liquid R and waits.58Returned to
[0023]
  Here, how the surface of the wafer W is cleaned will be described in detail. As schematically shown in FIG. 6, when the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is scanned, the developer D on the wafer W is pushed forward by the side wall surface of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 to flow the liquid. The surface of the resist dissolution product (development paddle) in the valley of the pattern on the front side is swept out by this liquid flow. Then, the cleaning solution R discharged from the discharge port 50 of the cleaning solution supply nozzle 5 that passes immediately afterward sweeps the remaining dissolved product, for example, the dissolved product adhering to the bottom and corners of the pattern, by the discharge pressure. The dissolved product swept out from the valley of the pattern in this way is diluted by the cleaning liquid R supplied to the wafer W, and is removed from the wafer W together with the cleaning liquid R in a later process. The first scan cleaning may be performed by removing most of the dissolved product, and the second and subsequent scan cleaning may be performed while rotating the wafer W at, for example, 10 to 1000 rpm. Of course, it may be performed while changing the rotation speed.
[0024]
  Returning to FIG. 5, after the developer D on the surface of the wafer W is replaced with the cleaning liquid R as described above, the outer cup 30 and the inner cup 31 are set to the raised position by the elevating unit 32.(D)In order to dry the wafer W to some extent, for example, spin drying is performed in which the wafer W is rotated at a rotational speed of, for example, about 4000 rpm and the cleaning liquid R is shaken off. Thereafter, the wafer W is carried out of the developing device by a transfer arm (not shown), and the developing process is completed.
[0025]
  In the above-described embodiment, the lateral pushing action when the cleaning liquid R ejected from the ejection port 50 collides with the surface of the wafer W and the pushing action by the side wall surface of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 are combined. Thus, the developer D containing the resist component on the wafer W can be discharged by a strong discharge force acting in the lateral direction. For this reason, the adhesion force (frictional force with the wafer W or the pattern wall surface) acts strongly, and even the dissolved product at the bottom or corner of the pattern valley exhibits a discharge force that exceeds the adhesion force. And get rid of them. For this reason, since it can suppress that a developing solution and a resist component remain on the surface of the wafer W, a resist pattern with few development defects can be obtained.
[0026]
  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is an embodiment in which a gas supply means is added to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 shown in FIG. 4, but the discharge port 50 is set longer than the nozzle described above.In particular,As shown in FIG. 7, for example, a gas such as air provided on the side wall surface portion above the liquid level of the developer D and on the traveling direction side of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is jetted toward the surface of the wafer W. forIt is a gas blowing port as a gas supply meansA blowout port 70 is provided. For example, the blowing port 70 is set to be inclined at an angle θ, for example, 0 ° to 60 ° with respect to the axis (discharge direction) of the discharge port 50. Moreover, the said blower outlet 70 is comprised from the some air supply hole with a diameter of 0.4 mm, for example, and is arrange | positioned at intervals in the length direction of the washing | cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5, for example. Furthermore, the blow-out port 70 is connected to, for example, an air supply path 72 from the outside, for example, one end of a pipe, for example, inside the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 via the gas storage part 71, and the other end of the air supply path 72 is the gas supply part 73, and an open / close valve V3 is provided in the middle thereof. In this case, the cleaning liquid R is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 under the same conditions as described above to the wafer W that has been subjected to the static development through the steps described in FIGS. Air is spouted from the port 70 toward the wafer W at a flow rate of 2.0 liters / minute, for example. The outlet 70 may be below the level of the developer D, but in this case, since the discharge port 50 of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is contaminated, it is preferable to wash frequently. Therefore, it is a good idea to set the outlet 70 above the level of the developer D.
[0027]
  In the above-described second embodiment, when the supply nozzle 5 is scanned, the development on the wafer W is performed by the gas ejected from the blowing port 70 on the scanning direction side toward the developing solution D on the front side. A liquid flow occurs in the liquid D, and the dissolved product of the resist is wound up, and the cleaning effect is improved in combination with the sweeping action by the cleaning liquid R discharged from the discharge port 50 that passes through the liquid D. For this reason, it is suppressed that a dissolved product remains on the surface of the wafer W, and the same effect as in the above case can be obtained.
[0028]
  Further, the blowout port 70 is not limited to the configuration in which the blowout port 70 is obliquely inclined as described above. As shown in FIG. 8A, the blowout port 70 is directed directly downward so as to be sprayed to a position immediately before the discharge port 50 of the cleaning liquid R. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), it may be provided directly below and obliquely. Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), for example, the obliquely inclined outlet shown in FIG. The air blown from 70 may be blown from above to a position (point P in the drawing) where the air reaches the liquid level of the developer D. Even if it is such a structure, the melt | dissolution product of a resist will be rolled up by blowing air, and the effect similar to the above-mentioned case can be acquired.
[0029]
  In the present invention, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is not limited to a configuration having one slit-shaped discharge port, for example,FIG.As shown as an example of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5, a plurality of, for example, three slit-shaped discharge ports 50 a, 50 b, 50 c arranged along the traveling direction may be provided, and each discharge port 50 a, You may make it provide the flow volume adjustment part, for example, flow volume adjustment valve | bulb V2a, V2b, V2c so that flow volume adjustment is possible to 50b and 50c, respectively. In this case, the flow rate of each discharge port may be set to be the same. For example, in order to sweep out insoluble matter having a small particle size first and then sweep out a large particle size, for example, 0.5 to 4 In the flow rate range of 0.0 liter / min, for example, it is preferable that the flow rate of the discharge port 50a on the front side is the smallest, and the flow rate is increased in the order of the discharge port 50b and the discharge port 50c. Even if it is such a structure, the effect similar to the above-mentioned case can be acquired, and also it can wash | clean in a short washing | cleaning time by increasing the supply amount of the washing | cleaning liquid R. FIG.
[0030]
  Furthermore, in the present invention, after the cleaning shown in FIG.FIG.As shown in FIG. 4, spin-type cleaning may be performed. That is, after the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 performs cleaning under the same conditions as described above and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 moves backward, for example, another cleaning liquid supply nozzle 8 for supplying the cleaning liquid R to the central portion of the wafer W is provided by the wafer W. For example, the wafer W is rotated at a rotational speed of, for example, about 100 to 1000 rpm, and the cleaning liquid R is applied to the wafer W at a flow rate of, for example, 1 liter / minute. Supply to the surface. When a predetermined time, for example, 5 seconds elapses, the supply of the cleaning liquid R is stopped and spin drying is performed. In this case, the cleaning effect of the scan method described above and the spin method of cleaning using centrifugal force are combined to improve the cleaning effect, and the same effect as in the above case can be obtained. it can.
[0031]
  Furthermore, in the present invention, after the developing solution D is supplied to the surface of the wafer W and the static development is completed, before the cleaning solution R is supplied, the spin chuck 2 is rotated to move the wafer W to, for example, 100 rpm to 1000 rpm. You may make it rotate for a predetermined period of time, for example, 0.5-3 seconds at the rotation speed of the grade. In this case, since the developer D on the wafer W can be shaken off to some extent by the action of the centrifugal force before supplying the cleaning liquid R, the cleaning effect of the cleaning liquid R can be further improved. And the same effects as those described above can be obtained.
[0032]
  In the present invention, the discharge port 50 is not limited to the slit shape, and for example, a structure in which discharge holes having a diameter of about 0.4 mm are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction on the lower surface side of the nozzle. Furthermore, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the supply nozzle 5 and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 6 are separate nozzles. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the developer supply unit 44 and the cleaning liquid supply unit 54 are connected via supply paths 43 and 53. May be provided with a common nozzle 7 having a common discharge port 70 connected thereto, and the developing solution D or the cleaning solution R may be supplied by switching the valves V1 and V2.
[0033]
  Next, an example of a coating / developing apparatus in which the above developing apparatus is incorporated in, for example, a developing unit will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, B1 is a cassette mounting portion for loading and unloading a cassette C in which, for example, 13 wafers W serving as substrates are hermetically stored, and a mounting table including a mounting portion 91a on which a plurality of cassettes C can be mounted. 91, an opening / closing part 92 provided on the wall surface in front of the mounting table 91, and a delivery means 93 for taking out the wafer W from the cassette C through the opening / closing part 92.
[0034]
  A processing unit B2 surrounded by a casing 100 is connected to the back side of the cassette mounting unit B1, and the processing unit B2 is a shelf unit in which heating / cooling units are arranged in multiple stages in order from the front side. U1, U2 and U3 and main transfer means 101A and 101B for transferring the wafer W between processing units including a coating / developing unit described later are alternately arranged. That is, the shelf units U1, U2, U3 and the main transfer means 101A, 101B are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction when viewed from the cassette mounting part B1, and an opening for wafer transfer (not shown) is formed at each connection part. Thus, the wafer W can freely move in the processing section B1 from the shelf unit U1 on one end side to the shelf unit U2 on the other end side. The main transfer means 101A and 101B are arranged on one side of the shelf units U1, U2 and U3 arranged in the front-rear direction when viewed from the cassette mounting part B1, and on one side of the right side liquid processing units U4 and U5, which will be described later. It is placed in a space surrounded by a partition wall 102 composed of a portion and a back portion forming one surface on the left side. In the figure, reference numerals 103 and 104 denote temperature / humidity adjusting units including a temperature adjusting device for processing liquid used in each unit, a duct for adjusting temperature and humidity, and the like.
[0035]
  The liquid processing units U4 and U5 are, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a coating unit COT, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, on a storage unit 105 that forms a space for supplying a chemical solution such as a coating solution (resist solution) and a developing solution. The developing unit DEV incorporating the developing device and the antireflection film forming unit BARC are stacked in a plurality of stages, for example, five stages. In addition, the above-described shelf units U1, U2, and U3 are configured such that various units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of the processing performed in the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are stacked in a plurality of stages, for example, 10 stages. .
[0036]
  An exposure unit B4 is connected to an inner side of the shelf unit U3 in the processing unit B2 through an interface unit B3 including, for example, a first transfer chamber 106 and a second transfer chamber 107. In addition to two transfer means 108 and 109 for transferring the wafer W between the processing unit B2 and the exposure unit B4, a shelf unit U6 and a buffer cassette C0 are provided inside the interface unit B3.
[0037]
  An example of the flow of wafers in this apparatus is as follows. First, when the cassette C in which the wafers W are stored is mounted on the mounting table 91 from the outside, the lid of the cassette C is removed together with the opening / closing portion 92 and the transfer means 93. Thus, the wafer W is taken out. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the main transfer means 101A via a transfer unit (not shown) that forms one stage of the shelf unit U1, and is pre-processed as a coating process on one shelf in the shelf units U1 to U3. For example, a hydrophobization process and a cooling process are performed, and then a resist solution is applied by the application unit COT. When the resist film is thus formed on the surface, the wafer W is heated by the heating unit forming one shelf of the shelf units U1 to U3, and after being cooled, the wafer W is transferred to the interface unit B3 via the delivery unit of the shelf unit U3. It is carried in. In this interface unit B3, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure unit B4 through a path of, for example, the transfer unit 108 → the shelf unit U6 → the transfer unit 109, and exposure is performed. After the exposure, the wafer W is transferred to the main transfer means 101A through the reverse path and developed by the developing unit DEV to form a resist mask. Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the original cassette C on the mounting table 91.
[0038]
  The present invention can also be applied to processing of a substrate other than a semiconductor wafer, such as an LCD substrate or a photomask reticle substrate, as a substrate to be processed.
[0039]
【Example】
  Next, an example carried out using the above-described developing device to confirm the effect of the present invention will be described.
Example 1
  This example is Example 1 using the developing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
In the first embodiment, the development process is performed on the substrate on which the resist is applied and exposed in the previous process based on the process shown in FIG. The separation distance L and cleaning time T were set to various set values. Then, surface defect inspection (inspection apparatus manufactured by KLA-tencor) was performed on the surface of the substrate after the development treatment to measure the number of development defects. In the inspection, development defects having a size of 0.08 μm or more were counted. Specific test conditions are shown below.
  ・ Substrate: 8 inch semiconductor wafer
  ・ Liquid film thickness of developer D: 1.5 mm
  ・ Still development time: 60 seconds
  ・ Scanning speed of cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5: 120 mm / second
  ・ Flow rate of cleaning liquid R: 2.0 liters / second
  -Separation distance L: 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, (0.6 mm), (1.0 mm), 1.5 mm, 5 mm, and the items in parentheses are washed for 5 seconds.
  -Number of scan cleaning (cleaning time): 3 times (for each separation distance L) 3 times (5 seconds), 6 times (10 seconds)
[0040]
(Results and discussion of Example 1)
  The result of Example 1 is shown in FIG. First, in the case of cleaning for 5 seconds, the number of defects is counted 65,000 (detection upper limit value) when the separation distance L is set to be larger than 1.5 mm, but the number of defects is set to 1.5 mm or less. Begins to decrease and decreases rapidly below 0.6 mm. The number of defects is about 20 at 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm. In the case where the cleaning time T is set to 10 seconds, the number of defects is about 50 when the separation distance L is 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm, and about 50 even when the distance is 1.5 mm. Although not seen, the number of defects increases when it is set larger than 1.5 mm. That is, it was confirmed that the number of defects can be reduced if the tip of the discharge port 50 of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is immersed in the developer D and the separation distance L is set to 0.4 mm or less.
[0041]
(Example 2)
  This example is Example 2 using the developing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this Example 2, as in Example 1, the resist was applied and exposed in the previous process, and the development process was performed based on the process shown in FIG. At this time, the cleaning liquid R was supplied using the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 shown in FIG. The measurement of development defects is the same as in Example 1. Specific test conditions are shown below.
  ・ Substrate: 8 inch semiconductor wafer
  -Film thickness of developer D: 1.5 mm
  ・ Still development time: 60 seconds
  ・ Scanning speed of cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5: 120 mm / second
  ・ Flow rate of cleaning liquid R: 2.0 liters / second
  ・ Separation distance L: 0.4 mm, 1.5 mm
  ・ Air flow rate: 2.0 liters / second
  ・ Inclination angle θ: 60 °
  ・ Number of scan cleaning (cleaning time): 9 times (15 seconds)
[0042]
(Comparative Example 1)
  This example is Comparative Example 2 performed under the same conditions as in Example 2 except that gas supply is not performed.
[0043]
(Results and discussion of Example 2 and Comparative Example 1)
  The results of Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 are also shown in FIG. The result of Comparative Example 1 in which no gas is supplied is about 40 development defects, whereas in Example 2 in which gas is supplied, the number of development defects is suppressed to about 10. That is, it is confirmed that by supplying the gas, a liquid flow is generated in the developer D, and the dissolved product is swept out by the liquid flow. It was.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the present invention, development defects can be reduced, and the developer can be washed in a short time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a developing device according to a first embodiment of a developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the developing device according to the first embodiment of the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a developer supply nozzle used in the developing device.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cleaning liquid supply nozzle used in the developing device.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a development processing step using the developing device.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a cleaning process of the developing device.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cleaning liquid supply nozzle used in a developing device according to a second embodiment of the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another cleaning liquid nozzle used in the developing device according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another cleaning liquid nozzle used in the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another cleaning method of the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another cleaning liquid nozzle used in the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of a coating apparatus incorporating the developing device according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of a coating apparatus incorporating a developing device according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a characteristic diagram showing an example carried out to confirm the effect of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a characteristic diagram showing an example carried out to confirm the effect of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a development processing step.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing development processing steps when a conventional developing device is used.
[Explanation of symbols]
W wafer
2 Spin chuck
30 outside cup
31 inner cup
4 Developer supply nozzle
40 Discharge port
44 Cleaning liquid supply unit
5 Cleaning liquid supply nozzle
50 Discharge port
54 Cleaning liquid supply part
6 Control unit
70 Air supply port
73 Gas supply part
V1, V2, V3 valves

Claims (13)

In a developing device for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate horizontally;
A developer supply nozzle for supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the developer is applied, having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate; ,
The cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side of the substrate at a height position where the lower end portion of the discharge port is below the liquid level of the developer and the distance from the surface of the substrate is 0.4 mm or less. And a moving mechanism for moving the developing device. In a developing device for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate horizontally;
A developer supply nozzle for supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate to which the developer is applied, having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate; ,
A gas blowing port provided on the side surface of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle on the traveling direction side and inclined forward;
A moving mechanism for moving the cleaning liquid supply nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the substrate at a height position where the lower end portion of the discharge port is below the level of the developer. Developing device.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle has a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a traveling direction thereof.   4. The developing device according to claim 3, wherein each discharge port is provided with a flow rate adjusting unit.   5. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning solution is supplied after the substrate coated with the developing solution is rotated for a predetermined time. After the cleaning by moving over from one end to the other end of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid from the discharge port of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle, the cleaning of rotating the substrate while supplying a cleaning liquid to the center portion of the substrate The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the developing device is performed.   The developing device according to claim 2, wherein the gas blowing port supplies gas at a predetermined angle with respect to a developer film formed on the substrate and disposed in a length direction of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle. . In a development processing method for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate,
Supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held horizontally to form a developer film;
A step of moving the cleaning liquid supply nozzle having a discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the width of the effective area of the substrate a plurality of times from one end side to the other end side of the substrate;
A step of supplying a cleaning liquid toward the substrate during the movement of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and cleaning the substrate,
The developing method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved at a height position where a lower end portion of the discharge port is immersed in the developing solution or the cleaning solution on the substrate surface.   9. In the step of supplying a cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle toward the substrate, gas is jetted toward the substrate from a gas blowing port provided on the traveling direction side of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle. The development processing method as described.   The gas jet port is disposed along the length direction of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and is inclined forward in the traveling direction, and a dissolved product is dissolved from the resist by jetting the gas toward the substrate. The development processing method according to claim 9, wherein: In a development processing method for developing a substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate,
Supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held horizontally to form a developer film;
The cleaning liquid supply nozzle is placed at the height position where the lower end of the discharge port formed over a length substantially equal to or longer than the effective area of the substrate is immersed in the developer or cleaning liquid on the substrate surface. A step of moving a plurality of times from one end side to the other end side,
A step of supplying a cleaning liquid toward the substrate during the movement of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle and cleaning the substrate,
The plurality of movements includes a step of rotating the substrate around the vertical axis when the cleaning liquid supply nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side of the substrate in the second and subsequent times. Development processing method. 12. The development processing method according to claim 8, 9 or 11 , wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle has a plurality of ejection openings arranged in a traveling direction thereof.   12. The development processing method according to claim 11, wherein in the step of rotating the substrate around a vertical axis, the number of rotations of the substrate is changed.

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