KR102405151B1 - Cleaning method and cleaning device of liquid contact nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

The cleanliness of the wet nozzle is monitored, and the cleaning liquid is used to clean the wet nozzle only when really necessary, thereby suppressing the consumption of the cleaning liquid. In the developing apparatus, a nozzle bath 170 is provided in the standby unit 160 where the developer supply nozzle waits. The light emitting unit 172 and the light receiving unit 173 are disposed above the nozzle bath 170 to be positioned on both sides of the developer supply nozzle. The contamination state of the developer supply nozzle is measured based on the transmittance when light from the light emitting unit 172 passes through the developer supply nozzle and is received by the light receiving unit 173 . Based on the measurement result, the developer supply nozzle is cleaned as necessary.

Description

Cleaning method and cleaning device for wet nozzles

The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus for a liquid contact nozzle.

For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a resist coating process for forming a resist film by coating a resist solution on a semiconductor wafer as a substrate (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"), the resist film Exposure processing for exposing a predetermined pattern to , heat processing for accelerating chemical reaction in the resist film after exposure (post exposure baking), development processing for developing the exposed resist film, etc. are sequentially performed. A pattern is formed.

Among these treatments, as a method of the developing treatment, a discharge port for holding the exposed substrate horizontally and discharging the developer to form a liquid pool on the surface of the substrate, and a contact portion formed smaller than the surface of the substrate to face the surface of the substrate By using a developer nozzle having It has been proposed to develop the substrate by expanding it.

As described above, a nozzle that comes into contact with a processing liquid such as a developer on a substrate and expands the developer on the surface of the substrate is generally called a liquid contact nozzle. It is known that in such a liquid-type developing nozzle, the nozzle surface is contaminated by the adhesion of the melt generated during the developing process. This is particularly remarkable in the developing treatment of a thick resist. For this reason, conventionally, in order to maintain the cleanliness of a nozzle, supplying a developing solution to a nozzle in the place called a waiting|standby part, and washing|cleaning of the nozzle in the said waiting place is performed (patent document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-029703

However, the developer is expensive, and frequent use of it for cleaning is problematic in terms of cost. Even so, there may be cases where it is not necessary to simply perform cleaning on a regular basis, such as for every predetermined number of treatments. Conversely, there is a possibility that a case in which washing is not performed when necessary may also occur.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and aims to solve the above problem by monitoring the cleanliness of the wet nozzle and cleaning the wet nozzle using a cleaning solution such as a developer only when really necessary. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of cleaning a liquid nozzle provided in a liquid processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate and in contact with the processing liquid on the substrate during the processing, wherein the liquid The contamination state of the liquid contact nozzle is inspected in the processing apparatus, and the liquid contact nozzle is cleaned based on the result of the inspection.

According to the present invention, since the state of contamination of the wet nozzle is inspected in the liquid processing device and the wet nozzle is cleaned based on the result of the inspection, the cleanliness of the wet nozzle is monitored and the wet nozzle is cleaned only when really necessary. can be done

The liquid contact nozzle may be made of a material that transmits light, and the inspection may be performed by irradiating light to the liquid contact nozzle.

You may make it perform the said test|inspection by imaging a liquid contact nozzle.

It may be suggested that the cleaning performed based on the result of the inspection is performed by supplying the cleaning liquid into the accommodating portion accommodating the liquid-contacting nozzle.

The cleaning performed based on the result of the inspection may be performed by supplying the cleaning liquid into the accommodating portion for accommodating the wet nozzle based on the number of times of cleaning already performed, or may be performed by a cleaning method with a higher cleaning degree.

It can be proposed that the cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning described above is performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into a accommodating portion accommodating the wet nozzle and generating a liquid flow of the cleaning liquid in the accommodating portion.

In addition, the cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning may be performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into the housing portion accommodating the liquid contact nozzle and heating the interior of the housing portion.

In addition, it can be proposed that a cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning is performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into a accommodating portion accommodating the liquid nozzle and bringing the brush member into contact with the liquid nozzle in the accommodating portion.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for cleaning a liquid nozzle that is provided in a liquid processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate and is in contact with the processing liquid on the substrate during the processing, the liquid processing apparatus It is provided in the interior, it is characterized in that it has an accommodating part for accommodating the liquid nozzle and an inspection device for inspecting the contamination state of the liquid contact nozzle.

The liquid nozzle may be made of a material that transmits light, and the inspection apparatus may be configured to have a light emitting unit that irradiates light to the liquid nozzle and a light receiving unit that receives the light transmitted through the liquid nozzle.

The said inspection apparatus may have an imaging device which images the said liquid contact nozzle, and the determination device which judges a dirt condition based on the image from the said imaging device.

At least the bottom part of the said accommodation part may be comprised so that rotation is possible. In this case, the unevenness|corrugation may be formed in the bottom part of a accommodating part.

A brush member capable of contacting the liquid-contacting nozzle may be provided in the accommodating portion.

You may comprise so that it may have a heater which heats the inside of the said accommodation part.

According to the present invention, since the contamination state of the wet nozzle is inspected in the liquid processing device and the wet nozzle is cleaned based on the result of the inspection, the cleanliness of the wet nozzle is monitored and the wet nozzle is cleaned only when really necessary. Therefore, unnecessary consumption of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed.

1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a substrate processing system in which a developing processing apparatus with a cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is mounted.
FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a rear view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1 .
4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the developing apparatus.
5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the developing apparatus.
6 is a perspective view of a developer supply nozzle;
7 is a perspective view of a waiting part;
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the nozzle bath.
9 is a plan view of the bottom of the nozzle bath;
Fig. 10 is a side view showing a state of developing processing;
11 is a flowchart showing an example of a cleaning process.
12 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a nozzle bath having a brush member.
13 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a nozzle bath having a heater.
Fig. 14 is a side explanatory view schematically showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus for measuring the transmittance in the vertical direction of the developer supply nozzle;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of a substrate processing system 1 in which a developing processing apparatus including a liquid contact nozzle cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is mounted. 2 and 3 are a front view and a rear view schematically showing the outline of the internal configuration of the substrate processing system 1, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate processing system 1 includes a cassette station 10 in which a cassette C accommodating a plurality of wafers W is carried in and out, and a plurality of wafers W that perform predetermined processing. A configuration in which an interface station 13 for transferring wafers W is integrally connected between a processing station 11 provided with various processing devices of the processing station 11 and an exposure device 12 adjacent to the processing station 11 Have.

The cassette station 10 is provided with a cassette mounting table 20 . The cassette mounting table 20 is provided with a plurality of cassette mounting plates 21 on which the cassettes C are placed when the cassettes C are carried in and out of the substrate processing system 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the cassette station 10 is provided with a wafer transfer device 23 capable of moving on a transfer path 22 extending in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 23 is also movable in the vertical direction and around the vertical axis (the θ direction), and includes a cassette C on each cassette arrangement plate 21 and a third block G3 of a processing station 11 to be described later. The wafer W can be transported between the transfer devices.

The processing station 11 is provided with a plurality, for example, four blocks, ie, first blocks G1 to fourth blocks G4 equipped with various devices. For example, the first block G1 is provided on the front side of the processing station 11 (the X-direction negative side in FIG. 1 ), and the rear side of the processing station 11 (the X-direction positive side in FIG. 1 , in the drawing). above), a second block G2 is provided. Further, the above-described third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 10 side of the processing station 11 (the negative direction side in the Y direction in FIG. 1 ), and the interface station 13 side of the processing station 11 ( A fourth block G4 is provided on the Y-direction positive direction side in FIG. 1 .

For example, in the first block G1, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of liquid processing apparatuses, for example, a developing processing apparatus 30 for developing the wafer W, and reflection on the lower layer of the resist film of the wafer W A lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 for forming an anti-reflection film (hereinafter referred to as a 'lower anti-reflection film'), a resist coating apparatus 32 for forming a resist film by coating a resist solution on the wafer W, and a resist on the wafer W An upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 for forming an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as an "upper antireflection film") on the upper layer of the film is arranged in this order from the bottom.

For example, the developing apparatus 30 , the lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 , the resist coating apparatus 32 , and the upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 are arranged in three horizontal directions, respectively. In addition, the number and arrangement of these developing apparatuses 30 , lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31 , resist coating apparatus 32 , and upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 can be arbitrarily selected.

In these lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 , resist coating apparatus 32 , and upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 , for example, a spin coating process of applying a predetermined coating liquid onto the wafer W is performed. In the spin coating process, for example, while discharging the coating liquid onto the wafer W from the application nozzle, rotating the wafer W to diffuse the coating liquid on the surface of the wafer W is performed. In addition, the structure of the developing processing apparatus 30 is mentioned later.

For example, in the second block G2 , as shown in FIG. 3 , a plurality of heat treatment apparatuses 40 to 43 for performing heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the wafer W are provided.

For example, in the 3rd block G3, as shown to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, some delivery device 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 is provided in order from the bottom. Moreover, in the 4th block G4, as shown in FIG. 3, the some delivery device 60, 61, 62 is provided in order from the bottom.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer area|region D is formed in the area|region surrounded by the 1st block G1 - the 4th block G4. In the wafer transfer region D, a plurality of wafer transfer apparatuses 70 having transfer arms 70a movable in, for example, the Y-direction, the X-direction, the θ-direction, and the vertical direction are disposed. The wafer transfer apparatus 70 moves in the wafer transfer region D, and is located in the first block G1, the second block G2, the third block G3, and the fourth block G4. The wafer W can be conveyed between a predetermined device and a device.

Further, in the wafer transfer region D, as shown in FIG. 3 , a shuttle transfer device 80 for transferring the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided. have.

The shuttle conveyance apparatus 80 is linearly movable in the Y direction of FIG. 3, for example. The shuttle transfer device 80 moves in the Y direction while supporting the wafer W, and is located between the delivery device 52 of the third block G3 and the delivery device 62 of the fourth block G4. The wafer W can be transported.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a wafer transfer apparatus 100 is provided on the side of the third block G3 in the positive X direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 has, for example, a transfer arm 100a movable in the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 may move up and down while supporting the wafer W by the transfer arm 100a to transfer the wafer W to each transfer apparatus in the third block G3 .

The interface station 13 is provided with a wafer transfer device 110 and a transfer device 111 . The wafer transfer apparatus 110 includes, for example, a transfer arm 110a movable in the Y direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 110 supports, for example, the wafer W on the transfer arm 110a, and is positioned between the transfer apparatuses, the transfer apparatus 111 and the exposure apparatus 12 in the fourth block G4. (W) can be returned.

Next, the configuration of the above-described developing processing apparatus 30 will be described. The developing apparatus 30 has the processing container 130 which can seal the inside, as shown in FIG. A carry-in/out port (not shown) for the wafer W is formed on the side surface of the processing container 130 .

A spin chuck 140 serving as a substrate holding unit for holding and rotating the wafer W is provided in the processing chamber 130 . The spin chuck 140 may rotate at a speed determined by the chuck driving unit 141 such as a motor. In addition, the chuck driving unit 141 is provided with a lifting and lowering driving mechanism such as a cylinder, and the spin chuck 140 can be raised and lowered.

A cup 142 is provided around the spin chuck 140 to receive and recover liquid scattered or falling from the wafer W. An exhaust pipe 143 for discharging the recovered liquid and an exhaust pipe 144 for exhausting the atmosphere in the cup 142 are connected to the lower surface of the cup 142 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , a rail 150 extending along the Y direction (left and right direction in FIG. 5 ) is formed on the side of the cup 142 in the negative X direction (lower direction in FIG. 5 ). The rail 150 is formed, for example, from the outside in the Y-direction negative direction (left direction in FIG. 5) side of the cup 142 to the outside in the Y-direction positive direction (right direction in FIG. 5) side. The rail 150 is equipped with, for example, two arms 151 and 152 .

A pure water supply nozzle 154 for supplying pure water is supported on the first arm 151 . The 1st arm 151 is movable on the rail 150 by the nozzle drive part 155 shown in FIG. Accordingly, the pure water supply nozzle 154 extends from the waiting portion 156 provided outside the cup 142 on the negative Y-direction side to a predetermined position above the wafer W in the cup 142 , for example, the central portion. can move

A developer supply nozzle 158 for supplying a developer is supported by the second arm 152 in the step of forming a puddle of a diluted developer, which will be described later. The 2nd arm 152 is movable on the rail 150 by the nozzle drive part 159 shown in FIG. Accordingly, the developer supply nozzle 158 moves from the standby unit 160 provided outside the cup 142 in the positive Y direction to a predetermined position above the wafer W in the cup 142 , for example, the central portion. can In addition, the second arm 152 can be moved up and down by the nozzle driver 159 , and the height of the developer supply nozzle 158 can be adjusted. The standby unit 160 is provided on the positive Y-direction side of the standby unit 156 with the cup 142 interposed therebetween.

The developer supply nozzle 158 has, for example, a cylindrical shape as a whole, as shown in FIG. 6 , and the lower end surface 158a is formed as a flat surface parallel to the wafer W, for example. This lower end surface 158a functions as a liquid contact surface in contact with a processing liquid on the wafer W, for example, a developer or pure water.

A supply hole 158b for supplying the developer is formed in the lower end surface 158a of the developer supply nozzle 158 . The number of the supply holes 158b may be arbitrarily selected, and may be plural. In addition, the developer supply nozzle 158 is made of a material having chemical resistance, for example, a material such as transparent quartz glass.

The developer supply nozzle 158 is on standby in the above-described standby unit 160 except for the process of supplying the developer onto the wafer W. As the detail is shown in FIG. 7, this waiting|standby part 160 has the nozzle bath 170 as a housing part provided in the upper surface of the housing 161 and the housing 161, for example.

The nozzle bath 170 has a cylindrical shape having a bottom as a whole, as shown in the longitudinal section in FIG. 8 , and has a cylindrical side wall 170a and a disk-shaped bottom portion 170b. The lower portion of the developer supply nozzle 158 can be accommodated in the nozzle bath 170 . Moreover, the nozzle bath 170 is comprised so that rotation, static electricity, and inversion are possible by the drive mechanism 171, such as a motor. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, on the upper surface of the bottom part 170b of the nozzle bath 170, the four protrusion parts 170c arrange|positioned, for example in a cross shape are formed.

With the above configuration, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 8 , that is, in a state in which the nozzle bath 170 accommodates the lower portion of the developer supply nozzle 158 , the cleaning solution or the developer is supplied from the supply hole 158b, so that the developer supply nozzle is The bottom of 158 is cleaned. Further, the gap between the side surface and the lower end surface 158a of the developer supply nozzle 158 and the side wall 170a and the bottom surface 170b of the nozzle bath 170 is, for example, about 0.5 to 2 mm. Each size is set.

In addition, by further rotating the nozzle bath 170 at this time, a liquid flow is generated in the cleaning solution and the developer in the nozzle bath 170 . In addition, the cleaning liquid or the like in the nozzle bath 170 is discharged from a discharge path (not shown) provided in the nozzle bath 170 . In addition, a supply path for a cleaning liquid or the like may be separately formed in the nozzle bath 170 , and an inert gas for drying, for example, nitrogen gas, may further be provided with an outlet.

And as shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, above the nozzle bath 170 in the waiting|standby part 160, the light emitting part 172 and the light receiving part 173 which comprise an inspection apparatus are arrange|positioned so that they may oppose. Accordingly, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 172, for example, visible light (mainly red) or infrared light used for light projection by a general photoelectric sensor, passes through the developer supply nozzle 158 and is received by the light receiving unit 173 . At this time, the transmittance is detected. Accordingly, the contamination state of the developer supply nozzle 158 is measured according to the change in transmittance. These are processed by the control part 200 mentioned later.

The configurations of the lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31, the resist coating apparatus 32, and the upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33, which are other liquid processing apparatuses, are described above, except that the shape and number of nozzles or the liquid supplied from the nozzles are different. Since it is the same as the configuration of one developing processing apparatus 30, a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above substrate processing system 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the control part 200 is provided. The control unit 200 is, for example, a computer, and has a program storage unit (not shown). A program for controlling the processing of the wafer W in the substrate processing system 1 is stored in the program storage unit. In addition, the program storage unit controls the operation of the drive systems of the various processing apparatuses and conveying apparatuses described above, and further, the nozzle drive units 155 and 159, etc. described above for realizing the development process in the substrate processing system 1 . The program is saved. In addition, the program is recorded in a computer-readable storage medium such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnet optical disk (MO), memory card, etc. It may have been installed in the control unit 200 from the storage medium.

Next, the outline of the wafer process performed using the substrate processing system 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is loaded into the cassette station 10 of the substrate processing system 1 , and each wafer W in the cassette C is carried by the wafer transfer device 23 . are sequentially conveyed to the delivery device 53 of the processing station 11 .

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 and subjected to temperature control processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 to, for example, the lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 of the first block G1, and a lower anti-reflection film is formed on the wafer W. do. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 41 of the second block G2, and heat treatment is performed thereon.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 42 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 and subjected to temperature control processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating apparatus 32 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 , and a resist film is formed on the wafer W . Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 43 and subjected to a prebaking process.

Then, the wafer W is transferred to the upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 of the first block G1, and an upper anti-reflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 43 of the second block G2, and heat treatment is performed thereon. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer device 56 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 70 .

Subsequently, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer device 52 by the wafer transfer apparatus 100 , and transferred to the transfer apparatus 62 of the fourth block G4 by the shuttle transfer apparatus 80 . Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus 12 by the wafer transfer apparatus 110 of the interface station 13 and subjected to exposure processing in a predetermined pattern.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 , and is baked after exposure. Thereby, the deprotection reaction is carried out by the acid generated in the exposed portion of the resist film. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the developing apparatus 30 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 , and development is performed thereon. Hereinafter, an example of the developing process in the case of developing with respect to a resist film is demonstrated.

In the developing process, first, the pure water supply nozzle 154 moves over the center of the wafer W, and supplies pure water to the center of the wafer W on which the resist film R is formed, to the center of the wafer W. A liquid pool of pure water (P) is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , the developer supply nozzle 158 is moved to an eccentric position from the center of the wafer W, and the lower end surface 158a is in contact with the liquid pool of the pure water P. A positive developer solution is supplied. In this state, the developer supply nozzle 158 is horizontally moved in the radial direction as it is by the nozzle driver 159 . During this time, the wafer W is rotated by the spin chuck 140 . As a result, a liquid pool of the diluted developer is formed in the central portion on the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

Next, after the developer supply nozzle 158 is retracted, the spin chuck 140 is rotated at a high speed to pre-wet the wafer W with the diluted developer. Thereafter, the developer supply nozzle 158 is moved to the peripheral portion of the wafer W again, and the developer solution is transferred from the developer supply nozzle 158 onto the wafer W while rotating the wafer W by the spin chuck 140 . A paddle of the developer is formed on the entire surface of the wafer W by moving the developer supply nozzle 158 to the center of the wafer W, and the stop development process is performed by stopping the rotation of the wafer W in that state. .

In the case of the developing treatment as described above, the lysate in the developer adheres to and becomes contaminated on the lower end surface 158a and the supply hole 158b of the developer supply nozzle 158 as the number of treatments is repeated. Therefore, if processing is continued with respect to the other wafer W as it is, there exists a possibility that the said wafer W may generate|occur|produce a defect. Since the demand for defects is strict in recent years, it is always necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the developer supply nozzle 158 to some extent. However, if the cleaning solution (developer) is supplied into the nozzle bath 170 every time to clean the developer supply nozzle 158, there is a possibility that the expensive cleaning solution (developer) is wasted, such as cleaning even when it is not necessary. .

In this embodiment, since the light-emitting unit 172 and the light-receiving unit 173 are provided as inspection devices for measuring the contamination state of the developer supply nozzle 158, the necessity of cleaning can be known before cleaning and cleaning is performed appropriately. it is possible That is, after the treatment with the developer is finished, the light from the light emitting unit 172 is irradiated to the developer supply nozzle 158 when it moves to the standby unit 160 and is located above the nozzle bath 170 . and the transmittance is detected by receiving the transmitted light by the light receiving unit 173 . Accordingly, it is possible to measure the contamination state of the developer supply nozzle 158 according to the change in transmittance. Hereinafter, an example of the process for measuring such a contamination state and washing|cleaning of a nozzle is demonstrated.

That is, as shown in Fig. 11, in the case where the target developer supply nozzle 158 has not been developed for a certain period of time or has been developed, the nozzle inspection is first performed (step S1). . As a result, it is determined whether or not contamination is detected (step S2), and if not detected (or if contamination is detected but is within a preset allowable range), the process ends as it is, and the developer supply nozzle 158 ) is not cleaned. However, when contamination is detected, the number of times of washing is determined (step S3). That is, whether or not it has been washed is checked from the history or the like, and when it has never been cleaned, nozzle cleaning is performed (step S4). In this case, the nozzle cleaning refers to cleaning by inserting the lower portion of the developer supply nozzle 158 into the nozzle bath 170 and immersing it in the cleaning solution or developer in the nozzle bath 170 (hereinafter referred to as “weak”). called 'cleaning'). Then, after the chemical cleaning is finished, the nozzle is inspected again (step S1).

And in step S3, when washing|cleaning of a nozzle has been performed even once in the past, strong washing of a nozzle is performed (step S5). Here, the strong cleaning of the nozzle refers to cleaning with a higher degree of cleaning as used herein, and based on the present embodiment, the bottom portion 170b of the nozzle bath 170 is rotated, and the cleaning liquid or the like is contained in the nozzle bath 170 . It generates a liquid flow and cleans it.

Thereafter, the developer supply nozzle 158 is inspected for contamination (steps S6 and S7). It ends.

When contamination is detected in step S7, the number of times of cleaning so far is checked from the history or the like (step S8). As a result, if the predetermined number of times of cleaning is not satisfied, step S5 again A strong cleaning of the nozzle is performed. On the other hand, if the number of times of washing or more is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of washing, it is judged that the dirt cannot be removed even if it is washed further, and an appropriate warning is notified.

By inspecting and cleaning through such a processing flow, really necessary cleaning can be performed, and by selecting weak cleaning or strong cleaning of the nozzle, appropriate cleaning according to the contamination state of the nozzle can be performed. Thereby, unnecessary consumption of the cleaning solution and the developer for cleaning is suppressed, and the cleanliness of the developer supply nozzle 158 can be maintained at a desired level or higher. Moreover, you may make it weak washing|cleaning after strong washing|cleaning as needed.

In the above embodiment, as an example of strong cleaning, the bottom portion 170b of the nozzle bath 170 is rotated, but as shown in Fig. 12 , a brush member 181 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom portion 170b. Then, in a state in which a cleaning solution or the like is supplied into the nozzle bath 170 , the cleaning solution may be cleaned by contacting the lower end surface 158a of the developer supply nozzle 158 . In this case, when the nozzle bath 170 is rotated as described above, the cleaning degree is further improved.

Further, in the inside of the nozzle bath 170, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a heater 182 for heating the nozzle bath 170 is provided inside the bottom portion 170b, and the nozzle bath 170 ) in a state in which the cleaning liquid or the like is supplied, the nozzle bath 170 may be heated to heat the cleaning liquid or the like. Thereby, the cleaning liquid or the like is activated to improve the cleaning degree. Of course, the above-described rotation of the nozzle bath 170 and the contact by the brush member 181 may be appropriately combined and used together.

In addition, an ultrasonic vibrator may be provided in the nozzle bath 170 to apply vibration to the cleaning liquid in the nozzle bath 170 . In the above example, the nozzle bath 170 side is rotated, but the developer supply nozzle 158 side may be rotated. In addition, the inner diameter of the nozzle bath 170 may be increased to increase the gap between the nozzle bath 170 and the developer supply nozzle 158 , and the developer supply nozzle 158 may be appropriately oscillated during cleaning. Such an operation can be performed, for example, by the nozzle driving unit 159 .

In addition, in the above example, the light emitting unit 172 and the light receiving unit 173 were used as an inspection device for inspecting the contamination state of the nozzle, and they were disposed so as to face each other on the side surface of the developer supply nozzle 158 . It is not limited, You may arrange|position respectively on the upper and lower surfaces of the developer supply nozzle 158, and you may make it monitor the change of the transmittance|permeability.

For example, as shown in FIG. 14 , an inspection apparatus having members 183a and 183b having an opening on the side surface, receiving the developer supply nozzle 158 from the side, and covering the upper and lower surfaces of the developer supply nozzle 158 up and down. (183) may be used. In addition, by providing the light emitting part 172 in the member 183a and the light receiving part 173 in the member 183b , it is possible to detect transmittance in the vertical direction with respect to the developer supply nozzle 158 .

In addition, instead of the method of detecting contamination of the nozzle based on the change in transmittance due to light irradiation, the developer supply nozzle 158 is imaged using an imaging device, for example, a CCD camera, and the captured image and the You may make it compare the image of the state in which the obtained cleanliness is more than a level, and you may make it detect the contamination state of a nozzle based on this. Determination in such a case can be performed, for example, by the control unit 200 described above.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described with reference to an accompanying drawing, this invention is not limited to this example. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various changes or modifications within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and it is understood that they naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to this example, and various aspects can be employed. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is another substrate other than a wafer, such as an FPD (flat-panel display), a mask reticle for a photomask, or the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful when developing a resist film on a substrate.

1: Substrate processing system
30: development processing unit
31: lower anti-reflection film forming device
32: resist coating device
33: upper anti-reflection film forming device
40: heat treatment device
140: spin chuck
154: pure water supply nozzle
155, 159: nozzle driving unit
158: developer supply nozzle
170: nozzle bath
171: drive mechanism
172: light emitting part
173: light receiver
200: control unit
P: pure
R: resist film
W: Wafer

Claims (15)

A method of cleaning a liquid contact nozzle provided in a liquid processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate and in contact with the processing liquid on the substrate during the processing, the method comprising:
A supply hole portion for supplying the treatment liquid of the liquid nozzle is made of a material that transmits light,
In the liquid processing apparatus, light is irradiated to the supply hole portion of the liquid nozzle to inspect the contamination state of the liquid nozzle, and based on the result of the inspection, the liquid nozzle is cleaned;
For the cleaning to be performed based on the results of the inspection, based on the number of times of cleaning already performed, one of a cleaning method performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into the accommodating part housing the liquid nozzle or a cleaning method with a higher cleaning degree is selected. A cleaning method of a liquid-contacting nozzle, characterized in that it is performed. delete The method of claim 1,
The cleaning method of the liquid-contact nozzle, characterized in that the inspection is performed by imaging the liquid-contact nozzle. delete A method of cleaning a liquid contact nozzle provided in a liquid processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate and in contact with the processing liquid on the substrate during the processing, the method comprising:
inspecting the contamination state of the liquid contact nozzle in the liquid processing apparatus, and cleaning the liquid contact nozzle based on a result of the inspection;
For the cleaning to be performed based on the results of the inspection, based on the number of times of cleaning already performed, one of a cleaning method performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into the accommodating part housing the liquid nozzle or a cleaning method with a higher cleaning degree is selected. A cleaning method of a liquid-contacting nozzle, characterized in that it is performed. 6. The method of claim 5,
The cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning is performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into an accommodating portion accommodating the wetted nozzle and generating a liquid flow of the cleaning liquid in the accommodating portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
The cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning is performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into an accommodating portion accommodating the wetted nozzle and heating the interior of the accommodating portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
The cleaning method with a higher degree of cleaning is performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into a accommodating portion accommodating the wetted nozzle and bringing a brush member into contact with the wetted nozzle in the accommodating portion. An apparatus for cleaning a liquid contact nozzle that is provided in a liquid processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate and in contact with the processing liquid on the substrate during the processing, comprising:
It is provided in the liquid processing device and has a receiving part for accommodating the liquid nozzle and an inspection device for inspecting the contamination state of the liquid nozzle;
A supply hole portion of the liquid nozzle for supplying the treatment liquid is made of a material that transmits light, and the inspection device includes a light emitting unit for irradiating light to the supply hole portion of the liquid nozzle and the supply hole of the liquid nozzle It has a light receiving unit that receives the light transmitted through the portion,
cleaning the liquid contact nozzle based on the result of the inspection by the inspection device;
For the cleaning to be performed based on the results of the inspection, based on the number of times of cleaning already performed, one of a cleaning method performed by supplying a cleaning liquid into the accommodating part housing the liquid nozzle or a cleaning method with a higher cleaning degree is selected. A cleaning device for a wet nozzle, characterized in that it is performed. delete 10. The method of claim 9,
The cleaning apparatus for a liquid nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus has an image pickup device for imaging the liquid nozzle and a determination device for judging a contamination state based on an image from the image pickup device. 12. The method according to claim 9 or 11,
At least the bottom of the accommodating part is configured to be rotatable. 12. The method according to claim 9 or 11,
A cleaning device for a liquid contact nozzle, characterized in that an unevenness is formed on the bottom of the accommodating part. 12. The method according to claim 9 or 11,
A cleaning apparatus for a liquid nozzle, wherein a brush member contactable with the liquid nozzle is provided in the accommodating part. 12. The method according to claim 9 or 11,
and a heater for heating the inside of the accommodating part.

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