Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Work handled in bulk or groups
Reexamination Certificate
1996-05-16
2001-08-14
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Work handled in bulk or groups
C134S033000, C134S148000, C134S157000, C134S183000, C134S902000, C134S102100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273104
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal glass substrate, or the like (hereinafter referred to simply as “substrate”).
2. Description of the Background Art
Various types of treatments are performed on a substrate during steps of manufacturing a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal glass substrate, etc. The treatments include coating of a substrate with a photoresist, stripping of a photoresist, cleaning after stripping of a photoresist, etc. In the following, a description will be given of a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning a substrate, with reference to
FIG. 11
which shows an essential cross sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus. The illustrated substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus proposed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Gazette No. 5-20321.
A substrate processing apparatus
1
uses a chemical liquid, such as fluoric acid, and de-ionized water as a cleaning fluid to clean a substrate.
The substrate processing apparatus
1
includes a chamber
9
within a box-like member
8
. A drain outlet
10
for draining the cleaning fluid is disposed in a lower portion of the chamber
9
. The chamber
9
houses substrate holding means
11
for holding, by suction, a substrate W. The substrate holding means
11
is rotated by rotating means (not shown). Further, the chamber
9
houses a cleaning fluid injecting nozzle
12
for supplying the cleaning fluid onto the substrate W and a gas supply nozzle
13
for supplying inert gas into the chamber
9
.
Processing of the substrate W within the substrate processing apparatus
1
is subsequently described. First, the substrate W is placed on the substrate holding means
11
, and the substrate holding means
11
holds, by suction, the substrate W. Next, the substrate holding means
11
is rotated by the rotating means. On the other hand, the gas supply nozzle
13
gushes inert gas toward the substrate W so that an area in the vicinity of a surface of the substrate W is filled with the inert gas. This is to ensure that the substrate W is processed in the atmosphere which does not contain air but is filled with the inert gas, to thereby prevent an undesirable oxide film from forming on the substrate W. Further, the cleaning fluid injecting nozzle
12
gushes the cleaning fluid toward the substrate W which is being rotated. Hence, the substrate W is cleaned with the cleaning fluid within the atmosphere with the inert gas. Excess of the cleaning fluid dripping from the substrate W is drained through the drain outlet
10
which is disposed in a lower portion of the chamber
9
.
Further, an apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 790,567 includes a chamber which contains a substrate holding means for holding a substrate, a fluid flow guide arranged in the upper part of the substrate holding means so as to face a substrate, and a central conduit arranged in the center of the fluid flow guide.
In the substrate processing apparatus described above, a processing fluid is supplied through the central conduit to the surface of the substrate. After the fluid supply stops, an inert gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate, to prevent the substrate from being polluted by air.
In the conventional substrate processing apparatus
1
, as the substrate W is rotated, an air flow which whirls upward is created at the surface of the substrate W, as shown in
FIG. 11
, resulting in a turbulence T. The turbulence T disturbs pollutants within the chamber
9
and causes the pollutants to adhere to the substrate W. As a result, the quality of the substrate is inconveniently deteriorated.
Further, while the gas supply nozzle
13
blows the inert gas toward the substrate W to prevent formation of an oxide film, a large space above the substrate W causes a large quantity of air to be included in the inert gas when the inert gas reaches the substrate W. For this reason, it is necessary to supply a large quantity of the inert gas to minimize air which exists near the surface of the substrate W, which leads to an increase in the opperating cost of the apparatus.
Further, while the processing fluid is supplied to the surface of a substrate and directly after the supply stops, an inert gas film cannot be formed. For this reason, an oxide film is likely to be formed on the surface of a substrate by being exposed to air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a method of processing a substrate.
According to the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: a) providing a plate member; b) rotating a substrate at a position facing the plate member; c) generating a flow of inert gas in a space between the substrate and the plate member; and d) generating a flow of liquid between the substrate and the flow of the inert gas.
Preferably, the step d) includes the step of: d-1) supplying the liquid toward a center of the substrate.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plate member has a window in which a nozzle is provided, the step c) includes the step of: c-1) supplying the inert gas to the space through the window, and the step d-1) includes the step of: d-1-1) supplying the liquid to the space through the nozzle.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step c) includes the step of: c-1) supplying the inert gas to the space through a plurality of through holes distributed in the plate member, and the step d-1) includes the step of: d-1-1) supplying the liquid to the space through a nozzle attached to a center of the plate member.
The present invention also concerns an apparatus adapted for the above-described method.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent creation of an air flow which whirls upward from a surface of a substrate, so that it is possible to prevent pollutants around the substrate from adhering to the substrate and thereby to improve the quality of the substrate.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the quantity of inert gas required to lessen the affect of air at the surface of a substrate, thereby to lower the operating cost of the apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to perform a uniform processing of a substrate by spreading an inert gas and a processing fluid uniformly from the center of a substrate toward the periphery of a substrate so that it is possible to improve the quality of a substrate.
It is still another object of the present invention to supply inert gas onto a surface of a substrate while supplying a processing fluid onto a substrate, as well by providing a processing fluid supply nozzle and an inert gas supply nozzle independently, so that it is possible to prevent a substrate from being exposed to air during and after its exposure to the processing fluid.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3953265 (1976-04-01), Hood
patent: 4021278 (1977-05-01), Hood et al.
patent: 4339297 (1982-07-01), Aigo
patent: 4350562 (1982-09-01), Bonu
patent: 4485758 (1984-12-01), Peugh et al.
patent: 4544439 (1985-10-01), Solomon et al.
patent: 4544446 (1985-10-01), Cady
patent: 4564280 (1986-01-01), Fukuda
patent: 4718975 (1988-01-01), Bowling et al.
patent: 4788994 (1988-12-01), Shinbara
patent: 4790262 (1988-12-01), Nakayama et al.
patent: 4790567 (1988-12-01), Kawano et al.
patent: 4903717 (1990-02-01), Sumnitsch
patent: 5209180 (1993-05-01), Shoda et al.
patent: 5375291 (1994-12-01), Tateyama et al.
patent: 5395649 (1995-03-01), Ikeda
patent: 5558110 (1996-09-01), Williford, Jr.
patent: 5706843 (1998-01-01), Matsuo
patent: 5720814 (1998-02-01), Takagi et al.
patent: 5762708 (1998-06-01), Motoda et al.
patent: 5803970 (1998-09-01), Tateyama et al.
patent: 5927303 (1999-07-01), Miya et al.
patent: 5979475 (1999-11-01), Satoh et al.
patent:
Eitoku Atsuro
Miyake Katsuyuki
Shinbara Kaoru
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co,. Ltd.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Stinson Frankie L.
LandOfFree
Method of and apparatus for processing substrate does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of and apparatus for processing substrate, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of and apparatus for processing substrate will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2447371