Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Hollow work – internal surface treatment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-17
2001-03-20
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Hollow work, internal surface treatment
C134S022120, C134S037000, C118S715000, C118S726000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202653
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing solution supplying apparatus, processing apparatus and method, which supply a vapor or mist of a processing solution to a substrate, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the photoresist process of manufacturing a semiconductor apparatus, a processing solution supplying apparatus is used, which supplies processing solution to the substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereafter called “wafer”). Meanwhile, in a hydrophobic process to improve the fixation between a wafer and a resist, hexamethyldisilzane (hereafter called “HMDS”) is used as a processing solution.
To perform this hydrophobic process uniformly, HMDS must be supplied uniformly to the wafer. Therefore conventionally, a solution HMDS is first changed into a vapor or mist form, and then supplied through a pipe to the wafer in a process chamber with a transfer gas such as nitrogen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in case the processing solution supplying apparatus itself stops working for a long time for reasons such as emergency stop, the vapor or mist of HMDS is kept ins the pipe. Consequently the size of the HMDS vapor or mist grows large with time.
When the hydrophobic process of a wafer is resumed under such condition, this large-sized mist will be supplied to the wafer in the process chamber. As a result, the HMDS vapor or mist may not be supplied uniformly to the wafer's surface.
An object of the present invention is to provide a processing solution supplying apparatus, a processing apparatus and method which enable an uniform supply of vapor or mist of a processing solution to a substrate, even when restarting the process after a prolonged stoppage of the processing solution supplying apparatus.
To solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for supplying a gas including a processing solution to a process chamber, the process chamber performing a predetermined process to an object to be processed, the apparatus comprising an output section outputting the gas including the processing solution, a supply pipe disposed between the output section and the processing chamber and supplying the output gas to the processing chamber, and cleaning means for causing a cleaning gas to pass through the supply pipe and discharging the cleaning gas just before the process chamber.
A second aspect of the present invention is a processing apparatus comprising a process chamber performing the predetermined process to an object to be processed using a gas including a processing solution, an output section for outputting gas including a processing solution, a supply pipe disposed between the output section and the process chamber for supplying the exhaust gas to the process chamber, and cleaning means for causing the cleaning gas to pass through the supply pipe and discharging the gas just before the process chamber.
A third aspect of the present invention is an apparatus which supplies a gas including a processing solution to a process chamber for performing a predetermined process to an object to be processed, comprising, a source outputting a transfer gas, a tank storing the processing solution, taking in the transfer gas output from the source, and sending out the transfer gas including the processing solution, a supply pipe disposed between the tank and the process chamber, supplying the transfer gas including the processing solution to the process chamber, a bypass pipe connecting the transfer gas supply source with the supply pipe, a first valve disposed between the transfer gas supply source and the tank, a second valve disposed between the tank and the supply pipe, a third valve disposed at the bypass pipe, exhaustion means disposed between the supply pipe and the process chamber and for exhausting the transfer gas passing through the supply pipe at the time of cleaning just before the process chamber, and a control section opening the first and second valves and closing the third valve at the time of performing the predetermined process to the object to be processed, and closing the first and second valves and opening the third valve at the time of cleaning.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a processing method comprising the steps of, (a) supplying a gas including a processing solution to a process chamber through a supply pipe, (b) performing a predetermined process to an object to be processed in the process chamber using the gas including the processing solution, and (c) causing a cleaning gas to pass through the supply pipe and exhausting the cleaning gas just before the process chamber.
In the present invention, when a large-sized mist exists inside the pipe, this mist can be exhausted without sending it to the process chamber. Therefore, when restarting the process after stopping the processing solution supplying apparatus for a long time, it is possible to supply the processing solution uniformly to the substrate.
These purpose and other purpose and benefits of the present invention can easily be defined with the following explanations and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5401316 (1995-03-01), Shiraishi et al.
patent: 5690743 (1997-11-01), Murakami et al.
Harada Koji
Kawano Fumihiko
Chaudhry Saeed T.
Gulakowski Randy
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Tokyo Electron Ltd.
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