Coating apparatus – Projection or spray type – Rotating turret work support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-10
2003-09-09
Ghyka, Alexander (Department: 2812)
Coating apparatus
Projection or spray type
Rotating turret work support
C118S052000, C118S320000, C118S321000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06616762
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a treatment solution supply apparatus and a treatment solution supply method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a photolithography process, for example, in semiconductor device fabrication processes, resist coating treatment for applying a resist solution on a surface of a substrate, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a ‘wafer’), to form a resist film, exposure processing for exposing the wafer in a pattern, developing treatment for developing the wafer after being exposed in the pattern, and so on are performed to form a predetermined circuit pattern on the wafer.
The above resist coating treatment is usually performed in a resist coating unit. This resist coating unit includes a spin chuck
120
for mounting the wafer thereon and rotating the wafer, a plurality of resist solution supply nozzles
121
for supplying the resist solution to the wafer from a position above a center of the wafer, and a carrier
122
for holding and carrying the resist solution supply nozzles
121
, when the resist solution is applied, for example, as shown in FIG.
15
.
The carrier
122
includes a nozzle holder
123
for holding the resist solution supply nozzles
121
and an arm portion
124
to which the nozzle holder
123
is attached. The arm portion
124
is structured to be movable along a rail
125
which extends in an X-direction beside the spin chuck
120
. The arm portion
124
is also movable in a Z-direction. The nozzle holder
123
is fixed to the arm portion
124
in a predetermined position so that the nozzle holder
123
is positioned above the center of the wafer W when the arm portion
124
moves to be positioned above the center of the wafer.
Before being held by the nozzle holder
123
, the resist solution supply nozzles
121
are kept on stand-by in a nozzle box
126
which is disposed beside the spin chuck
120
. The nozzle box
126
is movable in a Y-direction. Then, when one of the resist solution supply nozzles
121
held by the nozzle holder
123
is to be replaced by another one of the resist solution supply nozzles
121
, the nozzle box
126
moves in the Y-direction to position said another one of the resist solution supply nozzle
121
, which is to be held next, under the nozzle holder
123
.
Therefore, in the above-described resist coating unit, the resist coating treatment is performed in a manner in which the arm portion
124
moves in the X and Z-directions so that the nozzle holder
123
holds the resist solution supply nozzle
121
which is kept on stand-by in the nozzle box
126
and the resist solution supply nozzle
121
is caused to move to a position above the center of the wafer and thereafter, the resist solution is supplied to the rotated wafer from the resist solution supply nozzle
121
.
However, the position of the nozzle holder
123
cannot be finely adjusted in the Y-direction even when the resist solution discharged from the resist solution supply nozzle
121
which is held by the nozzle holder
123
is not accurately supplied to the center of the wafer since the nozzle holder
123
is fixed to the arm portion
124
. Thus, when the resist solution cannot be supplied to the center of the wafer due to the inability of finely adjusting the position of the nozzle holder
123
, the supply amount of the resist solution needs to be increased so much more in order to form a uniform resist film on the wafer, which results in an increase in cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described aspects and provides a treatment solution supply apparatus and a treatment solution supply method in which the adjustment of the position of a treatment solution supply nozzle is facilitated so that a treatment solution such as a resist solution discharged from a treatment solution supply nozzle is supplied to an accurate position on a substrate such as a wafer.
A treatment solution supply apparatus according to the present invention is a treatment solution supply apparatus for supplying a treatment solution onto a substrate which is disposed in a predetermined processing position on a mounting portion, comprising: a treatment solution supply nozzle for supplying the treatment solution onto the substrate; and a nozzle holder for releasably holding the treatment solution supply nozzle, wherein the treatment solution supply nozzle is disposed in a predetermined stand-by position and the nozzle holder is movable in three dimensions.
The nozzle holder is structured to be movable in three dimensions as described above so that the position of the treatment solution supply nozzle can be finely adjusted and thereby, the treatment solution can be accurately supplied to an appropriate position on the substrate. Consequently, the treatment solution can be supplied accurately to the center of the substrate, for example, when the treatment solution is supplied onto the rotated substrate so that the amount of the treatment solution used can be decreased so much more. Furthermore, when what is called “position calculation”, which means to specify, for example, the center position of the substrate and the position where the plural treatment solution supply nozzles are kept on stand-by, and which is performed before the treatment solution is supplied onto the substrate, is performed, the movement of the nozzle holder in three dimensions also makes it possible to perform a more accurate location without manned mechanical adjustment.
When the plural treatment supply nozzles are provided, the plural treatment supply nozzles are disposed outside the substrate which is in the processing position and may be arranged in an arc shape with the center of the substrate being the center of the arc or may be linearly arranged. In this case, it is appropriate that treatment solution tubes connected to the respective treatment solution supply nozzles are disposed to radially extend in an outward direction from the respective treatment solution supply nozzles with the center of the substrate which is disposed in the predetermined processing position being the center of the radiation. This arrangement is appropriate since it can appropriately prevent the tubes from contacting each other.
In the treatment solution supply apparatus according to the present invention, a hole formed in the center of the processing position on the mounting portion, a light-emitting part for emitting a light through the hole in an upward direction, a light-receiving part, which is provided in the nozzle holder, for receiving the emitted light, and a specifying device for specifying, based on a position where the light-receiving part receives the light from the light-emitting part, the position of the center of the substrate disposed in the processing position may further be added. In this case, a laser displacement gauge may be provided in the nozzle holder side to detect the hole, instead of providing the light-emitting part in the hole.
Moreover, a specifying mechanism for specifying, based on the position of the nozzle holder when the nozzle holder holds an optional one of the treatment solution supply nozzles which is positioned in the stand-by position, coordinates of the stand-by position of the optional treatment solution supply nozzle in a coordinate system including the processing position may be added.
For more direct detection, an image pickup device for monitoring the substrate disposed in the processing position may be used for monitoring.
A treatment solution supply method according to the present invention utilized a treatment solution supply apparatus comprising: a mounting portion for mounting the substrate thereon; a plurality of treatment solution supply nozzles for supplying the treatment solution on the substrate; and a nozzle holder movable in three dimensions for holding the treatment solution supply nozzles, in which the treatment solution supply nozzles are disposed outside the substrate which is on the mounting portion and are arranged
Inada Hiroichi
Ookuma Hirofumi
Ghyka Alexander
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Tokyo Electron Limited
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