JPH0143452B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for developing a photosensitive resist coated on the surface of a substrate for a semiconductor device.

In developing the exposed resist, it is necessary to uniformly contact each portion of the resist to be developed with an unreacted developer solution, preferably at a constant temperature, for a certain period of time to react with the resist. Although this contact reaction can be carried out continuously, it is often carried out several times intermittently for practical benefits such as economical use of the developer. Therefore, the method of developing the substrates one by one is more advantageous than the method of immersing a plurality of substrates in one developer tank and stirring the developer, and is often used.

Based on this idea, the resist developing apparatus in the prior art, as shown in FIG. After spraying or dispersing using a nozzle, the developer is accumulated on the substrate 2 to be developed to a certain thickness, for example, about 1 mm, and then a developing reaction is allowed to occur for a certain period of time, for example, several seconds, and then the substrate is The process of rotating the supporting/rotating device 1 to once remove the reacted developer from the substrate 2 to be developed, spraying the developer again onto the substrate 2 to be developed, allowing it to accumulate, and causing a development reaction is repeated several times. was. In this conventional method, (a) an unexpectedly large amount of developer is discarded without contributing to the reaction, and (b) it is difficult to maintain a constant temperature of the developer during the development reaction period. (3) The development reaction rate in each part of the substrate is not necessarily constant, resulting in uneven development results between each part of the board; (d) There is no agitation action of the developer, so the development speed is not necessarily fast. Some shortcomings were recognized, such as:

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks, and the purpose of the present invention is to maintain the developer by the surface tension of the developer on the upper surface of the substrate to be developed, which is placed on a substrate support/rotation device that is rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane. When the developer is supplied onto the substrate placed on the substrate support/rotation device, the distance is such that the developer can be held with surface tension, i.e. is determined by the diameter of the wafer and the type of resist, but in reality, the developer supply device is installed so as to face each other with an interval of about 1 to 2 mm), and the bottom surface of the developer supply device is Teflon, PFA,
A porous membrane made of a porous material such as SUS316 that allows the developer to pass through is provided, and a constant temperature device is provided inside the developer supply device to maintain the developer at a constant temperature, for example, about 25°C, and An intermittent developer supply device, such as an intermittent operation electromagnetic valve, which can intermittently supply the developer to the developer supply device 5 from a developer source (not shown) is provided near the developer supply device. , the developer is supplied to the developer supply device, the developer is caused to ooze out downward from the porous membrane provided on the lower surface of the developer supply device, and the gap between the upper surface of the substrate to be developed and the lower surface of the developer supply device is filled with the developer. After this is maintained at a constant temperature during the reaction period to uniformly develop each part of the substrate to be developed, the substrate support device is rotated to wash away the reacted developer, and this cycle is repeated several times to develop. The gist is what has been done to enable the work to be carried out. Furthermore, if the developer is stirred by operating an ultrasonic transmitter or the like during the reaction period, even more uniform and high-speed development becomes possible. The ultrasonic signal can be installed anywhere as long as it can uniformly supply ultrasonic waves to the resist film to be developed. ) or the lower part of the substrate support rotation device is practical.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings to clarify the configuration and unique effects of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate support/rotation device, which has a disk shape and has a shaft 11 in a horizontal plane.
It can be rotated around , and can be moved up and down. Reference numeral 2 denotes a substrate to be developed, which is fixed to the substrate support/rotation device 1 by a vacuum chuck or the like. 5 is a developer supply device, the lower surface of which faces the upper surface of the substrate 2 to be developed with an interval of about 1 mm, and has porous holes formed of a porous material such as Teflon, PFA, SUS316, etc. that allows the developer to pass through. It is composed of a plasma membrane 6. Further, inside thereof, there is provided a constant temperature device 7 for keeping the temperature of the developer constant at, for example, about 25°C. Further, the developer supply device 5 is provided with a developer intermittent supply device, such as a valve 8, for intermittently supplying the developer thereto. Although the mounting position of the intermittent developer supply device 8 is not particularly limited, it is realistically mounted above or inside the developer supply device 5 (provided in contact with the lower surface thereof) or at the bottom of the substrate support rotation device 1.

To develop the exposed resist applied to the surface of the semiconductor device substrate 2, first, after the substrate 2 is attached to the substrate support/rotation device 1,
The distance between the surface of the substrate 2 and the lower surface of the porous membrane 6 attached to the lower surface of the developer supply device 5 is appropriately adjusted, and the valve etc. 8 are adjusted to supply the developer to the developer supply device 5. When the constant temperature device 7 is operated, a developer at a constant temperature of, for example, 25° C. oozes out from the lower surface of the porous membrane 6 attached to the lower surface of the developer supply device 5.
The gap between the lower surface of the substrate 2 and the upper surface of the substrate 2 is filled. Here, if the valve or the like 8 is closed, the additional supply of the developer is stopped. What is important here is that an optimum amount of developer can be supplied without waste so that there is no developer that does not contribute to the reaction and is discarded, and that the developer can be uniformly supplied to each part of the substrate. Thus, the development reaction proceeds, but since the developer contributing to the reaction is close to the constant temperature device 7, the temperature is maintained at a substantially constant temperature during the reaction period. After a certain period of time, for example, 5 seconds, the substrate support/rotation device 1 is rotated and the reacted developer is discarded, then the valve etc. 8 is opened again to supply the developer, and the above development process is repeated a desired number of times. Naturally, the time required for each development reaction in this repeated development process is gradually increased to 10 seconds, then 20 seconds. Furthermore, if an ultrasonic transmitter (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the substrate support/rotation device 1 or the top of the developer supply device 5, it is effective to stir the developer during the development reaction period, and the process can be carried out uniformly and at high speed. This is effective in advancing the development reaction.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the developer supply medium of the developer supply device is made of a porous film made of a porous flat plate, and the developer is uniformly supplied to each part of the substrate simultaneously and during the development period. The temperature is kept constant, and each part of the substrate can be uniformly developed, and a sufficient amount of developer is supplied each time to fill the gaps maintained by the surface tension of the developer. This has the great effect of not wasting the developer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual elevational view of a resist developing device in the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual elevational view of a resist developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1...Substrate support/rotation device, 11...Substrate support/rotation device rotation shaft, 2...Substrate to be developed, 3...
Developing solution, 5... Developer supply device, 6... Porous membrane, 7... Constant temperature device, 8... Developer intermittent supply device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A substrate 2 to be developed having a photosensitive resist film to be developed on its surface is placed on the top surface of the substrate 2.
a substrate supporting/rotating device 1 that supports the substrate almost horizontally and rotatably; and the substrate facing the top surface of the substrate supporting/rotating device 1 and placed on the top surface of the substrate supporting/rotating device 1. 2, has a lower surface that is in contact with the upper surface of the developer supplied to the surface of 2, and has a lower surface through which the developer is held with the surface tension of the developer, and the lower surface does not allow the developer to pass through. a developer supplying device 5 having a porous film 6 containing water, and a constant temperature device 7 for maintaining the developer at a constant temperature inside the developer supplying device 5; A resist developing device comprising an intermittent supply device 8 for intermittently supplying a developer from a solution supply source. 2. An ultrasonic oscillation device is provided above or inside the developer supply device 5 or at the bottom of the substrate support/rotation device 1 to give an agitation effect to the developer that is in contact with the exposed resist film to be developed.
A resist developing device according to claim 1.