JPH08281184A - Processing device and processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To improve the throughput of coating / development processing of a substrate to be processed, improve the product yield, and downsize the device. [Structure] A coating mechanism 1 for coating a resist solution on the surface of a rectangular substrate G, and an edge removing mechanism 2 for spraying a removing solution on both sides of the edge of the substrate G coated with the resist solution to remove a coating film. Are arranged adjacent to each other, and a first transport mechanism 3 that carries in the substrate G to the coating mechanism 1 and carries out the substrate G from the edge removal mechanism 2; and the coating mechanism 1 to the edge removal mechanism 2 A second transfer mechanism 4 that transfers the substrate G is provided. As a result, after the substrate G is carried into the coating mechanism 1 by the first transport mechanism 3, the resist liquid is coated on the surface of the substrate G, and then the substrate G is transferred to the edge removal mechanism 2 by the second transport mechanism 4. After transporting
Unnecessary resist films on both edges of the two opposite sides of the substrate G can be removed, and the substrate G can be removed by the first transfer mechanism 3.
Can be carried out from the edge removing mechanism 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method for applying a coating liquid onto a rectangular substrate to be processed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a liquid crystal display (LC
D) In the manufacturing process of the device, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxi) is formed on the LCD substrate (glass substrate).
In order to form a thin film, electrode pattern, etc. of de), a circuit pattern etc. is reduced using a photolithography technique similar to that used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, transferred to a photoresist, and then developed. Processing is performed.

For example, a rectangular LCD which is a substrate to be processed
After the substrate is washed by the washing device, the LCD substrate is subjected to the hydrophobic treatment by the adhesion treatment device and cooled by the cooling treatment device, and then the photoresist coating film, that is, the photosensitive film is formed by the resist coating device. After that, the photoresist is heated by a heat treatment device to be subjected to a baking treatment, and then a predetermined pattern is exposed by an exposure device. Then, the exposed LCD substrate is coated with a developing solution by the developing device and developed, and then the developing solution is washed away with the rinse solution to complete the developing process.

When performing the above-mentioned processing, for example, as a method of forming a resist film, a rectangular LCD substrate (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) is placed on a holding means such as a spin chuck provided in a processing container. In the fixed state, the opening of the processing container is closed with a lid, the processing container and the spin chuck are rotated, and for example, a resist solution composed of a solvent and a photosensitive resin is dropped on the center of the upper surface of the substrate, A rotary cup type coating film forming method is known in which the resist solution is radially diffused from the central portion of the substrate toward the peripheral portion by the rotational force and centrifugal force of the substrate to apply the resist liquid.

In this coating process, even if the film thickness is uniform immediately after coating, after the rotation is stopped and the centrifugal force stops working, or after a lapse of time, due to the influence of the surface tension, the resist solution is removed at the peripheral portion of the substrate. It becomes thicker as it rises. Further, the phenomenon that the resist liquid flows around to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate to form an unnecessary film occurs. When a nonuniform thick film is formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate in this manner, the resist film on the peripheral portion is not completely removed during development of an integrated circuit pattern or the like, and remains after that. The remaining resist is peeled off during the carrying process, which causes the generation of particles.

Therefore, conventionally, after applying a resist solution or the like on the surface of the substrate, a process of removing an unnecessary coating film on the peripheral portion of the substrate is performed. By this coating film removing step, a removing liquid such as a solvent can be sprayed onto the peripheral portion of the substrate after the coating film forming step to remove the unnecessary coating film on the peripheral portion of the substrate.

Further, by incorporating a dedicated coating film removing device into the coating / developing processing system, the coating processing of the substrate and the unnecessary coating film removal on the peripheral portion of the substrate can be continuously performed.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
Not only does the equipment become larger by incorporating a dedicated coating film removal device into the development processing system, but also in addition to the coating processing and unnecessary coating film removal processing, the substrate is carried into the coating mechanism, and the coating mechanism to the coating film removal mechanism. Therefore, there is a problem in that the throughput is lowered because of the steps such as the transport of the film and the removal from the coating film removing mechanism.

In the conventional rotary cup type coating film forming method, the solvent in the resist solution evaporates during the process of diffusing the resist solution from the central position of the substrate toward the peripheral portion, so that it diffuses. The viscosity of the resist solution differs depending on the direction, and the thickness of the formed resist film differs between the central part and the peripheral part. Further, since the peripheral speed of the substrate is much higher at the outer peripheral portion than at the center position, the amount of scattering is large. That is, there was a limit to uniform coating. In order to solve this, for example, a method of suppressing the evaporation of the solvent in the resist solution by filling the same solvent used in the resist solution in the resist solution temperature adjustment or the resist film forming atmosphere and suppressing the evaporation of the solvent in the resist solution, A method of dropping the solvent of the resist solution on the surface of the substrate before applying the solution is conceivable.

However, in the former method, in which the temperature of the resist solution is adjusted or the same solvent as that used for the resist solution is filled in the atmosphere for forming the resist film to suppress the evaporation of the solvent in the resist solution, The amount used increases, and for example, only a few% of the amount of the resist solution applied contributes to the actual formation of the resist film. Moreover, since the amount of the resist solution is large, the resist solution spills over to the back surface of the corner portion of the substrate, and the resist solution adhering to the back surface of the substrate corner portion is dried, which causes the generation of particles.

Also, in the latter case, that is, in the method of dropping the solvent of the resist solution on the surface of the substrate before the application of the resist solution, it is difficult to apply the solution uniformly due to the uniformity of the solvent itself on the substrate and the difference in the dry state, and the above problems occur. Can not be fully resolved. In addition, this method also has a disadvantage that an extra resist solution must be used to form a resist film on the entire surface of the substrate, especially when the substrate is a rectangular prism, and similar to the above method. There is a problem in that the coating liquid spills over to the back surface of the corner portion of the substrate and then is dried to generate particles, resulting in a decrease in yield.

Further, since the substrate has a rectangular shape such as a rectangular shape, when the substrate is rotated at a high speed and the coating liquid is shaken off after applying the coating liquid such as the resist liquid, the substrate is removed from the periphery of the substrate by centrifugal force. There is also a problem that the coating liquid that is scattered toward one side may redeposit on the back surface of the corner portion of the rotating substrate, and the coating liquid that has adhered may dry and cause particles to be generated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is intended to improve the throughput of coating / development processing on a substrate to be processed and to improve the product yield by removing an unnecessary coating film on the peripheral portion of the substrate, and to improve the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing device and a processing method that can be downsized.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a first processing apparatus of the present invention is a holding means capable of horizontally rotating and vertically moving, holding one surface of a square substrate to be processed facing upward. And a coating mechanism having a cup-shaped processing container that surrounds the holding means and rotates together with the holding means, and a lid that closes the opening of the processing container, and a coating liquid that supplies the coating liquid to the substrate to be processed. A supply unit, an edge removing mechanism that removes the coating film by spraying a removing liquid onto the edge of the substrate to be processed on which the coating film of the coating liquid is formed, and the loading of the substrate to be processed into the coating mechanism. A first transport mechanism for unloading the substrate to be processed from the edge removing mechanism; and a second transport mechanism for transporting the substrate to be processed from the coating mechanism to the edge removing mechanism. (Claim 1).

A second processing apparatus of the present invention is a holding means capable of horizontally rotating and vertically moving, holding one surface of a square substrate to be processed upward, and a cup-shaped holding means surrounding this holding means. A coating mechanism having a processing container that rotates together with the processing container and a lid that closes the opening of the processing container, a solvent supply unit that supplies a solvent for the coating liquid to the substrate to be processed, and a coating liquid to the substrate to be processed. A coating liquid supply unit for removing the coating film by spraying a removing liquid onto the edge of the substrate on which the coating film of the coating liquid is formed, and the substrate to be coated on the coating mechanism. And a second transport mechanism for transporting the substrate to be processed from the coating mechanism to the edge removal mechanism. (Claim 2)

In the processing apparatus of the present invention, the edge removing mechanism is moved along a side of the substrate to be placed, which holds the substrate to be horizontally rotated, and the edge portion of the substrate to be processed. It is preferable that the nozzle is configured with a nozzle for ejecting the removing liquid. Further, a mounting means for holding the substrate to be processed horizontally rotatably, the nozzle for moving the edge removing mechanism along a side of the substrate to be processed and spraying a removing liquid to an edge of the substrate to be processed. It is also possible to configure with an auxiliary cleaning nozzle that sprays a removing liquid on the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed (claim 4).

Further, at least a second transfer mechanism of the first transfer mechanism or the second transfer mechanism is formed by an arm that holds a side portion of the substrate to be processed by vacuum suction, and the arm holds the substrate. It is preferable to provide a suction hole connected to the vacuum suction means on the surface, and to provide a pad member which is connected to the suction hole and is displaceable in the vertical direction with respect to the arm (claim 5).

On the other hand, the first processing method of the present invention comprises the step of loading the substrate to be processed so as to hold it on the holding means in the processing container, and supplying the coating liquid to the substrate to be processed and rotating it for rotation. A step of diffusing the processed substrate on one surface, a step of closing the lid of the processing container to seal the substrate to be treated in the processing container, and a step of rotating the processing container and the substrate to be treated with the lid closed. And adjusting the thickness of the coating film,
A step of transporting the substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed to an edge removing mechanism, a step of spraying a removing liquid to the edge of the substrate to remove the coating film on the edge part, and the edge removal And a step of unloading the substrate to be processed from the mechanism (claim 6).

The second processing method of the present invention comprises the step of loading the substrate to be processed so that it is held on the holding means in the processing container, and the solvent of the coating liquid is supplied onto one surface of the substrate to be processed. A step of supplying a coating liquid to the substrate to be processed, rotating the substrate to diffuse it on one surface of the substrate to be processed,
A step of closing the lid of the processing container and sealing the substrate to be treated in the treatment container, and a step of rotating the treatment container and the substrate of which the lid is closed to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. And a step of transporting the substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed to an edge removing mechanism, a step of spraying a removing liquid onto the edge of the substrate to be processed to remove the coating film on the edge, And a step of unloading the substrate to be processed from the part removing mechanism (claim 7).

In the processing method of the present invention, the step of removing the coating film is a method of spraying a removing liquid onto the edge portion of the substrate on which the coating film is formed to remove the coating film on the edge portion. The removing method may be arbitrary, but preferably, the step of removing the coating film is performed by spraying a removing liquid to the edge portion of the first side of the substrate on which the coating film is formed to remove the coating film. 1
And a second removing step of spraying a removing liquid on the edge of the second side of the substrate to be processed to remove the coating film on the edge (claim 8). .

Further, the step of removing the coating film includes a first removing step of spraying a removing liquid to the edge portion of the first side of the substrate having the coating film formed thereon to remove the coating film. A second removing step of spraying a removing liquid onto the edge of the second side of the substrate to remove the coating film on the edge, and a removing liquid onto the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed to the back surface of the corner. It is also possible to have an auxiliary removal step of removing the coating film that adheres (claim 9).

[0022]

According to the first and sixth aspects of the present invention, the processing liquid is supplied onto one surface of the substrate to be processed carried into the coating mechanism, rotated, and diffused to the one surface of the substrate to be processed. After closing the lid of the container and sealing the substrate to be processed in the processing container, the processing container and the substrate of which the lid is closed are rotated to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. Then, the removal liquid is simultaneously sprayed onto the edges of the first and second sides of the substrate to be processed that have been conveyed to the edge removal mechanism to remove the coating film on the edge, and then the edge removal mechanism performs processing. The substrate can be unloaded.

According to the second and seventh aspects of the present invention, the solvent of the processing liquid is applied onto one surface of the substrate to be processed carried into the coating mechanism to diffuse the solvent, and then the processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate to be processed. Then, the substrate is rotated to be diffused on one surface of the substrate to be processed, and the lid is closed on the processing container, and the substrate to be processed is sealed in the processing container. The substrate is rotated to adjust the thickness of the coating film. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of the coating liquid. Then, the removal liquid is simultaneously sprayed onto the edges of the first and second sides of the substrate to be processed that have been conveyed to the edge removal mechanism to remove the coating film on the edge, and then the edge removal mechanism performs processing. The substrate can be unloaded.

According to the third and eighth aspects of the invention, after removing the coating film on the edge of one side of the substrate to be processed held by the mounting means, the mounting means is rotated to rotate the substrate to be processed. The coating film on the edge of the other side can be removed.

According to the invention of claims 4 and 9, the edge removing mechanism is provided with an auxiliary cleaning nozzle for ejecting a removing liquid to the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed, whereby the corner of the substrate to be processed is provided. The coating film attached to the back surface can be removed.

According to the invention of claim 5, the first
Of at least the second transport mechanism or the second transport mechanism
The transfer mechanism is formed by an arm that holds the side portion of the substrate to be processed by vacuum suction, and the substrate holding surface of this arm is provided with a suction hole connected to the vacuum suction means. By providing a vertically displaceable pad member, it is possible to reliably transfer the substrate to be processed, and to suppress generation or damage of particles in the contact portion of the substrate to be processed during transfer. it can.

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the processing device of the present invention is used as an LCD.
A case where the present invention is applied to a substrate resist coating apparatus will be described.

The processing apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, has a rectangular substrate to be processed, for example, a rectangular LCD substrate G.
A coating mechanism 1 that coats the resist liquid by supplying a coating liquid, for example, a resist liquid from a coating liquid supply nozzle 42 to the surface of the substrate (hereinafter referred to as a substrate), and removes an unnecessary coating film formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate G. The first part configured to adjoin the edge removing mechanism 2 adjacent to, for example, integrally in the same atmosphere, and carry in the substrate G to the coating mechanism 1 and carry out the substrate G from the edge removing mechanism 2. And the second transport mechanism 4 for transporting the substrate G coated by the coating mechanism 1 to the edge removing mechanism 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating mechanism 1 has a holding means, for example, a spin chuck 10 for holding the substrate G in a horizontal state by a vacuum, and a processing chamber 11 surrounding the upper and outer peripheral portions of the spin chuck 10. A cup-shaped processing container 12 (hereinafter referred to as a rotating cup) having an open upper portion, a lid 16 that is removably attached to (removable from) the opening 12a of the rotating cup 12, and a lid 16 of the lid 16. A flat plate-shaped straightening plate 13 vertically extending downward and projecting outward from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate G, and a cup-shaped fixed container 14 that surrounds the outer peripheral side of the processing container 12 (hereinafter referred to as a drain) A cup), a fixed lid 15 that is removably attached (attached) to the opening of the drain cup 14, and a lid 16
And a robot arm 20 for moving the fixed lid 15 to a closed position and a standby position, a spin chuck 10 and a rotating cup 12.
Drive motor 21 for rotating the spin chuck 10 and the spin chuck 10 described above.
A supply nozzle 40 (solvent supply means) for a solvent (solvent) A of a coating solution and a supply nozzle 42 (coating solution supply means) for a coating solution, for example, a resist solution B are arranged close to each other. And a nozzle moving mechanism 37 which is a moving means for holding the jet head 39 and moving it between the jet head standby position and the substrate upper position.

In this case, the solvent A and the resist solution B flowing in the solvent supply path and the resist solution supply path from the nozzles 40 and 42 are set to preset temperatures (for example, 23 ° C.). A temperature adjusting mechanism 45 that circulates and supplies the temperature adjusting liquid C is provided. Further, a mounting member 34 capable of moving up and down together with the spin chuck 10 is mounted at a position near the spin chuck 10 below the spin chuck 10 via a bearing 34a between the spin chuck 10 and the spin chuck 10. Cleaning nozzle 35
(Container cleaning means) and a supply nozzle 36 (inert gas supply means) for supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas are attached.

The spin chuck 10 is formed of a heat-resistant synthetic resin member made of, for example, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), and is driven based on a preset program, and a drive motor 21 capable of varying the rotation speed. It can be rotated (rotated) in the horizontal direction via a rotating shaft 22 that is rotated by the drive of the drive shaft, and can be moved in the vertical (vertical) direction by driving an elevating cylinder 23 connected to the rotating shaft 22. Has become. In this case, the rotary shaft 22
Is slidably connected to a spline bearing 27 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of a rotating inner cylinder 26a rotatably mounted on the inner peripheral surface of the fixed collar 24 via a bearing 25a. A driven pulley 28a is mounted on the spline bearing 27, and a belt 29a is stretched between the driven pulley 28a and the drive pulley 21b mounted on the drive shaft 21a of the drive motor 21. Therefore, the drive motor 2
The drive of No. 1 causes the rotation shaft 22 to rotate via the belt 29a, so that the spin chuck 10 is rotated. The lower side of the rotary shaft 22 is arranged in a cylinder body (not shown), and the rotary shaft 22 is connected to the lifting cylinder 23 via the vacuum seal portion 30 in the cylinder body. Is configured to be movable in the vertical direction.

The rotary cup 12 is formed of, for example, a stainless steel member, and has a connecting cylinder 31 fixed to the upper end of a rotating outer cylinder 26b mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed collar 24 via a bearing 25b. Attached to the bottom 12b of the rotary cup 12 and the spin chuck 10.
An O-ring 32 for sealing is interposed between the lower surface of the spin chuck 10 and the lower surface of the spin chuck 10, and the airtightness is maintained in a state where the spin chuck 10 descends and contacts the O-ring 32. Further, the drive from the drive motor 21 is transmitted to the rotary cup 12 by the driven pulley 28b attached to the rotary outer cylinder 26b and the belt 29b which is stretched around the drive pulley 21b attached to the drive motor 21, so that the rotary cup 12 is rotated. It is configured to be rotated. In this case, the diameter of the driven pulley 28b is formed to be the same as the diameter of the driven pulley 28a mounted on the rotating shaft 22, and the same drive motor 21 and belt 2 are used.
Since 9a and 29b are hung, the rotating cup 12
And the spin chuck 10 rotates the same. A labyrinth seal portion 33 is formed on the facing surface of the fixed collar 24 and the rotating inner cylinder 26a and the rotating outer cylinder 26b to prevent dust from entering the rotary cup 12 from the lower drive system during rotation processing. (See FIG. 3).

Further, the rotary cup 12 is formed by forming a tapered surface 12e in which the inner surface of the side wall 12c is reduced in diameter toward the upper side, and a plurality of peripheral portions are formed at appropriate positions in the circumferential direction on the lower peripheral portion, that is, on the lower side of the side wall 12c. The exhaust hole 12d is formed.

A contact ring 16a made of Delrin (trade name), for example, is fixed to the lower surface of the periphery of the lid body 16 that closes the opening 12a of the rotary cup 12 in order to avoid metal contact with the rotary cup 12. In addition, the robot arm 2 is provided at the center of the lid body 16 via a bearing 16b.
A support cylinder 19 supported at 0 is attached, and an air inlet 16c is provided at the center of the support cylinder 16.

As described above, the air introduction port 16c is provided in the lid body 16 and the exhaust hole 12d is provided in the rotary cup 12, so that the inside of the processing chamber 11 becomes a negative pressure when the rotary cup 12 rotates to introduce the air. Air flows from the opening 16c into the rotary cup 12, and the air is discharged from the exhaust hole 12d along the inner wall of the rotary cup 12 by the flow straightening plate 13. Therefore, the mist of the resist liquid that has scattered is discharged by this air flow. Therefore, reattachment to the substrate G can be prevented, and the processing chamber 11 can be rotated when the rotary cup 12 rotates.
It is possible to prevent an excessive negative pressure in the inside.

On the other hand, a plurality of drainage ports 14a are concentrically provided on the outer peripheral side of the bottom of the drain cup 14, and the drainage ports 14a are provided at appropriate positions (for example, four positions in the circumferential direction) on the inner peripheral side. Is provided with an exhaust port 14b connected to an exhaust device (not shown). In this case, the drainage port 14a is opened in the tangential direction of the rotation direction (eg, clockwise direction) of the substrate G and the rotary cup 12. For example, the central axis of the space inside the drainage port 14a is formed to be inclined at an angle smaller than a right angle with respect to the bottom 12b. The reason why the drainage port 14a is provided in the tangential direction of the rotation direction of the substrate G and the rotary cup 12 is that the mist of the resist solution scattered with the rotation of the substrate G and the rotary cup 12 is quickly discharged to the outside. This is because I decided to do so.

Further, the fixed lid 15 is formed of a stainless steel member supported by the supporting column 19, and the lower surface of the outer periphery of the fixed lid 15 avoids the metal contact with the drain cup 14. Therefore, a ring-shaped contact member 15a made of Delrin (trade name) is fixed. Also, a plurality of air supply holes 15b are provided on the concentric circle on the center side of the fixed lid body 15.
Is provided.

In this way, a plurality of air supply holes 15a are provided on the concentric circle on the center side of the fixed lid body 15, and the drain cup 1
By providing the exhaust port 14b at the bottom of the drain cup 4, the drain cup 1 is supplied from the air supply hole 15a when the rotary cup 12 rotates.
Since the air flowing into the inside of the rotating cup 4 flows along the outer wall of the rotating cup 12, the mist scattered by the centrifugal force in the processing chamber 11 during the rotating process and flowing into the drain cup 14 through the exhaust hole 12d is rotated. Can be discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 14b by preventing it from rising to the upper side.

The lid 16 needs to be fixed to the opening 12a of the rotary cup 12 and rotated integrally during the rotation process. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a fitting recess 17b is provided on the lower surface of the abutment ring 16a, and the fitting recess 17b is fitted to the fixing pin 17a protruding above the rotary cup 12, so that the lid body 16 is removed. It is fixed to the rotating cup 12. In this case, the top of the fixing pin 17a is formed into a spherical shape to reduce dust generated by contact with the fitting recess 17b. The fixing pin 17a does not necessarily have to project to the rotating cup side, and the fixing pin 17a does not have to protrude to the lid side.
May be projected, and the fitting recess 17b may be provided on the rotary cup side. Further, inside the fitting recess 17b, the periphery of the fixing pin 17a may be connected to a suction means (not shown) so that dust generated by contact between the fixing pin 17a and the fitting recess 17b is discharged to the outside.

When the lid 16 is opened and closed, as shown in phantom in FIG. 2, the robot arm 20 is inserted under the bulging head 18 projecting from the upper surface of the lid 16, and the bulging head is bulged. This can be performed by engaging the locking pin 20a protruding from the robot arm 20 with the locking groove 18a provided in the portion 18 and then moving the robot arm 20 up and down. The locking groove 18a of the bulging head 18 and the locking pin 20a of the robot arm 20 are aligned when the lid 16 is opened, and the fixing pin 17a when the lid 16 is closed.
The position of the fitting recess 17b can be adjusted by controlling the rotation angle of the drive motor 21 formed by a servomotor or the like.

In the above embodiment, the lid 16 and the rotating cup 1
The case where the fixing pin 17a and the fitting recess 17b are fixed to each other has been described, but it is not always necessary to have such a structure, and the lid body 16 is separately provided by using a pressing mechanism.
If is fixed to the rotating cup 12, it is possible to prevent dust from being generated when the lid 16 is opened and rattling of the lid 16 during rotation processing. Since the fixed lid 15 is fixed to the support column 19 that rotatably supports the lid 16, the fixed lid 15 may move up and down as the lid 16 opens and closes to open and close the opening of the drain cup 14. You can

The N ₂ gas supply nozzle 36 is an annular nozzle formed by forming a large number of small holes at appropriate intervals on the outer peripheral surface of a donut-shaped hollow annular pipe. The N ₂ gas supply nozzle 36 configured as described above
Is a mounting member 3 that moves up and down together with the spin chuck 10.
4 and is connected to an N ₂ gas supply source (not shown) via an N ₂ gas supply tube 36c penetrating the fixed collar 24. Then, as the spin chuck 10 is raised after the rotation process, the spin chuck 10 rises and the process chamber 1 of the rotary cup 12 rises.
When located (exposed) in 1, by injecting radially a N ₂ gas supplied from N ₂ gas supply source into the processing chamber 11, the processing chamber 11 while N ₂ purge, the processing chamber 11 The negative pressure (reduced pressure) state is released so that the lid 16 can be easily opened thereafter.

The cleaning nozzle 35 attached to the attachment member 34 together with the N ₂ gas supply nozzle 36 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a bottom surface cleaning nozzle body 35 a inclined toward the bottom surface of the rotary cup 12, a side surface cleaning nozzle body 35 b horizontally protruding toward the inner side surface of the rotary cup 12, and a bottom surface of the lid body 16 are provided. Lid cleaning nozzle body 35c
It consists of and. These nozzle bodies 35a to 35c
Is a cleaning liquid supply tube 36 penetrating the fixed collar 24.
It is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) via d.
When the rotary cup 12 is cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 35, first, after the rotation process, the spin chuck 10 is lifted and the nozzle bodies 35 a to 35 c are positioned (exposed) in the processing chamber 11 of the rotary cup 12. Next, the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source is supplied to each nozzle body 35a ...
The bottom surface, the inner side surface of the rotary cup 12 and the lower surface of the lid body 16 that rotate from 35c (specifically, the lid body 16 and the rotary cup 1).
It is possible to wash and remove the resist liquid, particles and the like adhering to the rotating cup 12 and the lid 16 by spraying the liquid toward the abutting portion of 2 and the lower surface of the lid in the vicinity thereof. This cleaning process may be performed periodically after processing a predetermined number of substrates G.

On the other hand, the solvent supply nozzle 40 is connected to a solvent tank 41c via a solvent supply tube 41a which is a solvent supply path and an opening / closing valve 41b, and the nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas supplied into the solvent tank 41c is supplied. By controlling the pressurization of the solvent A in the solvent tank 41c, a predetermined amount of the solvent A can be supplied onto the substrate G for a predetermined time.

The resist solution supply nozzle 42 is in communication with a resist solution tank 44b containing the resist solution B via a resist solution supply tube 44a which is a resist solution supply passage. The tube 44a includes a suck back valve 44c, an air operation valve 44d, and a bubble removing mechanism 44 for separating and removing bubbles in the resist solution B.
e, a filter 44f, and a bellows pump 44g are sequentially provided. The bellows pump 44g is capable of expanding and contracting under the control of the drive unit, and is capable of supplying, for example, dropping a predetermined amount of the resist liquid B to the central portion of the substrate G via the resist liquid supply nozzle 42. . It is possible to control the supply amount of the resist liquid B which is smaller than the conventional supply amount of the resist liquid B. This drive unit has a ball screw 44h having a screw whose one end is attracted to one end of the bellows pump and a nut screwed to the screw through a ball.
And a stepping motor 44i that linearly moves the screw by rotating the nut.

The diameter of the resist solution supply nozzle 42 is specifically set to have an inner diameter of φ0.5 to φ5 mm, preferably φ3 mm for a substrate of 500 × 600 mm. In this way, by setting the diameter of the nozzle according to the size of the substrate, it is possible to supply a small amount of the resist solution B as long as possible.
If the supply time is short, the film thickness is not uniform, and if it is too long, the resist solution does not reach the peripheral portion of the substrate. Here, the smallest possible amount depends on the diameter of the nozzle and the resist solution supply pressure.

In the resist solution supply system constructed as described above, the discharge time of the resist solution is determined by the bellows pump 44.
The stepping motor 44i of g is controlled by the driving time (control accuracy: ± 2 msec).
Further, the discharge amount of the resist liquid is the driving operation of the bellows pump 44g, for example, the driving time and the driving speed, and the air operation valve 4 for opening and closing the resist liquid supply passage.
It is set by the opening / closing operation (ON-OFF operation) of 4d. Setting the drive time of the bellows pump 44g and O of the air operation valve 44d
The N-OFF operation is automatically controlled by the action of the computer based on a preset program.

The discharge time of the resist solution B is controlled by a variable orifice (not shown) provided in the resist solution supply nozzle 42.
It is also possible to perform the opening and closing operation of. Further, the resist solution B can be supplied by pressurizing the resist solution tank 44b with N ₂ gas without using the bellows pump 44g. In this case, the discharge time of the resist solution B can be controlled with the N ₂ gas. It can be performed by adjusting the amount of pressurization.

The suck back valve 44c provided in the resist solution supply system collects the resist solution B remaining on the inner wall of the tip of the resist solution supply nozzle 42 due to surface tension after the resist solution is discharged from the resist solution supply nozzle 42. This is a valve for returning the resist liquid to the inside of the resist liquid supply nozzle 42, thereby preventing solidification of the residual resist liquid. In this case, in the resist solution supply nozzle 42 that discharges a small amount of the resist solution B, when the resist solution B is pulled back into the resist solution supply nozzle 42 by the negative pressure action of the suck back valve 44c as usual, the nozzle 42 is discharged.
The air near the tip is also entrained in the nozzle 42, the residue of the resist liquid B adhering to the tip of the nozzle 42 enters the nozzle 42, and the nozzle 42 is clogged, and the dried resist becomes particles. Board G
Is contaminated, and the yield may be reduced.

In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 5A, the nozzle hole 42 of the resist solution supply nozzle 42 is used.
The wall thickness 42b near the opening is made thicker than that of a. That is, the nozzle 42 has a tubular tip portion and an inverted frustoconical portion that follows the tubular tip portion. Instead, as shown in FIG. 5B, the outer flange 4 is attached to the cylindrical tip portion or opening of the resist solution supply nozzle 42.
By providing 2c, the nozzle 4 can be used when sucking back.
(2) It is possible to prevent the inclusion of air near the tip.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, a bent portion 42d having a small diameter and extending in a lateral S shape is formed at a vertically extending cylindrical end of the resist solution supply nozzle 42, and the center of the bent portion 42d is formed. By sucking back to the vicinity, it is possible to prevent air from being entrained in the nozzle tip portion in the same manner.

The temperature adjusting mechanism 45 (temperature adjusting means)
As shown in FIG. 6, the temperature control liquid supply path 46a is provided so as to surround the outer peripheries of the solvent supply tube 41a and the resist supply tube 44a, and both ends of the temperature control liquid supply path 46a are provided at both ends. A circulation module 46b connected to each other, a circulation pump 46c provided in each circulation module 46b, and a thermo module that maintains the temperature adjustment liquid C (for example, constant temperature water) connected in the middle of the circulation module 46b at a constant temperature. And 46d. With the temperature adjusting mechanism 45 configured in this way, the solvent A flowing in the solvent supply tube 41a and the resist solution B flowing in the resist supply tube 44a are heated to a predetermined temperature (for example,
Can be maintained at about 23 ° C.

In FIG. 6, the solvent supply nozzle 40 and the solvent supply tube 41a are shown as the resist solution supply nozzle 4 again.
2 and the resist liquid supply tube 44a are integrally formed, respectively, but it is also preferable to form them separately as described in detail below with reference to FIG.

The nozzle head 39 is made of, for example, a stainless steel or aluminum alloy member. U-shaped holes forming a part of the bypass passage 47a are formed on the upper surface of the jet nozzle 39, and a vertical through hole 47b extending to the lower surface of the nozzle nozzle 39 is formed at the bottom of the hole. Each through hole 47b has an inclined middle portion 47c having a larger diameter as it goes downward, and a lower portion 47d having a larger diameter.
A female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of 7d. When the nozzles 40 and 42 are mounted on the nozzle head 39 having such a configuration, the cylindrical nozzles 40 and 42 are inserted into the through hole 47b so that the upper and lower portions thereof extend, and the nozzles 40 and 42 are inserted. A sealing member 47f made of a synthetic resin having a substantially conical shape having a vertical through hole through which the 42 can penetrate is provided with an inclined middle portion 47c.
, And a screw member 47g having a vertical through hole through which the nozzles 40 and 42 can penetrate is screwed into the screwing lower portion 47d to press the seal member 47f against the inclined inner peripheral surface of the middle portion 47c. In this way, the nozzle 4
The nozzles 0 and 42 are mounted on the nozzle 39 in a liquid-tight manner. In this case, the O-ring 47h is interposed between the upper surface of the intermediate portion 5b and the upper surface of the seal member 47f as shown in the figure, so that the watertightness between the bypass passage 15 and the nozzles 40 and 42 is more reliably maintained. can do.

The spout 39 is horizontal (in the X and Y directions).
Is attached to the tip of a moving arm 37a that can rotate and move in the vertical direction (Z direction). The moving arm 37a is
As shown in FIG. 1, the solvent supply nozzle 40 and the resist solution supply nozzle 42 are disposed outside the drain cup 14 and are driven by a driving means such as a stepping motor (not shown) so as to move the solvent supply nozzle 40 and the resist solution supply nozzle 42 above the center of the substrate G and the nozzle. It is adapted to be selectively moved to a standby position above the standby unit 38. That is, from the standby position to the solvent supply nozzle 4
0 is moved to the central position of the substrate G, and after a predetermined time has passed, the resist solution supply nozzle 42 is moved to the central position of the substrate G, and then both nozzles 40 and 42 are moved to the standby portion 38. Has become. The spray head 39, that is, the moving mechanism of the solvent supply nozzle 40 and the resist solution supply nozzle 42 does not necessarily need to be the above-described rotating moving arm 37a, and for example, a linear scanning mechanism may be used.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure in which the solvent supply nozzle 40 is integrally provided with the resist solution supply nozzle 42 at the nozzle head 39 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rinse solution supply nozzle is used. The solvent may be supplied by being provided integrally with the jet nozzle. Alternatively, for example, the solvent supply nozzle 40 may be arranged on the outer periphery of the resist liquid supply nozzle 42 coaxially with the resist solution supply nozzle 42, so that the solvent liquid supply nozzle 40 can be appropriately changed.

In the above embodiment, the lid 16 of the rotary cup 12 is moved by the robot arm 20 and opened to supply the solvent A supply nozzle 40 and the resist solution B supply nozzle 42.
In the above description, the moving mechanism 37 moves the substrate G above the center of the substrate G to drop the solvent A and the resist solution B. However, the opening 12a of the rotary cup 12 is dropped with the lid 16 closed. It may be configured to do so. For example,
As shown in FIG. 8, the bulging head portion 18 of the lid body 16 is formed in a hollow shape, and the upper end portion thereof can be closed by the lid 18A. Then, the lid 18A is opened, and the nozzle is moved above the bulge head 18 by the moving mechanism 37, that is, the substrate G.
Alternatively, the solvent A and the resist solution B may be dropped above the central portion of the above. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle mounting member 18B is installed inside the bulging head portion 18 in the bearing 1.
The lid 16 is rotatably attached by 8C or the like. The nozzle 4 attached to the nozzle mounting member 18B with the opening 12a of the rotary cup 12 closed by the lid 16.
The solvent A and the resist solution B may be dropped onto the central part of the substrate G from 0 and 42.

As described above, the opening 16a is formed in the lid 16.
By dropping the solvent A and the resist solution B in the closed state, the processing throughput is shortened as compared with the moving type by the moving mechanism 37, and the processing process from the dropping of the solvent A in the sealed state to the end of the coating process is performed. It can be realized. For example, a process of rotating the rotary cup 12 while supplying the resist solution B after supplying the solvent A, then stopping the supply of the resist solution B, and rotating the rotary cup 12 can be realized.

Further, in the above embodiment, the solvent supply nozzle 4
The case where the solvent A is dropped from 0 to the center of the substrate G and then the resist solution B is dropped onto the substrate G to form a resist film has been described. However, when the resist solution including the solvent and the photoresist is used, It is also possible to use the coating mechanism 1 in which the resist solution B is dropped from the resist solution supply nozzle onto the substrate G without using the solvent supply nozzle and the resist film is formed using the solvent of the resist solution B itself. .

On the other hand, the edge removing mechanism 2 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, a mounting table which is a mounting means capable of adsorbing and holding the substrate G by a vacuum device (not shown) and rotating 90 degrees or more in the horizontal direction. 50, and a pair of removal nozzles 51 for injecting a resist removing liquid, for example, a resist solvent, on the upper and lower surfaces of the edge portions of the two opposite sides of the substrate G held by the mounting table 50. .

The table 50 is horizontally rotated by 90 degrees or more by a driving device 52 having a rotating mechanism such as a motor and an elevating mechanism such as an elevating cylinder and a ball screw, and is movable up and down. . The mounting table 50 configured in this way is switched between a delivery position of the substrate G and a coating film removal processing position by raising and lowering, and a standby position.
Two opposing sides of the set can be switched and moved to the removal nozzle 51 side.

The removing nozzle 51 is shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a solvent supply passage 53c for removing the resist on the surface provided on each of the upper horizontal piece 53a and the lower horizontal piece 53b of the nozzle head 53 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that covers the upper and lower surfaces and the side surface of the edge of the substrate G. And a nozzle 51a for cleaning the front surface and a nozzle 51b for cleaning the rear surface, which are thin needle-like needles connected to the solvent supply passage 53d for removing the resist on the rear surface. In this case, the nozzle 51a is hung so that the nozzle is directed downward, the nozzle 51b is hung so that the nozzle is directed upward, and the nozzle 51a and the nozzle 51b are arranged so that the ejected removal liquid is in the vicinity of each nozzle. Are arranged so that they do not interfere with each other. Nozzle 5
1a and the nozzle 51b are provided so as to be offset from each other, when the solvent ejected from the nozzles 51a and 51b collides in the vicinity of the nozzle, the solvent scattered by the collision adheres to the resist film on the surface portion of the substrate G. This is to prevent adverse effects such as making the resist film non-uniform in thickness.

An exhaust port 53f is provided in the vertical portion 53e on the nozzle side inside the injection nozzle 53 of the removal nozzle 51, and an exhaust pipe 54 connected to an exhaust device (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port 53f for removal. The solvent sprayed from the nozzle 51 and used for removing the resist film is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 54.

In the above embodiment, the case where the nozzle 51a is drooped straight has been described, but it is not always necessary to have such a shape, and as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. It may be bent in a slanted manner from the inner side to the outer side. By bending in this manner, the removing liquid ejected from the nozzle 51a is directed to the peripheral direction of the substrate G, and therefore it is possible to prevent the removing liquid from adhering to the resist film on the center side. Further, similarly, the injection port of the nozzle 51b may be bent in an inclined manner from the inside of the substrate G toward the outside thereof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the pair of removing nozzles 51 having the above-described structure are provided with a position adjusting mechanism 55.
Is arranged on the first side, for example, the long side and the second side, for example, the short side, facing each other of the substrate G so that their positions can be adjusted.
The vertical movement mechanism 56 moves up and down to the resist film removal position and the standby position on the edge of the substrate G, and the left and right movement mechanism 57 moves along the edge of the substrate G. In this case, it is also possible to provide a plurality of removal nozzles 51 at appropriate intervals in the moving direction,
Further, the removal performance can be improved.

In this case, the position adjusting mechanism 55 includes a cylinder body 59a connected to the nozzle head of one of the opposing removal nozzles 51 via a mounting member 58a, and this cylinder body 59.
Telescopic rod 5 slidably mounted on a and connected to the nozzle head 53 of the other removal nozzle 51 via a mounting member 58b.
When the telescopic rod 59b of the air cylinder 59 extends, the mounting members 58a and 58b collide with each other and the outer stopper 60a that positions the removal position of the removal nozzle 51 on the long side of the substrate G side. When the telescopic rod 59b of the air cylinder 59 contracts, the two mounting members 58a and 58b collide with each other to position the removal position of the removal nozzle 51 on the short side of the substrate G on the inside stopper 60.
and b. Both removing nozzles 51 are supported by a supporting member 61 to which a cylinder body 59a of an air cylinder 59 is attached.

Further, the vertical movement mechanism 56 includes a support member 61.
And an elevating member 64 that is attached to the lower surface of one end of the elevating member and that can elevate and lower along an elevating guide rail 63 provided on a traveling plate 62 that can be moved in the horizontal direction (Y direction) described later. And a telescopic rod 65b slidably mounted on the cylinder body 65a and attached to the traveling plate 62. Further, the traveling plate 62 is movably mounted on the standing wall 67, which is horizontally arranged on the side surface of the standing wall 67 standing upright from the base plate 66, and is mounted on the standing wall 67. The left and right moving mechanism 57 is configured by fastening a timing belt 69a, which is wound around a pulley 69 and a drive pulley (not shown) mounted on the drive shaft of a drive motor (not shown), to the traveling plate 62.

An auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A for removing the resist film adhering to the back surface of the corner of the substrate G is arranged below the mounting table 50 (see FIG. 12). As shown in FIG. 15, the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A is mounted on the mounting table 5
The auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A and a tank 4b for accommodating a thinner T as a solvent are attached to the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A and the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A one by one at a diagonal position of 0 by a supporting member 4a.
Are connected via a solvent supply tube 4c. In addition, in order to remove the resist film attached to the back surface of the corner of the substrate G from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A, for example, a nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas supply source 4d supplies a pressure-feeding gas into the tank 4b and a solvent supply tube. Valve 4e interposed in 4c
Is opened, and the thinner T is sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A toward the rear surface of the corner of the substrate G. In this case,
As indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 5, the tank 4b and the N ₂ gas supply source 4 are connected to the solvent supply tube 4c via the three-way switching valve 4f.
By connecting with d, the solvent is sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A to remove the resist film adhering to the back surface of the corner of the substrate G, and then the three-way switching valve 4f is switched to discharge the N ₂ gas from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A. It can be sprayed (supplied) to accelerate the drying of the back surface of the corner portion.

In this case, when the substrate G has a rectangular shape (for example, a rectangular shape), as shown in FIG. 16A, when the spin chuck 10 is rotated, the resist solution coated on the surface of the substrate G is spun off. The resist liquid adhered to the long side of the substrate G is scattered to the outside of the substrate G by the force, but the resist liquid adhered to the short side of the substrate G is scattered to the outside of the side of the substrate G. , The substrate G colliding with the adjacent corners
Reattach to the back surface of the corner at the diagonal position of. The larger the rotation speed of the substrate G and the larger the dimension of the substrate G,
The larger the ratio of the short side to the longer side, and the larger the amount of the applied resist liquid, the larger the ratio. Therefore, the mounting table 50 corresponding to the diagonal corners of the substrate G to which the resist solution adheres
By disposing the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A on the lower side of the diagonal position of, the resist film adhered to the back surface of the corner of the substrate G can be easily removed by the thinner sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A.

When the substrate G has a square shape,
Although the redeposition amount is originally reduced as compared with the case of a rectangle, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the resist solution applied to the surface of the substrate G is shaken off by the rotation of the spin chuck 10, When the resist solution scattered from each side reattaches to the back surface of each adjacent corner and needs to be removed, a total of four auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51A are provided on the lower side of each corner of the mounting table 50. Just set it up.

Instead of providing the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51A, it is also possible to use an improved structure of the above-mentioned removal nozzle 51. That is, as shown in FIG. 17A, the lower horizontal side 53 b of the jet nozzle 53 of the removal nozzle 51 is extended outward (to the side of the substrate G), and the back surface cleaning nozzle 5
When the needle-shaped first to fourth auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c, 51d, 51e, and 51f extend upright in an upright manner at appropriate intervals outside 1b, and the removal nozzle 51 is located at a corner of the substrate G. In addition, the front surface cleaning nozzle 51a, the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b, and the first to fourth auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51
A solvent such as thinner is sprayed from f to remove the resist film attached to the front and back surfaces of the corners of the substrate G. Removal nozzle 51
When the substrate G moves in the central portion of each side of the substrate G that is out of the corners, the injection of the thinner from the first to fourth auxiliary nozzles 51c to 51f is stopped and the thinner is ejected only from the nozzles 51a and 51b. Then, the resist film attached to both sides of the edge of the substrate G is removed.

In addition to the solvent supply passage 53b of the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b, solvent supply passages 53c of auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f are provided. Also, the solvent supply path 53c
A valve (not shown) is provided between the auxiliary cleaning nozzles to sequentially open or close the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f to gradually increase or decrease the solvent sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f. You can also let it.

Auxiliary cleaning nozzle 5 constructed as described above
1c to 51f are on the outer side of the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b (substrate G).
However, since the solvent sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f may be sprayed in the form of a fountain and scattered around,
As shown in FIG. 18, the nozzle head 53 is connected to a side surface of the nozzle head body 53A having a front surface cleaning nozzle 51a and a back surface cleaning nozzle 51b and having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is outside the nozzle head body 53A. The auxiliary jet nozzle 53B having a substantially U-shaped cross section protruding toward one side is provided. The auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f are provided on the lower horizontal piece 53g of the auxiliary jet nozzle 53B, and sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f. It is preferable that the upper horizontal piece 53h of the auxiliary jet 53B receives the solvent. The upper surface of the auxiliary jet head 53B and the lower horizontal pieces 53g and 53h facing each other have arcuate cross-sectional surfaces, so that the sprayed solvent can be more reliably prevented from splashing around.

On the other hand, from the coating mechanism 1 to the edge removing mechanism 2
As shown in FIG. 10, the second transfer mechanism 4 that transfers the substrate G to the substrate G includes a pair of transfer arms 70 that suction-holds the lower surfaces of the peripheral portions of the two opposite sides of the substrate G. The arm guide motor 75 is guided by the linear guide 71 and is movable by the driving force of the arm drive motor 75 transmitted by the tamming belt 72, the pulley 73, and the shaft 74 in the direction of arrow X in the figure. In this case, the transport arm 70 and the timing belt 72 are connected by the fastening member 76.
Has been concluded by. Also, the arm drive motor 75
Is controlled by a controller 77 formed by a central processing unit (CPU) or the like, and if desired, the reciprocating motion is repeated in the carrying direction to carry out a coating process and a coating film removing process on the substrate G for a predetermined time. It is configured to be able to.

As shown in FIG. 11, the substrate holding surface of the transfer arm 70 is provided with a suction hole 70a which is connected to a vacuum suction means (not shown) through a suction passage 70b. A pad member 70c having a suction hole communicating with is provided so as to be vertically displaceable with respect to the transfer arm 70. In this case, the pad member 70c
Is formed of, for example, a Delrin (trade name) member having an inverted crown shape and having an inward flange 70d and having corrosion resistance. Then, a locking portion 70g is formed on the upper end of a flexible synthetic rubber cylindrical lip seal 70f, which is vertically fixed around the suction hole 70a of the transfer arm 70 by a cap screw 70e, so as to expand. The inward flange 70d is engaged so that it can be displaced in the vertical direction. Two pieces of the pad members 70c thus mounted are provided on each of the transfer arms 70. When the substrate G is transferred, the lip seal 70f is elastically deformed so that the pad member 70c is deformed in the vertical direction, that is, the substrate G. It is possible to convey the substrate G while keeping the posture of the substrate G in a horizontal state by following the plane. Further, since the impact of receiving the substrate G can be absorbed by the elastic deformation of the lip seal 70f, it is possible to prevent the substrate G from being damaged. In this case, two pad members 70c are provided, but any number such as one or three may be provided.

Further, the substrate G is carried into the coating mechanism 1,
The first transfer mechanism 3 that carries out the substrate G from the edge removal mechanism 2 is formed by a main arm 80 as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. In this case, the main arm 80
Has a double structure in which upper and lower U-shaped arm bodies 81a and 81b are independently movable in the horizontal direction. That is, both sides of the upper arm body 81a are supported by the pair of outer frames 83 which are slidable along the outer linear guides 82 arranged to face each other, and are driven by the first drive motor 84 via the transmission pulley 85a. The first drive motor 84 is fastened by fastening a timing belt (not shown) that is hung around the outer pulley 85 and the outer frame 83.
The upper arm body 81a is configured to be movable forward and backward by the forward and reverse rotations of the lower arm body 81a by the inner frame 87 that is movable along the pair of inner linear guides 86 arranged inside the outer linear guide 82. 81b, second
A timing belt (not shown), which is hung on an inner pulley 89 driven by a transmission pulley 89a, is fastened to an inner frame 87, and the second drive motor 88 is rotated forward and backward to lower The arm body 81b is configured to be movable back and forth.

Main arm 80 having such a configuration
Is the horizontal X, Y direction and rotation (θ) as shown in FIG.
It is formed so that it can be moved in the vertical direction (Z direction). In addition, the arm bodies 81a, 81
A holding claw 81c for holding the substrate G is erected on b. In addition, arm bodies 81a and 81b of the main arm 80
The presence or absence of the substrate G placed thereon is configured to be detected by the sensor 150 (see FIG. 22). In addition,
In this case, instead of providing the holding claws 81c on the arm bodies 81a and 81b, the suction holes 70 are formed in the same manner as the transfer arm 70.
A may be provided and the pad member 70c may be provided to hold the substrate G by vacuum suction.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, an example of a procedure for applying the resist on the substrate G and removing the unnecessary resist film on the sides using the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Explain.

First, the lid 16 of the rotary cup 12 and the fixed lid 15 of the drain cup 14 are opened, and the substrate G
Is held by the main arm 80 and moved onto the stationary spin chuck 10, and the substrate G is held by the spin chuck 10 by vacuum suction to support the substrate G (step [A]). Next, by rotating the spin chuck 10, the substrate G is rotated at a lower speed than the steady rotation during processing (rotation speed: for example, 200 to 800 rpm, acceleration: 300 to 500 r).
(pm / sec) and the rotating cup 12 is rotated at the same speed. During this rotation, the moving arm 37a of the moving mechanism 37 is rotated from the standby position 38 to be moved above the central portion of the substrate G, and the solvent supply nozzle 40 of the jet nozzle 39 is applied to the surface of the substrate as the solvent A of the processing liquid, for example, ethyl. Cellosolve acetate (ECA) is supplied for, for example, 26.7 cc for 20 seconds (sec), for example, and dropped (step [B]). Alternatively, the solvent A may be dropped while the substrate G is stationary without being rotated, and then the substrate G may be rotated. After supplying the solvent A for 20 seconds in this manner, the spin chuck 1
The supply of the solvent A is stopped while the rotational speed is 0 and the rotational speed of the rotary cup 12 is the low rotational speed (step [C]). At this time, the solvent A is diffused and applied on the entire surface of the substrate G.

Next, the spin chuck 10 is rotated at high speed (first rotation speed: in the range of about 500 to 1500 rpm, for example, 1000 rpm, acceleration: 300 to 600 rpm).
/ Sec), and at the same time, the processing liquid, for example, the resist liquid B is supplied from the resist liquid supply nozzle 50a moved above the central portion on the solvent film on the surface of the substrate for, for example, 5 sec, for example, 8 cc is dropped (step [D]). The time at which the solvent A is dried can be determined in advance by experiments. For example, by visually observing the surface of the substrate G, it is not dried while the interference fringes of light are visible, and the interference fringes are not visible when dried, so the time can be known. In this case 5
The bellows pump 57 described above is supplied during the supply period for sec.
The driving time can be controlled, and the supply amount of the resist solution can be accurately and delicately controlled. After the resist solution B is supplied (dropped) for 5 seconds in this way, the supply of the resist solution B is stopped and at the same time, the spin chuck 1
0 and the rotation of the rotary cup 12 are stopped (step [E]). In this state, the resist solution B is applied within the substantially concentric circles of the substrate G where the corner portions Ga are left. At this time, if the resist solution B is supplied to the entire area of the substrate G including the corner portion Ga,
Not only is the resist liquid B wasted, but the mist of the resist liquid B may scatter and adhere to the rotation cup 12 and the back surface of the substrate G. Therefore, it is desirable that the amount of the resist liquid B is set to a necessary minimum amount that is supplied to the entire area of the substrate G with a predetermined film thickness.

Next, after stopping the supply of the resist solution B and moving the resist solution supply nozzle 50 to the standby position, the robot arm 20 moves the fixed lid body 15 and the lid body 16 above the drain cup 14 and the rotary cup 12. The substrate G is closed in the opening 12a and the substrate G is enclosed in the rotary cup 12 (step [F]).

In this way, the spin chuck 10 and the rotary cup 12 are closed while the opening of the drain cup 14 is closed by the fixed lid 15 and the opening 12a of the rotary cup 12 is closed and closed by the lid 16. For example, 15 sec
During this period, the rotation speed is higher than the first rotation speed (second rotation speed:
Range of about 1000 to 3000 rpm, for example, 1400r
(pm, acceleration: 500 rpm / sec), the resist solution B spreads over the entire surface of the substrate G and the film thickness of the resist film is adjusted (step [G], see FIG. 24A). The thickness of the resist film is determined by the discharge amount and time of the resist liquid B at this time. In this state, the solvent A and the resist film are not dried and are in a wet state.

Next, the transfer arm 70 of the second transfer mechanism 4
The substrate G is transferred onto the mounting table 50 of the edge removing mechanism 2 by the suction, and the substrate is sucked and held by the mounting table 50 (step [H], see FIG. 24B). After the transfer arm 70 of the second transfer mechanism 4 that has transferred the substrate G is retracted to the standby position,
The removal nozzles 51 of the edge removal mechanism 2 are set on both edges of the long side of the substrate G, and a removal liquid such as a resist solvent (eg thinner) is moved along both sides of the long edge of the substrate G so that both sides of the edge of the substrate G are removed. And the unnecessary resist film on the long side of the substrate G is melted and removed from the end by about 5 mm in width (step [I], first removing step; see FIG. 24C). In addition,
The resist attached to the side surface of the edge portion of the substrate G is also removed at the same time. At this time, the next substrate G is carried into the coating mechanism 1 and the coating process is performed. After removing the unnecessary resist film on the long side of the substrate G, the mounting table 50 is rotated, for example, 90 degrees clockwise to position the short side of the substrate G on the removal nozzle 51 side. In addition to the 90-degree rotation, an odd multiple of 90 degrees, for example, 270
Degrees, 450 degrees, ..., or may be rotated counterclockwise. At this time, the air cylinder 5 of the position adjusting mechanism 55
9 is extended to set the removal nozzle 51 on the short side of the substrate G (see FIG. 24D). Then, while moving the removal nozzle 51 along the short side of the substrate G, the solvent is sprayed on both edges of the short side of the substrate G to remove the unnecessary resist film on the short side of the substrate G. The resist application and the work of removing the unnecessary resist film on the short side are completed (second removing step; FIG. 2).
4 (e)). After that, the substrate G is carried out and carried to the next step (step [J]). As described above, immediately after the resist film is applied and formed, the substrate G can be transported to remove the peripheral edge resist.

The corner back surface of the substrate G is sprayed by ejecting thinner from the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51A; 51c to 51f either during the first or second removing step or before or after these removing steps. The resist film attached to can be easily removed (step [I]).
For example, as shown in FIG. 17B, when removing the resist liquids R1 and R2 attached to the back surface of each portion of the substrate G, the ejection of the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f is controlled as follows.

Assuming that the left and right removal nozzles 51 are first moved in the direction indicated by the arrow, first, the right removal nozzle 51
Will be described.

When the resist solution R1 adheres to the triangular region such that the short side Gs side is up to the distance LS1 and the long side GL side is up to the distance LL1, the nozzle is located near the edge of the short side GS. Auxiliary cleaning nozzle 5 together with the front surface cleaning nozzle 51a and the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b so as to be sufficiently cleaned up to LS
The solvent is sprayed from all 1c to 51f.

As the removal nozzle 51 moves in the direction of the arrow, the width of the resist solution R1 attached becomes smaller than LS1. Therefore, the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51f, 51e, 51d are successively inserted.
Stop the solvent injection of. When the nozzle moves to the vicinity of the distance LL1 along the long side GL, the back surface of the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51c is stopped because the resist solution R1 does not adhere to the back surface. After that, only the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b sprays the solvent on the back surface side. In this state, the removal nozzle 51 moves along the long side GL.

On the other hand, the removal nozzle 51 on the left side is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), since the resist solution does not adhere to the back surface of the corner at the beginning of movement, the front surface cleaning nozzle 51a
Then, the solvent is sprayed from the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b and the solvent spray from the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f is stopped.

The removal nozzle 51 further moves to approach the resist liquid R2 attached to the back surface of the corner, and the distance LL2 from the short side GS.
When it is near, the solvent is first sprayed from the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 51c. Similar to the resist solution R1, when the resist solution R2 adheres to the triangular area, the auxiliary cleaning nozzle 5
The solvent is sprayed from 1d, 51e, and 51f to dissolve and remove the portion up to the distance LS2.

When the removal of the resist on the long side GL side by the left and right removal nozzles 51 is completed, the solvent injection from each nozzle is stopped so that the left and right removal nozzles 51 do not interfere with the rotation of the substrate G. Evacuate. Next, the substrate G is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise or rightward, and the resist solution on the short side GS side is removed. In this case, since the resist solutions R1 and R2 attached to the back surface of the corner have already been removed, it is only necessary to spray the solvent from the front surface cleaning nozzle 51a and the back surface cleaning nozzle 51b.

As described above, by controlling the solvent injection of the auxiliary cleaning nozzles 51c to 51f within a predetermined range corresponding to the place / area where the resist solution adhered to the back surface side, the minimum required amount of solvent is used. Depending on the amount, unnecessary resist can be dissolved and removed. It is also for preventing the temperature of the substrate G from being greatly changed by the temperature of the solvent or evaporation, so that the thickness of the resist film on the surface does not change more than necessary.

It goes without saying that the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above can be used as an independent apparatus.
It can be incorporated and used in the coating / developing processing system for LCD substrates described below.

The coating / development processing system, as shown in FIG. 25, includes a loader section 90 for loading / unloading the substrate G,
The substrate G is mainly configured by a first processing unit 91 and a second processing unit 92 connected to the first processing unit 91 via a relay unit 93. An exposure device 95 for exposing a predetermined fine pattern on the resist film can be connected to the second processing section 92 via a transfer section 94.

The loader section 90 has a cassette 96 for accommodating an unprocessed substrate G, a cassette mounting table 98 for mounting a cassette 97 for accommodating the processed substrate G, and a cassette 96 on the cassette mounting table 98. , 97 to substrate G
Substrate loading / unloading tweezers 9 capable of moving and rotating (θ) in horizontal (X, Y) and vertical (Z) directions for loading / unloading
It is composed of 9 and 9.

The first processing section 91 is a transport path 1 for the main arm 80 which is movable in X, Y and Z directions and is rotatable by θ.
On one side of 02, a brush cleaning device 120 for brush cleaning the substrate G, a jet water cleaning device 130 for cleaning the substrate G with high pressure jet water, and an adhesion treatment device 105 for hydrophobicizing the surface of the substrate G, A cooling processing device 106 for cooling the substrate G to a predetermined temperature is arranged, and the transfer path 10 is provided.
On the other side of 2, the coating processing apparatus 107 and the coating film removing apparatus 108 each including the resist coating mechanism 1 and the edge removing mechanism 2 which constitute the processing apparatus of the present invention are arranged.

On the other hand, the second processing section 92, like the first processing section 91, has a main arm 80a which is movable in the X, Y and Z directions and can be rotated by θ, and the transfer path 102a of the main arm 80a. A heat treatment device 109 that heats the substrate G before and after applying the resist solution to perform pre-baking or post-baking is arranged on one side, and a developing device 110 is arranged on the other side of the transport path 102a.

The upper parts of the first processing part 91 and the second processing part 92 configured as described above are covered with a cover so that purified air is supplied into the processing part.

In the coating / development processing system configured as described above, the unprocessed substrate G accommodated in the cassette 96 is taken out by the carry-in / take-out tweezers 99 of the loader section 90, and then the first processing section 91 is processed. It is delivered to the main arm 80 and then conveyed into the brush cleaning device 120. The substrate G brush-cleaned in the brush cleaning device 120 is subsequently cleaned in the jet water cleaning device 130 with high-pressure jet water. After that, the substrate G is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment by the adhesion processing device 105, cooled by the cooling processing device 106, and then carried into the coating mechanism 1 of the resist coating device 107 according to the present invention to carry out the procedure described above. Then, a photoresist, that is, a photosensitive film is coated and formed, and is transferred to the edge removing mechanism 2 of the coating film removing apparatus 108 according to the present invention by the transfer arm 70 of the second transfer mechanism 4 to remove unnecessary resist on the side of the substrate G. The film is removed.
Then, it is carried out from the edge removing mechanism 2 by the main arm 80. At this time, since the resist film on the edge is removed, the resist does not adhere to the main arm 80.

After that, the photoresist is processed by the heat treatment apparatus 1
After being heated at 09 and subjected to a baking process, a predetermined pattern is exposed at the exposure device 95. Then, the exposed substrate G is conveyed into the developing device 110, developed with the developing solution, and then rinsed with the rinse solution.
The development process is completed.

The developed and processed substrate G is accommodated in the cassette 97 of the loader section 90, then carried out and transferred to the next processing step.

In the above-described embodiment, the LCD substrate provided with one set of the coating processing apparatus 107 having the coating mechanism 1 according to the present invention and the coating film removing apparatus 108 having the edge removing mechanism 2 according to the present invention. The coating / developing system has been described.
It is also possible to provide more than one set. In this case, the coating processing apparatus 107 and the coating film removing apparatus 108 may be installed in parallel, but in order to reduce the installation space, the coating processing apparatus 1
07 and the coating film removing device 108 may be laminated. In the structure in which the coating processing apparatus 107 and the coating film removing apparatus 108 are stacked in this manner, the main arm 8
It may be the same as the above-mentioned embodiment except that 0, 80a can be moved up to the respective devices 107, 108 in the upper stage.

In the above embodiment, the pair of left and right removal nozzles 51 first dissolves and removes the resist film at the unnecessary end portion on the long side of the substrate G, and then rotates the substrate G by 90 °. Although an example of dissolving and removing the unnecessary resist film on the short side has been described above, for example, four removal nozzles are provided,
The unnecessary resist films on the four sides of the substrate G may be simultaneously dissolved and removed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 19, removal nozzles 151A, 151B, 151C and 151D are provided. Since the four removing nozzles have the same configuration, moving mechanism, and the like, only the removing nozzle 151A will be described here, and the other detailed description will be omitted.

The removal nozzle 151A is attached to a slide member 153A slidably attached to a guide rail 152A provided so as to extend in the Y direction in the figure. The slide member 153A is reciprocally movable in the Y direction by a moving mechanism (not shown) using a wire, a chain, a belt, a ball screw, a stepping motor, an air cylinder, an ultrasonic motor, a superconducting linear motor, or the like. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 20, the removing nozzle 151A has substantially the same structure as the removing nozzle 51 shown in FIG. 13, and therefore the different parts will be mainly described here. In addition to the front surface cleaning nozzle 151a and the back surface cleaning nozzle 151b, an end surface cleaning nozzle 151g for cleaning the end surface (side surface) of the substrate G is provided inside, and each nozzle is provided with a solvent An open / close valve (not shown) inserted in the supply path is configured to independently control the on / off of the solvent supply and the supply amount.

Further, a gas injection nozzle 154 is provided on the upper surface side of the substrate G, a gas injection nozzle 155 is provided on the lower surface side of the substrate G, and the injection direction thereof is the direction of the injection head 153, in front of the end portion of the injection head 153 on the substrate G side. That is, they are arranged so as to be in the outer peripheral direction of the substrate G. Then, the injected gas passes through the inside of the injection head 153 and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 156.

Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the removal nozzle 1
On both sides of 51A, drying gas injection nozzles 157A and 158A for injecting gas from the central direction of the substrate G of the long side A of the substrate G toward the peripheral portion of the upper surface are provided, for example, the removal nozzle 151.
It is provided by a mounting member (not shown) so as to be movable in the Y direction together with A. Although the drying gas nozzles 157A and 158A are shown on the outside of the substrate G in FIG. 19, the drying gas nozzles 157A and 158A are arranged at arbitrary positions that do not hinder the loading and unloading of the substrate G.

Other removal nozzles 151B, 151C, 15
1D has the same configuration as the removal nozzle 151A, and the reference numeral is assigned to each part of the removal nozzle 151A. The nozzles are nozzles for dissolving and removing unnecessary resist on the edges of the short side B, the long side C, and the short side D of the substrate G, respectively.

Next, a procedure for removing unnecessary resist by the edge removing mechanism 2A having the above-described structure will be described.
The substrate G having a resist film formed on the upper surface by the coating mechanism 1 shown in FIG. 1 is transferred to the mounting table 159 of the edge removing mechanism 2A by the transfer arm 70, with the long side in the Y direction and the short side in the X direction.
Place it so that it is parallel to the direction, and hold it by suction.

After the transfer arm 70 retracts to the standby position,
Each removal nozzle 151A, 151B of the edge removal mechanism 2A,
151C and 151D are set at the edges of the four sides, and the resist solvent is sprayed to the edges while simultaneously moving along the edges to dissolve and remove the unnecessary resist film.

At the time of this removal, the injection of the solvent from each cleaning nozzle may be controlled in accordance with the resist adhesion state at the edge of the substrate G. For example, when the resist does not adhere to the end surface and the peripheral portion of the back surface of the substrate G and there is no need to dissolve and remove the resist, the solvent is sprayed only from the front surface cleaning nozzle 151a.

When the resist is also attached to the end face, the solvent is jetted from the end face cleaning nozzle 151g, and when the resist is also attached to the periphery of the back face, the back face cleaning nozzle is used. The solvent is also jetted from the nozzle 151b.

In addition, when the attachment position of the resist film attached to the peripheral portion of the end surface and the back surface of the substrate G is known in advance, when the removal nozzle 151A moves near this location, the end surface cleaning nozzle is used. 151g and backside cleaning nozzle 1
You may control so that a solvent may be sprayed from 51b. This makes it possible to reduce the consumption of the solvent.
Further, as described above, it is possible to prevent the fluctuation of the resist film thickness on the surface.

Further, when nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas, for example, is jetted from the gas jet nozzles 154 and 155 during the above-mentioned dissolution and removal, N ₂ which is sucked into the jet head 153 toward the periphery of the substrate G.
Since there is a gas flow, the nozzle 151 for surface cleaning
a, the solvent 151 ejected from the end surface cleaning nozzle 151g, and the back surface cleaning nozzle 151b, bubbles generated, etc.
Even if it is attempted to scatter toward the center of the substrate, it is possible to prevent the N ₂ gas from discharging toward the jet head side and flying and adhering to the surface of the substrate G.

Further, for example, heated N ₂ gas is sprayed from the drying gas nozzle 157A toward the resist film on the peripheral portion of the substrate G and dried before being dissolved and removed by the solvent in the removal nozzle 151A. It is also possible to suppress the rise of the resist at the edge portion of the resist film after dissolution and removal.

Further, the substrate G and the resist film are dried by injecting, for example, heated N ₂ gas from the drying gas nozzle 158A onto the peripheral portion of the substrate G after the resist film is dissolved and removed. By this drying, the solvent immediately evaporates and the edge portion of the resist film is dried, so that there is no unnecessary dissolution and the resist film on the edge portion is also stable.

In the above description, only the removing nozzle 151A has been described, but the other removing nozzles 151B and 151B.
Since the same can be said for C and 151D, description thereof will be omitted.

Further, the removal nozzles 151A, 151B,
Although an example in which an independent moving mechanism is provided as the moving mechanism of 151C and 151D has been described, other mechanisms may be used as long as they can simultaneously dissolve and remove four sides, for example, the removing nozzles 151A and 151C, 151B and 151D, respectively. It may be attached to a common mechanism and configured to be movable by two moving mechanisms. Further, the removal nozzles 151A, 151
All of B, 151C and 151D may be configured to be movable by one common moving mechanism.

In the case of the above-mentioned independent moving mechanism, each moving speed may be set and controlled independently depending on the adhesion state of the resist on each side.

Further, in FIG. 19, the long side of the substrate G is held so as to be parallel to the Y direction, but the short side is held so as to be parallel to the Y direction, and the removal nozzles 151A and 151A are held.
B, 151C and 151D may be arranged correspondingly. For example, by using an air cylinder etc. for each removal nozzle or making the stroke adjustable structure,
Stretch to accommodate.

Further, the temperature of the substrate G, the solvent and the N ₂ gas may be adjusted to the optimum temperature to dissolve and remove the resist film. As the temperature control of the substrate G, for example, a temperature controlled atmosphere is provided around the substrate G, temperature controlled clean air or N ₂ gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate G, temperature controlled clean air on the back surface of the substrate G, or the like. N ₂ gas is supplied, the temperature is adjusted by the mounting table 159, or the temperature is adjusted by infrared rays, microwaves, or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which one removal nozzle is provided on one side of the substrate G has been described.
A plurality of, for example, two may be provided to shorten the moving distance, or may be dissolved and removed twice. In this case, the type of solvent may be different. Further, the melting and removing position may be different.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the example in which the substrate G is fixed and the respective removal nozzles are moved has been described. However, the substrate G is rotated, and the respective removal nozzles are expanded / contracted in the X and Y directions. It may be configured such that the four sides are simultaneously melted and removed while being moved to.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the processing apparatus and the processing method of the present invention are applied to the coating processing of the LCD substrate has been described. However, the coating liquid is applied to the rectangular substrate other than the LCD substrate to apply the coating liquid. Of course, it can be applied to a method and apparatus for removing an unnecessary coating film on the edge of the processed substrate.

[0124]

【The invention's effect】

1) According to the inventions of claims 1 and 6, the treatment liquid is supplied and diffused on one surface of the rectangular substrate carried into the coating mechanism,
After closing the lid in the processing container and sealing the substrate in the processing container, the processing container and the substrate in which the lid is closed are rotated,
Since the coating film can be formed and then conveyed to the edge removing mechanism to remove the coating film on the edges of the two sides of the substrate, the coating film can be uniformly processed and the product yield can be improved. Can be achieved. Further, since the substrate is transported to the coating mechanism by the first transport mechanism, is carried out from the edge removing mechanism, and is transported from the coating mechanism to the edge removing mechanism by the second transport mechanism, the number of constituent members can be reduced. It is possible to reduce the size of the device and improve the throughput.

2) According to the invention described in claims 2 and 7,
After the solvent of the processing liquid is applied and spread on one surface of the substrate carried into the coating mechanism, the processing liquid is supplied and diffused onto the substrate, the lid of the processing container is closed, and the substrate is placed inside the processing container. After sealing in, the processing container and the substrate with the lid closed are rotated to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. Therefore, in addition to the above 1), the amount of the coating liquid can be reduced.

3) According to the invention described in claims 3 and 8,
After removing the coating film on the edge portion of one side of the substrate held by the mounting means, the mounting film can be rotated to remove the coating film on the edge portion of the other side of the substrate. Unnecessary coating film can be removed quickly and surely, and the product yield can be improved.

4) According to the inventions of claims 4 and 9,
By providing the edge removal mechanism with an auxiliary cleaning nozzle that sprays a removal liquid onto the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed, the coating film attached to the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed can be removed. In addition to that, the coating film attached to the back surface of the corner portion of the substrate can be removed, and the removal of the coating film can be further ensured.

5) According to the invention described in claim 5, at least the second transfer mechanism of the first transfer mechanism or the second transfer mechanism is formed by an arm for holding the side portion of the substrate by vacuum suction. However, since a suction hole connected to the vacuum suction means is provided on the substrate holding surface of this arm, and a pad member which is in communication with this suction hole and is displaceable in the vertical direction with respect to the arm and having corrosion resistance is provided, It is possible to reliably perform the transfer, and it is possible to suppress the generation or damage of particles in the contact portion of the substrate during the transfer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a coating mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a processing container and a lid according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing different modified examples of the tip portion of the resist liquid supply nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a jet nozzle used in the processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a jet nozzle.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the dropping method of the treatment liquid.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the dropping method of the treatment liquid.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a second transport mechanism according to the present invention.

11A and 11B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a main part of a second transport mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an edge removing mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a cross section of a part of the removal nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a removal nozzle.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of an auxiliary cleaning nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing a different mounting state of the auxiliary cleaning nozzle.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a part of another form of the auxiliary cleaning nozzle in cross section and an explanatory view of a specific example of cleaning.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing still another form of the auxiliary cleaning nozzle.

FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view showing another embodiment of the edge removing mechanism.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing in cross section another form of the removal nozzle.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing the main part of the main arm of the first transport mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a drive mechanism of the main arm.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the processing method of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory view showing a procedure of a method for removing an edge coating film of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing an example of an LCD substrate coating / developing system to which the processing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 G LCD substrate (substrate to be treated) 1 coating mechanism 2, 2A edge removal mechanism 3 first transport mechanism 4 second transport mechanism 10 spin chuck (holding means) 12 rotating cup (treatment container) 16 lid 40 solvent supply Nozzle (solvent supply means) 42 Resist liquid supply nozzle (coating liquid supply means) 50 Mounting table (mounting means) 51 Removal nozzle 51a Nozzle (front surface cleaning nozzle) 51b Nozzle (back surface cleaning nozzle) 51A, 51c to 51f Auxiliary cleaning nozzle 70 Transfer Arm 70a Suction Hole 70c Pad Member 80 Main Arm

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location H01L 21/30 564D (72) Inventor Kiyohisa Tateyama Otsu-machi, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto 4 of Takaheoji 272 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Otsu Office (72) Inventor Omori Den Otsu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture Otsu-machi Takao-no 4 Heisei 272 4 Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Otsu Office

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A holding means capable of horizontally rotating and vertically moving, holding one surface of a square substrate to be treated facing upward, a processing container having a cup shape surrounding the holding means and rotating together with the holding means, and this processing. A coating mechanism having a lid that closes the opening of the container, a coating liquid supply unit that supplies a coating liquid to the substrate to be processed, and an edge portion of the substrate to be processed on which a coating film of the coating liquid is formed. An edge removing mechanism that sprays a removing liquid to remove the coating film; a first transport mechanism that carries in the substrate to be processed into the coating mechanism and unloads the substrate to be processed from the edge removing mechanism; A second transport mechanism that transports the substrate to be processed from the coating mechanism to the edge removing mechanism, the processing apparatus. 2. A horizontally rotating and vertically movable holding means for holding one surface of a square substrate to be treated facing upward, a processing container which has a cup shape surrounding the holding means and rotates together with the holding means, and the processing. A coating mechanism having a lid that closes the opening of the container; a solvent supply unit that supplies a solvent for the coating liquid to the substrate to be processed; a coating liquid supply unit that supplies the coating liquid to the substrate to be processed; An edge removal mechanism that removes the coating film by spraying a removal liquid onto the edge portion of the substrate to be processed on which the coating film of the coating liquid is formed, and the loading of the substrate to be processed into the coating mechanism and the edge removal mechanism. A processing apparatus comprising: a first transfer mechanism that carries out a substrate to be processed from the substrate; and a second transfer mechanism that transfers the substrate to be processed from the coating mechanism to an edge removing mechanism. 3. The edge removing mechanism is moved along a side of the substrate to be placed, which holds the substrate to be processed horizontally, and at the same time, the removing liquid is sprayed onto the edge of the substrate to be processed. The processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing device comprises a nozzle. 4. An edge removing mechanism is moved along a side of the substrate to be placed, which holds the substrate to be processed horizontally, and at the same time, a removing liquid is sprayed onto the edge of the substrate to be processed. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a nozzle and an auxiliary cleaning nozzle that sprays a removing liquid onto the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed. 5. At least a second transfer mechanism of the first transfer mechanism or the second transfer mechanism is formed by an arm that holds a side portion of a substrate to be processed by vacuum suction, and a substrate holding surface of this arm. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction hole connected to the vacuum suction means, and a pad member which is connected to the suction hole and which can be displaced in a vertical direction with respect to the arm. 6. A step of loading a substrate to be processed to hold it on a holding means in a processing container; a step of supplying a coating liquid to the substrate to be processed and rotating it to diffuse it onto one surface of the substrate to be processed. A step of closing the lid of the processing container and sealing the substrate to be treated in the treatment container, and a step of rotating the treatment container and the substrate of which the lid is closed to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. And a step of transporting the substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed to an edge removing mechanism, a step of spraying a removing liquid onto the edge of the substrate to be processed to remove the coating film on the edge, And a step of unloading the substrate to be processed from the part removing mechanism. 7. A step of loading a substrate to be processed to hold it on a holding means in a processing container, a step of supplying a solvent of a coating liquid onto one surface of the substrate to be processed, and a coating liquid to the substrate to be processed. The step of supplying and rotating the substrate to be diffused on one surface of the substrate to be processed, the step of closing the lid of the processing container to seal the substrate to be processed in the processing container, and the treatment in which the lid is closed. A process of rotating the container and the substrate to be processed to adjust the film thickness of the coating film, a process of transporting the substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed to an edge removing mechanism, and a removal to the edge of the substrate to be processed. A processing method comprising: a step of spraying a liquid to remove a coating film on an edge portion; and a step of unloading a substrate to be processed from the edge portion removing mechanism. 8. A first removing step of removing a coating film by injecting a removing liquid onto an edge portion of a first side of a substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed, Second of processed substrate
The second removing step of spraying a removing liquid to the edge portion of the side to remove the coating film on the edge portion, the treatment method according to claim 6 or 7. 9. A first removing step of removing a coating film by spraying a removing liquid onto an edge portion of a first side of a substrate to be processed on which the coating film is formed, the step of removing the coating film, Second of processed substrate
The second removing step of spraying the removing liquid onto the edge of the side of the substrate to remove the coating film on the edge, and the removing film is sprayed on the back surface of the corner of the substrate to be processed to attach the coating film to the back surface of the corner. 8. The processing method according to claim 6, further comprising an auxiliary removing step of removing.