Substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11075095-B2
Application number	US-201916406419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2019
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A supply flow passage branches into a plurality of upstream flow passages. The plurality of upstream flow passages include a branching upstream flow passage that branches into a plurality of downstream flow passages. A plurality of discharge ports are respectively disposed at a plurality of positions differing in distance from a rotational axis and discharge processing liquids, supplied via the plurality of upstream flow passages, toward an upper surface of a substrate held by a substrate holding unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding unit rotating a substrate around a vertical rotational axis passing through a central portion of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally; and
a processing liquid supplying system including a supply flow passage, a plurality of upstream flow passages, a plurality of discharge ports, and a nozzle moving unit, the processing liquid supplying system supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and
wherein the supply flow passage guides the processing liquid toward the plurality of upstream flow passages,
the plurality of upstream flow passages branch from the supply flow passage and guide the processing liquid, supplied from the supply flow passage, toward the plurality of discharge ports,
the plurality of discharge ports include a main discharge port, discharging the processing liquid toward an upper surface central portion of the substrate, and a plurality of auxiliary discharge ports, disposed away from the upper surface central portion, differing in distance from the rotational axis, and respectively discharging the processing liquid toward a plurality of positions within an upper surface of the substrate, and are respectively disposed at a plurality of positions differing in distance from the rotational axis and discharge the processing liquid, supplied via the plurality of upstream flow passages, toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit,
the plurality of upstream flow passages include a main upstream flow passage connected to the main discharge port and a plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages connected to the plurality of auxiliary discharge ports, and
the nozzle moving unit swings the plurality of discharge ports to change distances from the rotational axis to the plurality of discharge ports in a state where the substrate holding unit is rotating the substrate and the plurality of discharge ports are discharging the processing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate,
wherein the plurality of discharge ports include an innermost discharge port that overlaps with the central portion of the substrate in a plan view and an outermost discharge port that overlaps with a peripheral edge portion of the substrate in a plan view.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid supplying system further includes a plurality of downstream flow passages,
each of the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages is a branching upstream flow passage that branches into a plurality of the downstream flow passages and each auxiliary discharge port is respectively provided according to each downstream flow passage.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises: a chamber housing the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and
the branching upstream flow passages branch into the plurality of downstream flow passages inside the chamber.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid supplying system further includes an upstream heater and a plurality of downstream heaters,
the upstream heater heats the processing liquid to be supplied to the supply flow passage at an upstream temperature, and
the plurality of downstream heaters are respectively connected to the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages at positions further upstream than the plurality of auxiliary discharge ports and heat the processing liquid, flowing through the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages, at downstream temperatures higher than the upstream temperature.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of downstream heaters heat the processing liquid flowing through the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages such that temperature of the processing liquid discharged from the plurality of auxiliary discharge ports increase in a stepwise manner as a distance from the rotational axis to the auxiliary discharge port increase.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid supplying system further includes a plurality of return flow passages, a plurality of downstream heaters, and a downstream switching unit,
the plurality of return flow passages are respectively connected to the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages at connection positions further upstream than the plurality of auxiliary discharge ports,
the plurality of downstream heaters are respectively connected to the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages at positions further upstream than the connection positions of the return flow passages and the auxiliary upstream flow passages and heat liquid flowing through the plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages, and
the downstream switching unit switches to any of a plurality of states including a discharging state, in which the liquid supplied to the plurality of upstream flow passages from the supply flow passage is supplied to the plurality of discharge ports, and a discharge stoppage state, in which the liquid supplied to the plurality of upstream flow passages from the supply flow passage is supplied to the plurality of return flow passages.

7. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding unit rotating a substrate around a vertical rotational axis passing through a central portion of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally; and
a processing liquid supplying system including a supply flow passage, a plurality of upstream flow passages, a plurality of discharge ports, and a nozzle moving unit, the processing liquid supplying system supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and
wherein the supply flow passage guides the processing liquid toward the plurality of upstream flow passages,
the plurality of upstream flow passages branch from the supply flow passage and guide the processing liquid, supplied from the supply flow passage, toward the plurality of discharge ports,
the plurality of discharge ports include a main discharge port, discharging the processing liquid toward an upper surface central portion of the substrate, and a plurality of auxiliary discharge ports, disposed away from the upper surface central portion, differing in distance from the rotational axis, and respectively discharging the processing liquid toward a plurality of positions within an upper surface of the substrate, and are respectively disposed at a plurality of positions differing in distance from the rotational axis and discharge the processing liquid, supplied via the plurality of upstream flow passages, toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit,
the plurality of upstream flow passages include a main upstream flow passage connected to the main discharge port and a plurality of auxiliary upstream flow passages connected to the plurality of auxiliary discharge ports, and
the nozzle moving unit swings the plurality of discharge ports to change distances from the rotational axis to the plurality of discharge ports in a state where the substrate holding unit is rotating the substrate and the plurality of discharge ports are discharging the processing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate,
wherein the processing liquid supplying system further includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle,
the plurality of discharge ports include a first discharge port, disposed in the first nozzle, and a second discharge port, disposed in the second nozzle, and are aligned in a plan view in a radial direction orthogonal to the rotational axis,
the first n

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Kenji
• Sawashima Jun
• Nishimura Yuta
• Hatano Akito
• Shimai Motoyuki
• Hayashi Toyohide

Classifications

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0406

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title