Substrate liquid processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484230-B2
Application number	US-201113151610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2011
Priority date	Jun 3, 2010
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A substrate liquid processing apparatus of the present invention includes a process-liquid supply unit selectively supplying a plurality of types of process-liquids to the substrate held by a substrate holding table, first and second guide cups which are disposed in this order from the top and are configured to respectively guide downward the process-liquid scattering from the rotating substrate while being held by the substrate holding table; and a position adjustment mechanism adjusting a positional relationship between the first and second guide cups and the substrate holding table. A first process-liquid recovery tank is provided at a lower area of the first and second guide cups and recovers the process-liquid guided by the first guide cup. A second process-liquid recovery tank is provided at the inner peripheral side of the first process-liquid recovery tank and recovers the process-liquid guided by the second guide cup.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A substrate liquid processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding table configured to hold a substrate;
a rotary driving unit configured to rotate the substrate holding table;
a process-liquid supply unit configured to selectively supply a plurality of types of process-liquids to the substrate held by the substrate holding table;
first and second guide cups which are provided around the substrate holding table and are disposed in this order from the top, the first and second guide cups being configured to respectively guide downward the process-liquid scattering from the rotating substrate while being held by the substrate holding table;
a position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a positional relationship between the first and second guide cups and the substrate holding table;
a first process-liquid recovery tank provided at a lower area of the first and second guide cups, the first process-liquid recovery tank being configured to recover the process-liquid guided by the first guide cup;
a second process-liquid recovery tank provided at an inner peripheral side of the first process-liquid recovery tank, the second process-liquid recovery tank being configured to recover the process-liquid guided by the second guide cup;
a guide member provided at the lower end portion of the second guide cup, the guide member being configured to guide the process-liquid from the first guide cup to the first process-liquid recovery tank and guide the process-liquid from the second guide cup to the second process-liquid recovery tank;
a first exhaust member provided between the first process-liquid recovery tank and the second process-liquid recovery tank, the first exhaust member being configured to discharge an atmosphere around the substrate via an opening of the first guide cup and an opening of the second guide cup;
a third guide cup provided below the second guide cup, the third guide cup being configured to guide the process-liquid scattering from the rotating substrate while being held by the substrate holding table;
a third process-liquid recovery tank provided at an inner peripheral side of the second process-liquid recovery tank, the third process-liquid recovery tank being configured to recover the process-liquid guided by the third guide cup;
a second exhaust member provided at an inner peripheral side of the third process-liquid recovery tank, the second exhaust member being configured to discharge the atmosphere around the substrate via the third guide cup; and
a defining wall configured to define a passage from the second guide cup to the second process-liquid recovery tank and a passage from the third guide cup to the third process-liquid recovery tank;
wherein the guide member covers an upper side of the first exhaust member,
the third guide cup includes a third guide cup body, and a third guide cup downward extension portion extending downward from the third guide cup body,
the defining wall is provided between the guide member and the third guide cup downward extension portion, the defining wall is in contact with the third guide cup downward extension portion and the third guide cup downward extension portion slides along the defining wall during a movement of the third guide cup to block any gap that may be formed between the third guide cup downward extension portion and the defining wall during the movement of the third guide cup, and
the defining wall defines a passage for discharging the atmosphere around the substrate via the first and second guide cup by the first exhaust member and a passage for discharging the atmosphere around the substrate via the third guide cup by the second exhaust member.

2. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide member includes a guide member body, an outer peripheral wall portion extending downward from the guide member body, and an inner peripheral wall portion provided at an inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral wall portion and extending downward from the guide member body; and
the outer peripheral wall portion is disposed at a position corresponding to the first process-liquid recovery tank, and the inner peripheral wall portion is disposed at a position corresponding to the second process-liquid recovery tank.

3. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the position adjustment mechanism is configured to move up and down the second guide cup with respect to the first guide cup,
the inner peripheral wall portion extends downward more than the outer peripheral wall portion, and
the lower end portion of the inner peripheral wall portion is inserted into the second process-liquid recovery tank when the process-liquid is guided by the second guide cup.

4. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the first guide cup includes a first guide cup body and a first guide cup downward extension portion extending downward from the inner peripheral end portion of the first guide cup body, and
the first guide cup downward extension portion closes an opening of the first guide cup when the process-liquid is guided by the second guide cup.

5. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein he third guide cup is configured to be moveable up and down together with the second guide cup, and
when the process-liquid is guided by the third guide cup, a gap between the first guide cup and the second guide cup is blocked, and the first guide cup downward extension portion closes an opening of the second guide cup.

6. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first process-liquid recovery tank, the first exhaust member, the second process-liquid recovery tank, and the third process-liquid recovery tank have an annular planar cross-section and are coaxially provided.

7. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the guide member body extends outward and inward from the vertical portion of the second guide cup.

8. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the outer peripheral wall portion extends downward from the outer peripheral end portion of the guide member body, and
the inner peripheral wall portion extends downward from the inner peripheral end portion of the guide member body.

9. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the inner peripheral wall portion extends downward more than the outer peripheral wall portion.

10. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a holding table lower member provided below the substrate holding table, the holding table lower member including downward protrusion portion configured to guide downward the process-liquid guided by the third guide cup.

11. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a fourth process-liquid recovery tank provided at an inner peripheral side of the third process-liquid recovery tank, the fourth process-liquid recovery tank being configured to recover the process-liquid.

12. The substrate liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a fourth process-liquid recovery tank provided at an inner peripheral side of the third process-liquid recovery tank, the fourth process-liquid recovery tank being configured to recover the process-liquid.

Assignees

• Ogata Nobuhiro
• Nagamine Shuichi
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Ogata Nobuhiro
• Nagamine Shuichi

Classifications

• H10P72/0414 Primary

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

• H10P50/00 Primary

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H01L21/67051 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic