Liquid treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9620394-B2
Application number	US-201414211625-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 18, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cleaning member has an annular part and an opening positioned radially inside the annular part, and can be moved up and down between a first position and a second position relative to a cleaning nozzle. For cleaning of the back surface of the wafer, the cleaning member is placed at its first position that allows a cleaning liquid to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member. For cleaning of the cup structure, the cleaning member placed at its second position higher than the first position is being rotated, and a cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning nozzle collides with an annular part of the cleaning member and is guided to the inner surface of a cup structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid treatment apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding part having a circular shape and holding a substrate horizontally;
a cup structure arranged around the substrate holding part;
a rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding part to rotate the substrate held by the substrate holding part about a vertical axis;
a treatment liquid nozzle that supplies a treatment liquid to a front surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part;
a cleaning liquid discharging arrangement that discharges a cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure and for cleaning a back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement having at least one nozzle;
a cleaning member including an annular part formed in an annular shape extending along a circumferential direction of the cup structure and an opening positioned inside the annular part with respect to the radial direction of the cup structure;
a support member connected to the cleaning member via a bearing such that the cleaning member is supported by the support member for free rotation relative to the support member about the vertical axis;
an elevation mechanism that moves the support member up and down to move the cleaning member supported by the support member between a first position and a second position higher than the first position; and
an engagement mechanism that engages the substrate holding part with the cleaning member at the second position so as to transmit rotational torque to the cleaning member such that the cleaning member rotates conjointly with the substrate holding part driven by the rotating mechanism,
wherein the cleaning member positioned at the first position allows the cleaning liquid for cleaning the back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part discharged from the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member, and the cleaning member positioned at the second position allows the cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure discharged from the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement to collide with the annular part of the cleaning member and to be guided to an inner surface of the cup structure.

2. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement mechanism includes concave parts and convex parts, provided in the cleaning member and the substrate holding part, which mate with each other when the cleaning member is positioned at the second position.

3. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the annular part has an inclined surface ascending or descending toward its outer edge.

4. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement includes:
a substrate cleaning nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid for cleaning the back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part; and
a cup cleaning nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure,
wherein the cleaning member positioned at the first position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate cleaning nozzle to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member, and the cleaning member positioned at the second position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the cup cleaning nozzle to collide with the annular part of the cleaning member and to be guided to the inner surface of the cup structure.

5. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement includes a common nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid both for cleaning the cup structure and for cleaning the back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part; and
the cleaning member positioned at the first position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the common nozzle to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member, and the cleaning member positioned at the second position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the common nozzle to collide with the annular part of the cleaning member and to be guided to the inner surface of the cup structure.

6. A liquid treatment apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding part having a circular shape and holding a substrate horizontally;
a cup structure arranged around the substrate holding part;
a rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding part to rotate the substrate held by the substrate holding part about a vertical axis;
a treatment liquid nozzle that supplies a treatment liquid to a front surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part;
a cleaning liquid discharging arrangement that discharges a cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure and for cleaning a back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement having at least one nozzle;
a cleaning member including an annular part formed in an annular shape extending along a circumferential direction of the cup structure and an opening positioned inside the annular part with respect to the radial direction of the cup structure;
a support member connected to the cleaning member via a bearing such that the cleaning member is supported by the support member for free rotation relative to the support member about the vertical axis;
an elevation mechanism that moves the support member up and down to move the cleaning member supported by the support member between a first height position and a second height position higher than the first position; and
an engagement mechanism that engages the substrate holding part with the cleaning member at the second position so as to transmit rotational torque to the cleaning member such that the cleaning member rotates conjointly with the substrate holding part driven by the rotating mechanism,
wherein the cleaning member positioned at the first position allows the cleaning liquid for cleaning the back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part discharged from the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member, and the cleaning member positioned at the second position allows the cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure discharged from the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement to collide with the annular part of the cleaning member and to be guided to an inner surface of the cup structure, and
wherein the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement is disposed at so as to discharge the cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate from a position lower than the cleaning member positioned at the first position, and the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement is configured to discharge the cleaning liquid obliquely upward and outward with respect to the radial direction of the cup structure.

7. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the cleaning liquid discharging arrangement includes:
a substrate cleaning nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid for cleaning the back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part; and
a cup cleaning nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid for cleaning the cup structure,
wherein the cleaning member positioned at the first position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate cleaning nozzle to reach the back surface of the substrate through the opening of the cleaning member, and the cleaning member positioned at the second position allows the cleaning liquid discharged from the cup cleaning nozzle to collide with the annular part of the cleaning member and to be guided to the inner surface of the cup st

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kishita Naofumi
• Sakai Yuji

Classifications

• H10P72/7624

  characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support · CPC title

• H10P72/7611

  characterised by edge profile or support profile · CPC title

• H10P72/7604

  the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support · CPC title

• H10P72/0414 Primary

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

• G03F7/162

  Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner · CPC title