Substrate processing apparatus and nozzle cleaning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764345-B2
Application number	US-201414291494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2014
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes first and second nozzles that eject a processing liquid to a substrate; a moving mechanism that moves the first and second nozzles; and a nozzle cleaning device that cleans at least the second nozzle. The nozzle cleaning device includes a cleaning bath and an overflow bath. The cleaning bath includes a liquid storage portion that stores a cleaning liquid for cleaning the second nozzle, and an overflow portion that discharges the cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined level from the liquid storage portion. The overflow bath is disposed adjacent to the cleaning bath and receives the cleaning liquid discharged from the overflow portion and discharge the received cleaning liquid to the outside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a first nozzle configured to eject a first processing liquid to a substrate;
a second nozzle configured to eject a second processing liquid to the substrate;
a moving mechanism configured to move the first and second nozzles;
a nozzle cleaning device configured to clean at least one of the first nozzle and the second nozzle; and
a controller configured to control an overall operation of the substrate processing apparatus,
wherein the nozzle cleaning device includes:
a cleaning bath provided with a liquid storage portion configured to store a cleaning liquid for cleaning at least one of the first nozzle and the second nozzle, and an overflow portion configured to discharge the cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined level from the liquid storage portion;
an overflow bath disposed adjacent to the cleaning bath and configured to receive the cleaning liquid discharged from the overflow portion and discharge the received cleaning liquid to the outside; and
a dummy dispensing bath disposed adjacent to the cleaning bath and configured to receive the first processing liquid ejected from the first nozzle and discharge the received first processing liquid,
wherein the overflow bath is provided at a position where the second nozzle is disposed when the first nozzle is disposed in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath,
the controller is programmed to control the substrate processing apparatus such that:
when cleaning the first nozzle and the second nozzle, the first nozzle and the second nozzle are immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath, respectively,
when performing a dummy dispensing process of ejecting the first processing liquid from the first nozzle, the first processing liquid is ejected from the first nozzle into the dummy dispensing bath,
when performing a dummy dispensing process of ejecting the second processing liquid from the second nozzle, second processing liquid is ejected from the second nozzle into the overflow bath, and
when ejecting the second processing liquid from the second nozzle into the overflow bath, the first nozzle is disposed in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the overflow bath receives the second processing liquid ejected from the second nozzle and discharges the received second processing liquid.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the dummy dispensing bath is provided at a position where the first nozzle is disposed when the second nozzle is disposed in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning bath further includes a dummy dispensing bath side overflow portion configured to discharge the cleaning liquid exceeding the predetermined level from the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath to the dummy dispensing bath.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath is formed to have a size capable of accommodating the first nozzle and the second nozzle at the same time.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cleaning liquid supply unit configured to supply the cleaning liquid into the liquid storage portion,
wherein the liquid storage portion is provided with a first inner peripheral portion having an inner dimension which is constant from an upper end to a lower end of the first inner peripheral portion, and a second inner peripheral portion having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end being connected to the lower portion of the first inner peripheral portion, and a diameter of the second inner peripheral portion being gradually reduced from the upper end to the lower end of the second inner peripheral portion, and
the cleaning liquid supply unit forms a swirling flow in the liquid storage portion by ejecting the cleaning liquid towards a position deviated from the center of the first inner peripheral portion when viewed from above.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cleaning bath further includes a discharge port configured to discharge the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage portion, in the lower end of the second inner peripheral portion, and
the discharge port is disposed at a position deviated from the center of the first inner peripheral portion when viewed from above.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, before cleaning at least one of the first nozzle and the second nozzle, the liquid storage portion is cleaned by supplying the cleaning liquid into the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath, and discharging the cleaning liquid exceeding the predetermined level from the liquid storage portion to the overflow portion.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning bath is provided with an additional overflow portion configured to discharge the cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined level from the addition overflow portion to the dummy dispensing bath.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the dummy dispensing bath is disposed adjacent to the overflow bath such that the cleaning bath, the overflow bath, and the dummy dispensing bath are disposed side by side in an order of the dummy dispensing bath, the overflow bath, and the cleaning bath in a positive X-axis direction.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the dummy dispensing bath is provided adjacent to the overflow bath such that the dummy dispensing process of the first nozzle and the dummy dispensing process of the second nozzle is performed at the same time.

12. A nozzle cleaning method, comprising:
moving a second nozzle that ejects a second processing liquid to a substrate into a liquid storage portion of a cleaning bath provided with the liquid storage portion configured to store a cleaning liquid for cleaning the second nozzle, and an overflow portion configured to discharge the cleaning liquid exceeding a predetermined level from the liquid storage portion;
immersing the second nozzle in the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath in order to clean the second nozzle;
after the immersing the second nozzle, moving the second nozzle to an overflow bath disposed adjacent to the cleaning bath and configured to receive the cleaning liquid discharged from the overflow portion and discharge the received cleaning liquid to the outside such that a first nozzle is disposed in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath;
after moving the second nozzle to the overflow bath, immersing the first nozzle in the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage portion of the cleaning bath in order to clean the first nozzle;
after the immersing the first nozzle, moving the first nozzle to a dummy dispensing bath configured to receive a first processing liquid discharged from the first nozzle and discharge the received first processing liquid;
after moving the first nozzle to the dummy dispensing bath, performing a dummy dispensing process of ejecting the first processing liquid from the first nozzle into the dummy dispensing bath;
after performing the dummy dispensing process of ejecting the first processing liquid, performing, moving the second processing nozzle to the overflow bath; and
after moving the second processing nozzle to the overflow bath, performing a dummy dispensing process of ejecting the second processing liquid from the second nozzle into the overflow bath.

13. The nozzle clea

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kai Yoshihiro
• Ikeda Yoshinori
• Shinohara Kazuyoshi
• Oda Tetsuya
• Tanaka Satoru
• Yoshida Yuki
• Aibara Meitoku

Classifications

• H10P72/0448

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

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

• H01L21/67051

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/6715

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B05B15/0258 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic