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CN110491770B - Substrate processing method, storage medium, and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Substrate processing method, storage medium, and substrate processing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
CN110491770B
CN110491770B CN201910402577.8A CN201910402577A CN110491770B CN 110491770 B CN110491770 B CN 110491770B CN 201910402577 A CN201910402577 A CN 201910402577A CN 110491770 B CN110491770 B CN 110491770B
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China
Prior art keywords
substrate
wafer
gas
process chamber
drying
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CN201910402577.8A
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CN110491770A (en
Inventor
菅野至
清瀬浩巳
五师源太郎
滨村直彦
增住拓朗
关口贤治
田中晓
南辉臣
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Priority claimed from JP2019064742A external-priority patent/JP7301575B2/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02041—Cleaning
    • H01L21/02101—Cleaning only involving supercritical fluids
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67155—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations
    • H01L21/67161—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the layout of the process chambers
    • H01L21/67178—Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations characterized by the layout of the process chambers vertical arrangement
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B3/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat
    • F26B3/28—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by radiation, e.g. from the sun
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02041—Cleaning
    • H01L21/02057—Cleaning during device manufacture
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H01L21/67034—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for drying
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67098—Apparatus for thermal treatment
    • H01L21/67103—Apparatus for thermal treatment mainly by conduction
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67098—Apparatus for thermal treatment
    • H01L21/67115—Apparatus for thermal treatment mainly by radiation

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Microbiology (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Cleaning Or Drying Semiconductors (AREA)

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing method, a storage medium and a substrate processing apparatus, which can inhibit particles from remaining on the surface of a substrate. In the substrate processing method according to the present invention, a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate, the substrate is dried using the supercritical fluid, and the protective liquid is removed from the surface of the substrate. After drying the substrate, particles remaining on the surface of the substrate are removed.

Description

Substrate processing method, storage medium, and substrate processing apparatus
Technical Field
The invention relates to a substrate processing method, a storage medium and a substrate processing apparatus.
Background
In manufacturing a semiconductor device, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is subjected to liquid treatment such as chemical cleaning or wet etching. After the liquid treatment, the substrate is dried, and the liquid remaining on the surface of the substrate is removed. In the drying step of the substrate, the pattern formed on the surface of the substrate is more likely to be damaged due to the miniaturization and high aspect ratio. In order to cope with this problem, a method of treating a fluid using a supercritical state (e.g., supercriticalCO 2 ) Is a drying method of (a) (for example, refer to patent document 1).
The liquid treatment and the supercritical drying treatment are performed by different treatment units. An example of the flow of the processing is shown below. First, a chemical solution treatment, a pure water rinse treatment, and a protective solution replacement treatment are sequentially performed in a liquid treatment unit. As the protective liquid, for example, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) as an organic solvent is used to form a liquid film (paddle) of the protective liquid on the entire surface of the substrate. Next, the substrate is transferred from the liquid processing unit to the supercritical drying processing unit in a state where the liquid film is formed. Thereafter, a supercritical drying process is performed on the substrate in the supercritical drying process unit.
The protective liquid gradually volatilizes from the time when the liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the substrate in the liquid processing unit until the protective liquid is replaced with the supercritical fluid in the supercritical drying processing unit. If the liquid film of the protective liquid in the concave portion of the pattern on the surface of the substrate disappears due to volatilization of the protective liquid, the pattern may be damaged. Therefore, the liquid film of the protective liquid formed in the liquid treatment unit has a thickness such that the liquid film does not disappear during the above period.
However, after supercritical drying of the protective liquid on the surface of the substrate, fine particles may remain on the surface of the substrate. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent further residue of particulates.
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2013-179244
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a substrate processing method, a recording medium, and a substrate processing apparatus capable of suppressing particles remaining on the surface of a substrate.
Solution for solving the problem
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method including: forming a liquid film of a protective liquid on the surface of the substrate; drying the substrate using a supercritical fluid and removing the protective liquid from the surface of the substrate; and removing particles remaining on the surface of the substrate after drying the substrate.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium having a program recorded thereon, which when executed by a computer for controlling an operation of a substrate processing apparatus, causes the computer to control the substrate processing apparatus to execute the above-described substrate processing method.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a liquid film forming part for forming a liquid film of the protective liquid on the surface of the substrate; a drying treatment unit that dries the substrate using a supercritical fluid and removes the protective liquid from the surface of the substrate; and a particle processing unit that removes particles remaining on the surface of the substrate in the drying unit.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
According to the present invention, particles remaining on the surface of the substrate can be suppressed.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a processing station of the substrate processing system, indicated by line II-II of fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of a processing station of the substrate processing system, indicated by line III-III of fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a system in the supercritical drying processing unit of fig. 1.
Fig. 5A is a schematic view showing a state in which a liquid film of a protective liquid is formed in a liquid film forming step in the substrate processing method of the present embodiment.
Fig. 5B is a schematic view showing a state in which the process chamber is filled with the supercritical fluid in the wafer drying process in the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 5C is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the liquid film of the protective liquid is replaced with a supercritical fluid in the wafer drying step in the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 5D is a schematic view showing a state after the surface of the wafer is dried in the wafer drying step in the substrate processing method of the present embodiment.
Fig. 5E is a schematic view showing a case where particles are to be removed from the surface of a wafer in the particle removal step of the substrate processing method of the present embodiment.
Fig. 5F is a schematic view showing a state in which particles are removed from the surface of a wafer in the particle removal step of the substrate processing method of the present embodiment.
Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a particle processing unit in the substrate processing system as a first modification.
Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a particle processing unit in the substrate processing system as a second modification.
Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a particle processing unit in a substrate processing system as a third modification.
Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a particle processing unit in a substrate processing system as a fourth modification.
Fig. 10 is a view showing an example of the nozzle portion of the particulate processing unit of fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a schematic view showing a case where particles are to be removed from the surface of a wafer in the particle processing unit of fig. 9.
Fig. 12 is a graph showing the removal performance of removing particles on the sample a as an example.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 5E. Next, in order to clarify the positional relationship, an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis orthogonal to each other are defined, and the positive Z axis direction is set to be the vertically upward direction.
As shown in fig. 1, a substrate processing system 1 (substrate processing apparatus) includes a carry-in/out station 2 and a processing station 3. The carry-in/carry-out station 2 and the processing station 3 are disposed adjacently.
The carry-in/out station 2 includes a carrier placement unit 11 and a conveying unit 12. A plurality of carriers C for storing a plurality of substrates, in this embodiment, semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers W) in a horizontal state are mounted on the carrier mounting portion 11.
The conveyance unit 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier mounting unit 11, and includes a substrate conveyance device 13 and a delivery unit 14 inside the conveyance unit 12. The substrate transfer apparatus 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 13 is movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the carrier C and the transfer section 14 using a wafer holding mechanism.
The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the conveying section 12. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the processing station 3 includes a conveying section 15, a plurality of liquid processing units 16A (liquid film forming section), a plurality of supercritical drying processing units 16B (drying processing section), and a plurality of fine particle processing units 16C (fine particle processing section).
The liquid processing unit 16A is configured to perform a predetermined liquid process (chemical cleaning process, wet etching, or the like) on the substrate. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the liquid processing unit 16A includes a spin chuck 161A for holding the wafer W in a horizontal posture and rotating the wafer W about a vertical axis, and one or more nozzles 162A for supplying a processing liquid (chemical liquid, rinse liquid, protective liquid (e.g., IPA), etc.) to the wafer W. The configuration of the liquid treatment unit 16A is not limited to this, and any configuration may be adopted as long as a liquid film of the protective liquid having a desired thickness can be finally formed on the surface of the wafer W.
The supercritical drying processing unit 16B is configured to supply a supercritical fluid (e.g., supercritical CO) to the wafer W having a liquid film of a protective liquid for preventing drying formed on the surface thereof 2 ) The wafer W is dried using a supercritical fluid. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the supercritical drying process unit 16B includes a tray 161B for holding the wafer W in a horizontal posture, and a drying process chamber 162B in which the tray 161B can be accommodated in a sealed state.
As shown in fig. 4, the drying process chamber 162B is provided with a supercritical fluid supply port 20 for supplying a supercritical fluid into the drying process chamber 162B, and a discharge port 21 for discharging the fluid from the drying process chamber 162B. The supercritical fluid supply port 20 is connected to a supercritical fluid supply line 22 for supplying a supercritical fluid into the drying process chamber 162B. The discharge port 21 is connected to a discharge line 23 for discharging the fluid in the drying process chamber 162B.
The supercritical fluid supply line 22 is connected to a supercritical fluid supply tank 24. The supercritical fluid supply tank 24 is provided for storing, for example, liquid CO 2 CO of (c) 2 Storage tank and method for supplying CO from the storage tank 2 Liquid CO supplied from a tank 2 A booster pump constituted by an injection pump, a diaphragm pump, or the like, which boosts pressure to be in a supercritical state. These COs are shown in FIG. 4 2 The tank and the booster pump are collectively represented by the shape of the tank.
The supercritical fluid supply line 22 is provided with an on-off valve 25, a filter 26, and a flow rate adjustment valve 27. The on-off valve 25 is opened and closed according to the supply of the supercritical fluid to the drying process chamber 162B and the stop of the supply. The filter 26 is used to remove particles contained in the supercritical fluid supplied from the supercritical fluid supply tank 24. The flow rate adjustment valve 27 is used to adjust the flow rate of the supercritical fluid supplied from the supercritical fluid supply tank 24 to the drying process chamber 162B. The flow rate adjustment valve 27 may be constituted by, for example, a needle valve or the like, and also serves as a supercritical CO from the supercritical fluid supply tank 24 2 A cutting part for cutting off the supply of the (c) to the container.
A pressure reducing valve 28 is provided in the discharge line 23. The pressure reducing valve 28 is connected to a pressure controller 29, and the pressure controller 29 has the following feedback control function: the opening degree is adjusted based on a result of comparison between a measurement result of the pressure in the drying process chamber 162B obtained from the pressure gauge 30 provided to the drying process chamber 162B and a preset set pressure.
As the supercritical drying processing unit 16B, for example, a supercritical drying processing unit described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-012538, which is related to patent application filed by the applicant of the present application, can be used, but is not limited thereto.
As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the conveyance unit 15 has a conveyance space 15A extending in the X direction, and a substrate conveyance device (conveyance mechanism) 17 is provided in the conveyance space 15A. A plurality of (three in the example of the figure) liquid processing units 16A are stacked on the left side (Y positive direction) of the conveyance space 15A in the vertical direction (Z direction). Further, a plurality of (three in the example of the figure) liquid processing units 16A are stacked on the right side (Y negative direction) of the conveyance space 15A so as to face the liquid processing unit 16A on the left side in the Y direction. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a plurality of (three in the example of the figure) supercritical drying process units 16B are stacked in the vertical direction (Z direction) on the left side (Y positive direction) of the conveyance space 15A and behind the liquid process unit 16A (X positive direction). A plurality of (three in the example of the figure) supercritical drying process units 16B are overlapped on the right side (Y negative direction) of the conveying space 15A and on the rear side (X positive direction) of the liquid process unit 16A so as to face the supercritical drying process unit 16B on the left side in the Y direction.
The substrate transfer apparatus 17 includes a wafer holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 17 is movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis. The wafer holding mechanism of the substrate transfer apparatus 17 can move in and out of the transfer section 14, all the liquid processing units 16A, and all the supercritical drying processing units 16B, and can transfer the wafer W between the sections (14, 16A, 16B).
As shown in fig. 3, the processing station 3 of the substrate processing system 1 has a housing 3A. The liquid processing unit 16A, the supercritical drying processing unit 16B, and the substrate transfer device 17 are housed in the casing 3A. A conveyance space 15A surrounded by the top and bottom plates of the housing 3A, the liquid processing unit 16A, and the outer shells of the supercritical drying processing unit 16B is formed in the processing station 3. The wafer W is transported in the transport space 15A by the substrate transport device 17.
An FFU (fan filter unit) 22 is provided on the top of the housing 3A so as to cover substantially the entire conveyance space 15A from above. The FFU 22 ejects a cleaning gas (in this example, cleaning air composed of clean room air filtered by a filter) into the conveyance space 15A in the downward direction. That is, a flow (downward flow) of the clean air from top to bottom is formed in the conveyance space 15A.
As shown in fig. 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a control device 4. The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. A program for controlling various processes performed in the substrate processing system 1 is stored in the storage unit 19. The control unit 18 reads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 19 to control the operation of the substrate processing system 1.
Further, the program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium, and installed from the storage medium into the storage section 19 of the control device 4. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a Hard Disk (HD), a Flexible Disk (FD), a Compact Disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), and a memory card.
The particle processing unit 16C in the present embodiment is configured to remove particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W by heating the wafer W dried in the supercritical drying processing unit 16B or irradiating the wafer W with ultraviolet rays. The supercritical drying processing unit 16B in the present embodiment is configured to function as such a fine particle processing unit 16C.
The supercritical drying processing unit 16B in the present embodiment is configured to store the wafer W after drying in the drying processing chamber 162B and to heat the wafer W, thereby removing the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W. In the present embodiment, the wafer W is heated by supplying a high-temperature gas to the drying process chamber 162B. That is, the drying process chamber 162B is connected to the gas supply unit 40 for supplying the high-temperature gas into the drying process chamber 162B. More specifically, a gas supply port 41 for supplying a high-temperature gas is provided in the drying process chamber 162B. The gas supply port 41 is connected to the gas supply unit 40. The gas supply section 40 includes a gas supply line 42, a gas supply tank 43, and a gas heating section 44.
The gas supply line 42 is connected to the gas supply port 41. The gas supply line 42 is connected to the gas supply tank 43. The purge gas is stored in the gas supply tank 43. In fig. 4, the gas supply tank 43 is shown in the shape of a tank, but the gas supply tank 43 is not limited to being constituted by a tank.
The gas supply line 42 is provided with an on-off valve 45 and the gas heating unit 44 described above. The on-off valve 45 is configured to be opened and closed in response to the supply of the high-temperature gas to the drying process chamber 162B (or the supply of the purge gas to the gas heating unit 44). The gas heating unit 44 is configured to heat the purge gas passing through the gas supply line 42 by a resistive heating element such as a heater, for example. The purge gas heated by the gas heating unit 44 is supplied to the drying process chamber 162B as a high-temperature gas.
The temperature of the high-temperature gas supplied to the drying process chamber 162B is higher than the temperature of the wafer W (or the temperature in the drying process chamber 162B) during the drying process of the wafer W. For example, the temperature of the high-temperature gas may be 80℃or higher, and preferably 100℃or higher. Here, the temperature in the drying process chamber 162B during the drying process may be set to a temperature lower than the boiling point of the protective liquid. This can prevent the resist solution from evaporating from the surface of the wafer W before the drying process chamber 162B becomes in the supercritical state, thereby preventing pattern damage. For example, in the case where the protective liquid is IPA, the boiling point of IPA at atmospheric pressure is 82.4 ℃, and thus the temperature in the drying process chamber 162B at the time of the drying process may be set to be lower than 80 ℃. Therefore, it is preferable that the high-temperature gas is set to a temperature higher than the temperature in the drying process chamber 162B (for example, 80 ℃). The temperature in the drying process chamber 162B is controlled by a heater, not shown, provided in the drying process chamber 162B. In addition, the high temperature gas (or purge gas) may be set as dry air or an inactive gas (e.g., nitrogen). The dry air is substantially moisture-free air, and is air from which moisture is removed to such an extent that it can be regarded as that the characteristics of the device formed by the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W are not degraded.
The high-temperature gas in the drying process chamber 162B is discharged to the above-described discharge line 23 through the discharge port 21 provided in the drying process chamber 162B. That is, in the present embodiment, the exhaust line 23 and the pressure reducing valve 28 are configured as the gas exhaust portion 46 for exhausting the high-temperature gas from the drying process chamber 162B. However, in addition to the exhaust line 23, a gas exhaust portion (for example, a gas exhaust line of a system different from the exhaust line 23) for exhausting the high-temperature gas is also connected to the drying process chamber 162B.
The substrate processing method in the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.
First, as a carry-in step, the wafer W is carried into the liquid processing unit 16A. In this case, the substrate transfer device 13 of the carry-in/out station 2 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placement unit 11, and places the taken-out wafer W on the transfer unit 14. The wafer W placed on the transfer section 14 is taken out of the transfer section 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 of the processing station 3, and is carried into the liquid processing unit 16A.
Next, as a liquid treatment step, the wafer W is subjected to liquid treatment. In this case, first, the wafer W carried into the liquid processing unit 16A is held by the spin chuck 161A in a horizontal posture, and the wafer W is rotated about the vertical axis. Next, chemical liquid is supplied from the nozzle 162A to the center of the surface of the wafer W that is rotated, and chemical liquid treatment is performed on the wafer W. Next, a rinse solution (e.g., pure water) is supplied from the nozzle 162A to the center of the front surface of the wafer W, and a rinse process is performed on the wafer W. Further, the liquid treatment by the liquid treatment unit 16A is arbitrary. For example, the two-fluid cleaning process may be performed without performing the chemical solution process before the flushing process, or the liquid process performed by the liquid processing unit 16A may be started after the flushing process.
Next, as a liquid film forming step, a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the surface of the wafer W. In this case, a protective liquid (e.g., IPA) is supplied from the nozzle 162A to the center portion of the surface of the wafer W. Thereby, a replacement process is performed in which the rinse liquid on the surface of the wafer W (including the concave portion of the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W) is replaced with the protective liquid. At the end of the replacement process (after stopping the ejection of the protective liquid), as shown in fig. 5A, a liquid film of the protective liquid (indicated by a symbol L in fig. 5A and 5B) is formed on the entire surface of the wafer W. In this case, the recesses (indicated by a mark Ma in fig. 5A to 5E) of the pattern (indicated by a mark M in fig. 5A to 5E) formed on the surface of the wafer W are filled with the protective liquid. When forming the liquid film of the protective liquid, the thickness of the liquid film (protective film) of the protective liquid on the surface of the wafer W can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation speed of the wafer W and the supply amount of the protective liquid to the wafer W.
In the liquid treatment step and the liquid film forming step, the chemical solution, the rinse solution, and the protective solution may be supplied from a single nozzle 162A, or the treatment solutions may be supplied from different nozzles.
After the liquid film forming step, as a conveying step, the wafer W is conveyed from the liquid processing unit 16A to the supercritical drying processing unit 16B in a state where a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed. In this case, the wafer W is carried out of the liquid processing unit 16A and carried into the supercritical drying processing unit 16B by the substrate carrying device 17. At the time of carrying in, the substrate carrying device 17 places the wafer W on the tray 161B pulled out from the drying process chamber 162B of the supercritical drying process unit 16B. Then, the tray 161B carrying the wafer W is accommodated in the drying process chamber 162B, and the drying process chamber 162B is sealed.
Next, as a drying step, the wafer W is dried using a supercritical fluid, and the protective liquid is removed from the surface of the wafer W.
In this case, first, the opening/closing valve 25 provided in the supercritical fluid supply line 22 is opened, and the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 27 is adjusted to introduce the supercritical fluid (e.g., CO in a supercritical state) from the supercritical fluid supply tank 24 into the drying process chamber 162B at a predetermined flow rate 2 ). As a result, the pressure in the drying process chamber 162B increases from the atmospheric pressure to a pressure equal to or higher than the critical pressure of the supercritical fluid, and as shown in fig. 5B, the supercritical fluid in the supercritical state (indicated by a symbol R in fig. 5B and 5C) is filled. At this time, the pressure controller 29 adjusts the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 28 based on the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 30, thereby adjusting the pressure in the drying process chamber 162B. The liquid film of the protective liquid formed on the surface of the wafer W is brought into contact with the supercritical fluid, and the protective liquid is extracted into the supercritical fluid. At this time, the supercritical fluid also enters into the concave portion of the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W, and the protective liquid in the pattern is extracted.
A part of the supercritical fluid from which the protective liquid is extracted in the drying process chamber 162B is discharged to the discharge line 23. On the other hand, new supercritical fluid is continuously supplied from the supercritical fluid supply line 22 to the drying process chamber 162B. Thereby, the supercritical fluid is continuously used to remove the protective liquid from the drying process chamber 162B. As described above, as shown in fig. 5C, the protective liquid on the surface of the wafer W (including the concave portion of the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W) is replaced with the supercritical fluid.
After the protective liquid is replaced with the supercritical fluid, the inside of the drying process chamber 162B is depressurized. In this case, the opening/closing valve 25 provided in the supercritical fluid supply line 22 is closed, and the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 28 provided in the discharge line 23 is increased. Then, the pressure in the drying process chamber 162B is reduced to the atmospheric pressure. Thereby, the supercritical fluid in the drying process chamber 162B changes to a gaseous state. Therefore, as shown in fig. 5D, the surface of the wafer W can be dried without causing pattern damage.
Preferably, the protective liquid is a liquid that satisfies the following conditions.
The protective liquid on the surface of the wafer W (also including the recesses formed in the pattern of the surface of the wafer W) is easily replaced with the supercritical fluid supplied to the wafer W in the supercritical drying processing unit 16B.
It is not easy to disappear due to volatilization during the transfer from the liquid treatment unit 16A to the supercritical drying treatment unit 16B. (when the pattern is exposed before the protective liquid is replaced with the supercritical fluid, there is a possibility that the pattern may be damaged due to the surface tension of the protective liquid.)
In the case where the step before the supply of the protective liquid is a rinsing step, the rinse liquid (e.g., pure water) on the surface of the wafer W (including the concave portion of the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W) is easily replaced with the protective liquid.
In the present embodiment, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) is used as the protective liquid that satisfies the above conditions, but any liquid may be used as the protective liquid as long as the above conditions are satisfied and the wafer W is not adversely affected. For example, alcohols such as 2-propanol, monomers such as HFO (hydrofluoroolefin), HFC (hydrofluorocarbon), HFE (hydrofluoroether), PFC (perfluorocarbon), and mixtures containing at least two compounds selected from the group of compounds containing IPA among these compounds can be used as the protective liquid.
Here, as shown in fig. 5D, after the drying step, the protective liquid on the surface of the wafer W is removed, but particles P may remain on the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a process for removing such fine particles P is performed.
That is, after the drying step, as the fine particle removing step, a process for removing the fine particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W is performed. Here, as the process for removing the particles P, a process of heating the wafer W is performed. In the fine particle removal step in the present embodiment, the wafer W after the drying step is not carried out of the drying process chamber 162B, but is continuously stored in the drying process chamber 162B.
In this case, first, the on-off valve 45 provided in the gas supply line 42 of the gas supply unit 40 is opened. Thereby, the purge gas is supplied from the gas supply tank 43 to the drying process chamber 162B. The purge gas is heated by the gas heating unit 44 to become a high-temperature gas, and then introduced into the drying process chamber 162B. The high-temperature gas introduced into the drying process chamber 162B is discharged from the drying process chamber 162B to the discharge line 23.
During this time, the wafer W stored in the drying process chamber 162B is heated by the high-temperature gas, and the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W are heated. As a result, as shown in fig. 5E, the particles P on the wafer W volatilize. The components of the particles P volatilized from the surface of the wafer W are discharged to the discharge line 23 together with the high-temperature gas as indicated by the thick line arrow in fig. 5E.
By continuing the supply and discharge of the high-temperature gas to the drying process chamber 162B, as shown in fig. 5F, the particles P are removed from the surface of the wafer W (also including the concave portions formed in the pattern on the surface of the wafer W).
As described above, even after the drying step, particles P may remain on the surface of the wafer W before the particle removal step. The fine particles P are mostly contained in the protective liquid as volatile organic compounds containing carbon as a component and are not removed by the filter 26 (see fig. 4). It is therefore considered that: by heating the surface of the wafer W, the particles P are heated and volatilized. In this case, the temperature of the wafer W is set higher than the temperature of the wafer W in the drying process of the wafer W, whereby the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be volatilized efficiently. For example, the temperature of the high-temperature gas supplied to the drying process chamber 162B is 80 ℃ or higher, preferably 100 ℃ or higher. In order to facilitate the removal of the fine particles P, the higher the temperature of the high-temperature gas, the more advantageous. However, there is also a possibility that the metal material forming the pattern is degraded, so that the characteristics of the device constituted by the pattern are degraded. Therefore, the temperature of the high-temperature gas is desirably equal to or lower than a temperature at which the device characteristics are not deteriorated.
After the particle removal process, the tray 161B carrying the wafer W is pulled out of the drying process chamber 162B. The substrate transfer device 17 removes the pulled wafer W from the tray 161B and transfers the wafer W to the transfer section 14. The processed wafer W placed on the transfer section 14 is returned to the carrier C of the carrier placement section 11 by the substrate transfer device 13.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, after the wafer W on which the liquid film of the protective liquid is formed is dried and the protective liquid is removed, the wafer W is heated. This can heat the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W to volatilize the particles P. Therefore, the particles P can be removed from the surface of the wafer W, and the particles P can be prevented from remaining on the surface of the wafer W.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the wafer W is accommodated in the drying chamber 162B of the supercritical drying process unit 16B, and the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W are removed. In this way, the particles P can be removed in a state where the wafer W is stored in the drying process chamber 162B after the drying process, and the wafer W can be removed without being transported. Therefore, a decrease in productivity in the substrate processing system 1 can be suppressed, and a decrease in processing efficiency for the wafer W can be suppressed. Further, since the fine particles P can be removed in the dry processing chamber 162B, the structure of the substrate processing system 1 can be suppressed from being complicated, and an increase in the cost of the apparatus can be suppressed.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, a high-temperature gas is supplied to the drying process chamber 162B. This allows the wafer W to be heated by the high-temperature gas, and the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W to volatilize the particles P. In addition, the high-temperature gas supplied to the drying process chamber 162B is discharged from the drying process chamber 162B. As a result, the components of the particles P removed from the surface of the wafer W in the drying chamber 162B can be discharged to the discharge line 23 together with the high-temperature gas. Therefore, the volatile components of the fine particles P can be prevented from adhering as solids to the surface of the wafer W.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the temperature of the high-temperature gas supplied to the drying process chamber 162B is higher than the temperature of the wafer W when the wafer W is dried. This can efficiently volatilize the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W without completely volatilizing the particles during drying of the wafer W. Therefore, the particles P can be efficiently removed from the surface of the wafer W.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the high-temperature gas is dry air or inactive gas. When a dry gas is used as the high-temperature gas, moisture can be suppressed from being contained in the high-temperature gas. This can efficiently volatilize the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W. In addition, when an inert gas is used as the high-temperature gas, moisture and oxygen can be suppressed from being contained in the high-temperature gas. Therefore, the fine particles P can be volatilized efficiently as in the case of the dry air, and the metal material constituting the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W can be suppressed from being oxidized, so that the device characteristics constituted by the pattern can be reduced.
In the present embodiment described above, the following examples are described: the supercritical drying process unit 16B functions as a particle process unit 16C, and the wafer W is accommodated in the drying process chamber 162B to remove particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W. However, not limited thereto, the fine particle treatment unit 16C may be configured independently of the supercritical drying treatment unit 16B. For example, the particle processing unit 16C may have a particle processing chamber 161C for accommodating the wafer W, and the particle processing chamber 161C may accommodate the wafer W to remove particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W. In this case, the wafer W may be heated, irradiated with ultraviolet light, or irradiated with a gas cluster in the particle processing chamber 161C. Preferably, the particle processing unit 16C is housed in the housing 3A of the processing station 3 shown in fig. 3, and the wafer holding mechanism of the substrate conveying device 17 can enter and exit the particle processing unit 16C.
An example of a case where the wafer W is heated (first modification) will be described with reference to fig. 6. In the example shown in fig. 6, the high-temperature gas is supplied to the particle process chamber 161C, and the wafer W stored in the particle process chamber 161C is heated. A wafer stage 162C for placing a wafer W is provided in the particle processing chamber 161C shown in fig. 6. The particle process chamber 161C is connected to the gas supply unit 40 and the gas discharge unit 46 each having the same structure as in fig. 4. The gas supply unit 40 and the gas discharge unit 46 shown in fig. 6 may be configured differently from fig. 4 as long as they can supply and discharge the high-temperature gas to and from the particle process chamber 161C.
In the example shown in fig. 6, after the drying process, the substrate transfer device 17 removes the wafer W from the tray 161B pulled out from the drying process chamber 162B and transfers the wafer W to the particle process chamber 161C. For example, although not shown, an opening may be provided in the particle processing chamber 161C, and the wafer W may be carried in through the opening. A shutter that can be opened and closed may be provided in the opening. When the wafer W is carried into the particle processing chamber 161C from the opening, the substrate carrying device 17 places the wafer W on the wafer stage 162C. Further, a holding mechanism for holding the wafer W by vacuum suction, mechanical means, or the like may be provided on the wafer stage 162C.
Next, as a particle removal step, a process for removing particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W is performed. In the example shown in fig. 6, a high-temperature gas is introduced into the particle process chamber 161C from the gas supply line 42 of the gas supply part 40, and the high-temperature gas introduced into the particle process chamber 161C is discharged to the discharge line 23. During this time, the wafer W accommodated in the particle process chamber 161C is heated by the high-temperature gas, and the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W are heated. Thereby, the particles P on the wafer W volatilize, and the particles P are removed from the surface of the wafer W (also including the concave portions of the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W).
After the particle removal step, the substrate transfer device 17 transfers the wafer W out of the particle processing chamber 161C to the transfer section 14.
As another example (second modification) of the case of heating the wafer W, as shown in fig. 7, a chamber heater 50 (chamber heating unit) for heating the wafer W may be provided in the particle processing chamber 161C configured separately from the supercritical drying processing unit 16B, and the interior of the particle processing chamber 161C may be heated by the chamber heater 50 to heat the wafer W. This can heat the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W to volatilize the particles P. For example, the chamber heater 50 may be incorporated in the wafer stage 162C as shown in fig. 7.
In the example shown in fig. 7, the particle process chamber 161C is connected to the gas supply unit 40 and the gas discharge unit 46. Therefore, the volatilized particles P are discharged to the discharge line 23 together with the purge gas, and the components of the volatilized particles P can be prevented from becoming solid and adhering to the surface of the wafer W. Further, since the fine particles P are heated by the chamber heater 50, it is not necessary to heat the purge gas supplied from the gas supply tank 43. Therefore, the temperature of the purge gas may be set to normal temperature, and the gas supply unit 40 shown in fig. 7 may be configured to remove the gas heating unit 44 from the gas supply line 42 shown in fig. 4. However, a gas heating unit 44 may be provided in the same manner as the gas supply unit 40 shown in fig. 4, and a high-temperature gas formed by heating the purge gas may be supplied to the particle process chamber 161C. The purge gas may be dry air or inactive gas, as in the case of the high-temperature gas shown in fig. 4. The gas discharge portion 46 shown in fig. 7 may have the same structure as the gas discharge portion 46 shown in fig. 4. Other structures of the particle process chamber 161C shown in fig. 7 may be configured in the same manner as the particle process chamber 161C shown in fig. 6.
In addition, in the case where the supercritical drying process unit 16B is configured to function as the particulate process unit 16C, the chamber heater 50 shown in fig. 7 may be provided in the drying process chamber 162B of the supercritical drying process unit 16B. In this case, the interior of the drying process chamber 162B can be heated by the chamber heater, and the wafer W can be heated. Further, the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be heated to volatilize the particles P. The gas supply unit 40 in this case may have the same structure as the gas supply unit 40 shown in fig. 7.
As an example of the irradiation of the wafer W with ultraviolet light (third modification), as shown in fig. 8, an ultraviolet lamp 60 (ultraviolet light irradiation section) for irradiating the surface of the wafer W with ultraviolet light may be provided in a particle processing chamber 161C configured independently of the supercritical drying processing unit 16B. In the example shown in fig. 8, the ultraviolet lamp 60 is disposed above the wafer W placed on the wafer stage 162C. In addition, as in fig. 7, the particle process chamber 161C is connected to the gas supply unit 40 and the gas discharge unit 46. The other structures of the particle processing chamber 161C shown in fig. 8 may be the same as those of the particle processing chamber 161C shown in fig. 6 and 7.
The ultraviolet lamp 60 irradiates the surface of the wafer W placed on the wafer stage 162C with ultraviolet rays, thereby irradiating the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the fine particles P can be volatilized to remove the fine particles P. That is, when ultraviolet rays are irradiated to the volatile organic compounds as the fine particles P, the organic compounds are decomposed and reduced in molecular weight. The volatility of the organic substance reduced in molecular weight increases. Therefore, the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W are easily volatilized, and the particles P can be removed from the surface of the wafer W without heating the particles P. The components of the particles P removed from the surface of the wafer W are discharged to the discharge line 23 together with the purge gas. This prevents the volatile components of the fine particles P from becoming solid and adhering to the surface of the wafer W. In the example shown in fig. 8, the wafer W is not heated, and therefore, degradation of the metal material forming the pattern on the surface of the wafer W can be prevented, and degradation of the characteristics of the device constituted by the pattern can be prevented.
In the example shown in fig. 8, the ultraviolet lamp 60 provided in the particle processing chamber 161C may be replaced with an infrared lamp 70 (infrared irradiation section). In this case, the wafer W is heated to remove the particles P. The wafer W mounted on the wafer stage 162C can be heated by irradiating the surface of the wafer W with infrared rays from the infrared lamps 70. Therefore, the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be heated to volatilize the particles P, thereby removing the particles P.
In the case where the supercritical drying process unit 16B is configured to function as the fine particle process unit 16C, the ultraviolet lamp 60 or the infrared lamp 70 shown in fig. 8 may be provided in the drying process chamber 162B of the supercritical drying process unit 16B. In this case, too, the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be removed as described above. In the case where the ultraviolet lamp 60 or the infrared lamp 70 is provided in the drying process chamber 162B, the gas supply unit 40 may have the same structure as the gas supply unit 40 shown in fig. 7 and 8.
An example of the case where the wafer W is irradiated with the gas clusters (fourth modification) will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 11. In the example shown in fig. 9, a nozzle portion 80 (gas cluster irradiation portion) for irradiating a gas cluster to the surface of the wafer W is provided in the particle processing chamber 161C configured independently from the supercritical drying processing unit 16B.
The nozzle portion 80 will be described with reference to fig. 9. The particle processing chamber 161C in fig. 9 is configured as a vacuum vessel. A stage 81 for placing the wafer W in a horizontal posture is provided in the particle processing chamber 161C. The particulate processing chamber 161C is provided with a transfer port 82 and a gate valve 83 for opening and closing the transfer port 82.
For example, support pins (not shown) are provided on the bottom surface of the particulate processing chamber 161C on the side of the conveyance port 82 so as to pass through holes formed in the mounting table 81. A lifting mechanism, not shown, for lifting the support pins is provided below the mounting table 81. The support pins and the lifting mechanism serve to transfer the wafer W between a substrate transport apparatus, not shown, and the mounting table 81. The bottom surface of the particle process chamber 161C is connected to one end of an exhaust passage 84 for exhausting the atmosphere in the particle process chamber 161C. The other end of the exhaust passage 84 is connected to a vacuum pump 85. The exhaust passage 84 is provided with a pressure adjusting portion 86 such as a butterfly valve.
The mounting table 81 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by a driving unit 87. The driving section 87 includes an X-axis rail 87a extending horizontally on the bottom surface of the particle processing chamber 161C below the stage 81, and a Y-axis rail 87b extending horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis rail 87 a. The Y-axis guide 87b extends from a side closer to the transfer port 82 to a side farther from the transfer port 82 (left-right direction in fig. 9). The X-axis guide rail 87a extends in a direction perpendicular to the drawing sheet in fig. 9. The X-axis guide rail 87a is configured to be movable along the Y-axis guide rail 87b. The above-mentioned mounting table 81 is provided above the X-axis guide rail 87a via a lifting mechanism 88. As described above, the mounting table 81 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the driving unit 87, and is configured to be liftable by the lifting mechanism 88. The stage 81 is provided with a temperature adjusting mechanism, not shown, for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W placed on the stage 81.
A protrusion 89 protruding upward is formed in a central portion of the top surface of the particle processing chamber 161C. The projecting portion 89 is provided with a nozzle portion 80 for irradiating the gas clusters. The cleaning gas is supplied from a region having a pressure higher than that of the atmosphere in the particle processing chamber 161C to the nozzle portion 80, and the nozzle portion 80 irradiates the wafer W in the particle processing chamber 161C with the supplied cleaning gas, and generates a gas cluster, which is an aggregate of atoms or molecules of the cleaning gas, by adiabatic expansion.
As shown in fig. 10, the nozzle portion 80 includes a pressure chamber 80a formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. A throttle 80b is formed at the lower end of the pressure chamber 80a. The throttle 80b is connected to a gas diffusion 80c that expands in diameter as it goes downward.
The nozzle portion 80 is configured to irradiate the gas clusters perpendicularly to the surface of the wafer W. Here, "vertical" refers to a state where, for example, as shown in fig. 10, an angle θ formed between a center axis CL in a longitudinal direction (up-down direction) of the nozzle portion 80 and a mounting surface (surface of the wafer W) of the mounting table 81 is in a range of 90 ° ± 15 °.
As shown in fig. 9, the upper end of the pressure chamber 80a of the nozzle portion 80 is connected to one end of the gas supply passage 90. The gas supply passage 90 extends upward from the projection 89 of the particle processing chamber 161C, and branches into a first branch passage 91a and a second branch passage 91b at a branching point. The gas supply passage 90 is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 92 between the branching point and the pressure chamber 80a, and a pressure detection unit 93. The pressure detecting unit 93 is configured to detect the pressure in the gas supply passage 90.
The first branch passage 91a is provided with an opening/closing valve 94a and a flow rate adjusting portion 95a, and the other end of the first branch passage 91a is connected to CO 2 The gas supply source 96a is connected. The second branch passage 91b is provided with an opening/closing valve 94b and a flow rate adjusting portion 95b, and the other end of the second branch passage 91b is connected to the He gas supply source 96 b.
CO 2 The (carbon dioxide) gas is a cleaning gas, and the cleaning gas is irradiated from the nozzle portion 80 to form gas clusters. Although He (helium) gas is less likely to form gas clusters, CO in the particle processing chamber 161C can be reduced by supplying He gas to the nozzle 80 as will be described later 2 Partial pressure of the gas. Therefore, the use of He gas has the effect of preventing gas clusters and CO 2 Function of collision of gas molecules and CO generation 2 The speed of the generated gas clusters increases. The control unit 18 adjusts the opening degree of the pressure adjustment valve 92 based on the pressure value detected by the pressure detection unit 93, thereby controlling the gas pressure in the pressure chamber 80 a. The pressure detecting unit 93 may be configured to also detect the pressure in the pressure chamber 80 a.
In addition, the pressure adjustment based on the pressure value detected by the pressure detecting unit 93 may be performed by CO 2 The gas flow rate adjustment unit 95a and the He gas flow rate adjustment unit 95b adjust the gas flow rate. Further, between the opening/closing valves 94a and 94b and the pressure adjusting valve 92 for each gas For example, a pressure increasing means such as a gas booster is used to increase the supply pressure, and the supply pressure is adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve 92.
In the example shown in fig. 9, the wafer W is carried into the particle processing chamber 161C of the particle processing unit 16C by the substrate carrying device, and the wafer W is placed on the placement table 81 by the cooperative operation between the support pins, not shown, and the substrate carrying device. More specifically, the wafer W conveyed by the substrate conveyance device 17 (see fig. 1) is conveyed into a load lock chamber (not shown) switchable between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and the wafer W is conveyed from the load lock chamber into a particle processing chamber 161C configured as a vacuum vessel by the substrate conveyance device that conveys the wafer W under the vacuum atmosphere. Next, the horizontal positioning is performed by the driving unit 87, and the irradiation start position of the gas cluster on the surface of the wafer W is set to be the irradiation position (directly below position) of the nozzle unit 80 for irradiating the gas cluster. For example, the irradiation position of the gas cluster may be a peripheral edge portion of the wafer W.
Thereafter, CO is ejected from the nozzle 80 toward the irradiation start position on the wafer W 2 The flow ratio of the gas to He gas was 1:1 to generate gas clusters. When the upstream side of the throttle portion 80b in the nozzle portion 80 is the primary side and the downstream side is the secondary side, the supply pressure, which is the pressure of the primary side of the nozzle portion 80, is preferably 0.5MPa to 5.0MPa, more preferably 0.9MPa to 5.0MPa, and is set to, for example, 4MPa. The pressure of the processing atmosphere in the particle processing chamber 161C on the secondary side of the nozzle 80 was set to a pressure of 200Pa at the maximum.
CO 2 The flow rates of the gas and He gas are adjusted to predetermined flow rates by the flow rate adjustment units 95a and 95b, and the pressure adjustment valve 92 and the opening/closing valves 94a and 94b are opened to CO 2 A mixed gas of the gas and He gas is supplied to the nozzle portion 80. When CO 2 When the gas is supplied from the high-pressure nozzle 80 to the processing atmosphere in the low-pressure particle processing chamber 161C, the gas is cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the condensation temperature due to rapid adiabatic expansion, so that the molecules 100 are coupled to each other by van der Waals forces as shown in FIG. 10, and an aggregate of the molecules 100 is producedI.e. gas clusters 101.
The gas cluster 101 is irradiated perpendicularly from the nozzle 80 toward the wafer W, and as shown in fig. 11, the gas cluster 101 enters into a recess (a mark Ma shown in fig. 11) of a pattern (a mark M shown in fig. 11) formed on the surface of the wafer W. In the recess, a part of the gas cluster 101 collides with the fine particle P. By the impact at the time of the collision, the particles P are peeled off from the wafer W (or the pattern on the wafer W) and blown away. In addition, even when the gas cluster 101 does not collide directly with the particles P, the particles P are detached from the wafer W (or the pattern) by the collision and blown away. Then, the particles P fly out of the recess and are removed to the outside of the particle processing chamber 161C through the exhaust passage 84.
On the other hand, since the integration of the pattern on the wafer W is high, the size of the convex portion between the concave portions adjacent to each other is small, but since the gas clusters are irradiated perpendicularly to the surface of the wafer W, damage of the convex portion, so-called pattern breakage, can be suppressed. Then, in a state where the irradiation of the gas clusters is performed from the nozzle unit 80, the stage 81 is moved in the horizontal direction, and the irradiation positions of the gas clusters on the surface of the wafer W are sequentially moved. Thereby, the entire surface of the wafer W is irradiated with the gas clusters to remove the particles P adhering to the entire surface of the wafer W. In addition, as the purge gas to be supplied to the nozzle portion 80, CO is used 2 The mixed gas of the gas and He gas has large movement energy of the gas cluster, and can improve the removal efficiency of the particles.
In the case where the supercritical drying process unit 16B is configured to function as the fine particle process unit 16C, the nozzle unit 80 (gas cluster irradiation unit) shown in fig. 9 may be provided in the drying process chamber 162B of the supercritical drying process unit 16B. In this case, too, the particles P remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be removed as described above. In this case, the drying process chamber 162B may be connected to the same gas supply passage 90 as in fig. 9.
The particle processing unit 16C may be housed in a different substrate processing system than the substrate processing system 1 housing the supercritical drying processing unit 16B. In this case, the particle removal process can be performed by transferring the wafer W to the particle processing unit 16C of the other substrate processing system after the drying process of the wafer W is performed by the supercritical drying processing unit 16B.
As the fine particle treatment unit 16C in the fourth modification example, for example, a fine particle treatment unit described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-026745 related to the present application can be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and in the implementation stage, the constituent elements may be modified and embodied within a range not departing from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments and modifications. Several components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments and modifications. The components according to the different embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined.
[ example ]
An experiment for confirming the removal performance of the particles was performed using the wafer W having the pattern formed on the surface as a sample. Here, experiments were performed for three examples (examples 1 to 3). Embodiment 1 is an example in which the chamber heater 50 in the second modification shown in fig. 7 is used. Example 2 is an example in which the ultraviolet lamp 60 in the third modification shown in fig. 8 is used, and example 3 is an example in which the nozzle portion 80 (gas cluster irradiation portion) in the fourth modification shown in fig. 9 to 11 is used.
In each example, first, the number of particles (N1) remaining on the surface of the wafer W after the drying process of the wafer W using the supercritical fluid was measured. Then, a particle removal step was performed, and the number of particles (N2) remaining on the surface of the wafer W was measured. Then, the removal efficiency of fine particles (= (N1-N2)/N1) was obtained from N1 and N2. The result is shown in fig. 12.
As shown in fig. 12, in examples 1 to 3, the particulate removal efficiency was a value of more than 0%. This can confirm that: by performing the fine particle removal step, the fine particles P can be efficiently removed from the surface of the wafer W. Particularly in example 3, the removal efficiency of the fine particles was the highest. By irradiating the surface of the wafer W with the gas clusters 101 using the nozzle unit 80, the particles P can be removed from the surface of the wafer W more efficiently. In fig. 12, an example in which the chamber heater 50 is used, an example in which the ultraviolet lamp 60 is used, and an example in which the nozzle portion 80 (gas cluster irradiation portion) is used are shown, but it can be said that the fine particles P can be removed similarly efficiently even when the fine particle removing process other than these is performed.

Claims (4)

1. A substrate processing method, comprising:
forming a liquid film of a protective liquid on the surface of the substrate;
drying the substrate using a supercritical fluid and removing the protective liquid from the surface of the substrate; and
removing particles remaining on the surface of the substrate after drying the substrate,
wherein the substrate is stored in a drying process chamber when the substrate is dried, the substrate is transported from the drying process chamber to a particle process chamber after the substrate is dried, and the substrate is stored in the particle process chamber when the particles are removed, and a gas cluster is irradiated to the substrate by a gas supplied from a region having a higher pressure than the pressure in the particle process chamber to the particle process chamber.
2. A storage medium, in which a program is recorded,
when the program is executed by a computer for controlling the operation of a substrate processing apparatus, the computer is caused to control the substrate processing apparatus to execute the substrate processing method according to claim 1.
3. A substrate processing apparatus is provided with:
a liquid film forming part for forming a liquid film of the protective liquid on the surface of the substrate;
A drying treatment unit having a drying treatment chamber for accommodating the substrate, the drying treatment unit drying the substrate accommodated in the drying treatment chamber using a supercritical fluid, and removing the protective liquid from the surface of the substrate;
a particle processing part having a particle processing chamber for accommodating the substrate, the particle processing part removing particles remaining on the surface of the substrate in the drying processing part, and
a substrate transfer device that transfers the substrate after the drying process in the drying process chamber from the drying process chamber to the particle process chamber,
the substrate processing apparatus further includes a gas cluster irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate with a gas supplied from a region having a higher pressure than the pressure in the particle processing chamber to the particle processing chamber.
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,
the drying process section further includes a gas supply section for supplying a high-temperature gas to the drying process chamber, and a gas discharge section for discharging the high-temperature gas from the drying process chamber.
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