JP6719271B2 - A table for holding an object to be processed and a processing apparatus having the table - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a table for holding an object to be processed such as a semiconductor substrate and a processing apparatus having the table.

In manufacturing a semiconductor device, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus for polishing the surface of a substrate is known. In the CMP apparatus, a polishing pad is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table to form a polishing surface. In this CMP apparatus, the surface to be polished of the substrate held by the top ring is pressed against the polishing surface, and the polishing table and the top ring are rotated while supplying the slurry as the polishing liquid to the polishing surface. As a result, the polishing surface and the surface to be polished are slid relative to each other, and the surface to be polished is polished.

In a typical CMP apparatus, a polishing table or a polishing pad is larger than a substrate to be polished, and the substrate is polished while a surface to be polished is held downward by a top ring. The substrate after polishing is washed by bringing a sponge material such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) into contact with the substrate while rotating, and further dried.

A finishing unit is known in which a contact member having a diameter smaller than that of the substrate is pressed against the substrate after polishing to relatively move the substrate and the contact member (for example, Patent Document 1). Such a finishing unit is provided in the CMP apparatus separately from the main polishing section and can slightly additionally polish or clean the substrate after the main polishing.

JP-A-8-71511

In an apparatus for polishing a substrate, in order to bring the contact member into contact with a high pressure to enhance the cleaning effect and the polishing rate, it is desirable to hold the substrate by a table that contacts and supports the entire back surface of the substrate. An example of such a table is a table having a small hole for vacuum-sucking a substrate. In the case of a table that vacuum-adsorbs a substrate, negative pressure is generated in the gap between the support surface of the table that supports the substrate and the substrate, and the slurry used when polishing the substrate from the gap between the edge of the substrate and the table Alternatively, another processing liquid may be sucked into the small holes. When the gas or liquid is blown out from the small holes to separate the substrate from the supporting surface of the table, the sucked slurry or processing liquid flows out from the gap between the supporting surface of the table and the substrate and wraps around the upper surface of the substrate. May contaminate the substrate.

Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the slurry and the processing liquid from being sucked into the small holes of the table for vacuum-sucking the substrate as much as possible. Further, it is desirable that the sucked slurry and the treatment liquid do not flow around the substrate as much as possible when the substrate is released.

The present invention aims to solve or mitigate at least some of these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate is provided.
Such a wet substrate processing apparatus has a table for holding the substrate and a processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held by the table. The table is formed on the support surface, a support surface for supporting the substrate, a first opening formed in the support surface, and the support surface, and is arranged to at least partially surround the first opening. A second opening, a first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening of the support surface and configured to be connectable to a vacuum source, and extending through the table to the second opening of the support surface. A second fluid passage configured to open the second opening to the atmosphere.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the second fluid passage extends so as to penetrate at least a part of the table.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the table has an expansion edge extending in a direction in which the surface of the table expands, and the second opening is located at the expansion edge. However, the second fluid passage extends through the expanded edge.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, the first fluid passage passes through the first fluid passage and is fluid from the first opening. Is configured to be connectable to a fluid supply source for supplying.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the fluid comprises at least one of the group consisting of air, nitrogen, and water.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the table is configured to be rotatable.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, a polishing pad for polishing the substrate is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. Such a wet substrate processing apparatus has a table for holding the substrate and a processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held by the table. The table is formed on the support surface, a support surface for supporting the substrate, a first opening formed in the support surface, and the support surface, and is arranged to at least partially surround the first opening. A second opening, a first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening of the support surface and configured to be connectable to a vacuum source, and extending through the table to the second opening of the support surface. , A second fluid passage configured to be connectable to a fluid supply source.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect, the fluid comprises at least one of the group consisting of air, nitrogen, and water.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the table is configured to be rotatable.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, a polishing pad for polishing the substrate is provided.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. Such a wet substrate processing apparatus has a table for holding the substrate and a processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held on the table. The table is formed on the support surface, a support surface for supporting the substrate, a first opening formed in the support surface, and the support surface, and is arranged to at least partially surround the first opening. A second opening, a first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening of the support surface and connectable to a fluid supply source, and the table through the table to the second opening of the support surface. A second fluid passage extending and connectable to the vacuum source.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, the fluid has at least one of the group consisting of air, nitrogen, and water.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect or the thirteenth aspect, the first fluid passage is configured to be connectable to a vacuum source.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the twelfth aspect to the fourteenth aspect, the table is configured to be rotatable.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, the polishing pad is provided for polishing the substrate.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backing material that can be arranged on a table for holding a substrate. The backing material corresponds to the positions of the first opening and the second opening of the table when placed on the table of the wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects. It has a through hole at a position to be formed.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the buff processing apparatus as an example of the processing apparatus which has the table for processing a to-be-processed object. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the buff table as one embodiment roughly. It is a perspective view which shows the upper surface of the buff table of FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the periphery of the cutout portion of the buff table according to one embodiment. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the buff table shown in FIG. 3A, taken along line EE, according to one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the buff table as one embodiment roughly. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the buff table shown in FIG. 3A, taken along line EE, according to one embodiment.

An embodiment of a table for holding a processing object and a processing apparatus having the table according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are given to the same or similar elements, and redundant description of the same or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. Further, the features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a buff processing apparatus as an example of a processing apparatus having a table for processing an object to be processed. The buffing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 can be configured as a part of a CMP apparatus for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or as a unit in the CMP apparatus. As an example, the buffing apparatus can be incorporated in a CMP apparatus having a polishing unit, a cleaning unit, and a substrate transfer mechanism, and the buffing apparatus can be used for finishing processing after main polishing in the CMP apparatus. ..

In the present specification, the buff treatment includes at least one of buff polishing treatment and buff cleaning treatment.

The buffing process is a process of polishing and removing the processed surface of the substrate by moving the substrate and the buff pad relative to each other while bringing the buff pad into contact with the substrate and interposing slurry between the substrate and the buff pad. The buffing treatment may apply a physical action force to the substrate that is stronger than a physical action force applied to the substrate when cleaning the substrate by a physical action using a sponge material (for example, PVA sponge material). This is possible processing. Therefore, as the buff pad, for example, a pad obtained by laminating a foamed polyurethane and a non-woven fabric, specifically, a commercially available IC1000 (trademark)/SUBA (registered trademark) system, a suede-like porous polyurethane non-fibrous pad, For example, POLITEX (registered trademark) available on the market can be used. The buffing process removes the surface layer part where damage or contaminants such as scratches are attached, the additional removal of the part that could not be removed by the main polishing in the main polishing unit, or the unevenness of the micro area and the entire substrate after the main polishing. It is possible to realize improvement of morphology such as film thickness distribution across.

The buff cleaning process is a process in which the substrate and the buff pad are moved relative to each other while the buff pad is in contact with the substrate, and a cleaning process liquid (chemical solution or chemical solution and pure water) is interposed between the substrate and the buff pad. This is a treatment for removing contaminants on the surface or modifying the treated surface. The buff cleaning process is a process that can apply a physical action force stronger than a physical action force applied to the substrate when the substrate is washed by a physical action using a sponge material or the like. Therefore, as the buff pad, the above-mentioned IC1000 (trademark)/SUBA (registered trademark) system, POLITEX (registered trademark), or the like is used. Furthermore, it is also possible to use PVA sponge as a buff pad in the buffing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a buff processing module 300A with a wafer Wf (substrate) attached thereto according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a buff processing module 300A according to one embodiment includes a buff table 400 on which a wafer Wf is installed, a buff head 500 on which a buff pad 502 for performing a buff processing is attached to a processing surface of the wafer Wf, A buff arm 600 holding the buff head 500, a liquid supply system 700 for supplying various processing liquids, and a conditioning unit 800 for conditioning the buff pad 502 are provided.

The buff processing module 300A can perform the buff polishing processing and/or the buff cleaning processing described above.

The buff table 400 supports the processed surface of the wafer Wf upward, as described in detail later. The buff table 400 can hold the wafer Wf on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 by vacuum suction. The wafer Wf may be adsorbed to the buff table 400 via the backing material 450 (see FIG. 2). The backing material 450 can be formed of, for example, elastic polyurethane foam. The backing material 450 serves as a cushioning material between the buff table 400 and the wafer Wf to prevent the wafer Wf from being scratched, and to mitigate the influence of the unevenness of the surface of the buff table 400 on the buff processing. it can. The backing material 450 can be attached to the surface of the buff table 400 with an adhesive tape. A known backing material 450 can be used, and a buff table 400 having a through hole 452 at a position corresponding to the opening 404 can be used (see FIG. 2 ). The support surface 402 of the buff table 400 can be circular and can hold the circular wafer Wf.

In the present specification, when the wafer Wf is attached to the buff table 400 via the backing material 450, the surface of the backing material 450 with the backing material 450 attached becomes a “support surface” that supports the wafer Wf. When the wafer Wf is directly adsorbed to the buff table 400 without the interposition of the backing material 450, the surface of the buff table serves as a “support surface” that supports the wafer Wf. Hereinafter, the term “supporting surface” or “supporting surface of a buff table” includes both cases.

Further, the buff table 400 has, as a transfer mechanism on the table 400, lift pins 480 (see FIG. 2) for receiving the wafer Wf transferred by a transfer robot (not shown) and mounting the wafer Wf on the buff table 400. A plurality of lift pins 480 are arranged along the outer circumference of the buff table 400, and the lift pins 480 are expanded and contracted by a mechanism (not shown). The lift pins 480 support and receive the outer peripheral portion of the wafer Wf with the lift pins 480 protruding, and then the lift pins 480 retract to place the wafer Wf on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. After the buffing process is completed, the lift pins 480 project to support and lift the outer peripheral portion of the wafer Wf, and the transfer robot scoops the wafer Wf from below.

Further, the buff table 400 can be rotated around the rotation axis AA by a drive mechanism (not shown). The buff head 500 is configured to be able to move up and down. The buff pad 502 is attached to the surface of the buff head 500 that faces the wafer Wf. The buff pad 502 is pressed against the wafer Wf held on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 by the descent of the buff head 500. The buff arm 600 can rotate the buff head 500 around the rotation axis BB and can swing the buff head 500 in the radial direction of the wafer Wf as shown by an arrow CC. Further, the buff arm 600 can swing the buff head 500 to a position where the buff pad 502 faces the conditioning section 800.

The liquid supply system 700 includes a pure water nozzle 710 for supplying pure water (DIW) to the processing surface of the wafer Wf. The pure water nozzle 710 is connected to a pure water supply source 714 via a pure water pipe 712. The pure water pipe 712 is provided with an opening/closing valve 716 capable of opening and closing the pure water pipe 712. By controlling the opening/closing of the opening/closing valve 716 using a control device (not shown), pure water can be supplied to the processing surface of the wafer Wf or the supporting surface 402 of the buff table 400 for supporting the wafer Wf at arbitrary timing. it can.

Further, the liquid supply system 700 includes a first chemical liquid nozzle 720 for supplying a chemical liquid (Chemi) to the processing surface of the wafer Wf. The first chemical liquid nozzle 720 supplies the chemical liquid to the surface of the wafer Wf in the chemical liquid cleaning after the buff cleaning process or the buff polishing process. The first chemical liquid nozzle 720 is connected to the first chemical liquid supply source 724 via the chemical liquid pipe 722. The chemical liquid pipe 722 is provided with an opening/closing valve 726 capable of opening and closing the chemical liquid pipe 722. By controlling the opening/closing of the opening/closing valve 726 using a controller (not shown), the chemical liquid can be supplied to the processing surface of the wafer Wf or the supporting surface 402 for supporting the wafer Wf of the buff table 400 at an arbitrary timing. ..

The buff processing module 300A according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 uses pure water on the support surface 402 for supporting the processing surface of the wafer Wf or the wafer Wf of the buff table 400 via the buff arm 600, the buff head 500, and the buff pad 502. The chemical solution or the slurry can be selectively supplied.

That is, a branched pure water pipe 712 a branches from between the pure water supply source 714 and the opening/closing valve 716 in the pure water pipe 712. Further, a branch chemical liquid pipe 722 a branches from between the first chemical liquid supply source 724 and the opening/closing valve 726 in the chemical liquid pipe 722. The branched pure water pipe 712 a, the branched chemical liquid pipe 722 a, and the slurry pipe 732 connected to the slurry supply source 734 join the liquid supply pipe 740. The branch pure water pipe 712a is provided with an opening/closing valve 718 capable of opening and closing the branch pure water pipe 712a. The branch chemical liquid pipe 722a is provided with an opening/closing valve 728 capable of opening and closing the branch chemical liquid pipe 722a. The slurry pipe 732 is provided with an opening/closing valve 736 capable of opening/closing the slurry pipe 732.

The first end of the liquid supply pipe 740 is connected to three pipes, a branched pure water pipe 712a, a branched chemical liquid pipe 722a, and a slurry pipe 732. The liquid supply pipe 740 extends through the inside of the buff arm 600, the center of the buff head 500, and the center of the buff pad 502. The second end of the liquid supply pipe 740 opens toward the processing surface of the wafer Wf or the supporting surface 402 for supporting the wafer Wf of the buff table 400. A control device (not shown) controls opening/closing of the opening/closing valve 718, the opening/closing valve 728, and the opening/closing valve 736 to support the surface to be processed of the wafer Wf or the wafer Wf of the buff table 400 at arbitrary timing. Any one of pure water, a chemical solution, and a slurry, or a mixed solution of any combination thereof can be supplied to the support surface 402 of.

The buff processing module 300A according to the illustrated embodiment supplies the processing liquid to the wafer Wf via the liquid supply pipe 740, rotates the buff table 400 around the rotation axis AA, and presses the buff pad 502 against the processing surface of the wafer Wf. The buffing process can be performed on the wafer Wf by swinging the buff head 500 in the direction of arrow CC while rotating the buff head 500 about the rotation axis BB.

The conditioning unit 800 shown in FIG. 1 is a member for conditioning the surface of the buff pad 502. The conditioning unit 800 includes a dress table 810 and a dresser 820 installed on the dress table 810. The dress table 810 can be rotated around the rotation axis DD by a drive mechanism (not shown). The dresser 820 is formed of a diamond dresser, a brush dresser, or a combination thereof.

When conditioning the buff pad 502, the buff processing module 300A pivots the buff arm 600 until the buff pad 502 faces the dresser 820 (see FIG. 2). The buff processing module 300A conditions the buff pad 502 by rotating the dress table 810 around the rotation axis DD and rotating the buff head 500 to press the buff pad 502 against the dresser 820.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the buff table 400 as one embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the backing material 450 and the wafer Wf are held. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the upper surface of the buff table 400 of FIG. The buff table 400 includes a support surface 402 for supporting the surface of the wafer Wf to be processed upward. The support surface 402 of the buff table 400 is formed with a plurality of first openings 404 for vacuum-adsorbing the wafer Wf on the support surface 402. Further, the buff table 400 includes a first fluid passage 410 extending to the first opening 404 inside the buff table 400. The first fluid passage 410 is connected to the vacuum source 746. Further, the first fluid passage 410 is connected to a pure water supply source 714 and a nitrogen source 744 that can be used when desorbing the wafer Wf. Further, the first fluid passage 410 may include an atmosphere release valve (not shown) that releases the inside of the first fluid passage 410 to the atmosphere. For example, when removing the wafer Wf, the vacuum in the first fluid passage 410 is released, pure water is supplied to the first fluid passage 410 for a predetermined time, and then nitrogen is supplied for a predetermined time. it can. The buff table 400 can also be connected to a second chemical liquid source 724 that can optionally be used when cleaning the support surface 402 and/or the first fluid passage 410 of the buff table 400. On-off valves 750, 752, 754, and 756 are provided in the pipes for supplying pure water, the chemical liquid, and the nitrogen gas to the first fluid passage 410 of the buff table 400, and the pipe for evacuating the first fluid passage 410, respectively. By controlling the opening/closing of the on-off valves 750, 752, 754, 756 using a control device (not shown), pure water, a chemical solution, and nitrogen gas are passed through the first fluid passage 410 of the buff table 400 to the support surface 402 at arbitrary timing. Can be supplied, and the first fluid passage 410 can be evacuated at an arbitrary timing.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the buff table 400 shown in FIG. 3(A), which is cut along a line segment EE. As shown in FIG. 3A, the buff table 400 has an expansion edge portion 406 extending in a direction in which the surface of the buff table 400 expands outward. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, a second opening 424 (not shown in FIG. 2) is formed in the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 located at the expanded edge portion 406. A second fluid passage 420 extending to the second opening 424 is formed in the expanded edge portion 406. The second fluid passage 420 is formed of a plurality of holes, penetrates the expanded edge portion 406, and is opened to the outside of the buff table 400. As shown in FIG. 3A, the second opening 424 is formed as a plurality of continuous grooves that at least partially surround the region where the first opening 404 is arranged. In other words, it can be said that the groove is formed near the outer periphery of the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. The second fluid passages 420 are arranged at equal intervals along the vicinity of the outer periphery of the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. The groove is connected to the second fluid passage 420 at regular intervals, and the fluid (for example, the processing liquid) that has entered the groove is discharged to the outside of the buff table 400 through the second fluid passage 420. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the second opening 424 is formed so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 except for the positions of the four cutouts 426. .. As another embodiment, the second opening 424 may be formed as one ring-shaped groove that completely surrounds the periphery of the support surface 402. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view around the notch portion 426 of the buff table 400 according to another embodiment. The lift pins 480 (see FIG. 2) are arranged at the positions of the four cutout portions 426 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B). Further, as another embodiment, the second opening 424 may be a plurality of holes arranged so as to at least partially surround the region where the first opening 404 is arranged. The second opening 424 formed as a plurality of holes is directly connected to the second fluid passage 420.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing, as another embodiment, a cross section of the buff table 400 shown in FIG. 3(A) or FIG. 3(B) taken along line EE. Note that, in FIG. 6, the first fluid passage 410 and the backing material 450 are omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the expanded edge portion 406 extends downward from the position where the second fluid passage 420 is formed, and the expanded edge portion 406 functions as an “eave” to form an arrow. As shown, it is possible to effectively prevent the processing liquid flowing outward toward the outer periphery of the wafer Wf from entering the gap between the support surface 402 and the back surface of the wafer Wf.

In the buff processing module 300A shown in FIG. 1, the wafer Wf to be buffed is placed on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. When the first fluid passage 410 is evacuated by the vacuum source 746, the back surface of the wafer Wf is vacuum-sucked to the first opening 404 and the wafer Wf is held. During the buffing process described above, slurry, other processing liquid, or the like is supplied to the surface to be processed of the wafer Wf. During the buffing, the first fluid passage 410 is continuously evacuated. Therefore, a negative pressure is formed between the back surface of the wafer Wf and the support surface 402 or in the gap between the wafer Wf and the backing material 450. Therefore, when the second opening 424 and the second fluid passage 420 are not provided, the slurry or the processing liquid is sucked from the outer periphery of the wafer Wf into the inside of the support surface 402 through the gap. When the wafer Wf is held by vacuum suction using the buff table 400 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the first fluid is passed from the second fluid passage 420 through the gap between the wafer Wf and the support surface 402. Air flow is generated in the passage 410, and the negative pressure in the vicinity of the second opening 424 and the supporting surface 402 outside thereof can be released (open to the atmosphere). Therefore, the slurry and the processing liquid are transferred from the outer periphery of the wafer Wf to the supporting surface 402 and the wafer W
It is possible to prevent the first opening 404 and the first fluid passage 410 from being sucked through the gap between the back surface of f and the back surface. In other words, the second fluid passage 420 serves as an atmosphere opening path that opens the second opening 424 to the atmosphere. The end of the second fluid passage 420 located on the opposite side of the second opening 424 is open to the outside of the buff table 400, and the second fluid passage 420 located on the opposite side of the second opening 424. The end portion of can be also referred to as an atmosphere opening port.

When the buffing process is completed, the wafer Wf is removed from the buff table 400. At this time, in order to remove the vacuum-adsorbed wafer Wf, vacuuming of the first fluid passage 410 by the vacuum source 746 is stopped, and pure water is supplied from the pure water supply source 714 to the first fluid passage 410 for a predetermined time. After the supply, nitrogen is supplied from the nitrogen source 744 to the first fluid passage 410 for a predetermined time, and the pressure in the first fluid passage is made higher than the atmospheric pressure to detach the wafer Wf from the support surface 402. At this time, if the slurry or the processing liquid used during the buffing is sucked into the first fluid passage 410, the slurry or the processing liquid sucked together with the pure water and the nitrogen when desorbing the wafer Wf becomes the first It spouts from the fluid passage 410 and the first opening 404. As a result, the slurry or the processing liquid is ejected from the outer periphery of the wafer Wf through the gap between the support surface 402 and the back surface of the wafer Wf, and further spills to the surface to be processed of the wafer Wf to contaminate the wafer Wf. Become. When the buff table 400 according to the present embodiment is used, since the slurry and the processing liquid are suppressed or minimized from being sucked into the first fluid passage 410 during the buff processing, the wafer Wf is contaminated when the wafer Wf is desorbed. Risk of Further, even if a small amount of slurry or processing liquid is sucked into the first fluid passage 410, when pure water and nitrogen are supplied to the first fluid passage 410 in order to desorb the wafer Wf from the buff table 400, pure water and nitrogen are pure. Since the mixed fluid of water, nitrogen, slurry, or the processing liquid is discharged to the outside of the buff table 400 through the second opening 424 and the second fluid passage 420 before reaching the edge of the wafer Wf, the mixed fluid is the wafer. It is possible to prevent the Wf from wrapping around to the surface to be processed. In other words, the second fluid passage 420 serves as a fluid discharge path for discharging the fluid that has entered the second opening 424. It can be said that the second fluid passage 420 located on the opposite side of the second opening is connected to the fluid discharge port. In the present embodiment, the second fluid passage 420 is formed so as to penetrate the buff table 400 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, but the second fluid passage 420 serves as an atmosphere opening passage or a fluid discharge passage. The form of 420 is not limited to these.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the buff table 400 as one embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the backing material 450 and the wafer Wf are held as in FIG. The buff table 400 shown in FIG. 5 includes a first opening 404, a first fluid passage 410, a second opening 424, and a second fluid passage 420, similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. ing. However, unlike the second fluid passage 420 of the buff table 400 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the second fluid passage 420 of the buff table 400 of the embodiment of FIG. 5 is open to the outside of the buff table 400. Not not. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the second fluid passage 420 is connected to the pure water supply source 714, the chemical liquid supply source 724, the nitrogen source 744, and the vacuum source 746 similarly to the first fluid passage 410. To be done. The second fluid passage 420 may be connected to an atmosphere release valve (not shown). The unnecessary liquid that has entered the second fluid passage 420 is discharged by a gas-liquid separator (not shown) arranged upstream of the vacuum source 746. Therefore, it is possible to supply various fluids to the second fluid passage 420 and to evacuate the second fluid passage. Note that in FIG. 5, for convenience of illustration, the first fluid passage 410 and the second fluid passage 420 are connected to the pure water supply source 714, the chemical liquid supply reduction 724, the nitrogen source 744, and the vacuum source 746 in the same route. The first fluid passage 410 and the second fluid passage 420 are connected to the pure water supply source 714, the chemical solution supply reduction 724, the nitrogen source 744, and the vacuum source 746, respectively, though they are illustrated as being shown. Therefore, the fluids flowing through the first fluid passage 410 and the second fluid passage 420 can be individually switched. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the risk of contaminating the wafer Wf with the slurry or the processing liquid when the wafer Wf is desorbed.

For example, when the wafer Wf is vacuum-adsorbed on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 for buff processing, the second fluid passage 420 is evacuated to vacuum-adsorb the wafer Wf on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. At this time, the first fluid passage 410 is not evacuated. Therefore, the slurry and the treatment liquid may be sucked into the second fluid passage 420 during the buff treatment, but are not sucked into the first fluid passage 410. When the wafer Wf is desorbed from the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 after the buff processing is completed, deionized water and/or nitrogen gas is supplied to the first fluid passage 410 to desorb the wafer Wf. At this time, pure water and/or nitrogen gas is not supplied to the second fluid passage 420. Therefore, the slurry or the processing liquid sucked in the second fluid passage 420 during the buffing process does not spout onto the wafer when the wafer Wf is attached/detached, and the risk of contaminating the wafer Wf is reduced. In order to wash away the slurry and the processing liquid that have entered the second fluid passage 420, when the wafer Wf is replaced, various fluids such as pure water and a chemical liquid are supplied to the second fluid passage 420 to supply the second fluid passage 420. And the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 may be cleaned.

Further, when the wafer Wf is vacuum-adsorbed on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 for the buffing process, the first fluid passage 410 is evacuated and the wafer Wf is vacuum-adsorbed on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400. At this time, the second fluid passage 420 is not evacuated. Therefore, the slurry or the treatment liquid may be sucked into the first fluid passage 410 during the buff treatment, but is not sucked into the second fluid passage 420. When the wafer Wf is desorbed from the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 after the buffing process is completed, pure water and/or nitrogen gas is supplied to the second fluid passage 420 to desorb the wafer Wf. At this time, pure water and/or nitrogen gas is not supplied to the first fluid passage 410. Therefore, the slurry or the processing liquid sucked in the first fluid passage 410 during the buffing process does not spout on the wafer when the wafer Wf is attached/detached, and the risk of contaminating the wafer Wf is reduced. In order to wash away the slurry and the processing liquid that have entered the first fluid passage 410, various fluids such as pure water and chemicals are supplied to the first fluid passage 410 when the wafer Wf is exchanged. And the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 may be cleaned.

Further, as one embodiment, when the wafer Wf is vacuum-adsorbed on the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 for buffing, both the first fluid passage 410 and the second fluid passage 420 are evacuated to buff the wafer Wf. The supporting surface 402 of the table 400 can be vacuum-adsorbed. Therefore, during the buffing process, the slurry or the processing liquid may be sucked into the second fluid passage 420 arranged outside, but is hardly sucked into the first fluid passage 410 arranged inside. When the wafer Wf is desorbed from the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 after the buffing process is completed, pure water and/or nitrogen gas can be supplied to the first fluid passage 410 to desorb the wafer Wf. At this time, pure water and/or nitrogen gas is not supplied to the second fluid passage 420. The slurry or the processing liquid sucked in the second fluid passage 420 during the buffing process does not spout on the wafer when the wafer Wf is attached/detached, so that the risk of contaminating the wafer Wf is reduced. In order to wash away the slurry and the processing liquid that have entered the second fluid passage 420, when the wafer Wf is replaced, various fluids such as pure water and a chemical liquid are supplied to the second fluid passage 420 to supply the second fluid passage 420. And the support surface 402 of the buff table 400 may be cleaned.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement of the first opening 404, the first fluid passage 410, the second opening 424, and the second fluid passage 420 can be any arrangement. For example, in the buff table 400 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second opening 424 and the second fluid passage 420 may be formed in the expanded edge portion 406 or may be formed in other positions.

As described above, the table for holding the object to be processed of the present invention and the processing apparatus having the table have been described by taking the buff processing apparatus as an example, but the present invention is limited to the buff processing apparatus described above. is not. The table and the processing apparatus having the table disclosed in the present specification can be applied to other apparatuses that hold an object to be processed by vacuum suction. The table disclosed in the present specification can be applied particularly to a wet substrate processing apparatus that supplies a liquid to a substrate to process the substrate.

400... Table 402... Supporting surface 404... 1st opening 406... Expansion edge 410... 1st fluid passage 420... 2nd fluid passage 424... 2nd opening 450... Backing material 452... Through hole 502... Polishing pad 714... Pure water supply source 724... Chemical solution supply source 744... Nitrogen source 746... Vacuum source Wf... Wafer

Claims (20)

A wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
A table for holding the board,
A processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held on the table,
The table is
A support surface for supporting the substrate,
A first opening formed in the support surface;
A second opening formed in the support surface and arranged to at least partially surround the first opening;
A first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening in the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to a gas source, a liquid source, and a vacuum source;
A second fluid passage extending through the table to the second opening of the support surface and configured to open the second opening to the atmosphere.
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second fluid passage extends so as to penetrate at least a part of the table. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the table has an expansion edge portion that extends in a direction in which a surface of the table expands, and the second opening is located at the expansion edge portion. The wet substrate processing apparatus wherein the second fluid passage extends through the extended edge. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supplied from the gas supply source contains air or nitrogen, and the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source contains water . A wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the table is configured to be rotatable, wet the substrate processing apparatus. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
A polishing pad for polishing the substrate,
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein
The first opening and the second opening are configured to be closed by the substrate while the substrate is held on the supporting surface of the table.
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein
The second opening is formed from one or more grooves extending along an outer periphery of the support surface and defining a generally ring shape,
Wet substrate processing equipment. A wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
A table for holding the board,
A processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held on the table,
The table is
A support surface for supporting the substrate,
A first opening formed in the support surface;
A second opening formed in the support surface and arranged to at least partially surround the first opening;
A first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening in the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to a gas source, a liquid source, and a vacuum source;
A second fluid passage extending through the table to the second opening of the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to the gas source, the liquid source, and the vacuum source. ,
The first opening and the second opening are configured to be closed by the substrate while the substrate is held on the supporting surface of the table.
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the gas supplied from the gas supply source contains air or nitrogen, and the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source contains water . A wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the table is configured to be rotatable, wet the substrate processing apparatus. A wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
A polishing pad for polishing the substrate,
Wet substrate processing equipment. A wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
The second opening is formed from one or more grooves extending along an outer periphery of the support surface and defining a generally ring shape,
Wet substrate processing equipment. A wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
A table for holding the board,
A processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held on the table,
The table is
A support surface for supporting the substrate,
A first opening formed in the support surface;
A second opening formed in the support surface and arranged to at least partially surround the first opening;
A first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening in the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to a gas source, a liquid source, and a vacuum source ;
A second fluid passage extending through the table to the second opening of the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to the gas source, the liquid source, and the vacuum source. ,
The second opening is formed from one or more grooves extending along an outer periphery of the support surface and defining a generally ring shape,
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the gas supplied from the gas supply source contains air or nitrogen, and the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source contains water . The wet type substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14 or 15 , wherein the table is configured to be rotatable. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16 , wherein
A polishing pad for polishing the substrate,
Wet substrate processing equipment. The wet substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 17 , wherein
The first opening and the second opening are configured to be closed by the substrate while the substrate is held on the supporting surface of the table.
Wet substrate processing equipment. A wet substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
A table for holding the board,
A processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held on the table,
The table is
A support surface for supporting the substrate,
A first opening formed in the support surface;
A second opening formed in the support surface and arranged to at least partially surround the first opening;
A first fluid passage extending through the table to the first opening in the support surface and configured to be selectively connected to a gas source, a liquid source, and a vacuum source ;
Extends to the second opening of the supporting surface through said table, said gas source, to have a, a second fluid passage arranged to be selectively connected the liquid supply source, and the vacuum source ,
Wet substrate processing equipment. A backing material that can be placed on a table for holding a substrate,
The backing material corresponds to the positions of the first opening and the second opening of the table when placed on the table of the wet-type substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19. A backing material having a through hole at a position.

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