JP7594468B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and supply valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates and a supply valve provided in the substrate processing apparatus. Examples of substrates include semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays), glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells. Examples of FPDs include liquid crystal display devices and organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices.

Conventionally, substrate processing apparatuses include a nozzle, piping, and a processing liquid supply source. The nozzle ejects a processing liquid, such as a resist liquid, onto a substrate. The piping connects the nozzle to the processing liquid supply source. A pump and an on-off valve are provided in this order in the piping, from upstream to downstream of the nozzle. With the on-off valve open, the pump sends resist liquid through the piping, causing the resist liquid to be ejected from the nozzle (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Patent Document 1 discloses that a trap tank is provided in the piping between the buffer tank and the nozzle. By pressurizing the inside of the buffer tank, the processing liquid in the buffer tank is supplied to the trap tank. Furthermore, by pressurizing the inside of the trap tank, the processing liquid in the trap tank is supplied to the nozzle.

Patent Document 2 discloses a dispensing mechanism that distributes and supplies a treatment liquid to a plurality of coating modules that are stacked in multiple stages. The dispensing mechanism includes a treatment liquid supply source, a pressurizing means, and a plurality of dispensing units corresponding to the plurality of coating modules. Each of the plurality of dispensing units includes a pump and a nozzle. The nozzle ejects treatment liquid at the corresponding coating module. The pump is disposed to the side (diagonally below) the corresponding coating module. The pump stores therein the treatment liquid sent from the treatment liquid supply source by the pressurizing means.

JP 2000-173902 A JP 2007-005576 A

However, conventional substrate processing apparatuses have the following problems. When the on-off valve is opened and closed, air bubbles may be generated in the processing liquid (e.g., resist liquid). The generated air bubbles remain in the on-off valve chamber and grow to a certain size. When the on-off valve is open, the air bubbles that have grown to a certain size are sent to the nozzle, and there is a risk that the air bubbles will be supplied onto the substrate together with the processing liquid from the nozzle. Furthermore, the air bubbles may become a source of particles. These may cause product defects.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a supply valve that can remove air bubbles caused by an opening and closing valve.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration: That is, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a nozzle for discharging a processing liquid onto a substrate, a supply valve for supplying the processing liquid to the nozzle, and a nozzle-side pipe connecting the nozzle and an outlet of the supply valve, the supply valve including a flow path block, an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block, an inlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber, an outlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet, an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber, and and the outlet-side flow path, and is configured to receive the on-off valve body within the on-off valve chamber; an on-off drive unit that stops the flow of treatment liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat, and causes the treatment liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by removing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat; and a vent flow path formed in the flow path block and connected to the on-off valve chamber for discharging air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber, wherein the vent flow path extends downwardly and is connected to the on-off valve chamber .

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the supply valve includes an on-off valve (an on-off valve chamber, a valve seat, an on-off valve body, and an on-off drive unit). A vent flow path for discharging air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber is connected to the on-off valve chamber. As a result, even if air bubbles are generated when the on-off valve is opened or closed, the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber can be discharged through the vent flow path. That is, air bubbles caused by the on-off valve can be removed. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from being supplied onto the substrate, resulting in product defects.
Furthermore, since the vent passage extends in the direction in which air bubbles move due to buoyancy, air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber can be easily removed.

In the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable that the inlet side flow path has a shared flow path that extends downward and connects to the on-off valve chamber, and the vent flow path connects to the on-off valve chamber via the shared flow path to discharge air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber. The vent flow path is connected to the on-off valve chamber via the shared flow path by connecting to the shared flow path of the inlet side flow path. Therefore, the flow path block can be formed small. Furthermore, since the shared flow path extends downward, the vent flow path and the shared flow path each extend downward. Therefore, air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber can be removed even more easily.

In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable that the ceiling surface of the on-off valve chamber has an inclined surface to guide air bubbles to the vent passage. The inclined surface makes it easy to collect air bubbles in the vent passage without trapping them in the on-off valve chamber.

Further, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a nozzle that ejects a processing liquid onto a substrate, a supply valve for supplying the processing liquid to the nozzle, and a nozzle-side pipe connecting the nozzle and an outlet of the supply valve, the supply valve including a flow path block, an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block, an inlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber, an outlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet, an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber, and a nozzle-side pipe provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve body within the on-off valve chamber. an on-off valve drive unit which stops the flow of treatment liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat and causes the treatment liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet side flow path by removing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat; and a vent flow path formed in the flow path block and connected to the on-off valve chamber for discharging air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber, wherein the supply valve is formed in the inlet side flow path of the flow path block and further comprises a first pump chamber which contains the treatment liquid, a volume changing member which changes the volume within the first pump chamber, and a pump drive unit which drives the volume changing member to perform a pump operation .

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the supply valve includes an on-off valve (an on-off valve chamber, a valve seat, an on-off valve body, and an on-off drive unit). A vent flow path for discharging air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber is connected to the on-off valve chamber. As a result, even if air bubbles are generated when the on-off valve is opened or closed, the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber can be discharged through the vent flow path. That is, air bubbles caused by the on-off valve can be removed. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from being supplied onto the substrate, resulting in product defects.
The supply valve also includes a pump (a first pump chamber, a volume change member, and a pump drive unit). The pump is provided in a flow path block in which the on-off valve is provided. Therefore, the distance between the pump and the on-off valve is short. Therefore, it is possible to reduce pressure loss due to the length of the flow path between the pump and the on-off valve, and also reduce pressure loss due to the elevation difference between the pump and the on-off valve. Furthermore, when the substrate processing apparatus includes multiple supply valves, the distance and elevation difference between the pump and the on-off valve are always constant. Therefore, it is easy to uniform the pressure loss due to the length of the flow path among multiple supply valves.

In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable that the supply valve is disposed together with the nozzle and the nozzle-side piping in the liquid processing unit. This allows the pump of the supply valve (the first pump chamber, the volume change member, and the pump drive unit) to be closer to the nozzle. This makes it possible to further reduce pressure loss due to the length of the flow path and piping from the pump of the supply valve to the nozzle.

In addition, the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus further includes a plurality of liquid processing units arranged in a vertical direction and each processing a substrate, and an upstream pump for supplying processing liquid to each of the plurality of liquid processing units, each of the plurality of liquid processing units includes the nozzle, the supply valve, and the nozzle side piping, the supply valve is provided so as to be in contact with the first pump chamber and includes a first pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the processing liquid in the first pump chamber, the upstream pump includes a second pump chamber that contains the processing liquid, and a second pressure sensor that is provided so as to be in contact with the second pump chamber and measures the pressure of the processing liquid in the second pump chamber, and when selectively supplying processing liquid to one of the plurality of liquid processing units, it is preferable that the upstream pump, in cooperation with the pump drive unit of the supply valve of the liquid processing unit to which the processing liquid is sent, adjusts the second pressure value measured by the second pressure sensor so that the first pressure value measured by the first pressure sensor of the liquid processing unit to which the processing liquid is sent becomes a preset pressure value.

The height difference between the upstream pump and each liquid processing unit causes the discharge state (discharge pressure, discharge amount, discharge flow rate, etc.) of the processing liquid from the nozzle to be non-uniform. Therefore, the supply valve of each liquid processing unit is equipped with a pump (a first pump chamber, a volume change member, a pump drive unit, etc.). This makes it possible to make the discharge state of each liquid processing unit uniform. Furthermore, if the pressure of the processing liquid sent to the pump of each supply valve is not uniform, the pressure adjustment load on the pump of each supply valve increases. In this regard, the present invention can make the pressure of the processing liquid sent to the pump of each supply valve uniform. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the pressure adjustment load on the pump of each supply valve.

a valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber; an inlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber; an outlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and an outlet; an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber; a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve body within the on-off valve chamber; an on-off drive unit that stops the flow of liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat and also causes the liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by releasing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat; and a vent flow path formed in the flow path block and connected to the on-off valve chamber for discharging air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber, wherein the vent flow path is connected to the on-off valve chamber while extending downward .
The supply valve according to the present invention includes an on-off valve (an on-off valve chamber, a valve seat, an on-off valve body, and an on-off drive unit). A vent flow path for discharging air bubbles from within the on-off valve chamber is connected to the on-off valve chamber. As a result, even if air bubbles are generated when the on-off valve is opened or closed, the air bubbles can be discharged from within the on-off valve chamber through the vent flow path. In other words, air bubbles caused by the on-off valve can be removed. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from being supplied onto a substrate, resulting in product defects.
Furthermore, since the vent passage extends in the direction in which air bubbles move due to buoyancy, air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber can be easily removed.

Furthermore, a supply valve according to the present invention includes a flow path block, an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block, an inlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber, an outlet-side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and an outlet, an on-off valve body disposed within the on-off valve chamber, a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve body within the on-off valve chamber, and a valve seat configured to press the on-off valve body against the valve seat to open the on-off valve chamber. the on-off valve chamber is formed in the flow path block and connected to the on-off valve chamber to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber; a first pump chamber is formed in the inlet flow path of the flow path block and contains a treatment liquid; a volume change member is formed in the inlet flow path of the flow path block and changes the volume within the first pump chamber; and a pump drive unit is configured to drive the volume change member to perform a pumping operation.
The supply valve according to the present invention includes an on-off valve (an on-off valve chamber, a valve seat, an on-off valve body, and an on-off drive unit). A vent flow path for discharging air bubbles from within the on-off valve chamber is connected to the on-off valve chamber. As a result, even if air bubbles are generated when the on-off valve is opened or closed, the air bubbles can be discharged from within the on-off valve chamber through the vent flow path. In other words, air bubbles caused by the on-off valve can be removed. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from being supplied onto a substrate, resulting in product defects.
The supply valve also includes a pump (a first pump chamber, a volume change member, and a pump drive unit). The pump is provided in a flow path block in which the on-off valve is provided. Therefore, the distance between the pump and the on-off valve is short. Therefore, it is possible to reduce pressure loss due to the length of the flow path between the pump and the on-off valve, and also reduce pressure loss due to the elevation difference between the pump and the on-off valve. Furthermore, when the substrate processing apparatus includes multiple supply valves, the distance and elevation difference between the pump and the on-off valve are always constant. Therefore, it is easy to uniform the pressure loss due to the length of the flow path among multiple supply valves.

This specification also discloses the following invention related to a substrate processing apparatus:

(1) A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of liquid processing units arranged in a vertical direction and each processing a substrate, and an upstream pump for sending a processing liquid to each of the plurality of liquid processing units. Each of the plurality of liquid processing units includes a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate, a supply valve for supplying the processing liquid to the nozzle, and a nozzle-side pipe connecting the nozzle and an outlet of the supply valve. The supply valve includes a first pump chamber for accommodating the processing liquid, a first pressure sensor arranged to be in contact with the first pump chamber and for measuring the pressure of the processing liquid in the first pump chamber, a volume change member for changing the volume in the first pump chamber, and a pump for driving the volume change member to pump the processing liquid. The upstream pump further comprises a pump driver that performs a pumping operation, and the upstream pump comprises a second pump chamber that contains the treatment liquid, and a second pressure sensor that is arranged in contact with the second pump chamber and measures the pressure of the treatment liquid in the second pump chamber, and when selectively sending the treatment liquid to one of the plurality of liquid treatment units, the upstream pump adjusts the second pressure value measured by the second pressure sensor in cooperation with the pump driver of the supply valve of the liquid treatment unit to which the treatment liquid is sent so that the first pressure value measured by the first pressure sensor of the liquid treatment unit to which the treatment liquid is sent becomes a preset pressure value.

The invention described in (1) above has the following effects. The height difference between the upstream pump and each liquid processing unit causes the discharge state (discharge pressure, discharge amount, discharge flow rate, etc.) of the processing liquid from the nozzle to be non-uniform. Therefore, the supply valve of each liquid processing unit is equipped with a pump (first pump chamber, volume change member, pump drive unit, etc.). This makes it possible to make the discharge state of each liquid processing unit uniform. Also, if the pressure of the processing liquid sent to the pump of each supply valve (each liquid processing unit) is not uniform, the pressure adjustment load on the pump of each supply valve increases. In this regard, the present invention can make the pressure of the processing liquid sent to the pump of each supply valve uniform. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the pressure adjustment load on the pump of each supply valve.

The substrate processing apparatus and supply valve according to the present invention can eliminate air bubbles caused by the opening and closing valve.

1A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a piping diagram of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an upstream pump. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a supply valve. 5 is a diagram showing a part of the flow path block as viewed from the arrow AA in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an on-off valve. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an installation posture of a supply valve according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a supply valve according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a piping diagram showing a configuration for supplying a coating liquid to two coating units that form an anti-reflection film out of four coating units in a substrate processing apparatus according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a piping diagram showing a configuration for supplying a coating liquid to two coating units that form a resist film among four coating units in a substrate processing apparatus according to a modified example. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an on-off valve and a vent passage of a supply valve according to a modified example. FIG.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1(a) is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 1(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus.

1. Configuration of the Substrate Processing Apparatus 1
1(a) and 1(b), a substrate processing apparatus 1 processes a substrate W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 2 and a processing block 3.

The indexer block 2 comprises multiple (e.g., two or four) carrier mounting stages 5 and, for example, two first substrate transport mechanisms 6 (robots). A carrier C that accommodates a substrate W is mounted on the carrier mounting stage 5. The two first substrate transport mechanisms 6 can transport substrates W between the carrier C mounted on each of the carrier mounting stages 5 and the two substrate mounting parts PS1, PS2. The two substrate mounting parts PS1, PS2 are disposed at and near the boundary between the indexer block 2 and the processing block 3. The two substrate mounting parts PS1, PS2 are disposed in a vertical direction.

The processing block 3 includes a plurality of processing units 7 and a second substrate transport mechanism 8 (robot). The second substrate transport mechanism 8 is disposed in a transport space 9 that is elongated in the X direction (see FIG. 1(b)). The second substrate transport mechanism 8 can transport substrates W between the two substrate placement parts PS1, PS2 and the plurality of processing units 7. The first substrate transport mechanism 6 and the second substrate transport mechanism 8 each include an electric motor and are driven by the electric motor.

As shown in FIG. 1(b), the multiple processing units 7 are arranged to sandwich the transport space 9. The multiple processing units 7 are divided into four liquid processing units 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D and other processing units 12 (e.g., heat treatment units). In FIG. 1(b), the four liquid processing units 11A to 11D are arranged on a first side of the transport space 9 as indicated by arrow RT. The other processing unit 12 is arranged on a second side of the transport space 9 as indicated by arrow LT.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), four liquid processing units 11A-11D (also called modules) are arranged vertically in a stacked manner. Each of the liquid processing units 11A-11D processes a substrate W by supplying a processing liquid onto the substrate W. Each of the liquid processing units 11A-11D includes two holding and rotating parts 14, a nozzle 16, and a nozzle movement mechanism 18. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the liquid processing units 11A-11D includes a supply valve 21 and a nozzle side pipe 22. The nozzle side pipe 22 connects the nozzle 16 to the outlet member 64 of the supply valve 21.

When the supply valves 21 are to be distinguished from one another in relation to the liquid processing units 11A to 11D, they are referred to as supply valves 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D. Similarly, when the nozzles 16 are to be distinguished from one another, they are referred to as nozzles 16A, 16B, 16C, and 16D. When the nozzle side pipes 22 are to be distinguished from one another, they are referred to as nozzle side pipes 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D.

Each of the two holding and rotating units 14 holds the substrate W in a horizontal position and rotates the held substrate W. Each of the holding and rotating units 14 includes a spin chuck 23 and a rotation drive unit 24. The spin chuck 23 holds the back surface of the substrate W, for example, by sucking air from a suction port provided on the mounting surface of the substrate W. The rotation drive unit 24 includes an electric motor and rotates the spin chuck 23 around a vertical axis. The nozzle 16 ejects processing liquid onto the substrate W held by the holding and rotating unit 14. The nozzle movement mechanism 18 includes an electric motor and moves the nozzle 16 to any position.

Refer to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a piping diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1. For convenience of illustration, one holding and rotating section 14 is shown in each liquid processing unit 11A to 11D. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a feed pipe 25, a processing liquid bottle 27 (processing liquid supply source), a gas supply section 28, a trap tank 29, an upstream pump 31 and a filter 33, branch sections 34, 35, 36, and four feed branch pipes 37A, 37B, 37C, 37D. When the four feed branch pipes 37A, 37B, 37C, 37D are not distinguished from one another, they are referred to as feed branch pipe 37.

The first end of the feed pipe 25 is inserted into the processing liquid bottle 27. The second end of the feed pipe 25 is connected to the first branch 34. The processing liquid bottle 27 contains a processing liquid. The processing liquid is, for example, a resist liquid such as a photoresist liquid, a coating liquid for forming an anti-reflective film, a coating liquid for forming a resist cover film, a solvent (e.g., a thinner), a rinsing liquid (e.g., DIW), a developing liquid, or an etching liquid.

The gas supply unit 28 is equipped with piping and a valve, and supplies gas into the processing liquid bottle 27. This allows the processing liquid contained in the processing liquid bottle 27 to be sent to the feed piping 25. The gas is, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen. The trap tank 29 is provided in the feed piping 25. The trap tank 29 is configured to store the processing liquid and to detect the remaining amount in the trap tank 29 by a liquid level sensor (not shown).

A vent pipe 30 is also connected to the trap tank 29. An on-off valve V21 is provided in the vent pipe 30. The on-off valve V21 is normally closed. When the on-off valve V21 is open and on-off valves V1, V7 to V10, which will be described later, are closed, the gas supply unit 28 is operated to send the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid bottle 27 to the trap tank 29. As a result, the treatment liquid containing air bubbles is pushed out through the vent pipe 30 and discharged or reused.

The upstream pump 31 selectively sends the processing liquid to each of the four liquid processing units 11A to 11D. The upstream pump 31 is provided in the feed pipe 25 between the trap tank 29 and the first branch 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the upstream pump 31 includes a pump chamber 41, a diaphragm 43, a pump drive unit 44, and a pressure sensor 50. The pump drive unit 44 includes a first rod 45, a conversion mechanism 47, and an electric motor 48, and performs pumping operation.

The pump chamber 41 contains the treatment liquid. The peripheral portion of the diaphragm 43 is fixed to the inner wall of the pump chamber 41. The first end of the first rod 45 is connected to the center of the diaphragm 43. The second end of the first rod 45 is connected to the output shaft 48A (rotor) of the electric motor 48 via the conversion mechanism 47. The conversion mechanism 47 has two or more gears and converts the rotation of the output shaft 48A of the electric motor 48 into linear movement of the first rod 45 in the axial direction AD1. That is, the electric motor 48 advances and retreats the center of the diaphragm 43 along the axial direction AD1. This causes the diaphragm 43 to deform, and the volume of the pump chamber 41 to change. The pressure sensor 50 is provided so as to be in contact with the pump chamber 41. The pressure sensor 50 is arranged so as to face the diaphragm 43. The pressure sensor 50 measures the pressure of the treatment liquid in the pump chamber 41.

The diaphragm 43 may be, for example, a rolling diaphragm. The pump chamber 41 corresponds to the second pump chamber of the present invention. The pressure sensor 50 corresponds to the second pressure sensor of the present invention.

Refer to FIG. 2. The filter 33 is provided in the feed pipe 25 between the upstream pump 31 and the first branch 34. The filter 33 has a filter body (not shown). When the processing liquid is passed through the filter body, foreign matter (dust) and air bubbles contained in the processing liquid are removed by the filter body. The filter 33 is connected to a vent pipe 51. The vent pipe 51 is provided with an on-off valve V22. The on-off valve V22 is normally closed. When the on-off valve V22 and the on-off valve V2 described later are open and the on-off valves V1, V3 to V6 described later are closed, the upstream pump 31 is operated to send the processing liquid from the upstream pump 31 to the filter 33, and the processing liquid including air bubbles that could not pass through the filter body is discharged or reused through the vent pipe 51.

The second end of the feed pipe 25 is connected to the first branch 34. Furthermore, the first ends of the two feed branch pipes 37A and 37D are connected to the first branch 34. The feed branch pipe 37B is connected to the feed branch pipe 37D via the second branch 35. The feed branch pipe 37C is connected to the feed branch pipe 37D via the third branch 36. This allows the processing liquid sent to the first branch 34 through the feed pipe 25 to be sent to each of the four feed branch pipes 37A to 37D. The second ends of the four feed branch pipes 37A to 37D are connected to the four supply valves 21A to 21D of the four liquid processing units 11A to 11D, respectively. For example, the second end of the feed branch pipe 37A is connected to the supply valve 21A of the liquid processing unit 11A at the bottom. The second end of the feed branch pipe 37D is connected to the supply valve 21D of the liquid processing unit 11D at the top.

In FIG. 2, the feed branch pipe 37B is connected to the feed branch pipe 37D via the second branch 35, and the feed branch pipe 37C is connected to the feed branch pipe 37D via the third branch 36. In this regard, each of the four feed branch pipes 37A to 37D may be directly connected to the first branch 34 to which the feed pipe 25 is connected.

A flowmeter 53A is provided on the nozzle side pipe 22A. Similarly, a flowmeter 53B is provided on the nozzle side pipe 22B. A flowmeter 53C is provided on the nozzle side pipe 22C. A flowmeter 53D is provided on the nozzle side pipe 22D. For example, flowmeter 53A measures the flow rate of the treatment liquid in the nozzle side pipe 22A. Similarly, the three flowmeters 53B to 53D measure the flow rates of the treatment liquid in the nozzle side pipes 22B to 22D, respectively.

<1-1. Configuration of supply valve 21 (21A, 21B, 21C, 21D)>
2, supply valve 21A is arranged in the processing space in liquid processing unit 11A together with nozzle 16A and nozzle side piping 22A. Supply valve 21B is arranged in the processing space in liquid processing unit 11B together with nozzle 16B and nozzle side piping 22B. The same is true for supply valves 21C and 21D. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1(b), supply valve 21 is arranged midway between two holding and rotating parts 14.

Refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the supply valve 21. Figure 5 is a partial view of the flow path block 61 as viewed from the arrow A-A in Figure 4. The supply valve 21 is used to supply the processing liquid to the nozzle 16. The supply valve 21 includes an on-off valve 55 (dispense valve), a pump 57, and a suck-back valve 59. The supply valve 21 includes a flow path block 61, an inlet member 63, and an outlet member 64. The processing liquid flows into the inside of the supply valve 21 from the tubular inlet member 63. The processing liquid inside the supply valve 21 flows out from the tubular outlet member 64.

The flow path block 61 is shared by the on-off valve 55, the pump 57, and the suck-back valve 59. The flow path block 61 is formed of a fluororesin having thermoplastic properties and melt flowability, such as PFA (perfluoroalkoxyalkane), or other resin. The flow path block 61 may also be formed of a fluororesin such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene).

The flow path block 61 has an upper surface 61T, a lower surface 61B, a left side surface 61L, and a right side surface 61R. The flow path block 61 is formed with an on-off valve chamber 65, an inlet side flow path 67, and an outlet side flow path 69.

The inlet 67A is formed at the first end of the inlet side flow passage 67 so as to open to the left side surface 61L. The second end of the inlet side flow passage 67 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65. In other words, the inlet side flow passage 67 is configured to allow the treatment liquid (liquid) to flow between the inlet 67A and the on-off valve chamber 65. The inlet member 63 is attached to the inlet 67A of the flow passage block 61 so as to communicate with the inlet side flow passage 67.

The first end of the outlet side flow passage 69 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65. An outlet 69A is formed at the second end of the outlet side flow passage 69 so as to open to the right side surface 61R. In other words, the outlet side flow passage 69 is configured to allow the treatment liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber 65 and the outlet 69A. The outlet member 64 is attached to the outlet 69A of the flow passage block 61 so as to communicate with the outlet side flow passage 69.

The supply valve 21 further comprises a valve seat 71, a diaphragm 73 (on-off valve body), and an on-off drive unit 75. The valve seat 71 is formed in the flow path block 61. The valve seat 71 is provided at the boundary (including the vicinity of the boundary) between the on-off valve chamber 65 and the outlet side flow path 69. The valve seat 71 is configured to receive the diaphragm 73, which is the on-off valve body, in the on-off valve chamber 65.

The diaphragm 73 is disposed in the on-off valve chamber 65. The diaphragm 73 has a thick portion 73A and a thin portion 73B. The thick portion 73A is the portion that is pressed against the valve seat 71. A thin portion 73B is formed on the outer edge of the thick portion 73A. The outer edge of the thin portion 73B is fixed to the inner wall of the on-off valve chamber 65. The diaphragm 73 separates the on-off valve chamber 65 from the space 76 shown in FIG. 4. The diaphragm 73 is configured so that the treatment liquid in the on-off valve chamber 65 does not leak into the space 76.

The opening and closing drive unit 75 is configured to stop the flow of the treatment liquid from the opening and closing valve chamber 65 to the outlet side flow path 69 by pressing the diaphragm 73 against the valve seat 71, and to allow the treatment liquid to flow from the opening and closing valve chamber 65 to the outlet side flow path 69 by releasing the pressed diaphragm 73 from the valve seat 71. The opening and closing drive unit 75 includes a second rod 78, a conversion mechanism 79, and an electric motor 80. The first end of the second rod 78 is connected to the thick portion 73A of the diaphragm 73. The second end of the second rod 78 is connected to the output shaft 80A (rotor) of the electric motor 80 via the conversion mechanism 79. The conversion mechanism 79 includes two or more gears, and converts the rotation of the output shaft 80A of the electric motor 80 into a linear movement of the second rod 78 in the axial direction AD2. That is, the electric motor 80 advances and retreats the thick portion 73A of the diaphragm 73 along the axial direction AD2. This causes the thick portion 73A to be pressed against the valve seat 71, and also causes the thick portion 73A to move away from the valve seat 71.

The on-off valve chamber 65 is formed to open to the lower surface 61B of the flow path block 61. The diaphragm 73 and the on-off drive unit 75 are attached to the flow path block 61 so as to close the opening of the on-off valve chamber 65.

The supply valve 21 includes a pump 57 upstream of the on-off valve 55. The pump 57 includes a pump chamber 82, a diaphragm 83 (volume changing member), a pump drive unit 85, and a pressure sensor 86. The pump chamber 82 contains the treatment liquid. The pump chamber 82 is formed in the inlet side flow path 67 of the flow path block 61. That is, the pump chamber 82 is formed so as to be interposed in the inlet side flow path 67. The diaphragm 83 changes the volume of the pump chamber 82. The peripheral portion of the diaphragm 83 is fixed to the inner wall of the pump chamber 82. For example, a rolling diaphragm is used as the diaphragm 83.

The pump chamber 82 corresponds to the first pump chamber of the present invention. The pressure sensor 86 corresponds to the first pressure sensor of the present invention.

The pump drive unit 85 drives the diaphragm 83 to perform pumping. The pump drive unit 85 includes a third rod 88, a conversion mechanism 89, and an electric motor 90. The first end of the third rod 88 is connected to the center of the diaphragm 83. The second end of the third rod 88 is connected to the output shaft 90A (rotor) of the electric motor 90 via the conversion mechanism 89. The conversion mechanism 89 includes two or more gears and converts the rotation of the output shaft 90A of the electric motor 90 into linear movement of the third rod 88 in the axial direction AD3. Therefore, the center of the diaphragm 83 advances and retreats along the axial direction AD3. This causes the diaphragm 83 to deform, changing the volume in the pump chamber 82. The pressure sensor 86 is provided so as to be in contact with the pump chamber 82. The pressure sensor 86 is disposed so as to face the diaphragm 83. The pressure sensor 86 measures the pressure of the treatment liquid in the pump chamber 82.

The supply valve 21 also includes a suckback valve 59 downstream of the on-off valve 55. The suckback valve 59 includes a suckback valve chamber 92, a diaphragm 93, and a suckback actuator 95. The suckback valve chamber 92 is formed in the outlet-side flow path 69 of the flow path block 61. That is, the suckback valve chamber 92 is formed so as to be interposed in the outlet-side flow path 69. The peripheral portion of the diaphragm 93 is fixed to the inner wall of the suckback valve chamber 92.

The suck-back drive unit 95 includes a fourth rod 98, a conversion mechanism 100, and an electric motor 101. A first end of the fourth rod 98 is connected to the center of the diaphragm 93. A second end of the fourth rod 98 is connected to the output shaft 101A (rotor) of the electric motor 101 via the conversion mechanism 100. The conversion mechanism 100 includes two or more gears, and converts the rotation of the output shaft 101A of the electric motor 101 into linear movement of the fourth rod 98 in the axial direction AD4. Therefore, the center of the diaphragm 93 advances and retreats along the axial direction AD4. This changes the volume of the suck-back valve chamber 92.

As shown in FIG. 4, the supply valve 21 includes a vent flow path 103 and a bubble discharge member 105. The vent flow path 103 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65 to discharge bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65. The vent flow path 103 is formed in the flow path block 61. An outlet 103A that opens to the upper surface 61T of the flow path block 61 is formed at the first end of the vent flow path 103. The tubular bubble discharge member 105 is attached to the outlet 103A of the flow path block 61 so as to communicate with the vent flow path 103. The second end of the vent flow path 103 is connected to the inlet side flow path 67 (the shared flow path 67B described later). That is, the vent flow path 103 extends downward and is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65 via the inlet side flow path 67 (the shared flow path 67B described later). A more detailed description will be given.

The inlet side flow passage 67 extends horizontally from the inlet member 63, then changes direction downward above the on-off valve chamber 65 and connects to the on-off valve chamber 65. The part of the inlet side flow passage 67 between the vent flow passage 103 and the on-off valve chamber 65 is called the shared flow passage 67B. The shared flow passage 67B extends downward and connects to the on-off valve chamber 65. Furthermore, the vent flow passage 103 extends downward and connects to the shared flow passage 67B. In FIG. 4, the inlet side flow passage 67 is formed in an L-shape. Therefore, the inlet side flow passage 67 and the vent flow passage 103 form a T-shaped flow passage. As a result, the vent flow passage 103 connects to the on-off valve chamber 65 via the shared flow passage 67B to discharge the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65. With this configuration, the shared flow passage 67B and the vent flow passage 103 extend linearly upward from the on-off valve chamber 65, so that the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 can be smoothly discharged. In addition, in FIG. 4, the outlet side flow path 69 is also formed in an L shape.

Refer to FIG. 2. The remaining configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes four return branch pipes 107A, 107B, 107C, and 107D, a first junction 109, a second junction 110, a third junction 111, a return pipe 112, and a fourth junction 114.

The first ends of the four return branch pipes 107A to 107D are connected to the four supply valves 21A to 21D, respectively. For example, the return branch pipe 107A is connected to the bubble discharge member 105 of the supply valve 21A of the bottommost liquid processing unit 11A. Similarly, the return branch pipes 107B to 107D are connected to the three bubble discharge members 105 of the three supply valves 21B to 21D, respectively.

The second end of the return branch pipe 107B is connected to the return branch pipe 107A via the first junction 109. Similarly, the second end of the return branch pipe 107C is connected to the return branch pipe 107A via the second junction 110. The second ends of the two return branch pipes 107A and 107D are connected to the third junction 111. The first end of the return pipe 112 is further connected to the third junction 111. The second end of the return pipe 112 is connected to the feed pipe 25 via the fourth junction 114. The fourth junction 114 is disposed between the processing liquid bottle 27 and the trap tank 29. When the supply valve 21A is upstream and the fourth junction 114 is downstream, the first junction 109, the second junction 110, the third junction 111, and the fourth junction 114 are disposed in this order from the upstream side. This configuration allows the treatment liquid or air bubbles to be returned from the supply valve 21 upstream of the trap tank 29.

The branching sections 34, 35, and 36 and the junctions 109, 110, and 111 are each configured, for example, as a T-shaped pipe. The fourth junction 114 is configured as a three-way valve. In addition, each of the four return branch pipes 107A to 107D may be directly connected to the third junction 111 to which the return pipe 112 is connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is equipped with ten on-off valves V1 to V10. The on-off valves V1 to V10 and the above-mentioned on-off valves V21 and V22 are driven by, for example, gas, a solenoid, or an electric motor.

The on-off valve V1 is provided in the feed pipe 25 between the trap tank 29 and the upstream pump 31. The on-off valve V2 is provided in the feed pipe 25 between the upstream pump 31 and the filter 33. The on-off valve V3 is provided in the feed branch pipe 37A between the first branch 34 and the supply valve 21A. The on-off valve V4 is provided in the feed branch pipe 37B between the second branch 35 and the supply valve 21B. The on-off valve V5 is provided in the feed branch pipe 37C between the third branch 36 and the supply valve 21C. The on-off valve V6 is provided in the feed branch pipe 37D between the third branch 36 and the supply valve 21D.

The on-off valve V7 is provided in the return branch pipe 107A between the supply valve 21A and the first junction 109. The on-off valve V8 is provided in the return branch pipe 107B between the supply valve 21B and the first junction 109. The on-off valve V9 is provided in the return branch pipe 107C between the supply valve 21C and the second junction 110. The on-off valve V10 is provided in the return branch pipe 107D between the supply valve 21D and the third junction 111.

The upstream pump 31 selectively sends out the processing liquid to one of the four supply valves 21A to 21D depending on the open/close state of the four on-off valves V3 to V6. A more detailed explanation will be given. The supply valve 21A performs a liquid transfer operation in cooperation with the upstream pump 31 and on-off valves V1, V2, V3, V7, and V22. The supply valve 21B performs a liquid transfer operation in cooperation with the upstream pump 31 and on-off valves V1, V2, V4, V8, and V22. The supply valve 21C performs a liquid transfer operation in cooperation with the upstream pump 31 and on-off valves V1, V2, V5, V9, and V22. The supply valve 21D performs a liquid transfer operation in cooperation with the upstream pump 31 and on-off valves V1, V2, V6, V10, and V22.

When the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle 16, the treatment liquid is pumped out only by the pump 57 of the supply valve 21 without working in conjunction with the upstream pump 31.

When the upstream pump 31 selectively sends the processing liquid to one of the four liquid processing units 11A to 11D, for example to the liquid processing unit 11D, the upstream pump 31 adjusts the second pressure value P2 measured by the pressure sensor 50 of the upstream pump 31 in cooperation with the pump drive unit 85 (i.e., pump 57) of the supply valve 21D of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the processing liquid is sent, so that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the processing liquid is sent becomes a preset positive pressure value PP. The same preset positive pressure value PP is used for the four supply valves 21A to 21D. This pressure adjustment is performed while sending the processing liquid to the liquid processing unit 11D with the on-off valves V2 and V6 in the open state. This pressure adjustment is performed while managing the differential pressure value DP between the first pressure value P1 and the second pressure value P2.

Here, it is assumed that the preset positive pressure value PP is, for example, 5 kPa. It is assumed that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 (see FIG. 4) is, for example, 5 kPa, and the theoretical differential pressure value DP (second pressure value P2 - first pressure value P1) determined by the height difference is, for example, 9 kPa. In this case, the upstream pump 31 pressurizes so that the second pressure value P2 becomes 14 kPa. The differential pressure value DP is a value determined by the height difference between the upstream pump 31 and each of the supply valves 21A to 21D. Therefore, the higher the supply valve 21 is located, the larger the differential pressure value DP becomes. For example, if the second pressure value P2 is 14 kPa but the first pressure value P1 is low, such as 4 kPa, the upstream pump 31 adjusts the second pressure value P2 measured by the pressure sensor 50 of the upstream pump 31 so that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 of the pump 57 becomes 5 kPa. That is, the treatment liquid is further pressurized by increasing the forward speed of the diaphragm 43 and the first rod 45. The upstream pump 31 sends the further pressurized treatment liquid to the pump 57. The treatment liquid is depressurized by decreasing the forward speed of the diaphragm 43 and the first rod 45.

The second pressure value P2 may be adjusted by the pump 57 of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the treatment liquid is sent, or may be adjusted by both the upstream pump 31 and the pump 57 of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the treatment liquid is sent. In this case, when the upstream pump 31 is sending out the treatment liquid, the pump 57 pressurizes the treatment liquid by decreasing the retraction speed of the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88. The pump 57 also depressurizes the treatment liquid by increasing the retraction speed of the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88.

In FIG. 1(a), a storage area PA1 is provided below the four liquid processing units 11A-11D. In the storage area PA1, components upstream of the supply valves 21A-21D are arranged. For example, in the storage area PA1, as shown in FIG. 2, a feed pipe 25, a processing liquid bottle 27, a trap tank 29, an upstream pump 31, a filter 33, three branches 34-36, and six on-off valves V1-V6 are arranged. In FIG. 1(a), a piping area PA2 is provided to the side of the four liquid processing units 11A-11D. In the piping area PA2, for example, four feed branch pipes 37A-37D (part) and four return branch pipes 107A-107D (part) are arranged.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a controller 115 shown in FIG. 1(b) and a storage unit (e.g., a memory) not shown. The controller 115 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs). The controller 115 controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (e.g., the holding and rotating unit 14, the supply valve 21, the gas supply unit 28, the upstream pump 31, and the on-off valves V1 to V10, V21 to V22). The storage unit stores computer programs necessary for the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

2. Operation of the Substrate Processing Apparatus 1
A description will now be given of the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1. It is assumed that the substrate W is subjected to liquid processing in, for example, the uppermost liquid processing unit 11D among the four liquid processing units 11A to 11D. First, the substrate W is transported onto the holding and rotating part 14 of the liquid processing unit 11D.

In Figures 1(a) and 1(b), a carrier C is being transported to the carrier mounting table 5. The first substrate transport mechanism 6 removes a substrate W from the carrier C mounted on the carrier mounting table 5, and transports the removed substrate W to one of the two substrate mounting parts PS1, PS2. In this explanation, the removed substrate W is transported to the substrate mounting part PS2 located on the upper level.

The second substrate transport mechanism 8 receives the substrate W from the substrate placement part PS2 and transports the received substrate W to any of the processing units 7 (11A-11B, 12). For example, after heat treatment or cooling processing is performed in the other processing units 12, the substrate W is transported to the uppermost liquid processing unit 11D. The substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 23 of one of the two holding and rotating parts 14 of the liquid processing unit 11D. The holding and rotating part 14 holds the placed substrate W.

Next, the liquid transfer operation by the upstream pump 31 and the supply valve 21D etc. will be described with reference to Figures 2, 4 and 6. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the on-off valves V1 to V10, V22 and the on-off valve 55 of the supply valve 21. In Figure 6, in the item "V3/V4/V5/V6" relating to the four on-off valves V3 to V6, "open" indicates that one of the four on-off valves V3 to V6 is selectively in the open state. Also, "closed" indicates that all of the four on-off valves V3 to V6 are in the closed state. This also applies to the item "V7/V8/V9/V10" relating to the four on-off valves V7 to V10 and the item "55" relating to the four on-off valves 55 of the four supply valves 21A to 21D.

2, the on-off valve V1 is opened (ON state), and the on-off valves V2 to V10, V22 and the on-off valves 55 of the four supply valves 21A to 21D are closed (OFF state). In this state, the upstream pump 31 retracts the diaphragm 43 and the first rod 45 of the upstream pump 31 in a direction away from the pressure sensor 50. This increases the capacity of the pump chamber 41, and the treatment liquid is sucked into the pump chamber 41 of the upstream pump 31.

[Step S02] Filtration step using filter 33 The treatment liquid sucked into pump chamber 41 of upstream pump 31 is sent to pump chamber 82 of pump 57 of supply valve 21D through feed pipe 25 and filter 33. When the treatment liquid is sent from upstream pump 31 to pump 57 of supply valve 21D, foreign matter and air bubbles in the treatment liquid are removed by filter 33.

A more detailed explanation will be given below. First, the on-off valves V1 to V10, V22 and the on-off valves 55 of the four supply valves 21A to 21D are closed. In this state, the upstream pump 31 changes the volume of the pump chamber 41 so that the second pressure value P2 measured by the pressure sensor 50 becomes the preset discharge pressure.

Then, the on-off valves V2 and V6 are opened, and the on-off valves V1, V3 to V5, V7 to V10, and V22 and the on-off valves 55 of the supply valves 21A to 21D are closed. In this state, the upstream pump 31 advances the diaphragm 43 and the first rod 45 in a direction approaching the pressure sensor 50. This reduces the volume of the pump chamber 41 of the upstream pump 31, and the treatment liquid is pumped from the pump chamber 41 toward the filter 33. At the same time as the operation of the upstream pump 31, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D of the liquid treatment unit 11D retreats the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88 in a direction away from the pressure sensor 86. This increases the volume of the pump chamber 82 of the pump 57, and the treatment liquid is sucked into the pump chamber 82 of the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D.

When the upstream pump 31 selectively sends the processing liquid to one of the four liquid processing units 11A-11D, for example to liquid processing unit 11D, it works in conjunction with the pump drive unit 85 (pump 57) of the supply valve 21D of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the processing liquid is sent, to adjust the second pressure value P2 measured by the pressure sensor 50 of the upstream pump 31 so that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 (see Figure 4) of the liquid processing unit 11D to which the processing liquid is sent becomes a preset positive pressure value PP.

[Step S03] Air removal process of pump 57 The on-off valve V10 is opened, and the on-off valves V1 to V9, V22 and the on-off valve 55 of the supply valves 21A to 21D are closed. In this state, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D moves the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88 forward slightly in a direction to approach the pressure sensor 86. This movement amount is set in advance. As a result, in FIG. 4, the volume of the pump chamber 82 becomes slightly smaller, and the treatment liquid in the pump chamber 82 is sent to the vent flow path 103 and the air bubble discharge member 105 side, not to the on-off valve chamber 65 side. The treatment liquid sent out from the pump chamber 82 flows in the order of the inlet side flow path 67, the vent flow path 103, the air bubble discharge member 105, and the return branch pipe 107D.

Here, the vent flow path 103 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65 of the on-off valve 55 via the shared flow path 67B (inlet side flow path 67). Bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 can move to the vent flow path 103. The bubbles that have moved to the vent flow path 103 are further sent to the bubble discharge member 105 or the return branch pipe 107D by the flow of the processing liquid caused by the pump 57. In this process, bubbles generated by the pump 57 or upstream of the pump 57 can also be sent to the return branch pipe 107D, etc.

The air bubbles and processing liquid sent to the return branch pipe 107D are returned in the order of the third junction 111, the return pipe 112, and the fourth junction 114. The processing liquid returned to the fourth junction 114 is sent to the processing liquid bottle 27. This allows the processing liquid, which is expensive, to be used effectively instead of being discarded.

[Step S04] Discharge step by pump 57 First, the on-off valves V1 to V10, V22 and the on-off valves 55 of the four supply valves 21A to 21D are closed. In this state, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D changes the volume of the pump chamber 82 so that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 of the supply valve 21D becomes a preset discharge pressure.

Then, the on-off valve 55 of the supply valve 21D is opened, and the on-off valves V1 to V10, V22 and the on-off valves 55 of the three supply valves 21A to 21C are closed. In this state, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D advances the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88. As a result, the volume of the pump chamber 82 decreases according to the amount of movement of the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88. Therefore, the treatment liquid in the pump chamber 82 of the supply valve 21D is sent to the on-off valve chamber 65 and the outlet side flow path 69, and the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle 16. The treatment liquid in the pump chamber 82 is sent in the order of the on-off valve chamber 65, the suck-back valve chamber 92, and the outlet member 64 through the inlet side flow path 67 and the outlet side flow path 69. The treatment liquid sent to the outlet member 64 is sent in the order of the nozzle side pipe 22D and the nozzle 16D (see FIG. 2).

In addition, while the treatment liquid is being pumped out of the pump chamber 82, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D increases or decreases the forward speed of the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88 so that the first pressure value P1 measured by the pressure sensor 86 of the supply valve 21D maintains the preset discharge pressure.

While the processing liquid is being discharged, the holding rotation unit 14 may rotate the held substrate W or may remain stationary without rotating. When a preset amount of processing liquid has been discharged from the nozzle 16D, the opening/closing valve 55 of the supply valve 21D is closed and the movement of the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88 of the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D is stopped.

When the diaphragm 73 is moved away from the valve seat 71 to open the on-off valve 55 of the supply valve 21D (i.e., when the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle 16D), the suck-back valve 59 of the supply valve 21D advances the diaphragm 93 and the fourth rod 98 to reduce the volume of the suck-back valve chamber 92. When the diaphragm 73 is pressed against the valve seat 71 to close the on-off valve 55 of the supply valve 21D (i.e., when the treatment liquid is stopped from being discharged from the nozzle 16D), the suck-back valve 59 of the supply valve 21D moves the diaphragm 93 and the fourth rod 98 backward to increase the volume of the suck-back valve chamber 92. When the volume increases, the treatment liquid in the nozzle 16D is sucked into the supply valve 21D side, preventing droplets of the treatment liquid from falling from the nozzle 16A.

The suction and discharge steps may be performed simultaneously. In this case, for example, the suction and discharge steps (steps S01 and S04), the filtration step (step S02), and the purging step (step S03) are repeated in this order.

In addition, assume that in step S02, for example, 5 ml (milliliters) of processing liquid is sent to the pump chamber 82 of the pump 57, and after the discharge process in step S04, for example, 1 ml of processing liquid remains in the pump chamber 82. In this case, the remaining processing liquid may be returned to the fourth junction 114 side by operating as in step S21 shown in FIG. 6.

Specifically, the on-off valve V10 is opened, and the on-off valves V1 to V9, V22 and the on-off valve 55 of the supply valves 21A to 21D are closed. In this state, the pump 57 of the supply valve 21D advances the diaphragm 83 and the third rod 88 in a direction approaching the pressure sensor 86. This causes the remaining processing liquid to be returned to the fourth junction 114 side through the return pipe 112. By allowing the processing liquid to flow, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid (e.g., resist liquid) from solidifying and generating foreign matter. In this case, the operations are performed in the order of step S01, step S02, step S03, step S04, and step S21. Note that step S01 may be performed in parallel with step S04 or step S21.

After sending the treatment liquid to the supply valve 21D, the upstream pump 31 may send the treatment liquid to the supply valve 21D again, or may selectively send the treatment liquid to one of the other three supply valves 21A to 21C (for example, supply valve 21A).

After the processing liquid is discharged onto the substrate W and processing is performed, the holding rotation unit 14 releases its hold on the substrate W while stopping the rotation of the substrate W. The second substrate transport mechanism 8 receives the substrate W on the holding rotation unit 14 of the liquid processing unit 11D. The second substrate transport mechanism 8 sends the received substrate W to other processing units 12 as necessary, and then transports the substrate W to the substrate placement unit PS2. The first substrate transport mechanism 6 receives the substrate W transported to the substrate placement unit PS2, and returns the received substrate W to the carrier C placed on the carrier placement table 5.

According to this embodiment, the supply valve 21 includes an on-off valve 55 (on-off valve chamber 65, valve seat 71, diaphragm 73, and on-off drive unit 75). A vent flow path 103 that exhausts air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65. As a result, even if air bubbles are generated when the on-off valve 55 is opened or closed, the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 can be exhausted through the vent flow path 103. In other words, air bubbles caused by the on-off valve 55 can be removed. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from being supplied onto the substrate W, which would otherwise cause product defects.

The vent passage 103 also extends downward and connects to the on-off valve chamber 65. Because the vent passage 103 extends in the direction in which the air bubbles move due to buoyancy, the air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 can be easily removed.

The inlet side flow path 67 also has a shared flow path 67B that extends downward and connects to the on-off valve chamber 65. The vent flow path 103 then connects to the on-off valve chamber 65 via the shared flow path 67B to discharge air bubbles from within the on-off valve chamber 65. The vent flow path 103 connects to the shared flow path 67B of the inlet side flow path 67, and thus connects to the on-off valve chamber 65 via the shared flow path 67B. This allows the flow path block 61 to be made small. In addition, because the shared flow path 67B extends downward, both the vent flow path 103 and the shared flow path 67B extend downward. This allows air bubbles to be removed even more easily from within the on-off valve chamber 65.

The supply valve 21 also includes a pump 57 (pump chamber 82, diaphragm 83, and pump drive unit 85). The pump 57 is provided in the flow path block 61 in which the on-off valve 55 is provided. Therefore, the distance between the pump 57 and the on-off valve 55 is short. Therefore, the pressure loss due to the length of the flow path between the pump 57 and the on-off valve 55 can be kept small, and the pressure loss due to the height difference between the pump 57 and the on-off valve 55 can be kept small. Furthermore, when the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes multiple supply valves 21, the distance and height difference between the pump 57 and the on-off valve 55 are always constant. Therefore, the pressure loss due to the length of the flow path can be uniform among the multiple supply valves 21.

For example, the supply valve 21A is disposed in the processing space in the liquid processing unit 11A together with the nozzle 16A and the nozzle-side piping 22D. The pump 57 (pump chamber 82, diaphragm 83, and pump drive section 85) of the supply valve 21A can be brought closer to the nozzle 16A. This can further reduce pressure loss due to the length of the flow path and piping from the pump 57 of the supply valve 21A to the nozzle 16A. Also, the electric motor 90 of the supply valve 21A can be an electric motor with a smaller torque than, for example, the electric motor 48 of the upstream pump 31. The same applies to the other three supply valves 21B to 21D.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of Example 1, the ceiling surface 65A of the on-off valve chamber 65 is horizontal. The ceiling surface 65A is the portion indicated by hatching with dots in Fig. 5. In this regard, in Example 2, the ceiling surface 65A of the on-off valve chamber 65 has an inclined surface 65A for guiding air bubbles to the vent passage 103. The inclined surface 65A makes it easy for air bubbles to be collected in the vent passage 103 without being trapped in the on-off valve chamber 65.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the mounting position of the supply valve 21 according to the second embodiment. In Figure 7 and Figure 8 described later, the arrow indicated with the letter Z indicates the vertical direction. The supply valve 21 of the second embodiment shown in Figure 7 is a tilted version of the supply valve 21 shown in Figure 4. In other words, the supply valve 21 shown in Figure 7 is mounted in the liquid processing units 11A to 11D in a tilted position.

We will explain which way to tilt it. The connection between the shared flow path 67B and the on-off valve chamber 65 is located on the inlet member 63 side within the on-off valve chamber 65. Therefore, the supply valve 21 is positioned so that the outlet member 64 is lower than the inlet member 63. As a result, almost the entire surface of the ceiling surface 65A is inclined, so that air bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 are easily guided to the shared flow path 67B and the vent flow path 103.

The ceiling surface 65A is inclined, and the vent passage 103 and the shared passage 67B are required to extend upward (including diagonally upward) from the on-off valve chamber 65. This is to make it easier to expel bubbles in the on-off valve chamber 65 from the bubble expeller 105.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of the supply valve 21 according to a modified example of the second embodiment. The ceiling surface 65A shown in Figure 8 is inclined with respect to the horizontal upper surface 61T and lower surface 61B. That is, the ceiling surface 65A is substantially entirely inclined. The ceiling surface 65A shown by the dotted hatching in Figure 5 is formed in a doughnut shape so as to surround the valve seat 71. Therefore, the air bubble BB shown in Figure 8 is guided along the ceiling surface (inclined surface) 65A while passing around the valve seat 71. As a result, the air bubble BB in the on-off valve chamber 65 is easily guided to the shared flow path 67B and the vent flow path 103. Note that in Figures 7 and 8, the ceiling surface (inclined surface) 65A may be a curved surface.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified as follows:

(1) In each of the above-described embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes four stages (four layers) of liquid processing units 11A to 11D. In this regard, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may include one stage or two or more stages of liquid processing units. Note that two or more stages of liquid processing units are arranged in the vertical direction.

(2) In each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured so that processing liquid is sent from one processing liquid bottle 27 to four liquid processing units 11A to 11D. In this regard, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured so that processing liquid is sent from multiple (e.g., two) processing liquid bottles 27 to one or multiple liquid processing units. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, for example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is equipped with two coating units RESIST and two coating units BARC. The four coating units RESIST, BARC (liquid processing units 11A to 11D) are arranged so as to be stacked vertically.

Figure 9 is a piping diagram showing a configuration for supplying coating liquid to two coating units BARC. Each of the two coating units BARC forms an anti-reflective film on a substrate W. The processing liquid bottle 120 contains the coating liquid for forming the anti-reflective film. A first end of the feed pipe 25P is inserted into the processing liquid bottle 120. A second end of the feed pipe 25P is connected to a branching portion 121. In addition, two feed branch pipes 37A and 37C are connected to the branching portion 121.

The two first ends of the return branch pipes 107A and 107C are connected to the two bubble discharge members 105 of the supply valves 21A and 21C, respectively. The two second ends of the return branch pipes 107A and 107C are connected to the junction 122. The return pipe 112P is connected to the junction 122. In FIG. 9, the components related to the coating unit BARC are indicated by the numerals with a "P" attached, such as the reference numeral 25P. The function of the feed pipe 25P with a "P" attached, for example, is the same as the function of the feed pipe 25 shown in FIG. 2.

Figure 10 is a piping diagram showing a configuration for supplying coating liquid to two coating units RESIST. Each of the two coating units RESIST forms a resist film on the anti-reflection film of the substrate W. The processing liquid bottle 124 contains resist liquid (coating liquid). A first end of the feed pipe 25Q is inserted into the processing liquid bottle 124. A second end of the feed pipe 25Q is connected to the branching section 125. In addition, two feed branch pipes 37B and 37D are connected to the branching section 125.

The two first ends of the return branch pipes 107B and 107D are connected to the two bubble discharge members 105 of the supply valves 21B and 21D, respectively. The two second ends of the return branch pipes 107B and 107D are connected to the junction 126. The return pipe 112Q is connected to the junction 126. In FIG. 10, the components related to the coating unit RESIST are indicated by the numerals with a "Q" attached, such as the reference symbol 25Q. The function of the feed pipe 25Q with a "Q" attached is the same as the function of the feed pipe 25 shown in FIG. 2. In addition, for example, the feed pipe 25Q is provided separately from the feed pipe 25P shown in FIG. 9.

(3) In each of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, the vent flow passage 103 shown in FIG. 4 extends vertically downward and connects to the shared flow passage 67B, and the shared flow passage 67B extends vertically downward and connects to the on-off valve chamber 65. In this regard, the vent flow passage 103 may extend diagonally downward and connect to the shared flow passage 67B, and the shared flow passage 67B may extend diagonally downward and connect to the on-off valve chamber 65. In this specification, the downward direction includes the diagonally downward direction, and the upward direction includes the diagonally upward direction.

The vent passage 103 and the shared passage 67B extend linearly from the on-off valve chamber 65. However, the vent passage 103 and the shared passage 67B may extend in a curved shape, including an arc shape, from the on-off valve chamber 65.

(4) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, the on-off valve 55 and the pump 57 of the supply valve 21 shown in FIG. 4 are provided in one flow path block 61. In this regard, the on-off valve 55 and the pump 57 may be provided in two flow path blocks, respectively, if necessary. In this case, the two flow path blocks are connected by a hollow cylindrical (tubular) intermediate pipe. Then, the processing liquid is sent from the first flow path block in which the pump 57 is provided to the second flow path block in which the on-off valve 55 is provided through the intermediate pipe. Note that the flow path block 61 shown in FIG. 4 is not configured so that the two flow path blocks 61 are connected by an intermediate pipe.

Also, the on-off valve 55 and the suck-back valve 59 may be provided in each of the two flow path blocks. In this case as well, the two flow path blocks are connected by a hollow cylindrical (tubular) intermediate pipe. Also, the on-off valve 55, the pump 57, and the suck-back valve 59 may be provided in each of the three flow path blocks.

(5) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, as shown in FIG. 4, the vent flow path 103 is connected to the on-off valve chamber 65 via the shared flow path 67B of the inlet-side flow path 67. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 11, the vent flow path 103 may be directly connected to the on-off valve chamber 65 without going through the inlet-side flow path 67 (shared flow path 67B). In this case, the on-off valve chamber 65 in FIG. 11 is larger than the on-off valve chamber 65 in FIG. 4. Therefore, the flow path block 61, i.e., the supply valve 21, becomes larger. In addition, when the treatment liquid is returned to the fourth junction 114 side through the vent flow path 103, the treatment liquid is sent in the order of the inlet-side flow path 67, the on-off valve chamber 65, and the vent flow path 103.

In addition, if the vent flow passage 103 is provided separately from the inlet side flow passage 67 at the position indicated by the arrow VNT in FIG. 5, it may be necessary to make the flow passage block 61 thicker in the direction indicated by the arrow WD. In this case as well, the flow passage block 61, i.e., the supply valve 21, will become larger.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ... substrate processing apparatus 11A to 11D ... liquid processing unit 16 (16A to 16D) ... nozzle 21 (21A to 21D) ... supply valve 22 ... nozzle side piping 31 ... upstream pump 41 ... pump chamber 50 ... pressure sensor 55 ... on-off valve 57 ... pump 61 ... flow path block 65 ... on-off valve chamber 65A ... ceiling surface (inclined surface)
67: inlet side flow path 67A: inlet 67B: shared flow path 69: outlet side flow path 69A: outlet 71: valve seat 73: diaphragm 75: opening/closing drive section 82: pump chamber 83: diaphragm 85: pump drive section 86: pressure sensor 103: vent flow path 105: air bubble discharge section 115: controller

Claims (8)

a nozzle that ejects a processing liquid onto the substrate;
a supply valve for supplying a processing liquid to the nozzle;
a nozzle-side pipe connecting the nozzle and an outlet of the supply valve,
The supply valve is
A flow path block;
an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block;
an inlet side flow passage formed in the flow passage block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber;
an outlet side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet;
an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber;
a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve element within the on-off valve chamber;
an opening/closing drive unit that stops the flow of the treatment liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat, and causes the treatment liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by removing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat;
a vent passage formed in the passage block and connected to the on-off valve chamber to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber ,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vent passage extends downward and is connected to the on-off valve chamber . 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
the inlet-side flow passage has a shared flow passage extending downward and connected to the on-off valve chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vent passage is connected to the on-off valve chamber via the shared passage to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a ceiling surface of the on-off valve chamber has an inclined surface for guiding air bubbles to the vent passage. a nozzle that ejects a processing liquid onto the substrate;
a supply valve for supplying a processing liquid to the nozzle;
a nozzle-side pipe connecting the nozzle and an outlet of the supply valve,
The supply valve is
A flow path block;
an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block;
an inlet side flow passage formed in the flow passage block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber;
an outlet side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet;
an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber;
a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve element within the on-off valve chamber;
an opening/closing drive unit that stops the flow of the treatment liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat, and causes the treatment liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by removing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat;
a vent passage formed in the passage block and connected to the on-off valve chamber to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber,
The supply valve is
a first pump chamber formed in the inlet side flow path of the flow path block and configured to accommodate a treatment liquid;
a volume changing member that changes a volume in the first pump chamber;
A pump driving unit that drives the volume changing member to perform a pump operation;
The substrate processing apparatus further comprises: 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the supply valve is disposed in a liquid processing unit together with the nozzle and the nozzle-side pipe. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
A plurality of liquid processing units arranged in a vertical direction, each of which processes a substrate;
an upstream pump for supplying a treatment liquid to each of the liquid treatment units;
each of the liquid processing units includes the nozzle, the supply valve, and the nozzle-side pipe;
the supply valve includes a first pressure sensor that is provided in contact with the first pump chamber and that measures a pressure of the treatment liquid in the first pump chamber;
The upstream pump is
a second pump chamber for accommodating a treatment liquid;
a second pressure sensor provided in contact with the second pump chamber and configured to measure a pressure of the treatment liquid in the second pump chamber;
A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that, when selectively supplying processing liquid to one of the multiple liquid processing units, the upstream pump cooperates with the pump drive unit of the supply valve of the liquid processing unit to which the processing liquid is supplied to adjust the second pressure value measured by the second pressure sensor so that the first pressure value measured by the first pressure sensor of the liquid processing unit to which the processing liquid is supplied becomes a predetermined pressure value. A flow path block;
an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block;
an inlet side flow passage formed in the flow passage block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber;
an outlet side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and an outlet;
an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber;
a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve element within the on-off valve chamber;
an on-off drive unit that stops the flow of liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat, and allows liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by releasing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat;
a vent passage formed in the passage block and connected to the on-off valve chamber to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber ,
The supply valve , wherein the vent passage extends downward and is connected to the on-off valve chamber . A flow path block;
an on-off valve chamber formed in the flow path block;
an inlet side flow passage formed in the flow passage block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between an inlet and the on-off valve chamber;
an outlet side flow path formed in the flow path block and configured to allow a liquid to flow between the on-off valve chamber and an outlet;
an on-off valve body disposed in the on-off valve chamber;
a valve seat provided at a boundary between the on-off valve chamber and the outlet-side flow path and configured to receive the on-off valve element within the on-off valve chamber;
an on-off drive unit that stops the flow of liquid from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by pressing the on-off valve body against the valve seat, and allows liquid to flow from the on-off valve chamber to the outlet-side flow path by releasing the pressed on-off valve body from the valve seat;
a vent passage formed in the passage block and connected to the on-off valve chamber to discharge air bubbles within the on-off valve chamber;
a first pump chamber formed in the inlet side flow path of the flow path block and configured to accommodate a treatment liquid;
a volume changing member that changes a volume in the first pump chamber;
A pump driving unit that drives the volume changing member to perform a pump operation;
A supply valve comprising:

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