Resist processing apparatus for a rectangular substrate

• US 5,718,763 A
• Filed: 04/04/1995
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited (Tokyo Electron Limited), Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Motoda, Kimio, Denpoh, Kazuki, Iwasaki, Tatsuya, Yamaguchi, Eiji, Tateyama, Kiyohisa, Matsuo, Takenobu
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS, LAURA ESTELLE
• Application Number:
  US08/416,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 118/52, 118/56, 118/66, 118/319, 118/321, 118/323, 134/902, 134/144
• US Class Current: 118/52
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/08 Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/162 Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/168 Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer

Abstract

A apparatus of resist-processing a rectangular substrate including a resist coating step of supplying resist solution to the substrate, while rotating it, to form resist film at least on one surface of it and a resist removing step of jetting removing liquid, which can solve resist, to both surfaces of it at its side peripheral portions to remove the resist film from them.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coating resist on a rectangular substrate for liquid crystal display and removing a part of the resist, comprising:

resist coating means for forming a resist film on at least one side of the substrate by spin-rotating the substrate and applying a resist solution to the substrate;

resist removing means arranged to be spaced from said resist coating means to remove coated resist from the substrate; and

carrier means for carrying the substrate between the resist coating means and the resist removing means,

wherein said resist removing means includes;

nozzle means for jetting removing liquid, which can dissolve resist, to peripheral portions of the substrate,

moving means for moving the nozzle means along the peripheral portions of the substrate, and

exhausting means in communication with said resist removing means for discharging air around peripheral portions of the substrate to generate an air flow flowing from the peripheral portions of the substrate to an outside of the substrate; and

said removing liquid jetted from said nozzle means strips the resist off the peripheral portions of the substrate and discharges the resist by said air flow to the outside of the substrate.

2. The resist processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said resist removing means further includes holder means for holding the substrate and means for rotating the holder means together with the substrate.

3. The resist processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle means includes main cleaning nozzles arranged movable along peripheral portions of the substrate to jet removing liquid to both surfaces of the substrate at the peripheral portions thereof and auxiliary cleaning nozzles for jetting removing liquid to a lower surface of the substrate at corners thereof.

4. The resist processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said main cleaning nozzles include a plurality of nozzle members arranged to face upper and lower surfaces of the substrate at the peripheral portions, and said nozzle members are arranged in a tandem manner with intervals arranged therebetween to prevent the removing liquid jetted through each of the nozzle members from interfering with other nozzle members.

5. The apparatus for coating resist according to claim 1, wherein said removing liquid is selected from the group consisting of thinner, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, butyl acetate and ethyl lactic acid.

6. An apparatus for coating resist on a rectangular substrate for liquid crystal display, comprising:

a spin chuck for holding and rotating the substrate;

supplying means for supplying resist solution to the substrate on the spin chuck;

a rotary cup rotatably arranged so as to contain the substrate on the spin chuck, the rotary cup having a discharging hole for discharging the resist solution centrifugally removed from the substrate and being formed to have a larger outer diameter at a lower portion than that of an outer diameter at an upper portion, and the discharging hole being formed at the lower portion of the rotary cup;

a drain cup containing at least output periphery of the rotary cup to receive the resist solution discharged from the rotary cup through the discharging hole;

exhaust means connected to said drain cup for exhausting the drain cup;

means provided at the upper portion of the rotary cup to introduce an outside air into the rotary cup,

wherein the rotary cup is exhausted while introducing the outside air into the rotary cup to generate air flow flowing above the substrate which is being resist coated and directed from a center to an outer rim of the substrate and discharging resist drifting in the rotary cup from the rotary cup to the drain cup by the air flow.

7. The resist processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a screw- or spiral-threaded passage extends from an upper portion of the process vessel to introduce the outside air into the process vessel is rotated.