SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100075054A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Screen Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SOKUDO Co., Ltd. (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kanaoka, Masashi, Hamada, Tetsuya, Shigemori, Kazuhito, Kaneyama, Koji, Yasuda, Shuichi, Miyagi, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,932,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/331
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/168 Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7075 Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70916 Pollution mitigation, i.e. mitigating effect of contamination or debris, e.g. foil traps
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70925 Cleaning, i.e. actively freeing apparatus from pollutants, e.g. using plasma cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70991 Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/8404 manufacturing base layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/261 Preparing a master, e.g. exposing photoresist, electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67225 comprising at least one lithography chamber lithographic apparatuses G03F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, a resist cover film processing block, a resist cover film removal block, a cleaning/drying processing block, and an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block in the substrate processing apparatus. The exposure device subjects a substrate to exposure processing by means of an immersion method. In the edge cleaning unit in the cleaning/drying processing block, a brush abuts against an end of the rotating substrate, so that the edge of the substrate before the exposure processing is cleaned. At this time, the position where the substrate is cleaned is corrected.

Claims

1. A substrate processing method employing a substrate processing apparatus that is arranged adjacent to an exposure device that subjects a substrate to exposure processing by means of an immersion method, the substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

forming a photosensitive film made of a photosensitive material on the substrate before said exposure processing in said substrate processing apparatus;

subjecting the substrate after said step of forming the photosensitive film and before said exposure processing to thermal processing in said substrate processing apparatus;

cleaning an edge of the substrate after said thermal processing and before said exposure processing using a brush in said substrate processing apparatus; and

transporting the substrate after said step of cleaning the edge to said exposure device.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein said step of transporting the substrate to the exposure device includes the step of holding the substrate before said exposure processing with a first holder of said substrate processing apparatus and transporting the substrate to said exposure device, and the substrate processing method further comprises the step of holding the substrate after said exposure processing with a second holder of said substrate processing apparatus and transporting the substrate from said exposure device to said substrate processing apparatus.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein said second holder is provided below said first holder.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a protective film on the substrate for protecting said photosensitive film after said thermal processing and before said step of cleaning the edge in said substrate processing apparatus.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of removing said protective film from the substrate after said exposure processing in said substrate processing apparatus.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming an anti-reflection film on the substrate before said step of forming the photosensitive film in said substrate processing apparatus.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the substrate after said exposure processing to development processing in said substrate processing apparatus.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein said step of cleaning the edge of the substrate includes the steps of

holding the substrate after said thermal processing and before said exposure processing substantially horizontally;

rotating said substrate that is held around an axis perpendicular to the substrate;

cleaning the edge of said substrate that is rotated using a brush; and

correcting the position where the substrate is cleaned using the brush.