JP2002217161A - Substrate drying method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve safety without providing a special safety device and to supply a sufficient amount of drying fluid to an immersion interface between a substrate and a cleaning liquid. A substrate processing tank, a substrate support for aligning and supporting a plurality of substrates in the substrate processing tank in an upright state, and a drying unit provided at a predetermined position near an upper portion of the substrate processing tank. A fluid storage unit 3; a first inert gas supply unit 4 for spraying an inert gas onto the drying fluid 6 stored in the drying fluid storage unit 3 to generate droplets of the drying fluid; A second inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas so as to supply droplets of the drying fluid toward the substrate;

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for drying a substrate, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for quickly drying a substrate cleaned using a cleaning liquid. In this specification, “cleaning using a cleaning liquid” includes not only rinsing with a cleaning liquid but also rinsing with pure water (including rinsing only with pure water) ) Used as a concept.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the diameter of a substrate to be processed (for example, a semiconductor wafer or the like) has been increasing, and a shift from an 8-inch wafer to a 12-inch wafer has been made. With the increase in the diameter of the wafer, the half pitch of the wafer pitch has been promoted.

[0003] As a result, a sufficient amount of drying fluid cannot be supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and it is extremely difficult to achieve good Marangoni drying.

In order to solve such inconvenience, conventionally, (1) bubbling of a drying fluid with an inert gas is performed, and a mixed gas of the inert gas and the drying fluid is introduced into a substrate processing tank. And (2) a method of forming droplets of a drying fluid using ultrasonic waves or the like, and then introducing an inert gas as a carrier gas into a substrate processing tank (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-3).
No. 35299).

It has also been proposed to use isopropyl alcohol (hereinafter abbreviated as IPA) or chlorofluorocarbon as a drying fluid (JP-A-63-30).
No. 1528).

[0006]

In order to supply a sufficient amount of the drying fluid to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid by employing the method (1), the inert gas or the drying fluid must be heated to a high temperature. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure the safety of the substrate drying system, and the cost increases. In particular, IPA as a drying fluid
In the case of adopting, because of high flammability, it is necessary to add a large-scale device for securing safety.

When the method (2) is adopted, an ultrasonic generator or the like is required, which not only causes an increase in cost but also lowers the reliability.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can improve safety without providing a special safety device, and can provide a sufficient amount of immersion interface between a substrate and a cleaning liquid. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for drying a substrate capable of supplying a drying fluid.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for drying a substrate, wherein a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a processing tank in an aligned state, and a liquid level of a cleaning liquid in the processing tank is relatively set to the substrate. In drying the surface of the substrate by supplying the drying fluid to the surface of the substrate while lowering, the drying fluid is stored at a predetermined upper position in the processing tank, and an inert gas is supplied to the stored drying fluid. This is a method in which droplets of a drying fluid are generated in a processing tank by spraying, and an inert gas is supplied to guide the generated droplets of the drying fluid to the surface of each substrate. Here, the cleaning liquid is used as a concept including pure water.

A second aspect of the present invention is a method for drying a substrate, wherein IPA is used as the drying fluid.

A third aspect of the present invention is a method for drying a substrate, wherein nitrogen gas is employed as the inert gas.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for drying a substrate, wherein an initial velocity of an inert gas supplied to guide droplets of a drying fluid to the surface of each substrate is set to 50 to 300 m / s.

The substrate drying method according to a fifth aspect is a method for setting the initial velocity of the inert gas to 100 to 200 m / s.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate drying apparatus, a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a processing tank in an aligned state, and the surface of the substrate is lowered while the liquid level of the cleaning liquid in the processing tank is lowered relative to the substrate. A drying fluid supply means for drying the surface of the substrate by supplying a drying fluid to the substrate, and a drying fluid storage means for storing the drying fluid at a predetermined upper position in the processing tank; First inert gas supply means for generating droplets of the drying fluid in the processing tank by spraying the active gas, and supplying an inert gas to guide the generated droplets of the drying fluid to the surface of each substrate And second inert gas supply means. Here, the cleaning liquid is used as a concept including pure water.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the substrate drying apparatus employs IPA as the drying fluid.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention, as the drying fluid storage means, a drying fluid storage recess extending parallel to the direction in which a plurality of substrates are arranged and having an open upper portion is employed. Things.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, as the drying fluid storing means, the drying device extends in parallel with the drying fluid storing recess.
The present invention further employs a liquid dripping prevention recess for preventing liquid dripping of the drying fluid.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the substrate drying apparatus further includes a drying fluid supply pipe for supplying a drying fluid to the drying fluid storing means.

The substrate drying apparatus according to the eleventh aspect further includes a drying fluid spraying means for supplying a drying fluid to the drying fluid storing means by spraying.

In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the substrate drying apparatus employs nitrogen gas as the inert gas.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate drying apparatus, the second inert gas supply means extends in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates are arranged and is formed at predetermined intervals in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates are arranged. The one having the inert gas discharge hole is adopted.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate drying apparatus, the second inert gas supply means is located above a virtual central axis connecting the centers of the plurality of substrates, and is positioned downward from a direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrates. A device that discharges an active gas is employed.

The claimed apparatus for drying a substrate section 15, when the angle between the vertically downward direction direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate and .theta.1, angle theta with an inert gas discharge direction and vertically downward direction theta ₁ / 3 such that ≦ θ ≦ 2θ _1/3 in which the inert gas ejection direction is set.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is set to 0.05 to 1 mm.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is set to 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention, the interval between the inert gas discharge holes is set to be the interval between the substrates or an integral fraction of the interval between the substrates.

The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the inert gas discharged from the inert gas discharge hole has an initial velocity of 50 to 3 times.
It is set to 00 m / s.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, the initial speed of the inert gas is set to 100 to 200 m / s.

[0029]

According to the substrate drying method of the present invention, a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a processing tank in an aligned state, and the level of the cleaning liquid in the processing tank is lowered relative to the substrate. In drying the surface of the substrate by supplying the drying fluid to the surface of the substrate, the drying fluid is stored at a predetermined position in the upper part of the processing tank, and the inert gas is sprayed on the stored drying fluid to perform the processing. Since a droplet of the drying fluid is generated in the tank and an inert gas is supplied to guide the generated droplet of the drying fluid to the surface of each substrate, both the inert gas and the drying fluid are used. It is not necessary to raise the temperature, the safety can be improved, and a sufficient amount of drying fluid can be supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid to achieve quick and high-quality drying. Also,
Since no ultrasonic generator or the like is required, reliability and durability can be improved.

According to the substrate drying method of the second aspect, since IPA is employed as the drying fluid, inexpensive and high-quality Marangoni drying can be achieved, and the same operation as the first aspect can be achieved. Can be achieved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the nitrogen gas is employed as the inert gas, the same operation as the first or second aspect can be achieved.

According to the substrate drying method of the present invention, the initial velocity of the inert gas supplied to guide the droplets of the drying fluid to the surface of each substrate is set at 50 to 300 m / s. The droplet of the working fluid can be smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and the same operation as any one of claims 1 to 3 can be achieved.

According to the substrate drying method of the present invention, since the initial velocity of the inert gas is set at 100 to 200 m / s, the droplet of the drying fluid is more smoothly applied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid. It can be supplied, and the same operation as in claim 4 can be achieved.

According to the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a processing tank in an aligned state, and the level of the cleaning liquid in the processing tank is lowered relative to the substrate. In drying the surface of the substrate by supplying the drying fluid to the surface of the substrate, the drying fluid is stored at a predetermined upper position in the processing tank by the drying fluid storage means, and the first inert gas supply means is used. By spraying an inert gas on the stored drying fluid, droplets of the drying fluid are generated in the processing tank, and the inert gas is supplied by the second inert gas supply means, and the generated drying fluid is supplied. The droplet of the working fluid can be guided to the surface of each substrate.

Therefore, it is not necessary to raise the temperature of both the inert gas and the drying fluid, so that it is possible to enhance the safety and to supply a sufficient amount of the drying fluid to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid. Fast and high quality drying can be achieved. Further, since an ultrasonic generator or the like is not required, reliability and durability can be improved.

According to the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, since IPA is employed as the drying fluid, it is possible to achieve inexpensive and high-quality Marangoni drying, and furthermore, the same operation as in the sixth embodiment can be achieved. Can be achieved.

According to the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, the drying fluid storing means has a drying fluid storing recess extending parallel to the direction in which the plurality of substrates are arranged and having an open upper portion. Since this is adopted, droplets of the drying fluid can be generated in accordance with the range in which all the substrates are present, and the same effect as that of claim 6 or claim 7 can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the drying fluid storing means further includes a liquid dripping preventing recess extending parallel to the drying fluid storing recess and preventing liquid dripping of the drying fluid. Since the liquid is employed, it is possible to prevent the drying fluid from directly contacting the substrate, thereby preventing the inconvenience of impurities and metal compounds from being deposited on the substrate surface. The same function as any one of the items 8 can be achieved.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the drying fluid supply line for supplying the drying fluid to the drying fluid storing means is further included, the drying fluid can be easily supplied. It can be performed, and the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 9 can be achieved.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the substrate drying apparatus further includes a drying fluid spraying means for supplying a drying fluid to the drying fluid storing means by spraying.
The replenishment of the drying fluid can be easily performed, and the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 9 can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the twelfth aspect, since nitrogen gas is employed as the inert gas, the same operation as any one of the sixth to eleventh aspects can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, the second inert gas supply means extends in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates are arranged and at predetermined intervals in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates are arranged. Since the one having an inert gas discharge hole formed in is adopted, even if the gap between the substrates is small, it is possible to smoothly introduce the droplets of the drying fluid,
While reducing the consumption of the drying fluid,
The explosion-proof property when the drying fluid is flammable can be greatly suppressed, and the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 12 can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention, the second inert gas supply means is located above a virtual central axis connecting the centers of the plurality of substrates, and is directed downward from a direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrates. Since an apparatus that discharges an inert gas is adopted, most of the droplets of the drying fluid can be introduced into the gap between the substrates, and the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 13 can be achieved. Can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the fifteenth aspect, the angle between the direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate and the vertically downward direction is θ1.
And when, since the inert gas ejection direction as the angle theta between the vertically downward direction is _{θ 1/3 ≦ θ ≦ 2θ} 1/3 inert gas ejection direction is set, drying fluid Most of the droplets can be introduced from the center of the gap between the substrates, and the same effect as that of claim 14 can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, since the diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is set to 0.05 to 1 mm, the introduction of the droplet of the drying fluid into the gap between the substrates can be performed smoothly. And the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 15 can be achieved.

According to the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, since the diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is set to 0.1 to 0.5 mm, the introduction of the droplet of the drying fluid into the gap between the substrates is performed. Can be further smoothed, and the same operation as in claim 16 can be achieved.

In the apparatus for drying a substrate according to the eighteenth aspect, the interval between the inert gas discharge holes is set to the interval between the substrates or an integral fraction of the interval between the substrates. Thus, it is possible to smoothly introduce the droplets of the drying fluid into the liquid, and to achieve the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 18.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the nineteenth aspect, the initial speed of the inert gas discharged from the inert gas discharge hole is set to 5
Since the speed is set to 0 to 300 m / s, the droplet of the drying fluid can be smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and the same operation as any one of claims 6 to 18 can be achieved. Can be achieved.

In the substrate drying apparatus according to the twentieth aspect, since the initial velocity of the inert gas is set at 100 to 200 m / s, the droplet of the drying fluid is more smoothly applied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid. It can be supplied, and the same effect as in claim 19 can be achieved.

[0050]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of the method and the apparatus for drying a substrate according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of the substrate drying apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view.

This substrate drying apparatus includes a substrate processing tank 1 and a substrate support (not shown) for aligning and supporting a plurality of substrates (for example, semiconductor wafers) 2 in the substrate processing tank 1 in an upright state. ), An inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is supplied to the drying fluid storage unit 3 provided at a predetermined position near the upper part of the substrate processing tank 1 and the drying fluid 6 stored in the drying fluid storage unit 3. A first inert gas supply unit 4 for spraying to generate droplets of the drying fluid, and a second inert gas supply unit for supplying the generated droplets of the drying fluid toward the substrate 2.
And an inert gas supply unit 5. In addition, 7 is a drying fluid supply channel, and 8 is the first inert gas supply unit 4 and the second inert gas supply unit.
An inert gas supply passage 9 for supplying an inert gas to the inert gas supply unit 5 is pure water.

The substrate processing tank 1 is supplied with a cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid supply unit (not shown) so that all the substrates 2
Is immersed in a cleaning liquid to clean the entire surface of each substrate 2, the cleaning liquid is replaced with pure water 9 and rinsed with pure water 9, and thereafter, the pure water 9 is discharged from a cleaning liquid discharge unit (not shown). .

The substrate supporting portion engages with a predetermined position of the peripheral portion of the plurality of substrates 2 to align the plurality of substrates 2 in an upright state at predetermined intervals.

The drying fluid reservoir 3 has a first recess formed to be open on the upper surface over substantially the entire length range of a main body member 3a extending in parallel with a virtual center axis connecting the centers of the plurality of substrates 2. 3b. The first recess 3b may be a rectangular first recess 3b having a rectangular cross section in a plane parallel to the substrate 2, but is shown in FIG. As described above, the V-shaped first recess 3b may be used. The drying fluid reservoir 3 is disposed obliquely above the plurality of substrates 2 with respect to the virtual center axis. Various conventionally known fluids can be used as the drying fluid.
It is preferable to employ the above, and it is possible to achieve Marangoni drying.

The first inert gas supply section 4 is a tube disposed immediately above the first recess 3b of the drying fluid storage section 3 and discharges the inert gas directly below. Are formed with an inert gas discharge hole (not shown). Then, the first inert gas supply unit 4 includes the first recess 3b.
Inert gas is discharged at a high speed onto the surface of the drying fluid contained in the drying fluid, and the diameter of the inert gas discharge hole so that the drying fluid can be scattered as fine droplets from the surface of the drying fluid, The pitch and the discharge direction are set, and the discharge initial speed of the inert gas is set. However,
As the tubular body, various shapes such as a cylindrical shape and a rectangular tubular shape can be adopted. Further, the discharge direction of the inert gas is not limited to the direction directly downward, and may be set to a direction obliquely downward as described later.

The second inert gas supply unit 5 is a tube disposed directly above a plurality of substrates 2 with respect to the virtual center axis, and discharges an inert gas in a direction toward the substrates 2. An inert gas discharge hole (not shown) is formed. It is preferable that the pitch of the inert gas discharge holes is set to be equal to the pitch of the substrate 2, or it is set to be a fraction of the pitch of the substrate 2. Preferably. Also,
The diameter of the inert gas discharge hole may be set to about 0.05 to 1 mm, but is preferably set to 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the angle between the direction from the second inert gas supply unit 5 vertically downward and the direction from the second inert gas supply unit 5 to the direction contacting the outer periphery of the substrate 2 is θ. when set to _1, in order to set the direction toward the vertically downward from the second inert gas supply section 5, actually the angle theta between the direction in which the inert gas is discharged to 0 ≦ θ ≦ θ ₁ not An active gas discharge hole may be formed, but (1/3) θ ₁ ≦ θ ≦
(2/3) it is preferable to form the inert gas discharge hole in order to set the theta _1. Furthermore, the initial speed of the inert gas discharged from the inert gas discharge unit may be set to 50 to 300 m / s, but is preferably set to 100 to 200 m / s. However, various shapes such as a cylindrical shape and a rectangular tube shape can be adopted as the tubular body.

The operation of the substrate drying apparatus having the above configuration is as follows.

After cleaning the surfaces of the plurality of substrates 2 supported in the substrate processing bath 1 in a standing and aligned state with a cleaning liquid,
The cleaning liquid is replaced with pure water 9 and rinsed with pure water 9,
After that, while discharging the pure water 9, the substrate 2 is
Dry the surface. However, there is a case where only the rinsing with the pure water 9 is performed without performing the cleaning with the cleaning liquid.

That is, the inert gas supply flow path 8 is supplied to the liquid level of the drying fluid 6 supplied by the drying fluid supply flow path 7 and stored in the first recess 3 b of the drying fluid storage section 3.
Then, an inert gas is blown through the first inert gas supply unit 4 to generate fine droplets of the drying fluid 6, and the droplets are floated.

Then, the inert gas is discharged from the inert gas supply passage 8 to the gap between the substrates 2 through the second inert gas supply unit 5 to draw the droplets of the floating drying fluid. Guided to the gap between the substrates 2, the substrate 2
A sufficient amount of drying fluid can be supplied to the immersion interface between the water and the pure water 9. As a result, the substrate is dried by the supplied drying fluid, and the surface of the substrate 2 can be dried quickly and with high quality. In particular, even when the gap between the substrates 2 is set to の of the interval in a state of being accommodated in the substrate transport cassette, the liquid is introduced at high speed using droplets of the drying fluid. A sufficient supply of drying fluid can be achieved.

Further, as can be seen from the above description, since there is no need to raise the temperature of the drying fluid 6, safety can be improved and costs can be reduced. Further, since an ultrasonic generator or the like is not required, reliability and durability can be improved. Furthermore, since the droplets of the drying fluid are employed, the consumption of the drying fluid can be reduced as compared with the case where the vapor of the drying fluid is employed.

In particular, when IPA is used as the drying fluid, although IPA itself is flammable, there is no need to raise the temperature and the amount used can be reduced. Property can be enhanced, and equipment such as explosion-proof can be eliminated.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the drying fluid storage section 3. As shown in FIG.

The difference between the drying fluid reservoir 3 and the drying fluid reservoir 3 shown in FIG. 1 is that the width of the main body member 3a is set to be large and the second fluid extending in parallel with the first recess 3b.
It is only the point where the recess 3c is formed.

The second recess 3c is a recess for preventing dripping, and is arranged closer to the substrate 2 than the first recess 3b.

Therefore, in this case, even if dripping of the drying fluid occurs, the dripping is accommodated in the second recess 3c, so that the dripping adheres to the substrate 2 and deposits metals and organic substances. It is possible to prevent the inconvenience of causing the problem from occurring.

However, when the disposing position of the drying fluid reservoir 3 is set to a position almost directly above the substrate 2, the first
It is preferable to arrange a pair of second recesses 3c so as to sandwich the recess 3b.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of a configuration for supplying a drying fluid to the drying fluid storage section 3. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, a drying fluid nozzle 3d for ejecting a drying fluid is disposed immediately above the first recess 3b.

In the case of employing this configuration, the first drying fluid is ejected from the drying fluid nozzle 3d to thereby provide the first fluid.
The drying fluid can be stored in the recess 3b and a certain amount of droplets of the drying fluid can be generated.

Therefore, it is possible to increase the efficiency of generating droplets of the drying fluid.

Of course, if the jetting speed of the drying fluid is set to be sufficiently high, a sufficient amount of droplets of the drying fluid can be generated without discharging the inert gas, and the piping system can be simplified. Can be

Further, instead of providing the drying fluid nozzle 3d, a pipe for supplying the drying fluid to the first recess 3b may be provided.

In these cases, the supply amount of the drying fluid may be set to about 5 to 30 ml for one drying process.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the drying fluid storage unit 3, the first inert gas supply unit 4, and the second inert gas supply unit 5 based on the substrate 2.

The arrangement of FIG. 7 differs from the arrangement of FIG. 1 only in that the first inert gas supply unit 4 is disposed further outward so as to discharge the inert gas obliquely downward.

Therefore, in this case, the droplets of the drying fluid are concentrated on the central side (second
(Inert gas supply unit side), and the droplets of the drying fluid can be efficiently guided to the gap between the substrates 2.

In the above embodiment, one second inert gas supply unit 5 is provided at the center, and two drying fluid storage units 3 and one first inert gas supply unit 4 are provided at the outside. I have. However, it is possible to provide one drying fluid storage part 3 and one first inert gas supply part 4 at the center part and two second inert gas supply parts 5 at the outside part. Number of storage units 3 and first inert gas supply units 4, second
The number of the inert gas supply units 5 can be set arbitrarily.

In the above embodiment, the substrate processing tank 1 has a single tank structure, but may have a double tank structure.

[0081]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to raise the temperature of both the inert gas and the drying fluid, so that the safety can be improved and a sufficient amount of immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid can be obtained. By supplying a drying fluid, quick and high-quality drying can be achieved, and since there is no need for an ultrasonic generator, reliability and durability can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to achieve inexpensive and high-quality Marangoni drying, and the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained.

The third aspect of the invention has the same effect as the first or second aspect.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the droplet of the drying fluid can be smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and the same effect as any of the first to third aspects can be obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the droplets of the drying fluid can be more smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and the same effects as those of the fourth aspect can be obtained.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to raise the temperature of both the inert gas and the drying fluid, so that the safety can be improved and a sufficient amount of the drying fluid is provided at the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid. By supplying a fluid, it is possible to achieve quick and high-quality drying, and since there is no need for an ultrasonic generator or the like, it has the specific effect of improving reliability and durability.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to achieve inexpensive and high-quality Marangoni drying, and the same effects as those of the sixth aspect can be obtained.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to generate droplets of the drying fluid in accordance with the existing range of all the substrates, and the same effect as that of the sixth or seventh aspect is obtained.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the drying fluid from directly contacting the substrate, thereby preventing the inconvenience that impurities, metal compounds, and the like are deposited on the substrate surface. To achieve the same effect as any one of the eighth aspect.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the replenishment of the drying fluid can be easily performed, and the same effect as any one of the sixth to ninth aspects can be obtained.

According to the eleventh aspect, replenishment of the drying fluid can be easily performed, and the same effect as any one of the sixth to ninth aspects can be obtained.

The twelfth aspect has the same effect as any one of the sixth to eleventh aspects.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, even if the gap between the substrates is small, the droplets of the drying fluid can be introduced smoothly, the consumption of the drying fluid can be reduced, and the drying fluid can be reduced. Can significantly suppress the explosion-proof property when flammable, and have the same effect as any of claims 6 to 12.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, most of the droplets of the drying fluid can be introduced into the gap between the substrates, and the same effect as any one of the sixth to thirteenth aspects can be obtained.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the invention, most of the droplets of the drying fluid can be introduced from the center of the gap between the substrates, and the same effect as that of the fourteenth aspect can be obtained.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly introduce the droplets of the drying fluid into the gaps between the substrates, and it has the same effect as any one of the sixth to fifteenth aspects.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further smoothly introduce the droplets of the drying fluid into the gaps between the substrates, and to achieve the same effect as the sixteenth aspect.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly introduce the droplets of the drying fluid into the gaps between the substrates, and to achieve the same effect as any one of the sixth to eighteenth aspects.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the invention, the droplet of the drying fluid can be smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid, and the same effect as any one of the sixth to eighteenth aspects can be obtained.

According to the twentieth aspect of the present invention, the droplet of the drying fluid can be more smoothly supplied to the immersion interface between the substrate and the cleaning liquid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of a substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the drying fluid storage unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a discharge direction of an inert gas from a second inert gas supply unit.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the drying fluid storage unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for supplying a drying fluid to a first recess.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the drying fluid storage unit, the first inert gas supply unit, and the second inert gas supply unit based on the substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing tank 2 Substrate 3 Drying fluid storage part 3b First concave part 3c Second concave part 3d Drying fluid nozzle 4 First inert gas supply part 5 Second inert gas supply part 6 Drying fluid 9 Pure water

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takazo Toshima 1304 Kanaokacho, Sakai City, Osaka Daikin Industries Kanaoka Plant (72) Inventor Masao Ohno 1304 Kanaokacho Sakai City, Osaka Daikin Industries Kanaoka Plant (72 ) Inventor Tokuo Maeda 6-2 Imakufucho-cho, Yamatokoriyama-shi, Nara Pref.

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of substrates (2) are accommodated in a processing tank (1) in an aligned state, and the level of a cleaning liquid in the processing tank (1) is lowered relative to the substrate (2). A method of drying the surface of the substrate (2) by supplying a drying fluid to the surface of the substrate (2) while drying, wherein the drying fluid (6) is stored at a predetermined upper portion of the processing tank (1). Then, an inert gas is blown against the stored drying fluid (6) to generate droplets of the drying fluid in the treatment tank (1). 2) A method for drying a substrate, characterized in that an inert gas is supplied to guide the gas to the surface. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying fluid is isopropyl alcohol. 3. The substrate drying method according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas is a nitrogen gas. 4. The initial velocity of an inert gas supplied to introduce droplets of a drying fluid to the surface of each substrate (2) is 50 to 300.
The method for drying a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is set to m / s. 5. An inert gas having an initial velocity of 100 to 200 m /
The method for drying a substrate according to claim 4, wherein s is set to s. 6. A plurality of substrates (2) are accommodated in a processing tank (1) in an aligned state, and the level of a cleaning liquid in the processing tank (1) is lowered relative to the substrate (2). An apparatus for drying a surface of a substrate (2) by supplying a drying fluid to the surface of the substrate (2) while drying, wherein a drying fluid (6) is stored at a predetermined upper position in a processing tank (1). Drying fluid storing means (3), and a first inert gas that generates droplets of the drying fluid in the processing tank (1) by spraying an inert gas onto the stored drying fluid (6). A supply means (4), and second inert gas supply means (5) for supplying an inert gas to guide generated droplets of the drying fluid to the surface of each substrate (2). Substrate drying equipment. 7. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the drying fluid (6) is isopropyl alcohol. 8. The drying fluid storage means (3) has a drying fluid storage recess (3b) extending parallel to the direction in which the plurality of substrates (2) are arranged and having an open upper portion. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: 9. The drip-preventing recess (3c) extending parallel to the drying-fluid storage recess (3b) to prevent dripping of the drying fluid (6). The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: 10. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a drying fluid supply pipe for supplying a drying fluid (6) to said drying fluid storing means (3). apparatus. 11. The drying fluid spraying means (3d) for supplying a drying fluid (6) to the drying fluid storing means (3) by spraying. A substrate drying apparatus as described in the above. 12. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inert gas is a nitrogen gas. 13. The second inert gas supply means (5).
Has an inert gas discharge hole extending in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates (2) are arranged and formed at predetermined intervals in parallel with the direction in which the plurality of substrates (2) are arranged. 6
The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12. 14. The second inert gas supply means (5).
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the inert gas is located above a virtual central axis connecting the centers of the plurality of substrates, and discharges the inert gas downward from a direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrates. 14. The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of 13). If the 15. was formed angle θ1 between the direction and the vertically downward direction in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate (2), the angle theta between the inert gas discharge direction and vertically downward direction θ _1/3 ≦ θ
≦ 2 [Theta] _1/3 and so as the substrate drying apparatus of claim 14, the inert gas ejection direction is set. 16. The diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is 0.0.
The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the thickness is 5 to 1 mm. 17. The diameter of the inert gas discharge hole is 0.1.
17. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 16, which has a thickness of 0.5 mm. 18. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an interval between the inert gas discharge holes is set to be an integer fraction of an interval between the substrates (2) or between the substrates (2). A substrate drying apparatus according to any one of the above. 19. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an initial velocity of the inert gas discharged from the inert gas discharge hole is set to 50 to 300 m / s. 20. The inert gas initial velocity is 100 to 200 m.
20. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the substrate drying rate is set to / s.