JP2004261801A - Device and method for curing and device for forming application film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique to reduce the temperature for curing in a cure unit in which a substrate on which application liquid is applied such as a wafer is heated and an application film on the wafer is cured. <P>SOLUTION: In the above cure unit(a cure unit 3), the wafer W on which the application liquid is applied is put on a heat plate 32 in a first processing chamber S1 and bake processing is conducted by heating the wafer at a first temperature. In the state where the above wafer is put on the heat plate 32, the application film on the wafer is cured by heating the wafer on the heat plate 32 at a higher temperature of curing process than the first temperature, irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the wafer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a curing processing apparatus and method for forming a coating film such as an interlayer insulating film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or an FPD substrate (substrate for flat panel display), and a coating film forming apparatus.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, an interlayer insulating film may be formed by, for example, an SOD (Spin on Dielectric) system. In this SOD system, for example, a coating material is spin-coated on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”), and then a physical process such as heating or a chemical process is performed to form an interlayer insulating film. Specifically, for example, in the case of a process using a coating liquid made of trade name silk, which is one of the insulating film materials of the cyclobutene-based polymer, a wafer coated with the coating liquid is heated at a temperature of, for example, about 320 ° C. for 1 minute. After performing a baking process of about heating, a curing process is performed for about 5 minutes at about 450 ° C. and an oxygen concentration of 20 ppm or less, whereby the coating film is cured to form an interlayer insulating film.

  The apparatus for performing the curing process includes a first processing chamber for heating the wafers coated with the coating liquid one by one, a cooling for the heated wafers, and a curing for the first processing chamber. There has been proposed a configuration including a cooling processing chamber for transferring a wafer from outside the apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the first processing chamber, a predetermined curing process is performed by placing a wafer on the surface of a hot plate whose set temperature can be set to 200 to 470 ° C.

JP 2000-124206 A

  However, in the configuration of Patent Literature 1, when a coating liquid made of silk is used, a curing temperature of about 450 ° C. is required. However, if the processing is performed at such a high temperature, the pattern will be miniaturized in the future. Then, there is a concern that the heat adversely affects the device.

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the processing temperature during the curing process by performing a curing process for curing the coating film while irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays. It is to provide the technology to make it.

  The curing treatment apparatus of the present invention is a curing treatment apparatus for curing a coating film on a substrate by heating a substrate coated with a coating liquid, wherein the substrate coated with the coating liquid is placed on a heating plate, A first processing chamber for heating the substrates one by one to a predetermined temperature, and a first irradiation provided in the first processing chamber for irradiating the substrate mounted on the heating plate with ultraviolet light. And the unit, which are connected in communication with the first processing chamber, place the substrate coated with the coating liquid on the temperature control plate, and adjust the substrates one by one to a temperature lower than the processing temperature of the curing process. And a second processing chamber for performing

  Here, the temperature control plate is configured to be movable, for example, between a position above the heating plate in the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber. In this case, for example, after raising the substrate placed on the heating plate by the elevating member, the temperature adjustment plate is inserted between the substrate and the heating plate, and then the elevating member is lowered, so that the temperature is adjusted from the heating plate. The substrate is configured to be delivered to the plate. Further, a shutter for opening and closing the passage opening is provided at a passage opening of the temperature control plate formed between the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber.

  Further, in the present invention, in the first processing chamber, a heating process in which the substrate coated with the coating liquid is placed on a heating plate and heated at a first temperature, and the substrate subjected to the heating process is placed in the heating plate. And a control unit for performing a curing process of irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays and curing a coating film on the substrate while continuously heating the substrate at a temperature of the curing process higher than the first temperature. Alternatively, in the second processing chamber, a heating process is performed in which the substrate coated with the coating liquid is placed on a temperature control plate and heated at a first temperature, and the heating process is performed in the first processing chamber. To perform a curing process of irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays while heating at a temperature of the curing process higher than the first temperature to cure the coating film on the substrate, the substrate having been subjected to the above is placed on a heating plate. May be provided.

  In such a curing processing apparatus, the coating film on the substrate is cured by heating the substrate while irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light. Can be cured, and adverse effects of heat on the device can be suppressed.

Further, in the present invention, the substrate having the cured coating film may be further provided with a second irradiator for irradiating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength different from that of the first irradiator. At this time, for example, the second irradiation unit may be provided in the second processing chamber, and the substrate mounted on the temperature control plate may be irradiated with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength. Further, according to the present invention, an inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber, and the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber are evacuated. Exhaust means for the purpose. Here, the coating film is an insulating film, and the ultraviolet light applied to the substrate from the first irradiation unit is an ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 300 nm to 400 nm. The heat treatment is a bake treatment. Further, the insulating film may be modified by irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light from the second irradiation unit.
Further, in the curing processing apparatus, the heating plate may be movable in a vertical direction, and further, a sensor for determining deterioration of a first irradiation unit and a signal from the sensor may be provided in the first processing chamber. And a controller that raises the heating plate based on the control information. Still further, in the above-mentioned curing treatment apparatus, the first irradiating unit may irradiate ultraviolet rays having two different wavelengths. In this case, the first irradiation unit can move between the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber.

In such a curing treatment apparatus, for example, a heat treatment step of placing a substrate coated with a coating liquid on a heating plate and heating the substrates one by one to a first temperature, and then performing a heat treatment While the substrate is placed on the heating plate, the substrate is irradiated one by one with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength while continuously heating the substrates one by one to a curing temperature higher than the first temperature. Curing treatment step of curing the coating film, and a curing treatment method characterized by including,
A heat treatment step of placing the substrate coated with the coating liquid on a temperature control plate and heating the substrates one by one to a first temperature, and then performing a temperature control step on which the heat-treated substrate is placed. Position the plate above the heating plate, raise the elevating mechanism from the heating plate, let the elevating mechanism receive the substrate on the temperature control plate, then move the temperature control plate to the outside of the heating plate, and then raise and lower By lowering the mechanism, the substrate is transferred from the temperature control plate to the heating plate, and the substrate is heated by a heating plate one by one to a curing treatment temperature higher than the first temperature. And a curing step of irradiating the ultraviolet light to cure the coating film on the substrate. At this time, a reforming step is performed after the curing treatment step, in which the substrate on which the coating film is cured is irradiated with ultraviolet light having a wavelength different from that of the curing treatment of the coating film to modify the coating film. It may be provided.

  Further, in the coating film forming apparatus of the present invention, a coating unit for coating a coating liquid on the substrate, a curing processing device for curing the coating liquid on the substrate on which the coating liquid has been coated, wherein the coating unit And a transporting unit for transporting the substrate between the curing processing device and the curing processing device, the curing processing device places the substrate coated with the coating liquid on a heating plate, and A first processing chamber for heating to a predetermined temperature, a first irradiation unit provided in the first processing chamber for irradiating a substrate mounted on a heating plate with ultraviolet light, A second processing chamber connected to the first processing chamber and having the coating liquid applied thereon placed on a temperature control plate to adjust the substrates one by one to a temperature lower than the processing temperature of the curing processing; And a processing chamber.

  According to the present invention, ultraviolet rays are irradiated during the curing process of the coating film, so that the temperature of the curing process can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a coating film forming apparatus in which the curing processing apparatus of the present invention is incorporated will be described by taking, as an example, a case where an interlayer insulating film made of a SiO 2 film is formed using a coating liquid having a trade name “silk”. Will be explained. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire configuration according to an embodiment of the coating film forming apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view thereof.

  In the drawing, B1 is a carrier block for carrying in and out a substrate carrier C (hereinafter, referred to as [carrier]) in which, for example, 25 wafers W are stored. The carrier block B1 carries the carrier C thereon. And a transfer unit 22. The transfer means 22 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C, and can move left and right, back and forth, and can move up and down so as to transfer the taken out wafer W to the processing block B2 provided adjacent to the carrier block B1. , And rotatable about a vertical axis.

  At the center of the processing block B2, a main transporting means 23 serving as a transporting means is provided. For example, a plurality of coating units (SCT) 24 are provided on the right side as viewed from the back so as to surround the main transporting means 23. Is provided with shelf units U1 and U2 in which a plurality of processing units are stacked in multiple stages. The shelf units U1 and U2 are configured by variously combining units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of the processing in the coating unit 24. The combination is, for example, as shown in FIG. A temperature control unit (CPL) 25 for controlling the temperature of the wafer to a predetermined temperature before the application of the liquid crystal, and a cure unit (DLC) 3 serving as a curing processing device for performing a process of heating the wafer to cure the coating film. In addition, a transfer unit (TRS) 26 having a transfer table for transferring the wafer W is also incorporated in the shelf unit U1.

  The configuration of the shelf units U1 and U2 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and processing units other than the processing units described above are arranged in these shelf units U1 and U2 in accordance with the processing performed on the wafer W. Alternatively, the number and layout of the units can be arbitrarily selected. The above-described main transfer means 23 is configured to be movable up and down and back and forth, and rotatable about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the coating unit 24 and the units constituting the shelf units U1 and U2. It is possible.

  Next, the above-described cure unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, and this cure unit 3 constitutes a curing treatment device of the present invention as described above, and is used for baking and curing a coating film. This is a unit that performs a curing process. In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a casing, and the inside of the casing 30 is divided into two by a partition plate 31, and the left side in the figure is formed as a first processing chamber S1, and the right side is formed as a second processing chamber S2. These processing chambers S1 and S2 are configured to be hermetically sealable, and the inside of each processing chamber S1 and S2 can be set to a predetermined atmosphere.

  Inside the first processing chamber S1, for example, a heating plate 32 having a circular planar shape for mounting and heating the wafer W is provided. The heating plate 32 is made of, for example, ceramics having excellent thermal conductivity, such as silicon carbide and aluminum nitride. Further, the heating plate 32 has a built-in heater 33 as a heating means, whereby the wafer W mounted on the heating plate 32 is heated to, for example, 300 ° C. to 470 ° C. In the figure, reference numeral 34 denotes a power supply unit of the heater 33. The control unit C controls the amount of power supply from the power supply unit 34 to the heater 33, and the heating plate 32 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  In the drawing, reference numeral 35 denotes an elevating pin for supporting the back surface side of the wafer W to elevate and lower. The elevating pin 35 is configured to be able to elevate and lower by an elevating mechanism 36. The drive of the elevating mechanism 36 is controlled by the controller C, so that the elevating pins 35 can elevate and lower the wafer W to a predetermined height at a predetermined timing. In this example, the elevating pin 35 and the elevating mechanism 36 constitute an elevating member described in the claims.

  A first irradiation section 41 is provided at a position substantially opposite to the heating plate 32 on the upper side inside the first processing chamber S1, and the irradiation section 41 has a wafer mounted on the heating plate 32. A first light source 42 is provided for irradiating the entire surface of W with ultraviolet rays for a curing process having a wavelength within a predetermined range, for example, about 100 nm to 500 nm. In the figure, reference numeral 43 denotes a controller for the light source 42. The controller C controls the amount of power supplied to the light source 42 and the wavelength of the light source 42 via the controller 43.

  Here, when the organic SOD film is cured, the wavelength is 200 nm to 400 nm, the irradiation amount is about 100 J / cm 2 to 500 J / cm 2 (J / cm 2: irradiation amount (integrated light amount) unit), and the curing treatment is performed for the inorganic SOD film. In this case, it is preferable to set the wavelength to about 100 to 200 nm and the irradiation amount to about 100 J / cm2 to 300 J / cm2.

  In addition, an inert gas supply unit 37 for supplying an inert gas such as a helium gas or a nitrogen gas into the first processing chamber S1 from a supply source (not shown) is provided on a side surface of the casing 30 of the first processing chamber S1. Is provided. Further, an exhaust path 38 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber is connected to the bottom surface of the casing 30 of the first processing chamber S1. By exhausting the inside of the first processing chamber S1 and supplying the inert gas, the inside of the processing chamber S1 can be maintained in a predetermined atmosphere, for example, a low oxygen atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of 5 ppm to 20.6%. it can.

  Subsequently, the second processing chamber S2 will be described. Inside the second processing chamber S2, for example, a plate-shaped temperature control plate 51 for mounting a wafer and controlling the temperature to a predetermined temperature is provided. The temperature control plate 51 is set to have a size such that the entire back surface of the wafer is in contact with the surface of the temperature control plate 51 when the wafer is placed thereon, and is excellent in thermal conductivity, such as silicon carbide or aluminum nitride. Of ceramics. The plate 51 is provided with a coolant channel 52 through which a coolant adjusted to a predetermined temperature flows. Thus, the wafer W mounted on the temperature control plate 51 is moved from, for example, 15 ° C. to 50 ° C. The temperature is adjusted to a selected predetermined temperature. In the drawing, 53 is a supply path for circulating and supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerant flow path 52, and 54 is a refrigerant temperature adjusting section. The temperature adjusting section 54 is controlled by the control section C, whereby the temperature adjusting plate 51 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  The temperature control plate 51 is a guide laid in the X direction (a direction from the second processing chamber S2 side to the first processing chamber S1 side) inside the second processing chamber S2 by, for example, the horizontal drive unit 55. Along the rail 56, the second processing chamber S2 is configured to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction between the inside of the second processing chamber S2 and a position above the heating plate 32 in the first processing chamber S1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature control plate 51 has slit-shaped notches 51a and 51b. The notches 51a and 51b are formed at positions where the elevation pins 35 do not interfere when the elevation pins 35 of the heating plate 32 are moved up and down with the temperature control plate 51 positioned above the heating plate 32. ing. Thus, the transfer of the wafer between the temperature control plate 51 and the heating plate 32 is performed.

  That is, when the wafer W placed on the temperature control plate 51 is transferred to the heating plate 32, the temperature control plate 51 is positioned above the heating plate 32, and the elevating pins 35 are raised to raise the elevating pins 35. Then, the wafer W is transferred from the temperature control plate 51 to the heating plate 32 by moving the temperature control plate 51 back into the second processing chamber S2 and then lowering the elevating pins 35. When the wafer W placed on the heating plate 32 is transferred to the temperature control plate 51, the elevating pins 35 are raised to allow the elevating pins 35 to receive the wafer from the heating plate 32. The wafer W is transferred from the heating plate 32 to the temperature control plate 51 by being positioned between the wafer W and the heating plate 31 and then lowering the elevating pins 35.

  On the upper side inside the second processing chamber S2, at a position substantially opposite to the temperature control plate 51, the entire surface of the wafer W mounted on the temperature control plate 51 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays for reforming. A second irradiating section 44 is provided. The irradiating section 44 irradiates a wafer mounted on the temperature control plate 51 with a reforming ultraviolet ray having a wavelength in a predetermined range, for example, about 100 nm to 300 nm. A second light source 45 is provided. In the figure, reference numeral 46 denotes a controller of the light source 45, and the controller C controls the amount of power supplied to the light source 45 and the wavelength of the light source 45 via the controller 45. Here, in the case of performing the reforming treatment, it is preferable to set the wavelength of both the organic SOD film and the inorganic SOD film to 150 nm to 200 nm and the irradiation amount to about 100 mJ / cm 2.

  An inert gas supply unit 57 for supplying an inert gas, such as a helium gas or a nitrogen gas, into the second processing chamber S2 from a supply source (not shown) is provided on a side surface of the casing 30 of the second processing chamber S2. Is provided. An exhaust path 58 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber is connected to the bottom surface of the casing 30 of the second processing chamber S2. By exhausting the inside of the second processing chamber S2 and supplying the inert gas, the inside of the second processing chamber S2 is maintained in a predetermined atmosphere, for example, a low oxygen atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of 5 ppm to 20.5%. be able to.

  Further, the partition plate 31 is formed with a passage opening 47 through which the temperature control plate 51 passes. The passage opening 47 is provided with, for example, a shutter 47a that moves up and down. A transfer port 48 for transferring the wafer W into and out of the cure unit 3 is provided on a side surface of the casing 30 of the second processing chamber S2. The transfer port 48 is configured to be openable and closable by a shutter 48a. I have. Accordingly, the shutters 47a and 48a are closed except when the wafer W is loaded into or unloaded from the cure unit 3 or when the wafer is transferred between the first processing chamber S1 and the second processing chamber S2. The atmosphere in each of the processing chambers S1 and S2 can be maintained.

  Next, the configuration of the coating unit 24 will be briefly described. First, the coating unit 24 performs a process of coating the coating liquid on the surface of the wafer. In this unit 24, the coating liquid is transferred to a spin chuck, which is a substrate holding unit, by the main transfer unit 23, for example. The supply liquid is supplied to a substantially central portion of the wafer W by a supply nozzle, and the spin chuck is rotated at a preset number of revolutions, whereby the coating liquid is spread in the radial direction of the wafer W by the centrifugal force, and thus the wafer is spread. A process for forming a liquid film of the coating film on the W surface is performed. As such a coating unit 24, a known spin coating type coating apparatus can be used. In the temperature control unit 25, a process for adjusting the temperature of the wafer to a predetermined temperature is performed by mounting the wafer on a surface of a cooling plate serving as a substrate mounting portion for a predetermined time in the processing container.

  The flow of wafers in such a coating film forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 6. A carrier C containing, for example, 25 wafers W by an automatic transfer robot (or an operator) is externally provided with a carrier of a carrier block B1. It is carried into the receiver 21. Next, the transfer means 22 takes out the wafer W from the inside of the carrier C, and transfers the wafer W to the main transfer means 23 via the transfer unit 26 of the shelf unit U1 of the processing block B2.

  Then, the wafer W is transferred by the main transfer unit 23 to the temperature control unit 25 of the shelf units U1 and U2, where the temperature is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C., and then transferred to the coating unit 24. At a processing temperature of, for example, 23 ° C., a coating treatment of a coating liquid having a trade name “silk” is performed.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the cure unit 3 by the main transfer means 23 and transferred to the heating plate 32 of the first processing chamber S1 via the temperature control plate 51 of the second processing chamber S2, where the heat treatment is performed. Is performed. The baking process is a low-oxygen heating process for heating the wafer in a low-oxygen atmosphere to cause a polycondensation reaction and chemically curing the coating film. Specifically, a nitrogen gas is introduced into the processing chamber S1, the atmosphere is set to a predetermined low oxygen state, for example, an atmosphere having an allowable oxygen concentration of 50 ppm or less, and the wafer is heated at a first temperature, for example, about 320 ° C. for about 1 hour. This is done by heating for minutes.

  Next, a curing process, which is a curing process, is performed on the wafer W on which the baking process has been performed in the first processing chamber S1. Here, the curing process is a heating process for baking the coating film, and is a process of curing the coating film by heating the coating film to perform crosslinking or release of porodiene. Specifically, the interior of the processing chamber S1 is set to a predetermined low oxygen state, for example, an atmosphere having an allowable oxygen concentration of 20 ppm or less, with the wafer W remaining on the heating plate 32 as it is from the baking processing. On the other hand, the heating plate 32 is heated to a predetermined temperature, and the first irradiation unit 41 irradiates the surface of the wafer W with ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of, for example, 300 to 400 nm. It is performed by heating at a temperature of about 400 ° C. for about 5 minutes.

  Thereafter, the wafer is transferred from the heating plate 32 to the temperature control plate 51, and a process of cooling the wafer to a temperature around room temperature by the temperature control plate 51 in the second processing chamber S2 is performed. At this time, the temperature of the temperature control plate 51 is set to about 23 ° C., and the wafer is cooled to a temperature of about room temperature by placing the wafer on the temperature control plate 51 and maintaining it for about 1 minute. You.

  Subsequently, in the second processing chamber S2, a process of modifying the surface of the insulating film formed on the surface of the wafer W is performed. That is, while the wafer W is continuously mounted on the temperature control plate 51, the second irradiation unit 44 irradiates the surface of the wafer with ultraviolet rays for reforming, for example, ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of about 172 nm, for about 10 seconds, for example, so that the coating film Modify the surface of Next, the wafer W is unloaded from the cure unit 3. That is, the wafer W is transferred from the temperature control plate 51 to the main transfer unit 23, and is returned from the main transfer unit 23 to, for example, the original carrier C via the transfer unit 26 and the transfer unit 22 of the shelf unit U1.

  Here, the transfer of the wafer in the coating film forming apparatus and the processing of the wafer in each processing unit such as the cure unit 3 are performed based on a program in the control unit C. That is, the control unit C performs the baking process of placing the wafer W on the heating plate and heating the wafer W at the first temperature in the first processing chamber S1 of the cure unit 3, and then performs the baking process. While the W is placed on the heating plate, the wafer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays of a predetermined wavelength to cure the coating film on the wafer while continuously heating the wafer at a curing temperature higher than the first temperature. And a program for performing the processing.

  In such a configuration, heat energy is applied while irradiating the coating film with ultraviolet light during the curing process, and the coating film is cured by a combination of the heat energy and the energy of the ultraviolet light. For this reason, the processing temperature can be reduced without extending the processing time as compared with the case where the coating film is cured only by the heat energy. For this reason, a thermal influence on the device is eliminated, and a highly reliable device can be secured. Further, since there is no need to extend the processing time, a decrease in throughput can be prevented.

  Here, the reason why the coating film can be cured at a low temperature by a combination of heat energy and ultraviolet energy will be described. In the curing treatment, as shown in FIG. 7, porodiene is vaporized to cut one of the triple bonds of acetylene and one of the double bonds of oxygen, and the cut molecules are represented by dotted lines. The polymer is formed by bonding as shown, but the vaporization temperature of the porodiene is high, which is one of the causes of the high curing temperature. By the way, when the coating film is irradiated with ultraviolet rays during the curing process, the vaporization of the porodiene is promoted by the ultraviolet rays, and a bond of acetylene or oxygen is easily cut. On the other hand, bonding of the cut molecules is performed by heating energy of about 400 ° C. In this way, the irradiation of ultraviolet rays can cut bonds of acetylene and oxygen at a lower temperature than when no ultraviolet irradiation is performed, and the cut molecules are joined at this low temperature, so that no ultraviolet irradiation is performed. The coating film can be cured at a lower temperature than in the case.

  In this example, since the baking process and the curing process are performed by the same processing device, the number of processing units can be reduced as compared with a case where separate devices are prepared. As a result, the cost can be reduced and the occupied area can be reduced, which is effective in terms of space. Further, when the bake processing apparatus and the cure processing apparatus are separately prepared, the wafer W is transferred from the bake processing apparatus to the cure processing apparatus by the main transfer unit 23, but the bake processing apparatus and the cure processing apparatus are separated. If they are arranged in a place, the transport distance becomes long, so that it takes time to transport, and the throughput deteriorates. In addition, since the number of processing units transported by the main transport unit 23 increases, the transport program becomes complicated.

  On the other hand, if the baking process and the curing process are performed in the same processing chamber S1 of the curing unit 3 as in the present invention, there is no need to transfer the wafer between the baking process and the curing process. The total processing time is shortened, and the throughput can be improved.

Further, in the above-described example, the second irradiation unit 44 for irradiating the reforming ultraviolet light is provided, and the hardened wafer is irradiated with the reforming ultraviolet light. Is cut off, and the adhesion between the coating film and the next film can be increased. At this time, by providing the second irradiation unit 44 in the processing chamber S2, the second irradiation unit 44 is more effective in terms of space than in the case where a reforming irradiation unit is provided separately from the cure unit 3, and the temperature control is also possible. After the wafer is cooled by the plate 51, the reforming process can be performed subsequently without transporting the wafer, so that the time required for transporting the wafer is not required, which is effective from the viewpoint of throughput.
In addition, since the treatment is performed in the same atmosphere and the atmosphere outside the processing apparatus is not contacted on the way, OH groups that adversely affect the insulating property do not adhere to the film.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that the baking process is performed in the second processing chamber S2 of the cure unit 3, so that the temperature control plate 71 is heated instead of the refrigerant flow path. A heater 72 serving as a means is incorporated. In the figure, reference numeral 73 denotes a power supply unit of the heater 72. The control unit C controls the amount of power supplied from the power supply unit 73 to the heater 72, whereby the temperature control plate 71 is maintained at a predetermined temperature. The mounted wafer W is heated to, for example, 50 ° C. to 200 ° C. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described cure unit 3, but require a separate cooling unit for cooling the wafer to a temperature of about room temperature after the processing in the cure unit 3. This cooling unit is configured similarly to, for example, the temperature control unit 25, and is incorporated in, for example, the shelf units U1 and U2.

  The flow of a wafer in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. After the coating liquid is applied by the coating unit 24, the wafer is transferred to the cure unit 3 by the main transfer unit 23. This is the same as the embodiment. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the temperature control plate 71 in the second processing chamber S2, where a baking process as a heating process is performed. That is, a nitrogen gas is introduced into the processing chamber S2, the atmosphere is set to a predetermined low oxygen state, for example, an atmosphere having an allowable oxygen concentration of 50 ppm or less, and the wafer W is heated at a first temperature of 200 ° C. or less, for example, about 150 ° C. This is done by heating for 1 minute.

  Next, the wafer W on which the baking process has been performed is transferred from the temperature control plate 71 to the heating plate 32 of the first processing chamber S1, where a curing process for performing a hardening process is performed. That is, while setting the inside of the processing chamber S1 to a predetermined low oxygen state, for example, an atmosphere having an allowable oxygen concentration of 20 ppm or less, the heating plate 32 is heated to a predetermined temperature, and the first irradiation unit 41 emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength of, for example, 300 to 400 nm. While irradiating the surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is heated at a curing temperature higher than the first temperature, for example, about 400 ° C. for about 5 minutes.

  Subsequently, the wafer W is transferred from the heating plate 32 to the temperature control plate 71, and the wafer W is cooled by the temperature control plate 71 in the second processing chamber S2 to approximately the same temperature as the baking process, for example, about 150 ° C. 1 cooling process). At this time, the temperature of the temperature control plate 71 is set to about 150 ° C., and the wafer is cooled to a temperature of about 150 ° C. by placing the wafer on the temperature control plate 71 and maintaining the state for about 1 minute. Is done.

  Subsequently, in the second processing chamber S2, a process of modifying the surface of the insulating film formed on the surface of the wafer W is performed. That is, while the wafer W is continuously mounted on the temperature control plate 71, the second irradiation unit 44 irradiates the surface of the wafer with ultraviolet rays for reforming, for example, ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of about 172 nm for about 10 seconds, for example, so that the coating film is formed. Modify the surface of Next, the wafer W is unloaded from the cure unit 3 and transported to the cooling unit by the main transport unit 23, where the wafer is cooled to room temperature, for example, about 23 ° C. (second cooling process). The wafer W is returned from the main transfer unit 23 to, for example, the original carrier C via the transfer unit 26 and the transfer unit 22 of the shelf unit U1.

  In this example, the control unit C performs a baking process in which the wafer W coated with the coating liquid in the second processing chamber S2 is placed on the temperature control plate 51 and heated at the first temperature, and then the baking process is performed. The wafer W that has been baked in the first processing chamber S1 is placed on a heating plate 32, and while being heated at a curing temperature higher than the first temperature, ultraviolet rays having a predetermined wavelength are irradiated on the wafer. A program for performing a curing process of irradiating the coating film on the wafer by irradiation;

As described above, in this embodiment, the baking process is performed at a temperature of 200 ° C. or lower in the second processing chamber S2, and the baking process first heats to a temperature of 200 ° C. or lower, and then performs a curing process. By heating to a temperature of about 400 ° C., the wafer is heated step by step, so that the temperature change becomes gentle, which is effective for a coating film of a material which is easily damaged by the rapid temperature change.

  In such a configuration, thermal energy is applied while irradiating ultraviolet rays to the coating film during the curing process, and the baking process and the curing process are performed in the same processing apparatus. The effect of is obtained. Further, in this embodiment, the bake processing is performed in the second processing chamber S2 and the curing processing is performed in the first processing chamber S1, but the wafer is transferred by the temperature control plate 71 between them. Therefore, the transfer time can be shortened and the transfer program can be facilitated as compared with the case where the bake processing apparatus and the cure processing apparatus are separately prepared, and the wafer is transferred between them by the main transfer means 23.

In the above, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of light sources, for example, a first light source 75 and a second light source 76 for irradiating ultraviolet rays having different wavelengths are attached to the first irradiation section 74 of the first processing chamber S1. One may be a light source for cure treatment and the other may be a light source for reforming. Further, the controller 77 has a function of switching between the first light source 75 and the second light source 76 and the like. In the first processing chamber S1, EB (electron beam) can be used for the curing process.
When the irradiation unit 74 has the first light source 75 and the second light source 76 which are two light sources having different wavelengths as described above, as shown in FIG. May move between the processing chamber S1 and the second processing chamber S2. For example, a rail 78 extending between the two processing chambers may be attached to the ceiling of the two processing chambers, and the irradiation unit 74 may be movable along the rails 78.
With this configuration, only one irradiation unit 74 is provided in one unit, and the two processing chambers use separate processing, that is, the first light source 75 is used in the first processing chamber S1. In the curing process and the second processing chamber S2, a reforming process using the second light source 76 can be performed. In this case, the controller 77 also controls switching of the light source and movement of the irradiation unit 74.

Further, for example, when the wavelength region of the curing ultraviolet light and the reforming ultraviolet light are close to each other, and the wavelength of the reforming ultraviolet light can be secured by combining the filter with the light source for the curing treatment. As shown in FIG. 12, the first light source 101 of the irradiation unit and the filter 102 may be combined to perform both the curing process and the reforming process with one light source. In other words, by mounting and removing the filter 102, it becomes possible to irradiate the wafer W with ultraviolet rays having different wavelengths, and only one light source need be prepared.
By the way, a light source for ultraviolet irradiation, for example, an ultraviolet lamp, may deteriorate over time while being used, and the irradiation energy may be weakened accordingly. Then, a predetermined curing process may not be achieved, and replacement of the light source is forced.
However, even if the light source is not replaced immediately, if the irradiated wafer W is brought closer to the light source than in the initial state to compensate for the energy attenuation, it is possible to supply ultraviolet light having a predetermined energy to the wafer W. It is possible.
In order to realize this, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the heating plate 32 can be moved up and down by a driving mechanism 110. Accordingly, when the first light source 42 is deteriorated and the irradiation energy is weakened, the heating plate 32 can be raised accordingly to bring the position of the wafer W closer to the first light source 42. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate the wafer W with ultraviolet light having a predetermined energy.
In such a case, for example, a sensor 111 for measuring the intensity of the energy of the irradiated ultraviolet light is provided in the first processing chamber S1, and the degree of deterioration is determined based on a signal from the sensor 111, and based on the result, By providing the control device 112 for controlling the amount by which the heating plate 32 is raised by the driving mechanism 110, it is possible to always irradiate the wafer W with ultraviolet light of a predetermined amount of energy regardless of the deterioration of the first light source 42. become. In addition, thereby, the life of, for example, an ultraviolet lamp used for the first light source 42 can be substantially extended.
Such a sensor 111 and the control device 112 may be applied to the second light source 45 of the second processing device S2.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wafer is irradiated with ultraviolet light during the curing process. However, after performing the curing process without irradiating the ultraviolet light, the wafer is irradiated with ultraviolet light having a predetermined wavelength, for example, ultraviolet light having a wavelength of about 150 nm to 200 nm. After that, a cooling process (first cooling process) may be performed on the wafer. This makes it possible to obtain a hard coating film having a K value of 2.9 or less. In this case, the ultraviolet irradiation after curing may be performed on the wafer on the heating plate 32 by the first irradiation unit 41 in the first processing chamber S1, or may be performed on the wafer in the second processing chamber S2. The second irradiation unit 44 may perform the process on the wafer on the temperature control plate 51.

  Furthermore, when performing the baking process, the coating film on the wafer may be irradiated with electromagnetic waves in the ultraviolet region. When an electromagnetic wave of a predetermined wavelength is irradiated during the baking process as described above, an effect is obtained that the process is completed in a shorter time than when only the heat treatment is performed. In this case, a suitable wavelength is about 150 nm to 500 nm.

  In the present invention, the coating unit, the curing unit, and the like are not limited to the above-described configuration as long as the predetermined processing is performed. Also, depending on the type of coating film formed on the wafer, a low-temperature heating unit for performing a process of drying the solvent of the coating solution applied on the wafer surface by heat, or a process for cooling the wafer after curing to a predetermined temperature. May be arranged in the shelf units U1 and U2.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to formation of not only an organic SOD film but also an inorganic SOD film. In this case, for example, MSQ is used as a coating liquid, the baking treatment has an oxygen concentration of 1000 ppm or less, the treatment temperature is 80 ° C. to 200 ° C., and the curing treatment has the oxygen concentration of 100 ppm or less, and the treatment temperature is 350 ° C. to 425 ° C. Ultraviolet rays irradiated during the curing process have a wavelength of 100 nm to 200 nm, and the irradiation amount is 100 J / cm2 to 300 J / cm2. Done.

  Furthermore, the present invention is applied not only to the formation of a low dielectric constant interlayer insulating film by the SOD method, but also to the formation of an SOG (Spin On Glass) film, the formation of a resist film, a polyimide film, a ferroelectric, and other insulating films. can do. Here, the SOG film is a SiO2 film formed on the surface of the film formed by the CVD method to planarize the film formed by the CVD method because the surface of the film is uneven. As in the case of the SOD method, the film is formed by spin-coating the coating liquid on the wafer surface and then performing heat treatment on the wafer to evaporate a solvent and the like contained in the coating liquid and harden the film.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate used for an FPD (flat panel display), a mask, or the like.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire configuration of an embodiment of a coating film forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of the coating film forming apparatus. It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the said coating film forming apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the hardening processing apparatus (cure unit) provided in the said coating film formation apparatus. It is a top view which shows the said hardening processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a process diagram for explaining a flow of a wafer in the coating film forming apparatus. It is an explanatory view for explaining an operation of the hardening device. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the hardening processing apparatus provided in the said coating film formation apparatus. FIG. 9 is a process diagram for explaining a flow of a wafer in the coating film forming apparatus in which the curing processing apparatus of FIG. 8 is incorporated. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the hardening processing apparatus provided in the said coating film formation apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of a hardening processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of a hardening processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of a hardening processing apparatus.

Explanation of reference numerals

W Semiconductor wafer B1 Carrier block B2 Processing block
23 substrate transport means 24 coating unit 3 curing unit S1 first processing chamber S2 second processing chamber 32 heating plate 41 first irradiation section 44 second irradiation section 51 temperature control plate

Claims (19)

In a curing processing device that cures a coating film on a substrate by heating the substrate on which the coating liquid is applied,
A first processing chamber for placing the substrate coated with the coating liquid on a heating plate and heating the substrates one by one to a predetermined temperature;
A first irradiator provided in the first processing chamber, for irradiating the substrate placed on the heating plate with ultraviolet light;
A substrate that is connected in communication with the first processing chamber and that is coated with the coating liquid, is placed on a temperature control plate, and adjusts the substrates one by one to a temperature lower than a processing temperature of a curing process. And a second processing chamber.   The curing processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control plate is configured to be movable between a position above the heating plate in the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber.   After raising the substrate placed on the heating plate by the elevating member, the temperature adjustment plate is advanced between the substrate and the heating plate, and then the elevating member is lowered, whereby the substrate is moved from the heating plate to the temperature adjustment plate. The curing processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the curing processing apparatus is delivered.   2. A shutter for opening and closing the passage opening of the temperature control plate formed between the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber. The curing device according to the above.   In the first processing chamber, the substrate coated with the coating liquid is placed on a heating plate and heated at a first temperature, and the substrate subjected to the heating process is placed on the heating plate, A heating unit for heating the substrate at a curing temperature higher than the first temperature and irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays to cure the coating film on the substrate; and a control unit for performing the curing process. The curing treatment device according to claim 1.   In the second processing chamber, the substrate on which the coating solution is applied is placed on a temperature control plate and heated at a first temperature, and a heating process is performed in the first processing chamber. A control unit is provided for mounting on a plate, heating at a curing temperature higher than the first temperature, and performing a curing process of irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays to cure a coating film on the substrate. The curing device according to claim 1, wherein:   7. The curing process according to claim 1, further comprising a second irradiation unit for irradiating the substrate having the cured coating film with ultraviolet light having a wavelength different from that of the first irradiation unit. apparatus.   8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second irradiator is provided in the second processing chamber, and irradiates the substrate mounted on the temperature control plate with ultraviolet light having a predetermined wavelength. Curing equipment.   An inert gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber; and an exhaust unit for exhausting the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber. The curing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:   The curing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the coating film is an insulating film, and the ultraviolet light applied to the substrate from the first irradiation unit has a wavelength of 300 nm to 400 nm. .   The coating film is an insulating film, and the heat treatment is a low-oxygen heat treatment for heating the substrate in a low-oxygen atmosphere to cause a condensation polymerization reaction of the coating film and chemically curing the coating film. The curing treatment device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein   9. The curing processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the coating film is an insulating film, and the substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from a second irradiation unit to perform a modification process on the insulating film.   The curing device according to claim 1, wherein the heating plate is movable in a vertical direction. A sensor for determining deterioration of the first irradiation unit in the first processing chamber;
The curing processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a control unit that raises the heating plate based on a signal from the sensor.   The first irradiation unit is capable of irradiating ultraviolet rays having two different wavelengths, and the first irradiation unit is movable between a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber. The curing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In a coating film forming apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate,
An application unit for applying the application liquid to the substrate,
In the coating unit, a curing device for curing the coating liquid on the substrate on which the coating liquid has been coated,
Having a transport unit for transporting the substrate between the coating unit and the curing device,
The curing device,
A first processing chamber for placing the substrate coated with the coating liquid on a heating plate and heating the substrates one by one to a predetermined temperature;
A first irradiator provided in the first processing chamber, for irradiating the substrate placed on the heating plate with ultraviolet light;
A substrate that is connected in communication with the first processing chamber and that is coated with the coating liquid, is placed on a temperature control plate, and adjusts the substrates one by one to a temperature lower than a processing temperature of a curing process. A coating film forming apparatus, comprising: a second processing chamber. A heat treatment step of placing the substrate coated with the application liquid on a heating plate and heating the substrates one by one to a first temperature;
Next, while the substrate subjected to the heat treatment is placed on the heating plate, the substrates are successively heated one by one to a curing treatment temperature higher than the first temperature, and ultraviolet light having a predetermined wavelength is applied to the substrate. A curing treatment step of irradiating and curing the coating film on the substrate. A heat treatment step of placing the substrate coated with the coating liquid on a temperature control plate and heating the substrates one by one to a first temperature;
Next, the temperature control plate on which the substrate subjected to the heat treatment is placed is positioned above the heating plate, the lifting mechanism is raised from the heating plate, and the substrate on the temperature control plate is received by the lifting mechanism. The substrate is transferred from the temperature adjustment plate to the heating plate by lowering the elevating mechanism after moving the adjustment plate to the outside of the heating plate, and the substrates are heated one by one by the heating plate to be higher than the first temperature. A curing treatment step of heating the substrate to a curing temperature and irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength to cure a coating film on the substrate. It is performed after the curing treatment step, irradiating the substrate with the cured coating film with ultraviolet light having a wavelength different from that of the curing treatment of the coating film, further comprising a modification step of modifying the coating film. The curing method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein:

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