Developing apparatus

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6238107
  • Patent Number
    6,238,107
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, August 19, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 29, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A pure developing solution is discharged from a discharge port of a developing solution supply nozzle. A developing solution with reaction in progress flows from the center of a wafer by centrifugal force. The amount of the developing solution with reaction in progress mixing with the pure developing solution increases as it gets farther away from the wafer center, causing unequal development. To prevent such a problem, the developing solution supply nozzle is divided into a plurality of areas. The nozzle is composed so that the amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports of each area gradually decreases as the areas approach the rotating center of the wafer. Thus, uniform development is achieved.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a developing apparatus for developing an object to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a ‘target object’) such as a semiconductor wafer.




2. Description of the Related Art




In a photo-resist processing step in manufacturing a semiconductor, for example, a resist film is formed by coating a resist solution on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a ‘wafer’). A predetermined pattern is then exposed upon the wafer, and the wafer is developed with a developing solution. A developing apparatus has been used to perform such developing process.




Generally, a developing apparatus has a spin chuck and a nozzle for supplying a developing solution. The spin chuck rotates a wafer while holding it by vacuum. The developing solution supply nozzle moves to a predetermined position above the spin chuck. The supply nozzle is longer than the diameter of the wafer and has a header shape. Discharge ports are arranged along a line at the bottom of the supply nozzle.




In order to supply the developing solution upon the wafer using such developing solution supply nozzle, the supply nozzle must first move to a predetermined position above the wafer held by the spin chuck, a position overlapping with the diameter of the wafer. The developing solution is then supplied to the developing solution supply nozzle. The supply nozzle discharges the developing solution from the discharge ports upon the wafer, while the wafer is rotated for more than a half turn so that the developing solution is equally supplied to the entire surface of the wafer.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In such a conventional developing apparatus, nearly pure developing solution not yet starting to react is constantly supplied to the center of the wafer. However, the developing solution with reaction in progress flows outward from the wafer center by centrifugal force. Such developing solution mixes increasingly with the pure developing solution discharged from the discharge ports, as it gets farther away from the wafer center. Thus, development becomes unequal. In other words, the development progress slows down as it gets farther away from the wafer center. Therefore, the line width is finer near the wafer center, and wider near the wafer edge.




The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problem. Its object is to provide a developing apparatus which performs uniform development.




To solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a developing apparatus having a means for rotating while holding a target object, and a nozzle divided into a plurality of areas with discharge ports arranged along a line for discharging a developing solution on the surface of the target object held and rotating. The developing apparatus also has a means for controlling the discharge amount of the developing solution so that the amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge port disposed in an area near a rotating center of the target object is less compared to the amount discharged from the ports in other areas.




The present invention has a nozzle divided into a plurality of areas and discharging less developing solution from the area near the rotating center of the target object as compared with other areas. Therefore, the ratio of a pure developing solution supplied near the rotating center of the target object and a pure developing solution supplied around the periphery of the target object is approximately the same. Thus, unequal development may be prevented.




A second aspect of the present invention is a developing apparatus having a means for rotating while holding a target object, and a nozzle divided into a plurality of areas with discharge ports arranged along a line for discharging a developing solution on the surface of the target object held and rotating. The developing apparatus also has a means for controlling an amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports in each area and disposed midway of a discharge path for discharging the developing solution.




The present invention has a nozzle divided into a plurality of areas and a means for controlling the discharge amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports of each area. The nozzle and the controlling means are disposed integrally. Thereby, the discharge time and amount of the developing solution discharged from each area is controlled more accurately. The number of pipes for sending the developing solution to the nozzle may also be decreased.




These and other objects and profits of the invention can be easily defined by the following explanations and the accompanied drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a plan view of a coating and developing apparatus concerning a preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a front view of the coating and developing apparatus shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a rear view of the coating and developing apparatus shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a front view showing the composition of a developing unit shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a plan view showing the composition of a developing unit shown in

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle shown in

FIG. 4

;





FIG. 7

is a bottom view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle shown in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is a drawing showing an example of the timing for discharging a developing solution from the discharge ports in each area of the developing solution supply nozzle shown in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 9

is a drawing showing an example of the amount of developing solution discharged from the discharge ports in each area of the developing solution supply nozzle shown in

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 10

is a drawing to explain the problem arising when the developing solution supply nozzle is divided into a plurality of areas as the case of the present invention;





FIG. 11

is a bottom view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle concerning another embodiment;





FIG. 12

is a bottom view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle concerning another embodiment;





FIG. 13

is a front view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle concerning still another embodiment;





FIG. 14

is a schematic view showing the composition of a developing solution supply nozzle concerning still another embodiment;





FIG. 15

is a schematic view showing an example of the actual timing for supplying the developing solution using a developing solution supply nozzle shown in

FIG. 14

; and





FIG. 16

is a bottom view of a developing solution supply nozzle showing the composition when changing the size of the discharge ports.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




A preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanied drawings.





FIG. 1

is a plan view,

FIG. 2

is a front view,

FIG. 3

is a rear view of the coating and developing apparatus concerning an embodiment of the present invention.




As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 3

, this coating and developing unit


1


is composed of a cassette station


10


, a process station


11


and an interface section


12


, connected integrally. In the cassette station


10


, a plurality of wafers W (25, for example) is introduced into the coating and developing unit


1


from outside in units of cassettes C, and then transferred out from the coating and developing unit


1


. Wafers W are also transferred into and out of the cassettes C. In the process station


11


, various kinds of single-wafer processing units are disposed multi-tiered in a predetermined position. These processing units perform a predetermined process upon the wafer W one by one during the coating and developing steps. In the interface section


12


, the wafers W are delivered to and from an exposure unit


13


disposed next to the coating and developing unit


1


.




In the cassette station


10


, as shown in

FIG. 1

, a plurality of cassettes C (four, for example) is mounted on a cassette mounting table


20


in the position of a positioning projection


20




a


. The cassettes C are mounted along a line in the X-direction (the up and down direction in FIG.


1


). The opening of the cassettes C, through which the wafers W are taken in and out, face the process station


11


. A wafer transfer unit


21


moves in the cassettes C arrangement direction (X-direction). It also moves in the wafers W arrangement direction (Z-direction; vertical direction), the direction in which the wafers W stored inside the cassettes C are arranged. The wafer transfer unit


21


moves freely along a transfer path


21




a


and makes access selectively to each cassette C.




The wafer transfer unit


21


rotates freely in the θ direction and makes access to an alignment unit (ALIM) and an extension unit (EXT). The alignment unit and the extension unit belong to a multi-tiered units section of a third processing unit group G


3


on the process station


11


side.




In the process station


11


as shown in

FIG. 1

, a vertical-transfer type transfer unit


22


is disposed in the center. Around it, two or more processing units are disposed multi-tiered to form processing unit groups. In such a coating and developing unit


1


, five processing unit groups G


1


, G


2


, G


3


, G


4


and G


5


may be disposed. A first processing unit group G


1


and a second group G


2


are disposed on the front side of the system. A third processing unit group G


3


is disposed next to the cassette station


10


. A fourth processing unit group G


4


is disposed next to the interface section


12


. And a fifth processing unit group G


5


shown by a broken line can be disposed on the rear side. The transfer unit


22


rotates freely in the θ direction and moves in the Z-direction in order to deliver wafers W to and from various processing units.




In the first processing unit group G


1


as shown in

FIG. 2

, two spinner-type processing units, such as a resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit (DEV), are two-tiered from the bottom in order. These units perform a predetermined process with the wafers W mounted on a spin chuck inside a cup CP. In the second processing unit group G


2


as in the first processing unit group G


1


, two spinner-type processing units, such as a resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit (DEV), are two-tiered from the bottom in order.




In the upper portion of the coating and developing unit


1


as shown in

FIG. 2

, high-efficiency filters


23


, such as UPLA filters, are disposed in each of the above-mentioned zones (the cassette station


10


, the process station


11


, the interface section


12


). The high-efficiency filter


23


catches and removes particles and organic materials from the air supplied from the upper-stream side of the filter


23


. Thus, through the high-efficiency filter


23


, a clean down-flow of air is supplied from above in the direction of the solid arrow or the dotted arrow in FIG.


2


. The clean air flows to the cassette mounting table


20


, the transfer path


21




a


of the wafer transfer unit


21


, the first processing unit group G


1


, the second group G


2


, the third through fifth processing unit groups G


3


, G


4


and G


5


which will be mentioned later, and the interface section.




In the third processing unit group G


3


as shown in

FIG. 3

, eight oven-type processing units are multi-tiered, performing a predetermined process with the wafers W mounted upon the mounting table. The units are, for example, a cooling unit (COL) for cooling the wafer W, an adhesion unit (AD) for performing a hydrophobic process to improve the fixity of the resist, an alignment unit (ALIM) for positioning the wafer W, an extension unit (EXT), two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) for heating before exposure and two post-baking units (POBAKE), from the bottom in order.




Similarly, in the fourth processing unit group G


4


as shown in

FIG. 3

, eight oven-type processing units are multi-tiered, performing a predetermined process with the wafers W mounted upon the mounting table. The units are, for example, a cooling unit (COL) for cooling the wafer W, an extension/cooling unit (EXTCOL) which also cools, an extension unit (EXT), an adhesion unit (AD), two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) and two post-baking units (POBAKE), from the bottom in order.




Heat interference between the units can be kept at a minimum by disposing such units with low processing temperature as a cooling unit (COL) and an extension unit (EXTCOL) in the bottom and disposing such units with high processing temperature as a pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), a post-baking unit (POBAKE) and an adhesion unit (AD) on the top.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, the interface section


12


has the same size as the aforementioned process station in the depth direction (X-direction) but is smaller in the width direction. As shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a movable pick-up cassette CR and a stable buffer cassette BR are two-tiered at the front side of the interface section


12


. A peripheral exposure unit


24


is disposed at the rear side.




A wafer transfer unit


25


is disposed in the center of the interface section


12


. The wafer transfer unit


25


moves in the X-direction and the Z-direction (vertical direction). It makes access to both cassettes CR and BR and to the peripheral exposure unit


24


. The wafer transfer unit


25


also moves freely in the θ direction and makes access to an extension unit (EXT). The extension unit belongs to the fourth processing unit group G


4


at the process station


11


side. The transfer unit


25


also makes access to the wafer delivery table (not shown) at the exposure unit side.





FIG. 4

is a front view and

FIG. 5

is a plan view, both showing the composition of the above-mentioned developing unit (DEV).




As shown in

FIGS. 4 and 5

, a driving motor


32


is disposed at the center of a casing


31


of the developing unit (DEV). The rotation speed of the driving motor


32


may be changed freely with a controller


33


disposed separately outside the unit. A spin chuck


34


is disposed above the driving motor


32


. The spin chuck


34


rotates and moves up and down freely. The wafer W to be developed is held on top of the spin chuck


34


in a horizontal position.




A cylindrical cup


35


is disposed around the spin chuck


34


. The cup


35


made of resin or metal prevents the scattering of the developing solution or the washing liquid. The side wall of the cup


35


slants inward, the upper portion being narrower than the bottom portion. An opening


36


of the cup


35


has a diameter large enough to bring the wafer W downward inside the cup


35


in a horizontal position.




A bottom


37


of the


35


is slanted, and a drainpipe


38


is connected to its lowest portion. An exhaust pipe


39


for exhausting the air inside the cup


35


is connected on the opposite side of the drainpipe


38


, with the driving motor


32


in between. A circular wall


40


stands up from the bottom


37


of the cup


35


. A rectifying board


41


is disposed at the upper end of the circular wall


40


. The rectifying board


41


is disposed close to the underside of the wafer W held by the spin chuck


34


. The outer portion of the rectifying board


41


slants downward to the outside.




A developing solution supply nozzle


42


is disposed above at the side of the cup


35


inside the casing


31


. The developing solution supply nozzle


42


is connected to a developing solution supply unit


44


disposed outside the developing unit (DEV) through a developing solution supply pipe


43


. Ordinarily, when processing is not performed, the developing solution supply nozzle


44


is stored and waiting inside a sealed container


45


. A solvent filled inside the sealed container


45


prevents the evaporation and hardening of the developing solution. The developing solution supply nozzle


42


is held by a holding arm


47


. The holding arm


47


moves freely on a transfer rail


46


shown in

FIG. 5

, carrying the developing solution supply nozzle


42


back and forth in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG.


5


.




A washing liquid header


48


is disposed at the opposite side of the developing solution supply nozzle


42


, with the cup


35


in between. A washing nozzle


49


is disposed under the washing liquid header


48


. The washing liquid header


48


is connected to a pure water supply unit


51


disposed outside the developing unit (DEV) through a washing liquid supply pipe


50


. Pure water supplied from the pure water supply unit


51


is discharged from the washing nozzle


49


. In the same way as the developing solution supply nozzle


42


, the washing liquid header


48


is also held by the holding arm


47


and moves back and forth in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG.


5


.




In the developing unit (DEV) as shown in

FIG. 4

, a washing nozzle


52


is disposed separately to supply washing liquid such as pure water to the underside of the wafer W. The washing nozzle


52


is connected to a washing liquid supply unit


54


through a supply pipe


53


. So, the underside of the wafer W may also be washed with pure water. The pure water supply unit


51


may be used in common as the washing liquid supply unit


54


.





FIG. 6

is a perspective view and

FIG. 7

is a bottom view, both showing the composition of the above-mentioned developing solution supply nozzle


42


.




As shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the developing solution supply nozzle


42


has approximately the same diameter as the wafer W. A plurality of discharge ports


61


is disposed along a line under the developing solution supply nozzle


42


, to discharge the developing solution upon the surface of the wafer W. The developing solution supply nozzle


42


is divided into a plurality of areas, for example, into five areas


62




a


˜


62




e


. These areas


62




a


˜


62




e


are symmetrical about the area


62




c


at the rotating center of the wafer W. In other words, the areas


62




b


and


62




d


are disposed symmetrical about the area


62




c


as the center, and the areas


62




a


and


62




e


are disposed symmetrical about the area


62




c


as the center.




A pipe


63


is disposed inside the developing solution supply nozzle


42


, in the direction of the diameter of the wafer W. The pipe


63


is connected to the pipe


43


whose other end is shown in FIG.


4


. The developing solution is supplied from the developing solution supply unit


44


through the pipe


43


. Pipes


64




a


˜


64




e


branch from the pipe


63


into the areas


62




a


˜


62




e


. The branched pipes


64




a


˜


64




e


are connected to the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


˜


62




e


, respectively.




Air-operation valves


65




a


˜


65




e


are inserted in the branched pipes


64




a


˜


64




e


, respectively. The air-operation valves


65




a


˜


65




e


are disposed integrally with the developing solution nozzle


42


, as a means for controlling the amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


˜


62




e


. The controller


33


shown in

FIG. 4

controls the timing for opening/closing and the release amount of the air-operation valves


65




a


˜


65




e


. By composing the unit in the manner mentioned above, the present embodiment decreases the number of pipes and makes it possible to control the discharge timing from each area separately in units of 0.1 second.




The developing unit (DEV) according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed as mentioned above. After exposure, the wafer W is mounted on the spin chuck


34


inside the cup


35


. The developing solution supply nozzle


42


held by the holding arm


47


moves to a predetermined position above the wafer W, a position overlapping with the diameter of the wafer W. The developing solution supply nozzle


42


comes down, and the developing solution is supplied to the developing solution supply nozzle


42


from the developing solution supply unit


44


while the wafer W rotates slowly.





FIG. 8

is a drawing showing an example of the timing for discharging a developing solution from the discharge ports


61


in areas


62




a


˜


62




e


, when the developing solution is supplied as mentioned above.

FIG. 9

is a drawing showing an example of such discharge amount. Such discharge timing and amount are controlled by the air-operation valves


65




a


˜


65




e


as mentioned above, by controlling the timing for opening/closing and the narrowing of the flow amount.





FIG. 8

shows the discharge timing. The developing solution is first discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


and


62




e


at the periphery of the wafer W. 0.2 seconds after that, the developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




b


and


62




d


in the middle of the wafer W. And 0.2 seconds after that, the developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the area


62




c


at the center of the wafer W. The developing solution is discharged for two seconds from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


and


62




e


, for 1.8 seconds from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




b


and


62




d


, and for 1.6 seconds from the discharge ports


61


of the area


62




c


. Needless to say, these timing show only an example.





FIG. 9

shows the discharge amount. A largest amount of the developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


and


62




e


at the periphery of the wafer W. Second largest amount of the developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




b


and


62




d


in the middle of the wafer W. And the least amount of the developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


61


of the area


62




c


at the center of the wafer W.




In other words, in this embodiment, the discharge ports


61


of the area


62




c


at the rotating center of the wafer W discharge the least amount of developing solution among the areas


62




a


˜


62




e


. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the wafer W and the pure developing solution supplied to the middle or the periphery of the wafer W are the same. Thus, unequal development is prevented and the line width upon the wafer W becomes uniform.




Another embodiment of the invention will be explained next.




In the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in

FIG. 10

, sometimes a “gap”


69


arises between the discharge ports


61


at the border of the adjoining areas (


62




a


and


62




b


, for example) when dividing the developing solution supply nozzle


42


into a plurality of areas


62




a


˜


62




e


. Such a “gap”


69


might cause unequal development. The following embodiment shown in

FIGS. 11 and 12

aims to prevent this problem.





FIG. 11

is a bottom view showing the composition of the developing solution supply nozzle concerning another embodiment of the invention.




As shown in

FIG. 11

, a developing solution supply nozzle


70


has a plurality of areas


62




a


˜


62




e


arranged alternately to prevent the above-mentioned “gap”. In such a composition, there will be a portion where the discharge ports


61


overlap between the adjoining areas. The size of the discharge ports in this overlapping portion should be made smaller than the other portion, for example, half. Or the density of the discharge ports


61


in such a portion could be made more sparse, for example, half. Thus, development uniformity improves.





FIG. 12

is bottom view showing the composition of the developing solution supply nozzle concerning another embodiment.




As shown in

FIG. 12

, a developing solution supply nozzle


71


has a plurality of areas


62




a


˜


62




e


arranged like a stairway, with an overlapping portion of the discharge ports


61


between the adjoining areas. Thus, the above-mentioned “gap” is prevented. The composition may be the same as mentioned above concerning the overlapping portion of the discharge ports


61


between the adjoining areas.





FIG. 13

is a front view showing the composition of the developing solution supply nozzle concerning still another embodiment of the invention.




As shown in

FIG. 13

, a developing solution supply nozzle


72


is composed so that the areas


62




a


˜


62




e


will have different heights. The discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




a


and


62




e


at the periphery of the wafer W may be disposed in the lowest position. The discharge ports


61


of the areas


62




b


and


62




d


in the middle of the wafer W are in the second lowest position. And the discharge ports


61


of the area


62




c


at the center of the wafer W are disposed at the highest position. By changing the height in such a way, the timing when the developing solution discharged from each area reaches the wafer W will be controlled. Thus, equal development is made possible.





FIG. 14

is a schematic view showing the composition of the developing solution supply nozzle concerning still another embodiment.




Similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, a developing solution supply nozzle


73


has a length approximately the same as the diameter of the wafer W. Beneath it, a plurality of discharge ports is disposed along a line for discharging a developing solution on the surface of the wafer W. In this embodiment, these discharge ports are divided into seven areas


73




a


˜


73




g


. These areas are symmetrical about the area


73




d


at the rotating center of the wafer W.




Two pipes


74


and


75


are connected to the areas


73




a


˜


73




g


of the developing solution supply nozzle


73


. Electromagnetic valves


76


and


77


are inserted in these pipes


74


and


75


. And through a junction


43




a


, the pipes


74


and


75


are connected to the developing solution supply pipe


43


connected to the developing solution supply unit


44


shown in FIG.


4


.




The pipe


74


is connected to the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the periphery of the wafer W. The pipe


75


is connected to all the other areas


73




b


˜


73




f


except the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the wafer edge, including the area


73




d


at the center of the wafer W. To be more specific, the pipe


75


has branched pipes


75




a


˜


75




e


. These branched pipes


75




a


˜


75




e


are connected to the areas


73




b


˜


73




f


, excluding the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the wafer edge. Needle valves


75




f


˜


75




j


are inserted in the branched pipes


75




a


˜


75




e


, respectively. And by adjusting the release amount of these needle valves


75




f


˜


75




j


, the amount of the developing solution supplied from the areas


73




b


˜


73




f


can be adjusted minutely.




This embodiment is composed to supply the developing solution in two routes, from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the periphery of the wafer W and from the other areas


73




b


˜


73




f


. By opening and closing of the above-mentioned electromagnetic valves


76


and


77


, the discharge amount of the developing solution supplied from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the wafer edge and the discharge amount of the developing solution supplied from the other areas


73




b


˜


73




f


are controlled separately. Therefore, by adequately adjusting the movement of the electromagnetic valves


76


and


77


as a means for controlling the discharge amount, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied near the rotating center of the target object, wafer W, and the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object can be controlled to be approximately the same. Thus, unequal development may be decreased.




Especially by separating the supply route of the developing solution to the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the periphery of the wafer W where the line width tend to become wide, independent control is made easier and the development will be better balanced.





FIG. 15

is a schematic view showing an example of the actual timing for supplying the developing solution, using the developing solution supply nozzle


73


shown in FIG.


14


. First, as shown in FIG.


15


(


a


), all of the electromagnetic valves


76


,


77


, and the needle valves


75




f


˜


75




j


are kept open. The developing solution from the discharge ports in all the areas


73




a


˜


73




g


are supplied for a predetermined time period. Next, as shown in FIG.


15


(


b


), the electromagnetic valve


77


is closed. The discharging from the areas


73




b


˜


73




f


is stopped, the developing solution being supplied only from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the wafer edge for a predetermined time period. And as shown in FIG.


15


(


c


), the electromagnetic valve


77


is opened once more and the developing solution is supplied from the discharge ports in all the areas


73




a


˜


73




g


. The discharge time of pure developing solution from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the wafer edge becomes longer than the discharge time from the other areas


73




b


˜


73




f


. Thus, the ratio of pure developing solution supplied to the middle of the wafer W and to the periphery of the wafer W becomes equal.




Needless to say, the supply timing of the developing solution shown in

FIG. 15

is only one example. The developing solution may be supplied from the discharge ports of all the areas


73




a


˜


73




g


for a predetermined time period and then, the developing solution may be supplied only from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the periphery of the wafer W for a little longer.




As mentioned in the above embodiment, it is favorable to control the discharge amount to be the least from the discharge ports of the area


73




d


at the rotating center of the wafer W, the discharge amount increasing as the area approaches the wafer edge. The release amount of the needle valves


75




f


˜


75




j


may be adjusted for controlling as such.




However, there still remains a discharge amount difference of the developing solution within the area


73




d


at the rotating center of the wafer W, between the center of the area


73




d


where the developing solution is constantly supplied to the same place and near the periphery of the area


73




d


. Since the center of the area


73




d


is also the rotating center of the entire developing solution supply nozzle


73


, when a predetermined supply pressure is applied to the area


73




d


by adjusting the needle valve


75




h


and if the hole diameter of the discharge ports are all the same, the discharge amount will be large near the center of the area


73




d


and smaller near the edge. Therefore, the size of the discharge ports should not be the same in the area


73




d


at the rotating center of the wafer W. It is desirable to form the size of the discharge ports smaller near the rotating center so that less developing solution is discharged from the rotating center in the area


73




d.







FIG. 16

is a bottom view of the developing solution supply nozzle


73


, showing the composition when changing the size of the discharge ports. FIG.


16


(


a


) shows discharge ports


78


in circular shape. As shown in the drawing, the diameter of a discharge port


78




a


near the center of the area


73




d


is the smallest. Discharge ports


78




b


and


78




c


disposed at the edge have a larger hole diameter. FIG.


16


(


b


) shows discharge ports


79


shaped like a slit in the length direction of the discharge solution supply nozzle


73


. In the area


73




d


at the rotating center of the wafer W, the slit width of a discharge port


79




a


at the center is the narrowest. The slit width of the discharge ports


79




b


and


79




c


at the edge are wider. By forming the discharge ports in this way, even when the developing solution is supplied with a predetermined pressure in the area


73




d


, less developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


78




a


and


79




a


at the center, and more developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports


78




b


,


78




c


,


79




b


and


79




c


at the edge. Thus, the ratio of pure developing solution supplied within the area


73




d


will become even, preventing unequal line width in the area


73




d.






In this embodiment, the supply route of the developing solution to the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the periphery of the wafer W is independent. Therefore, the developing solution supplied through the pipe


74


may be more dense than the developing solution supplied through the pipe


75


. Thus, the developing speed near the edge may become faster, preventing unequal development.




Moreover, by disposing a heating member (not shown) in the pipe


74


, the temperature of the developing solution discharged from the areas


73




a


and


73




g


at the edge of the wafer W may be controlled to be higher than the temperature of the developing solution discharged from the other areas


73




b


˜


73




f


. Thus, the developing speed near the edge may become faster, preventing unequal development.




Needless to say, the present invention is not to be restricted to the above-described embodiments.




For example, the present invention may be applied not only to a developing unit for developing the wafer W but also to a developing unit for developing other substrates such as an LCD substrate.




As mentioned above, the present invention is a developing apparatus having a nozzle with discharge ports arranged along a line for discharging a developing solution on the surface of a rotating target object. The nozzle is divided into a plurality of areas. Less developing solution is discharged from the discharge ports of an area at a rotating center of the target object as compared to other areas. The ratio of a pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the target object and the ratio of a pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object is approximately the same. Thus, the development uniformity improves.




According to the invention, the areas are arranged to be approximately symmetrical about the rotating center of the target object. Therefore, the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface of the target object by rotating it for at least half a turn. The developing solution may also be supplied evenly in the rotating direction.




According to the invention, the amount of the developing solution discharged from each area decreases as the area approaches the rotating center of the target object. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the target object and the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object become more accurately equal. Thus, the development uniformity further improves.




According to the invention, the “gap” of the discharge ports arising between the adjoining areas is prevented by composing the adjoining areas to partly overlap in the rotating direction of the target substrate. Thus, development becomes more uniform.




According to the invention, the timing when the developing solution reaches the surface of the target object corresponding to each area and the liquid pressure upon impact may be controlled by changing the height of the areas. Thus, uniform development is achieved.




The present invention is a developing apparatus having a nozzle with discharge ports arranged along a line for discharging a developing solution on the surface of a rotating target object. The nozzle is divided into a plurality of areas, and has a means disposed integrally for controlling an amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports in each area. Therefore, the discharge time and amount of the developing solution discharged from each area may be controlled more accurately. The number of pipes for sending the developing solution to the nozzle may also be decreased.




According to the invention, the discharge time of the developing solution being discharged from each area is shorter as the areas approach the rotating center of the target object. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the target object and the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object are approximately the same. Thus, unequal development may be decreased.




According to the invention, the means for controlling the discharge amount of the developing solution is an air-operating valve or an electromagnetic valve. Therefore, the on/off switching of the discharging of the developing solution is performed precisely. The discharge time and amount of the developing solution discharged from each area may also be controlled more accurately.




The invention has a means for controlling the amount of the developing solution discharged from the discharge ports of each area, disposed separately in the areas at the periphery of the target object and in other areas. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the target object and the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object are approximately the same. Thus, unequal development is decreased.




According to the invention, the discharge time of the developing solution being discharged from the areas at the periphery of the target object is longer than the discharge time of the developing solution being discharged from the other areas. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the rotating center of the target object and the ratio of the pure developing solution supplied to the periphery of the target object are approximately the same. Thus, unequal development is decreased.




According to the invention, the density of the developing solution discharged from the areas at the periphery of the target object is higher than the density of the developing solution discharged from the other areas. Therefore, the developing speed is accelerated at the periphery of the target object and the development uniformity improves.




According to the invention, the temperature of the developing solution discharged from the areas at the periphery of the target object is higher than the temperature of the developing solution discharged from other areas. Therefore, the developing speed is accelerated at the periphery of the target object and unequal development decreases.




According to the invention, the discharge ports in the area at the rotating center of the target object are formed in a size becoming smaller as they approach the rotating center and discharging less developing solution. Therefore, the ratio of the pure developing solution near the center and at the periphery may be more even within the area at the rotating center. Thus, unequal development is decreased within the area at the rotating center.




The above-described embodiments are strictly intended to bring the technical contents of the present invention into focus. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted in a narrow sense by limiting to such a concrete example, but it is applicable in various forms within the range of the spirit of the present invention and the extent described in the claims.



Claims
  • 1. An apparatus for developing an object to be processed, said object having a circular disk shape, said apparatus comprising:a spin chuck that holds and rotates the object; a nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along a longitudinal direction of the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of being positioned at a discharge position located above the object held by the spin chuck, the plurality of discharge ports being divided into a plurality of discharge port groups each including at least one of the discharge ports, the nozzle being divided into a plurality of areas with respect to the longitudinal direction, each of the areas provided with one of the discharge port groups respectively, the areas including a central area facing a central portion of the object and a pair of outermost areas facing peripheral portions of the object diametrically opposed each other respectively; and a controller that controls a discharge amount of a developing solution wherein an amount of the developing solution discharged from the central area discharge port group is less than that from each of the other discharge port groups.
  • 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge ports are positioned symmetrically about a rotating center of the object held by the spin chuck.
  • 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge amount from of each discharge port groups varies relative to its proximity to the central area of the nozzle, the discharge amount from the discharge port group of the central area being minimum.
  • 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is positioned at the discharge position, each of the discharge port groups is positioned remote from the object at a predetermined distance and the distance between one of the discharge port groups and the object is different from that of an adjacent discharge port group from the object.
  • 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the distance between each discharge port group and the object varies relative to its proximity to the central area of the nozzle, the distance between the discharge port group of the central area being greatest.
  • 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge passage connected to each of the discharge port groups, the passages supply the developing solution from a developing solution supply source to each of the discharge port groups, andthe controller comprising a plurality of valves connected to the passages to control the discharge amount from each of the discharge port groups.
  • 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the discharge ports of the discharge port groups overlaps each other as viewed in a transverse direction of the nozzle.
  • 8. An apparatus for developing an object having a circular disk shape, said apparatus comprising:a spin chuck that holds and rotates the object; a nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along a longitudinal direction of the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of being positioned at a discharge position located above the object held by the spin chuck, the plurality of discharge ports being divided into a plurality of discharge port groups each including at least one of the discharge ports, the nozzle being divided into a plurality of areas with respect to the longitudinal direction, each of the areas provided with one of the discharge port groups respectively, the areas including a central area facing a central portion of the object and a pair of outermost areas facing peripheral portions of the object diametrically opposed each other respectively when the nozzle is located at the discharge position; a plurality of discharge passages each connected to each of the discharge port groups respectively to supply a developing solution to the discharge port groups; and a plurality of valves provided at the discharge passages that control the amount of the developing solution supplied to each discharge port groups through the passages.
  • 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, the devices further comprising:a first valve that controls a first discharge amount of the developing solution from the discharge port groups in the outermost areas; a second valve that controls a second discharge amount of the developing solution from the discharge port groups in the areas other than the outermost areas.
  • 10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the valves control the respective amount of the developing solution supplied to the discharge port groups through the passages so that a first discharge amount from each of the discharge port groups of the outermost areas is greater than a second discharge amount from each of the discharge port groups of the areas other than the outermost areas.
  • 11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the developing solution from the discharge port groups of the outermost areas has a first discharge amount and the developing solution from the discharge port groups of the areas other than the outermost areas has a second discharge amount, and wherein the first discharge amount is greater than the second discharge amount.
  • 12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a first temperature of the developing solution from each of the discharge port groups at the outermost areas is greater than a second temperature of the developing solution from each of the discharge port groups of the areas other than the outermost areas.
  • 13. The apparatus according to claim 8, the central area further comprising one port, the port shaped so that a width thereof narrows with approach, in the longitudinal direction, towards a center thereof.
  • 14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the central area has a plurality of discharge ports, each discharge port in the central area having a size that varies relative to its proximity to a first position of the central area, the first position of the central area corresponding to a center location of the object held by the spin chuck, the size of the discharge port located at the first position of the central area being minimum, the size of the discharge ports increasing in size relative to its proximity from the first position.
  • 15. The apparatus according to claim 8, the valves comprising one of an air-operating valve and a solenoid valve.
  • 16. An apparatus for developing an object having a circular disk shape, the apparatus comprising:a spin chuck that holds and rotates the object; a nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along a longitudinal direction of the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of being positioned at a discharge position located above the object held by the spin chuck, the plurality of discharge ports being divided into a plurality of discharge port groups each including at least one of the discharge ports, the nozzle being divided into a plurality of areas with respect to the longitudinal direction, each of the areas provided with one of the discharge port groups respectively, the areas including a central area facing a central portion of the object and a pair of outermost areas facing peripheral portions of the object diametrically opposed each other respectively when the nozzle is located at the discharge position; and a first controller that controls a discharge timing of a developing solution so that the central area discharge port group starts to discharge the developing solution at a first timing and the outermost area discharge port groups start to discharge the developing solution at a second timing, the first and second timings being different.
  • 17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the second timing is prior to the first timing.
  • 18. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:a second controller that controls a discharge period of the developing solution so that the central area discharge port group discharges developing solution for a first time period and the discharge port groups of the outermost areas discharge developing solution for a second time period, the first and second time periods being different from each other.
  • 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period.
  • 20. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:a third controller that controls a discharge amount of the developing solution so that the central area discharge port group discharges a first amount of the developing solution and each of the discharge port groups of the outermost areas discharge a second amount of the developing solution, the first and second amounts of developing solution being different from each other.
  • 21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the second amount of developing solution is greater than the first amount of developing solution.
  • 22. An apparatus for developing an object having a circular disk shape, said apparatus comprising:a spin chuck that holds and rotates the object; a nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along a longitudinal direction of the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of being positioned at a discharge position located above the object held by the spin chuck, the plurality of discharge ports being divided into a plurality of discharge port groups each including at least one of the discharge ports, the nozzle being divided into a plurality of areas with respect to the longitudinal direction, each of the areas provided with one of the discharge port groups respectively, the areas including a central area facing a central portion of the object and a pair of outermost areas facing peripheral portions of the object diametrically opposed each other respectively when the nozzle is located at the discharge position; and a controller that controls a discharge period of the developing solution so that the central area discharge port group discharges developing solution for a first time period and the discharge port groups of the outermost areas discharge developing solution for a second time period, the first and second time periods being different from each other.
  • 23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period.
  • 24. An apparatus for developing an object having a circular disk shape, said apparatus comprising:a spin chuck that holds and rotates the object; a nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports arranged along a longitudinal direction of the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of being positioned at a discharge position located above the object held by the spin chuck, the plurality of discharge ports being divided into a plurality of discharge port groups each including at least one of the discharge ports, the nozzle being divided into a plurality of areas with respect to the longitudinal direction, each of the areas provided with one of the discharge port groups respectively, the areas including a central area facing a central portion of the object and a pair of outermost areas facing peripheral portions of the object diametrically opposed each other respectively when the nozzle is located at the discharge position; and a controller that controls a discharge amount of a developing solution so that the central area discharge port group discharges a first amount of the developing solution and each of the discharge port groups of the outermost areas discharge a second amount of the developing solution, the first and second amounts being different from each other.
  • 25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the second amount is greater than the first amount.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
10-247749 Aug 1998 JP
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
4564280 Fukuda Jan 1986
5374312 Hasebe et al. Dec 1994
5935331 Naka et al. Aug 1999
5942035 Hasebe et al. Aug 1999
6025012 Matsuda et al. Feb 2000
6086269 Bradl et al. Jul 2000
6165552 Anai et al. Dec 2000
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
3-222407 Oct 1991 JP