IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,483,137
Granted Patent B2
US 10,483,137 · App. 15/649,757 · Granted Nov 19, 2019

Substrate liquid processing apparatus, substrate liquid processing method, and storage medium

Inventors: Hiroyuki Masutomi (Kumamoto, JP); Toshiyuki Shiokawa (Kumamoto, JP); Koji Tanaka (Kumamoto, JP); Takami Satoh (Kumamoto, JP)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
H01L21/67253H01L21/6708H01L21/67051H01L21/67086H01L21/67109H01L21/67313G02F1/1303G02F1/1333H01L21/31111H01L21/823431
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,483,137
App. No.
15/649,757
Granted
Nov 19, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

The substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a processing bath that accommodates substrates, and a plurality of gas supply pipes provided in a processing bath. Ejection holes of one gas supply pipe and ejection holes of another adjacent gas supply pipe do not overlap each other in a direction parallel to the circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates.

Claims (22)

1. A substrate liquid processing apparatus comprising:

a processing bath configured to accommodate therein a processing liquid including a phosphoric acid aqueous solution and a plurality of substrates arranged in a vertical direction, and process the substrates using the processing liquid;

a processing liquid supply pipe configured to supply the processing liquid into the processing bath; and

a plurality of gas supply pipes provided in the processing bath and configured to form bubbles by supplying a gas into the processing liquid,

wherein the gas supply pipes are provided below the substrates, and extend in a horizontal direction perpendicular to circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates, a flow direction of a gas flowing through one gas supply pipe being directed opposite to a flow direction of a gas flowing through another adjacent gas supply pipe, and

each of the gas supply pipes has a plurality of ejection holes formed directly on an outer surface of each of the gas supply pipes, ejection holes of one gas supply pipe and ejection holes of another gas supply pipe adjacent to the one gas supply pipe are arranged in a zigzag manner as viewed from a top of the processing bath, and the plurality of ejection holes are arranged to face upward in a direction parallel to the circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates.

2. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ejection holes are arranged to face spaces between adjacent substrates without overlapping the substrates as viewed from the top side of the processing bath.

3. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the substrates is configured to be positioned between one ejection hole on one gas supply pipe and one ejection hole on another gas supply pipe adjacent to the one gas supply pipe as viewed from a top side of the processing bath.

4. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ejection holes are arranged along the gas supply pipes such that the bubbles are only formed in a direction parallel to the circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates.

5. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of substrates are arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch, and the ejection holes of the gas supply pipes are formed at an arrangement pitch corresponding to n times (n is an integer of 2 or more) the arrangement pitch of the substrates.

6. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the ejection holes of the gas supply pipes are arranged at intermediate positions between the respective substrates.

7. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein flow rates of one gas supply pipe and another adjacent gas supply pipe are adjusted independently of each other.

8. The substrate liquid processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the one gas supply pipe and the another adjacent gas supply pipe are divided into a plurality of regions from an upstream side to a downstream side, and a flow rate of each of the regions is independently adjusted.

9. A substrate liquid processing method performed using a substrate liquid processing apparatus that includes: a processing bath configured to accommodate therein a processing liquid including a phosphoric acid aqueous solution and a plurality of substrates arranged in a vertical direction, and process the substrates using the processing liquid; a processing liquid supply pipe configured to supply the processing liquid into the processing bath; and a plurality of gas supply pipes provided in the processing bath and configured to form bubbles by supplying a gas into the processing liquid, wherein the gas supply pipes are provided below the substrates, and extend in a horizontal direction perpendicular to circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates, a flow direction of a gas flowing through one gas supply pipe being directed opposite to a flow direction of a gas flowing through another adjacent gas supply pipe, and each of the gas supply pipes has a plurality of ejection holes formed directly on an outer surface of each of the gas supply pipes, ejection holes of one gas supply pipe and ejection holes of another gas supply pipe adjacent to the one gas supply pipe are arranged in a zigzag manner as viewed from a top of the processing bath, and the plurality of ejection holes are arranged to face upward in a direction parallel to the circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates,

wherein the substrate liquid processing method comprises:

supplying the gas into the processing liquid through the ejection holes from the one gas supply pipe and the other adjacent gas supply pipe; and

forming bubbles rising between the substrates in the processing liquid.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program that, when executed, causes a computer to execute a substrate liquid processing method using a substrate liquid processing apparatus:

wherein the substrate liquid processing apparatus includes: a processing bath configured to accommodate therein a processing liquid including a phosphoric acid aqueous solution and a plurality of substrates arranged in a vertical direction, and process the substrates using the processing liquid; a processing liquid supply pipe configured to supply the processing liquid into the processing bath; and a plurality of gas supply pipes provided in the processing bath and configured to form bubbles by supplying a gas into the processing liquid, wherein the gas supply pipes are provided below the substrates, and extend in a horizontal direction perpendicular to circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates, a flow direction of a gas flowing through one gas supply pipe being directed opposite to a flow direction of a gas flowing through another adjacent gas supply pipe, and each of the gas supply pipes has a plurality of ejection holes formed directly on an outer surface of each of the gas supply pipes, ejection holes of one gas supply pipe and ejection holes of another gas supply pipe adjacent to the one gas supply pipe are arranged in a zigzag manner as viewed from a top of the processing bath, and the plurality of ejection holes are arranged to face upward in a direction parallel to the circuit-formed surfaces of the substrates,

wherein the substrate liquid processing method comprises:

supplying the gas into the processing liquid through the ejection holes from the one gas supply pipe and the other adjacent gas supply pipe; and

forming bubbles rising between the substrates in the processing liquid.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2017
From: MASUTOMI, HIROYUKI; SHIOKAWA, TOSHIYUKI; TANAKA, KOJI; SATOH, TAKAMI
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 043004/0949 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-144781 · Jul 22, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180025927A1 · Jan 25, 2018
Cited By (2)
US 12,581,895 US 12,599,925