Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, and substrate treatment apparatus

Abstract

A substrate cleaning apparatus is capable of cleaning an entire periphery of a substrate end portion at a time by simple control without polishing the end portion and without generating plasma. The substrate cleaning apparatus has a mounting table 204 on which a wafer W is placed, a heating unit 210 for heating a wafer end portion, ultraviolet application unit 220 for applying ultraviolet to the wafer end portion, and a gas flow forming unit 230 for forming a gas flow on the surface of the wafer end portion. The heating unit, the ultraviolet application unit, and the gas flow forming unit are disposed near the wafer end portion so as to surround the wafer.

1 . A substrate cleaning apparatus for removing deposits adhered to an end portion of a substrate, the substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a mounting table on which the substrate is placed;   a heating unit for heating the end portion of the substrate;   an ultraviolet application unit for applying ultraviolet to the end portion of the substrate; and   a gas flow forming unit for forming a gas flow on a surface of the end portion of the substrate,   wherein the heating unit, the ultraviolet application unit and the gas flow forming unit are disposed near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround the substrate.   
   
   
       2 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet application unit has an ultraviolet lamp arranged in an annular shape near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround an entire periphery thereof. 
   
   
       3 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the heating unit includes:
 a heating lamp arranged in an annular shape near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround an entire periphery thereof; and   an annular covering member, opened at a side facing the substrate, for covering the heating lamp;   wherein the covering member has an inner surface made of a member reflecting light of the heating lamp, and is constructed to allow the reflected light to be concentrated to the end portion of the substrate.   
   
   
       4 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the heating lamp is a halogen lamp. 
   
   
       5 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the gas flow forming unit includes: a discharge pipe provided at an inner side of the end portion of the substrate so as to be disposed in an annular shape around an entire periphery of the end portion of the substrate; and a suction pipe provided at an outer side of the end portion of the substrate so as to be arranged in an annular shape around the entire periphery of the end portion of the substrate, a gas being discharged from the discharge pipe toward the end portion of the substrate, and then being sucked in into the suction pipe so as to form the gas flow on the surface of the end portion of the substrate. 
   
   
       6 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the discharge pipe and the suction pipe are respectively formed as annular pipes, the discharge pipe having around a periphery thereof a discharge opening for discharging a gas, and the suction pipe having around a periphery thereof a suction opening for sucking in a gas. 
   
   
       7 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the discharge opening and the suction opening are respectively formed as slits provided around the peripheries of the pipes. 
   
   
       8 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the discharge opening and the suction opening are respectively formed as a plurality of openings formed around the peripheries of the pipes. 
   
   
       9 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the deposits adhered to the end portion of the substrate are fluorocarbon-based polymer. 
   
   
       10 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the gas contains at least oxygen atoms. 
   
   
       11 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the suction pipe has a concentration sensor for detecting a concentration of a reaction product gas generated by chemical reaction of the deposits adhered to the end portion of the substrate. 
   
   
       12 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the concentration sensor detects a concentration of carbon dioxide generated by removing the fluorocarbon-based polymer adhered to the end portion of the substrate. 
   
   
       13 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the heating unit includes a heater arranged in an annular shape at a rear side of the entire periphery of the end portion of the substrate. 
   
   
       14 . The substrate cleaning apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein a shielding plate is provided to surround the periphery of the end portion of the substrate. 
   
   
       15 . A substrate cleaning method of a substrate cleaning apparatus for removing deposits adhered to an end portion of a substrate, the substrate cleaning apparatus including: a heating unit for heating the end portion of the substrate placed on a mounting table; an ultraviolet application unit for applying ultraviolet to the end portion of the substrate; and a gas flow forming unit for forming a gas flow on a surface of the end portion of the substrate, all being disposed near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround the substrate,
 wherein when the end portion of the substrate is cleaned by the substrate cleaning apparatus, the end portion of the substrate is heated by the heating unit and, then, the ultraviolet is applied to the end portion of the substrate by the ultraviolet application unit while a gas flow is formed on the surface of the end portion of the substrate by the gas flow forming unit.   
   
   
       16 . The substrate cleaning method of  claim 15 , wherein the gas flow forming unit includes: a discharge pipe provided at an inner side of the end portion of the substrate; and a suction pipe provided at an outer side of the end portion of the substrate,
 wherein when a gas flow is formed on the surface of the end portion of the substrate, a gas is discharged from the discharge pipe toward the end portion of the substrate, and then is sucked into the suction pipe.   
   
   
       17 . The substrate cleaning method of  claim 16 , wherein the suction pipe has a concentration sensor for detecting a concentration of carbon dioxide generated by removing fluorocarbon-based polymer adhered to the end portion of the substrate,
 wherein the concentration of the carbon dioxide sucked into the suction pipe is detected by the concentration sensor during cleaning of the end portion of the substrate, and the cleaning of the end portion of the substrate is completed when the concentration of the carbon dioxide becomes smaller than or equal to a threshold value.   
   
   
       18 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a processing unit including a plurality of processing chambers, each for processing a substrate in a vacuum pressure environment;   a transfer unit, connected to the processing unit, including a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate in the atmospheric environment to and from a substrate accommodating vessel for accommodating the substrate; and   a cleaning chamber, connected to the transfer chamber, for removing deposits adhered to an end portion of the substrate in the atmospheric environment,   wherein the cleaning chamber has a heating unit for heating the end portion of the substrate placed on a mounting table; an ultraviolet application unit for applying ultraviolet to the end portion of the substrate; and a gas flow forming unit for forming a gas flow on a surface of the end portion of the substrate, all being disposed near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround the substrate.   
   
   
       19 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the ultraviolet application unit has a low-pressure mercury lamp disposed in an annular shape near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround an entire periphery thereof. 
   
   
       20 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a processing unit including a plurality of processing chambers, each for processing a substrate in the vacuum pressure environment; and   a transfer unit, connected to the processing unit, including a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate in the atmospheric environment to and from a substrate accommodating vessel for accommodating the substrate,   wherein one of the plurality of processing chambers is used as a cleaning chamber for removing deposits adhered to an end portion of the substrate in a vacuum environment,   wherein the cleaning chamber has a heating unit for heating the end portion of the substrate placed on a mounting table; an ultraviolet application unit for applying ultraviolet to the end portion of the substrate; and a gas flow forming unit for forming a gas flow on a surface of the end portion of the substrate, all being disposed near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround the substrate.   
   
   
       21 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the ultraviolet application unit has an excimer lamp arranged in an annular shape near the end portion of the substrate so as to surround an entire periphery thereof.