JP2003064486A - Etching apparatus with shower plate incorporated with porous ceramics - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the unevenness of scattering, though, in the production of a semiconductor or a liquid crystal glass panel, an etching solution is scattered over a member 1 to be etched on etching, to simplify a complicated and expensive etching apparatus, and to reduce its cost as well. SOLUTION: A porous member such as porous ceramics 13 is used for a scattering nozzle 9 of an etching solution 10, and a nozzle having a shape same as that of the member 1 to be etched is freely produced, so that the etching solution 10 is scattered over the whole face of the member 1 to be etched at a low flow velocity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wet etching apparatus used in a pattern forming process in a manufacturing process of, for example, a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass panel, and a nozzle for spraying an etching solution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pattern forming process of a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass panel, Al, Ti, Cu, Cr, M is sputtered on the surface of a wafer or a glass substrate by a sputtering apparatus.
A thin film of o, Ni, Au or the like is formed, and after the resist is sprayed, the pattern is exposed through a mask. Then, etching is performed to remove unnecessary portions of the thin film.

In this etching, an acid or alkali chemical is sprayed on the surface of the member to be etched by a spray nozzle.
It is sprayed using one or several pieces. Further, instead of the spray nozzle, a shower nozzle having many small holes may be used. However, the minimum diameter of the shower nozzle is limited. Also, the number of holes cannot be infinitely large.

[0004]

However, in the spray method using a nozzle, the spray liquid concentrates right under the nozzle, and the spray is often not spread to the peripheral portion, resulting in uneven spraying. Further, if it is attempted to diffuse the etching liquid discharged from the nozzle on the member to be etched in order to improve the uniformity, the flow velocity of the discharge must be increased, and as a result, the liquid splashes on the member to be etched. It cannot be controlled and may cause uneven spraying. This unevenness of dispersion is a factor that hinders the uniformity of etching.

In order to improve the uniformity of spraying, a plurality of nozzles are used, the nozzle shape is changed, the nozzle is moved, and the member to be etched is rotated. For this reason, it requires a great deal of cost to manufacture the nozzle, and since the apparatus is required to perform operations other than the ejection from the nozzle, the etching apparatus becomes complicated and expensive.

Even if a plurality of nozzles are used or a shower plate having a large number of fine holes is used, it is difficult to obtain the ideal uniformity of the dispersion of the etching solution. For this reason, the etching efficiency is lowered, and the product yield is deteriorated.

In the pattern forming process of the semiconductor wafer or the liquid crystal glass panel, such an etching process is repeated many times, and therefore, a fundamental improvement in the method of spraying the etching liquid is required.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows a conventional method of spraying an etching solution using a nozzle. In this case, the nozzle must be moved in order to improve the uniformity of spraying. When the material to be etched has a large spray area, a plurality of nozzles may be provided as shown in FIG. 2. However, nonuniformity occurs just below and around the nozzles.

The present invention uses a shower plate incorporating porous ceramics instead of the nozzle.

The porous ceramics used in the present invention contains alumina as a main component, silica, titania, magnesia, yttria, and the like, and is fired into a plate shape. As a result, an infinite number of ultrafine air holes are formed in the porous ceramics. The size of this vent hole is 10μm to 50μm
It is very fine with μm. The opening ratio of the ventilation holes per unit area is as large as 30% to 40%, and since these are arranged evenly over the entire surface of the object to be sprayed, it is possible to perform even distribution on the members to be etched. .

Since the total area of the fine holes formed in the porous ceramics is as large as 30 to 40% and the diameter is small and they are arranged on the entire surface to be sprayed, the etching liquid discharged from the individual holes is spread over the entire surface of the member to be etched. Spread evenly. Therefore, no additional means for diffusing the etchant is required. Furthermore, the flow velocity of the spray liquid passing through the porous ceramics is very low because it is not intended for diffusion, and since the distance between the member to be etched and the nozzle is also very close, there is an uncontrollable element such as bounce from the member to be etched. Is also resolved.

The size of the vent holes of the porous ceramics can be freely determined by selecting the size of the particles of alumina which occupy 90% of the components. Therefore, the aperture ratio is also determined. Table 1 shows the relationship between the particle size and the aperture ratio.

Further, since the porous ceramics are fired at a high temperature of 1400 ° C. or higher, no dust is generated. It can be said to be the most suitable material in the manufacturing process of semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates that are extremely reluctant to dust. In addition, it has excellent heat resistance and excellent resistance to acids and alkalis. The mechanical strength is also strong and therefore does not change over time.

Various sizes of the glass used for the wafer and the liquid crystal substrate are used depending on the application. Since the shape of the porous ceramic shower plate can be freely and easily processed, the shower plate may be manufactured in accordance with the shape of the object to be sprayed.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the state of the object before etching. The object is a wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate. A thin film 2 is formed on the surface of the member to be etched 1 by a sputtering device. Photosensitive agent resist 3 is applied thereon. The pattern drawn on the mask 4 by the light beam 5 is transferred onto the photosensitive material resist 3 through the mask 4. A portion 6 where the light ray hits and a portion 7 where the light ray does not hit are formed on the resist film.

FIG. 2 shows an etching method using a conventional nozzle 9. The etchant 1 is mounted on a support 8 and sprays an etchant 10 from a nozzle 9. In this case, uneven spraying of the etching liquid occurs just below and around the nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an etching apparatus having a plurality of nozzles. In this case as well, in addition to the unevenness immediately below the nozzle and its surroundings, unpredictable factors such as unevenness of the spraying of the portions sprayed from a plurality of nozzles and the portions not sprayed increase.

FIG. 4 shows the state of the spray liquid when a plurality of nozzles are provided. The etching liquid 10 sprayed from the nozzle 9 is discharged at a high speed in order to diffuse it over the entire surface of the member 1 to be etched. This hits the member to be etched and causes the bounce liquid 12 to be generated. The scattering of the rebounding liquid 12 cannot be predicted, and is a cause of uneven spraying.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of an etching apparatus using a shower plate 16 incorporating the porous ceramics 13 according to the present invention. When the member 1 to be etched is sent into the etching apparatus by the roller conveyor 14 or the like, the etching liquid 10 stored in the internal chamber 15 of the shower plate 16 is pressurized through the pipe 11 for supplying the etching liquid, and the pressure is increased. According to the above, the amount is dispersed through the fine holes of the porous ceramics 13 onto the member to be etched 1. At this time, the flow rate of the etching solution 10 is extremely slow, and the speed and amount of each hole are uniform. Therefore, the etching liquid 10 is uniformly sprayed on the material to be etched 1 and the product yield is improved.

FIG. 6 shows a member to be etched 1 according to the present invention.
An example of the etching process of the liquid crystal glass substrate will be described.
There are various options for the process, but the one shown here is a typical example. The member to be etched 1 is conveyed on the conveyor roller 14 to the etching position.
Here, the etching solution 10 is uniformly sprayed at a low flow rate from the shower plate 16 incorporating the porous ceramics 13 of the present invention to the photosensitizer resist 3 coated on the liquid crystal glass substrate which is the member to be etched 1. As a result, optimum etching is performed, followed by the next step of washing with water and drying. This series of steps is repeated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a member to be etched before etching.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of spraying an etching agent with one nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of spraying an etching liquid with a plurality of nozzles.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of a repelling liquid generated when the etching liquid is sprayed by a plurality of nozzles.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of an etching solution spraying nozzle using porous ceramics.

FIG. 6 shows an etching process of a liquid crystal glass substrate.

Table 1 is a table showing the relationship between the particle size of the main component alumina of porous ceramics and the aperture ratio.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Etching member 2 thin film 3 Photosensitive resist 4 mask 5 exposure rays 6 The part exposed to the exposure light 7 Area not exposed to exposure light 8 support 9 spray nozzles 10 Etching liquid 11 Etching liquid supply pipe 12 Bounce liquid 13 Porous ceramics 14 Conveyor roller 15 Interior room 16 shower plate

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 8, 2002 (2002.8.8)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

Title: Etching apparatus having a shower plate incorporating porous ceramics

[Claims]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wet etching apparatus used in a pattern forming process in a manufacturing process of, for example, a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass panel, and a nozzle for spraying an etching solution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pattern forming process of a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass panel, Al, Ti, Cu, Cr, M is sputtered on the surface of a wafer or a glass substrate by a sputtering apparatus.
A thin film of o, Ni, Au or the like is formed, and after the resist is sprayed, the pattern is exposed through a mask. Then, etching is performed to remove unnecessary portions of the thin film.

In this etching, an acid or alkali chemical is sprayed on the surface of the member to be etched by a spray nozzle.
It is sprayed using one or several pieces. Further, instead of the spray nozzle, a shower nozzle having many small holes may be used. However, the minimum diameter of the shower nozzle is limited. Also, the number of holes cannot be infinitely large.

[0004]

However, in the spray method using a nozzle, the spray liquid concentrates right under the nozzle, and the spray is often not spread to the peripheral portion, resulting in uneven spraying. Further, if it is attempted to diffuse the etching liquid discharged from the nozzle on the member to be etched in order to improve the uniformity, the flow velocity of the discharge must be increased, and as a result, the liquid splashes on the member to be etched. It cannot be controlled and may cause uneven spraying. This unevenness of dispersion is a factor that hinders the uniformity of etching.

In order to improve the uniformity of spraying, a plurality of nozzles are used, the nozzle shape is changed, the nozzle is moved, and the member to be etched is rotated. For this reason, it requires a great deal of cost to manufacture the nozzle, and since the apparatus is required to perform operations other than the ejection from the nozzle, the etching apparatus becomes complicated and expensive.

Even if a plurality of nozzles are used or a shower plate having a large number of fine holes is used, it is difficult to obtain the ideal uniformity of the dispersion of the etching solution. For this reason, the etching efficiency is lowered, and the product yield is deteriorated.

In the pattern forming process of the semiconductor wafer or the liquid crystal glass panel, such an etching process is repeated many times, and therefore, a fundamental improvement in the method of spraying the etching liquid is required.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows a conventional method of spraying an etching solution using a nozzle. In this case, the nozzle must be moved in order to improve the uniformity of spraying. When the material to be etched has a large spray area, a plurality of nozzles may be provided as shown in FIG. 2. However, nonuniformity occurs just below and around the nozzles.

The present invention uses a shower plate incorporating porous ceramics instead of the nozzle.

The porous ceramics used in the present invention contains alumina as a main component, silica, titania, magnesia, yttria, and the like, and is fired into a plate shape. As a result, an infinite number of ultrafine air holes are formed in the porous ceramics. The size of this vent hole is 10μm to 50μm
It is very fine with μm. The opening ratio of the ventilation holes per unit area is as large as 30% to 40%, and these are arranged evenly over the entire surface of the object to be sprayed, so that the members to be etched can be evenly sprayed. .

Since the total area of the fine holes formed in the porous ceramics is as large as 30 to 40% and the diameter is small and they are arranged on the entire surface to be sprayed, the etching liquid discharged from the individual holes is spread over the entire surface of the member to be etched. Spread evenly. Therefore, no additional means for diffusing the etchant is required. Furthermore, the flow velocity of the spray liquid passing through the porous ceramics is very low because it is not intended for diffusion, and since the distance between the member to be etched and the nozzle is also very close, there is an uncontrollable element such as bounce from the member to be etched. Is also resolved.

The size of the vent holes of the porous ceramics can be freely determined by selecting the size of the particles of alumina which occupy 90% of the components. Therefore, the aperture ratio is also determined.

Further, since the porous ceramics are fired at a high temperature of 1400 ° C. or higher, no dust is generated. It can be said to be the most suitable material in the manufacturing process of semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates that are extremely reluctant to dust. In addition, it has excellent heat resistance and excellent resistance to acids and alkalis. The mechanical strength is also strong and therefore does not change over time.

Various sizes of the glass used for the wafer and the liquid crystal substrate are used depending on the application. Since the shape of the porous ceramic shower plate can be freely and easily processed, the shower plate may be manufactured in accordance with the shape of the object to be sprayed.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the state of the object before etching. The object is a wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate. A thin film 2 is formed on the surface of the member to be etched 1 by a sputtering device. Photosensitive agent resist 3 is applied thereon. The pattern drawn on the mask 4 by the light beam 5 is transferred onto the photosensitive material resist 3 through the mask 4. A portion 6 where the light ray hits and a portion 7 where the light ray does not hit are formed on the resist film.

FIG. 2 shows an etching method using a conventional nozzle 9. The etchant 1 is mounted on a support 8 and sprays an etchant 10 from a nozzle 9. In this case, uneven spraying of the etching liquid occurs just below and around the nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an etching apparatus having a plurality of nozzles. In this case as well, in addition to the unevenness immediately below the nozzle and its surroundings, unpredictable factors such as unevenness of the spraying of the portions sprayed from a plurality of nozzles and the portions not sprayed increase.

FIG. 4 shows the state of the spray liquid when a plurality of nozzles are provided. The etching liquid 10 sprayed from the nozzle 9 is discharged at a high speed in order to diffuse it over the entire surface of the member 1 to be etched. This hits the member to be etched and causes the bounce liquid 12 to be generated. The scattering of the rebounding liquid 12 cannot be predicted, and is a cause of uneven spraying.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of an etching apparatus using a shower plate 16 incorporating the porous ceramics 13 according to the present invention. When the member 1 to be etched is sent into the etching apparatus by the roller conveyor 14 or the like, the etching liquid 10 stored in the internal chamber 15 of the shower plate 16 is pressurized through the pipe 11 for supplying the etching liquid, and the pressure is increased. According to the above, the amount is dispersed through the fine holes of the porous ceramics 13 onto the member to be etched 1. At this time, the flow rate of the etching solution 10 is extremely slow, and the speed and amount of each hole are uniform. Therefore, the etching liquid 10 is uniformly sprayed on the material to be etched 1 and the product yield is improved.

FIG. 6 shows a member to be etched 1 according to the present invention.
An example of the etching process of the liquid crystal glass substrate will be described.
There are various options for the process, but the one shown here is a typical example. The member to be etched 1 is conveyed on the conveyor roller 14 to the etching position.
Here, the etching solution 10 is uniformly sprayed at a low flow rate from the shower plate 16 incorporating the porous ceramics 13 of the present invention to the photosensitizer resist 3 coated on the liquid crystal glass substrate which is the member to be etched 1. As a result, optimum etching is performed, followed by the next step of washing with water and drying. This series of steps is repeated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a member to be etched before etching.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of spraying an etching agent with one nozzle.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of spraying an etching liquid with a plurality of nozzles.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of a repelling liquid generated when the etching liquid is sprayed by a plurality of nozzles.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of an etching solution spraying nozzle using porous ceramics.

FIG. 6 shows an etching process of a liquid crystal glass substrate.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Etching member 2 thin film 3 Photosensitive resist 4 mask 5 exposure rays 6 The part exposed to the exposure light 7 Area not exposed to exposure light 8 support 9 spray nozzles 10 Etching liquid 11 Etching liquid supply pipe 12 Bounce liquid 13 Porous ceramics 14 Conveyor roller 15 Interior room 16 shower plate

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 6]

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A nozzle for spraying a drug, which incorporates porous ceramics having fine pores, and is characterized in that it can be sprayed uniformly over the entire surface of an object to be sprayed, mainly a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate. A method of spraying chemicals applicable to an etching step, which is one of the steps in pattern formation. 2. A nozzle made of ceramics, the shape of which can be freely formed into the same shape as the shape of the object to be sprayed, and the shape of which can be freely changed by processing. 3. A nozzle made of porous ceramics, which is fired at a high temperature of 1400 ° C. or higher in order to eliminate dust from the nozzle when spraying a chemical. 4. The entire surface of the object to be sprayed when the drug is sprayed, and
Porous ceramic nozzle with a porosity of 30-40% for uniform spraying.