# US 2018/0025922 A1 · Substrate processing apparatus and processing cup cleaning method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025922 A1 - Document ID: US20180025922A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/648,900 - Filed: 2017-07-13 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-19 - Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Applicants: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hiroki TSUJIKAWA; Masahide IKEDA; Atsuyasu MIURA; Kazuhiro FUJITA; Yuya TSUCHIHASHI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025922A1 ## CPC - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - B08B 3/048: {Overflow-type cleaning, e.g. tanks in which the liquid flows over the tank in which the articles are placed} - B08B 3/08: the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect - B08B 3/10: with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract A substrate processing apparatus includes a guard that catches liquid scattered outward from a spin chuck, a cup defining a liquid receiving groove to catch liquid that is guided downward by the guard, a guard elevating/lowering unit that moves the guard in an up/down direction, a cleaning liquid supplying unit that supplies cleaning liquid, discharged from a cleaning liquid nozzle, to the liquid receiving groove via the spin chuck and the guard, a cleaning liquid draining unit that drains the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove, and a controller that controls the cleaning liquid supplying unit and the cleaning liquid draining unit to accumulate cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove and controls the guard elevating/lowering unit to cause a lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate holding unit, rotating a substrate around a vertical rotational axis passing through a central portion of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally; a chemical liquid nozzle, discharging a chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; a guard of cylindrical shape, including a cylindrical portion that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and catching liquid scattered outward from the substrate holding unit; a cup of annular shape, defining a liquid receiving groove of annular shape positioned below the cylindrical portion, and catching liquid, guided downward by the guard, by the liquid receiving groove; a guard elevating/lowering unit, moving the guard in an up/down direction; a cleaning liquid supplying unit, including a first cleaning liquid nozzle that discharges a cleaning liquid, differing from the chemical liquid, from a discharge port disposed above or below the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and supplying the cleaning liquid, discharged from the first cleaning liquid nozzle, to the liquid receiving groove via the substrate holding unit and the guard; a cleaning liquid draining unit, draining the cleaning liquid, in the liquid receiving groove, via a drain port provided in the liquid receiving groove; a liquid amount control unit, controlling the cleaning liquid supplying unit and the cleaning liquid draining unit to accumulate the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove; and a guard position control unit, controlling the guard elevating/lowering unit to cause a lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guard position control unit causes the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to vibrate in the up/down direction while causing the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guard position control unit causes the guard to reciprocate a plurality of times in the up/down direction between a cleaning upper position, at which the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is positioned above the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove, and a cleaning lower position, at which the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid amount control unit causes the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to be drained via the drain port when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least either when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove or when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is not immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove, the liquid amount control unit causes the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to overflow from an entrance of the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the liquid amount control unit causes the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to overflow from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is rising inside the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cup includes an outer surface downwardly guiding the cleaning liquid that overflowed from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises: a vat, positioned below the cup and catching the cleaning liquid that overflowed from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove; a lower drain piping, guiding the cleaning liquid, drained from the vat via a lower drain port provided in the vat; and a flow sensor, detecting a flow rate of a liquid flowing through the lower drain piping: and the liquid amount control unit judges, based on a detection value of the flow sensor, whether or not the cleaning liquid overflowed from the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid draining unit decreases a drain flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port, to make the drain flow rate less than a supply flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid supplied from the first cleaning liquid nozzle to the liquid receiving groove via the substrate holding unit and the guard. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning liquid draining unit includes an ordinary piping, guiding the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port; a restriction piping, guiding the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port; a constricted portion, interposed in the restriction piping and having a flow passage area smaller than a minimum value of a flow passage area of the ordinary piping, and a drain switching valve, switched between an ordinary state, in which the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove is drained into the ordinary piping, and a restriction state, in which the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove is drained into the restriction piping. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning liquid draining unit includes an ordinary piping, guiding the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port, and a drain flow control valve, changing a flow rate of a liquid flowing in the ordinary piping. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supplying unit increases a supply flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid supplied from the first cleaning liquid nozzle to the liquid receiving groove via the substrate holding unit and the guard, to make the supply flow rate greater than a drain flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning liquid supplying unit includes a supply piping, guiding the cleaning liquid to be supplied to the first cleaning liquid nozzle, and a supply flow control valve, changing a flow rate of a liquid flowing in the supply piping. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning liquid supplying unit includes a second cleaning liquid nozzle differing from the first cleaning liquid nozzle and discharging a cleaning liquid from a discharge port disposed above or below the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. ### Claim 15 A processing cup cleaning method comprising: a chemical liquid supplying step of horizontally holding a substrate, rotating the substrate around a vertical rotational axis passing through a central portion of the substrate, and discharging a chemical liquid toward the substrate; a first liquid receiving step of causing the chemical liquid, expelled outward from the substrate, to be caught by a guard that includes a cylindrical portion surrounding the substrate; a first supplying step of causing the chemical liquid, guided downward by the guard, to be caught by a cup, defining a liquid receiving groove of annular shape that is positioned below the cylindrical portion, and meanwhile draining the chemical liquid in the liquid receiving groove via a drain port provided in the liquid receiving groove; a cleaning liquid discharging step of causing a spin base, disposed under the substrate, to rotate around the rotational axis after the chemical liquid supplying step and meanwhile causing a first cleaning liquid nozzle to discharge a cleaning liquid, differing from the chemical liquid, above the spin base; a second liquid receiving step of causing the cleaning liquid, expelled outward from the spin base, to be caught by the guard; a second supplying step of causing the cleaning liquid, guided downward by the guard, to be caught by the liquid receiving groove of the cup; an accumulating step of accumulating the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove by making a supply flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid supplied from the first cleaning liquid nozzle to the liquid receiving groove via the spin base and the guard, greater than a drain flow rate that represents a flow rate of the cleaning liquid drained from the liquid receiving groove via the drain port; and an immersing step of lowering the guard to immerse a lower end portion of the cylindrical portion in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 15, wherein the immersing step includes a step of causing the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to vibrate in the up/down direction while causing the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 15, wherein the immersing step includes a step of causing the guard to reciprocate a plurality of times in an up/down direction between a cleaning upper position, at which the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is positioned above the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove, and a cleaning lower position, at which the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 15, wherein the accumulating step includes a step of causing the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to be drained via the drain port when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 15, wherein the accumulating step includes a step of causing the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to overflow from an entrance of the liquid receiving groove at least either when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove or when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is not immersed in the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 19, wherein the accumulating step includes a step of causing the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove to overflow from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove when the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion is rising inside the cleaning liquid in the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 19, wherein the accumulating step includes a step of causing the cleaning liquid, which overflowed from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove, to flow down along an outer surface of the cup. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 19, further comprising: a step of causing the cleaning liquid, which overflowed from the entrance of the liquid receiving groove, to be caught by a vat positioned below the cup; a step of draining the cleaning liquid in the vat into a lower drain piping via a lower drain port provided in the vat; and a step of judging, based on a flow rate of a liquid flowing in the lower drain piping, whether or not the cleaning liquid overflowed from the liquid receiving groove. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The processing cup cleaning method according to claim 19, wherein the accumulating step makes the supply flow rate greater than the drain flow rate by executing at least either a decreasing of the drain flow rate or an increasing of the supply flow rate.