阅读说明：本技术 涂布装置及涂布方法 (Coating device and coating method ) 是由 五十川良则 于 2019-08-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种涂布装置,具备：处理室；喷嘴,在该处理室内沿涂布对象面相对移动并向该涂布对象面涂布结晶材料的溶液；内压调整部,调整处理室的内压；及控制部。并且,控制部在通过喷嘴进行溶液的涂布的情况下,利用内压调整部调整处理室的内压,从而使涂布于涂布对象面的溶液依次干燥而使结晶材料结晶生长。(A coating device is provided with: a processing chamber; a nozzle which moves relatively along a surface to be coated in the processing chamber and applies a solution of a crystallization material to the surface to be coated; an internal pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber; and a control section. When the solution is applied by the nozzle, the control unit adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjustment unit, and sequentially dries the solution applied to the surface to be applied, thereby growing the crystal material crystal.)

1. A coating device is provided with:

a processing chamber;

a nozzle which moves relatively along a surface to be coated in the processing chamber and applies a solution of a crystalline material to the surface to be coated;

an internal pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber; and

and a controller for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjuster, thereby sequentially drying the solution applied to the surface to be coated and growing the crystal of the crystalline material, when the solution is applied by the nozzle.

2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1,

the control unit causes the internal pressure adjustment unit to reduce the internal pressure of the processing chamber until the processing chamber becomes a vacuum state when the solution is applied by the nozzle.

3. The coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the control section has correlation data between the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle,

when one of the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle is adjusted, the control unit adjusts the other to a value derived from the adjusted value of the one and based on the correlation data.

4. The coating apparatus according to claim 3,

the correlation data is data obtained by digitizing a correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle, which satisfies a condition that the degree of crystal orientation of the formed crystalline film is equal to or higher than a predetermined level.

5. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the nozzle is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port,

the longitudinal direction of the discharge port is parallel to the surface to be coated and perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle moves relative to the surface.

6. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the control unit relatively moves the nozzle at a first relative speed for a predetermined period from the start of the application of the solution by the nozzle,

thereafter, the control unit relatively moves the nozzle at a second relative speed different from the first relative speed.

7. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the crystalline material is a semiconductor material.

8. A coating method, wherein,

adjusting the internal pressure of a processing chamber used for forming the crystallized film,

applying a solution of a crystalline material to a surface to be coated by relatively moving a nozzle along the surface to be coated in the treatment chamber,

thereby, the solution applied to the surface to be coated is sequentially dried to grow the crystal material crystal.

Technical Field

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for forming a crystalline film by solution coating.

Background

As a technique for forming a crystalline film, a technique for forming a semiconductor film by applying a solution of a semiconductor material and drying the solution to thereby grow a crystal of the semiconductor material in the solution has been proposed. For example, patent document 1 discloses the following technique: the nozzle is moved in a state where a liquid pool of the solution is formed between the discharge portion of the nozzle and the surface (surface to be coated) of the substrate, so that a coating film is formed behind the liquid pool, and the coating film is sequentially dried to grow crystals of the semiconductor material.

More specifically, patent document 1 proposes the following: by providing the overhang portion in the nozzle body, a space sandwiched between the lower end surface of the nozzle body and the surface of the substrate is formed, and a liquid pool is formed in the space. By forming such a space, the space (i.e., the vicinity of the liquid pool) is filled with the solvent evaporated from the liquid pool to form a solvent atmosphere, thereby suppressing the solvent from continuing to evaporate from the liquid pool to be in a supersaturated state (i.e., the semiconductor material is crystallized in the liquid pool). Then, by moving the nozzle while maintaining the state of the liquid pool, a coating film is formed behind the liquid pool, and the coating film is relatively moved to a position where the coating film is released from the solvent atmosphere (a position where the coating film is removed from the space), whereby the solvent is sequentially evaporated from the coating film at the position, and the semiconductor material crystal is grown. In this way, patent document 1 intends to improve the degree of crystal orientation of a semiconductor film to be formed (the degree of orientation (degree of orientation)) indicating how much the direction of crystals is aligned in a crystalline film such as a semiconductor film.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5891956

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in patent document 1, in order to avoid the liquid pool from becoming supersaturated, it is necessary to control the atmosphere in the space with high accuracy. On the other hand, the atmosphere, temperature, and the like are not particularly controlled at the position where the semiconductor material crystal grows (i.e., the position where the coating film comes out of the space). Therefore, although a change in the atmosphere, temperature, or the like at a position where the semiconductor material is crystal-grown has a large influence on the state of the semiconductor film (the degree of crystal orientation, or the like), it is impossible to cope with the change in the atmosphere, temperature, or the like at the position. Thus, in the technique disclosed in patent document 1, it is difficult to stably form a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation.

Accordingly, an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to stably form a crystalline film having a high degree of crystal orientation in a technique for forming a crystalline film by solution coating.

Means for solving the problems

An application device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a processing chamber; a nozzle which moves relatively along a surface to be coated in the processing chamber and applies a solution of a crystallization material to the surface to be coated; an internal pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber; and a control section. When the solution is applied by the nozzle, the control unit adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjustment unit, and sequentially dries the solution applied to the surface to be applied, thereby growing the crystal material crystal.

According to the coating apparatus, the drying rate of the solution applied to the surface to be coated can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the treatment chamber. Specifically, by reducing the internal pressure of the processing chamber, evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be promoted, and the drying rate can be increased. Further, by increasing the internal pressure of the processing chamber, evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be suppressed, and the drying rate can be reduced. Further, by adjusting the drying rate to a desired rate, the degree of crystal orientation of the crystal film can be improved under control.

Effects of the invention

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a crystalline film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be stably formed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and also illustrates the inside structure of a process chamber.

Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the coating apparatus viewed from the direction in which the nozzle is moved relative to the substrate (predetermined direction D1), and also shows the structure inside the processing chamber.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process (coating process) performed by the coating apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state of a liquid pool (meniscus) formed at the time of coating.

Detailed Description

The coating technique according to an embodiment of the present invention is a technique of forming a crystal film by applying a solution of a crystal material to a surface to be coated and drying the solution to grow crystals of the crystal material in the solution. Here, the crystalline material is a material that can be crystallized such as a semiconductor material, and is a material that can be precipitated and crystal-grown by drying a solution generated by dissolving in a liquid (solvent). The present inventors have also found, through studies, that the drying rate of the solution and the direction of evaporation of the solvent have a large influence on the state of a semiconductor film formed by crystal growth of a semiconductor material which is one of the crystalline materials (mainly, the degree of crystal orientation and the uniformity of film thickness). Further, the present inventors have found, through further studies, that a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be stably formed by controlling the drying rate of the solution and the evaporation direction of the solvent. The coating technique described below is a technique that is developed using such research results.

Hereinafter, a case where a semiconductor film is formed on a surface of a substrate as a surface to be coated will be described. The coating technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where the surface of the substrate is a surface to be coated, and can be applied to the case where various surfaces on which a semiconductor film can be formed are surfaces to be coated. The coating technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where a semiconductor film is formed from a solution of a semiconductor material, and can be applied to the case where a crystalline material that can be crystallized by drying of a solution is used and a crystalline film is formed from a solution of the crystalline material.

[1] Structure of coating device

Fig. 1 and 2 are conceptual views showing a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the coating apparatus includes a processing chamber 1, a chuck unit 2, a solution supply unit 3, an internal pressure adjustment unit 4, a control unit 5, and a storage unit 6. Fig. 2 is a view of the coating apparatus viewed from the direction in which the nozzle 31 is moved relative to the substrate Tm (predetermined direction D1). Fig. 1 and 2 also illustrate the structure inside the processing chamber 1.

< treatment Chamber 1>

The processing chamber 1 is a chamber used for forming a semiconductor film. The processing chamber 1 is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion so as to carry in and out a substrate Tm to be formed with a semiconductor film, and is configured to be capable of being separated in the vertical direction (not shown). The upper part and the lower part are brought close to each other and combined to seal the processing chamber 1.

< chuck segment 2>

The chuck section 2 includes a stage 21 and a stage driving section 22.

The stage 21 is provided in the processing chamber 1 with a mounting surface 21a on which the substrate Tm is mounted facing upward, and sucks the substrate Tm mounted at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 21a to fix the substrate Tm so as not to be displaced from the predetermined position. The stage 21 is not limited to a configuration in which the substrate Tm is fixed at a predetermined position by an attractive force, and may be changed to various stages capable of fixing the substrate Tm at a predetermined position, such as a configuration in which the substrate Tm is fixed by an electrostatic force.

The stage driving unit 22 is a mechanism capable of moving the stage 21 in a predetermined direction D1, and controls the operation (moving direction, moving speed, etc.) of the stage 21 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5.

In the present embodiment, the table 21 is slidably guided by two guide rails 210 extending in the predetermined direction D1 (see fig. 2). In fig. 1, the guide rail 210 is not shown. The stage driving unit 22 includes a ball screw 221 and a motor 222 for rotating a shaft 221a of the ball screw 221 (see fig. 1 and 2). Specifically, the shaft portion 221a of the ball screw 221 passes under the table 21 at a position between the two guide rails 210 in a state where the axial direction thereof coincides with the moving direction of the table 21 (i.e., the predetermined direction D1). Both ends of the shaft 221A are pivotally supported by the side walls 11A and 11B of the processing chamber 1, respectively, and one end thereof is coupled to the motor 222 outside the processing chamber 1. The nut portion 221b of the ball screw 221 is fixed to the back surface 21b (the surface opposite to the mounting surface 21 a) of the base 21.

With this configuration, the rotational motion of the motor 222 can be converted into the translational motion of the nut portion 221b, thereby realizing the movement of the table 21 in the predetermined direction D1. The table driving unit 22 controls the rotation of the motor 222 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5, thereby controlling the operation (moving direction, moving speed, etc.) of the table 21. Further, according to the above configuration, since the motor 222 can be disposed outside the processing chamber 1, a general motor can be used as the motor 222. That is, if the motor 222 is disposed in the processing chamber 1, a motor that can be applied to the environment (vacuum state, pressurized state, etc.) in the processing chamber 1 is required, but if the above configuration is adopted, such a motor is not required.

< solution supply section 3>

The solution supply unit 3 includes a nozzle 31, a nozzle drive unit 32, and a liquid feed pump 33.

The nozzle 31 moves relatively along the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm in the processing chamber 1, and applies a solution of a semiconductor material to the surface. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is fixed at a predetermined position in the processing chamber 1 when the coating apparatus is viewed in plan, and is moved relative to the stage 21 (i.e., relative to the substrate Tm mounted on the stage 21) by the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port 31a (see fig. 1 and 2). The longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a is a direction parallel to the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21 (i.e., parallel to the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm mounted on the mounting surface 21 a) and perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle 31 moves relative to the stage 21 (i.e., the predetermined direction D1). That is, the nozzle 31 is disposed such that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the solution (coating film) to be applied.

The nozzle driving unit 32 is a mechanism capable of moving the nozzle 31 in the vertical direction, and adjusts the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm in accordance with a command from the control unit 5.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle driving unit 32 includes a nozzle support portion 321 that supports the nozzle 31, a ball screw 322, a screw support portion 323 that supports the ball screw 322, and a motor 324 that rotates a shaft portion 322a of the ball screw 322 (see fig. 1 and 2). Specifically, the nozzle support portion 321 is supported by the ceiling wall 11C of the processing chamber 1 in a vertically slidable manner. The nozzle 31 is fixed to an end of the nozzle support 321 inside the processing chamber 1. The ball screw 322, the screw support portion 323, and the motor 324 are disposed outside the processing chamber 1, and the shaft portion 322a of the ball screw 322 is supported by the screw support portion 323 at two upper and lower portions in a state where the axial direction thereof coincides with the movement direction (i.e., the vertical direction) of the nozzle 31. One end of the shaft portion 322a is coupled to the motor 324. Further, a nut portion 322b of the ball screw 322 is fixed to an end portion (an end portion opposite to the end portion to which the nozzle 31 is fixed) of the nozzle support portion 321 outside the processing chamber 1.

According to this configuration, the rotational motion of the motor 324 can be converted into the translational motion of the nut portion 322b, and thereby the vertical movement of the nozzle 31 is realized by the nozzle support portion 321. The nozzle driving unit 32 controls the rotation of the motor 324 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5, thereby adjusting the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm. Further, according to the above configuration, since the motor 324 can be disposed outside the processing chamber 1, a common motor can be used as the motor 324, similarly to the motor 222.

The liquid-sending pump 33 sends the solution of the semiconductor material to the nozzle 31. Specifically, the liquid-sending pump 33 adjusts the amount of the solution supplied to the nozzle 31 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5, thereby adjusting the amount of the solution discharged from the nozzle 31.

< internal pressure adjustment part 4>

The internal pressure adjusting section 4 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 in accordance with a command from the control section 5. In the present embodiment, the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 is composed of an pressurization/depressurization pump 41, a pressure regulator 42, and a pressure gauge 43 for measuring the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (see fig. 1). Specifically, the pressurizing/depressurizing pump 41 selectively performs pressurization and depressurization in the processing chamber 1 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5. The pressure regulator 42 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 to a value corresponding to a command from the control unit 5 based on the measurement result of the pressure gauge 43.

< control section 5>

The control unit 5 is constituted by a Processing device such as a cpu (central Processing unit) or a microcomputer, and controls various operation units (including the Processing chamber 1, the chuck unit 2, the solution supply unit 3, and the internal pressure adjustment unit 4) provided in the coating device. Specifically, the control unit 5 functions as a processing unit that controls each operating unit in accordance with a program read out from and executed by the storage unit 6. That is, the processing unit is realized by the control unit 5 using software. Thus, various operations necessary for forming the semiconductor film are realized in the coating apparatus. The program is not limited to the one stored in the storage unit 6 of the coating apparatus, and may be stored in an external storage medium (flash memory or the like) in a readable state. The processing unit may be realized by hardware by configuring the control unit 5 with a circuit.

After fixing the substrate Tm on the stage 21 and sealing the processing chamber 1, the control section 5 executes a control process (hereinafter, referred to as "coating process") for forming a semiconductor film. The coating process will be described in detail later.

< storage section 6>

The storage unit 6 is configured by, for example, a flash memory, and stores various kinds of information. In this embodiment, the storage unit 6 stores not only the above-described program but also various information necessary for forming a semiconductor film (including set values of parameters such as the height position of the nozzle 31, the amount of solution discharged, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and the temperature of the heater).

[2] Control processing (coating processing) performed by a coating apparatus

Next, the coating process executed by the control section 5 in the coating apparatus will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the coating process.

When the coating process is started, the controller 5 controls the internal pressure adjuster 4 to adjust the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (step S11 in fig. 3). Then, the control unit 5 adjusts the drying rate of the solution applied to the surface (the surface to be coated) of the substrate Tm by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 in step S13 described later. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution under normal pressure is lower than a desired rate, the controller 5 reduces the pressure to lower the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, thereby promoting evaporation of the solvent in the solution to increase the drying rate. On the other hand, when the drying rate of the solution under normal pressure is higher than the desired rate, the controller 5 increases the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by applying pressure, thereby suppressing evaporation of the solvent in the solution and reducing the drying rate.

After step S11, the controller 5 sets the nozzle 31 at the application start position on the substrate Tm by the console driver 22 and the nozzle driver 32 (step S12 in fig. 3). Step S12 may be executed before step S11.

After steps S11 and S12, the controller 5 ejects the solution from the ejection port 31a of the nozzle 31 by the console driver 22 and the liquid-sending pump 33, and relatively moves the nozzle 31 in the predetermined direction D1 (step S13 in fig. 3). In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is relatively moved by the movement of the stage 21 in the predetermined direction D1 in relation to the stage 21 (i.e., in relation to the substrate Tm mounted on the stage 21). Thereby, a liquid pool Sp (meniscus; see fig. 4) is formed between the ejection port 31a and the substrate Tm, and the liquid pool Sp moves in a predetermined direction D1 along the surface (surface to be coated) of the substrate Tm.

Thus, in step S13, the solution applied to the surface (surface to be coated) of the substrate Tm is sequentially dried, and a semiconductor material crystal grows. The drying rate of the solution at this time is determined to be a desired rate by the adjusted internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. That is, in the above steps S11 to S13, the controller 5 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by the internal pressure adjustment unit 4, and sequentially dries the solution applied to the surface of the substrate Tm (the surface to be coated) at a desired rate to grow the semiconductor material crystal.

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the state of the liquid accumulation Sp formed during coating. In step S13, the control unit 5 controls the liquid feed pump 33 to adjust the amount of the solution to be discharged so that the volume of the liquid pool Sp is reduced to such an extent that the shape of the liquid pool Sp does not become unstable, so that the solution dries immediately after the application (immediately after the solution is discharged from the discharge port 31a of the nozzle 31) and the crystallization of the semiconductor material progresses (see fig. 4). Thus, the time for which the applied solution is left in a wet state on the surface of the substrate Tm is shortened as compared with the technique disclosed in patent document 1. This eliminates the need to control the state of wetting of the solution on the surface of the substrate Tm, and therefore, the control required for the coating process can be simplified.

When the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by the reduced pressure, the solution in the nozzle 31 is likely to leak out from the discharge port 31a by the pressure difference to form a liquid pool even before the application is started. When the coating is started in a state where the solution oozes out, the liquid loading Sp formed between the ejection port 31a and the substrate Tm increases the amount of the solution oozed out before the coating in an initial stage immediately after the start of the coating. When the accumulated liquid Sp increases, the drying of the solution is slowed and the crystal growth of the semiconductor material becomes unstable. As a method for solving such a problem, a method of sucking the oozed solution into the nozzle 31 by rotating the liquid feeding pump 33 in the reverse direction before the start of coating may be mentioned. As another example, a method of removing the solution oozed out by a liquid absorbing material such as cloth before the start of coating, a method of coating the dummy substrate until the liquid loading Sp is reduced, and the like can be cited.

The control unit 5 controls the stage driving unit 22 to adjust the relative speed of the nozzle 31 to a speed corresponding to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material crystallized immediately after the application. Specifically, the control unit 5 has correlation data between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and adjusts the relative speed of the nozzle 31 so that the relative speed becomes a speed derived from the adjusted internal pressure based on the correlation data when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is adjusted (that is, when the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material is adjusted by the adjustment of the internal pressure). As an example, the correlation data is data obtained by digitizing the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, which satisfy the condition that the degree of crystal orientation of the semiconductor film to be formed is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. The related data may be stored in the storage unit 6. In this case, the control unit 5 reads the relevant data from the storage unit 6 and uses the data.

On the other hand, when the relative velocity of the nozzle 31 is adjusted before the adjustment of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or when the relative velocity is set in advance), the control unit 5 may adjust the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 so that the internal pressure becomes an internal pressure derived from the adjusted or set relative velocity and based on the correlation data when adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 in step S11.

In this way, when either the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 or the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted, the controller 5 can adjust the other to a value derived from the adjusted value of the one and based on the correlation data. This enables the semiconductor material in the applied solution to grow crystals in the predetermined direction D1 at the same speed as the relative speed of the nozzle 31. That is, the nozzle 31 which can move the semiconductor material relative to the semiconductor material can be followed by crystal growth of the semiconductor material.

By making the crystal growth follow the nozzle 31 in this way, it is possible to prevent the formed semiconductor film from being broken or the film thickness of the formed semiconductor film from becoming unstable. Also, in the case where the crystal growth is made to follow the nozzle 31, most of the solvent in the applied solution evaporates immediately after the nozzle 31 immediately after the application. Therefore, the nozzle 31 serves as a guide and easily guides the evaporated solvent rearward with respect to the moving direction of the nozzle 31. This makes it easy to align the evaporation directions of the solvents, and as a result, the crystal directions are aligned, and the degree of crystal orientation of the semiconductor film is easily improved. In fig. 4, the evaporation direction is indicated by an arrow illustrated behind the liquid accumulation Sp.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is disposed so that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the solution (coating film) to be applied. Therefore, the solvent evaporated in the entire solution in the width direction is guided rearward by the nozzle 31. Thereby, the evaporation direction of the solvent is more easily aligned.

During execution of step S13, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the nozzle 31 has reached the application end position (step S14 in fig. 3), and repeats steps S13 and S14 until it can be determined that "reached (yes)" in step S14. When the controller 5 determines that "yes" is reached in step S14, the console driver 22 and the liquid-sending pump 33 stop the discharge of the solution and move the nozzle 31 back upward (step S15 in fig. 3). This completes the series of flows of the coating process.

According to the coating process, the drying rate of the solution applied to the surface (surface to be coated) of the substrate Tm can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. Further, by adjusting the drying rate to a desired rate, the degree of crystal orientation of the semiconductor film can be increased under control, and as a result, a semiconductor film having a high degree of crystal orientation can be stably formed.

Further, by adjusting the relative speed of the nozzle 31 to a speed corresponding to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material crystallized immediately after application, the uniformity of the film thickness of the semiconductor film can be improved at the level of the structural unit (i.e., molecular level) of the semiconductor material. According to this embodiment mode, even when a semiconductor film having a number of molecules in the thickness direction of about 2 to 5 is formed, the number of molecules in the thickness direction can be aligned over the entire semiconductor film.

In step S11, when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by reducing the pressure, the evaporation of the solvent in the solution is promoted and the drying rate is increased, so that the relative speed of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm can be increased. This can improve the formation speed of the semiconductor film. When the applied solutions are sequentially dried to grow the crystals of the semiconductor material as in the present embodiment, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 must be significantly reduced to about 0.02mm/sec if the solution is at normal pressure, as compared to the case where the solution is formed by applying the entire surface of the solution in a state where the coating film is wet (e.g., 300 mm/sec). Therefore, by slightly increasing the relative speed of the nozzle 31, the formation speed of the semiconductor film can be remarkably increased.

In step S11, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 may be reduced by the internal pressure adjustment unit 4 until the inside of the processing chamber 1 becomes a vacuum state. By making the inside of the processing chamber 1 in a vacuum state, the shaking of the solvent evaporated from the applied solution can be suppressed. This makes it easier to align the moving direction of the evaporated solvent (i.e., the evaporation direction), and as a result, the crystal direction is easily aligned over the entire semiconductor film to be formed.

[3] Modification example

[3-1] first modification

The coating apparatus may further include a heater (not shown) for heating the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, the controller 5 controls the heater to adjust the temperature of the solution in addition to the drying rate of the solution by using the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and the drying rate of the solution can be adjusted by adjusting the temperature. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution at normal temperature is lower than a desired rate, the control unit 5 can increase the drying rate by increasing the temperature of the solution by heating, thereby promoting evaporation of the solvent in the solution.

The coating apparatus may further include a cooler (not shown) for cooling the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, the controller 5 adjusts the drying rate of the solution by controlling the cooler in addition to adjusting the drying rate of the solution by the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and adjusts the drying rate of the solution by adjusting the temperature. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution at normal temperature is higher than a desired rate, the control unit 5 can reduce the temperature of the solution by cooling, thereby suppressing evaporation of the solvent in the solution and reducing the drying rate.

In both of the above examples, the control unit 5 may have correlation data between the temperature of the solution (or the temperature of the nozzle 31) and the relative speed of the nozzle 31. When either the temperature of the solution or the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted, the control unit 5 may adjust the other to a value derived from the adjusted value of the one and based on the correlation data. This makes it possible to adjust the drying rate of the solution using two parameters, i.e., the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution, and thus to control the drying rate with higher accuracy.

Further, when the drying rate is to be adjusted only by the temperature of the solution, the temperature of the solution must be increased to a temperature at which the semiconductor material can be changed. In such a case, by combining the adjustment of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, the drying rate of the solution can be adjusted to a desired rate while limiting the temperature rise of the solution.

[3-2] second modification

When the relative speed of the nozzle 31 during coating is set to the constant relative speed V0, a phenomenon (first phenomenon) may occur in which the film thickness of the semiconductor film to be formed is reduced from a desired film thickness at the coating start position and gradually increases from the desired film thickness to be stable. Alternatively, a phenomenon (second phenomenon) may occur in which the film thickness of the semiconductor film is larger than a desired film thickness at the coating start position and gradually decreases from the position to be stable.

Therefore, when these phenomena occur, the control unit 5 may control the relative speed of the nozzle 31 as described below by controlling the nozzle driving unit 32. That is, the controller 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at the first relative speed V1 for a predetermined period of time after the start of the application of the solution by the nozzle 31. Here, the first relative velocity V1 is a velocity at which the film thickness of the semiconductor film is adjusted to a desired film thickness from the coating start position. Specifically, when the first phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed lower than the constant relative speed V0. On the other hand, when the second phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed greater than the constant relative speed V0.

Then, the controller 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at a second relative speed V2 different from the first relative speed V1. For example, the second relative speed V2 is set to a speed equal to the constant relative speed V0. The control unit 5 may gradually increase or decrease the first relative speed V1 to the second relative speed V2 when a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

By such control, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 immediately after the start of coating can be reduced or increased in accordance with the above-described phenomenon (first phenomenon or second phenomenon) occurring at the coating start position. As a result, the semiconductor material can be grown to a desired film thickness even immediately after the start of the application, and as a result, the film thickness can be made uniform over the entire semiconductor film to be formed.

In addition, the control section 5 may change various parameters such as the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution so as to improve the state of the semiconductor film to be formed, without being limited to the relative speed of the nozzle 31 during the application.

[3-3] third modification

The coating apparatus may further include a liquid-feeding pump 33 as a main pump, and a detachable sub-pump (a diaphragm pump or the like) which can be driven by the liquid-feeding pump 33. Thus, when the discharge amount is increased, the solution is supplied to the nozzle 31 by the liquid-sending pump 33 in a state where the slave pump is detached, and when the discharge amount is decreased, the slave pump is attached, whereby the solution can be supplied to the nozzle 31 by the slave pump. That is, the pump can be used separately according to the application.

Further, according to this configuration, since a pump (a diaphragm pump or the like) which does not require a heat countermeasure for heating by a heater or the like is used as the slave pump, only the slave pump is heated without heating the main pump, and the temperature of the solution can be increased. In this case, since it is not necessary to take a thermal countermeasure for the main pump, a normal pump driven by an electric motor or the like that does not take a thermal countermeasure can be used as the main pump.

[3-4] fourth modification

In the above-described coating apparatus, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 in relation to the stage 21 is not limited to the movement of the stage 21 by not moving the nozzle 31, and may be achieved by moving the nozzle 31 without moving the stage 21. Further, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 may be realized by moving both the stage 21 and the nozzle 31. The relative movement of the nozzle 31 is not limited to one-dimensional movement, and may be two-dimensional movement along the placement surface 21a of the stage 21.

[3-5] fifth modification

The coating apparatus may be an apparatus that performs only one of pressure reduction and pressure increase on the process chamber 1. The nozzle 31 is not limited to a slit nozzle, and may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the semiconductor film to be formed.

In the coating process, various parameters are not limited to the case of controlling the parameters based on the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or the temperature of the solution) and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and various parameters may be controlled based on the correlation by correlating two parameters selected from the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, the temperature of the solution (or the temperature of the nozzle 31), the drying speed of the solution, the degree of supersaturation of the solution, the crystal growth rate, the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and the like.

[3-6] other modifications

The coating apparatus capable of adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 can be applied to a case where the entire surface of the coating film is coated and formed in a wet state, and thereby the film thickness can be made uniform over the entire coating film. Such a coating apparatus is suitable for forming functional films (color filters, conductive films, polyimide films, and the like) having a uniform film thickness.

It should be considered that the above description of the embodiments is illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is disclosed not by the above embodiments but by the claims. The scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Description of the reference symbols

1 treatment chamber

2 chuck part

3 solution supply part

4 internal pressure adjusting part

5 control part

6 storage part

11A, 11B side wall

11C roof

21 stations

21a carrying surface

21b back surface

22 driving parts

31 spray nozzle

31a discharge port

32 nozzle driving part

33 liquid feeding pump

41 pressure increasing and reducing pump

42 voltage regulator

43 pressure gauge

210 guide rail

221 ball screw

221a shaft part

221b nut part

222 electric motor

321 nozzle support part

322 ball screw

322a shaft portion

322b nut portion

323 lead screw support

324 electric motor

D1 specifies the direction

D2 longitudinal direction

Sp effusion

Tm substrate

V0 constant relative velocity

V1 first relative velocity

V2 second relative velocity.