Patent Grant
8137478
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing method for cleaning substrates such as semiconductor wafers and then drying the substrates, and a substrate processing method therefor.
2. Background Art
When manufacturing a semiconductor device, a processing apparatus is used for cleaning, with the use of a chemical liquid, a semiconductor wafer (referred to as “wafer” below) held on a spin chuck. In a cleaning process performed by such an apparatus, a process liquid such as a deionized water is supplied to a wafer, and thereafter the wafer is rotated to remove liquid droplets therefrom due to the centrifugal force so as to dry the wafer.
Conventional methods for drying a wafer include methods for spraying a rotating wafer with an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) vapor, spraying a rotating wafer with atomized IPA, and supplying an IPA liquid to a rotating wafer. Another method for drying a wafer is, while supplying a deionized water to a wafer from a nozzle that radially moves outward from a rotational center of the wafer, to supply an IPA vapor or the like to the wafer at a position nearer to the rotational center than a position at which the deionized water is supplied (JP 11-233481A, and JP 2003-197590A).
However, when a wafer has a high hydrophobic property, the conventional processing method is disadvantageous in that particles generate on a surface of the wafer after it is subjected to a drying process. In particular, when a wafer has a larger diameter, it is difficult to restrain particles (such as stripe water marks generated by a precipitation of a chemical liquid or the like) from appearing near a peripheral portion of the wafer. A possible method for preventing the generation of such particles is to increase a supply amount of a drying fluid such as IPA. However, a larger cost is required for the fluid.
The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing the generation of particles on a substrate after it is dried, while decreasing the amount of fluid used for drying the substrate.
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a substrate processing method comprising the steps of:
processing the substrate by a process liquid;
forming a liquid film on an upper surface of the substrate by supplying thereon a first fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid; and
supplying a second fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, while rotating the substrate; wherein
at the step of supplying the second fluid, a supply position of the second fluid to the substrate is moved radially outward relative to a rotational center of the substrate.
The substrate processing method may further comprise a chemical process step of processing the substrate by a chemical liquid, before the step of processing the substrate by the process liquid.
At the step of forming the liquid film, while rotating the substrate, a supply position of the first fluid to the substrate may be moved radially outward relative to the rotational center of the substrate to form the liquid film.
At the step of supplying the second fluid, a drying gas may be further supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and supply positions of the drying gas and the second fluid to the substrate may be moved radially outward relative to the rotational center of the wafer, respectively, while maintaining the supply position of the drying gas to the substrate nearer to the rotational center of the substrate than the supply position of the second fluid.
The step of supplying the second fluid may be performed, while sucking an atmosphere near the upper surface of the substrate.
At least one of the step of forming the liquid film and the step of supplying the second fluid may be performed, with a humidity around the substrate being lower than that at the step of processing the substrate by the process liquid.
In addition, the present invention provides a storage medium for storing a program executable by a controller of a substrate processing apparatus, to execute a substrate processing method comprising the steps of:
processing the substrate by a process liquid;
forming a liquid film on an upper surface of the substrate by supplying thereon a first fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid; and
supplying a second fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid to the upper surface of the substrate, while rotating the substrate; wherein
at the step of supplying the second fluid, a supply position of the second fluid to the substrate is moved radially outward relative to a rotational center of the substrate.
Moreover, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
(a) a spin chuck configured to hold a substrate and rotate the same;
(b) a process liquid supply system configured to supply a process liquid to an upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck;
(c) a first fluid supply system having a first fluid nozzle, configured to supply, from the first fluid nozzle to the upper surface of the substrate, a first fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid;
(d) a second fluid supply system having a second fluid nozzle, configured to supply, from the second fluid nozzle to the upper surface of the substrate, a second fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid;
(e) a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move radially outward the second fluid nozzle relative to a rotational center of the substrate; and
(f) a controller configured to control the spin chuck, the process liquid supply system, the first fluid supply system, the second fluid supply system, and the nozzle moving mechanism, to execute the steps of:
supplying the process liquid from the supply system to the upper surface of the substrate;
supplying the first fluid from the first fluid nozzle to the upper surface of the substrate; and
supplying the second fluid from the second fluid nozzle to the upper surface of the substrate, while rotating the substrate by the spin chuck and moving the second fluid nozzle by the nozzle moving mechanism.
The substrate processing apparatus may further comprise a drying gas nozzle configured to supply a drying gas to the upper surface of the substrate; wherein
the nozzle moving mechanism is configured to move radially outward the drying gas nozzle and the second fluid nozzle relative to the rotational center of the substrate, while maintaining the drying gas nozzle nearer to the rotational center of the substrate than the second fluid nozzle.
The substrate processing apparatus may further comprise a suction nozzle configured to suck an atmosphere near the upper surface of the substrate, wherein
the nozzle moving mechanism is configured to move radially outward the suction nozzle and the second fluid nozzle relative to the rotational center of the substrate, while maintaining the suction nozzle farther away from the rotational center of the substrate than the second fluid nozzle.
The substrate processing apparatus may further comprise a humidity adjusting system configured to adjust a humidity around the substrate held by the spin chuck.
For example, the drying gas is an inert gas or a dry air. For example, the processing liquid is a rising liquid, such as a deionized water. For example, at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid is selected from the group consisting of an IPA liquid, an IPA solution, a mist of IPA liquid, an IPA vapor, and a vapor of IPA solution. That is, the “fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid” in the present invention is a concept including a liquid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid, and a vapor of such liquid.
According to the present invention, a first fluid having a higher volatility than that of a process liquid is supplied to an upper surface of a substrate to form thereon a liquid film, at first. Then, a second fluid having a higher volatility than that of the process liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, while the substrate is being rotated. During this supply operation, a supply position of the second fluid is moved radially outward relative to a rotational center of the substrate. Due to this, it is possible to prevent the generation of particles on the substrate after it is dried by using the first and second fluids.
When the second fluid is supplied, a drying gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and a supply position of the drying gas and the supply position of the second fluid are moved radially outward relative to the rotational center of the substrate, while maintaining the supply position of the drying gas to the substrate nearer to the rotational center of the substrate than the supply position of the second fluid to the substrate. Since the use of the drying gas promotes drying of the substrate, an amount of the second fluid used for drying the substrate can be relatively reduced.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, based on a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning an upper surface of a substantially disk-shaped silicon wafer W as a substrate.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The first support arm 6 is disposed above the wafer W supported by the spin chuck 3. A proximal end of the support arm 6 is supported to be capable of moving along a guide rail 31 which is substantially horizontally placed. A driving mechanism 32 is disposed for moving the support arm 6 along the guide rail 31. As shown in
As shown in
The liquid nozzle 5 is connected to a chemical liquid (DHF) supply source 41 through a chemical liquid supply channel 42, and is connected to a rinse liquid (DIW) supply source 43 through a rinse liquid supply channel 44. On-off valves 45 and 46 are disposed on the chemical liquid supply channel 42 and the rinse liquid supply channel 44, respectively. On-off actions of the on-off valves 45 and 46 are controlled by the controller 16. The liquid nozzle 5, the chemical liquid supply source 41, the chemical liquid supply channel 42, and the on-off valve 45 constitute a chemical liquid supply system. The liquid nozzle 5, the rinse liquid supply source 43, the rinse liquid supply channel 44, and the on-off valve 46 constitute a rinse liquid (process liquid) supply system.
The second support arm 15 is disposed above the wafer W supported by the spin chuck 3. A proximal end of the support arm 15 is supported to be capable of moving along a guide rail 51 which is substantially horizontally placed. A driving mechanism 52 is disposed for moving the support arm 15 along the guide rail 51. These members constitutes a nozzle moving mechanism that horizontally moves the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The fluid nozzle 12 is connected through a fluid supply channel 67 to a fluid supply source 66, such as a tank, in which an IPA liquid is received. An on-off valve 68 is disposed on the fluid supply channel 67. An on-off action of the on-off valve 68 is controlled by the controller 16. The fluid nozzle 12, the fluid supply source 66, the fluid supply channel 67, and the on-off valve 68 constitute a fluid supply system.
The drying gas nozzle 13 is connected to an inert gas (N2) supply source 71 through an inert gas supply channel 72. An on-off valve 73 is disposed on the inert gas supply channel 72. An on-off action of the on-off valve 73 is controlled by the controller 16. The gas nozzle 13, the gas supply source 71, the gas supply channel 72, and the on-off valve 73 constitute a drying gas supply system.
Respective functional elements in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are connected through signal lines to the controller that automatically controls an overall operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The functional elements herein mean all the elements, such as the motor 20, the driving mechanism 32, the elevating mechanism 35, the driving mechanism 52, the elevating mechanism 55, and the on-off valves 45, 46, 68, and 73, that are operated to execute predetermined processes. The controller 16 is typically a multi-purpose computer capable of realizing a given function depending on a program to be executed.
As shown in
The storage medium 16c may be fixedly disposed on the controller 16. Alternatively, the storage medium 16c may be removably disposed on a reader, not shown, mounted on the controller 16, and may be readable by the reader. In the most typical case, the storage medium 16c is a hard disk drive in which a control program has been installed by an operator of a manufacturing company of the substrate processing apparatus 1. In another case, the storage medium 16c is a removable disk such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM in which a control program is written. Such a removable disk is read by a not-shown optical reader mounted on the controller 16. The storage medium 16c may either be a RAM (random access memory) type or a ROM (read only memory) type. Alternatively, the storage medium 16c may be a cassette type ROM. In short, any medium known in the technical field of a computer can be employed as the storage medium 16c. In a factory where the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 are placed, the control program may be stored in an executive computer that comprehensively controls the controller 16 in each substrate processing apparatus 1. In this case, the respective substrate processing apparatuses 1 are operated by the executive controller via communication lines so as to execute predetermined processes.
Now, a method for processing a wafer W carried out by the substrate processing apparatus 1 as structured above is described.
First, a wafer W, which has not been cleaned yet, is loaded into the process vessel 2 by a transfer arm, not shown, and the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 3 as shown in
After the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 3, the spin chuck 3 is driven in rotation by the motor 20 shown in
Upon completion of the chemical process, the rinsing step is performed. In the rinsing step, a deionized water is supplied toward the rotational center Po of the rotating wafer W from the liquid nozzle 5. The thus supplied deionized water is dispersed over the whole upper surface of the wafer W due to the centrifugal force. The chemical liquid adhered to the upper surface of the wafer W is rinsed away from the wafer W by the deionized water. A rotational speed of the wafer W during the rinsing process is preferably faster than that of the wafer W while the chemical liquid is supplied thereto, and is set at about 1000 rpm, for example. After the wafer W is sufficiently rinsed by the deionized water, the supply of the deionized water from the liquid nozzle 5 is stopped. Thereafter, the support arm 6 positioned above the wafer W is retracted therefrom to be returned to the standby position.
Following the rinsing step, a liquid film forming step is carried out for forming a liquid film of an IPA liquid on the wafer W. First, as indicated by the chain lines shown in
After the liquid film of the IPA liquid is formed on the upper surface of the wafer W, a drying step for drying the wafer W is performed by supplying an IPA liquid (second fluid) and nitrogen gas (drying gas) to the wafer W. First, a supply of an IPA liquid from the fluid nozzle 12 and then a supply of nitrogen gas from the drying gas nozzle 13 are started, with the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 being positioned near above the rotational center Po of the wafer W. Then, as shown in
The supply of the IPA liquid and the supply of the nitrogen gas may be simultaneously started. For example, by starting the supply of the IPA liquid and the nitrogen gas when the fluid nozzle 12 is moved to a position directly above the rotational center Po of the wafer W, the supply of the IPA liquid may be started from the rotational center Po of the wafer W, and the supply of the nitrogen gas may be started from a position slightly behind away from the rotational center Po in the nozzle moving direction D. Alternatively, the supply of the nitrogen gas may be started, after starting the supply of the IPA liquid, when the drying gas nozzle 13 is moved to a position directly above the rotational center Po of the wafer W, whereby the supply of the nitrogen gas is started from the rotational center Po of the wafer W. Alternatively, the supply of the IPA liquid and the supply of the nitrogen gas may be started at positions slightly behind away from the rotational center Po in the nozzle moving direction D.
The IPA liquid supplied on the upper surface of the rotating wafer W flows radially outward on the wafer W due to the centrifugal force. While the supply position Sf of the IPA liquid is moved in the nozzle moving direction D, the supply position Sn of the drying gas is maintained nearer to the rotational center Po of the wafer W than the adjacent supply position Sf. In this case, the supply position Sn of the nitrogen gas is positioned between the rotational center Po and the supply position Sf. Thus, the IPA liquid supplied onto the upper surface of the wafer W is immediately washed away by the nitrogen gas, so that drying of the wafer W can be expedited. Accordingly, the wafer W can be efficiently dried with a less amount of IPA liquid, i.e., an amount of IPA liquid to be used can be restrained. Further, since an oxidation density causing water marks can be suppressed, the generation of water marks can be avoided.
A rotational speed of the wafer W at the drying step is between about 500 rpm and 800 rpm, for example. A moving speed of the supply position Sf of the IPA liquid and the supply position Sn of the nitrogen gas in the moving direction D is, e.g., about 150 mm/sec. Alternatively, a rotational speed of the wafer W may be varied in accordance with radial locations of the supply positions Sf and Sn on the wafer W. For example, when the supply positions Sf and Sn reside radially inward in the wafer W, the rotational speed of the wafer W may be increased. Meanwhile, when the supply positions Sf and Sn reside radially outward in the wafer W, the rotational speed of the wafer W may be lowered. To give an actual example, in drying the wafer W with a diameter of about 300 mm, the wafer W may be driven at a rotational speed of 800 rpm when the supply positions Sf and Sn are located within a radius of about 90 mm from the rotational center Po of the wafer W. Meanwhile, the wafer W may be driven at a rotational speed of 500 rpm, when the supply positions Sf and Sn are located outside the above range.
Alternatively, a moving speed of the supply positions Sf and Sn in the nozzle moving direction D may be varied in accordance with radial locations of the supply positions Sf and Sn on the wafer W. For example, when the supply positions Sf and Sn reside radially inward in the wafer W, the moving speed thereof may be increased. Meanwhile, when the supply positions Sf and Sn reside radially outward in the wafer W, the moving speed thereof may be lowered. To give an actual example, in drying the wafer W with a diameter of about 300 mm, the supply positions Sf and Sn may be moved at a moving speed of about 7 mm/sec, when the supply positions Sf and Sn are located within a radius of about 90 mm from the rotational center Po of the wafer W. Meanwhile, the supply positions Sf and Sn may be moved at a moving speed of about 3 mm/sec, when the supply positions Sf and Sn are outside the above range.
When the supply position Sf of the IPA liquid reaches a position on a periphery of the wafer W, the supply of the IPA liquid from the fluid nozzle 12 is stopped. Similarly, when the supply position Sn of the nitrogen gas reaches a position on the periphery of the wafer W, the supply of the nitrogen gas from the drying gas nozzle 13 is stopped. Then, the drying step is completed. It is possible to temporarily stay the supply position Sn of the nitrogen gas at a position on the periphery of the wafer W to continue for a while the supply of the nitrogen gas onto the periphery, and then stop the supply of the nitrogen gas. In this case, the wafer can be more reliably dried.
After the drying step is finished, the rotation of the spin chuck 3 is stopped, and the not-shown transfer arm is allowed to enter the process vessel 2. The wafer W is delivered from the spin chuck 3 to the transfer arm, and is then unloaded from the process vessel 2. In this manner, a series of processes for the wafer W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 are finished.
As described above, according to this embodiment, after the deionized water is supplied, a liquid film of the IPA liquid (first fluid) is formed on the upper surface of the wafer W. Thus, the deionized water adhered to the upper surface of the wafer W can be surely brought in and mixed with the IPA liquid. In addition, since the liquid film covering the wafer W prevents a natural drying of the upper surface of the wafer W, in particular, a periphery thereof, the generation of particles on the upper surface of the wafer W can be prevented. Even when the upper surface of the wafer W is highly hydrophobic, the generation of particles can be efficiently prevented.
After the liquid film of the IPA liquid is formed, the IPA liquid (second fluid) is supplied to the wafer W, while the supply position Sf is moved radially outward from the rotational center Po, i.e., in the moving direction D. Thus, the liquid film of the IPA liquid (first fluid) taking therein and being mixed with the deionized water can be flushed away and removed from the wafer W. As a result, the upper surface of the wafer W can be uniformly, efficiently dried. In addition, nitrogen gas for drying the wafer W is supplied at the supply position Sn, which is behind the supply position Sf of the IPA liquid in the moving direction D, so that the liquid (mainly the IPA liquid) remaining on the wafer W is washed out toward the periphery of the wafer W. Thus, drying of the wafer W can be promoted. Accordingly, an amount of the IPA liquid (second fluid) used for drying the wafer W can be relatively reduced. Besides, the generation of particles caused by a difference between a volatile property of IPA and that of a deionized water can be prevented to thereby enhance a quality of the wafer W.
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, not limited to a semiconductor wafer, a substrate may be a glass substrate for an LCD, a CD substrate, a print substrate, a ceramic substrate, and so on.
The method has been described in which the wafer W is subjected to the chemical process step, the rinsing step, the liquid film forming step, and the drying step. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various other processes. Besides, a chemical liquid used in the chemical process step is not limited to a liquid for cleaning the wafer W. For example, the chemical process step may be an etching step in which the wafer W is etched by supplying thereto an etching chemical liquid, such as HF (hydrogen fluoride). Alternatively, the chemical process step may be a step for removing a resist, and a step for removing etching residues. Moreover, the wafer W may subjected to, for example, a scrubbing process in which the wafer W is rubbed by a scriber such as a brush and a sponge, and subsequently subjected to the rinsing step, liquid film forming step, and drying step. Although a deionized water as a rinse liquid is given as an example of a process liquid, the process liquid is not limited thereto.
In the above embodiment, the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid (process liquid) are supplied from the same liquid nozzle 5. However, these liquids may naturally be supplied from separate nozzles. In this case, a nozzle for supplying the chemical liquid and a nozzle for supplying the rinse liquid may be respectively supported by separate arms. Alternatively, the nozzle for supplying the rinse liquid may be supported by the support arm 15 that supports the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13.
Given herein as an example to describe the liquid film forming step is a case in which the IPA liquid (first fluid) is supplied onto the rotational center Po of the wafer W, and a liquid film is formed by utilizing the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the wafer W. However, a method for forming a liquid film is not limited thereto. For example, the supply position of the IPA liquid may be moved above the wafer W between the rotational center Po and the periphery of the wafer W, while rotating the wafer W. In this case as well, a liquid film can be suitably formed. In this method, the supply position of the IPA liquid may either be radially moved only once in an outward or inward direction relative to the rotational center Po, or be radially reciprocated once or more relative to the rotational center Po. A moving speed of a supply position of the IPA liquid (first fluid) at the liquid film forming step is preferably faster than that of the supply position Sf of the IPA liquid (second fluid) at the drying step. This enables that a liquid film is formed more rapidly. At the liquid film forming step, a moving speed of the supply position of the IPA liquid is, e.g., about 150 mm/sec, and a rotational speed of the wafer W is e.g., about 300 rpm. The rotational speed of the wafer W at the liquid film forming step is preferably slower than that of the wafer W at the drying step. This enables a reliable formation of a liquid film, without the centrifugal force discouraging the liquid film formation. On the other hand, since the wafer W is rotated at relatively a higher speed, the wafer W can be promptly dried.
The first and second fluids, that have a volatile property higher than the rinse liquid (process liquid), are not limited to an IPA liquid. Instead of the IPA liquid, an IPA solution containing IPA diluted by a deionized water or the like may be used as at least one of the first and second fluids (hereinafter referred to as “drying fluid”). In this case, an amount of the drying fluid to be used can be reduced, which results in decrease in cost. In addition to a liquid state, the drying fluid may take an atomized state, a jet-flow state, and a gaseous state. For example, a mist of IPA liquid, a mist of IPA solution, an IPA vapor, or a vapor of IPA solution (mixed vapor in which IPA vapor and water vapor are mixed) may be used as the drying fluid. Besides, a mixture of the mist or vapor and a gas such as nitrogen gas may be used as the drying fluid. Moreover, an organic solvent containing an organic compound such as HFE (hydrofluoro ether) and acetone, and a liquid containing a surface-active agent may be used as the drying fluid. In this case, any state, such as an atomized state, a jet-flow state, and a vapor state, will do. Also in the case where these fluids are used as the second fluid, drying of the wafer W can be accelerated by simultaneously supplying a drying gas such as nitrogen gas. Thus, an amount of the second fluid to be used can be decreased, so that a reduction in cost can be achieved.
Alternatively, the first fluid and the second fluid may not be identical to each other. For example, a density of IPA in an IPA solution used as the first fluid and a density of IPA in an IPA solution used as the second fluid may be different from each other. Alternatively, states (phases) of the first fluid and the second fluid may be different from each other. For example, it is possible to use a liquid such as an IPA liquid as the first fluid, and to use a gas such as an IPA vapor or a mist of IPA liquid as the second fluid.
In the above embodiment, although the first fluid and the second fluid are supplied from the single fluid nozzle 12, the first fluid and the second fluid may be supplied from separate nozzles. For example, a first nozzle for supplying the first fluid and a second fluid nozzle for supplying the second fluid may be supported by the support arm 15 so as to move the first fluid nozzle, the second fluid nozzle, and the drying gas nozzle 13 all together.
A two-fluid nozzle may be used as a nozzle for supplying the drying fluid. For example, an IPA liquid or IPA solution is formed inside the two-fluid nozzle into a jet-flow of a number of particulate droplets by mixing a liquid, such as an IPA liquid or IPA solution, and a gas, such as nitrogen gas. The droplets are accelerated by the gas and jetted from the two-fluid nozzle. A structure of the two-fluid nozzle is not limited to an internal mixing type, but may be a structure of an external mixing type in which a liquid and a gas are mixed outside.
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
Not limited to nitrogen gas, a drying gas used at the drying step may be another inert gas. The drying gas is not limited to an inert gas, but may be air or the like. Also in this case, the second fluid (e.g., IPA liquid) which has been supplied on an upper surface of the wafer W can be flushed away, and drying of the wafer W can be promoted. In addition, the drying gas may be a gas, such as a dry air or the like, with its humidity being forcibly lowered as compared with a general state of the gas. In this case, a humidity near the upper surface of the wafer W can be reduced to facilitate evaporation of a liquid, such as the IPA liquid, adhered to the wafer W, whereby drying of the wafer W can be more expedited. An absolute humidity of the drying gas is not more than 1 g/m3, for example.
Next, another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
To supply from the fluid nozzle 12 a second fluid forcibly heated by the fluid heater 67a at a temperature higher than a normal temperature promotes evaporation of the first fluid and the second fluid that have been supplied to the wafer W, whereby the wafer W can be more efficiently dried. Similarly, to supply from the drying gas nozzle 13 a drying gas forcibly heated at a temperature higher than a normal temperature promotes evaporation of the first fluid and the second fluid that have been supplied to the wafer W, whereby the wafer W can be more efficiently dried.
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
Due to this structure, at the drying step, moisture contained in an atmosphere near the supply position Sf can be sucked by the suction nozzle 80, while the second fluid (IPA liquid or the like) is supplied from the fluid nozzle 12 which is moved in the moving direction D. Thus, it can be prevented that moisture in the processing space S is dissolved in the second fluid supplied onto the supply position Sf on the wafer W. Therefore, the wafer W can be favorably dried. In particular, by sucking an atmosphere at a position ahead of the supply position Sf of the second fluid in the moving direction D, an more improved effect can be obtained.
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
In this embodiment, the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 are supported by a sole support arm 15, such that the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 are moved together with the support arm 15. However, the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 may be supported by separate support arms.
In this embodiment, while the second fluid is supplied to the wafer W, the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 are moved in the same direction relative to the wafer W, i.e., in the moving direction D. However, the fluid nozzle 12 and the drying gas nozzle 13 may be moved in different directions.
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
In a case where the fluid nozzle 12 is divided into a first fluid nozzle and a second fluid nozzle as described above, and a case where the suction nozzle 80 shown in
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus shown in
Another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus provided with a humidity adjusting system shown in
To be specific, as shown in
A gas for adjusting a humidity supplied from the gas supply source 96 is not limited to an inert gas, and may be another gas such as an air. When air is used, the humidity in the processing space S can also be favorably controlled.
In general, a clean room in which a substrate processing apparatus is installed has a normal temperature (about 23° C.) and a relative humidity of about 40% to about 45%. The humidity in the processing space S may be decreased in comparison with the relative humidity of the clean room, at least at one of the liquid film forming step and the drying step. This can further enhances a drying performance of the wafer W. In this case, the humidity of the processing space S may be, e.g., about not more than 25% (relative humidity at a temperature of about 23° C.). Alternatively, the absolute humidity of the processing space S may be, e.g., about 5 g/m3.
Adjustment of the humidity in the processing space S is carried out at least at only one of the film forming step and the drying step. However, not limited thereto, the humidity of the processing space S may be adjusted between the chemical process step and the rinsing step. Alternatively, the humidity of the processing space S may be constantly adjusted.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 11394337 | Mar 2006 | US |
| Child | 12857973 | US |
