Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, fluid supplying method and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046370-B2
Application number	US-201715491058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2012
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus including: a processing chamber configured to process a substrate; a fluid supply source configured to supply a substrate processing fluid used in processing for the substrate in a predetermined pressure; a constant pressure supplying path configured to supply the substrate processing fluid from the fluid supply source to the processing chamber in a predetermined pressure without boosting the pressure of the substrate processing liquid; a boosted pressure supplying path configured to boost the pressure of the substrate processing fluid from the fluid supply source into a predetermined pressure by a booster mechanism and supply the pressure boosted substrate processing fluid to the processing chamber; and a control unit configured to switch over the constant pressure supplying path and the boosted pressure supplying path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber configured to process a substrate by a supercritical fluid or a subcritical fluid;
a fluid supply tank configured to supply a raw fluid to the processing chamber;
a first fluid supplying path and a second fluid supplying path each provided at an upstream side of the processing chamber, and each configured to allow the raw fluid supplied from the fluid supply tank to flow therethrough toward the processing chamber, the second fluid supplying path being provided in parallel with the first fluid supplying path;
a first filter provided in the first fluid supplying path and configured to remove foreign matter contained in the raw fluid in a gas state;
a second filter provided in the second fluid supplying path and configured to remove foreign matter contained in the raw fluid in one of a liquid state, a supercritical state and a subcritical state;
a fluid path switching valve provided in such a manner that an end of the fluid path switching valve is connected to the fluid supply tank and the other end of the fluid path switching valve is switchably connected to either an end of the first fluid supplying path or an end of the second fluid supplying path, and configured to switch a flow of the raw fluid supplied from the fluid supplying tank between the first fluid supplying path and the second fluid supplying path, the other end of each of the first fluid supplying path and the second fluid supplying path being connected to the processing chamber; and
a controller configured to control the fluid path switching valve such that:
the raw fluid is supplied to the processing chamber through the first fluid supplying path during a period where the raw fluid is supplied from the fluid supplying tank toward the processing chamber in the gas state, and
the raw fluid is supplied to the processing chamber through the second fluid supplying path during a period where the raw fluid is supplied from the fluid supplying tank toward the processing chamber in one of the liquid state, the supercritical state and the subcritical state.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
when the foreign matter having a size of 3 nm or more and contained in the raw fluid in the gas state passes through the first filter of the first fluid supplying path, the first filter has a collection efficiency equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and
when the foreign matter having a size of 65 nm or more and contained in the raw fluid in one of the liquid state, the supercritical state and the subcritical state passes through the second filter of the second fluid supplying path, the second filter has a collection efficiency equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined value of the collection efficiency of the first filter is 99.9999999% or more, and the predetermined value of the collection efficiency of the second filter is 97% or more.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Goshi Gentaro
• Mitsuoka Kazuyuki
• You Gen
• Ohno Hiroki
• Orii Takehiko
• Toshima Takayuki

Classifications

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0408 Primary

  for drying · CPC title

• H10P50/00 Primary

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• B08B3/10 Primary

  with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration · CPC title