Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10730059-B2
Application number	US-201615058565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A substrate processing method includes a first gas discharge step of discharging, from a first discharge port, a first gas containing a vapor of a low surface tension liquid having a lower surface tension than a processing liquid and spraying, to a liquid film of the processing liquid, the first gas from a direction intersecting the upper surface such that a liquid film removal region where the liquid film is removed from the liquid film of the processing liquid is formed, a second gas discharge step of discharging a second gas containing a vapor of a low surface tension liquid having a lower surface tension than the processing liquid from an annular second discharge port different from the first discharge port laterally and radially and a liquid film removal region enlargement step of enlarging the liquid film removal region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method comprising:
a substrate holding step of holding a substrate horizontally;
a liquid film formation step of supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate;
a step of stopping the supplying of the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate after the liquid film formation step, and stationarily placing a nozzle above a center of the substrate, the nozzle including a first discharge port which discharges a gas downward and an annular second discharge port which discharges a gas laterally, the second discharge port being arranged higher than the first discharge port with respect to a vertical direction;
a first gas discharge step of discharging, in a direction intersecting the upper surface, a first gas containing a vapor of a low surface tension liquid having a lower surface tension than the processing liquid from the first discharge port of the nozzle that is stationarily placed above the center of the substrate and spraying, to the liquid film of the processing liquid, the first gas along the direction intersecting the upper surface so as to form a liquid film removal region where the liquid film is removed from the liquid film of the processing liquid;
a second gas discharge step of laterally discharging a second gas containing a vapor of a low surface tension liquid having a lower surface tension than the processing liquid radially around the center of the substrate in a horizontal direction from the second discharge port of the nozzle that is stationarily placed above the center of the substrate; and
a liquid film removal region enlargement step of enlarging the liquid film removal region while maintaining a state in which the processing liquid supply to the upper surface of the substrate is stopped,
wherein the first gas generates a first gas stream along the upper surface upon intersecting the upper surface so as to push the liquid film outwardly and enlarge the liquid removal region,
the second gas is discharged, from above the center of the substrate, radially around the center of the substrate without forming a liquid film removal region on the upper surface of the substrate such that the second gas generates a second gas stream flowing above the first gas stream and along an upper surface of the liquid film outside the liquid film removal region being enlarged by the first gas stream,
the second gas discharge step is started before start of the first gas discharge step, whereby the formation of the liquid film removal region begins after the upper surface of the liquid film around the center of the substrate has been placed in an atmosphere containing the vapor of low surface tension liquid having the lower surface tension than the processing liquid and
the nozzle is stationarily placed above the center of the substrate throughout the first gas discharge step, the second gas discharge step and the liquid film removal region enlargement step.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle further includes a first cylindrical member within which a first flow path is formed, and a flange formed in a lower end portion of the first cylindrical member, the lower end portion of the cylindrical member forming the first discharge port,
the first gas flows through the first flow path to be supplied to the first discharge port, and
the first gas having been discharged from the first discharge port passes through a space defined between the upper surface of the substrate and the flange.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2 ,
wherein the annular second discharge port is arranged higher than the flange.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3 ,
wherein the nozzle further includes a second cylindrical member that encloses the first cylindrical member and that defines, between the first and second cylindrical members, a second flow path along which the second gas is passed, and
the annular second discharge port is formed with the second cylindrical member and the flange.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first gas discharge step is performed while the second gas discharge step is performed.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid film removal region enlargement step includes a first flow rate increasing step of gradually increasing a flow rate of the first gas discharged from the first discharge port after start of the discharge of the first gas, and
the substrate processing method further includes a second flow rate increasing step of gradually increasing a flow rate of the second gas discharged from the second discharge port after start of the discharge of the second gas.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing liquid includes a rinse liquid, and
the low surface tension liquid includes an organic solvent.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the first gas discharge step and the second gas discharge step, an opposite member having an opposite surface that is opposite to an entire region of the upper surface of the substrate is placed close to the upper surface of the substrate such that a space is defined between the entire region of the upper surface of the substrate and the opposite surface.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the annular second discharge port opens laterally, and is annular around the first discharge port when viewed perpendicularly to the upper surface of the substrate.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid film removal region enlargement step further includes a step of rotating the substrate around a rotational axis passing through the center of the substrate, and a step of gradually increasing a rotation speed of the substrate during the substrate rotating step.

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Kenji

Classifications

• H10P72/0414

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

• H10P72/0406 Primary

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• B05B1/14 Primary

  with multiple outlet openings (B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence); with strainers in or outside the outlet opening · CPC title

• B05B1/005

  Nozzles or other outlets specially adapted for discharging one or more gases · CPC title

• H01L21/67028

  Electricity · mapped topic