Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10903092-B2
Application number	US-201716069532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

Pure water, a mixed solution, and an organic solvent are applied to a substrate in this order. The organic solvent is then removed by rotation. The mixed solution is a mixture of pure water and the organic solvent, and has a surface tension lower than that of the pure water. Since the mixed solution has a solubility in pure water, which is higher than that of the organic solvent, local drying on the upper surface becomes less likely at an interface between the mixed solution and the pure water, which suppresses collapse of pattern elements. Since the temperature of the substrate is raised by the mixed solution having a temperature higher than room temperature, it is possible to reduce the time required for a process related to drying.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method, comprising:
a) supplying pure water onto a main surface of a substrate being rotated, which faces upward;
b) supplying a mixed solution onto said main surface of said substrate being rotated, said mixed solution having a temperature higher than a room temperature and being prepared by mixing heated pure water that is at a temperature higher than said room temperature with an organic solvent that is at said room temperature and has a surface tension lower than that of pure water;
c) supplying said organic solvent onto said main surface of said substrate being rotated; and
d) removing said organic solvent from said main surface by rotation of said substrate.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of said organic solvent in said mixed solution is not higher than 50 vol %.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein said substrate is rotated more slowly during said supplying said organic solvent step than during said supplying said mixed solution step.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3 , further comprising reducing a flow rate of said organic solvent onto said main surface of said substrate after a predetermined amount of time from a start of said supplying said organic solvent step.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein said mixed solution is prepared by supplying pure water from a pure water supply part to a connecting part through a heater to heat said pure water to said temperature that is higher than said room temperature; supplying said organic solvent at said room temperature from an organic solvent supply part to said connecting part; and mixing said heated pure water with said organic solvent in said connecting part.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein said substrate is heated to a temperature above said room temperature in said supplying said mixed solution step and said organic solvent at said room temperature is supplied onto said main surface of said heated substrate in said supplying said organic solvent step.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 6 , wherein while the heated substrate remains at a temperature above said room temperature said heated substrate is rotated in said removing said organic solvent.

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakai Hitoshi
• Ando Koji

Classifications

• H10P72/7604

  the wafers being placed on a susceptor, stage or support · CPC title

• H10P72/0406 Primary

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

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P72/0414 Primary

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

• B08B3/10

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