Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12374541-B2
Application number	US-202318518056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2023
Priority date	Nov 30, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a support tray that is configured in such a manner that a residual liquid getting in between a lower surface of a substrate and a substrate facing surface of the support tray is trapped in a groove. The support tray further includes a discharge part through which the residual liquid trapped in the groove is discharged from the groove through a discharge part. As a result, backflow of the residual liquid is prevented effectively, thereby preventing re-adhesion of the residual liquid to the upper surface of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate with a liquid adhering to an upper surface of the substrate using a processing fluid in a supercritical state, the apparatus comprising:
a support tray including a tray member having a substrate facing surface facing a lower surface of the substrate and a plurality of support members attached to the tray member in such a manner as to surround the substrate facing surface, the support tray supporting the substrate while separating the substrate upward from the substrate facing surface using the support members;
a chamber having internal space capable of housing the support tray supporting the substrate; and
a fluid supplier configured to supply the processing fluid into the internal space from a first end side of the internal space, thereby forming a laminar flow of the processing fluid flowing toward a second end side of the internal space along the upper surface of the substrate supported by the support tray, wherein
with the second end side of the internal space with respect to a first virtual line defined as a downstream side, the first virtual line passing through a center of the substrate facing surface and extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the laminar flow,
the tray member includes:
a downstream-side standing portion standing upward further than the substrate facing surface while located in proximity to a peripheral surface of the substrate on the downstream side;
a groove provided in a downstream-side adjoining region belonging to an outer peripheral region of the substrate facing surface and adjoining the downstream-side standing portion, the groove being configured to trap the liquid entering the downstream-side adjoining region through a gap between the substrate and the downstream-side standing portion; and
a discharge part configured to connect an interior of the groove to the internal space so as to discharge the liquid trapped in the groove into the internal space.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the discharge part is a first through hole penetrating downward from a bottom surface of the groove.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the discharge part has a plurality of the first through holes.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the first through holes are arranged symmetrically with respect to a second virtual line passing through the center of the substrate facing surface and extending parallel to the flow direction.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of lift pins having respective upper ends configured to protrude upward further than the substrate facing surface through second through holes provided in the tray member to abut on the lower surface of the substrate, thereby becoming capable of supporting the substrate from below, wherein
at least one of the second through holes penetrates a bottom surface of the groove to function as the discharge part.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the downstream-side standing portion has an upper surface as an inclined surface that becomes lower in height as the inclined surface extends further in the flow direction.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
with the first end side of the internal space with respect to the first virtual line defined as an upstream side,
the tray member includes an upstream-side standing portion standing upward further than the substrate facing surface while located in proximity to a peripheral surface of the substrate on the upstream side, and
the upstream-side standing portion has an upper surface at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate in a vertical direction.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the groove is provided along an entire perimeter of the outer peripheral region of the substrate facing surface in such a manner as to have a ring-like shape in a plan view from above.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the upstream-side standing portion and the downstream-side standing portion are separated from each other in the flow direction to form a cutout portion as a cutout from a side surface of the groove, and
the cutout portion is provided in such a manner as to allow the liquid trapped in the groove to be discharged from the tray member in the horizontal direction to function as the discharge part.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the support tray includes a first block section having an upper end protruding from a bottom surface of the groove while provided in proximity to the lower surface of the substrate, and
the first block section partitions the interior of the groove into a main trapping zone and an auxiliary trapping zone, the main trapping zone communicating with the gap between the substrate and the downstream-side standing portion, thereby trapping the liquid entering the downstream-side adjoining region, the auxiliary trapping zone communicating with a gap between the substrate and the upper end of the first block section, thereby trapping the liquid entering the downstream-side adjoining region across the first block section.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the upper end of the first block section is at a height position below a height position of the lower surface of the substrate and above a height position of the substrate facing surface in a vertical direction.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the support tray includes a second block section standing from the bottom surface of the groove in the auxiliary trapping zone, and
the second block section partitions an interior of the auxiliary trapping zone into a plurality of zones.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the second block section has an upper end at a height position below a height position of the lower surface of the substrate and above a height position of the substrate facing surface in a vertical direction.

14. A substrate processing method of processing a substrate with a liquid adhering to an upper surface of the substrate using a processing fluid in a supercritical state, the method comprising:
providing a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ;
housing the support tray into the internal space of the chamber, the support tray supporting the substrate while separating the substrate upward from the substrate facing surface using the plurality of support members;
supplying the processing fluid into the internal space from the first end side of the internal space, thereby forming a laminar flow of the processing fluid flowing toward the second end side of the internal space along the upper surface of the substrate supported by the support tray; and
performing a discharging operation that includes:
discharging the liquid together with the processing fluid from the upper surface of the substrate in the laminar flow toward the second end side of the internal space through an upper surface of the downstream-side standing portion;
trapping the liquid in the groove as the liquid comes through the gap between the substrate and the downstream-side standing portion; and
discharging the liquid trapped in the groove into the internal space through the discharge part.

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Kei
• Motono Tomohiro
• Sumi Noritake
• Ando Koji

Classifications

• H10P72/70

  for supporting or gripping · CPC title

• H10P72/7614

  characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions · CPC title

• H10P72/7611

  characterised by edge profile or support profile · CPC title

• H10P72/0408

  for drying · CPC title

• H10P72/76

  using mechanical means, e.g. clamps or pinches · CPC title