Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022105535-A1
Application number	US-202117489045-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2021
Priority date	Oct 2, 2020
Publication date	Apr 7, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing tank, a holder, an organic solvent supply, a drainage port, a gas supply, and an exhaust port. The processing tank stores an aqueous layer. The holder holds a substrate. The organic solvent supply supplies an organic solvent onto the aqueous layer to form a liquid layer of the organic solvent. The drainage port discharges the aqueous layer from a bottom wall of the processing tank and causes the liquid layer of the organic solvent to descend from above the substrate to below the substrate. The gas supply supplies a gas of a water repellent agent to the liquid layer from above the processing tank while the liquid layer descends. The exhaust port is exposed on a side wall of the processing tank by the descending of the liquid layer and discharges the gas of the water repellent gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing tank configured to store an aqueous layer in which a substrate is immersed; a holder configured to hold the substrate; an organic solvent supply configured to supply an organic solvent onto the aqueous layer, thereby forming a liquid layer of the organic solvent; a drainage port configured to discharge the aqueous layer from a bottom wall of the processing tank and cause the liquid layer of the organic solvent to descend from above the substrate to below the substrate; a gas supply configured to supply a gas of a water repellent agent to the liquid layer from above the processing tank while the liquid layer descends; and an exhaust port exposed on a side wall of the processing tank due to the descending of the liquid layer and configured to discharge the gas of the water repellent gas.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second exhaust port provided above the processing tank, wherein the second exhaust port discharges the gas of the water repellent agent at least until the discharge by the exhaust port starts.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an on-off valve configured to stop the exhaust by the second exhaust port simultaneously with or after the start of the exhaust by the exhaust port.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a liquid level sensor configured to measure a height of a liquid level of the liquid layer while the liquid layer descends; and a controller configured to control the on-off valve based on a measurement result of the liquid level sensor.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an exhaust line extending from the exhaust port, wherein a height of an upper end of the exhaust line is greater than a height of an upper end of the processing tank.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a gas-liquid separator connected to the exhaust port through the exhaust line, wherein the gas-liquid separator separates and discharges gas and liquid.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust port is provided on a pair of side walls of the processing tank facing each other.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust port is not connected to a suction source, and the gas supply supplies the gas of the water repellent agent to an above of the processing tank, so that the gas inside the processing tank is pushed out to the exhaust port by the gas supplied to the above of the processing tank.

9 . A substrate processing method comprising:
supplying an organic solvent onto an aqueous layer in a state where a substrate is immersed in the aqueous layer stored in a processing tank, thereby forming a liquid layer of the organic layer; discharging the aqueous layer from a bottom wall of the processing tank and causing the liquid layer of the organic solvent to descend from above the substrate to below the substrate; supplying a gas of a water repellent agent to the liquid layer from above the processing tank while the liquid layer descends; and discharging the gas of the water repellent agent by an exhaust port exposed to a side wall of the processing tank due to the descending of the liquid layer.

10 . The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
discharging the gas of the water repellent agent by a second exhaust port provided above the processing tank at least until the discharge by the exhaust port starts.

11 . The substrate processing method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
stopping the exhaust by the second exhaust port simultaneously with or after the start of the discharge by the exhaust port.

12 . The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
discharging the gas of the water repellent agent by an exhaust line extending from the exhaust port, wherein a height of an upper end of the exhaust line is greater than a height of an upper end of the processing tank.

13 . The substrate processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
separating gas and liquid in a gas-liquid separator connected to the exhaust port through the exhaust line.

14 . The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the exhaust port is provided on a pair of the side walls of the processing tank facing each other.

15 . The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the exhaust port is not connected to a suction source, and the gas of the water repellent agent is supplied to an above of the processing tank, so that the gas inside the processing tank is pushed out to the exhaust port by the gas supplied to the above of the processing tank.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Tsurusaki Kotaro
• Yamashita Koji
• Yamamoto Yusuke
• Tanaka Koji
• Kanagawa Kouzou

Classifications

• H10P72/0416

  with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P72/3312

  Vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces · CPC title