Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and non-transitory storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9388931-B2
Application number	US-201213719612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2012
Priority date	Dec 28, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus to perform a predetermined process on a substrate on which a pattern mask is formed, comprising a compartment mechanism configured to switch between a compartmented state and an open state. The compartmented state includes a first section having the evaporation source formation part, and a second section configured to transfer the substrate between an outside of processing vessel and a mounting table. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a substrate transfer hole formed in the processing vessel and configured to open and close with respect to the second section being in the compartmented state; and an exhaust hole formed to connect to the second section and configured to exhaust the second section in the compartment state to remove a solvent atmosphere of the second section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method of performing a predetermined process onto a substrate, on which a pattern mask is formed by exposure and development treatments, comprising:
mounting the substrate on a mounting table installed in a process space formed in a processing vessel;
heating the substrate mounted on the mounting table by a heating part to a temperature higher than a dew-point temperature of a solvent;
evaporating the solvent from an evaporation source formation part installed in the process space opposite to the entire surface of the substrate to form an internal atmosphere of the process space to a saturated vapor atmosphere of the solvent;
forming a compartmented state by a compartment mechanism; the compartmented state representing a state that a first section, in which the evaporation source formation part is installed in the process space, and a second section for transferring the substrate between the outside of the processing vessel and the mounting table, are partitioned such that atmospheres of the first and second sections are blocked from each other;
forming an open state by compartment mechanism, the open state representing a state that the atmospheres of the first and second sections are opened to each other;
opening and closing a substrate transfer hole formed in the processing vessel with respect to the second section being in the partition state; and
exhausting the second section when in the compartmented state and removing a solvent atmosphere of the second section.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving the compartment mechanism between a standby section outside the processing vessel and the process space; and
opening and closing an opening for moving the partition mechanism in the processing vessel.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
exhausting a housing which surrounds the standby section.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
moving a mounting part for cooling, wherein the mounting part for cooling is configured to be covered by the compartment mechanism and configured to mount and cool the substrate heated by the heating part; and
transferring the substrate from the mounting table to the mounting part for cooling by a transfer mechanism, wherein the second section is formed between the mounting part for cooling and the partition mechanism.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
discharging an unnecessary solvent from the evaporation source formation part by an exhaust mechanism to the compartment mechanism;
receiving the unnecessary solvent from a liquid-receiving portion formed in the partition mechanism; and
discharging and removing the received solvent.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
supplying a purge gas to the second section;
purging a solvent atmosphere to an exhaust hole; and
removing the solvent atmosphere of the second section.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
supplying the solvent from the solvent storing part storing the solvent therein to solvent supply holes by a capillary action,
wherein the solvent supply holes constitute the evaporation source formation part and are formed to be opened toward the substrate at an opposite portion formed to face the substrate in the evaporation source formation part.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in a substrate processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process to a substrate on which a pattern mask is formed by exposure and development treatments, the storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute the substrate processing claim 1 .

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Shinji

Classifications

• H10P72/3306 Primary

  Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• C23C14/24 Primary

  Vacuum evaporation · CPC title

• G03F7/38

  Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking {(G03F7/265 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y10T137/794

  With means for separating solid material from the fluid · CPC title