Coating and developing method and coating and developing apparatus

• US 10,394,125 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kawakami, Shinichiro, Mizunoura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Walke, Amanda C.
• Application Number:
  US15/712,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 430322, 4302731, 430325, 430329, 430330, 430331, 430434, 430435, 427282, 427300, 427532
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/005 Spin coating
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/32 using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/322 Removable films used as masks
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/36 Successively applying liquids or other fluent materials, e.g. without intermediate treatment
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0043 Chalcogenides; Silicon, germanium, arsenic or derivatives thereof; Metals, oxides or alloys thereof G03F7/0044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/11 having cover layers or intermediate layers, e.g. subbing layers G03F7/091 - G03F7/093, B41N3/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/162 Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/168 Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2002 with visible light or UV light, through an original having an opaque pattern on a transparent support, e.g. film printing, projection printing; by reflection of visible or UV light from an original such as a printed image
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/3021 from a wafer supported on a rotating chuck
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/3057 characterised by the processing units other than the developing unit, e.g. washing units
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/32 Liquid compositions therefor, e.g. developers
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/38 Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking G03F7/265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70991 Connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure stations, particular arrangement of exposure apparatus and pre-exposure and/or post-exposure apparatus; Shared apparatus, e.g. having shared radiation source, shared mask or workpiece stage, shared base-plate; Utilities, e.g. cable, pipe or wireless arrangements for data, power, fluids or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0274 Photolithographic processes

Abstract

A coating and developing method includes: a step that applies a resist containing a metal to a front surface of a substrate to form a resist film, and exposes the resist film; a developing step that supplies a developer to the front surface of the substrate to develop the resist film; and a step that forms, before the developing step, a first protective film on a peripheral part of the substrate on which the resist film is not formed, so as to prevent the developer from coming into contact with the peripheral part of the substrate, wherein the first protective film is formed at least on a peripheral end surface and a peripheral portion of a rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate.

Claims

1. A coating and developing method comprising:

a step that applies a resist containing a metal to a front surface of a substrate to form a resist film, and exposes the resist film;

a developing step that supplies a developer to the front surface of the substrate to develop the resist film; and

a step that forms, before the developing step, a first protective film on a peripheral part of the substrate on which the resist film is not formed, so as to prevent the developer from coming into contact with the peripheral part of the substrate, wherein the first protective film is formed at least on a peripheral end surface and a peripheral portion of a rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate,

wherein the step that forms the first protective film includes;

a step that forms, before applying the resist to the substrate, a second protective film on the peripheral end surface and the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate, the second protective film being capable of preventing the resist from being supplied onto the peripheral end surface and the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate;

a step that removes, before the resist film is exposed, the second protective film formed on the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate while leaving the second protective film formed on the peripheral end surface,

a step that forms a third protective film on the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate, before the developer is supplied to the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate;

wherein the first protective film is composed of the second protective film left on the peripheral end surface of the substrate and the third protective film, and

wherein the third protective film is a liquid film, which is formed of a process liquid supplied onto the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate that is rotating.

2. The coating and developing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step that removes the first protective film, after the developing step.

3. The coating and developing method according to claim 2, wherein the step that removes the first protective film includes a step that heats a solvent capable of removing the second protective film forming the first protective film and a step that supplies the solvent thus heated to the substrate.

4. The coating and developing method according to claim 2, wherein the step that removes the first protective film includes a step that brings a removal unit into contact with the second protective film, forming the first protective film, formed on the substrate that is rotating, the removal unit being configured to rub the second protective film to remove the first or second protective film.

5. The coating and developing method according to claim 1, wherein the step that removes the second protective film includes a step that heats a solvent capable of removing the protective film and a step that supplies the solvent thus heated to the substrate.

6. The coating and developing method according to claim 1, wherein the step that removes the second protective film includes a step that brings a removal unit into contact with the first or second protective film formed on the substrate that is rotating, the removal unit being configured to rub the first or second protective film to remove the first or second protective film.

7. The coating and developing method according to claim 1, wherein the step that forms the second protective film includes a step that hydrophobizes the substrate.

8. A coating and developing method comprising:

a step that applies a resist containing a metal to a front surface of a substrate to form a resist film, and exposes the resist film;

a developing step that supplies a developer to the front surface of the substrate to develop the resist film; and

a step that forms, before the developing step, a first protective film on a peripheral part of the substrate on which the resist film is not formed, so as to prevent the developer from coming into contact with the peripheral part of the substrate, wherein the first protective film is formed at least on a peripheral end surface and a peripheral portion of a rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate,

wherein the first protective film is formed after the resist film is exposed,

said method further comprising a step that heats the substrate after the resist film is exposed and before the first protective film is formed.

9. The coating and developing method according to claim 8, wherein the developing step and the step that forms the first protective film are performed while the substrate being placed on the same stage unit.

10. The coating and developing method according to claim 8, wherein the step that forms the first or second protective film includes a step that hydrophobizes the substrate.

11. A coating and developing method comprising:

a step that applies a resist containing a metal to a front surface of a substrate to form a resist film, and exposes the resist film;

a developing step that supplies a developer to the front surface of the substrate to develop the resist film; and

a step that forms, before the developing step, a first protective film on a peripheral part of the substrate on which the resist film is not formed, so as to prevent the developer from coming into contact with the peripheral part of the substrate, wherein the first protective film is formed at least on a peripheral end surface and a peripheral portion of a rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate,

wherein the first protective film is formed after exposing the resist film,

said method further comprising a step that heats the substrate after the step that forms the first protective film and before the developing step.

12. The coating and developing method according to claim 11, wherein the step that forms the first or second protective film includes a step that hydrophobizes the substrate.

13. A coating and developing method comprising:

a step that applies a resist containing a metal to a front surface of a substrate to form a resist film, and exposes the resist film;

a developing step that supplies a developer to the front surface of the substrate to develop the resist film; and

a step that supplies an adhesion prevention liquid for preventing adhesion of the metal to a peripheral part of the substrate on which the resist film is not formed, wherein the adhesion prevention liquid is supplied during a time period from before the developer is supplied to the peripheral part of the substrate until the developer is removed from the front surface of the substrate, wherein the adhesion prevention liquid is supplied at least to a peripheral end surface and a peripheral portion of a rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate, while rotating the substrate, so that the adhesion prevention liquid forms a liquid film that covers at least the peripheral end surface and the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate to prevent or suppress adhesion of the metal dissolved in the developer from the resist film to at least the peripheral end surface and the peripheral portion of the rear surface of the substrate in the peripheral part of the substrate.

14. The coating and developing method according to claim 13, wherein the developing step includes a step that covers the front surface of the substrate with the developer, by rotating the substrate and by moving a position onto which the developer is supplied from a peripheral part to a central part of the substrate.