Substrate liquid processing apparatus, substrate liquid processing method, and storage medium

• US 10,643,874 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiroshi, Hirayama, Tsukasa, Inada, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Norton, Nadine G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dahimene, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US15/617,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67086 with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit, a processing liquid circulating line, and a boiling state detecting unit provided in a processing bath of the liquid processing unit. The controller controls a supply pump of the processing liquid circulating line based on a signal from the boiling state detecting unit, and adjusts a pressure of a supplied phosphoric acid aqueous solution in a flow path so as to adjust the boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution to a desired state.

Claims

1. A method of performing a liquid processing on substrates, the method comprising:

processing the substrates using a phosphoric acid aqueous solution having a predetermined concentration of phosphoric acid in a liquid processing unit including a bath that stores the processing liquid and the substrates;

supplying the phosphoric acid aqueous solution to the liquid processing unit by a processing liquid supply including a supply pump;

detecting an intensity of a boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution by a boiling state detector including a back pressure indicator provided in the liquid processing unit, the back pressure indicator configured to detect a back pressure of an inert gas within the bath; and

controlling the supply pump based on a signal from the boiling state detector by a controller and adjusting a pressure of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution in a flow path supplied from the processing liquid supply to the liquid processing unit, such that the intensity of the boiling state of the phosphoric acid may be adjusted to a desired intensity level while the predetermined concentration of the phosphoric acid in the phosphoric acid aqueous solution is unchanged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution is intense based on the signal from the boiling state detector, the controller increases the pressure of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution in the flow path from the supply pump to suppress the boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution, and

when the boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution is gentle, the controller decreases the pressure of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution in the flow path from the supply pump to promote the boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing liquid supply includes a processing liquid circulating line connected to the liquid processing unit, and

the supply pump is provided in the processing liquid circulating line.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing liquid supply is connected to a phosphoric acid aqueous solution supply configured to supply the phosphoric acid aqueous solution, and a pure water supply configured to supply pure water.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing both the phosphoric acid aqueous solution and the pure water together in an outer bath separate from the substrates.

5. A method of performing a liquid processing on substrates, the method comprising:

processing the substrates using a phosphoric acid aqueous solution having a predetermined concentration of phosphoric acid in a liquid processing unit including a bath that stores the phosphoric acid aqueous solution and the substrates;

supplying the phosphoric acid aqueous solution to the liquid processing unit by a processing liquid supply including a supply pump;

detecting an intensity of a boiling state of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution by a boiling state detector including a back pressure indicator provided in the liquid processing unit, the back pressure indicator configured to detect a back pressure of an inert gas within the bath; and

controlling the supply pump based on a signal from the boiling state detector by a controller and adjusting a pressure of the phosphoric acid aqueous solution in a flow path supplied from the processing liquid supply to the liquid processing unit, such that the intensity of the boiling state of the phosphoric acid may be adjusted to a desired intensity level, and

wherein the processing liquid supply includes a processing liquid circulating line connected to the liquid processing unit, and the supply pump is provided in the processing liquid circulating line.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising circulating the phosphoric acid aqueous solution between the liquid processing unit and the processing liquid supply via the processing liquid circulating line.