SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20100095981A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: KAMIKAWA, Yuji
• Application Number:
  US12/581,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20100095981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles

Abstract

Disclosed are a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method to efficiently remove a resist residue of a substrate surface by using sulfuric acid without hydrogen peroxide solution that is not stable in a high temperature, or by using sulfuric acid together with hydrogen peroxide solution that is not stable in a high temperature. The substrate processing apparatus to process a substrate by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including water includes a liquid-film forming device to form a liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at a temperature higher than room temperature on at least one surface of the substrate, and a vapor/mist supply device to supply vapor or mist of the second processing liquid on the surface of the substrate on which the liquid film of the first processing liquid is formed. Further, the substrate processing apparatus to process a substrate within a processing chamber by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including hydrogen peroxide solution includes a processing tank to store the first processing liquid at a temperature higher than room temperature, a substrate elevating mechanism to move the substrate up and down between the processing tank and the processing chamber, and a mist supply device to supply mist of the second processing liquid to a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of a liquid surface of the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank when the substrate is lifted from or immersed into the processing tank by the substrate elevating mechanism.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus to process a substrate by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including water, the apparatus comprising:

a liquid-film forming device to form a liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at a temperature higher than room temperature on at least one surface of the substrate; and

a vapor/mist supply device to supply vapor or mist of the second processing liquid to the surface of the substrate on which the liquid film of the first processing liquid is formed.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, the liquid-film forming device comprising:

a processing tank to store the first processing liquid at the temperature higher than room temperature;

a processing chamber to process the substrate by using the first processing liquid and the second processing liquid, the processing chamber being disposed above the processing tank; and

a substrate elevating mechanism to move the substrate up and down between the processing tank and the processing chamber,

wherein the vapor/mist supply device supplies vapor or mist of the second processing liquid to a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank when the substrate is lifted from or immersed into the processing tank by the substrate elevating mechanism.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, the apparatus further comprising:

an external tank to receive the first processing liquid overflowed from the processing tank; and

a processing-liquid circulating device to collect the first processing liquid from the external tank and return the first processing liquid to the processing tank.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vapor/mist supply device is installed in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank within the processing chamber.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus further comprises an inert-gas supply device installed within the processing chamber, and the inert-gas supply device supplies inert gas into the processing chamber.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the inert-gas supply device is installed above the vapor/mist supply device.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, the liquid-film forming device comprising:

an arrangement board on which the substrate is laid; and

a processing-liquid supply device to supply the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature to the substrate laid on the arrangement board,

wherein the processing-liquid supply device supplies the first processing liquid onto the substrate laid on the arrangement board to form the liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, the liquid-film forming device comprising:

an arrangement board to maintain the substrate at the temperature higher than room temperature, the substrate being laid on the arrangement board; and

a processing-liquid supply device to supply the first processing liquid to the substrate laid on the arrangement board,

wherein the processing-liquid supply device supplies the first processing liquid to the substrate laid on the arrangement board to form the liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate.

9. A substrate processing method to process a substrate by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including water, the method comprising:

forming a liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at a temperature higher than room temperature on at least one surface of the substrate; and

supplying vapor or mist of the second processing liquid to the surface of the substrate on which the liquid film of the first processing liquid is formed.

10. The substrate processing method of claim 9, wherein forming the liquid film comprises immersing the substrate into or lifting the substrate from the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature to form the liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate, and supplying vapor or mist comprises supplying vapor or mist of the second processing liquid to a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid.

11. The substrate processing method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises supplying inert gas to a processing chamber, and the process chamber hermetically processes the substrate.

12. The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein the inert gas is supplied from an area above a vapor/mist supply device to supply vapor or mist of the second processing liquid.

13. The substrate processing method of claim 9, wherein forming the liquid film comprises applying the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate to form the liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate.

14. The substrate processing method of claim 9, wherein forming the liquid film comprises applying the first processing liquid on the substrate maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature to form the liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate.

15. A substrate processing apparatus to process a substrate by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including hydrogen peroxide solution, the apparatus comprising:

a processing tank to store the first processing liquid at a temperature higher than room temperature;

a processing chamber to process the substrate by using the first processing liquid and the second processing liquid, the processing chamber being disposed above the processing tank;

a substrate elevating mechanism to move the substrate up and down between the processing tank and the processing chamber; and

a mist supply device to supply mist of the second processing liquid to a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank when the substrate is lifted from or immersed into the processing tank by the substrate elevating mechanism.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, the apparatus further comprising:

an external tank to receive the first processing liquid overflowed from the processing tank; and

a processing-liquid circulating device to collect the first processing liquid from the external tank and return the first processing liquid to the processing tank.

17. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the mist supply device is installed in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank within the processing chamber.

18. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus further comprises an inert-gas supply device installed within the processing chamber, and the inert-gas supply device supplies inert gas into the processing chamber.

19. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inert-gas supply device is installed above the mist supply device.

20. A substrate processing method to process a substrate by using a first processing liquid including sulfuric acid and a second processing liquid including hydrogen peroxide solution, the method comprising:

forming a liquid film of the first processing liquid maintained at a temperature higher than room temperature on the substrate by immersing the substrate into or lifting the substrate from the first processing liquid maintained at the temperature higher than room temperature; and

supplying mist of the second processing liquid to a portion of the substrate in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the first processing liquid.

21. The substrate processing method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises supplying inert gas into a processing chamber, and the processing chamber hermetically processes the substrate.

22. The substrate processing method of claim 21, wherein the inert gas is supplied from an area above a mist supply device to supply mist of the second processing liquid.