Substrate processing method

• US 6,306,455 B1
• Filed: 08/27/1998
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Nomura, Masafumi, Takamori, Hideyuki, Omori, Tsutae
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLEVELAND, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US09/141,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 427/10, 427/9, 427/8, 427/240, 118/52
• US Class Current: 427/8
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/08 Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/005 Spin coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6838 with gripping and holding devices using a vacuum; Bernoulli devices

Abstract

A method of processing a substrate for forming a coating film on a substrate comprising the steps of (a) mounting a substrate on a temperature controlling means which is capable of having a heat influence on the substrate, and controlling temperature of the substrate by the temperature controlling means, (b) controlling temperature of a coating solution to be supplied to the substrate, (c) controlling temperature of a contact member in contact with the substrate when the substrate is transported and held, (d) detecting temperature of an atmosphere of a process space for applying the coating solution to the substrate, (e) setting a desired temperature on the basis of temperature/film-thickness data previously obtained by forming the coating film on the substrate, (f) controlling a temperature controlling operation of at least step (c) on the basis of the desired temperature set in the step (e) and the temperature detected in the step (d), and (g) applying the coating solution to the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of processing a rectangular substrate for forming a resist film on the substrate for use in a liquid crystal display comprising steps of:

(a) mounting the substrate on temperature controlling means which is capable of having a thermal influence on the substrate, and controlling temperature T^H of the substrate by exerting a thermal influence upon the substrate from upper and lower surfaces thereof;

(b) controlling temperature T^R of a resist solution to be supplied to the substrate;

(c) controlling at least one temperature T^T of a support member selected from the group consisting of temperatures of a plurality of chucks coming into contact with the substrate when the substrate is transported, temperatures of a plurality of supporting pins coming into contact with the substrate when the substrate is lifted up from said temperature controlling means and temperatures of adsorption members coming into contact with the substrate when the substrate is held by vacuum adsorption;

(d) detecting temperature T^A of an atmosphere of a process space for applying the resist solution to the substrate, said temperature T^A detected at a sensor located in a discharge passage;

(e) setting a process target temperature T^P for forming a resist film on the substrate;

(f) controlling said temperature T^H by controlling operation of at least step (c) on the basis of the process target temperature T^P set in the step (e) and the temperature T^A detected in the step (d); and

(g) applying the resist solution to the substrate held rotatable and substantially horizontal by said support member, the substrate being surrounded by a rotary cup and a cover being disposed on said rotary cup to form a substantially closed space around the substrate, and the substrate and the rotary cup being rotated within said closed space to form a resist film on the substrate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step (g), a solvent additionally controlled in temperature in the step (b) is applied to the substrate, said solvent capable of dissolving the resist solution.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the step (c), said support member is a spin chuck for rotatably holding the substrate or a plurality of adsorption members for attracting the substrate.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, in the step (c), the process space surrounding the substrate mounted on the spin chuck is closed.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step (h) of setting temperature controlling conditions which provide a constant relationship between a temperature T^T (°

C.) for the support member in contact with the substrate, a temperature T^H (°

C.) of the substrate, temperature T^R (°

C.) of the resist solution, and a temperature T^A (°

C.) of the atmosphere within the process space in a period from said step (a) until the resist film is cured, said constant relationship satisfying;

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising after the step (g) the step of applying a solvent to a peripheral portion of the substrate, which is held by a plurality of suction members sucking the back surface thereof, to dissolve and remove the resist film from the peripheral portion of the substrate.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in step (c), each of said chucks is cooled.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said supporting pins has a tip portion form of a resin.