Developing method, substrate treating method, and substrate treating apparatus

• US 7,390,365 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2004
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoneda, Ikuo, Itoh, Masamitsu, Sakurai, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCH, GEORGE R
• Application Number:
  US10/969,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20050106511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 116/695, 116/696, 116/63, 116/323
• US Class Current: 118/695
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/30 Imagewise removal using liquid means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/906 Cleaning of wafer as interim step

Abstract

A developing method comprises determining in advance the relation of resist dissolution concentration in a developing solution and resist dissolution speed by the developing solution, estimating in advance the resist dissolution concentration where the resist dissolution speed is a desired speed or more from the relation, and developing in a state in which the resist dissolution concentration in the developing solution is the estimated dissolution concentration or less.

Claims

1. A substrate treating apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism which holds a substrate, the substrate including a plurality of chips;

a solution discharge/suction unit including a solution discharge port for discharging a first solution to one of the chips included in the substrate, and a circle-like suction port for sucking the first solution on the substrate, the suction port being disposed to surround continuously the periphery of the solution discharge port;

a moving mechanism which removes the substrate and the solution discharge/suction unit relatively;

a solution discharge/suction system which simultaneously performs supplying the first solution to the solution discharge/suction unit and sucking the first solution from the solution discharge/suction unit;

a covering rate calculating unit which calculates the covering rate of a pattern included in each of the chips treated by a first solution in a treating region where the first solution flow exists on the substrate; and

a control unit which controls the moving mechanism based on the pattern covering rate calculated by the covering rate calculating unit.

2. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second solution discharge unit for discharging a second solution different from the first solution disposed on the substrate.

3. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vibrator which applies vibrations to the first solution discharged on the substrate.

4. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering rate calculating unit calculates the pattern covering rate by using either one of the transmission light intensity and reflection light intensity obtained by illuminating light to the substrate surface at the front side of the relative moving direction of the solution discharge/suction unit.

5. The substrate hating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering rate calculating unit calculates the pattern covering rate on the basis of design data.

6. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the moving mechanism depending on a first relative speed determined from a relation between the covering rate of the pattern treated by the first solution in the treating region where the first solution flow exists on the substrate, a second relative speed of the solution discharge/suction unit and the substrate, and the finishing dimension of the pattern after the solution treatment, and the pattern covering rate calculated by the covering rate calculating unit.

7. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solution discharge/suction unit further includes a solution suction port disposed to surround continuously the periphery of the suction port.

8. A substrate treating apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism which holds a substrate, the substrate including a plurality of chips;

a solution discharge/suction unit including a solution discharge port for discharging a first solution to one of the plurality of chips Included in the substrate, and a circle-like suction port for sucking the first solution on the substrate the solution discharge port being disposed to surround continuously the periphery of the suction port;

a moving mechanism which removes the substrate and the solution discharge/suction unit relatively;

a solution discharge/suction system which simultaneously performs supplying the first solution discharge/suction mechanism and sucking the first solution from the solution discharge/suction mechanism;

a covering rate calculating unit which calculates the covering rate of a pattern included in each of the plurality of chips treated by a first solution in a treating region where the first solution flow exists on the substrate; and

a control unit which controls the moving mechanism based on the pattern covering rate calculated by the covering rate calculating unit.

9. A substrate treating apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism which holds a substrate, the substrate including a plurality of chips;

a solution discharge/suction unit including a solution discharge port for discharging a first solution to one of the chips included in the substrate, and circle-like suction ports for sucking the first solution on the substrate, the suction ports being disposed to surround continuously the periphery of the solution discharge port;

a moving mechanism which removes the substrate and the solution discharge/suction unit relatively;

an interval adjusting unit which adjusts an interval between the top of the substrate and the solution discharge/suction unit;

a solution discharge/suction system which simultaneously performs supplying the first solution to the solution discharge/suction unit and sucking the first solution from the solution discharge/suction unit;

a covering rate calculating unit which calculates the covering rate of a pattern included in each of the chips treated by a first solution in a treating region where the first solution flow exists on the substrate; and

a control unit which controls at least one of the solution discharge/suction system and the interval adjusting unit.

10. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a second solution discharge unit for discharging a second solution different from the first solution disposed on the substrate.

11. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a vibrator which applies vibrations to the first solution discharged on the substrate.

12. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the covering rate calculating unit calculates the pattern covering rate by using either one of the transmission light intensity and reflection light intensity obtained by illuminating light to the substrate surface at the front side of the relative moving direction of the solution discharge/suction unit.

13. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the covering rate calculating unit calculates the pattern covering rate on the basis of design data.

14. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the moving mechanism depending on a first relative speed determined from the relation between the covering rate of the pattern treated by the first solution in the treating region where the first solution flow exists on the substrate, a second relative speed of the solution discharge/suction unit and the substrate, and a finishing dimension of the pattern after the solution treatment, and the pattern covering rate calculated by the covering rate calculating unit.

15. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the interval adjusting unit is an optical monitor for measuring the interval between the top surface of the substrate and the solution discharge/suction unit.