Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

• US 8,056,257 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Ohno, Hiroki, Sekiguchi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/984,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20080127508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 34/70, 34/80, 34/90, 34/77, 34/78, 342/10, 342/18, 343/81, 344/14, 34/97, 346/40, 134/95.2, 134/63
• US Class Current: 34/413
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02052 Wet cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02057 Cleaning during device manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67023 for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber, and a cleaning-liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether onto a substrate to be processed placed in the chamber. In the chamber, there is further disposed a gas supply unit that supplies into the chamber a gas for preventing moisture from being adhered to a substrate to be processed, when a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied onto the substrate to be processed.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a substrate holding mechanism, disposed in the chamber, that horizontally holds a substrate to be processed;

a cleaning-liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether onto a substrate to be processed horizontally held by the substrate holding mechanism to form a liquid film of the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether on the substrate to be processed;

a gas supply unit that supplies a gas into the chamber, the gas being configured to prevent moisture from being adhered to a substrate to be processed when a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied onto the substrate to be processed; and

a control unit that controls the cleaning-liquid supply unit and the gas supply unit such that the gas is supplied from the gas supply unit into the chamber, before the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied from the cleaning-liquid supply unit onto the substrate to be processed, horizontally held by the substrate holding mechanism, and the liquid film of the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is formed on the substrate to be processed.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas is a nitrogen gas or an air having a humidity lower than a humidity of an atmospheric air outside the chamber.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas is a nitrogen gas or an air having a temperature lower than a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas is formed of a vapor of hydrofluoro ether.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a cleaning-liquid cooling mechanism that cools the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether to be supplied from the cleaning-liquid supply unit onto a substrate to be processed.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a temperature-adjusting unit that returns a temperature of the substrate to be processed to a temperature that is substantially the same as a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber under a humidity lower than that of the atmospheric air, when the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied from the cleaning-liquid supply unit onto the substrate to be processed to lower the temperature of the substrate to be processed.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the temperature-adjusting unit is formed of a gas heating mechanism that heats a gas supplied from the gas supply unit into the chamber, and a temperature of the substrate to be processed is returned to a temperature that is substantially the same as a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber, by sending a gas heated by the gas heating mechanism from the gas supply unit into the chamber, after the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied onto the substrate to be processed from the cleaning-liquid supply unit.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the temperature-adjusting unit is formed of a substrate heating mechanism disposed on the substrate holding mechanism, and a temperature of the substrate to be processed is returned to a temperature that is substantially the same as a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber, by heating the substrate to be processed by the substrate heating mechanism, after the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied onto the substrate to be processed from the cleaning-liquid supply unit.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a substrate-temperature adjusting chamber disposed outside the chamber, the substrate-temperature adjusting chamber being filled with a gas having a humidity lower than a humidity of an atmospheric air outside the chamber and a temperature that is substantially the same as a temperature of the atmospheric air.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an ultrasonic-wave imparting mechanism that imparts ultrasonic vibrations to the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether to be supplied from the cleaning-liquid supply unit onto a surface of the substrate to be processed.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a further gas supply unit for generating liquid droplets that supplies a gas for generating liquid droplets; and

a binary fluid nozzle in which the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether, which is supplied from the cleaning-liquid supply unit, and a gas for generating liquid droplets, which is supplied from the further gas supply unit for generating liquid droplets, are mixed with each other to generate liquid droplets containing hydrofluoro ether, the binary fluid nozzle spraying the liquid droplets onto a substrate to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism.

12. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

holding, horizontally, a substrate to be processed in a chamber;

supplying a gas into the chamber, the gas being configured to prevent moisture from being adhered to a substrate to be processed, before a cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is supplied onto the substrate to be processed; and

supplying the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether onto the substrate to be processed, placed in the chamber in which the gas is already supplied, and cleaning the substrate on which a liquid film of the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether is formed.

13. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is a nitrogen gas or an air having a humidity lower than a humidity of an atmospheric air outside the chamber.

14. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is a nitrogen gas or an air having a temperature lower than a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber.

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the gas is formed of a vapor of hydrofluoro ether.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein a temperature of the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether to be supplied onto a substrate to be processed is lower than a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber.

17. The substrate processing method according to claim 12 further comprising a step of returning a temperature of the substrate to be processed, the temperature having been lowered by supplying the cleaning liquid containing hydrofluoro ether onto the substrate to be processed, to a temperature that is substantially the same as a temperature of an atmospheric air outside the chamber under a humidity lower than a humidity of the atmospheric air.