Substrate processing apparatus

• US 20080210278A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osamu Kuroda, Takehiko Orii, Tatsuya Nishida
• Original Assignee: Osamu Kuroda, Takehiko Orii, Tatsuya Nishida
• Inventors: Kuroda, Osamu, Nishida, Tatsuya, Orii, Takehiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,862,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/198
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6708 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of fluid suppliers 61, 61, 63 for supplying different processing fluids. In processing a wafer W, the substrate processing apparatus moves the fluid suppliers 61, 62, 63 along the peripheral part of the wafer W relatively. The fluid suppliers 61, 62, 63 are arranged in a direction extending from the circumference of the wafer W to its inside. With the arrangement, the apparatus is capable of stable processing of the wafer W in spite of rotating the wafer W at a low speed. Further, it is possible to improve a throughput of the apparatus in resist processing.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder that holds a substrate;

a top plate movable between a first position, where the top plate is located adjacent to an upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder and covers at least a center portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a second position where the top plate is remote from the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder; and

a chemical liquid nozzle that discharges a chemical liquid onto a peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder; and

wherein the top plate is provided with an inert gas supply path for supplying an inert gas to a space between the top plate and the substrate held by the substrate holder.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the chemical liquid nozzle is movable between a first position adjacent to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and a second position where the chemical liquid nozzle is withdrawn from a space above the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising an enclosure structure defining a closed space accommodating the chemical liquid nozzle and the top plate.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein an opening allowing the substrate to be loaded into and unloaded from the closed space is provided in the enclosure structure, and wherein a shutter for closing the opening is provided at the opening.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising a N₂ gas supplier that supplies N₂ gas from an upper portion of the enclosure structure into the closed space.

27. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising a pure water nozzle that positions, as viewed from above, nearer to a center of the substrate held by the substrate holder than the chemical liquid nozzle, to supply pure water onto the upper surface of the substrate.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the chemical liquid nozzle is inclined such that the chemical liquid jetted from the chemical liquid is directed toward outside the substrate held by the substrate holder.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising an inert gas nozzle that positions, as viewed from above, nearer to a center of the substrate held by the substrate holder than the pure water nozzle, to supply inert gas onto the upper surface of the substrate.