LIQUID PROCESSING METHOD AND LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20120260952A1
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Nonaka, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,412,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02052 Wet cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67034 for drying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6708 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence

Abstract

A surface of a substrate can be dried cleanly after liquid-processed by a liquid processing method and a liquid processing apparatus. The liquid processing method includes forming a liquid film of a rinse solution on an entire surface of a substrate having thereon a hydrophobic region by supplying, onto a central portion of the surface of the substrate, the rinse solution for rinsing a chemical liquid supplied on the substrate at a first flow rate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; forming a stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution on the surface of the substrate by breaking the liquid film formed on the entire surface of the substrate; and moving a discharge unit configured to supply the rinse solution toward a periphery of the substrate until the stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution is moved outside the surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid processing method comprising:

forming a liquid film of a rinse solution on an entire surface of a substrate having thereon a hydrophobic region by supplying, onto a central portion of the surface of the substrate, the rinse solution for rinsing a chemical liquid supplied on the substrate at a first flow rate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed;

forming a stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution on the surface of the substrate by breaking the liquid film formed on the entire surface of the substrate; and

moving a discharge unit configured to supply the rinse solution toward a periphery of the substrate until the stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution is moved outside the surface of the substrate.

2. The liquid processing method of claim 1, wherein, in the forming the stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution, the rinse solution is supplied at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate.

3. The liquid processing method of claim 2, wherein, in the forming the stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution, the substrate is rotated at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed.

4. The liquid processing method of claim 2, wherein the rinse solution of the first flow rate is supplied from a first rinse solution discharge unit, and the rinse solution of the second flow rate lower than the first flow rate is supplied from a second rinse solution discharge unit different from the first rinse solution discharge unit.

5. The liquid processing method of claim 2, wherein the rinse solution of the second flow rate is supplied onto the surface of the substrate toward a periphery of the substrate along a radial direction of the substrate.

6. The liquid processing method of claim 3, further comprising:

rotating the substrate at a third rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed after the stripe-shaped flow of the rinse solution is moved outside the surface of the substrate.

7. The liquid processing method of claim 1, wherein when moving the discharge unit configured to supply the rinse solution toward the periphery of the substrate, a gas is jetted to the surface of the substrate from a position closer to a central portion of the substrate than a position where the discharge unit is positioned.

8. The liquid processing method of claim 7, wherein the gas is supplied onto the surface of the substrate toward the periphery of the substrate along a radial direction of the substrate.

9. A liquid processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate rotation unit configured to hold and rotate a substrate having thereon a hydrophobic region;

a rinse solution discharge unit configured to supply, onto the substrate held by the substrate rotation unit, a rinse solution for rinsing a chemical liquid supplied on the substrate; and

a controller configured to control the substrate rotation unit and the rinse solution discharge unit to supply the rinse solution on a central portion of a surface of the substrate from the rinse solution discharge unit at a first flow rate while rotating the substrate by the substrate rotation unit at a first rotation speed;

supply the rinse solution from the rinse solution discharge unit at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate while rotating the substrate by the substrate rotation unit at a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed; and

move the rinse solution discharge unit toward a periphery of the substrate until the rinse solution discharge unit is moved outside the surface of the substrate.

10. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the rinse solution discharge unit includes:

a first rinse solution discharge unit configured to supply the rinse solution at the first flow rate; and

a second rinse solution discharge unit configured to supply the rinse solution at the second flow rate.

11. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second rinse solution discharge unit is inclined against the surface of the substrate toward the periphery of the substrate along a radial direction of the substrate.

12. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the substrate rotation unit to rotate the substrate at a third rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed after the rinse solution discharge unit is moved outside the surface of the substrate.

13. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a gas discharge unit configured to jet a gas and located at a position closer to a center of the substrate than a position where the second rinse solution discharge unit is positioned,

wherein the controller is configured to control the rinse solution discharge unit such that the gas is jetted toward the surface of the substrate when the rinse solution discharge unit is moved toward the periphery of the substrate.

14. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second rinse solution discharge unit is extended to be inclined toward the periphery of the substrate rather than in a tangent direction to a rotation direction of the substrate.

15. The liquid processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the gas discharge unit is extended to be inclined toward the periphery of the substrate rather than in a tangent direction to the rotation direction of the substrate.