CN116994981A - Apparatus and method for processing substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber having a processing space therein; a supply line on which a first on/off valve is installed and which is configured to supply a process fluid to the process space; a heater mounted on the supply line and configured to heat the process fluid; a discharge line on which a second opening/closing valve is installed and which is configured to discharge the process space; and a controller configured to control the first and second on/off valves such that the heated process fluid is supplied to and discharged from the process space before a process is performed on a substrate in the process space.

Description

Apparatus and method for processing substrate

Technical Field

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Background

In order to manufacture a semiconductor device, various processes such as a deposition process, a photolithography process, an etching process, and a cleaning process are performed. The photoetching process comprises a coating process, an exposure process and a developing process. The coating process is a process of coating a photosensitive solution such as a photoresist onto a substrate. The exposure process is a process of exposing a substrate coated with a photoresist through a photomask defining a circuit pattern. Further, the developing process is a process of selectively developing the exposed or unexposed photoresist.

Generally, the developing process includes a developer supply step, a rinse supply step, and a drying step. In the drying step, the spin chuck supporting the substrate is rotated, and spin drying is performed to dry the developing solution or rinse solution remaining on the substrate using a centrifugal force applied to the substrate by the spin chuck.

Recently, as critical dimension CD between patterns formed on a substrate becomes finer, the fine patterns are liable to collapse or bend (tilting phenomenon) in the above-described spin drying process.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an apparatus to efficiently perform a developing process.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an apparatus for preventing a tilting phenomenon in which a pattern collapses or bends.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a stage of a substrate processing apparatus to effectively perform a developing process and a supercritical process.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a stage of a substrate processing apparatus that may clean a non-patterned surface of a substrate.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a substrate processing apparatus to compensate for a temperature of a supercritical fluid supplied in a supercritical processing process.

Technical objects of the inventive concept are not limited to the above objects, and other technical objects not mentioned will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber having a processing space therein; a supply line on which a first on/off valve is installed and which is configured to supply a process fluid to a process space; a heater mounted on the supply line and configured to heat the treatment fluid; a discharge line on which a second opening/closing valve is installed and which is configured to discharge the processing space; and a controller configured to control the first and second on/off valves such that the heated process fluid is supplied to and discharged from the process space before the process is performed on the substrate in the process space.

In an embodiment, the controller controls the first and second on/off valves to supply and discharge the heated process fluid to and from the process space before introducing the substrate into the process space.

In an embodiment, the supply line comprises: a top supply line connected to a top wall of the chamber and a bottom supply line connected to a bottom wall of the chamber, and wherein the heater: including a first heater mounted on the top supply line and a second heater mounted on the bottom supply line.

In an embodiment, the processing fluid is supplied to the top supply line and the bottom supply line substantially simultaneously prior to introducing the substrate into the processing space.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a filter mounted on the supply line at a downstream side of the heater.

In an embodiment, the controller controls to introduce the substrate into the processing space while heating the processing fluid to a preset temperature or higher by the heater.

In an embodiment, the preset temperature is below the critical temperature of the process fluid.

In an embodiment, the treatment fluid is a fluid in a supercritical state.

In an embodiment, the first on/off valve includes: a top on/off valve mounted on the top supply line; and a bottom opening/closing valve installed on the bottom supply line, and wherein the controller controls the top opening/closing valve and the bottom opening/closing valve to be simultaneously opened before performing the process of treating the substrate.

In an embodiment, the fluid in the supercritical state dries the developer remaining on the substrate.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: an indexing module including a container for storing a substrate; and a processing module configured to perform a process on the substrate, and wherein the processing module comprises: a buffer unit configured to temporarily store the substrate; a wet processing chamber configured to perform a developing process on a substrate by supplying a developing solution; a supercritical processing chamber configured to process a substrate by supplying a supercritical fluid; a heat treatment chamber configured to perform a heat treatment process on a substrate; and a transfer chamber including a transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate between the wet processing chamber, the supercritical processing chamber, and the thermal processing chamber, and wherein the supercritical processing chamber includes: a supply line configured to supply a supercritical fluid to a process space in a supercritical process chamber; a heater mounted on the supply line and configured to heat the treatment fluid; a drain line configured to drain the process space; and a controller configured to control the supply line and the exhaust line to supply and exhaust the heated process fluid to and from the process space before performing a process on the substrate in the process space.

In an embodiment, the supply line comprises: a top supply line connected to a top wall of the chamber and a bottom supply line connected to a bottom wall of the chamber, and wherein the heater comprises: a first heater mounted on the top supply line and a second heater mounted on the bottom supply line.

In an embodiment, the controller controls such that the process fluid is substantially supplied to the top supply line and the bottom supply line.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a filter mounted on the supply line at a downstream side of the heater.

In an embodiment, the treatment fluid is a fluid in a supercritical state.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing method. The substrate processing method includes: a sealing step for sealing the processing space; a pre-supply step for supplying and discharging a process fluid to and from the process space; a substrate processing step for processing a substrate by supplying a processing fluid to a processing space; and a take-out step for taking out the substrate from the processing space.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing method further comprises an introducing step for introducing the substrate into the processing space between the pre-supply step and the substrate processing step.

In an embodiment, the introducing step is performed after heating the treatment fluid to a preset temperature or higher in the pre-supplying step.

In an embodiment, a process fluid is supplied to a process space via a supply path comprising: a first supply path in fluid communication with an upper region of the process space and a second supply path in fluid communication with a lower region of the process space, and wherein the process liquid is supplied to the first supply path and the second supply path substantially simultaneously.

In an embodiment, the method performs a substrate processing process on a plurality of substrates; and wherein the pre-supplying step is performed on each of the plurality of substrates.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided an apparatus for efficiently performing a developing process.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided an apparatus for preventing a tilting phenomenon in which a pattern is collapsed or bent.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, a stage of a substrate processing apparatus that can effectively perform a developing process and a supercritical process is provided.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, a stage of a substrate processing apparatus that can clean a non-patterned surface of a substrate is provided.

According to embodiments of the inventive concept, reverse contamination due to contamination of the non-patterned surface of the substrate is prevented.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for compensating for a temperature of a supercritical fluid supplied in a supercritical processing process.

Drawings

The above and other objects and features will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified, and in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus for performing a coating process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 2 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus for performing an exposure process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 3 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus for performing a developing process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 3, as viewed from a direction.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 3 in a direction opposite to that of the direction.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the hand of the transfer robot of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a heat treatment chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 9 is a front cross-sectional view of the thermal processing chamber of fig. 8.

Fig. 10 schematically illustrates a rear cleaning chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 11 schematically illustrates a supercritical chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 12 schematically illustrates a wet processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 14 illustrates a supercritical chamber according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Fig. 15 is a graph of temperature of a process fluid and substrate introduction and discharge time points according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Detailed Description

The inventive concept is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms and specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, the embodiments of the inventive concept according to the present inventive concept are not intended to be limited to the specifically disclosed forms, and it should be understood that the inventive concept includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the spirit and technical scope of the inventive concept. In the description of the present inventive concept, detailed descriptions of related known techniques may be omitted when the essence of the present inventive concept may be made unclear.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concepts. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Furthermore, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

A controller (not shown) may control the overall operation of the substrate processing apparatus. The controller (not shown) may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Read Only Memory (ROM), and a Random Access Memory (RAM). The CPU performs desired processes such as liquid processing and drying processing, which will be described later, according to various formulations stored in the memory. The recipe may include process time, process pressure, process temperature, various gas flows, etc., which are control information of the equipment to the process conditions. Meanwhile, formulations representing these programs or processing conditions may be stored in a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Furthermore, the recipe may be set at a predetermined location in a memory such as a portable storage medium (such as a CD-ROM or DVD).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the specification and the drawings, the same or similar elements, features or components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 1 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus performing a coating process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, fig. 2 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus performing an exposure process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, and fig. 3 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus performing a developing process according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, according to the concept of the present invention, a coating process, an exposing process, and a developing process may be performed in different apparatuses, respectively. Specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 1 performing the coating process, a liquid film may be formed by coating a photoresist onto the substrate W. In the substrate processing apparatus performing the coating process, a baking process of baking the substrate may be performed before and after forming a liquid film on the substrate W. The baking process may be a process of heating the substrate W to a process temperature or higher in the sealed space. In the baking process performed after forming the film on the substrate W, the thickness of the film may be adjusted to a set thickness by heating and volatilizing the photoresist film coated on the substrate. After the coating process, the substrate W may be transferred to the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 2, which performs an exposure process. The exposure process may be a process of exposing the substrate coated with the photoresist film to a beam source via a photomask defining a circuit pattern. In the exposure process, a process of exposing the center of the substrate W and an edge exposure process of exposing the edge of the substrate W may be performed. After performing the exposure process, the substrate W may be transferred to the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 3, which performs the developing process. The developing process may be a process of selectively developing (e.g., selectively removing) the exposed or unexposed areas of the photoresist film of the substrate W. Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus performing a developing process will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 3 viewed from one direction, and fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 3 viewed from a view opposite to the one direction.

Referring to fig. 3 to 6, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexing module 20 and a processing module 30. According to an embodiment, the indexing module 20 and the processing module 30 may be arranged sequentially in a direction. Hereinafter, a direction in which the index module 20 and the process module 30 are arranged is referred to as an X-axis direction 12, a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction 12 when viewed from above is referred to as a Y-axis direction 14, and a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction 12 and the Y-axis direction 14 is referred to as a Z-axis direction 16.

The index module 20 may transfer the substrate W from the container 10 in which the substrate W is received to the process module 30 for the process, and may transfer the substrate W from the process module 30 in which the process is completed to the container 10. The longitudinal direction of the indexing module 20 may be disposed in the Y-axis direction 14. Indexing module 20 may include a load port 22 and an indexing frame 24. An indexing frame 24 may be placed between the load port 22 and the process module 30. The container 10 in which the substrates W are accommodated may be placed on the load port 22. A plurality of load ports 22 may be provided and a plurality of load ports 22 may be provided along the Y-axis direction 14.

As the container 10, a sealed container 10 such as a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) may be used. The containers 10 may be placed on the load ports 22 by a conveyor (not shown), such as an overhead conveyor, or automated guided vehicle, or by an operator.

The indexing robot 2200 may be disposed in the indexing frame 24. In the index frame 24, a guide rail 2300 extending in the Y-axis direction 14 may be provided, and the index robot 2200 may be provided to be movable on the guide rail 2300. The indexing robot 2200 includes a hand 2220 on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand 2220 may be provided to be movable forward and backward, rotatable in the Z-axis direction 16, and movable in the Z-axis direction 16.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the process module 30 may perform a process on the substrate W. For example, the process module 30 may perform a wet treatment process, a heat treatment process, a back surface cleaning process, and a supercritical process on the substrate W.

The processing module 30 includes a processing block 30a. The processing block 30a may perform a processing process on the substrate W. A plurality of processing blocks 30a are provided and may be arranged to be stacked on each other. According to the embodiment of fig. 3, two processing blocks 30a may be provided. According to an embodiment, the two processing blocks 30a may perform the same process and may have the same structure.

The processing block 30a may include a transfer chamber 3100, a wet processing chamber 3200, a backside cleaning chamber 3300, a thermal processing chamber 3400, a supercritical chamber 3500, and a buffer chamber 3600.

The transfer chamber 3100 may transfer the substrate W between the wet process chamber 3200, the back surface cleaning chamber 3300, the thermal process chamber 3400, and the supercritical chamber 3500 in the process block 30 a. The transfer chamber 3100 may be disposed with its longitudinal direction parallel to the X-axis direction 12. The transfer unit 3120 may be disposed at the transfer chamber 3100. The transfer unit 3120 may transfer the substrate W between the wet process chamber 3200, the back surface cleaning chamber 3300, the heat process chamber 3400, and the supercritical chamber 3500. According to an embodiment, the transfer unit 3120 may have a hand a on which the substrate W is placed, and the hand a may be provided to be movable forward and backward, rotatable in the Z-axis direction 16 as an axis, and movable along the Z-axis direction 16. The transfer chamber 3100 may be provided with a guide rail 3140 extending along the X-axis direction 12, and the transfer unit 3120 may be provided to be movable on the guide rail 3140.

Fig. 7 is a view showing an embodiment of a hand of the transfer robot of fig. 6. Referring to fig. 7, the hand a has a base 3128 and a support protrusion 3129. The base 3128 may have a doughnut shape with a portion of its circumference cut away. The inner diameter of the susceptor 3128 may be greater than the diameter of the substrate W. Support tabs 3129 may extend radially inward from base 3128. A plurality of support protrusions 3129 may be provided, and the support protrusions may support an edge region of the substrate W. According to an embodiment, four support protrusions 3129 may be provided at equal distances.

Referring again to fig. 3 to 6, the heat treatment chamber 3400 may perform a heat treatment process on the substrate W. The thermal processing chamber 3400 may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 3100. The thermal processing chamber 3400 may include a plurality of thermal processing chambers 3400. The heat treatment chamber 3400 may be stacked with the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 along the Z-axis direction 16. The heat treatment chamber 3400 may be disposed to face the wet treatment chamber 3200 with the transfer chamber 3100 interposed therebetween. That is, the heat treatment chamber 3400 may be disposed on the other side of the transfer chamber 3100. The thermal processing chamber 3400 may be disposed between the index module 20 and the supercritical chamber 3500. The number of the heat treatment chambers 3400 may be set to be less than the supercritical chambers 3500. The number of back cleaning chambers 3300 may be set to be less than the number of wet processing chambers 3200. The number of the heat treatment chambers 3400 may be set to correspond to the back surface cleaning chambers 3300. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and may be changed in consideration of factors such as the footprint of the apparatus and the processing efficiency.

Fig. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an embodiment of a heat treatment chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, and fig. 9 is a front cross-sectional view of the heat treatment chamber of fig. 8. Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the heat treatment chamber 3400 may include a housing 3410, a cooling unit 3420, a heating unit 3430, and a transfer plate 3440. The heat treatment chamber 3400 may perform a heat treatment process on the substrate W. The heat treatment process may include a cooling process and a heating process.

The housing 3410 may be provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. An inlet (not shown) through which the substrate W enters and exits may be formed on a sidewall of the housing 3410. The inlet may remain open. A door (not shown) may be provided to selectively open and close the inlet. The cooling unit 3420, the heating unit 3430, and the transfer plate 3440 may be provided in the housing 3410. The cooling unit 3420 and the heating unit 3430 may be disposed side by side along the Y-axis direction 14. According to embodiments, the cooling unit 3420 may be positioned closer to the transfer chamber 3100 than the heating unit 3430.

The cooling unit 3420 may include a cooling plate 3422. The cooling plate 3422 may have a disk shape when viewed from above. The cooling member 3424 may be provided in the cooling plate 3422. According to an embodiment, the cooling member 3424 is formed inside the cooling plate 3422, and may be provided as a flow path through which the cooling fluid flows.

The heating unit 3430 may include a heating plate 3432, a cover 3434, and a heater 3433. The heating plate 3432 may have a disk shape when viewed from above. The diameter of the heating plate 3432 may be larger than that of the substrate W. The heater 3433 may be installed in the heating plate 3432. The heater 3433 may be provided as a heating resistor to which an electric current is applied. A lift pin 3438 capable of being driven in the up/down direction along the Z-axis direction 16 may be provided on the heating plate 3432. The elevating pins 3438 may receive the substrate W from the transfer plate 3440 outside the heating unit 3430 and place the substrate W on the heating plate 3432 or elevate the substrate W from the heating plate 3432 to transfer the substrate W to the transfer plate 3440 outside the heating unit 3430. According to an embodiment, three lift pins 3438 may be provided. The cover 3434 may have a cup shape. The cover 3434 is located above the heating plate 3432, and can be moved in an up/down direction by a driver 3436. The cover 3434 moves between a closed position and an open position. In a state in which the cover 3434 moves downward and is located at the closed position, a space surrounded by the cover 3434 and the heating plate 3432 may be set as a heating space for heating the substrate W. In a state in which the cover 3434 moves upward and is located at the open position, the substrate is taken out of the heating space, and the substrate is put into the heating space.

The transfer plate 3440 may have a substantially disk shape, and may have a diameter corresponding to the substrate W. A notch 3444 may be formed at an edge of the transfer plate 3440. The recess 3444 may have a shape corresponding to the protrusion 3129 formed on the hand a of the transfer robot 3120 described above. Further, the notches 3444 are provided to correspond to the number of the protrusions 3129 formed on the hand a, and may be formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions 3129. The substrate W may be transferred between the hand a and the transfer plate 3440. When the substrate W is transferred from the hand a to the transfer plate 3440, the transfer plate 3440 moves toward the bottom side of the hand a supporting the substrate W and is aligned under the hand a, and then the hand a moves downward under the transfer plate 3440 while the support protrusions 3129 pass through the recesses of the transfer plate 3440, whereby the substrate W is positioned on the transfer plate 3440. The transfer plate 3440 may be mounted on the guide rail 3449 and may be moved along the guide rail 3449 by the driver 3446. A plurality of slit-shaped guide grooves 3442 may be provided in the transfer plate 3440. Each guide groove 3442 may extend from an edge of the transfer plate 3440 to an inside of the transfer plate 3440. The guide grooves 3442 may be disposed with the longitudinal direction thereof along the Y-axis direction 14, and the guide grooves 3442 may be spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction 12. The guide groove 3442 may prevent the transfer plate 3440 and the lift pins from interfering with each other when the substrate W is transferred between the transfer plate 3440 and the heating unit 3430. That is, when the substrate W is transferred to the heating unit 3430, the transfer plate 3440 supporting the substrate W is moved on the heating unit 3430 such that the elevating pins 3488 are inserted into the corresponding guide grooves 3442, and then the transfer plate 3440 is moved (e.g., laterally moved) away from the heating unit 3430, whereby the substrate W is positioned on the elevating pins 3448.

When the substrate W is directly placed on the heating unit 3430, the substrate W is heated, and when the transfer plate 3440 on which the substrate W is placed is in contact with the cooling plate 3222, the substrate W is cooled. The transfer plate 3440 may be made of a material having a high heat transfer rate so that heat transfer between the cooling plate 3422 and the substrate W is well performed. According to an embodiment, the transfer plate 3440 may be made of a metal material.

Referring again to fig. 3 to 6, the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 may clean the non-patterned surface of the substrate W. The back cleaning chamber 3300 may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 3100. The back cleaning chamber 3300 may include a plurality of back cleaning chambers 3300. The back cleaning chamber 3300 may be stacked in an up/down direction with the heat treatment chamber 3400. The back cleaning chamber 3300 may be disposed to face the wet processing chamber 3200 with the transfer chamber 3100 interposed therebetween. A backside cleaning chamber 3300 may be disposed between the indexing module 20 and the supercritical chamber 3500. The number of back surface cleaning chambers 3300 may be set to be less than the supercritical chambers 3500. The number of back cleaning chambers 3300 may be set to be less than the number of wet processing chambers 3200. The number of back surface cleaning chambers 3300 may be set to correspond to the heat treatment chamber 3400. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and may be changed in consideration of factors such as the footprint of the apparatus and the processing efficiency.

Fig. 10 is a view schematically showing a back surface cleaning chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. Referring to fig. 10, the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 may include a housing 3310, a process container 3320, a substrate support unit 3330, a flipping unit 3340, and a cleaning unit 3350.

The housing 3310 may provide a processing space therein in which the non-patterned surface of the substrate W is cleaned. The processing vessel 3320 may be disposed within the housing 3310. The process container 3320 has a cylindrical shape, has an open top portion, and may provide a process space for processing the substrate W. The open top surface of the process vessel 3320 may be provided as a passage through which the substrates W are taken out and put in. The substrate support unit 3330 may be located within the processing container 3320. The substrate support unit 3330 may support the substrate W during processing and may rotate the substrate.

The substrate support unit 3330 may be installed inside the process container 3320. The substrate support unit 3330 may support the substrate W during processing. The substrate support unit 3330 may be rotated by a driving unit 3332, which will be described later, during processing. The substrate support unit 3330 may include a spin head 3334, a support shaft 3336, and a driving unit 3332.

The swivel head 3334 may include a rounded top surface. A support shaft 3336 supporting the rotating head 3334 may be connected to the bottom of the rotating head 3334. The support shaft 3336 may be rotated by a driving unit 3332 connected to the bottom end thereof. The driving unit 3332 may be provided with a motor or the like. As the support shaft 3336 rotates, the spin head 3334 and the substrate W may rotate.

The flipping unit 3340 may be located above the processing vessel 3320. The flipping unit 3340 may flip the substrate W such that the non-patterned surface of the substrate faces upward, and then load the flipped substrate W onto the spin head 3334. The flipping unit 3340 may include: a holding member 3342 on which the substrate W to be processed is loaded, a flipping member 3344 for flipping the holding member 3342, and a lifting member 3346 for lifting the flipping member 3344. In this case, the flipping unit 3344 is used to flip the holding unit 3342 by 180 degrees, and a driving device 3348 such as a motor may be used. The lifting member 3346 serves to lift the flipping member 3344 in a vertical direction (a direction parallel to the direction of the supporting shaft 3336), and a linear driving device such as a cylinder, a linear motor, or a screw using a motor may be used.

The holding member 3342 of the flipping unit 3340 may simultaneously perform a buffer function in which not only the substrate W to be flipped but also the substrate W temporarily waiting for being flipped may be placed.

The cleaning unit 3350 may supply a cleaning fluid to the substrate W, wherein the non-patterned surface is upwardly exposed by the flipping unit 3340. The cleaning unit 3350 may discharge a cleaning fluid to the non-patterned surface of the substrate W. As another example, the cleaning unit 3350 may physically clean the non-patterned surface of the substrate W using a brush or the like. The cleaning unit 3350 may include a nozzle 3352 for discharging a cleaning fluid, a nozzle arm 3354 for supporting the nozzle 3352, a support shaft 3356 for supporting and moving the nozzle arm 3354, and a driving unit 3258 for applying a driving force to the support shaft 3356.

Referring again to fig. 3 to 6, the supercritical chamber 3500 processes a substrate W by supplying a supercritical fluid to the substrate W. In an embodiment, the supercritical chamber 3500 may dry the substrate W by supplying a supercritical fluid to the substrate W. The supercritical chamber 3500 may perform a drying process on the substrate W that has been processed in the wet processing chamber 3200. In an embodiment, the supercritical chamber 3500 may perform a drying process on the substrate W which has been developed in the wet process chamber 3200. In this case, the supercritical chamber 3500 may dry the developing solution remaining in the substrate W. In an embodiment, the supercritical chamber 3500 may perform a drying process on the substrate W that has been cleaned in the wet process chamber 3200. In this case, the supercritical chamber 3500 may dry the organic solvent remaining on the substrate W.

Supercritical chambers 3500 may be provided on both sides of transfer chamber 3100. The supercritical chamber 3500 may include a plurality of supercritical chambers 3500. Multiple supercritical chambers 3500 can be stacked in an up/down direction. The supercritical chamber 3500 may be disposed farther from the index module 20 in the second direction 14 than the wet process chamber 3200, the backside cleaning chamber 3300, and the thermal process chamber 3400. The supercritical chambers 3500 may be disposed facing each other on opposite sides of the transfer chamber 3100. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and may be changed in consideration of factors such as the footprint of the apparatus and the processing efficiency.

Fig. 11 is a view schematically showing a supercritical chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

The supercritical chamber 3500 removes liquid on the substrate W using supercritical fluid. The supercritical chamber 3500 has a main body 3520, a support 3540, a fluid supply unit 3560, and a baffle 3580. The main body 3520 provides an inner space 3502 in which a drying process is performed. The body 3520 has a top body 3522 and a bottom body 3524, and the top body 3522 and the bottom body 3524 are coupled to each other to provide the above-described inner space 3502. The top body 3522 is disposed above the bottom body 3524. The position of the top body 3522 may be fixed and the bottom body 3524 may be lowered and raised by a drive member 3590 (such as a cylinder). When the bottom body 3524 is spaced apart from the top body 3522, the inner space 3502 is opened, and at this time, the substrate W is put in or taken out. In this process, the bottom body 3524 is in close contact with the top body 3522 to seal the inner space 3502 from the outside. The drying chamber 3500 has a heater 3570. According to an embodiment, the heater 3570 is located within a wall of the body 3520. The heater 3570 heats the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520 such that the fluid supplied into the inner space of the main body 3520 is maintained in a supercritical state. The support 3540 supports the substrate W in the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520. The support 3540 has a fixing rod 3542 and a bracket 3544. A fixing rod 3542 is fixedly installed on the top body 3522 to protrude downward from a bottom surface of the top body 3522. The fixing lever 3542 is provided such that a longitudinal direction thereof is disposed in an up/down direction. A plurality of fixing rods 3542 are provided and spaced apart from each other. The fixing bars 3542 are arranged such that the substrate W does not interfere with the fixing bars 3542 when the substrate W is transferred into or out of the space surrounded by the fixing bars. A bracket 3544 is coupled to each of the fixing bars 3542. The bracket 3544 extends from the bottom end of the fixing rod 3542 toward the space surrounded by the fixing rod 3542. Due to the above-described structure, the edge region of the substrate W placed in the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520 is placed on the bracket 3544, and the entire top surface of the substrate W, the center region of the bottom surface of the substrate W, and a portion of the edge region of the bottom surface of the substrate W are exposed to the drying fluid supplied to the inner space 3502. The fluid supply unit 3560 supplies a drying fluid into the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520. According to an embodiment, the drying fluid may be supplied to the inner space 3502 in a supercritical state. On the other hand, the drying fluid may be supplied to the inner space 3502 in a gaseous state, and may be phase-changed to a supercritical state in the inner space 3502. According to an embodiment, the fluid supply unit 3560 has a main supply line 3562, a top branch line 3564, and a bottom branch line 3566. A top branch line 3564 and a bottom branch line 3566 diverge from the main supply line 3562. The top branch line 3564 is coupled to the top body 3522 to supply a drying fluid from an upper region of the inner space toward a top surface of the substrate W placed on the support body. According to an embodiment, a top branch line 3564 is coupled to the center of the top body 3522. The bottom branch line 3566 is coupled to the bottom main body 3524 to supply a drying fluid from a lower region of the inner space toward a bottom surface of the substrate W placed on the support 3540. According to an embodiment, a bottom branch line 3566 is coupled to the center of the bottom body 3524. The drain line 3550 is coupled to the bottom body 3524. The supercritical fluid in the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520 is discharged to the outside of the main body 3520 through the discharge line 3550. A baffle 3580 may be disposed in the inner space 3502 of the main body 3520. The baffle 3580 may be provided in a disk shape. The baffle 3580 is supported by a support 3582 to be spaced upward from the bottom surface of the main body 3520. The plurality of supporters 3582 are provided in a bar shape and spaced apart from each other by a preset distance. The baffle 3580 may be disposed to overlap with the discharge port of the bottom branch line 3566 and the inlet of the discharge line 3550 when viewed from above. The baffle 3580 may prevent the substrate W from being damaged by directly discharging the drying fluid supplied from the bottom branch line 3566 to the substrate W.

Referring back to fig. 3 to 6, the wet processing chamber 3200 may supply a processing liquid to perform a liquid processing process on the substrate W. The wet process chamber 3200 may perform a developing process on the substrate W. In this case, the process liquid discharged from the wet process chamber 3200 may be a developing liquid. The wet process chamber 3200 may discharge a developing solution onto the substrate W on which the exposure process has been performed.

The wet process chamber 3200 may be disposed on the other side of the transfer chamber 3100, opposite to the side in which the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 and the heat process chamber 3400 are disposed. The wet processing chamber 3200 may include a plurality of wet processing chambers 3200. Multiple wet processing chambers 3200 may be stacked on top of each other. The wet process chamber 3200 may be disposed to face the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 or the thermal process chamber 3400 with the transfer chamber 3100 interposed therebetween. The wet processing chamber 3200 may be disposed between the indexing module 20 and the supercritical chamber 3500. The number of the wet process chambers 3200 may be set to correspond to the supercritical chambers 3500. The number of wet processing chambers 3200 may be set to be greater than the number of post cleaning chambers 3300. The number of wet process chambers 3200 may be set to be greater than the number of thermal process chambers 3400. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and may be changed in consideration of factors such as the footprint of the apparatus and the processing efficiency.

Fig. 12 is a view schematically showing a wet processing chamber of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. Referring to fig. 12, the wet processing chamber 3200 may apply a developing solution to the substrate W to develop the substrate W. May include a housing (not shown), a supporting unit 3210, a treatment liquid supply member 3220, and a recovery member 3230. The wet process chamber 3200 may provide a process space in which the substrate W is processed.

The support unit 3210 may support the substrate W. The support member 3100 may rotate the supported substrate S. The support unit 3210 may include a support plate 3211, support pins 3212, chuck pins 3213, a rotation shaft 3214, and a rotation driver 3215. The support plate 3211 may have a top surface having the same or similar shape as the substrate W. The support pins 3212 and the chuck pins 3213 may be provided on a top surface of the support plate 3211. The support pins 3212 may support a bottom surface of the substrate W. The support pins 3212 may protrude upward from a top surface of the support plate 3211. The chuck pins 3213 may fix the supported substrate W. The chuck pins 3213 may support side portions of the supported substrate W. Therefore, the rotating substrate W can be prevented from moving in the lateral direction due to the rotational force. The rotation shaft 3214 may be connected to a bottom portion of the support plate 3212. The rotation shaft 3214 may rotate the support plate 3211 by receiving a rotation force from the rotation driver 3215. Thus, the substrate W positioned on the support plate 3211 may be rotated. The chuck pins 3213 can prevent the substrate W from moving out of the correct position.

The supply member 3220 may spray the processing liquid onto the substrate W. The treatment liquid may contain a developing liquid. The supply member 3220 can include a nozzle 3221, a nozzle rod 3222, a nozzle shaft 3223, and a nozzle shaft driver 3224. The nozzles 3221 may supply a developing solution to the substrate W positioned on the support plate 3211. The nozzle 3221 may be formed on a bottom surface of an end of the nozzle rod 3222. The nozzle rod 3222 may be coupled to a nozzle shaft 3223. The nozzle shaft 3223 may be configured to be lifted or rotated. The nozzle shaft driver 3224 may adjust the position of the nozzle 3221 by lifting or rotating the nozzle shaft 3223. The nozzle 3221 may be connected to a developer supply line (not shown). The developer supply line may be connected to a developer supply source (not shown). A valve may be installed on the developer supply line.

The recovery member 3230 can include a recovery vessel 3231, a recovery line 3232, a lift rod 3233, and a lift driver 3234. The recovery container 3231 may be provided in a ring shape surrounding the support plate 3211. A plurality of recovery containers 3231 may be provided. The plurality of recovery containers 3231 may be disposed in a ring shape sequentially away from the support plate 3211 when viewed from above. The height of the recovery container 3231 may be set higher as the distance from the support plate 3211 increases. The recovery ports 3232 may be formed in spaces between the recovery containers 3231 through which the developer scattered from the substrate W flows. The recovery line 3233 may be formed on a bottom surface of the recovery container 3231. The lift lever 3234 may be connected to the recovery container 3231. The lift lever 3231 may receive power from the lift driver 3235 to move the recovery container 3231 in an up/down direction. When there are a plurality of the recovery containers 3231, the lift lever 3233 may be connected to the recovery container 3231 disposed at the outermost side. The lift driver 3235 may lift the recovery container 3231 by a lift lever 3234 to adjust the recovery port 3232 through which the process liquid scattered in the plurality of recovery ports 3232 flows.

In another embodiment, the wet processing chamber 3200 may perform a cleaning process on the substrate W. In this case, the process liquid discharged from the wet process chamber 3200 may be a cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid may include chemicals, deionized water DIW, and organic solvents. The organic solvent may include isopropyl alcohol IPA. In this case, the nozzle members 3220 of the wet processing chamber 3200 may include a chemical supply member, a deionized water supply member, and an organic solvent supply member, respectively. The wet process chamber 3200 may clean the patterned surface of the substrate W. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus does not include the heat treatment chamber 3400. Accordingly, the wet processing chamber 3200 and the back surface cleaning chamber 3300 may be provided in numbers corresponding to each other.

Referring back to fig. 3-6, a plurality of buffer chambers 3600 may be provided. Some of the buffer chambers 3600 may be disposed between the index module 20 and the transfer chamber 3100. Hereinafter, these buffer chambers are referred to as front buffers 3602. A plurality of front buffers 3602 are provided and positioned to be stacked on each other in the up/down direction. Some of the buffer chambers 3602 and 3604 may be disposed at one side of the transfer chamber 3100, proximate to an opposite side of the indexing module 20. Hereinafter, these buffer chambers are referred to as a back buffer 3604. A plurality of back buffers 3604 are provided and may be positioned to be stacked on each other in the up/down direction. Each of the front buffer 3602 and the rear buffer 3604 may temporarily store a plurality of substrates W. The substrates W stored in the front buffer 3602 may be carried in or out by the index robot 2200 and the transfer robot 3120. The substrate W stored in the rear buffer 3804 may be carried in or out by the transfer robot 3120.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include a controller (not shown) for controlling the transfer unit. In an embodiment, the controller may control the transfer unit such that the substrate W is brought into the wet process chamber 3200 and then enters the supercritical chamber 3500. The substrate W is developed with a developer in the wet processing chamber 3200, and the developer remaining on the substrate W can be removed in the supercritical chamber 3500.

In another embodiment, the controller may control the transfer unit such that the substrate W is brought into the wet process chamber 3200 and then into the supercritical chamber 3500. In this case, the patterned surface of the substrate W is cleaned in the wet process chamber 3200, and the organic solvent remaining on the substrate W may be removed in the supercritical process chamber 3500.

Hereinafter, a supercritical chamber and a substrate processing method according to the inventive concept will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart of a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, and fig. 14 illustrates a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, the substrate processing apparatus may include a supply unit 4000 supplying a process fluid to a process space 3502 within a supercritical chamber 3500, a discharge unit 5000 discharging air within the supercritical chamber 3500, and a controller 6000 controlling the supply unit 4000 and the discharge unit 5000.

The supply unit 4000 may include a supply source (not shown) in which a process fluid is stored, a main supply line 4100 connected to the supply source, a top supply line 4200 branched from the main supply line 4100 and connected to a top wall of the chamber 3500, and a bottom supply line 4300 branched from the main supply line 4100 and connected to a bottom wall of the chamber 3500. The supply unit 4000 may further include a first heater 4210 for heating the process fluid, a first temperature sensor 4220, a first filter 4230, and a top on/off valve 4240 mounted on the top supply line 4200. In this case, the first heater 4210, the first temperature sensor 4220, the first filter 4230, and the top on/off valve 4240 may be sequentially installed downstream of the supply source. In addition, the supply unit 4000 may further include a second heater 4310 installed on the bottom supply line 4300 to heat the process fluid, a second temperature sensor 4320 installed on the bottom supply line 4300, a second filter 4330, a bottom on/off valve 4340, and a first pressure sensor 4350. The second heater 4310, the second temperature sensor 4320, the second filter 4330, the bottom on/off valve 4340, and the first pressure sensor 4350 may be sequentially installed downstream of the supply source.

The discharge unit 5000 may include a discharge line 5100 coupled to a bottom wall of the chamber 3500, an on/off valve 5110 mounted on the discharge line 5100, a pressure sensor 5120, a temperature sensor 5130, and an outlet (not shown). In this case, an on/off valve 5110, a pressure sensor 5120, a temperature sensor 5130, and an outlet may be sequentially installed downstream of the chamber 3500. That is, the on/off valve 5110, the pressure sensor 5120, the temperature sensor 5130, and the outlet may be sequentially disposed with respect to the chamber 3500.

The processing fluid may comprise a supercritical fluid. In particular, may include CO ₂ And SCCO ₂ . Process fluids may be supplied to the process volume 3502 of the chamber 3500 through the main supply line 4100, the top supply line 4200, and the bottom supply line 4300. The first heater 4210 may heat the process fluid flowing through the top supply line 4200. The first temperature sensor 4220 may sense the temperature of the process fluid heated by the first heater 4120. The first temperature sensor 4210 may transmit the sensed temperature of the process fluid to the controller 6000. First filter 4210 may filter the process fluid flowing through top supply line 4200. The first filter 4210 may be removed from inclusion in Foreign substances and impurities in the process fluid flowing to the chamber 3500 through the top supply line 4200. The first filter 4230 may be installed between the first heater 4210 and the top on/off valve 4240. The top on/off valve 4240 may regulate the flow rate of the process fluid introduced through the inlet of the top wall of the chamber 3500.

The second heater 4310 may heat the process fluid flowing through the bottom supply line 4300. The second temperature sensor 4320 may sense a temperature of the process fluid heated by the second heater 4310. The second temperature sensor 4320 may transmit the sensed temperature of the process fluid to the controller 6000. Second filter 4330 may filter the process fluid flowing through bottom supply line 4300. The second filter 4330 may remove foreign substances and impurities contained in the process fluid flowing to the chamber 3500 through the bottom supply line 4300. The second filter 4330 may be installed between the second heater 4310 and the bottom on/off valve 4340. The bottom on/off valve 4340 may regulate the flow rate of the process fluid introduced through the inlet of the bottom wall of the chamber 3500. The first pressure sensor 4350 may sense the pressure of the process fluid flowing through the bottom supply line 4300. The first pressure sensor 4350 may transmit the sensed pressure to the controller 6000.

The discharge unit 5000 may discharge the process fluid inside the chamber 3500 to the outside. The process fluid inside the chamber 3500 can be discharged to the outside through the discharge line 5100. The on/off valve 5110 can control the discharge flow rate by adjusting the flow rate of the process fluid flowing through the discharge line 5100. The pressure sensor 5120 can sense the pressure of the process fluid flowing through the exhaust line 5100 and transmit the sensed value to the controller 6000. The temperature sensor 5130 can sense the temperature of the process fluid flowing through the exhaust line 5100.

The controller 6000 may control the top on/off valve 4240, the bottom on/off valve 4340, and the on/off valve 5110 of the exhaust unit 5000 to supply and exhaust the heated process fluid in the process space before the process is performed on the substrate in the process space. In this case, the controller 6000 may control the top opening/closing valve 4240, the bottom opening/closing valve 4340, and the opening/closing valve 510 of the discharge unit 5000 to supply and discharge the heated process fluid to the process space 3502. The controller 6000 may control the top on/off valve 4240 and the bottom on/off valve 4340 to be simultaneously opened and closed before performing the process of treating the substrate W. In this case, the process fluid may be simultaneously supplied to the top supply line 4200 and the bottom supply line 4300 before the substrate W is introduced into the process space. The controller 6000 may control the introduction of the substrate W into the processing space 3502 when the processing fluid is heated to a preset temperature or higher by the first and second heaters 4210 and 4310. In this case, the preset temperature may be a temperature lower than a critical temperature, which is a temperature at which the process fluid starts to become a supercritical state.

The substrate processing method according to the present inventive concept may include a process space sealing step S100, a pre-supply step S200, a chamber opening step S300, a substrate introduction step S400, a process performing step S500, and a substrate exhausting step S500.

When the signal introduced to the substrate W is transmitted, the substrate sealing step S100 seals the processing space before introducing the substrate. In the pre-supply step S200, the process fluid may be supplied to and discharged from the process space while sealing the process space. In this case, the process fluid may be preheated to a preset temperature during the pre-supply of the process fluid. Further, in the pre-supply step S200, the process fluid may be supplied via a first supply path in fluid communication with the upper region of the process space and a second supply path in fluid communication with the lower region t of the process space, and the process fluid may be controlled to be simultaneously supplied to the first supply path and the second supply path. In the chamber opening step S300, the controller may open the chamber 3500 when the temperature of the process fluid sensed by the temperature sensor reaches a preset temperature. In the substrate introduction step S400, a substrate may be introduced into the processing space. In the process execution step S500, the substrate may be processed by supplying the processing fluid heated to a preset temperature or higher to the processing space. In the substrate discharging step S500, when the processing of the substrate is completed, the processing space may be opened, and the substrate may be taken out.

In the substrate processing method according to the present inventive concept, the method may perform a substrate processing process on a plurality of substrates. In this case, the process space sealing step S100, the pre-supply step S200, the chamber opening step S300, the substrate introduction step S400, the process execution step S500, and the substrate discharge step S500 may be performed on each of the plurality of substrates. That is, the pre-supply step may be performed on each of the plurality of substrates to be processed.

Fig. 15 is a graph of temperature of a process fluid and substrate introduction and discharge time points according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. "S" in fig. 15 indicates a substrate introduction time point, "F" indicates a substrate discharge time point, and "P1" indicates that a substrate processing process is performed on one substrate. That is, fig. 15 shows a process performed on a total of three substrates.

Referring to fig. 15, in the substrate processing method according to the inventive concept, a substrate may be introduced in a state in which a processing fluid is heated to a preset temperature or higher so that substrate processing may be performed.

In conventional supercritical processing equipment, a heater is provided on the supply line to raise the temperature of the supercritical fluid. However, due to the high pressure characteristic of the supercritical chamber, the substrate processing process is performed in a state in which the fluid temperature is not sufficiently raised by circulating the supercritical fluid, thereby causing a process defect. In addition, since it is not a circulation structure, when the supercritical fluid stagnates, the temperature of the fluid decreases, thereby causing a process defect. Further, when the input intervals between the substrates that are continuously input are different, there is a problem in that it is difficult to achieve uniform processing because the temperature of the processing fluid is different for each substrate that is input.

However, according to the present inventive concept, the substrate may be introduced and processed while sufficiently increasing the temperature of the fluid flowing through the supply line and the temperature inside the chamber by means of the supercritical fluid discharged through the processing space inside the chamber 3500 before the substrate processing process is performed. Thus, the above-described problems are solved. Furthermore, without a separate exhaust line for pre-circulation of the supercritical fluid, the temperature of the fluid can be sufficiently increased by pre-supplying the supercritical fluid using a supply line connected to the chamber, thereby simplifying the apparatus.

Conventionally, when drying a substrate W after a development process, a spin drying method is used in which the substrate W is spun and dried. However, as the pattern formed on the substrate becomes finer, the conventional spin drying method may cause a tilting phenomenon in which the pattern collapses or bends. However, according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the substrate W is transferred to the supercritical chamber 3500 immediately after performing the developing process on the substrate W while the developing solution or the cleaning solution remains in the substrate W. Since the supercritical chamber 3500 supplies a supercritical fluid to the substrate and dries the substrate, the above-described tilting phenomenon can be minimized. Further, since the substrate W is conveyed while the developing solution or the cleaning solution remains on the substrate W, it is possible to prevent the substrate from drying out while the substrate is conveyed, thereby avoiding deterioration of the substrate quality.

According to the present inventive concept, an apparatus capable of effectively performing a developing process can be provided. Further, the present inventive concept may provide a device capable of preventing a tilting phenomenon in which a pattern is collapsed or bent. Further, the present inventive concept may provide a stage of a substrate processing apparatus capable of effectively performing a developing process and a supercritical process. Furthermore, the present inventive concept may provide a stage of a substrate processing apparatus capable of cleaning a non-patterned surface of a substrate. In addition, reverse contamination due to contamination on the non-patterned surface of the substrate can be prevented.

Referring to the above description, the substrate W developed in the wet process chamber 3200 has been dried in the supercritical chamber 3500, wherein the cleaning process is not performed at the time of the wet process. However, as a modified embodiment, the wet processing chamber 3200 may further include a cleaning liquid supply member for supplying a cleaning liquid to clean the non-patterned surface of the substrate W. In this case, the cleaning liquid may include a diluent. In this case, the supercritical chamber 3500 may dry the diluent remaining on the substrate W.

The detailed description has been described based on the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiments of the inventive concept. However, the inventive concept is not limited to the above examples, but may be applied to any apparatus for processing a substrate.

Claims (20)

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a chamber having a processing space therein;

a supply line on which a first on/off valve is mounted, and configured to supply a process fluid to the process space;

a heater mounted on the supply line and configured to heat the process fluid;

a discharge line on which a second opening/closing valve is installed, and which is configured to discharge the process space; the method comprises the steps of,

a controller configured to control the first and second on/off valves such that heated process fluid is supplied to and discharged from the process space before a process is performed on a substrate in the process space.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first and second on/off valves to supply and drain the heated processing fluid to and from the processing space prior to introducing the substrate into the processing space.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the supply line comprises: a top supply line connected to a top wall of the chamber and a bottom supply line connected to a bottom wall of the chamber, and

Wherein the heater comprises: a first heater mounted on the top supply line and a second heater mounted on the bottom supply line.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing fluid is supplied to the top supply line and the bottom supply line substantially simultaneously prior to introducing the substrate into the processing space.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter mounted on the supply line at a downstream side of the heater.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls to introduce the substrate into the processing space when the processing fluid is heated to a preset temperature or higher by the heater.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the preset temperature is below a critical temperature of the processing fluid.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing fluid is a fluid in a supercritical state.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first on/off valve comprises:

A top on/off valve mounted on the top supply line; and

a bottom open/close valve mounted on the bottom supply line, and

wherein the controller controls the top and bottom open/close valves to be simultaneously opened before performing the process of treating the substrate.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the fluid in a supercritical state dries a developing solution remaining on the substrate.

11. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

an indexing module including a container for storing a substrate; and

a processing module configured to perform a process on the substrate, and

wherein the processing module comprises:

a buffer unit configured to temporarily store the substrate;

a wet processing chamber configured to perform a developing process on the substrate by supplying a developing solution;

a supercritical processing chamber configured to process the substrate by supplying a supercritical fluid;

a thermal processing chamber configured to perform a thermal processing process on the substrate; and

A transfer chamber including a transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate between the wet process chamber, the supercritical process chamber, and the thermal process chamber, and

wherein the supercritical processing chamber comprises:

a supply line configured to supply the supercritical fluid to a process space in the supercritical processing chamber;

a heater mounted on the supply line and configured to heat the process fluid;

a drain line configured to drain the process space; and

a controller configured to control the supply line and the exhaust line to supply and exhaust heated process fluid to and from the process space before performing a process on the substrate in the process space.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the supply line comprises: a top supply line connected to a top wall of the chamber and a bottom supply line connected to a bottom wall of the chamber, and

wherein the heater comprises: a first heater mounted on the top supply line and a second heater mounted on the bottom supply line.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller controls such that the processing fluid is substantially supplied to the top supply line and the bottom supply line.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a filter mounted on the supply line at a downstream side of the heater.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing fluid is a fluid in a supercritical state.

16. A substrate processing method, comprising:

a sealing step for sealing the processing space;

a pre-supply step for supplying a process fluid to the process space and discharging the process fluid from the process space;

a substrate processing step for processing a substrate by supplying the processing fluid to the processing space; and

and a take-out step for taking out the substrate from the processing space.

17. The substrate processing method of claim 16, further comprising an introducing step for introducing the substrate into the processing space between the pre-supplying step and the substrate processing step.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein the introducing step is performed after the processing fluid is heated to a preset temperature or higher in the pre-supplying step.

19. The substrate processing method of claim 16, wherein the processing fluid is supplied to the processing space via a supply path comprising: a first supply path in fluid communication with an upper region of the process space and a second supply path in fluid communication with a lower region of the process space, and

wherein the treatment fluid is supplied to the first supply path and the second supply path substantially simultaneously.

20. The substrate processing method of claim 16, wherein the method performs a substrate processing process on a plurality of substrates; and

wherein the pre-supplying step is performed on each of the plurality of substrates.