JP2003100589A - Developing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out development with high uniformity by preventing a chemical flow generated in a fluid film of development solution on the surface of the substrate in a method for coating the substrate with the development solution while a feeding nozzle is shifted from one edge side to the other edge side of the surface of the substrate. SOLUTION: A solution flow control plate having conduction holes drilled at positions facing the whole face of a substrate for passing the development solution from a feeding nozzle to the rear side is put opposite to the surface of the substrate, which is kept horizontally by a substrate holding unit, at a height for keeping the control plate in contact with a fluid film of development solution applied to the surface of the substrate. Then, the development solution is applied to the surface of the substrate through the solution flow control plate while the feeding nozzle is shifted. In this case, a reactive force caused by the lose of flow of development solution, which is pulled by surface tension from a diameter part to an outer near part of an end circumferential part, is canceled, so that a flow or a ruffle of the development solution on the surface of the substrate can be prevented, and a resist pattern with a uniform line width can be obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device and a developing method for supplying a developing solution to the surface of a substrate which has been coated with a resist and which has been subjected to an exposure process to perform the developing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a photoresist process, which is one of semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, a thin film formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as wafer W) is coated with the resist, and the resist is exposed in a predetermined pattern. Then, it is developed to form a mask pattern. Such processing is generally performed using a system in which an exposure device is connected to a coating / developing device for coating / developing a resist.

As one of the methods for developing the exposed wafer W, as shown in FIG. 14, a nozzle 1 having a discharge port formed over a length corresponding to the diameter of the wafer W is used. The nozzle 1 is, for example, 1 mm with respect to the surface of the wafer W horizontally held by the spin chuck 12.
While moving the wafer W from one end side to the other end side in a floating state, the developing solution D is deposited on the surface of the wafer W from the discharge port of the nozzle 1, and the developing solution D, for example, 1
A method of forming a liquid film having a thickness of about mm has been implemented and studied.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned method has the following problems. That is, in the wafer W having a circular shape, when the nozzle 1 discharges the developing solution D and moves toward the terminal end beyond the diameter portion of the wafer W, the length of the wafer W is increased with respect to the length of the nozzle 1. The problem is that the length of the effective area is gradually reduced. In this case, when viewed at a part of the periphery of the wafer W, the nozzle 1 moves and moves away from the part, so that the developer D already deposited on the surface of the wafer W and the discharge of the position corresponding to the part. The developer D discharged from the outlet is pulled while being connected by the respective surface tensions. Further, as the nozzle 1 moves toward the terminal end, the developer D cannot maintain the state of being connected by the surface tension, and a portion coated on the surface of the wafer W,
Drainage occurs between the parts that are not applied. That is, the nozzle 1 moves while the liquid is cut off between the discharge port of the nozzle that does not face the surface of the wafer W and the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Due to the action of the reaction force when the liquid runs out, a flow is generated in the developer D deposited on the surface of the wafer W, for example, from the peripheral portion toward the inside. In particular, at the end of the wafer W, the reaction force due to the return of the liquid when the nozzle separates from the surface of the wafer W is large, and the developer that has been piled up may swell. The inventors of the present invention have also found that as a result, the uniformity of the line width accuracy is reduced in the mask pattern obtained after development.

In order to reduce the influence on the developer D deposited on the surface of the substrate as described above, as shown in FIG. 15, a knife ring N for smoothing out the liquid at the peripheral portion of the wafer W.
There is a method of providing R on the peripheral edge of the wafer W, but since the developing solution discharged from the nozzle 1 has a discharge pressure as small as almost its own weight, the surface tension of the solution acts even on the liquid cutting surface of the knife ring NR and the surface is smooth. There is concern that the liquid will not be drained.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to develop a liquid developer deposited on the surface of a substrate in the case of developing a substrate coated with a resist and subjected to an exposure process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of supplying a developing solution to the surface of a substrate without forming a flow and a waviness, thereby obtaining a mask pattern having a high uniformity of line width.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A developing device of the present invention is a developing device for developing a substrate having a surface coated with a resist and subjected to an exposure treatment, and a substrate holding part for holding the substrate horizontally and a substrate. The developing solution supply nozzle having the discharge port formed over the substantially same width as the effective area of the substrate, the moving mechanism for moving the supply nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the substrate, and the substrate surface. Liquid flow provided with a large number of through holes that are provided so as to face the substrate surface at a height position in contact with the liquid film of the developer to be applied, and allow the developer from the supply nozzle to pass through to the back side thereof. A suppressing plate, and the developing solution from the supply nozzle is applied to the surface of the substrate via the liquid flow suppressing plate. The liquid flow suppression plate is provided, for example, over a position corresponding to the entire surface of the substrate. Further, for example, when the discharge port of the supply nozzle separates from the liquid flow suppression plate at a position corresponding to the peripheral edge of the substrate over the peripheral edge of the surface of the liquid flow suppression plate, the discharge port and the liquid flow suppression plate are caused by surface tension. A pointed portion for cutting off the developing solution may be formed.

Further, the developing device may include means for moving the liquid flow suppressing plate to a position in contact with the liquid film after the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion. The cup may be provided so as to be movable up and down so as to surround the formed substrate, and the substrate transfer port formed on the side peripheral surface of the cup, and the liquid flow suppression plate may be provided on the upper surface of the cup. . Further, a cleaning nozzle may be provided for cleaning the developing solution on the substrate by supplying the cleaning solution from above the liquid flow suppression plate after the application of the developing solution.

According to the present invention, the reaction force generated by the liquid running out of the developer near the outside of the peripheral edge of the substrate is opposed to the surface of the substrate at the height position in contact with the liquid film of the developer coated on the surface of the substrate. Can be canceled by a frictional force generated between the liquid flow suppressing plate and the developing solution, and further, since the upper surface of the developing solution accumulated on the substrate is pressed by the planar member, the substrate It is possible to suppress the flow and waviness from being formed in the developer film on the surface.

In the developing method of the present invention, a resist is applied to the surface of the substrate and the exposed substrate is developed. In the developing method, a step of horizontally holding the substrate in a substrate holding portion and then a large number of steps are carried out. The step of arranging the liquid flow suppressing plate having the through holes formed therein at a height facing the surface of the substrate and in contact with the liquid film of the developing solution applied to the surface of the substrate; Suppress the liquid flow by discharging the developing liquid while moving the supply nozzle of the developing liquid having the discharge port formed over the same length from the one end side of the substrate to the other end side on the surface side of the liquid flow suppressing plate. A step of applying a developing solution onto the surface of the substrate through the flow holes of the plate. After applying the developing solution to the surface of the substrate, the substrate is rotated around the central axis of the substrate while supplying the cleaning solution from the cleaning nozzle to the surface of the substrate through the through holes of the liquid flow suppression plate corresponding to the central part of the substrate. The method is characterized by including a step of washing away the developer on the surface of the substrate.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a developing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the schematic views of the developing device shown in FIGS. This developing device is provided with, for example, a spin chuck 2 that is a substrate holding unit that sucks and adsorbs the center of the back surface of the wafer W and holds the wafer W horizontally.
The main shaft is connected to the drive unit 21 and can rotate and move up and down. Further, a square outer cup 31 and an annular inner cup 32 are provided so as to form a processing space surrounding the wafer W in order to prevent the mist of the developing solution and the cleaning solution from scattering around during the developing process. There is. The bottom surface of this processing space is composed of a circular plate 33 and a liquid receiving section 34 which is a space for collecting the developing solution and the cleaning solution on the periphery of the circular plate 33. The developing solution and the cleaning solution are discharged from the bottom surface of the liquid receiving section 34. It is discharged to the outside of the device through the liquid port 35. Further, a ring body 36 having a mountain-shaped cross section whose upper end is close to the back surface of the wafer W is provided on the peripheral edge of the disc 33.

The inner cup 32 has a wafer W on the side surface thereof.
A transfer port 37 for loading and unloading is provided, and a liquid flow suppressing plate 38, which is a planar body, is provided on the ceiling portion.
In this case, for example, a step is formed on the inner edge of the inner cup 32,
It is desirable that the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 be configured so as to be engaged with this step portion and held by the inner cup 32 so that the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 can be replaced. The liquid flow suppressing plate 38 has a size of, for example, approximately the same as or larger than the wafer W, 1.5 m.
The through holes 38 each having a diameter of 6 mm are formed in a zigzag arrangement or regular arrangement at a pitch of 9 mm, for example, at a position corresponding to the entire surface of the wafer W, which is formed of a circular flat plate having a thickness of m. The material is made of, for example, SUS, ceramics, or resin. The flow hole 38
The configuration is not limited to the present invention, and for example, a slit-shaped opening may be provided, or the liquid flow suppression plate 38 may be configured by a mesh-shaped member. Also the outer cup 3
1 and the inner cup 32 are configured to be independently elevated and lowered by the first elevating mechanism 41 and the second elevating mechanism 42.

The supply nozzle 51 for supplying the developing solution to the surface of the wafer W has a slender quadrangular nozzle main body 52 having a developing solution flow path therein, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the wafer W.
A discharge port 53 having a length substantially the same as the width of the effective area of is provided. The discharge port 53 may have a structure in which a large number of discharge holes are arranged in a line in the same length as the diameter of the wafer W, or may be a slit-shaped discharge port having the same length as the diameter of the wafer W. good. The supply nozzle 51 is connected to the moving portion 56 of the first moving mechanism 55 via the arm portion 54, and the first moving mechanism 55 horizontally moves along the guide rail 6 so that the supply nozzle 51 moves to the wafer. It is configured to be horizontally movable from one end side to the other end side of W. Further, the first moving mechanism 55 is provided with, for example, a ball screw mechanism 57, and the supply nozzle 51 is configured to be vertically movable.

A cleaning nozzle 7 for supplying a cleaning liquid, for example, pure water, to the surface of the wafer W in a cleaning step after development.
1 is connected to the second moving mechanism 72, and is configured to be horizontally movable along the guide rail 6 so that the cleaning liquid discharge port 73 is set on the center of the wafer W. The drive unit 21, the first elevating mechanism 41, the second elevating mechanism 42, the first moving mechanism 55, and the second moving mechanism 72 are connected to the control unit, respectively. The configuration is such that operation control can be performed by interlocking each part such that the processing liquid is supplied by the first moving mechanism 55 according to the lifting and lowering of the chuck 2.

Next, a developing process using the above-mentioned developing device will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the spin chuck 2 is lifted to above the outer cup 31, and the wafer W which has already been coated with the resist in the previous step and which has been subjected to the exposure process.
Is transferred from the transfer arm (not shown) to the spin chuck 2 via the transfer port 37, and then the spin chuck 2 descends with the central portion of the wafer W sucked and sucked to set the position for performing the developing process on the wafer W. For example, it is set to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Further, the inner cup 32 is lowered by the liquid flow suppressing second elevating mechanism, and the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is at a height position where it contacts the developer D film deposited on the surface of the wafer W, for example, the surface of the wafer W and 1 mm. Set to a height that forms a gap.
Subsequently, the supply nozzle 51 is horizontally moved to the scanning start position between the outer cup 31 and the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the supply nozzle 51 is further lowered to supply the developing solution D to the wafer W at a height, for example, The tip surface of the discharge port 53 is set at a position higher than the surface of the liquid flow suppression plate 38 by about 1 mm.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5, the developing solution D is discharged from the discharge port 53 and the supply nozzle 5 is also discharged.
1 from the one end side of the wafer W so that the center of the discharge port 53 passes above the center of the wafer W and moves toward the other end side by scanning the supply nozzle 51 at a speed of, for example, 50 mm / sec. D is supplied to the surface of the wafer W through the flow holes 39, and the gap between the surface of the wafer W and the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is filled with the developer, so that, for example, 1 mm to 2.5 m.
A liquid layer with a thickness of m is formed.

After the completion of the liquid deposition of the developing solution D, the supply nozzle is withdrawn and the state shown in FIG. 4C is maintained for, for example, 55 seconds to perform static development, and the soluble portion of the resist on the surface of the wafer W is developed. Dissolve in liquid D to form a mask pattern. Then, the cleaning nozzle 71 is moved so that the discharge part 73 of the cleaning liquid R is located above the center of the wafer W, and the outer cup 31 is raised to correspond to the center part of the wafer W as shown in FIG. 4D. The cleaning liquid R is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 71 to the central portion of the wafer W through the through hole 39 and the spin chuck 2 is rotated to centrifuge the developing liquid D existing between the wafer W and the liquid flow suppressing plate 38. By the force, the cleaning liquid R is displaced from the central portion of the wafer W toward the peripheral portion, and the surface of the wafer W and the liquid flow control plate 38 are simultaneously cleaned. Subsequently, the liquid flow suppression plate 38 is raised, the rotation speed of the spin chuck 2 is increased, and spin drying is performed, and the developing process is completed. At this time, after the stationary development is finished, the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is once raised, the spin chuck 2 is rotated to shake off the developing solution D on the surface of the wafer W, and then the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is lowered again to bring the wafer W and the liquid W into contact with each other. The flow suppressing plate 38 may be washed. During the cleaning process, the developing solution D and the cleaning solution R are discharged from the liquid discharge port 35 via the liquid receiving section 34.

According to the above embodiment, the supply nozzle 5
When 1 is scanned toward the end beyond the diameter portion of the wafer W, the reaction force generated by the liquid run-out near the outer edge of the wafer W is the boundary between the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 and the developer D. The frictional forces that occur in the layers cancel out the acting forces. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the formation of a flow in the developing solution D. Further, since the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 presses the upper part of the developing solution D, it is possible to suppress the rippling due to the deviation of the solution at the end, but even if there is the rippling, the frictional force acts on the wafer W surface and the liquid. No flow is formed or reduced in the liquid layer in the gap between the flow suppression plate 38 and the flow suppression plate 38. As a result, the present inventors have confirmed that the line width uniformity of the mask pattern obtained by the development is improved.

In the case where the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is not provided, the peripheral edge of the developer D deposited on the surface of the wafer W is pulled toward the center by the surface tension which is the cohesive force and the corners are rounded. However, in the present invention, the gap between the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 and the wafer W can be filled with the developer without any gap due to its adhesive force. It is possible to obtain the additional effect that a developer film having a film thickness can be formed and highly uniform development can be performed even in the peripheral portion.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, the liquid flow suppression plate 38 is not limited to the circular shape corresponding to the entire surface of the wafer W described above, but may have a shape corresponding to a part of the surface of the wafer W. For example, as shown in FIG. A donut-shaped liquid flow suppressing plate 38 having a width of up to 20 mm may be provided at a position corresponding to the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6B, a horseshoe-shaped liquid flow suppression plate 38 having a width of, for example, 10 to 20 mm may be provided at a position corresponding to the peripheral portion of the wafer W from the diameter portion to the end portion. . Even in such a configuration, as in the case described above, the reaction force due to the liquid running out from the diameter portion of the wafer W near the outside of the peripheral portion of the terminal end is canceled out, and the developer flows on the wafer W. The formation of ripples is suppressed. The shape of the liquid flow suppression plate 38 and which part of the wafer W to correspond to are preferably determined by conducting a test in advance according to, for example, the scanning speed of the supply nozzle and the type of resist.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, a ring is provided on the peripheral edge of the surface of the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 with a sharp edge which is a knife edge so as to correspond to at least the peripheral edge of the diameter of the wafer W to the peripheral edge. -Shaped members may be provided. In this case, in addition to the same effect as the above case, when the supply nozzle is separated from the liquid flow suppressing plate 38, the developer that extends between the supply nozzle and the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is cut off at the sharp end, so The force can be weakened, and the rectifying effect of the developer D on the surface of the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 can be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a large number of ventilation holes 81 are formed on the side surface of the inner cup 32 along the half circumference of the inner cup 32, and a pipe 83 is connected through a flow path 82. Before carrying out the liquid deposition, the dry gas, for example, dry air may be purged from one direction to the other to dry the liquid flow suppressing plate 38. According to such a configuration,
In the case where the developing process is continuously performed, even if the cleaning liquid R remains on the surface of the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 in the spin drying of the previous cycle, it can be removed by the dry gas, so that the concentration of the developing liquid decreases when the liquid is piled up. Can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is not limited to being fixed on the inner cup 32, and can be moved up and down between the inner cup 32 and the outer cup 31 as shown in FIG. A plurality of support rods 84 for holding the lower surface of the peripheral edge portion of 38 are provided in the circumferential direction, and after the wafer W is transferred to the spin chuck 2, the support rods are raised,
The liquid flow suppression plate 38 may be separately delivered to the support rods by an arm, and the support rods may be lowered to be set to a position immediately above the wafer W. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the transfer port 37 for the wafer W on the side peripheral surface of the inner cup 32, and the cleaning of the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 is not limited to the above-described method. After that, it may be washed separately before the next development processing.

Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, a discharge port 53 provided in the longitudinal direction of the supply nozzle 51.
Is shorter than the length of the effective area of the wafer W, for example, 90 to 100 with respect to the diameter of the wafer W.
% May be used. In this case, the discharged developing solution D is supplied to the surface of the wafer W through the liquid passage hole 39, spreads to a portion located outside the discharge port 53, and the adhesive force of the developer W and the liquid flow suppressing plate. The gap with 38 is filled to form a liquid layer. Therefore, on the outer side of the wafer W, the amount of the developing solution D flowing down can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of the developing solution D used in the developing process can be reduced, and the running cost can be suppressed. Further, in the supply nozzle 51, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a developing method without using the liquid flow suppressing plate 38 may be used. Even in this case, the surface tension of the developer D allows the developer W to be deposited on the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the effect of suppressing the amount of the developer D used can be obtained as in the case described above.

Next, an example of a coating / developing device in which the above-described developing device is incorporated in a developing unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. 12 and 13,
91 is a cassette C containing, for example, 25 wafers W
The cassette station 91 is provided with a loading section 91a for loading the cassette C and a delivery means 92 for removing the wafer W from the cassette C. On the back side of the cassette station 91, for example, when seeing the back from the cassette station 91, the coating / developing system unit U1 is provided on the right side, and the heating / cooling system units are provided on the left side, the front side, and the back side in multiple stages. Stacked shelving units U2, U3
U4 are arranged respectively, and the wafer W is provided between the coating / developing system unit U1 and the shelf units U2, U3, U4.
A transfer arm MA is provided for delivering and receiving. However, in FIG. 12, the transfer means 92, the unit U2, and the transfer arm MA are not shown for convenience.

In the coating / developing system unit U1,
For example, the developing unit 93 provided with the two developing devices described above is provided in the upper stage, and the coating unit 94 provided with the two coating devices is provided in the lower stage. Shelf units U2, U3, U4
In the above, in addition to the heating unit and the cooling unit, a wafer transfer unit, a hydrophobic treatment unit, and the like are assigned vertically.

The portion provided with the transport arm MA and the coating / developing system unit U1 will be referred to as a processing block. The processing block is connected to the exposure block 96 via the interface unit 95. .
The interface unit 95 transfers the wafer W between the processing block and the exposure block 96 by the transfer unit 97 for transferring the wafer W.

Explaining the flow of wafers in this apparatus, first, the wafer cassette C, which accommodates the wafer W from the outside, is placed on the placing section 91a, and the wafer W is taken out from the cassette C by the transfer means 92, and the Heating mentioned above
It is transferred to the transfer arm MA via a transfer table which is one of the shelves of the cooling unit U3. Next, after the hydrophobic treatment is performed in the processing section of one shelf of the unit U3, the resist solution is applied by the applying unit 94 to form a resist film. The wafer W coated with the resist film is heated by the heating unit, then transferred to the transfer unit 97 of the interface unit 95 of the unit U4 and the cooling unit capable of transfer, and after the processing, passes through the interface unit 95 and the transfer unit 97. Then, it is sent to the exposure device 96, where it is exposed through a mask corresponding to the pattern. The wafer after the exposure processing is received by the transfer means 97 and transferred to the wafer transfer arm MA of the processing block via the transfer unit of the unit U4.

After that, the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating unit, then cooled to a predetermined temperature by a cooling unit, and then sent to a developing unit 93 equipped with the apparatus shown in FIGS. Processed to form a resist mask. Then, the wafer W is returned to the cassette C on the mounting portion 91a. The present invention can also be applied to the heat treatment of substrates other than semiconductor wafers such as LCD substrates and reticle substrates for photomasks.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a substrate coated with a resist and subjected to an exposure treatment is subjected to a developing treatment, a reaction force caused by a liquid shortage near the periphery of the substrate is suppressed. It is canceled by the frictional force generated between the plate and the developing solution, and the surface of the developing solution is further held down by the liquid flow suppressing plate, so that the developing solution deposited on the surface of the substrate has a flow and ripples. It is possible to supply the developing solution to the surface of the substrate while suppressing the above. Therefore, the uniformity of the line width of the mask pattern obtained by the development is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a developing solution device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a developing solution supply section of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing a developing process of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for supplying a developing solution according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of a coating / developing apparatus incorporating the developing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an example of a coating / developing device incorporating the developing device.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of supplying a developing solution according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of supplying a developing solution according to a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

W wafer D developer R cleaning liquid 2 spin chuck 31 Outer Cup 32 inner cup 38 Liquid flow suppression plate 39 through hole 51 supply nozzle 6 Guide rail 71 Washing nozzle

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 2, 2001 (2001.11.
2)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a developing device according to the present invention.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kosuke Yoshihara             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited (72) Inventor Shuji Kyoda             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited (72) Inventor Hiroshi Takeguchi             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited F-term (reference) 2H096 AA25 GA17 GA29 GA30                 5F046 LA03 LA04 LA14

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A developing device for developing a substrate that has been exposed to light and has a resist applied to the surface thereof, wherein the substrate holding part for holding the substrate horizontally has a length substantially equal to the width of the effective area of the substrate. A supply nozzle for the developing solution having a discharge port formed therethrough, a moving mechanism for moving the supply nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the substrate, and a high contact unit for contacting with the liquid film of the developing solution applied on the substrate surface. And a liquid flow suppressing plate having a large number of through holes for allowing the developing solution from the supply nozzle to pass through to the back surface side of the liquid flow suppressing plate. A developing device, characterized in that the developing solution of (1) is applied to the surface of the substrate through a liquid flow suppressing plate. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid flow suppressing plate is provided over a position corresponding to the entire surface of the substrate. 3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising means for moving the liquid flow suppressing plate to a position in contact with the liquid film after the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion. Development device. 4. A liquid flow suppressing plate comprising: a cup that is vertically movable so as to surround a substrate held by a substrate holding part; and a substrate transfer port formed on a side peripheral surface of the cup. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the developing device is provided on the upper surface of the cup. 5. The cleaning nozzle for cleaning the developing solution on the substrate by supplying the cleaning solution from above the liquid flow suppressing plate after the developing solution is applied, according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The developing device described. 6. The liquid flow suppressing plate is provided over the peripheral edge of the surface thereof,
At the position corresponding to the peripheral portion of the substrate, when the discharge port of the supply nozzle separates from the liquid flow suppression plate, a tip portion for cutting off the developing solution extending between the discharge port and the liquid flow suppression plate due to surface tension is formed. The developing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the developing device is formed. 7. A developing method for developing a substrate which has been exposed to light by applying a resist to the surface of the substrate, the step of horizontally holding the substrate in a substrate holding part, and then a number of through holes are formed. The step of arranging the liquid flow suppressing plate facing the substrate surface at a height in contact with the liquid film of the developing solution applied to the substrate surface, and then extending over the substantially same length as the width of the effective area of the substrate. The developing solution is ejected while moving the developing solution supply nozzle having the ejection port from the one end side to the other end side of the substrate on the front surface side of the liquid flow suppression plate, and through the through hole of the liquid flow suppression plate. And a step of applying a developing solution to the surface of the substrate through the developing method. 8. The substrate is coated around the central axis of the substrate while the developing solution is applied to the surface of the substrate and then the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the surface of the substrate through the through holes of the liquid flow suppressing plate corresponding to the central portion of the substrate. 8. The developing method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of rotating the substrate to wash away the developing solution on the substrate surface.