JP2006194577A - Substrate treating device and substrate treating method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating device capable of drying a liquid film efficiently without degrading the uniformity of film thickness. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate formed with the liquid film with a resist liquid is placed in a storage space provided in a drying treatment part of the substrate treating device, and the space is sealed. While monitoring pressure behavior, pressure is reduced aiming at a set pressure PS lower than the saturated steam pressure PV of the resist liquid. When reaching the saturated steam pressure PV, pressure reduction is once retained, and almost all of a solvent of the resist liquid volatilizes. Pressure is further reduced after volatilization is completed, but the pressure is converged on a constant value at an arrival pressure PF close to the set pressure PS. This point of time is determined as a drying end point of time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and the like (hereinafter referred to as “substrate”).

  As is well known, in products such as semiconductors and liquid crystal displays, circuits are formed on the substrate using a photolithography technique. Photolithography is a technique for forming circuits by processes such as resist coating, exposure, development, and etching.

  Of these, for resist coating, a conventional technique is spin coating, in which a resist solution is dropped onto a substrate rotated in a horizontal plane, and the resist solution is spread over the entire substrate using the centrifugal force of rotation. It is.

  Spin coating can form a uniform resist film on the substrate, but only about 10% of the dropped resist solution actually contributes to film formation. The portion is discarded outside the substrate without contributing to film formation. For this reason, there are problems in terms of resist saving and cost.

  Therefore, in order to avoid this problem, a film forming technique instead of spin coating has been researched and developed, and one of them is scan coating (for example, see Patent Document 1). FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the concept of scan coating. In the scan coating, the resist solution 102 is continuously ejected from the tip of the nozzle 101 while the substrate W and the nozzle 101 having a small-diameter tip are moved relative to each other in the direction indicated by the arrow AR101. In this technique, the liquid film 103 is formed by sequentially applying the liquid 102 in a linear fashion. In FIG. 10, for convenience of explanation, the interval between the lines constituting the liquid film 103 is open. However, in actuality, the lines are applied so as to be adjacent to each other, and finally are substantially disc-shaped. A liquid film is formed.

JP 2000-073326 A

  The substrate on which the resist solution has been applied is subsequently transferred to the baking process. However, if the substrate is transferred in the form of a liquid film, the resist solution flows in the middle of conveyance, or the organic solvent in the resist solution is baked. Causes problems such as volatilization in large quantities.

  In addition, when a resist solution is applied by a spin coating method, the resist solution is dried by the rotation of the substrate. Therefore, such a problem does not usually need to be considered.

  In order to avoid the above-mentioned problem in the substrate coated with scan, it is necessary to volatilize an excess solvent and dry the liquid film to obtain a solid film before baking. For example, this can be realized by performing a vacuum drying process of the liquid film at a temperature close to room temperature prior to the baking process.

  However, if the volatilization of the solvent is insufficient, the volatilization of the solvent occurs as described above in the subsequent processing. Moreover, it is a waste of processing time to continue the reduced-pressure drying process even though the solvent has sufficiently evaporated. In order to dry sufficiently and efficiently, it is necessary to determine that the solvent has volatilized by some method.

  In addition, in the scan coating, the liquid film is sequentially formed in a linear shape, so that the film thickness of the liquid film may be non-uniform due to the difference in the coating position and the elapsed time after coating. . It is at least avoided that the film thickness becomes more non-uniform with the drying process under reduced pressure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can dry a liquid film efficiently and without deteriorating the uniformity of the film thickness.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an apparatus for processing a substrate, and includes an accommodation space including therein a placement portion on which a substrate coated with a liquid film can be placed, and the accommodation space. An exhaust means capable of exhausting the gas in the interior, a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the placement section, a gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the accommodation space, and a pressure of the accommodation space to atmospheric pressure And a pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure in the accommodating space, a pressure controlling means for controlling the exhausting means, the gas supplying means, and the returning pressure means, The pressure control means depressurizes the accommodation space by supplying the inert gas to the gas supply means and exhausting it to the exhaust means, and the pressure of the accommodation space measured by the pressure measurement means is a predetermined value. Before if Operating the pressure recovery unit to atmospheric pressure in the receiving space, characterized in that.

  Invention of Claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: The said pressure control means volatilizes the solvent of the said liquid film from the change of the pressure in the said storage space measured by the said pressure measurement means And determining means for determining that the volatilization has ended, and operating the pressure-recovery means after determining that the volatilization has ended.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the pressure in the housing space measured by the pressure measuring unit is saturated by a material forming the liquid film. It is determined that the volatilization of the solvent of the liquid film is completed when a predetermined set pressure value smaller than the vapor pressure is reached.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, comprising a substrate holding means capable of holding the substrate horizontally, a processing liquid discharge port, and the processing liquid. A treatment processing unit that applies the treatment liquid to the substrate while relatively moving a treatment liquid ejection unit capable of continuously ejecting the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid ejection port onto the substrate; The substrate after the treatment for applying the treatment liquid is subjected to a drying treatment in the drying treatment section.

  Invention of Claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 4, Comprising: The heat processing part which performs a heat processing and a cooling process with respect to a board | substrate, The development processing part which performs a development process with respect to the exposed board | substrate, Each And a transfer unit that carries the substrate into and out of the processing unit.

  The invention of claim 6 is a method for performing a process of forming a coating film on a substrate, and the substrate coated with a liquid film is placed on a placement portion that is placed in the accommodation space and on which the substrate can be placed. A loading step, a pressure reducing step for reducing the pressure of the storage space while supplying an inert gas to the storage space, and when the pressure of the storage space becomes a predetermined value or less, the pressure of the storage space is set to atmospheric pressure. And a decompression step.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing method according to the sixth aspect, wherein the pressure reducing step is performed while measuring the pressure in the accommodating space, and the change in the pressure causes a change in the liquid film. A determination step of determining that the volatilization of the solvent has been completed, and the decompression step is started after the determination step determines that the volatilization has ended.

  The invention according to an eighth aspect is the substrate processing method according to the seventh aspect, wherein, in the determination step, a predetermined setting in which the pressure in the accommodation space is smaller than a saturated vapor pressure of a material forming the liquid film. When the pressure value is reached, it is determined that the volatilization of the solvent in the liquid film is completed.

  According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to know the pressure behavior in the housing space when the solvent volatilizes from the surface of the liquid film in the vacuum drying, so that the vacuum drying is performed while controlling the pressure. It can be carried out.

  According to the invention of claim 2, claim 3, claim 7, and claim 8, it is possible to accurately detect that the liquid film has reached a dry state, and it is possible to perform processing without wasting processing time. .

  According to the third and eighth aspects of the present invention, if it can be confirmed that the pressure has reached the set pressure value, it can be determined that the liquid film has reached the dry state, and therefore processing without wasting processing time is performed. Can do.

<Overview of application processing unit>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a coating processing unit 1 and a drying processing unit 6 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a side view. Note that each has three-dimensional coordinates with the horizontal plane as the xy plane and the vertical direction as the z-axis.

  The coating processing unit 1 mainly includes a holding unit 2 that holds the substrate W horizontally and a nozzle 3 that discharges a resist solution onto the substrate from the discharge port 5 to form a liquid film.

  The holding unit 2 can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow AR1 by a driving mechanism (not shown) of the driving unit 10. The nozzle 3 can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow AR2 by the nozzle driving unit 4. The nozzle driving unit 4 is a driving mechanism by belt driving, and the nozzle 3 fixed to the belt 4B moves according to the operation of the belt 4B in the y-axis direction. In addition, the drive mechanism of the nozzle 3 is not limited to this, You may employ | adopt another well-known drive mechanism.

  The substrate W on which the resist solution is applied in the coating processing unit 1 and the liquid film is formed is delivered to the drying processing unit 6. Details of the drying processing unit 6 will be described later.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the resist solution R is supplied to the nozzle 3 via a pipe 14 by a pump 12 provided in the resist reservoir. When the nozzle 3 performs the application operation indicated by the arrow AR4, the movable portion 14M of the pipe 14 that supplies the resist solution R to the nozzle 3 moves in accordance with the operation of the nozzle 3.

<Detailed configuration of drying processing section>
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire drying processing unit 6. The drying processing unit 6 mainly includes a container 20 that accommodates and holds the substrate W, a heater 40 that can adjust a drying temperature for the substrate W, and a control unit 45 that performs temperature adjustment control by the heater 40. Then, the liquid film of the resist solution applied to the substrate W is subjected to reduced pressure drying to obtain a solidified coating film by volatilizing the solvent by lowering the pressure.

  The heater 40 has a function of adjusting the drying temperature for the substrate W accommodated in the container 20. In the present embodiment, the heater 40 is provided on the lower surface side of the mounting portion 21 and the upper surface side of the lid body 30 which will be described later, and the heat generated by the heater 40 passes through the mounting portion 21 and the lid body 30. To the gas in the accommodation space 23 of the container 20. When the temperature of the substrate W and the placement unit 21 is lowered due to the effect of volatilization and maturation that occurs with the drying of the liquid film, the vapor pressure of the solvent in the liquid film is lowered to make it difficult to dry, and as a result, the drying processing time increases. Resulting in. This can be avoided by adjusting the drying temperature with the heater 40. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the solvent from condensing on the inner wall of the container 20 by adjusting the drying temperature. In addition, the aspect which adjusts drying temperature using the temperature control water by which the temperature is kept constant instead of the heater 40 may be sufficient. Moreover, the aspect in which the heater 40 is provided is not limited to that described above, and may be provided in the accommodation space 23, for example.

  The container 20 is configured to accommodate the substrate W in an airtight state. Specifically, the container 20 includes a placement unit 21 on which the substrate W is placed and a lid 30 that covers the placement unit 21.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the placement portion 21, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container 20 with the lid 30 opened. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the mounting portion 21 is formed in a substantially disk shape, and a predetermined accommodation space 23 surrounded by a peripheral wall portion 22 is formed in the center portion on the upper surface side. Yes. The accommodation space 23 is formed in a shape and size that can accommodate the substrate W in a horizontal posture. Here, it is formed in a circular hole shape that is slightly larger than the substantially circular substrate W.

  A plurality of protrusions 25 that horizontally support the substrate W and a peripheral side surface of the substrate W are in contact with the bottom surface 24 in the accommodation space 23 of the placement unit 21 to perform horizontal positioning of the substrate W, and A plurality of anti-slip pins 26 functioning as anti-slip means for preventing the substrate from slipping are provided. In FIG. 4, when the substrate W is placed, three protrusions 25 are formed at predetermined intervals at positions corresponding to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W, and anti-slip pins 26 are formed at outer positions corresponding to the protrusions 25. The case where is formed is shown.

  By providing the projections 25, when the substrate W is placed on the placement unit 21, the substrate W is not directly in surface contact with the bottom surface 24, but is supported in a substantially point contact state with the plurality of projections 25. And is held away from the bottom surface 24. In this way, by supporting the substrate W and minimizing the contact portion, the temperature non-uniformity generated in the liquid film due to the heat conduction from the drying processing unit 6 to the substrate W, and after the accompanying drying An increase in film thickness non-uniformity of the coating film can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the support of the substrate W by the substantially point contact as described above is unstable with respect to an external force. For example, when exhausting from the accommodation space 23 as described later, the air flow generated in the space There is a possibility that the substrate W slips and is displaced. The anti-slip pin 26 is provided to prevent this and hold the substrate W in a predetermined position and posture. Maintaining these helps to prevent an increase in film thickness non-uniformity.

  Further, the mounting portion 21 is provided with a plurality of push-up pins 27 that can be freely moved out and out of the bottom surface 24. The push-up pins 27 are for carrying the substrate W in the accommodation space and taking out the substrate W from the accommodation space. As shown by an arrow AR5 in FIG. 5, the push-up pin 27 can be moved back and forth from the bottom surface 24 by a driving mechanism (not shown). In a state where the substrate W is advanced upward, the substrate W is lifted upward, and in a state where the substrate W is retracted downward, the substrate W is moved downward in the accommodation space 23 and supported by the protrusion 25. In addition, since the push-up pin 27 is not directly heated by the heater 40, the temperature of the portion of the substrate W that contacts the push-up pin 27 is different from other portions. This causes a non-uniform temperature as in the case of the protrusion 25 described above. In the present embodiment, in order to avoid non-uniform film thickness due to this, as shown in FIG. 4, if the substrate W is placed, the three push-up pins 27 correspond to the outer peripheral portion thereof. It is a position, and is provided at an intermediate position between the protrusions 25.

  Further, an annular slit 28 is formed along an annular portion of the placement portion 21 where the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 22 and the bottom surface 24 intersect, and air that penetrates from the annular slit 28 to the outer surface of the placement portion 21. A suction hole 29 is formed.

  A vacuum pump 50 as an exhaust means is connected to the outer opening portion of the air suction hole 29 via a pressure adjusting valve 51. When the vacuum pump 50 performs the exhaust operation, the gas in the container 20 is exhausted. In addition, when an air flow accompanying exhaust gas is generated above the liquid film, a track due to the air flow is formed on the surface of the liquid film, and the unevenness locally causes the film thickness to be uneven. In FIG. 21, since the gas is exhausted from the peripheral side of the substrate W through the annular slit 28, an equal suction force can be applied to the periphery of the substrate W, thereby preventing the formation of a trace as described above. Can do.

  The lid 30 covers the mounting portion 21 in an airtight state, and is attached to the mounting portion 21 so as to be openable and closable. The upper portion of the peripheral wall portion 22 has a shape in which the outer peripheral side portion is stepped down from the inner peripheral side portion, and the lower surface outer peripheral portion of the lid body 30 has a shape protruding one step corresponding thereto. ing. And if the cover body 30 is attached to the mounting part 21 so that the outer peripheral part of the lower surface of the cover body 30 is fitted in the upper part of the surrounding wall part 22, the accommodation space 23 will be maintained in an airtight state. Note that an O-ring 38 made of an elastic member such as rubber is provided on the peripheral wall 22 side so as to keep the airtight state more reliably.

  In addition, the opening / closing operation | movement of the cover body 30 is performed by the drive of the drive part not shown.

  Furthermore, a gas supply hole 32 is formed in the lid 30 so as to penetrate the lid 30 vertically (inside and outside of the container 20 as a reference). An inert gas supply source 52 as a gas supply means is connected to the gas supply hole 32 via a leak amount adjusting valve 53. In the present embodiment, with the lid 30 attached and the mounting portion 21 closed, the air in the container 20 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 50 and the accommodation space 23 is set to a negative pressure, while the inert gas is concerned. An inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is introduced from the supply source 52 into the accommodation space 23 through the gas supply hole 32. That is, the storage space 23 is exhausted while replacing the atmosphere in the storage space with an inert gas. This is because the inert gas can be easily controlled in terms of humidity, temperature, and the like.

  The control unit 45 controls the entire apparatus, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is configured by a general microcomputer that performs a predetermined arithmetic operation using a software program stored in advance. The control unit 45 controls a series of operations described later.

  The container 20 is provided with a pressure gauge 54 for monitoring the pressure in the accommodation space 23. As will be described later, based on the pressure value in the accommodation space 23 measured by the pressure gauge 54, the determination unit 46 provided in the control unit 45 determines the end of the drying process.

<Drying operation>
Next, the operation of the reduced pressure drying process in the drying processing unit 6 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the flow of the reduced-pressure drying process in the drying processing unit 6. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a change over time of the pressure in the accommodation space 23 when the drying processing unit 6 performs a pressure reduction. In FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents the pressure in the accommodation space 23, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time from the start of processing, the wavy line is the set pressure curve 61, and the solid line is the accommodation measured by the pressure gauge 54. An actual pressure curve 62 in the space 23 is shown. For convenience of explanation, the process is divided into five processes of process I to process V according to the behavior of the actual pressure curve 62.

  After the resist solution is applied to the substrate W by the application processing unit 1, the substrate W is transported into the container 20 by the holding unit 2. The substrate W is supported by the protrusion 25 in the placement portion 21 and is fixed by the anti-slip pin 26 and the push-up pin 27 (step S1).

  Thereafter, the lid 30 is closed and the container 20 is sealed (step S2), and then the gas in the container 20 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 50 toward the set pressure. At the same time, an inert gas is introduced into the container 20 from the inert gas supply source 52 (step S3). The exhaust operation is controlled by the control unit 45. At that time, since the opening degree of the pressure adjusting valve 51 and the leak amount adjusting valve 53 is controlled so that the inside of the housing space 23 is depressurized, the inside of the housing space 23 is depressurized while maintaining an inert gas atmosphere. It will be.

  The process up to step S3 corresponds to the process I in FIG. That is, when the set pressure PS is given as shown in the set pressure curve 61 and the decompression process is started, as shown in the actual pressure curve 62, the pressure in the accommodation space 23 rapidly decreases toward the set pressure PS. It is a process of doing. The set pressure PS needs to be sufficiently smaller than the saturated vapor pressure of the solvent of the resist solution. Further, in this process, the volatilization of the solvent from the liquid film of the resist solution occurs mainly from the surface of the liquid film.

  When a certain time t1 elapses after the start of processing, the pressure in the accommodation space 23 hardly decreases and becomes constant (process II). This is because, as a result of the pressure reduction, the pressure in the accommodation space 23 reaches the saturated vapor pressure PV of the solvent constituting the liquid film, and the volatilization of the solvent continuously occurs from within the liquid film. Saturated vapor pressure PV is maintained regardless of the exhaust operation until time t2 when almost all of the solvent volatilizes.

  When almost all the solvent is volatilized, the pressure is reduced again to the set pressure PS (process III). Then, when the pressure reaches substantially the set pressure PS as after the time t3 has passed, the decrease in pressure slows down and converges to a substantially constant value (process IV). When this point is reached, an almost completely solidified coating is obtained.

  In the present embodiment, based on such a pressure change in the accommodation space 23, it is determined whether or not the drying of the liquid film has been completed, that is, whether or not the evaporation of all the solvents has been completed ( Step S4). Specifically, after the start of the drying process, the pressure change in the accommodation space 23 is continuously measured by the pressure gauge 54 to obtain a pressure behavior like an actual pressure curve 62. Then, when the determination unit 46 determines that the measured pressure has reached the set pressure PS, the drying process may be terminated. In FIG. 7, it means that the time t4 has elapsed and this state has been reached.

  After drying under reduced pressure in this way, the leakage amount adjusting valve 53 of the inert gas supply source 52 is adjusted, and the containing space 23 is restored to atmospheric pressure by flowing in the inert gas (step S5). If the substrate W is taken out (step S6), the drying process ends (process V).

  In addition, instead of performing the decompression by the inert gas, the drying processing unit 6 has an atmospheric pressure leak valve, and air outside the apparatus flows into the accommodation space 23 by adjusting the atmospheric pressure leak valve. Thus, the configuration may be such that the return pressure is made.

  By executing the above procedure, it is possible to accurately detect that the liquid film has reached a dry state, and it is possible to perform processing without wasting processing time. In addition, it is desirable to perform exhaust while avoiding liquid film non-uniformity due to generation of an air flow accompanying exhaust by setting the exhaust speed appropriately or performing exhaust while changing the exhaust speed stepwise. In the present embodiment, the drying conditions are not set based on time, so that drying does not end in an incomplete state.

  Even if the set pressure PS is not reached, even if the drying process is terminated when the pressure drop is slowed down in the process IV and reaches a pressure close to the set pressure PS, no substantial problem is caused. That is, in FIG. 7, it may be determined that the pressure has become substantially constant at the ultimate pressure PF close to the set pressure PS, and the drying process may be terminated. As a result, the processing time can be further shortened.

<Overall configuration of device>
The coating processing unit 1 and the drying processing unit 6 having the above-described configuration can be functioned by being incorporated into various apparatuses that perform photolithography processing on a substrate.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 70 as an example of an apparatus for performing such a photolithography process. FIG. 8 shows a three-dimensional coordinate system as in FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 70 is an apparatus that performs resist coating processing and development processing on the substrate W, and includes a first processing unit group PG1 that includes an indexer ID that loads and unloads the substrate and a plurality of processing units that perform processing on the substrate. The transfer robot sandwiched between the interface IF for transferring the substrate between the second processing unit group PG2, the exposure apparatus (stepper) (not shown), the first processing unit group PG1, and the second processing unit group PG2. TR.

  The indexer ID places a carrier CR that can store a plurality of substrates, dispenses an unprocessed substrate from the carrier to the transport robot TR, and receives a processed substrate from the transport robot TR and stores it in the carrier.

  The interface IF has a function of transferring a substrate between the substrate processing apparatus 70 and an exposure apparatus (not shown). Although not shown, the interface IF has a function of temporarily stocking the substrate before and after exposure so as to adjust the delivery timing with the exposure apparatus.

  In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 70 includes a plurality of processing units for performing processing on a substrate, some of which constitute a first processing unit group PG1, and the remaining part constitutes a second processing unit group PG2. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating configurations of the first processing unit group PG1 and the second processing unit group PG2. The first processing unit group PG1 includes coating processing units SC1 and SC2, and heat treatment units stacked in three rows and three stages above the coating processing units SC1 and SC2. The coating processing units SC1 and SC2 are configured by the coating processing unit 1 and the drying processing unit 6 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 9, the processing units are arranged in a plane for convenience of illustration, but in actuality, these are stacked in the height direction (z-axis direction).

  As the heat treatment units, the cooling unit CP1, the adhesion strengthening unit AH, the heating unit HP1 are stacked in order from the bottom, the cooling unit CP2, the heating unit HP2, the heating unit HP3 are stacked, the cooling unit CP3, and the heating unit. A row in which the units HP4 and the heating units HP5 are stacked is provided.

  Similarly, the second processing section group PG2 includes development processing units SD1 and SD2 and heat treatment units stacked in three rows and three stages above the development processing units SD1 and SD2. The development processing units SD1 and SD2 are so-called spin developers that perform development processing by supplying a developer onto the exposed substrate. As the heat treatment units, the cooling unit CP4, the post-exposure bake unit PEB, the heating unit HP6 are stacked in order from the bottom, the cooling unit CP5, the heating unit HP7, the heating unit HP8 are stacked, the cooling unit CP6, A heating unit HP9 and a row in which the heating units HP10 are stacked are provided.

  The heating units HP1 to HP10 are so-called hot plates that heat a substrate and raise the temperature to a predetermined temperature. Further, the adhesion strengthening unit AH and the post-exposure bake unit PEB are heating units that heat the substrate before the resist coating process and immediately after the exposure, respectively. The cooling units CP1 to CP6 are so-called cool plates that cool the substrate to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate at the predetermined temperature.

  A filter fan unit FFU that forms a downflow of clean air whose temperature and humidity are controlled is provided immediately above the coating processing unit and the development processing unit. Although not shown, a filter fan unit is also provided above the transfer space where the transfer robot TR is arranged.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the coating process part 1 and the drying process part 6 of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining supply of a resist liquid. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire drying processing unit 6. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a placement unit 21. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container 20 in a state where a lid body 30 is opened. It is a figure which shows the flow of the reduced pressure drying process in the drying process part. It is a figure which shows the time change of the pressure in the accommodation space 23 when pressure reduction is performed in the drying process part 6. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 70. It is a figure which shows the structure of 1st process part group PG1 and 2nd process part group PG2. It is a figure explaining the concept of scan application.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Application | coating process part 2 Holding | maintenance part 3 Nozzle 5 Discharge port 6 Drying process part 12 Pump 14 Piping 20 Container 21 Placement part 22 Peripheral wall part 23 Accommodating space 24 Bottom face 25 Projection part 26 Slip prevention pin 27 Push-up pin 30 Cover body 32 Gas supply Hole 40 Heating heater 51 Pressure adjusting valve 53 Leak amount adjusting valve 54 Pressure gauge 61 Set pressure curve 62 Actual pressure curve AR1 to AR5 Arrow PF Reference ultimate pressure PS Set pressure PV Saturated vapor pressure R Resist liquid S1 to S6 Step W Substrate t1 t4 hours

Claims (8)

An apparatus for processing a substrate,
A housing space including a placement portion on which a substrate coated with a liquid film can be placed; and
Exhaust means capable of exhausting the gas in the accommodation space;
Temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the mounting portion, and
Gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the housing space;
Return pressure means for setting the pressure of the accommodation space to atmospheric pressure;
Pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure of the housing space;
Pressure control means for controlling the exhaust means, the gas supply means, and the return pressure means;
Including a drying processing unit including
The pressure control means includes
When the storage space is depressurized by exhausting the exhaust gas while supplying the inert gas to the gas supply device, and the pressure of the storage space measured by the pressure measurement device becomes a predetermined value or less. Operating the return pressure means to bring the pressure of the accommodation space to atmospheric pressure,
A substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The pressure control means;
A judgment means for judging that the volatilization of the solvent of the liquid film is completed from a change in pressure in the accommodation space measured by the pressure measurement means;
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the decompression means is operated after the judgment means judges that the volatilization has ended. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
When the pressure in the accommodation space measured by the pressure measuring means reaches a predetermined set pressure value that is smaller than the saturated vapor pressure of the material forming the liquid film, the determination means Judge that the volatilization has ended,
A substrate processing apparatus. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A substrate holding means capable of holding the substrate horizontally;
A processing liquid discharge means having a processing liquid discharge port and capable of continuously discharging the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge port onto the substrate;
A coating processing unit that applies the processing liquid to the substrate while relatively moving the substrate,
Further comprising
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate after the processing of applying the processing liquid in the coating processing unit is subjected to a drying process in the drying processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,
A heat treatment section for performing heat treatment and cooling treatment on the substrate;
A development processing unit for performing development processing on the exposed substrate;
A transport unit that carries in and out the substrate to and from each processing unit;
A substrate processing apparatus further comprising: A method of performing a process of forming a coating film on a substrate,
A placement step of placing a substrate coated with a liquid film on a placement portion disposed within the accommodation space and capable of placing the substrate;
A depressurization step of depressurizing the housing space while supplying an inert gas to the housing space;
A return pressure step for bringing the pressure of the accommodation space to atmospheric pressure when the pressure of the accommodation space becomes a predetermined value or less;
A substrate processing method comprising: The substrate processing method according to claim 6, comprising:
The depressurization step is performed while measuring the pressure in the accommodation space,
And,
A determination step of determining from the change in pressure that the solvent in the liquid film has been volatilized,
A substrate processing method, comprising: starting the return pressure step after it is determined in the determining step that the volatilization has ended. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, comprising:
In the determination step, it is determined that the volatilization of the solvent in the liquid film is completed when the pressure in the accommodation space reaches a predetermined set pressure value that is smaller than the saturated vapor pressure of the material forming the liquid film. ,
And a substrate processing method.

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