JP2010129809A - Substrate processing method, and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus that dry a substrate surface by removing a solvent from the substrate surface after replacing a processing liquid on the substrate surface with the solvent, drying performance therein being enhanced by preventing drops of water from sticking on the substrate surface. <P>SOLUTION: A shield member 64 is arranged above the substrate surface Wf. An IPA liquid supply path is provided at the center part of the shield member 64, an IPA liquid supply unit is connected to the IPA liquid supply path, and a 100% IPA liquid of high temperature (high-temperature IPA liquid) heated up to predetermined temperature can be discharged toward the substrate surface Wf. Then when the replacement processing is performed, the high-temperature IPA liquid is supplied to the substrate surface Wf to replace a rinse liquid on the substrate surface Wf. Consequently, the rinse liquid on the substrate surface Wf is replaced with the high-temperature IPA liquid with high replacement efficiency to suppress the amount of a rinse liquid remaining on the substrate surface Wf small before spin drying processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and apparatus for drying a substrate whose surface is wet with a processing solution. Substrates to be dried include semiconductor wafers, photomask glass substrates, liquid crystal display glass substrates, plasma display glass substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, and magnetic substrates. A disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, and the like are included.

  In the manufacturing process of electronic components such as semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices, a chemical treatment with a chemical solution and a rinse treatment with a rinse solution such as pure water are performed, followed by a drying treatment to remove the rinse solution adhering to the substrate surface. Executed. In order to execute this series of processes in a single wafer mode, for example, Patent Document 1 uses a substrate processing apparatus configured as follows. This substrate processing apparatus includes a spin chuck that holds a substrate in a horizontal position, a chuck rotation drive mechanism that rotates the spin chuck, a chemical solution, pure water, and DIW (deionized water) toward the surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. A first nozzle for supplying a rinsing liquid such as deionized water, and a second nozzle for supplying a solvent toward the surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. In the apparatus, the chemical solution process, the rinse process, the first replacement process, the second replacement process, and the drying process are performed as follows. That is, after a chemical solution such as hydrofluoric acid is supplied from the first nozzle to the substrate surface and the chemical solution processing is executed, DIW is supplied from the nozzle and the rinse processing is executed. Also, IPA (isopropyl alcohol), which is a water-soluble organic solvent having higher volatility than DIW, and a fluorine-based solvent having a lower surface tension than pure water and lower water solubility than IPA. A mixed solvent containing HFE (Hydrofluoroether) is supplied to replace the rinse liquid (DIW) on the substrate with the mixed solvent. Thereafter, only HFE is supplied to the surface of the substrate, and the mixed solvent on the surface of the substrate is replaced with HFE. Finally, the substrate surface is dried by drying off the HFE from the substrate surface by high-speed rotation of the substrate (drying process).

  In addition, as a method for substrate processing using IPA, for example, in Patent Document 2, all of the resist film peeling process with the peeling liquid, the replacement process of the peeling liquid with IPA, the IPA water washing process and the drying process are performed in a so-called batch system. What to do is known. In the treatment method described in Patent Document 2, an IPA liquid heated to about 40 to 60 [° C.] is used.

JP 2008-153452 A (FIGS. 1 and 3) JP 2002-151394 A (paragraphs 0012 and 0013)

  Thus, by covering the entire substrate surface with HFE before the drying treatment, the drying performance can be significantly improved as compared with the case where the substrate wet with the rinse liquid is directly spin-dried. However, during the drying process, fine water droplets may adhere to the substrate surface as the HFE liquid film moves on the substrate surface, which may reduce the drying performance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for removing a solvent from a substrate surface after the processing liquid on the substrate surface is replaced with a solvent and drying the substrate surface, An object is to improve the drying performance by preventing water droplets from adhering to the surface.

  The substrate processing method according to the present invention is a substrate processing method for drying a substrate whose surface is wetted with a processing solution, and in order to achieve the above-described object, the substrate surface is supplied with a solvent containing isopropyl alcohol as a main component. A replacement step of replacing the solution with a solvent, and a removal step of removing the solvent from the substrate surface after the replacement step, wherein the replacement step is a step of removing the solvent adjusted to a temperature not lower than the treatment liquid temperature and not higher than the boiling point of the solvent. It is characterized by use.

  In order to achieve the above object, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention holds a substrate in a substantially horizontal posture with the surface wetted with the processing liquid facing upward, and a substrate held by the substrate holding means. A solvent supply means for supplying a solvent containing isopropyl alcohol as a main component toward the surface of the substrate and replacing the treatment liquid with the solvent. The solvent supply means has a solvent temperature not lower than the treatment liquid temperature and a boiling point of the solvent. It is characterized by supplying a solvent adjusted to the following temperature.

  In the invention thus configured (substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus), the processing liquid on the substrate surface is replaced by supplying a solvent to the substrate surface, but the temperature of the solvent is equal to or higher than the temperature of the processing liquid. And it is adjusted to a temperature below the boiling point of the solvent. In such a solvent whose temperature has been adjusted to a high temperature, the viscosity of the solvent decreases and the diffusion rate increases as the temperature increases. Therefore, when a solvent whose temperature is adjusted to a high temperature is supplied to the substrate surface, the treatment liquid is replaced with the solvent at a higher replacement efficiency than when a normal temperature solvent is used, and the amount of the treatment liquid remaining on the substrate surface can be suppressed. it can. For example, when a fine pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate, stress acts in a direction to collapse the pattern when removing the solvent that has entered the concave portion of the pattern for drying the substrate. This stress is closely related to the surface tension of the solvent, and the stress increases as the surface tension increases. In this regard, in the present invention, since the solvent whose temperature has been adjusted as described above is used, the surface tension of the solvent is lowered and the stress is reduced. Therefore, the substrate can be satisfactorily dried by reliably preventing the fine pattern from collapsing. Furthermore, by supplying a solvent whose temperature is adjusted to a high temperature to the substrate surface, the substrate temperature rises and the drying rate is increased.

  Here, as the solvent, for example, 100% isopropyl alcohol can be used. It is desirable to adjust the temperature of the solvent to 40 to 55 [° C].

  Further, it is desirable to provide a pre-dispensing step in which the solvent is discharged from the nozzle and the nozzle and the pipe are filled with the temperature-adjusted solvent before discharging the solvent from the nozzle toward the substrate surface. By performing this pre-dispensing process, the solvent adjusted to a predetermined temperature is always supplied to the substrate surface in the replacement process, and therefore, a good drying process can be stably performed.

  According to the present invention, when the substrate is supplied with a solvent containing isopropyl alcohol as a main component and the treatment liquid is replaced with the solvent, the solvent is removed from the substrate surface and the substrate is dried. And since the solvent adjusted to the temperature below the boiling point of a solvent is used, it can prevent that a water droplet adheres to the substrate surface, and can improve drying performance.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration for controlling the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus used for a cleaning process for removing unnecessary substances attached to a surface Wf of a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. More specifically, (1) a chemical treatment with a chemical solution such as hydrofluoric acid on the substrate surface Wf, (2) a rinse treatment with a rinse solution such as pure water or DIW, and (3) a rinse liquid film on the substrate surface Wf. A paddle forming process formed in a paddle shape, (4) a replacement process for replacing the rinsing liquid on the substrate W with an IPA liquid, and (5) a removing process for removing the IPA liquid from the substrate W and drying the substrate W It is.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 1, a fan filter unit (FFU) 4 is disposed on the ceiling portion of the processing chamber 2. The fan filter unit 4 has a fan 4a and a filter 4b. In the fan filter unit 4, the gas sent from the upper space of the apparatus 1 is sent toward the filter 4 b by the fan 4 a and cleaned by the filter 4 b, and then sent into the central space of the processing chamber 2.

  A spin chuck 6 is disposed in the central space. The spin chuck 6 rotates the substrate W while maintaining the substrate surface Wf facing upward, and functions as the “substrate holding means” of the present invention. Further, in the spin chuck 6, the rotation support shaft 8 is connected to the rotation shaft of the chuck rotation mechanism 10 (FIG. 2) including a motor, and the spin chuck 6 is rotated by the rotation of the chuck rotation mechanism 10 (vertical axis). It can be rotated around. The rotating spindle 8 and the chuck rotating mechanism 10 are accommodated in a cylindrical casing 14. In addition, a disc-shaped spin base 16 is integrally connected to the upper end portion of the rotation spindle 8 by a fastening component such as a screw. Therefore, the spin base 16 rotates around the rotation axis by driving the chuck rotation mechanism 10 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 18. Further, the control unit 18 controls the chuck rotation mechanism 10 to adjust the rotation speed of the spin base 16.

  Near the peripheral edge of the spin base 16, a plurality of chuck pins 12 for holding the peripheral edge of the substrate W are provided upright. Three or more chuck pins 12 may be provided in order to securely hold the circular substrate W, and are arranged at equiangular intervals along the peripheral edge of the spin base 16. Each of the chuck pins 12 includes a substrate support portion that supports the peripheral edge portion of the substrate W from below, and a substrate holding portion that holds the substrate W by pressing the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W supported by the substrate support portion. Yes. Each chuck pin 12 is configured to be switchable between a pressing state in which the substrate holding portion presses the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W and a released state in which the substrate holding portion is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

  When the substrate W is delivered to the spin base 16, the plurality of chuck pins 12 are released, and when performing substrate processing to be described later on the substrate W, the plurality of chuck pins 12 are pressed. State. By setting the pressing state in this manner, the plurality of chuck pins 12 can hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W and hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture at a predetermined interval from the spin base 16. As a result, the substrate W is supported with its front surface facing upward and the back surface facing downward. The substrate holding mechanism is not limited to the chuck pins 12, and a vacuum chuck that sucks the back surface of the substrate and supports the substrate W may be used.

  A nozzle arm 22 and a blocking member 64 are provided above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 6. Among these, the nozzle arm 22 is provided so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane. A chemical solution supply nozzle 26 is attached to the tip of the nozzle arm 22 to supply a chemical solution suitable for substrate cleaning such as hydrofluoric acid or BHF (Buffered Hydrofluoric acid) from a chemical solution supply unit 34 (FIG. 2). It is possible. Then, when the chemical solution supply unit 34 pumps the chemical solution toward the chemical solution supply nozzle 26 in accordance with a command from the control unit 18, the chemical solution is discharged toward the substrate W from the nozzle 26. Further, a nozzle arm moving mechanism 38 is connected to the nozzle arm 22, and the nozzle arm moving mechanism 38 is operated in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 18, whereby a discharge region and a discharge region above the surface of the substrate W are operated. The nozzle 26 is movable between the standby position retracted from the side to the side.

  The blocking member 64 includes a donut-like plate-like member 66 having an opening at the center, a hollow support 68 that is hollowed inside and supports the plate-like member 66, a hollow portion of the rotary support 68, and And an insertion shaft (not shown) inserted through the opening of the plate-like member 66. The plate member 66 is disposed so as to face the surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 6. The plate-like member 66 has a lower surface (bottom surface) 66a that is a substrate-facing surface that faces the substrate surface Wf substantially in parallel, and has a planar size that is equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate W. The plate-like member 66 is mounted substantially horizontally on the lower end portion of the rotation support shaft 68 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the rotation support shaft 68 is held rotatably around a rotation axis passing through the center of the substrate W by an arm 70 extending in the horizontal direction. Has been. A bearing (not shown) is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the rotation support shaft 68. The arm 70 is connected to a blocking member rotating mechanism 72 and a blocking member lifting mechanism 74.

  The blocking member rotation mechanism 72 rotates the rotation support shaft 68 around the rotation axis in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 18. Due to the rotation of the rotation support shaft 68, the plate member 66 rotates together with the rotation support shaft 68. The blocking member rotating mechanism 72 is configured to rotate the plate-like member 66 (lower surface 66a) in the same rotational direction as the substrate W and at substantially the same rotational speed in accordance with the rotation of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 6. Yes.

  Further, the blocking member lifting mechanism 74 can make the blocking member 64 close to and face the spin base 16 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 18, or can be separated from the spin base 16. Specifically, the control unit 18 operates the blocking member lifting / lowering mechanism 74 so that when the substrate W is carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the blocking member 64 is placed at a separation position above the spin chuck 6. Raise. On the other hand, when a predetermined process is performed on the substrate W, the blocking member 64 is moved to a predetermined facing position (see FIG. 4) set very close to the surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 6. Is lowered. In this embodiment, after the rinsing process is started, the blocking member 64 is lowered from the separated position to the facing position, and is continuously positioned until the drying process is completed.

  In the blocking member 64, the rotation support shaft 68 and the insertion shaft are uniformly spaced from each other over the entire circumference, and a gas supply path is formed. When nitrogen gas is pumped to the upper end side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the gas supply path, the nitrogen gas is discharged toward the spin chuck 6 from the lower end side opening of the gas supply path through the gas supply path. The

  On the other hand, two fluid supply paths are formed on the insertion shaft so as to extend in the vertical axis direction. That is, a rinse liquid supply path serving as a rinse liquid (DIW) path and an IPA liquid supply path serving as an IPA liquid path are formed on the insertion shaft. These fluid supply paths are each formed by inserting a tube made of PFA (perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer) in the axial direction into an insertion shaft made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). A rinsing liquid supply unit 36 (FIG. 2) is connected to the rinsing liquid supply path, and the rinsing process can be performed by discharging a normal-temperature rinsing liquid (DIW) toward the substrate W that has been subjected to the chemical liquid process. It has become. Further, an IPA liquid supply unit 40 (FIG. 2) is connected to the IPA liquid supply path, and a high-temperature 100% IPA liquid heated to a predetermined temperature is discharged toward the substrate W wet with the rinse liquid. The replacement process can be executed. Thus, the IPA liquid supply unit 40 corresponds to the “solvent supply means” of the present invention. Further, the blocking member 64 having the IPA liquid supply path corresponds to the “nozzle” of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the IPA liquid supply unit. The IPA liquid supply unit 40 is provided with a tank 401 for storing the IPA liquid. The tank 401 can be appropriately replenished with an IPA liquid at room temperature via an IPA liquid supply pipe 402. When the amount of IPA liquid stored in the tank 401 falls below a predetermined level, the IPA liquid supply pipe 402 The inserted on-off valve 403 is opened in response to an opening command from the control unit 18 so that the tank 401 is replenished with the IPA liquid and always stores a predetermined amount of 100% IPA liquid as an organic solvent. . In addition, a coil-shaped heat exchange pipe 404 formed of a metal tube such as stainless steel or copper is provided near the inner bottom surface of the tank 401 so as to be immersed in the IPA liquid stored in the tank 401 in this manner. It is provided as a transmission path. A thermostat 406 is connected to the heat exchange pipe 404 by a circulation pipe 405, and a heating heat medium maintained at about 70 ° C. by the thermostat 406 is used for the circulation pipe 405 and the heat exchange pipe 404. , The IPA liquid in the tank 401 is adjusted to a desired temperature, for example, 50 [° C.]. In this embodiment, as will be described later, an IPA liquid having a temperature higher than the temperature of the rinsing liquid is used to replace the rinsing liquid with the IPA liquid. In this specification, the liquid is heated as described above. The IPA liquid whose temperature is adjusted to a temperature higher than the temperature of the rinse liquid and lower than the boiling point is referred to as a “high temperature IPA liquid”.

  Further, nitrogen gas is supplied to the IPA liquid tank 401 through a nitrogen supply pipe 407. An opening / closing valve 408 is inserted in the nitrogen supply pipe 407. When the nitrogen gas is introduced into the tank 401 when opened according to an opening / closing command from the control unit 18, the pressure in the IPA liquid tank 401 increases. Then, the high temperature IPA liquid flows out from the IPA liquid tank 401 through the IPA liquid supply pipe 409 toward the IPA liquid supply path in the blocking member 64. In this IPA liquid supply pipe 409, an on-off valve 410, a filter 411, a flow meter 412 and an on-off valve 413 are inserted from the tank 401 side to the shut-off member 64 side, and based on an electric signal output from the flow meter 412. The controller 18 controls the opening / closing and opening of the on-off valves 408 and 410 to control the flow rate of the high-temperature IPA liquid supplied to the IPA liquid supply path in the shutoff member 64 to a desired value when the on-off valve 413 is opened. To do.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 controls each part of the apparatus according to a program stored in the memory, and performs chemical liquid processing, rinsing processing, paddle formation processing, replacement processing, and drying processing (removal processing) on the substrate W. . Among these, in the rinsing process, the rinsing liquid is used as the “processing liquid” of the present invention, and in the replacement process, the 100% concentration IPA liquid is used as the “solvent” of the present invention.

  The control unit 18 lowers the splash guard 50 and causes the spin chuck 6 to protrude from the opening of the splash guard 50. At this time, the nozzle arm 22 is retracted to the outside of the splash guard 50, and the blocking member 64 is retracted to a separated position above the spin chuck 6. In this state, an unprocessed substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 2 by a substrate transport robot (not shown). More specifically, the substrate W is carried into the apparatus with the substrate surface facing upward, and is held by the spin chuck 6. Following this, the splash guard 50 is raised by one step and the chemical liquid processing is performed on the substrate W (FIG. 4A).

  In the chemical processing, the nozzle arm moving mechanism 38 moves the nozzle arm 22 so that the chemical supply nozzle 26 is positioned above the center of the substrate surface, and the substrate W held on the spin chuck 6 by driving the chuck rotating mechanism 10. Is rotated at a rotation speed (for example, 800 rpm) determined within a range of 200 to 120 rpm. Further, the chemical solution supply unit 34 feeds hydrofluoric acid as a chemical solution toward the chemical solution supply nozzle 26 and supplies it from the nozzle 26 to the substrate surface. The hydrofluoric acid supplied to the central portion of the substrate surface in this way is expanded in the radial direction by centrifugal force, and etching processing (chemical solution processing) of the substrate surface with hydrofluoric acid is performed.

  When the chemical processing is completed, the control unit 18 controls the nozzle arm moving mechanism 38 to move the nozzle arm 22 away from the substrate W and retract the nozzle 26 to the outside of the splash guard 50. Subsequently, the control unit 18 controls the blocking member raising / lowering mechanism 74 so that the blocking member 64 faces the spin base 16 in proximity. As a result, the lower surface 66a of the plate-like member 66 is positioned substantially parallel to and in close proximity to the surface Wf of the substrate W that has been subjected to the chemical treatment, thereby covering the substrate surface Wf.

  In this state, a series of processes from the rinse process to the drying process is executed. In other words, the rinse liquid is pumped from the rinse liquid supply unit 36 to the rinse liquid supply path of the blocking member 64, and the rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse liquid discharge port provided in the plate-like member 66. The rinsing liquid discharged onto the substrate surface in this way spreads on the surface of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force of the rotation of the substrate W, and a rinsing process using the rinsing liquid is performed. When the rinsing process is completed, the paddle forming process is executed next. That is, after the rinsing process ends, the control unit 18 reduces the rotation speed of the substrate W to a rotation speed (10 rpm in this embodiment) that is slower than the rotation speed during the rinsing process. As a result, the rinse liquid discharged from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 28 is stored on the substrate surface Wf, and a rinse liquid film is formed in a paddle shape (FIG. 5B). The rotational speed during the paddle formation process is not limited to 10 rpm, but the condition that the centrifugal force acting on the rinse liquid is smaller than the surface tension acting between the rinse liquid and the substrate surface is satisfied. It is necessary to set the rotation speed within the range. This is because the above conditions must be satisfied in order to form a rinse liquid film in a paddle shape.

  When the paddle formation is completed, the discharge of the rinsing liquid is stopped, and the high temperature IPA liquid whose temperature is adjusted to about 50 [° C.] is pumped from the IPA liquid supply unit 40 to the IPA liquid supply path of the shutoff member 64 to plate the plate member 66. The high temperature IPA liquid is discharged from the IPA liquid discharge port provided in (FIG. 3C). By this high temperature IPA liquid discharge, the central part of the rinse liquid film is replaced with the high temperature IPA liquid at the center of the surface of the substrate W, and a high temperature IPA liquid film is formed in the replacement region. The rotation speed at this time is set to the same level as the paddle formation process (in this embodiment, 10 rpm).

  When a predetermined time elapses after the high temperature IPA liquid supply, the rotation speed of the substrate W is gradually accelerated from 10 rpm to 25 rpm, 50 rpm, and 300 rpm while the high temperature IPA liquid supply is continued. Thus, the acceleration of the rotation speed increases the centrifugal force acting on the liquid film (rinsing liquid region + high temperature IPA liquid region (replacement region)) on the substrate surface, so that the rinse liquid is shaken off and the replacement region is expanded in the radial direction. To go. Then, after a predetermined time has passed, the rinsing liquid present on the outer peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate W is shaken off from the substrate W, and the replacement region is uniformly spread over the entire surface of the substrate, so that the substrate surface is a high temperature IPA liquid film. The entire surface is covered ((d) in the figure). Further, by accelerating the rotational speed up to 300 rpm, the high temperature IPA liquid flows greatly on the substrate surface Wf, and thus the residual rinse liquid becomes the high temperature IPA liquid inside the gaps (recesses) of the fine pattern formed on the substrate surface Wf. Is replaced efficiently. This ensures that the rinse liquid adhering to the substrate surface Wf is replaced with the high temperature IPA liquid. Thereafter, the control unit 18 reduces the rotation speed of the substrate W to 10 rpm and forms a liquid film of the high-temperature IPA liquid in a paddle shape ((e) in the figure). As described above, in the replacement processing of the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the substrate W is accelerated from 10 rpm (FIG. (C)) to 300 rpm (FIG. (D)) and then decelerated to 10 rpm (FIG. (E)). The rotational speed “10 rpm” in the replacement process 1, the rotational speed “300 rpm” in the replacement process 2, and the rotational speed “10 rpm” in the replacement process 3 are the “first rotational speed” and “ This corresponds to “2 rotation speed” and “third rotation speed”.

  When the replacement process of the rinsing liquid with the high temperature IPA liquid is completed, the control unit 18 stops the supply of the high temperature IPA liquid and accelerates the rotation speed of the substrate W to 50 rpm and further accelerates to 1500 rpm. As a result, the high temperature IPA liquid on the substrate surface Wf is removed, and the drying process of the substrate W is executed ((f) in the figure). When the drying process of the substrate W is completed, the control unit 18 controls the chuck rotating mechanism 10 to stop the rotation of the substrate W, and gives a stop command to the liquid heating unit 62 to stop the supply of the high temperature DIW. Substrate heating is stopped (step S10). Then, the splash guard 50 is lowered to cause the spin chuck 6 to protrude from above the splash guard 50. Thereafter, the substrate transfer robot carries the processed substrate W out of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and a series of substrate processing for one substrate W is completed. Then, the same processing as described above is performed for the next substrate W.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when replacing the rinsing liquid on the substrate surface Wf with the IPA liquid, the high temperature IPA liquid having a high diffusion rate adjusted to a high temperature is used. The above rinse liquid can be replaced with the high temperature IPA liquid with high substitution efficiency, and the amount of the rinse liquid remaining on the substrate surface Wf before the spin drying treatment can be brought close to zero. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the fine water droplets from adhering to the substrate surface during the drying process and to improve the drying performance. Further, although a fine pattern is formed on the substrate surface Wf, since the high-temperature IPA liquid is used in this embodiment, the surface tension is lower than that of the room temperature IPA liquid, and the pattern gap (concave portion). When removing the IPA liquid that enters, the stress acting in the direction of collapsing the pattern is weakened, and the pattern collapse can be effectively prevented. Furthermore, since the substrate temperature can be increased before the drying process by using the high temperature IPA liquid, the time required for spin drying can be shortened.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the temperature of the IPA liquid is adjusted to about 50 [° C.], but the temperature of the high temperature IPA liquid is not limited to this. That is, when the drying performance at each temperature was verified after setting the IPA liquid at various temperatures, an improvement in the drying performance was recognized in the temperature range of 40 [° C] to 55 [° C]. However, from these verification results, it was found that it is preferable to adjust the high temperature IPA solution to 50 [° C].

  In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is a so-called single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one, and the high-temperature IPA liquid is periodically blocked while the substrate is continuously processed. The liquid is discharged toward the substrate surface Wf through 64 IPA liquid supply paths. In this case, the above-described series of substrate processing (chemical solution processing, rinsing processing, replacement processing, and spin drying processing) is performed on the previous substrate W, and then the above-described series of substrate processing is performed on the next substrate W. The high temperature IPA liquid stays in the IPA liquid supply path and the IPA liquid supply pipe 409 of the blocking member 64, that is, after the replacement process for the previous substrate W is completed until the replacement process for the next substrate W is started. The time is short. Accordingly, during continuous substrate processing, the temperature of the IPA liquid supplied to the substrate surface Wf is kept at about 50 [° C.], and the substrate can be dried well. That is, the high temperature IPA in which the replacement process for the previous substrate W substantially functions as a pre-dispensing process before the replacement process is performed for the next substrate W, and is always adjusted to a predetermined temperature for the next substrate W. The liquid can be supplied to the substrate surface Wf. For this reason, a favorable drying process can be performed stably. When the interval between the replacement process for the previous substrate W and the replacement process for the next substrate W becomes long, the substrate W is not placed on the spin chuck 6 before the replacement process for the next substrate W is executed. Alternatively, the pre-dispensing process may be executed with the dummy substrate placed thereon, and as a result, a good drying process can be stably performed as in the case of performing the continuous process.

  In the above embodiment, the 100% IPA liquid is used. However, the main component may be several percent pure water with IPA as the main component.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an apparatus and a method for performing chemical treatment, rinse treatment, paddle treatment, replacement treatment, and drying treatment on a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. The processing content is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus that remove a solvent containing an organic solvent as a main component from the substrate surface and dry the substrate surface.

  The present invention provides a surface of a substrate including a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for FED, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, etc. It can be applied to a substrate processing method and apparatus for drying.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration for controlling the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the structure of an IPA liquid supply unit. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate processing apparatus 6 ... Spin chuck (substrate holding means)
40 ... IPA liquid supply unit (solvent supply means)
64: Blocking member 409: IPA liquid supply pipe (pipe)
W ... Substrate Wf ... Substrate surface

Claims (7)

A substrate processing method for drying a substrate whose surface is wet with a processing solution,
A replacement step of supplying a solvent mainly composed of isopropyl alcohol to the substrate surface and replacing the treatment liquid with the solvent;
A removal step of removing the solvent from the substrate surface after the substitution step,
In the substrate replacement method, the replacing step uses the solvent adjusted to a temperature not lower than the temperature of the processing liquid and not higher than the boiling point of the solvent.   The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the solvent is 100% isopropyl alcohol.   The substrate processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the solvent is 40 to 55 [° C]. 4. The replacement process according to claim 1, wherein in the replacement step, a solvent whose temperature is adjusted is supplied to a nozzle through a pipe, and the processing liquid is replaced by discharging the solvent toward the substrate surface from the nozzle. A substrate processing method of
A substrate processing method further comprising a pre-dispensing step of discharging the solvent from the nozzle and filling the nozzle and the piping with a temperature-adjusted solvent before the replacing step.   5. The replacement with the solvent and the removal of the solvent are performed in the replacement step and the removal step while disposing a blocking member in proximity to the substrate surface so as to cover the substrate surface. The substrate processing method according to claim 1.   The replacing step is a step of replacing the processing liquid by supplying the solvent to the substrate surface while rotating the substrate, and the rotation speed of the substrate is higher than the first rotation speed from the first rotation speed. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing method is accelerated to a second rotation speed and then decelerated to a third rotation speed lower than the second rotation speed. A substrate holding means for holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture with the surface wetted with the processing liquid facing upward;
Solvent supply means for supplying a solvent mainly composed of isopropyl alcohol toward the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means and replacing the treatment liquid with the solvent;
The substrate supply apparatus, wherein the solvent supply means supplies the solvent whose temperature is adjusted to a temperature not lower than the temperature of the processing liquid and not higher than a boiling point of the solvent.

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