JP2010182715A - Development processing method and development processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a development processing method and a development processor increasing the resolution and the development processing efficiency by accelerating activation of the foot of a heap of a developer supplied to and piled up on a surface of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The developer is supplied through a development nozzle 52 from above the center of a wafer so as to be piled up while vertically and axially rotating a spin chuck 40 that horizontally holds the wafer W. At the same time, an N2 gas of a temperature higher than that of the wafer in processing is supplied through an N2 nozzle 53 toward the foot of the heap of the supplied developer, and the development nozzle and the N2 nozzle are simultaneously moved radially such that N2 nozzle follows the development nozzle from the center of the wafer toward an outer peripheral edge of the wafer to accelerate activation of the foot of the developer heap, thereby performing development processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a development processing method and a development processing apparatus such as a semiconductor wafer and a liquid crystal glass substrate (FPD substrate).

  Generally, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, for example, a photolithography technique is used to form a circuit pattern by applying a resist solution to a semiconductor wafer, an FPD substrate or the like (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) and exposing the mask pattern. Has been. In this photolithography technique, a resist solution is applied to a wafer or the like by a spin coating method, the resist film formed thereby is exposed according to a predetermined circuit pattern, and this exposure pattern is developed to form a resist film. A circuit pattern is formed.

  In such a photolithography process, with the recent miniaturization and thinning of device patterns, there is an increasing demand for increasing the device pattern slimming technique and the exposure resolution. As one method for increasing the resolution of exposure, a method is known in which a temperature-adjusted gas is blown onto the surface of a developer placed on the surface of a wafer to optimize the temperature of the developer (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  Further, as a conventional development processing apparatus, by moving a developing solution supply nozzle in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge side of the wafer toward the center while rotating the substrate holding portion that holds the wafer horizontally around the vertical axis, There is known a technique in which a developing solution is spirally formed on the surface and subjected to development processing (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-46465 (Claims, Fig. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-210059 (Claims, FIG. 6)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the developer is deposited on the surface of a wafer or the like and then the temperature-adjusted gas is sprayed onto the surface of the developer from the gas blowing nozzle, There is a problem that a time difference occurs between the gas spraying and sufficient resolution cannot be obtained by adjusting the temperature of the developer.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the developer is accumulated while moving the developer supply nozzle in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge side of the wafer toward the center portion. There is a concern that a liquid-filled skirt is formed on the rear side in the nozzle movement direction, and the resolution is not sufficiently obtained at the skirt because the amount of the developer contacting the circuit pattern on the wafer surface is small. In particular, an EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) resist uses soft X-rays with an extremely short wavelength of 13 to 14 nm, so that sufficient resolution cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and promotes activation at the bottom of the puddle of the developer supplied and poured onto the surface of the substrate to improve resolution and development processing efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a development processing method and a development processing apparatus which can be achieved.

  In order to solve the above problems, the development processing method of the present invention is based on the development processing method in which a resist is applied to the surface and a developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate after exposure to perform development. While the substrate holding unit held horizontally is rotated about the vertical axis, the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle from above the central portion of the substrate to pour liquid, and at the same time, toward the bottom of the puddle of the supplied developer. The gas supply nozzle supplies a gas at a temperature higher than the temperature of the substrate during processing, and the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle are simultaneously supplied in the radial direction from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. The gas supply nozzle is moved following the nozzle to perform development processing (claim 1).

  The development processing apparatus of the present invention embodies the development processing method according to claim 1, wherein a resist is applied to the surface and a developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate after exposure to perform development. Assuming the apparatus, a substrate holding unit that holds the substrate horizontally, a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the substrate holding unit around a vertical axis, and a developer supplied to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit A developing solution supply nozzle, a gas supply nozzle for supplying gas toward the bottom of the liquid deposit of the developing solution supplied to the surface of the substrate, and a temperature of the gas supplied from the gas supply source to the gas supply nozzle A temperature adjusting unit that adjusts the temperature of the substrate to a temperature higher than the substrate temperature during processing, a moving mechanism that moves the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge, and the gas supply source and the gas supply nozzle. And connect And a control mechanism for controlling the rotation drive mechanism, the temperature adjusting unit, the moving mechanism and the valve mechanism, and a control from the control means. Based on the signal, the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle from above the central portion of the substrate rotating around the vertical axis, and at the same time, processed from the gas supply nozzle toward the bottom of the developer. While supplying gas higher than the temperature of the substrate at the time, the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle follow the gas supply nozzle in the radial direction from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. The developing process is performed by moving the film (claim 4).

  In the present invention, an inert gas such as nitrogen (N 2) gas can be used as the gas.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the development processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the number of rotations of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and development are determined according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed. The moving speed of the liquid supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle, the discharge amount of the gas, and the temperature of the gas are controlled.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the development processing apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the control means stores the dissolution temperature of the developer according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed. Based on a control signal based on the stored data, the number of rotations of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the moving speed of the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle, the gas discharge amount, and the gas temperature are controlled. It is characterized by that.

  (1) According to the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects of the invention, the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle from above the central portion of the substrate rotating about the vertical axis, and at the same time the developer is accumulated. The liquid supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle are moved from the center of the substrate toward the outer periphery of the substrate while supplying a gas having a temperature higher than the temperature of the substrate during processing from the gas supply nozzle toward the bottom of the liquid. By moving the gas supply nozzle following the developer supply nozzle in the radial direction, gas at a temperature higher than the substrate temperature is supplied to the bottom of the accumulated developer, so that the developer dissolves and the circuit on the substrate surface A development process is performed in uniform contact with the pattern.

  (2) According to the third and sixth aspects of the invention, the number of rotations of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the developer supply nozzle, and the gas supply nozzle according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed. By controlling the moving speed, the gas discharge amount, and the gas temperature, in addition to the above (1), the developing solution can be further uniformly contacted with the circuit pattern on the substrate surface for development.

  According to this invention, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) According to the first, second, fourth, and fifth aspects of the invention, the developer is dissolved by supplying a gas at a temperature higher than the temperature of the substrate to the bottom of the accumulated developer, whereby the surface of the substrate is dissolved. Since the developing process is performed in contact with the circuit pattern uniformly, the developing solution on the sleeve portion of the liquid is activated and the development processing efficiency can be improved.

  (2) According to the third and sixth aspects of the invention, the number of rotations of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the developer supply nozzle, and the gas supply nozzle according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed. By controlling the moving speed, the gas discharge amount, and the gas temperature, the developer can be further brought into contact with the circuit pattern on the substrate surface for further development processing. The processing efficiency can be improved.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an entire processing system in which an exposure processing apparatus is connected to a coating / development processing apparatus to which a development processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a schematic perspective view of the said processing system. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a development processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic plan view of the development processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing (a) and the expanded sectional view (b) which show the state of the image development processing in this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the state of the development processing in this invention.

  The best mode of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a case where the development processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a coating / development processing apparatus will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing system includes a carrier station 1 for carrying in and out a carrier 10 for hermetically storing a plurality of, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as wafers W) as substrates to be processed. Then, the wafer W taken out from the carrier station 1 is subjected to immersion exposure on the surface of the wafer W in a state where a processing unit 2 for applying resist, developing, etc. and a liquid layer transmitting light on the surface of the wafer W are formed. And an interface unit 3 that is connected between the processing unit 2 and the exposure unit 4 and transfers the wafer W.

  The carrier station 1 includes a mounting unit 11 on which a plurality of carriers 10 can be placed side by side, an opening / closing unit 12 provided on a front wall as viewed from the mounting unit 11, and a wafer from the carrier 10 via the opening / closing unit 12. Delivery means A1 for taking out W is provided.

  The interface unit 3 includes a first transfer chamber 3A and a second transfer chamber 3B that are provided between the processing unit 2 and the exposure unit 4 in the front-rear direction, and includes a first wafer transfer unit 30A and a second transfer chamber 3B, respectively. A second wafer transfer unit 30B is provided.

  Further, a processing unit 2 surrounded by a housing 20 is connected to the back side of the carrier station 1, and the processing unit 2 is a shelf unit in which heating / cooling units are sequentially arranged from the front side. Main transfer means A2 and A3 for transferring the wafer W between the units U1, U2 and U3 and the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are alternately arranged. The main transport means A2 and A3 include one surface portion on the shelf unit U1, U2 and U3 side arranged in the front-rear direction when viewed from the carrier station 1, and one surface portion on the right liquid processing unit U4 and U5 side which will be described later. And a space surrounded by a partition wall 21 composed of a rear surface portion forming one surface on the left side. Further, between the carrier station 1 and the processing unit 2 and between the processing unit 2 and the interface unit 3, a temperature / humidity provided with a temperature control device for the processing liquid used in each unit, a duct for temperature / humidity control, and the like. An adjustment unit 22 is arranged.

  The shelf units U1, U2, and U3 are configured such that various units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of the processing performed in the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are stacked in a plurality of stages, for example, 10 stages. A heating unit (HP) for heating (baking) the wafer W, a cooling unit (CPL) for cooling the wafer W, and the like are included. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the liquid processing units U4 and U5 include a bottom antireflection film coating unit (BCT) 23 for coating an antireflection film on a chemical solution storage unit such as a resist or a developer, and a coating unit ( COT) 24, a developing unit (DEV) 25 for supplying a developing solution to the wafer W and developing it, and the like are stacked in a plurality of stages, for example, five stages. The development processing apparatus 50 according to the present invention is provided in a development unit (DEV) 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the development processing apparatus 50 includes a substrate holding portion that sucks and holds the center portion on the back side of the wafer W in a casing 51 having a carry-in / out port 51 a for the wafer W and holds it horizontally. A spin chuck 40 is provided. A shutter 51b is disposed at the loading / unloading port 51a so as to be openable and closable.

  The spin chuck 40 is connected to a rotation drive mechanism 42 such as a servo motor via a shaft 41, and is configured to be rotatable while the wafer W is held by the rotation drive mechanism 42. The rotation drive mechanism 42 is electrically connected to a controller 60 that is a control means, and the rotation speed of the spin chuck 40 is controlled based on a control signal from the controller 60.

  A cup 43 is provided so as to surround the side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 40. The cup 43 includes a cylindrical outer cup 43a and a cylindrical inner cup 43b whose upper side is inclined inward, and the outer cup 43a is connected to the lower end of the outer cup 43a by an elevating mechanism 44 such as a cylinder. The inner cup 32 is configured to be lifted and lowered by being pushed up by a step formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end side of the outer cup 43a. The elevating mechanism 44 is electrically connected to the controller 60, and is configured such that the outer cup 43a moves up and down based on a control signal from the controller 60.

  A circular plate 45 is provided on the lower side of the spin chuck 40, and a liquid receiving portion 46 whose cross section is formed in a concave shape is provided around the entire circumference of the circular plate 45. A drain discharge port 47 is formed on the bottom surface of the liquid receiving part 46, and the developer and the rinse liquid stored in the liquid receiving part 46 after falling off from the wafer W or being shaken off are stored via the drain discharge port 47. Discharged outside the device. A ring member 48 having a mountain cross section is provided outside the circular plate 45. Although not shown, elevating pins that are, for example, three substrate support pins penetrating the circular plate 45 are provided, and the wafer W is spin chucked by the cooperative action of the elevating pins and a substrate transfer means (not shown). 40.

  On the other hand, on the upper side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 40, a developer supply nozzle 52 (hereinafter referred to as a developer) that can be moved up and down and horizontally so as to face the center of the surface of the wafer W through a gap. Nozzle 52) and a nitrogen (N2) gas supply nozzle 53 (hereinafter referred to as N2 nozzle 53) forming a gas supply nozzle adjacent in parallel to the wafer center side of the developing nozzle 52 are provided.

  In this case, the developing nozzle 52 has a slit-like discharge port (not shown) that supplies (discharges) the developer in a strip shape. For example, the discharge ports are arranged such that the length direction thereof extends from the central portion of the wafer W to the outer peripheral portion. In addition, the discharge port may cross not only when extending along a straight line (radius) from the center portion of the wafer W to the outer peripheral portion but also with a slight angle with respect to the straight line. Further, the N2 nozzle 53 is a slit-like discharge port for supplying (injecting) N2 gas toward the bottom portion D2 of the liquid D1 of the developer D supplied (discharged) onto the wafer W from the developing nozzle 52 (see FIG. (See FIG. 5A). For example, the discharge port of the N2 nozzle 53 is arranged so that the length direction thereof extends from the center portion of the wafer W to the outer peripheral portion. The discharge port of the N2 nozzle 53 not only extends along a straight line (radius) from the center of the wafer W to the outer periphery, but also intersects the straight line with the developing nozzle 52 with a slight angle. May be. It should be noted that the discharge port of the developing nozzle 52 does not necessarily have a slit shape, and may be a circular discharge port.

  As described above, the developing nozzle 52 and the N2 nozzle that are integrated in a state adjacent to each other are supported on one end side of the nozzle arm 54A, and the other end side of the nozzle arm 54A is provided with a lifting mechanism (not shown). The movable base 55A is connected to the base 55A, and is configured to be movable in the lateral direction along a guide member 57A extending in the X direction by a nozzle moving mechanism 56A such as a ball screw or a timing belt. Yes. With this configuration, by driving the nozzle moving mechanism 56A, the developing nozzle 52 and the N2 nozzle 53 move along a straight line (radius) from the center of the wafer W toward the outer periphery.

  Note that a standby portion 59A of the developing nozzle 52 is provided on one outer side of the cup 43, and the nozzle tip portion of the developing nozzle 52 is cleaned by this standby portion 59A.

  Further, a rinsing for supplying (discharging) a rinsing liquid as a cleaning liquid, for example, pure water, on the upper side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 40 so as to face the central portion of the surface of the wafer W through a gap. A nozzle 58 is provided so as to be movable up and down and horizontally.

  The rinse nozzle 58 is held in parallel with each other on one end side of the nozzle arm 54B, and the other end side of the nozzle arm 54B is connected to a moving base 55B provided with a lifting mechanism (not shown). The base 55B can be moved laterally along a guide member 57B extending in the X direction by a nozzle moving mechanism 56B such as a ball screw or a timing belt, that is, radially from the center of the wafer W toward the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. It is configured to be movable. A standby portion 59B of the rinse nozzle 58 is provided on one outer side of the cup 43.

  The developing nozzle 52 is connected to a developing solution supply source 71 via a developing solution supply pipe 70 provided with an on-off valve V1. In this case, a temperature adjusting unit 72 including a double pipe 72a and a heat exchanger 72b for adjusting the temperature of the developer so as to reach a predetermined temperature is provided on the developing nozzle 52 side of the developer supply pipe 70. On the other hand, the N2 nozzle 53 is connected to an N2 gas supply source 74 via an N2 gas supply pipe 73 provided with a control valve V0 capable of adjusting the flow rate. In this case, the N2 gas supply pipe 73 is provided with an N2 gas temperature adjusting unit 75 that adjusts the temperature of the N2 gas so as to be higher than the predetermined temperature, that is, the temperature of the wafer W during processing, for example, 30 to 50 ° C.

  The rinsing nozzle 58 is provided with an open / close valve V2 in a pure water supply pipe 76 that connects the rinsing nozzle 58 and a pure water supply source 77 that is a cleaning liquid supply source.

  The nozzle moving mechanisms 56A and 56B, the on-off valves V1 and V2, the control valve V0, the temperature adjusting unit 72, and the N2 gas temperature adjusting unit 75 are electrically connected to the controller 60, respectively. Based on the stored control signal, the developing nozzle 52 is horizontally moved, the rinsing nozzle 58 is horizontally moved, the on-off valves V1, V2 and the control valve V0 are opened / closed, and the temperature of the developer and N2 gas is adjusted. ing. In this case, the temperature of the developer and the temperature of the N2 gas are set to predetermined temperatures according to the type of resist. That is, the temperature of the developer and N2 gas is controlled according to the solubility characteristics of each type of resist in the developer.

  Here, as an example of the temperature setting value of the developer corresponding to the type of resist, for example, in the case of a resist for KrF light source, for example, a resist type having low solubility in the developer, the developer Is set to a high temperature, for example, 40 to 60 ° C. For example, in the case of a resist for ArF light source, for example, a resist type that is highly soluble in the developer, the temperature setting value of the developer is set low, for example, 20 to 40 ° C. Furthermore, in the case of a resist whose solubility is promoted at a low temperature, such as a resist for a light source such as I-line and G-line, the temperature set value is set to 10 to 20 ° C., for example. Further, the temperature setting value of the developer in the case of EUV resist is set to 10 to 30 ° C. On the other hand, the temperature of the N 2 gas is the same as the temperature of the developer, and is set higher than the temperature of the wafer W during processing.

  Next, an operation mode of the development processing apparatus 50 configured as described above will be described. First, the nozzle moving mechanism 56A is driven to move the developing nozzle 52 and the N2 nozzle 53 to a position above the center of the wafer surface. As shown in FIGS. The developer is supplied (discharged) from the developing nozzle 52 to the surface of the rotating wafer W, and at the same time, N2 gas having a temperature higher than the temperature of the wafer W set to a predetermined temperature toward the bottom D2 of the developer liquid D1. Is supplied (sprayed), the developing nozzle 52 and the N2 nozzle 53 are moved along a straight line (radius) from the center portion of the wafer W to the outer peripheral edge portion to perform development processing. By developing the N2 nozzle 53 following the developing nozzle 52 in this way, as shown in FIG. 5A, the liquid volume of the developer D supplied (discharged) to the surface of the wafer W from the developing nozzle 52 is obtained. Since N2 gas having a temperature higher than that of the wafer W is supplied (injected) from the N2 nozzle 53 to the skirt portion D2 on the wafer center side of D1, as shown in FIG. 5B, a small amount of developer in the skirt portion D2 is generated. The circuit pattern P that has been melted and formed on the surface of the wafer W is uniformly contacted and developed.

  After this development processing, the nozzle moving mechanism 56B is driven to move the rinse nozzle 58 to a position above the center of the wafer surface, and a rinse liquid, that is, pure water is supplied (discharged) from the rinse nozzle 58 onto the surface of the rotating wafer W. . As a result, the developer containing the resist dissolving component on the wafer surface is washed away by the pure water DIW supplied (discharged) from the rinse nozzle 58. Thereafter, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed by driving the rotation driving mechanism 42, for example, the rotation speed is set to 2000 rpm, and a spin drying process for shaking off the liquid on the wafer surface is performed.

  Next, a procedure for processing the wafer W using the coating / developing apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where a bottom antireflection film (BARC) is formed on the surface of the wafer W and a non-top coat resist is applied to the upper layer will be described. First, for example, when the carrier 10 containing 25 wafers W is placed on the placement unit 11, the lid of the carrier 10 is removed together with the opening / closing unit 12, and the wafer W is taken out by the delivery means A1. Then, the wafer W is delivered to the main transfer means A2 via a delivery unit (not shown) that forms one stage of the shelf unit U1, and is placed on the surface of the wafer W by a unit (BCT) 23 as a pretreatment of the coating treatment. An antireflection film (BARC) is formed. After that, the main transfer unit A2 transfers the wafer W to a heat treatment unit forming one shelf of the shelf units U1 to U3, pre-bake (CLHP), and after cooling, the main transfer unit A2 applies the wafer W to the coating unit (COT). Then, a non-top coat resist is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W in a thin film shape. After that, after being transported to the heat processing unit forming one shelf of the shelf units U1 to U3 by the main transport means A2, prebaked (CLHP), and further cooled, the interface unit 3 via the delivery unit of the shelf unit U3. It is conveyed to. In the interface unit 3, the first wafer transfer unit 30 </ b> A and the second wafer transfer unit 30 </ b> B of the first transfer chamber 3 </ b> A and the second transfer chamber 3 </ b> B are transferred to the exposure unit 4 and face the surface of the wafer W. Thus, exposure means (not shown) is arranged to perform exposure. After the exposure, the wafer W is transferred to the main transfer means A3 through the reverse path and is transferred into the developing unit (DEV) 25. The wafer W carried into the development unit (DEV) 25 is supplied (discharged) from the development nozzle 52 to the surface of the wafer W by the development processing device 50 as described above, and at the same time, the developer accumulation P1 In the state where N2 gas higher in temperature than the temperature of the wafer W set to a predetermined temperature is supplied (sprayed) toward the bottom portion D2, the N2 nozzle 53 is removed from the center of the wafer W by following the developing nozzle 52. After the development process is performed by moving along a straight line (radius) toward the peripheral edge, the rinse nozzle 58 is moved to a position above the center of the wafer surface, and pure water is supplied from the rinse nozzle 58 to the surface of the rotating wafer W. The wafer W is supplied (discharged) and subjected to a cleaning process, and then the wafer W is rotated at high speed and dried.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is unloaded from the developing unit (DEV) 25 by the main transfer unit A3, and returned to the original carrier 10 on the mounting portion 11 via the main transfer unit A2 and the transfer unit A1, and a series of coating operations.・ End development processing.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the bottom antireflection film (BARC) is formed on the surface of the wafer W and the resist layer is formed on the surface has been described, but even in the case where the bottom antireflection film (BARC) is not provided, The same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. The processing procedure in this case is processed in the order of resist coating process → pre-baking process → immersion exposure process → post-exposure baking process → developing process (developing process → cleaning / drying process).

W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)
40 Spin chuck (substrate holder)
42 Rotation Drive Mechanism 50 Development Processing Device 52 Development Nozzle (Developer Supply Nozzle)
53 N2 nozzle (gas supply nozzle)
56A Nozzle moving mechanism 60 controller (control means)
75 N2 gas temperature regulator V0 Control valve (valve mechanism)
D Developer D1 Liquid D2 Bottom

Claims (6)

In a development processing method in which a resist is applied to the surface and development is performed by supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate after exposure,
While the substrate holding unit that holds the substrate horizontally is rotated around the vertical axis, the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle from above the central portion of the substrate, and at the same time, the bottom of the supplied developer solution A gas higher than the temperature of the substrate during processing is supplied from the gas supply nozzle toward
The developing solution supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle are simultaneously moved in the radial direction from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge of the substrate and the gas supply nozzle is moved following the developer supply nozzle to perform development processing.
A development processing method characterized by the above. The development processing method according to claim 1,
A development processing method, wherein the gas is an inert gas. The development processing method according to claim 1 or 2,
The number of rotations of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, the moving speed of the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle, the gas discharge amount, and the gas temperature are controlled according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed. A development processing method characterized by the above. In a development processing apparatus for developing by supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate after the resist is applied and exposed to the surface,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate horizontally;
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the substrate holding unit around a vertical axis;
A developer supply nozzle for supplying a developer to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
A gas supply nozzle for supplying a gas toward the bottom of the puddle of the developer supplied to the surface of the substrate;
A temperature adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature of the gas supplied from the gas supply source to the gas supply nozzle to be higher than the temperature of the substrate during processing;
A moving mechanism for moving the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge;
A valve mechanism capable of adjusting a gas flow rate interposed in a gas supply line connecting the gas supply source and the gas supply nozzle;
A control means for controlling the rotational drive mechanism, the temperature adjusting unit, the moving mechanism, and the valve mechanism;
Based on the control signal from the control means, the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle from above the central portion of the substrate rotating around the vertical axis, and at the same time, the developer is directed toward the bottom of the developer. While supplying a gas at a temperature higher than the temperature of the substrate during processing from the gas supply nozzle, the developer supply nozzle and the gas supply nozzle are connected in the radial direction from the center of the substrate toward the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. A development processing apparatus that performs development processing by moving the gas supply nozzle to follow. The development processing apparatus according to claim 4.
A development processing apparatus, wherein the gas is an inert gas. The development processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
The control means stores the dissolution temperature of the developer according to the type of resist on the substrate to be developed, and based on a control signal based on the stored data, the control unit stores the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. A development processing apparatus characterized by controlling a rotational speed, a moving speed of a developer supply nozzle and a gas supply nozzle, a gas discharge amount, and a gas temperature.

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