JP2011204948A - Treatment liquid supply device and treatment liquid supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a treatment liquid supply device and a treatment liquid supply method for supplying a highly-pure treatment liquid to a substrate.SOLUTION: The treatment liquid supply device 3 includes a cylindrical treatment liquid container 8 arranged along a vertical direction and formed so that a diameter of a lower end part becomes small. The treatment liquid is accumulated inside the treatment liquid container 8, and the lower end part serves as a treatment liquid discharge port 12 for discharging the treatment liquid. A pipe 13 is connected to an upper part of the treatment liquid container 8, and a vacuum device (not shown) as a negative pressure source is connected through the pipe 13. A gas introducing pipe 14 for introducing gas (for example an atmosphere) into the treatment liquid container 8 is branched and is connected to the pipe 13. The treatment liquid accumulated in the treatment liquid container 8 is discharge to the substrate W by gravity falling when the gas is introduced to the treatment liquid container 8, and the discharge of the treatment liquid is stopped when introduction of the gas to the treatment liquid container 8 is stopped.

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing liquid supply apparatus and a processing liquid supply method for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing using a processing liquid on a substrate. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate, solar cell substrate and the like.

  For example, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, processing using a processing liquid is performed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”). For example, a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one performs substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus as shown in FIG.

  A substrate processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 4 has a spin chuck 102 that can rotate while holding the substrate W substantially horizontally, and a processing liquid supply for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 102. Device 103.

  The processing liquid supply apparatus 103 includes a processing liquid supply nozzle 104 that supplies a processing liquid to the central portion of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 102, and the processing liquid supply nozzle 104 passes through the processing liquid supply pipe 105. Is to be supplied. The processing liquid is stored in the processing liquid tank 106, pumped out from the processing liquid tank 106 by the pump 107, and sent to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104 through the processing liquid supply pipe 105. In the processing liquid supply pipe 105, a temperature regulator 108, a filter 109, a flow meter 110, a flow rate adjustment valve 111, and a processing liquid supply valve 112 are interposed on the downstream side of the pump 107. The temperature controller 108 is for adjusting the temperature of the processing liquid sent from the processing liquid supply pipe 105 toward the processing liquid supply nozzle 104 to a constant temperature suitable for processing, and the filter 109 is in the processing liquid. The flow meter 110 is for monitoring the flow rate of the processing liquid sent to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104, and the flow rate adjustment valve 111 is sent to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104. The processing liquid supply valve 112 is for switching between supply and stop of the processing liquid to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104. Further, a processing liquid return pipe 113 is branchedly connected to the processing liquid supply pipe 105 between the flow rate adjustment valve 111 and the processing liquid supply valve 112. The front end of the processing liquid feedback pipe 113 is connected to the processing liquid tank 106, and a processing liquid feedback valve 114 is interposed in the middle of the processing liquid feedback pipe 113.

  During the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 101, the pump 107 and the temperature controller 108 are always driven, and when the surface of the substrate W is processed with the processing liquid (the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate W). ), The processing liquid feedback valve 114 is closed and the processing liquid supply valve 112 is opened, and the processing liquid flowing from the processing liquid tank 106 through the processing liquid supply pipe 105 is supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104. On the other hand, when the processing of the substrate W is not performed (when the processing liquid is not supplied to the surface of the substrate W), the processing liquid supply valve 112 is closed and the processing liquid feedback valve 114 is opened, The processing liquid flowing through the processing liquid supply pipe 105 is returned to the processing liquid tank 106 through the processing liquid return pipe 113. Thereby, when the processing of the substrate W is not performed, the processing liquid circulates in the processing liquid circulation path including the processing liquid tank 106, the processing liquid supply pipe 105, and the processing liquid return pipe 113. Since the processing liquid is thus circulated, the processing liquid to be supplied to the substrate W is supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 104 immediately after the processing liquid supply valve 112 is opened.

JP 2004-179323 A

  However, in the processing liquid supply apparatus in such a substrate processing apparatus, even if a high-purity processing liquid is stored in the processing liquid tank, the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate until the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate. In addition, since many components such as a flow meter, a flow rate adjusting valve, and a processing liquid supply valve are passed, there is a possibility that the processing liquid contaminated by these components may be supplied to the substrate. In addition, since the number of parts connected in the pipe increases, the liquid reservoir that causes the processing liquid contamination increases in the pipe, and it is necessary to perform a cleaning operation in the pipe. Furthermore, since the processing liquid is fed by pressurizing the pump or the processing liquid tank, a load is applied to the piping, which promotes deterioration of the piping.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a processing liquid supply apparatus and a processing liquid supply method capable of supplying a high-purity processing liquid to a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing using a processing liquid on a substrate. Is to provide.

The invention according to claim 1 is a processing liquid supply device (3) for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate,
A processing liquid container (8) for storing the processing liquid, a processing liquid discharge port (12) disposed below the processing liquid container and discharging the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container to the substrate; Gas introducing means (13, 14, 16) for introducing a gas into the processing liquid container, and introducing the gas into the processing liquid container, whereby the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is dropped by gravity A control device that controls the gas introduction unit to stop the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge port by discharging the liquid from the liquid discharge port to the substrate and stopping the introduction of the gas into the processing liquid container ( 22). A processing liquid supply apparatus comprising: In addition, the alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later. The same applies hereinafter.

  According to the present invention, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is discharged toward the substrate from the processing liquid discharge port by gravity drop due to introduction of gas into the processing liquid container. Then, the discharge of the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid discharge port is stopped by stopping the introduction of the gas into the treatment liquid container. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a valve for switching between supplying and stopping the processing liquid in the processing liquid channel between the processing liquid container and the processing liquid discharge port. Therefore, the processing liquid flowing through the processing liquid flow path is supplied to the substrate from the processing liquid discharge port without contacting the valve. As a result, the parts arranged between the processing liquid container and the processing liquid discharge port can be omitted, and the high-purity processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is not contaminated from the processing liquid discharge port to the substrate. Discharged. Therefore, according to the present invention, a high-purity processing liquid can be supplied to the substrate.

  The gas introducing means may be configured to make the inside of the processing liquid container open to the atmosphere. (Claim 2)

  According to this invention, the atmosphere is introduced into the processing liquid container by opening the processing liquid container to the atmosphere open system. Thereby, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is discharged from the processing liquid discharge port by gravity drop.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a negative pressure means (13, 15) for setting a negative pressure in the processing liquid container, and a processing liquid storage section (not shown) for storing the processing liquid, provided separately from the processing liquid container. 17), and the control device controls the negative pressure means so as to make the inside of the processing liquid container negative pressure while connecting the processing liquid container and the processing liquid reservoir. A processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

  According to the present invention, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid reservoir is treated with the processing liquid by making the inside of the processing liquid container negative with the negative pressure means in a state where the processing liquid container and the processing liquid storage are connected. It is sent into the container. Therefore, when the processing liquid is sent from the processing liquid storage unit to the processing liquid container, it is not necessary to use a pump or a pressurizing means, and the processing liquid is not contaminated by the high-purity processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit. It is sent to the container and discharged onto the substrate from the treatment liquid discharge port.

  The invention according to claim 4 is a processing liquid supply method for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate, wherein the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container by introducing a gas into the processing liquid container is the processing liquid container. The processing liquid discharge step (S4) discharged to the substrate by gravity drop from the processing liquid discharge port disposed below the substrate, and the processing from the processing liquid discharge port by stopping the introduction of gas into the processing liquid container A treatment liquid supply method comprising: a treatment liquid discharge stopping step (S5) for stopping the discharge of the liquid. According to the present invention, an effect similar to the effect described in relation to claim 1 can be obtained.

  5. The process liquid supply method according to claim 4, wherein in the process liquid discharge step, the inside of the process liquid container is opened to the atmosphere. (Claim 5) According to the present invention, the same effect as described in relation to claim 2 can be obtained.

  In the invention according to claim 6, the inside of the processing liquid container is set to a negative pressure while connecting the processing liquid container and a processing liquid storage part for storing the processing liquid provided separately from the processing liquid container. The process liquid supply method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a negative pressure step (S2). According to the present invention, an effect similar to that described in relation to claim 3 can be obtained.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation by the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional substrate processing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view conceptually showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as “substrates”) W, which is an example of a substrate, one by one.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a spin chuck 2 for holding and rotating the substrate W substantially horizontally, and a process for discharging a processing liquid toward the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2. A liquid supply device 3 and a container-like cup 4 which surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 2 and receives the processing liquid flowing down or splashing from the substrate W are accommodated.

  The spin chuck 2 is provided at substantially equal intervals at a plurality of locations around the motor 5, a disc-shaped spin base 6 that is rotated around the vertical axis by the rotational driving force of the motor 5, and a peripheral portion of the spin base 6. And a plurality of clamping members 7 for clamping W in a substantially horizontal posture. Thus, the spin chuck 2 maintains the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture by rotating the spin base 6 by the rotational driving force of the motor 5 while the substrate W is sandwiched by the plurality of sandwiching members 7. In this state, it can be rotated around the vertical axis together with the spin base 6.

  The spin chuck 2 is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, a vacuum suction type vacuum chuck may be employed. This vacuum chuck can hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture by vacuum-sucking the lower surface of the substrate W. The vacuum chuck can rotate the substrate W while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture by rotating around the substantially vertical axis while holding the substrate W.

  The processing liquid supply device 3 includes a processing liquid container 8, a processing liquid container 8 attached to the distal end portion thereof, an arm 9 extending substantially horizontally above the spin chuck 2, a base end portion of the arm 9, and a cup 4 Is provided with an arm support shaft 10 extending substantially vertically. An arm drive mechanism 11 including a motor (not shown) is coupled to the arm support shaft 10. The arm 9 can be swung above the spin chuck 2 by inputting a rotational force from the arm drive mechanism 11 to the arm support shaft 10 and rotating the arm support shaft 10.

  The processing liquid container 8 is a cylindrical container that is arranged along the vertical direction and formed so that the diameter of the lower end portion is reduced. The upper end of the cylindrical processing liquid container 8 is closed and the lower end is a processing liquid discharge port 12 through which the processing liquid is discharged, and the processing liquid is stored inside. A pipe 13 is connected to the upper part of the processing liquid container 8, and a vacuum device (not shown) as a negative pressure source is connected through the pipe 13. Further, a gas introduction pipe 14 for introducing a gas (for example, the atmosphere) into the processing liquid container 8 is branched and connected to the pipe 13. In the present embodiment, the tip of the gas introduction pipe 14 is open to the atmosphere. A negative pressure valve 15 is interposed in the middle of the pipe 13, and a gas introduction valve 16 is interposed in the middle of the gas introduction pipe 14.

  When the negative pressure valve 15 is opened and the gas introduction valve 16 is closed, the processing liquid container 8 is connected to a negative pressure source. In addition, when the negative pressure valve 15 is closed and the gas introduction valve 16 is opened, the inside of the processing liquid container 8 becomes an air release system, and gas (atmosphere in the present embodiment) is introduced from above the processing liquid container 8. It becomes. In addition, by closing both the negative pressure valve 15 and the gas introduction valve 16, the gas is introduced into the treatment liquid container 8 from the pipe 13 connected to the upper part of the treatment liquid container 8 and the gas is discharged to the negative pressure source. Will be stopped.

  An upper liquid level sensor 20 and a lower liquid level sensor 21 are arranged outside the processing liquid container 8 as liquid level sensors for detecting the liquid level of the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8. The upper liquid level sensor 20 is for detecting the upper limit level of the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container 8 and detects the introduction end timing when the processing liquid is introduced into the processing liquid container 8. On the other hand, the lower liquid level sensor 21 is for detecting the lower limit level of the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container 8 and detects the end timing of the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate W.

  A treatment liquid reservoir 17 is disposed at the retreat position of the treatment liquid container 8 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1). The processing liquid storage unit 17 is a bottomed container in which processing liquid is stored. The upper part of the processing liquid storage part 17 is opened, and a part of the processing liquid container 8 can be inserted. When the arm 9 and the arm support shaft 10 are driven by the arm driving mechanism 11, the processing liquid container 8 is positioned in a state where the processing liquid discharge port 12 contacts the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17. Can be made. A processing liquid pipe 18 is connected to the processing liquid reservoir 17, and the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply source via the processing liquid pipe 18. A processing liquid valve 19 is interposed in the processing liquid pipe 18 to switch between supply and stop of the processing liquid to the processing liquid reservoir 17.

  In addition, as a processing liquid, the liquid according to the content of the process with respect to the surface of the board | substrate W is used. For example, in the case of a resist stripping process for stripping an unnecessary resist film from the surface of the substrate W, a resist stripping solution such as SPM (sulfuric acid / hydrogen peroxide mixture) is used. In the case of a polymer removal process for removing a polymer (resist residue), a polymer removal solution such as APM (ammonia-hydrogen peroxide mixture) is used, and an oxide film or a metal thin film is removed from the surface of the substrate W. Etching that includes at least one of hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, oxalic acid, TMAH, and aqua regia is an etching process that removes etching. Liquid is used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control device 22 composed of, for example, a microcomputer. The control device 22 controls the operation of the motor 5 and the arm drive mechanism 11. Further, the opening / closing operation of the negative pressure valve 15, the gas introduction valve 16 and the processing liquid valve 19 is controlled. Moreover, the detection results of the upper liquid level sensor 20 and the lower liquid level sensor 21 are input to the control device 22, and the control device 22 controls the opening / closing operation of each valve according to the detection results.

  Next, the processing operation of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the processing operation of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1. Before starting the processing for the substrate W, the control device 22 stops the motor 5 and puts the spin chuck 2 in a stopped state. Further, the processing liquid container 8 is located at the retracted position. The negative pressure valve 15, the gas introduction valve 16, and the processing liquid valve 19 are all closed. The processing liquid storage unit 17 is supplied in advance with a predetermined amount of processing liquid (at least the amount required for processing one substrate) from the processing liquid supply source. Then, an unprocessed substrate W is carried onto the spin base 6 by a substrate transfer means (not shown) (step S1).

  On the other hand, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17 is introduced into the processing liquid container 8 located at the retracted position. Specifically, the processing liquid container 8 is positioned so that the processing liquid discharge port 12 comes into contact with the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17. Then, the control device 22 controls the negative pressure valve 15 to open the negative pressure valve 15 so that the inside of the processing liquid container 8 is in a negative pressure state. Thereby, the processing liquid in the processing liquid storage part 17 is introduced into the processing liquid container 8 through the processing liquid discharge port 12. The liquid level of the processing liquid introduced into the processing liquid container 8 gradually increases. When the liquid level position of the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8 reaches a position detected by the upper liquid level sensor 20, a signal from the upper liquid level sensor 20 is input to the control device 22. Upon receiving this signal, the control device 22 controls the negative pressure valve 15 to close the negative pressure valve 15. Thereby, a predetermined amount of processing liquid is introduced into the processing liquid container 8 (step S2).

  Next, the control device 22 controls the motor 5 to start the rotation of the spin chuck 2 (step S3). Further, the control device 22 controls the arm drive mechanism 11 to take out the processing liquid container 8 from the processing liquid storage unit 17 and move it to a processing position above the substrate W (in this embodiment, the rotation center position of the substrate W). Let Thereafter, the control device 22 controls the gas introduction valve 16 to open the gas introduction valve 16 so that the inside of the processing liquid container 8 is opened to the atmosphere. Thereby, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container 8 is discharged toward the center position of the substrate W by gravity drop. The processing liquid discharged to the center position of the substrate W spreads toward the peripheral edge of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate W, and is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W (step S4).

  As the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid container 8 toward the substrate W, the liquid level position of the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container 8 gradually decreases. When the liquid level position of the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8 reaches a position detected by the lower liquid level sensor 21, a signal from the lower liquid level sensor 21 is input to the control device 22. Upon receiving this signal, the control device 22 controls the gas introduction valve 16 to close the gas introduction valve 16. Thereby, the introduction of the gas into the processing liquid container 8 is stopped. That is, the inside of the processing liquid container 8 becomes a closed system, and the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge port 12 is stopped (step S5). After the supply of the processing liquid from the processing liquid container 8 to the substrate W is completed, the control device 22 controls the arm driving mechanism 11 to move the processing liquid container 8 to the retracted position.

  After the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge port 12 is completed, before the processing liquid container 8 is moved to the retracted position, the processing liquid container 8 is subjected to a negative pressure by moving the processing liquid container 8 to a negative pressure. The processing liquid remaining in the vicinity of the liquid discharge port 12 may be pulled up above the processing liquid discharge port 12. That is, the control device 22 controls the gas introduction valve 16 to close the gas introduction valve 16 and stops the discharge of the processing liquid, and then controls the negative pressure valve 15 to open the negative pressure valve 15 for a predetermined time. As a result, the processing liquid remaining in the vicinity of the processing liquid discharge port 12 is pulled up to the upper side of the processing liquid container 8. Therefore, when the processing liquid container 8 is moved to the retracted position, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid remaining in the processing liquid container 8 from falling from the processing liquid discharge port 12.

  After the supply of the processing liquid is completed, a rinsing liquid (for example, pure water) is supplied to the substrate W by a rinsing liquid supply device (not shown), and a rinsing process is performed (step S6). The rinsing liquid supply device may have the same configuration as the processing liquid supply device 3 described above, or is fixedly provided so that the rinsing liquid is supplied toward the center position of the substrate W. It may be a nozzle. In addition to pure water, carbonated water, electrolytic ion water, hydrogen water, magnetic water, diluted aqueous ammonia (for example, about 1 ppm), or the like can also be used as the rinse liquid.

  After the rinsing process is completed, the control device 22 controls the motor 5 to rotate the substrate W at a high speed, thereby performing shake-off drying (step S7). Thereafter, the substrate W is unloaded by a substrate transfer means (not shown) (step S8).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inside of the processing liquid container 8 is set to a negative pressure while the processing liquid discharge port 12 of the processing liquid container 8 is in contact with the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17. Thus, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17 is sent into the processing liquid container 8. Therefore, when the processing liquid is sent from the processing liquid storage unit 17 to the processing liquid container 8, it is not necessary to use a pump or a pressurizing device as in the conventional case. Therefore, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17 is sent to the processing liquid container 8 in a highly pure state without being contaminated. Further, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container 8 is discharged onto the substrate W from the processing liquid discharge port 12 due to gravity drop by setting the inside of the processing liquid container 8 to an air release system. Then, when stopping the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid container 8, it is stopped by making the inside of the processing liquid container 8 a closed system. Therefore, the supply / stop switching operation of the processing liquid can be performed without using a valve provided in the flow path of the processing liquid. Therefore, there is no need to arrange a pump or a valve in the processing liquid flow path between the processing liquid storage unit 17 and the processing liquid discharge port 12, so that the high-purity processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit 17 is contaminated. Without being discharged from the treatment liquid discharge port 12 to the substrate. Therefore, according to the present invention, a high-purity processing liquid can be supplied to the substrate W.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can also be implemented with another form. For example, in the embodiment described above, the inside of the processing liquid container 8 is opened to the atmosphere so that the atmosphere is introduced into the processing liquid container 8 and the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8 is dropped by gravity. The configuration may be such that the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8 is dropped by gravity by introducing an inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) from 14 at a pressure equivalent to atmospheric pressure. In the case of such a configuration, the processing liquid in the processing liquid container 8 can be prevented from coming into contact with the atmosphere.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid container 8 to the substrate W in step S4, the processing liquid is discharged while the processing liquid container 8 is fixed above the center position of the substrate W. However, the processing liquid may be discharged onto the substrate W while the processing liquid container 8 is moved between the position above the center position of the substrate W and the position above the peripheral edge.

In the above-described embodiment, the control device 22 receives the signal input from the lower liquid level sensor 21 and controls to stop the introduction of the gas into the processing liquid container 8. The control method of the timing which stops introduction | transduction of the gas to this is not restricted to this. For example, the control may be performed such that the introduction of gas into the processing liquid container 8 is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid container 8. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Substrate processing apparatus 2,102 Spin chuck 3,103 Processing liquid supply apparatus 4 Cup 5 Motor 6 Spin base 7 Holding member 8 Processing liquid container 9 Arm 10 Arm support shaft 11 Arm drive mechanism 12 Processing liquid discharge port 13 Piping 14 Gas introduction pipe 15 Negative pressure valve 16 Gas introduction valve 17 Treatment liquid reservoir 18 Treatment liquid pipe 19 Treatment liquid valve 20 Upper liquid level sensor 21 Lower liquid level sensor 22 Control device 104 Treatment liquid supply nozzle 105 Treatment liquid supply pipe 106 Treatment Liquid tank 107 Pump 108 Temperature controller 109 Filter 110 Flow meter 111 Flow control valve 112 Treatment liquid supply valve 113 Treatment liquid return piping 114 Treatment liquid feedback valve

Claims (6)

A processing liquid supply apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate,
A processing liquid container for storing the processing liquid;
A processing liquid outlet that is disposed below the processing liquid container and discharges the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container to the substrate;
Gas introduction means for introducing gas into the processing liquid container;
By introducing gas into the processing liquid container, the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is discharged onto the substrate from the processing liquid discharge port by gravity drop, and the introduction of the gas into the processing liquid container is stopped. And a control device for controlling the gas introducing means so as to stop the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge port.   The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas introducing unit makes the processing liquid container open to the atmosphere. A negative pressure means for setting a negative pressure in the processing liquid container;
Provided separately from the processing liquid container, further comprising a processing liquid storage unit for storing the processing liquid,
The said control apparatus controls the said negative pressure means so that the inside of the said process liquid container may be made into a negative pressure, connecting the said process liquid container and the said process liquid storage part, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Treatment liquid supply device. A processing liquid supply method for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate,
A processing liquid discharge step in which the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid container is discharged onto the substrate by gravity drop from a processing liquid discharge port disposed below the processing liquid container by introducing gas into the processing liquid container;
A treatment liquid discharge stopping step of stopping the discharge of the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid discharge port by stopping the introduction of the gas into the treatment liquid container;
A process liquid supply method comprising:   5. The process liquid supply method according to claim 4, wherein in the process liquid discharge step, the inside of the process liquid container is opened to the atmosphere.   The method further includes a negative pressure step of connecting the processing liquid container and a processing liquid storage unit for storing the processing liquid provided separately from the processing liquid container to make the inside of the processing liquid container have a negative pressure. The processing liquid supply method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein:

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