JP5155035B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”). In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for preventing a substrate transported from a liquid processing unit in a chamber from being contaminated.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate by supplying a chemical solution, pure water, or the like (hereinafter also simply referred to as “treatment solution”) to the rotating substrate. Further, a technique for preventing the mist of the processing liquid that is scattered by rotation and floating in the chamber, and the technology for preventing the vapor of the processing liquid evaporated in the chamber from adhering to the substrate have been conventionally known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  For example, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the inside of the apparatus is contaminated by exhausting the inside of the anti-scattering cup and exhausting the outer container (outside the anti-scattering cup) in which a clean downward airflow is formed. Is preventing.

  Further, the apparatus of Patent Document 2 prevents the mist from adhering to the substrate being transferred by starting the transfer of the substrate when the amount of mist in the rotation processing unit becomes smaller than a predetermined amount.

JP 09-148231 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-097972

  Here, the clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus is installed usually has a very high maintenance cost per unit area, and a reduction in the occupied floor area (footprint) of the substrate processing apparatus is desired. Also, there is a limit to the height of equipment that can be installed in a clean room.

  Therefore, as one of the methods for relaxing the restrictions on the occupied floor area and the apparatus height, for example, a method of reducing the size in the height direction of each processing unit and stacking the processing units in multiple stages is adopted. Yes. In the case of this method, the same substrate processing can be realized without increasing the occupied floor area and the apparatus height.

  However, when the ratio of the horizontal direction (width direction and depth direction) size to the height direction size of each processing unit increases and the chamber shape of each processing unit becomes wide, the following problems arise.

  That is, if the downflow airflow is not completely laminar and partly turbulent due to the influence of the structure arranged in the chamber of the processing section, the mist of the processing liquid floating in the processing section and the processing liquid Vapor or the like (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “floating processing liquid”) is not guided well to the exhaust side, and part of it stays in the processing section. As a result, the floating processing liquid adheres to the substrate, causing a problem of substrate contamination. This retention is particularly noticeable when the chamber shape is wide.

  Further, as one method for solving the problem of retention, a method for increasing the size (for example, the diameter) of the exhaust port is also conceivable. However, there is a limit to increasing the exhaust port size in relation to the exhaust capacity of the exhaust pump, and the floating processing liquid in the chamber cannot be exhausted completely outside the chamber.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can reduce the influence of floating processing liquid in a chamber.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus, and is provided in a chamber, and includes a processing unit that performs liquid processing on a substrate, and a transfer space outside the chamber. And a transfer unit that transfers the substrate to and from the processing unit, the processing unit being disposed above the holding unit and a holding unit that holds the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture. An atmosphere blocking plate facing the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding means, and the holding means holding the substrate and the atmosphere blocking plate are close to each other, and the substrate When the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means after the surrounding atmosphere is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the transfer means maintains the atmosphere cut-off state on the upper surface side of the substrate, while the substrate is transferred to the transfer means. Specially to receive To.

Further, the invention of claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means. In this case, the atmosphere blocking plate rises while maintaining the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate.

  Further, the invention of claim 3 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means. In this case, the atmosphere blocking plate is raised so that the distance to the holding means is 2 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the processing section is provided on the atmosphere blocking plate and is clean toward the holding means side. A first gas discharge means for discharging a gas, and when the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, The one gas discharge means maintains the atmosphere cutoff state on the upper surface side of the substrate by discharging the first gas toward the upper surface side of the substrate.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first gas is an inert gas.

  The invention of claim 6 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processing section is provided in the chamber and in the vicinity of an entrance of the chamber, The apparatus further comprises second gas discharge means for discharging a clean second gas toward the substrate transferred by the transfer means.

The invention according to claim 7 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the transfer from the holding means is performed. When the substrate is transferred to the means, the transport means is raised following the ascending operation of the atmosphere shielding plate to maintain the atmosphere shielding state on the upper surface side of the substrate.

Further, the invention of claim 8 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the atmosphere blocking plate horizontally moves following the advance / retreat operation of the transfer means, thereby It is characterized in that the atmosphere cutoff state on the upper surface side of the substrate is maintained .

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the pressure in the transfer space is higher than the pressure in the chamber.

  The invention of claim 10 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the processing section is provided in the holding means, and the substrate held by the holding means. A third gas discharge means for discharging a clean third gas toward the lower surface of the substrate, and after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the holding means transfers the transfer means to the transfer means. When the substrate is transferred, the third gas is discharged from the third gas discharge means to the lower surface of the substrate, whereby the lower surface of the substrate is brought into an atmosphere cutoff state.

  The invention of claim 11 is a substrate processing method, comprising: (a) a step of performing a liquid process on a substrate held in the chamber; and (b) an atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate. And (c) carrying out the dried substrate from the chamber while maintaining the atmosphere cut-off state formed by the step (b). And

  The invention according to claim 12 is the substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein the step (b) includes a holding means for holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture, and a position above the holding means. And the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is shielded from the atmosphere in the chamber by bringing the atmosphere blocking plate facing the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding means close, and the step (c) includes the step (c) The upper surface side of the substrate is maintained in an atmosphere blocking state while raising the atmosphere blocking plate.

The invention according to claim 13 is the substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein the step (c) discharges the first gas from the atmosphere blocking plate toward the upper surface of the substrate, thereby It is characterized in that the atmosphere cutoff state on the upper surface side is maintained .

  The invention according to claim 14 is the substrate processing method according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the step (c) raises the substrate following the raising operation of the atmosphere blocking plate. And

  The invention according to claim 15 is the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the step (c) moves the atmosphere blocking plate horizontally following the advance / retreat operation of the substrate. It is characterized by making it.

The invention according to claim 16 is the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein (d) toward the substrate unloaded from the chamber by the step (c), And a step of discharging a clean second gas in the chamber.

  The invention according to claim 17 is the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein (e) a step of setting the pressure outside the chamber to be higher than the pressure inside the chamber; It further has these.

  The invention according to claim 18 is the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the step (c) is performed from a holding means for holding the substrate toward a lower surface side of the substrate. By discharging the third gas, the lower surface side of the substrate is brought into an atmosphere cutoff state.

According to the invention described in claims 1 to 10, in the case the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate after being cut off from the atmosphere in the chamber, the substrate is transferred to the conveying means from the holding means, conveying means, the upper surface of the substrate The substrate can be received from the holding means while maintaining the atmosphere-blocking state on the side. Thereby, even when the floating processing liquid is present in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate waiting for transfer or waiting for transfer. Therefore, it can prevent that the board | substrate at the time of conveyance is contaminated with a floating process liquid. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the floating treatment liquid adhering to the substrate from affecting the subsequent process.

  Further, according to the invention described in claims 11 to 18, the substrate after drying can be carried out from the chamber while maintaining the atmosphere blocking state formed when the substrate is dried. Thereby, even when the floating processing liquid is present in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid from adhering to the substrate waiting for transfer or waiting for transfer. Therefore, it can prevent that the board | substrate at the time of conveyance is contaminated with a floating process liquid. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the floating treatment liquid adhering to the substrate from affecting the subsequent process.

  In particular, according to the inventions according to claim 2, claim 3, and claim 12, even if the atmosphere blocking plate is raised in order to secure a space for the transfer means to enter, the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate is maintained. Can be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to easily transfer the substrate from the holding unit to the transport unit while preventing substrate contamination.

  In particular, according to the inventions according to claims 4, 5, and 13, when the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transport means after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber. The clean first gas can be discharged from the first gas discharge means toward the upper surface side of the substrate. Therefore, even when the atmosphere blocking plate is raised, the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate can be maintained better.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claims 6 and 16, when the substrate is carried out of the chamber, the second gas that is clean toward the substrate from the second gas discharge means provided near the entrance is provided. Can be discharged. Therefore, even when the floating processing liquid is present in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate that is transported outside the chamber through the entrance.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 7 and claim 14, when the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the transfer unit includes: It rises following the rising action of the atmosphere blocking plate. Thereby, the atmosphere in the chamber does not flow into the upper surface side of the substrate when the substrate is raised. Therefore, even when the floating processing liquid exists in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate when it is raised.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 8 and claim 15, when the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the atmosphere blocking plate is Then, it moves horizontally following the forward / backward movement of the conveying means. Thus, the atmosphere in the chamber does not flow into the upper surface side of the substrate when the substrate is advanced or retracted. Therefore, even when the floating processing liquid exists in the chamber, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate during advancement and retreat.

  Particularly, in the inventions according to claims 9 and 17, the pressure in the transfer space is set to be higher than the pressure in the chamber. In addition, the atmosphere in the transfer space is usually cleaner compared to the inside of the chamber where liquid processing is performed. Thereby, a clean air current is generated from the transfer space into the chamber. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the floating processing liquid in the chamber from adhering to the substrate by this air flow.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claims 10 and 18, the third gas discharge is performed when the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transport means after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber. A clean third gas can be discharged from the means toward the lower surface of the substrate. Therefore, even when the substrate is lifted by the transport means, the atmosphere blocking state on the lower surface side of the substrate can be maintained better.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
1 and 2 are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a cleaning process for removing contaminants such as particles and various metal impurities attached to the substrate W, and a peripheral portion (bevel) of the substrate W by a chemical solution supplied from the lower surface side of the substrate W. Is used for substrate processing such as liquid processing such as bevel etching processing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes a substrate processing unit PS and an indexer ID.

  The indexer ID is provided in parallel with the substrate processing unit PS, and delivers an unprocessed substrate that has not been subjected to substrate processing to the substrate processing unit PS side, and receives a processed substrate from the substrate processing unit PS side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indexer ID mainly has a mounting table 2 and a transfer robot IR.

  The mounting table 2 mounts a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of cassettes C. Each cassette C can store a plurality of substrates W. As a form of the cassette C, in addition to a FOUP (front opening unified pod) for storing a plurality of substrates W in a sealed space, a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod and an OC (for exposing the stored substrates W to the outside air) open cassette) may be employed.

  The transfer robot IR transfers the substrate W between each cassette C and the transfer robot TR on the substrate processing unit PS side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer robot IR mainly includes a transfer arm 3a, an arm stage 3b, and a movable table 3c.

  The movable table 3c is screwed with a ball screw 4 extending along the mounting table 2 (almost along the Y-axis direction). The movable table 3c is slidable with respect to the two guide rails 4a and 4b. Therefore, when the rotational force of a rotation motor (not shown) is applied to the ball screw 4, the entire transfer robot IR including the movable table 3 c moves horizontally along the mounting table 2.

  The arm stage 3b is a stage for turning and raising / lowering the transfer arm 3a with respect to the movable table 3c, and is mounted on the upper part of the movable table 3c. That is, the arm stage 3b can be rotated around the axis along the vertical direction (substantially Z-axis direction) with respect to the movable table 3c, and can be moved up and down along the vertical direction.

  The transfer arm 3a is mounted on the arm stage 3b and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture. When the multi-joint mechanism of the transfer arm 3a is bent and extended by a drive mechanism (not shown), the transfer arm 3a advances and retracts the held substrate W in the turning radius direction of the arm stage 3b. Therefore, the transfer robot IR takes out the unprocessed substrate W from each cassette C or stores the processed substrate W directly transferred from the transfer robot TR on the substrate processing unit PS side in the corresponding cassette C. Can do.

  The substrate processing unit PS performs substrate processing on the substrate W delivered from the indexer ID side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing unit PS mainly includes a plurality of liquid processing units 100 and a transfer robot TR.

  The liquid processing unit 100 is a processing unit that is provided in the chamber 100 a and performs liquid processing on the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid processing unit 100 is disposed on both sides of the transfer space 8. Further, in order to relax restrictions on the occupied floor area and apparatus height of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the clean room, each liquid processing unit 100 is stacked in multiple stages (four stages in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. In addition, the shape of the chamber 100a of each liquid processing unit 100 is wide. Thus, in the substrate processing unit PS, two processing unit groups stacked in multiple stages in the vertical direction are arranged with the conveyance space 8 interposed therebetween.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the pressure in the transfer space 8 is set to be higher than the pressure in the chamber 100 a of each liquid processing unit 100. Thereby, the atmosphere in each liquid processing unit 100 can be prevented from flowing into the transfer space 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a shutter 100b is provided on the side wall of each chamber 100a on the side of the conveyance space 8. An opening (advance entrance) formed by opening the shutter 100b allows the atmosphere in the corresponding chamber 100a and the atmosphere in the transfer space 8 to communicate with each other. An example of the configuration of the liquid processing unit 100 will be described later.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the fan filter unit FFU is disposed on the upper portion of the substrate processing unit PS. The fan filter unit FFU takes in the air in the clean room where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is arranged, and removes the particles from the air. Further, the fan filter unit FFU forms a downflow of clean air from which particles are removed in each liquid processing unit 100 and in the transport space 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer robot TR is provided in the transfer space 8 in the substrate processing unit PS. The transfer robot TR transfers the substrate W between the liquid processing units 100 stacked in the substrate processing unit PS and the transfer robot IR with the indexer ID. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer robot TR mainly includes a plurality of (two in this embodiment) transfer arms 8a and 8b and an arm stage 8c.

  The arm stage 8c is a stage for turning and raising and lowering the transfer arms 8a and 8b with respect to a base 8d fixed near the center of the transfer space 8. That is, the arm stage 8c can be rotated around the axis along the vertical direction with respect to the base 8d, and can be moved up and down along the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm stage 8c is mounted on the base 8d.

  The transfer arms 8a and 8b are mounted on the arm stage 8c and support the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer arms 8a and 8b are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Further, the tip shape of each transfer arm 8a, 8b is substantially V-shaped when viewed from above, and the substrate W is supported in the vicinity of the tip of each transfer arm 8a, 8b. Further, when the multi-joint mechanism of each transfer arm 8a, 8b is bent and extended by a driving mechanism (not shown), the transfer arms 8a, 8b transfer the supported substrate W to the turning radius direction (arrow AR1) of the arm stage 8c. Direction: see Fig. 1). Therefore, the transfer robot TR can deliver the unprocessed substrate W to each liquid processing unit 100 and receive the processed substrate W from each liquid processing unit 100.

<2. Configuration of liquid processing section>
FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the liquid processing unit. The liquid processing unit 100 is a so-called single-wafer substrate processing unit, and performs liquid processing such as cleaning processing and bevel etching processing on each substrate W, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid processing unit 100 mainly includes a spin chuck 10, a base member 20, a guide member 30, an atmosphere blocking plate 50, a chemical liquid supply source 61, a pure water supply source 62, and a gas. And a supply source 71.

  The spin chuck 10 (holding means) holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture. As shown in FIG. 3, the spin chuck 10 mainly includes a rotation shaft 12, a spin base 13, and a pin 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the spin base 13 is a disk-shaped support plate having openings 17a and 18a formed at the center thereof. The upper surface of the spin base 13 faces the lower surface of the substrate W. The sandwiching pins 14 are erected on the spin base 13 and are pins that hold the substrate W by pressing the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W. In other words, the pin 14 is configured to be switchable between a pressing state in which the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W is pressed and an open state in which the holding pin 14 is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

  For example, when the substrate W is transferred from the transport robot TR to the liquid processing unit 100, the pin 14 is opened. Subsequently, when the substrate W is transferred to the spin chuck 10, the pin 14 is pressed and the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W is clamped. As a result, the substrate W is held in a substantially horizontal posture at a predetermined interval from the spin base 13. In FIG. 3, only two clamping pins 14 are shown for convenience of illustration.

  The rotating shaft 12 is suspended from the lower surface side of the center portion of the spin base 13 and can rotate integrally with the spin base 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 12 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and is linked to the first motor 16 through a belt transmission mechanism 15.

  Therefore, when the first motor 16 is driven, the driving force of the first motor 16 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 12 via the belt transmission mechanism 15. Therefore, the substrate W sandwiched by the sandwiching pins 14 rotates in a substantially horizontal plane around the rotation axis J along the vertical direction together with the rotation shaft 12 and the spin base 13.

  The liquid supply pipe 17 is inserted through a hollow portion in the rotary shaft 12. The opening 17a formed at the tip (upper end) of the liquid supply pipe 17 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above, and the center of the substrate W sandwiched between the sandwiching pins 14 (more specifically, rotation of the substrate W). It is located directly under the center. On the other hand, the base end portion (lower end portion) of the liquid supply pipe 17 is connected to the pipe 63 for communication.

  The gas supply path 18 is formed as a gap sandwiched between the inner wall of the rotating shaft 12 and the outer wall of the liquid supply pipe 17. The cross section of the gas supply path 18 viewed from the radial direction of the spin base 13 has a substantially annular shape. Further, the opening 18a formed at the distal end (upper end) of the gas supply path 18 has a substantially annular shape when viewed from above, and the center of the substrate W sandwiched between the sandwiching pins 14 (more specifically, the substrate W It is located directly below the center of rotation. On the other hand, the base end portion (lower end portion) of the gas supply path 18 is connected in communication with the pipe 73.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 12, the belt transmission mechanism 15, the first motor 16, and the like are accommodated in a casing 19 provided on the base member 20. The rotary shaft 12 is supported by a bearing disposed on the upper portion of the casing 19 and is rotatable with respect to the casing 19.

  The base member 20 is a substantially disk-shaped plate material provided below the spin chuck 10. The base member 20 is mainly provided with the casing 19 and the receiving member 21 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving member 21 is provided so as to surround the casing 19, and mainly includes cylindrical partition members 22 a to 22 c erected on the spin base 13 side. The exhaust tank 23, the first drain tank 24 a, and the second drain tank 24 b are formed by two adjacent ones of the partition members 22 a to 22 c and the outer wall surface of the casing 19, and are collected by the guide member 30. The treated liquid is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust port 26 at the bottom of the exhaust tank 23 is connected to the exhaust duct 25. The used processing liquid and gas in the exhaust tank 23 are sucked from the exhaust port 26 and discharged. The first drain port 28 a at the bottom of the first drain tank 24 a is connected to the recovery drain 27. The used processing liquid recovered by the recovery drain 27 is circulated and reused. Further, the second drain port 28 b at the bottom of the second drain tank 24 b is connected to the waste drain 29. The used treatment liquid discharged to the waste drain 29 is subjected to purification treatment and then discarded.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 30 is provided above the first and second drainage tanks 24 a and 24 b, and can surround the spin base 13 and the atmosphere shielding plate 50 in the radial direction. Yes. Thereby, the guide member 30 collects the processing liquid scattered from the spin base 13 side by the centrifugal force of the substrate W rotation. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide member 30 mainly has inclined portions 31a and 31b and vertical portions 33, 34a and 34b.

  The inclined portions 31a and 31b are cylindrical portions arranged in this order from the spin base 13 side toward the outside. The inner diameter of each inclined portion 31a, 31b increases as it goes outward and downward.

  The vertical portions 34a and 34b are cylindrical portions that extend vertically downward from the lower ends of the inclined portions 31a and 31b, respectively. The vertical portion 33 is a cylindrical portion that is provided closer to the spin base 13 than the vertical portion 34a and extends vertically downward from the lower surface of the inclined portion 31a. Thus, each vertical part 33, 34a, 34b is concentrically arranged in this order from the spin base 13 side toward the outside.

  The groove 36 is a deep groove formed by the inclined portion 31a of the guide member 30 and the vertical portions 33 and 34a and extending in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, when the guide member 30 is lowered, the partition member 22b is loosely fitted in the groove 36, and the vertical portions 34a and 34b are loosely fitted in the second drainage tank 24b.

  The elevating mechanism 40 elevates and lowers the guide member 30 fixed to the support member 41. For example, when the elevating mechanism 40 is driven so that the inclined portion 31a is at the height position of the substrate W (that is, the upper end of the inclined portion 31a is higher than the substrate W on the spin base 13), it rotates. The processing liquid scattered from the substrate W is received by the inclined portion 31a. Then, the treatment liquid received by the inclined portion 31a flows down along the inclined portion 31a and the vertical portion 33 and is guided to the first drainage tank 24a. Further, the inclined portion 31b is positioned at the height position of the substrate W (that is, the upper end of the inclined portion 31b is higher than the substrate W on the spin base 13, and the upper end of the inclined portion 31a is higher than the substrate W on the spin base 13. When the elevating mechanism 40 is driven, the processing liquid splashed from the substrate W is received by the inclined portion 31b, flows down along the inclined portion 31b and the vertical portion 34b, and the second drainage tank 24b. Led to.

  The atmosphere blocking plate 50 closes the spin chuck 10 disposed below, thereby blocking the atmosphere near the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 from the atmosphere in the chamber 100a. As shown in FIG. 3, the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is provided so as to face the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin base 13, and openings 57 a and 58 a are formed at the center of the atmosphere blocking plate 50. Is formed. Further, the radial size of the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is set to be larger than the diameter of the substrate W that can be held by the spin base 13.

  The rotating shaft 51 is suspended from the center upper surface side of the atmosphere blocking plate 50 and can rotate integrally with the atmosphere blocking plate 50. The rotating shaft 51 has a hollow cylindrical shape like the rotating shaft 12, and a liquid supply pipe 57 is inserted into a hollow portion inside the rotating shaft 51.

  The rotary shaft 51 is supported by a bearing fixed to the support arm 52 and is rotatable with respect to the support arm 52. That is, the driven pulley 53 is fixed along the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 51. The second motor 54 is fixed to the support arm 52 side, and a main pulley 55 is attached to the drive shaft of the second motor 54. Further, an endless belt 56 is stretched between the driven pulley 53 and the main pulley 55. Therefore, when the second motor 54 is driven, the rotational force of the second motor 54 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 51. Therefore, the atmosphere shielding plate 50 rotates together with the rotation shaft 51 in a substantially horizontal plane around the rotation axis along the vertical direction.

  The horizontal elevating mechanism 56a elevates and lowers the atmosphere blocking plate 50 supported by the rotating shaft 51. For example, when the substrate W held on the spin chuck 10 is shaken and dried, the horizontal elevating mechanism 56 a brings the atmosphere blocking plate 50 close to the spin chuck 10. Further, when the substrate W is transferred to and from the transfer robot TR, the horizontal elevating mechanism 56 a separates the atmosphere blocking plate 50 from the spin chuck 10.

  The liquid supply pipe 57 is inserted through a hollow portion in the rotating shaft 51. The opening 57a formed in the lower end portion of the liquid supply pipe 57 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from below, and is near the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 (more specifically, the rotation center of the substrate W). Located directly above. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the liquid supply pipe 57 is connected in communication with the pipe 68.

  The gas supply path 58 is formed as a gap sandwiched between the inner wall of the rotating shaft 51 and the outer wall of the liquid supply pipe 57. The cross section of the gas supply path 58 viewed from the radial direction of the atmosphere blocking plate 50 has a substantially annular shape. Further, the opening 58a formed at the lower end of the gas supply path 58 has a substantially annular shape when viewed from below, and is the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 (more specifically, the center of rotation of the substrate W). Located directly above. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the gas supply path 58 is connected to the branch pipe 78a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gas supply unit 100c (second gas discharge means) is provided in the chamber 100a and in the vicinity of the shutter 100b (more specifically, the entrance formed by opening the shutter 100b). It has been. The gas supply unit 100c can discharge a clean gas (second gas) from above the substrate W transported by the transport robot TR toward the substrate W.

  The chemical solution supply source 61 and the pure water supply source 62 supply the chemical solution and pure water to the substrate W held on the spin base 13, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid supply pipe 17 on the spin chuck 10 side is connected to a chemical liquid supply source 61 through a branch pipe 63 a, an opening / closing valve 64 a, and a pipe 63. The liquid supply pipe 17 is connected to a pure water supply source 62 through a branch pipe 63b, an opening / closing valve 64b, and a pipe 63.

  On the other hand, the liquid supply pipe 57 on the atmosphere blocking plate 50 side is connected to the chemical liquid supply source 61 through a branch pipe 68 a, an opening / closing valve 69 a, and a pipe 68. The liquid supply pipe 57 is connected to the pure water supply source 62 through a branch pipe 68b, an opening / closing valve 69b, and a pipe 68.

  Therefore, for example, when the opening / closing valves 64b, 69a, 69b are closed and the opening / closing valve 64a is opened, the chemical solution is discharged toward the lower surface of the substrate W from the opening 17a on the spin chuck 10 side. When the opening / closing valves 64a, 64b, 69a are closed and the opening / closing valve 69b is opened, pure water is discharged from the opening 57a on the atmosphere blocking plate 50 side toward the upper surface of the substrate W.

  Examples of the chemical solution supplied from the chemical solution supply source 61 and used for cleaning and etching the substrate W include, for example, hydrofluoric acid (HF) and buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF: a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride). SC1 (mixed solution of ammonia water, hydrogen peroxide solution and water), SC2 (mixed solution of hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide solution and water), and a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid.

  The gas supply source 71 is directed toward at least one of the upper surface side, the lower surface side of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 and the upper surface side of the substrate W carried in / out via the shutter 100b, for example, nitrogen gas and An inert gas such as argon and a clean dry gas such as dry air are supplied. As shown in FIG. 3, the gas supply path 18 on the spin chuck 10 side is connected to a gas supply source 71 through a pipe 73 and an opening / closing valve 74.

  The gas supply path 58 on the atmosphere blocking plate 50 side is connected to the gas supply source 71 through a branch pipe 78a and an open / close valve 79a. Further, the gas supply unit 100c is connected to the gas supply source 71 through a branch pipe 78b and an open / close valve 79b.

  Therefore, when the on-off valves 79a and 79b are closed and the on-off valve 74 is opened, a clean gas (first gas) is directed from the opening 18a (first gas discharge means) of the gas supply path 18 toward the spin chuck 10 side. Is discharged. When the open / close valves 74 and 79a are closed and the open / close valve 79b is opened, clean gas (second gas) is discharged toward the upper surface of the substrate W transported by the transport robot TR. Further, when the opening / closing valves 74 and 79b are closed and the opening / closing valve 79a is opened, the opening 58a (third gas discharge means) of the gas supply path 58 is directed toward the lower surface side of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10. Clean gas (third gas) is discharged.

  The control unit 90 realizes data arithmetic processing and operation control of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 90 mainly includes a RAM 91, a ROM 92, and a CPU 93.

  A RAM (Random Access Memory) 91 is a volatile storage unit and can store various data. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 92 is a so-called nonvolatile storage unit, and stores, for example, a program 92a. As the ROM 92, a flash memory which is a readable / writable nonvolatile memory may be used.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 93 is operated in accordance with a program 92a stored in a ROM 92. The guide member 30 is moved up and down, the spin chuck 10 is rotated, the atmosphere blocker plate 50 is rotated, moved up and down, and moved back and forth. , 69a, 69b, 74, 79a, 79b and the like are performed at a predetermined timing.

<3. Substrate processing procedure>
Here, the substrate processing procedure performed on the substrate W in the liquid processing unit 100, that is, the procedure of the bevel etching process and the procedure of carrying out the substrate W after the bevel etching from the liquid processing unit 100 will be described. Prior to the bevel etching process, the unprocessed substrate W is delivered from the transfer robot TR to the spin chuck 10. That is, the guide member 30 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 40, and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised by the horizontal elevating mechanism 56a. Thereby, a space is secured above and around the spin base 13. Then, the substrate W transferred from the transport robot TR through the secured space is sandwiched by the sandwiching pins 14.

  Next, the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is lowered so that the atmosphere blocking plate 50 comes close to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 10. Further, the guide member 30 is raised so that the processing liquid scattered from the substrate W due to the centrifugal force is stored in the first drainage tank 24a.

  Subsequently, the open / close valves 64b, 69a, 69b are kept closed, the open / close valve 64a is opened, and the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 are rotated. Thereby, the chemical liquid (etching liquid) is supplied from the chemical liquid supply source 61 to the liquid supply pipe 17, and the chemical liquid is discharged from the opening 17 a of the liquid supply pipe 17 toward the lower surface side of the substrate W.

  In this state, the chemical solution supplied to the substrate W spreads over the entire lower surface of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force of the substrate W rotation. Further, a part of the chemical solution goes around to the peripheral edge of the surface of the substrate W. The etching process of the peripheral portion of the substrate W proceeds by the chemical solution that has been wrapped around. Furthermore, the chemical liquid splashed from the vicinity of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force of rotation is collected by the guide member 30, stored in the first drainage tank 24a, and then reused.

  Here, as the etching solution supplied to the substrate W in the present embodiment, for example, hydrofluoric acid kept at a temperature of about 50 to 60 ° C. is used. Therefore, a part of the chemical solution supplied to the substrate W evaporates and floats in the chamber 100a as the chemical solution vapor. In addition, a part of the chemical mist that has not been collected by the guide member 30 floats in the chamber 100a.

  During the etching process, a small amount of inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) may be discharged to the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the substrate W. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the chemical liquid discharged to the substrate W from flowing back to the gas supply paths 18 and 58.

  When the etching process is completed, the open / close valve 64a is closed and the discharge of the chemical liquid is stopped. Further, the guide member 30 is slightly lowered so that the processing liquid scattered from the substrate W is stored in the second drainage tank 24b.

  Subsequently, the open / close valves 64a and 69b are opened while the closed state of the open / close valves 64a and 69a is maintained, and the rotation of the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is maintained. As a result, pure water from the pure water supply source 62 is supplied to the liquid supply pipe 17 and the liquid supply pipe 57, from the opening 17 a of the liquid supply pipe 17 toward the lower surface side of the substrate W, and the opening of the liquid supply pipe 57. Pure water is discharged from 57a toward the upper surface side of the substrate W, respectively.

  In this state, the pure water supplied to the substrate W spreads over the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. Therefore, a cleaning process (rinsing process) is performed in which the chemical solution remaining on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the substrate W is washed away with pure water. The pure water scattered from the vicinity of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force of rotation is collected by the guide member 30, stored in the second drainage tank 24b, and then discarded.

  Even in the rinsing process, a small amount of inert gas may be discharged to the lower surface side and the upper surface side of the substrate W. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the pure water discharged onto the substrate W from flowing back to the gas supply paths 18 and 58.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the positional relationship among the spin chuck 10, the guide member 30, and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 during the swing-off drying. When the rinsing process is completed, the open / close valves 64b and 69b are closed, and the pure water discharge is stopped. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide member 30 is lowered in the direction of the arrow AR2, and a space around the spin base 13 is secured. The open / close valves 74 and 79a are opened while the closed state of the open / close valve 79b is maintained in a state where the atmosphere shut-off plate 50 is close to the substrate W, and the rotation speeds of the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere shut-off plate 50 are increased. . In this way, when the swing-off drying process is performed, the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate W is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber 100a, and chemical mist and chemical liquid vapor floating in the chamber 100a adhere to the substrate W. It is prevented.

  As a result, the inert gas from the gas supply source 71 is supplied to the gas supply paths 18 and 58, from the opening 18 a of the gas supply path 18 toward the lower surface side of the substrate W, and from the opening 58 a of the gas supply path 58 to the substrate. An inert gas is discharged toward the upper surface side of W. Therefore, the space near the substrate W (that is, the space sandwiched between the spin base 13 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50: hereinafter simply referred to as “gap space”) 10a is attached to the substrate W in a low oxygen atmosphere. The pure water is shaken off radially outward of the substrate W, and the shake-off drying process (spin drying process) proceeds.

  Here, as described above, the temperature of the chemical solution used in the etching process is kept at about 50 to 60 (° C.), and a part of the chemical solution evaporates, and the chemical solution vapor is contained in the chamber 100a. Floats. In addition, a part of the chemical mist that has not been collected by the guide member 30 floats in the chamber 100a. When chemical mist floating in the chamber 100a or chemical vapor (hereinafter simply referred to as “floating chemical”) adheres to the substrate W, it causes chemical contamination. For example, if a floating chemical solution adheres to the upper surface of the substrate W on which a wiring pattern or the like is formed, which is a non-processed surface, the non-processed surface is also corroded and causes a device failure.

  On the other hand, the upper surface of the substrate W is close to the atmosphere blocking plate 50 while being held by the spin chuck 10 during the swing-off drying. Thereby, even if an air flow is generated by the rotation of the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50, the chemical vapor or the chemical mist riding on the air current is prevented from adhering to the substrate W. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate W from being contaminated with a chemical solution during drying.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for transporting the substrate W after the shake-off drying. When the shake-off drying process is completed, the rotation of the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is stopped, and the rotation of the substrate W is stopped. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised in the direction of the arrow AR <b> 3, and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is separated from the spin chuck 10. Subsequently, the transfer arm 8a of the transfer robot TR enters the chamber 100a via the shutter 100b. Then, the substrate W after being shaken and dried held by the spin chuck 10 is received, and the processed substrate W is carried out of the chamber 100a, whereby the substrate processing is completed.

  Here, the case where the substrate W is transferred from the spin chuck 10 to the transport robot TR after the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere blocking plate 50 are close to each other and the atmosphere in the gap space 10a is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber 100a is considered. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shape of each chamber 100a stacked and arranged in the substrate processing unit PS is a wide shape in which the ratio of the horizontal direction (width direction and depth direction) size to the height direction size is large. When such a wide chamber 100a is employed, the downflow airflow formed by the fan filter unit FFU is generated by the spin chuck 10, the guide member 30, and the atmosphere shielding plate 50 disposed in the chamber 100a. Due to the influence of the structure such as, a part of the turbulent flow is not complete laminar flow.

  As a result, the floating chemical solution in the chamber 100a is not completely exhausted, and a part thereof stays in the chamber 100a and adheres to the substrate W. For example, when the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised after the substrate W is dried, the atmosphere in the chamber 100a flows into the substrate W side, and the floating chemical solution is transferred to the substrate W waiting to be transferred before being transferred to the transfer robot TR. Adhere to. In addition, after being delivered to the transport robot TR, the floating chemical solution also adheres to the transported substrate W.

  On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, the atmosphere shielding plate 50 is arranged so that the distance D between the spin chuck 10 and the atmosphere shielding plate 50 is 2 mm or more and 10 mm or less (preferably 6 mm or more and 8 mm or less). When raised, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere in the chamber 100a from flowing into the vicinity of the upper surface side of the substrate W, and the gap space 10a is maintained in the atmosphere blocking state formed when the substrate is dried. As described above, after the shake-off drying, the atmosphere blocking plate 50 rises while maintaining the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate W.

  Thereby, the shape of the chamber 100a of each liquid processing unit 100 becomes wide (see FIG. 2), and even when the floating chemical solution in the chamber 100a is not completely exhausted out of the chamber, the substrate waiting for transfer or waiting for transfer It is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution from adhering to W. Moreover, when the distance D is set to the above-described range, a gap space 10a sufficient for the entrance of the transfer arm 8a is secured. Therefore, the substrate W can be easily transferred from the spin chuck 10 to the transport robot TR while the cleanliness of the upper surface side of the substrate W is maintained.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the substrate W from being contaminated with the chemical solution during the transfer or in the transfer waiting period. Further, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution attached to the substrate W from affecting the substrate processing in the subsequent process.

  In addition, in order to transfer the substrate W from the spin chuck 10 to the transport robot TR, when the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised, an inert gas is discharged from the opening 57a of the liquid supply pipe 57 toward the upper surface side of the substrate W. May be. Thereby, in the gap space 10a, an air flow of an inert gas flowing from the vicinity of the center on the upper surface side of the substrate W toward the outer periphery is formed, and it is possible to further prevent the atmosphere in the chamber 100a from flowing into the gap space 10a. Therefore, even when the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised, the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate W can be maintained better.

  Further, when the substrate W is transferred from the spin chuck 10 to the transport robot TR and the substrate W is separated from the spin base 13, the inert gas is discharged from the opening 17 a of the liquid supply pipe 17 toward the lower surface side of the substrate W. May be. Thereby, in the gap space 10a, an air flow of an inert gas flowing from the vicinity of the center on the lower surface side of the substrate W toward the outer periphery is formed, and it is possible to further prevent the atmosphere in the chamber 100a from flowing into the gap space 10a. Therefore, even when the substrate W is separated from the spin chuck 10 by the transfer robot TR, the atmosphere blocking state on the lower surface side of the substrate W can be maintained better.

When the substrate W is unloaded from the chamber 100a, the inert gas from the gas supply source 71 may be discharged toward the substrate W unloaded from the gas supply unit 100c. Thereby, even when the floating chemical solution exists in the chamber 100a, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate W transferred to the outside of the chamber 100a. for that reason,
It is possible to prevent chemical contamination of the substrate W and processing failure in the subsequent process.

  Furthermore, the atmosphere of the transfer space 8 is usually cleaner compared to the inside of the chamber 100a of the liquid processing unit 100 where the chemical processing is performed. Further, as described above, the pressure in the transfer space 8 is set to be higher than the pressure in the chamber 100a. Thereby, the atmosphere in each liquid processing part 100 flows into the conveyance space 8, and it can prevent that the conveyance space 8 is contaminated with a floating chemical | medical solution. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution in the chamber 100a from affecting the subsequent substrate processing.

<4. Advantages of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment>
As described above, the transfer robot TR of the present embodiment has an upper surface side when the substrate is transferred from the spin chuck 10 to the transfer robot TR after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate W is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber 100a. The substrate W maintained in the atmosphere cutoff state can be received from the spin chuck 10. Thereby, even when a floating chemical solution (floating treatment solution in a broad sense) exists in the chamber 100a, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate W waiting for transfer or transfer. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate W waiting for transfer or waiting for transfer from being contaminated by the floating chemical solution. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution attached to the substrate W from affecting the subsequent process.

<5. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, it has been described that the substrate W after being shaken and dried is delivered to the transfer arm 8a after the atmosphere blocking plate 50 is raised, but the transfer method of the substrate W is limited to this. It is not what is done.

  6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining another example of the transfer method of the substrate W after the shake-off drying. In the case where the substrate W is transferred from the spin chuck 10 to the transfer robot TR after the atmosphere in the gap space 10a is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber 100a, in the transfer method shown in FIG. Following the ascent movement of 50, it rises in the direction of arrow AR4. That is, the transfer robot TR raises the substrate W while maintaining the proximity of the upper surface side of the substrate W and the atmosphere blocking plate 50. This prevents the atmosphere in the chamber 100a from flowing into the upper surface side of the substrate W when the substrate W is raised. Therefore, even when a floating chemical solution is present in the chamber 100a, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate W when it is raised.

  Further, in the transfer method shown in FIG. 7, after the substrate W is transferred to the transfer arm 8a of the transfer robot TR, the atmosphere blocking plate 50 follows the forward / backward movement of the transfer arm 8a of the transfer robot TR, and the arrow The inside of the chamber 100a is horizontally moved by the horizontal movement mechanism 520 in the direction of AR5. That is, the substrate W is moved horizontally while maintaining the proximity state with the atmosphere blocking plate 50. Thereby, the atmosphere in the chamber 100a can be prevented from flowing into the upper surface side of the substrate W when the substrate is advanced or retracted. Therefore, even when a floating chemical solution is present in the chamber 100a, it is possible to prevent the floating chemical solution from adhering to the upper surface side of the substrate W during advance and retreat.

It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of a liquid process part. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the positional relationship of the spin chuck, guide member, and atmosphere blocker plate at the time of swing-off drying of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the conveyance method of the board | substrate in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example of the conveyance method of the board | substrate in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example of the conveyance method of the board | substrate in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 8 Transport space 10 Spin chuck (holding means)
10a Crevice space 17a, 57a Liquid supply part 18a Opening (3rd gas discharge means)
30 Guide member 50 Atmosphere shielding plate 58a Opening (first gas discharge means)
90 control unit 100 liquid processing unit 100a chamber 100b shutter 100c gas supply unit (second gas discharge means)
ID Indexer IR Transfer robot PS Substrate processing part TR Transport robot (transport means)
W substrate

Claims (18)

A substrate processing apparatus,
(a) a processing unit that is provided in the chamber and that performs liquid processing on the substrate;
(b) a transfer unit provided in a transfer space outside the chamber, and transferring the substrate to and from the processing unit;
With
The processor is
(a-1) holding means for holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture;
(a-2) an atmosphere blocking plate that is disposed above the holding means and faces the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding means;
Have
The holding means holding the substrate and the atmosphere blocking plate are close to each other, and after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber, the substrate is transferred from the holding means to the transfer means. If delivered,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transfer means receives the substrate while maintaining an atmosphere cutoff state on the upper surface side of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
When the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the atmosphere blocking plate is raised while maintaining an atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
When the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the atmosphere blocking plate rises so that a distance from the holding unit is 2 mm or more and 10 mm or less. In the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 2 or Claim 3,
The processor is
(a-3) a first gas discharge means that is provided on the atmosphere blocking plate and discharges a clean first gas toward the holding means;
Further comprising
When the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first gas discharge means maintains the atmosphere cutoff state on the substrate upper surface side by discharging the first gas toward the substrate upper surface side. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first gas is an inert gas. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The processor is
(a-4) a second gas discharge means provided in the chamber and in the vicinity of the entrance of the chamber, for discharging a clean second gas toward the substrate transferred by the transfer means;
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the transfer means maintains the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate by rising following the rising operation of the atmosphere blocking plate. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the atmosphere blocking plate maintains the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate by moving horizontally following the forward / backward movement of the transfer means. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the pressure in the transfer space is higher than the pressure in the chamber. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The processor is
(a-5) a third gas discharge means that is provided in the holding means and discharges a clean third gas toward the lower surface side of the substrate held by the holding means;
Further comprising
When the substrate is transferred from the holding unit to the transfer unit after the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate is blocked from the atmosphere in the chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the third gas discharge means discharges the third gas to the substrate lower surface side to place the substrate lower surface side in an atmosphere cutoff state. A substrate processing method comprising:
(a) performing a liquid treatment on the substrate held in the chamber;
(b) blocking and drying the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate from the atmosphere in the chamber;
(c) carrying out the dried substrate from the chamber while maintaining the atmosphere shut-off state formed by the step (b);
A substrate processing method comprising: The substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein
The step (b) includes a holding unit that holds the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture, and an atmosphere blocking plate that is disposed above the holding unit and faces the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding unit. , By blocking the atmosphere in the vicinity of the substrate from the atmosphere in the chamber,
In the step (c), the upper surface of the substrate is maintained in an atmosphere blocking state while raising the atmosphere blocking plate. The substrate processing method according to claim 12, wherein
In the step (c), the atmosphere blocking state on the upper surface side of the substrate is maintained by discharging the first gas from the atmosphere blocking plate toward the upper surface side of the substrate. In the substrate processing method of Claim 12 or Claim 13,
In the step (c), the substrate is raised following the raising operation of the atmosphere blocking plate. In the substrate processing method in any one of Claims 12 thru | or 14,
In the step (c), the atmosphere blocking plate is moved horizontally following the advance / retreat operation of the substrate. In the substrate processing method in any one of Claims 11 thru | or 15,
(d) discharging a clean second gas in the chamber toward the substrate unloaded from the chamber in the step (c);
The substrate processing method further comprising: In the substrate processing method in any one of Claims 11 thru | or 15,
(e) setting the pressure outside the chamber to be higher than the pressure inside the chamber;
The substrate processing method further comprising: In the substrate processing method in any one of Claims 11 thru | or 17,
The substrate processing method according to the step (c), wherein the lower surface side of the substrate is brought into an atmosphere cutoff state by discharging a third gas from the holding means for holding the substrate toward the lower surface side of the substrate.

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