JP6703858B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is applicable to semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disc substrates, magnetic disc substrates, magneto-optical disc substrates, etc. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for sublimating and drying the surfaces of various substrates (hereinafter, simply referred to as “substrate”).

In drying a substrate having a fine pattern on its surface, it is necessary to dry the liquid attached to the surface of the substrate while preventing the pattern from collapsing. Collapse of patterns during drying is caused by the attraction of adjacent patterns, primarily due to the capillary forces of the liquid present between the patterns. Therefore, the liquid is not placed between the patterns at the time of drying, and the substrate is dried while preventing the surface tension of the liquid from acting between the patterns by filling with a solidified substance such as ice and removing the solidified substance by sublimation. Substrate processing apparatuses have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, after rinsing pure water on the surface of the substrate on which the pattern is formed, the pure water is replaced with an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) solution, and then the IPA solution is replaced with carbon dioxide as a supercritical fluid, A technique for vaporizing and removing carbon dioxide adhering to a substrate is disclosed.

JP, 2011-192835, A

However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to once solidify the carbon dioxide and then solidify the carbon dioxide in a high pressure state of a triple point or higher, which is one of the main causes of the reduction in the throughput of the substrate processing. Is becoming Further, in the above apparatus, it is necessary to use a pressure chamber or the like, and it is inevitable that the cost of the apparatus will increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a substrate processing technique capable of drying a substrate in a short time and at low cost without destroying the pattern formed on the pattern surface of the substrate. With the goal.

One embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, in which a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate having a pattern surface on which a pattern having concavities and convexities is formed, and a substrate holding unit that holds the substrate toward the pattern surface of the substrate are held. A first processing liquid supply unit that supplies one processing liquid; a second processing liquid supply unit that supplies a second processing liquid to the pattern surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; and a substrate held by the substrate holding unit. The second treatment liquid is a cleaning liquid or a rinse liquid, including a spraying unit for spraying sublimable solid particles having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid toward the pattern surface, and a sublimation unit for sublimating the sublimable solid particles . The first processing liquid is a liquid different from both the cleaning liquid and the rinsing liquid, and the first processing liquid supply unit receives the second processing liquid by the second processing liquid supply unit and thus undergoes the second wet processing. By supplying the first treatment liquid to the pattern surface, the first wet treatment for replacing the second treatment liquid adhering between the patterns existing on the pattern surface with the first treatment liquid is executed, and the spraying unit receives the first wet treatment. The sublimable solid particles are in a liquid state by spraying the sublimable solid particles onto the patterned surface and allowing the sublimable solid particles to enter between the patterns, thereby removing the first treatment liquid from between the patterns without coagulating. Forming a layer of sublimable solid particles on the entire pattern surface without passing through, and the sublimation part removes from the pattern surface by sublimating the layer of sublimable solid particles covering the entire pattern surface from the solid phase to the vapor phase. It has a feature.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method for processing a substrate having a pattern surface on which a pattern having irregularities is formed, wherein a first processing liquid is supplied to the pattern surface to perform a first wet processing. And a step of supplying the second treatment liquid to the pattern surface to perform the second wet treatment before the first wet treatment, and a step of applying the first treatment liquid to the pattern surface subjected to the first wet treatment. a step of freezing point Ru blowing hot sublimable solid particles, comprising the steps of sublimating a sublimable solid particles, and the second processing solution is a cleaning liquid or rinsing liquid, the first treatment liquid either wash and rinse liquid In the step of performing the first wet treatment, the second treatment liquid that adheres between the patterns existing on the pattern surface is supplied by supplying the first treatment liquid to the pattern surface that has been subjected to the second wet treatment. In the step of substituting the sublimable solid particles with the treatment liquid 1 and spraying the sublimable solid particles, by blowing the sublimable solid particles between the patterns by spraying the sublimable solid particles onto the pattern surface subjected to the first wet treatment, In the step of forming a layer of sublimable solid particles on the entire pattern surface by removing the first treatment liquid without solidifying the sublimable solid particles in a liquid state, and sublimating the sublimable solid particles, It is characterized in that the layer of sublimable solid particles covering the entire pattern surface is sublimated from the solid phase to the gas phase and removed from the pattern surface .

In the invention thus configured, since the first wet treatment with the first treatment liquid is performed on the pattern surface, the first treatment liquid adheres to the pattern surface of the substrate that has undergone the first wet treatment. ing. Then, by spraying the sublimable solid particles having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid onto the pattern surface, the first treatment liquid on the pattern surface is pushed out of the substrate by the sublimable solid particles in a liquid state. While being removed, the sublimable solid particles cover the pattern surface. As a result, the first treatment liquid existing between the patterns is also removed, and only sublimable solid particles are present on the pattern surface. Subsequently, the sublimable solid particles are sublimated from the solid phase to the gas phase and removed from the pattern surface. Therefore, the substrate can be dried without the surface tension of the liquid acting between the patterns.

As described above, according to the present invention, the sublimable solid particles having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid are sprayed onto the pattern surface to which the first treatment liquid is attached to remove the first treatment liquid from the pattern surface. After that, the sublimable solid particles remaining on the pattern surface are sublimated. Therefore, the substrate having a patterned surface can be dried well at a low cost in a short time as compared with the conventional technique using the supercritical fluid.

It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the substrate processing method concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment of the substrate processing method concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing operation by the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows a substrate processing operation typically.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing method according to the present invention. The first embodiment relates to a substrate processing method of subjecting a surface Wf of a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer to a wet process and then sublimating and drying the substrate W, and roughly includes three steps. First, in the first step, as shown in column (a) of FIG. 1, the first treatment liquid L1 is supplied to the front surface Wf of the substrate W to execute the first wet treatment on the front surface Wf. Here, the pattern PT is formed on the surface Wf of the substrate W, and the first processing liquid L1 enters between the patterns. Therefore, if the substrate is dried while the first processing liquid L1 remains between the patterns, the pattern may collapse.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, before performing the drying step, as shown in the column (b) of FIG. 1, while the nozzle 1 is relatively moved along the surface Wf of the substrate W, the ejection port 1a of the nozzle 1 is discharged. The sublimable solid particles P are discharged toward the front surface Wf of the substrate W (second step). As a result, the sublimable solid particles P are sprayed on the entire surface Wf. Here, since the sublimable solid particles P are adjusted to a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid L1, the first treatment liquid L1 attached to the surface Wf comes into contact with the sublimable solid particles P. Even without solidifying, the sublimable solid particles P push it to the outside of the substrate W and remove it. The sublimable solid particles P that have reached the surface Wf of the substrate W remain on the surface Wf of the substrate W and cover the entire surface Wf of the substrate W, as shown in column (b) of FIG. 1. Further, by making the particle size of the sublimable solid particles P smaller than the minimum interval between the patterns PT adjacent to each other, the sublimable solid particles P enter between the patterns, and the first processing liquid L1 between the patterns is effectively transferred to the substrate W. Can be removed on the outside.

In the final third step, the sublimable solid particles P covering the surface Wf of the substrate W are sublimated from the solid phase to the vapor phase. At this time, the sublimable solid particles P become a vapor phase without passing through the liquid phase and are removed from the surface Wf of the substrate W. Therefore, the substrate W can be dried without causing the pattern PT to collapse.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first treatment liquid L1 that adheres to the surface Wf of the substrate W by spraying the sublimable solid particles P having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid L1 After removing and covering the surface Wf with the sublimable solid particles P, the sublimable solid particles P are removed by sublimation. Therefore, the substrate W can be satisfactorily dried without causing the collapse of the pattern PT. Moreover, in the first embodiment described above, it is not necessary to create a high pressure state by the pressure chamber or the like, which is indispensable in the prior art, and a series of steps can be performed in a normal pressure state, for example. Therefore, the substrate W having the surface Wf on which the pattern PT is formed can be satisfactorily dried at a lower cost than in the conventional technique using the supercritical fluid and in a short time.

By the way, in the first embodiment, in order to prevent the first treatment liquid L1 adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W from being solidified by spraying the sublimable solid particles P, the temperature of the sublimable solid particles P is changed. It is necessary to set the temperature higher than the freezing point of the first processing liquid L1. For example, in Patent Document 1, two types of treatment liquids, pure water (freezing point: 0° C.) and IPA liquid (freezing point: −89.5° C.), are used. Further, as the sublimable solid particles P, dry ice fine particles (sublimation point at 1 atm: −79° C.) can be used in consideration of cost and availability. Therefore, as the combination of the first treatment liquid L1 and the sublimable solid particles P under the normal pressure state, the IPA liquid and the dry ice fine particles are suitable, but the pure water and the dry ice fine particles are not suitable. However, as will be described below, the pure water or the like is used to replace the liquid component adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W with the IPA liquid after the second wet treatment is performed. It is possible to perform sublimation drying using the sublimable solid particles P (second embodiment). The “pure water” mentioned here includes DIW (De Ionized Water), carbonated water, ozone water, and hydrogen water. Of these, DIW is used in the second embodiment. Further, the “IPA liquid” means isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in a liquid state or a mixed liquid of pure water and IPA.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the substrate processing method according to the present invention. In the second embodiment, the second wet treatment with the second treatment liquid L2 is performed before the first wet treatment with the first treatment liquid L1. The other configurations are basically the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same configurations and operations are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this second embodiment,
(1) A second wet process is performed on the front surface Wf of a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer with a second process liquid L2 such as DIW (column (a) in FIG. 2),
(2) A substitution process of substituting the second treatment liquid L2 adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W with the first treatment liquid L1 is executed as the first wet treatment (column (b) in FIG. 2),
(3) The first treatment liquid L1 adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W is removed by the sublimable solid particles P, and the surface Wf is covered by the sublimable solid particles P (column (c) in FIG. 2),
(4) Sublimate the sublimable solid particles P adhering to the surface Wf from the solid phase to the gas phase (column (d) in FIG. 2),
The present invention relates to a substrate processing method. The second processing liquid L2 supplied to the front surface Wf of the substrate W to perform the second wet processing is removed from the front surface Wf by the first processing liquid L1 and does not remain on the substrate W. The type is arbitrary, and for example, DIW may be used as the second treatment liquid L2 to perform the cleaning treatment or the rinse treatment.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, since the sublimable solid particles P are used for sublimation drying, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, since the substitution process is executed as the first wet process with the first treatment liquid L1, there is no liquid contact of the sublimable solid particles P with the second treatment liquid L2. It is possible to perform the second wet treatment using any liquid as the second treatment liquid L2 without considering the above, and it is possible to enhance the versatility of the substrate treatment. For example, the second treatment liquid L2, the first treatment liquid L1 and the sublimable solid particles P can be subjected to substrate treatment using “DIW (rinse liquid)”, “IPA liquid” and “dry ice fine particles”, respectively. In particular, since the IPA liquid has an affinity for DIW and is excellent in the displacement performance, it is preferable to use "DIW" and "IPA liquid" as the first processing liquid L1 and the second processing liquid L2, respectively. .. An example of the substrate processing apparatus that executes the substrate processing with the combination will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. This substrate processing apparatus 100 is a substrate processing apparatus as a single wafer type substrate cleaning apparatus capable of executing a substrate cleaning process for removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the surface Wf of a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. is there.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a processing chamber (not shown) having therein a processing space for performing a series of processes (=cleaning process, rinsing process, and drying process) on the substrate W under normal pressure conditions. A substrate holder 10 is provided in the chamber. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate holding section 10 holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it with the front surface Wf of the substrate W facing upward. The substrate holding unit 10 has a spin chuck 11 in which a disc-shaped spin base 111 having an outer diameter slightly larger than that of the substrate W and a rotation support shaft 112 extending in a substantially vertical direction are integrally coupled. .. The rotation support shaft 112 is connected to a rotation shaft of a chuck rotation mechanism 113 including a motor, and the spin chuck 11 is rotatable about a rotation shaft (vertical axis) AX1. The rotation support shaft 112 and the chuck rotation mechanism 113 are housed in a cylindrical casing 12. Further, the spin base 111 is integrally connected to the upper end of the rotation support shaft 112 by a fastening component such as a screw, and the spin base 111 is supported by the rotation support shaft 112 in a substantially horizontal posture. Therefore, the chuck rotation mechanism 113 operates in response to a rotation command from the control unit 90 that controls the entire apparatus, so that the spin base 111 rotates about the vertical axis AX1. The control unit 90 can control the chuck rotation mechanism 113 to adjust the rotation speed of the spin base 111.

A plurality of chuck pins 114 for holding the peripheral edge of the substrate W are provided near the peripheral edge of the spin base 111. It suffices that three or more chuck pins 114 are provided to securely hold the circular substrate W (six in this example), and as shown in FIG. 4, they are equiangular along the peripheral edge of the spin base 111. It is arranged at intervals.

Each of the chuck pins 114 is configured to be switchable between a pressed state in which the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W is pressed and a released state in which the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W is separated. When the substrate W is transferred to and from the spin base 111, each of the plurality of chuck pins 114 is released, while when the substrate W is rotated and a predetermined process is performed, the plurality of chuck pins 114 are released. To be pressed. By thus setting the pressed state, the chuck pins 114 can hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W and hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal position above the spin base 111 with a predetermined space therebetween. As a result, the substrate W is supported with its front surface Wf facing upward and its back surface Wb facing downward. The chuck pin 114 may have a known configuration, for example, the one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-206983.

Above the spin chuck 11, a disc-shaped blocking member 20 having an opening in the center is provided. The lower surface (bottom surface) of the blocking member 20 is a substrate facing surface 21 that faces the front surface Wf of the substrate W held by the chuck pins 114 substantially in parallel, and the plane size thereof is equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate W. It is formed in size. The blocking member 20 is attached substantially horizontally to the lower end of a support shaft 22 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the support shaft 22 is held rotatably around the rotation center axis AX1 of the substrate W by an arm 23 extending in the horizontal direction. A blocking member rotating mechanism 24 and a blocking member lifting mechanism 25 are connected to the arm 23.

The blocking member rotation mechanism 24 rotates the support shaft 22 around the rotation center axis AX1 of the substrate W according to an operation command from the control unit 90. The blocking member rotation mechanism 24 is configured to rotate the blocking member 20 in the same rotation direction as the substrate W and at substantially the same rotation speed in response to the rotation of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11.

Further, the blocking member elevating mechanism 25 can make the blocking member 20 closely face the spin base 111 or conversely separate it in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 90. Specifically, the control unit 90 operates the blocking member elevating/lowering mechanism 25 to load/unload the substrate W into/from the substrate processing apparatus 100 and as described later, the dry ice fine particles DP are sublimable solid particles. When spraying on the front surface Wf of the substrate W, the blocking member 20 is lifted to the separated position above the spin chuck 11 (the position shown in FIG. 3). On the other hand, when the substrate W is subjected to a predetermined process (second wet process, first wet process, sublimation removal process), it is set in the vicinity of the front surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11. The blocking member 20 is lowered to the facing position.

The support shaft 22 is finished to be hollow, the gas supply pipe 26 is inserted into the inside thereof, and the liquid supply pipe 27 is inserted into the inside of the gas supply pipe 26. One ends of the gas supply pipe 26 and the liquid supply pipe 27 extend to the opening of the blocking member 20 and communicate with the opening. Further, a nozzle 28 is provided at one end of the liquid supply pipe 27. In this way, the gas supply pipe 26 and the liquid supply pipe 27 form a double pipe structure, and the gap between the inner wall surface of the gas supply pipe 26 and the outer wall surface of the liquid supply pipe 27 functions as a gas supply path connected to the opening. In addition, the inside of the liquid supply pipe 27 functions as a liquid supply path connected to the nozzle 28. Then, the gas supply unit 80 (FIG. 6) is connected to the gas supply path, and the nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply unit 80 is supplied as the sublimation nitrogen gas. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the nitrogen gas pressure-fed from the nitrogen gas storage section 81 sublimes the dry ice fine particles DP from the solid phase to the vapor phase by the sublimation gas adjusting section 82, and then from the surface Wf of the substrate W. The pressure, temperature, and humidity are adjusted to be suitable for removal, and the sublimation gas adjusting unit 82 supplies the nitrogen gas for sublimation at a timing according to a supply command from the control unit 90. The other end of the liquid supply pipe 27 is connected to the DIW supply unit 70A and the IPA liquid supply unit 70B. Therefore, when the blocking member 20 is lowered to the facing position (see the column (a) of FIG. 8), when the DIW supply unit 70A pumps DIW in response to the DIW supply command from the control unit 90, the liquid supply pipe 27 Further, DIW is supplied as the second processing liquid to the front surface Wf of the substrate W through the nozzle 28, and the cleaning process and the rinsing process are executed as the second wet process. On the other hand, when the blocking member 20 is lowered to the facing position (see the column (b) of FIG. 8), the IPA liquid supply unit 70B pressure-feeds the IPA liquid in response to the IPA supply command from the control unit 90, and the liquid supply pipe The IPA liquid is supplied to the front surface Wf of the substrate W via the nozzle 27 and the nozzle 28 as the first processing liquid, and the replacement process is executed as the first wet process.

A splash guard 30 is provided around the casing 12 in order to collect the DIW and IPA liquids thus supplied to the substrate W. The splash guard 30 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11 in a horizontal posture. Further, the splash guard 30 is provided so as to be vertically movable along the rotation axis AX1 of the spin chuck 11. The splash guard 30 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis AX1, and is arranged concentrically with the spin chuck 11, and has a plurality of stages for receiving the DIW and the IPA liquid scattered from the substrate W (this example). 2) a guard 31 and a liquid receiving portion 32 for receiving the DIW or IPA liquid flowing down from the guard 31. Then, the guard elevating mechanism 33 raises and lowers the guard 31 step by step in response to an elevating command from the control unit 90, whereby the liquid component (DIW or IPA liquid) scattered from the rotating substrate W can be separated and collected. It is possible.

A spraying unit that sprays dry ice fine particles DP as sublimable solid particles toward the surface Wf of the substrate W around the splash guard 30 and pushes away the IPA liquid adhering to the surface Wf from the surface Wf of the substrate W. 40 is provided. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the spraying section 40 includes a rotary shaft 41 that is rotatable about a vertical axis AX2, and a horizontal arm 42 that is held in a substantially horizontal posture by the rotary shaft 41. A nozzle 43 attached to the tip of the horizontal arm 42 for ejecting the dry ice fine particles DP toward the surface Wf of the substrate W, and a nozzle for rotating the rotating shaft 41 in response to a rotation command from the control unit 90. The rotating mechanism 44 (FIG. 6) and the dry ice supply mechanism 45 (FIG. 6) that pressure-feeds the dry ice fine particles DP to the nozzle 43 are provided. In this embodiment, the nozzle rotation mechanism 44 rotationally drives the rotation shaft 41 in response to a rotation command from the control unit 90, so that the horizontal arm 42 swings around the vertical axis AX2, which causes the nozzle to rotate. As indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, 43 reciprocates between the retracted position outside the splash guard 30 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4) and the central portion of the front surface Wf of the substrate W. Further, the nozzle 43 is connected to the dry ice supply mechanism 45. The dry ice supply mechanism 45 generates dry ice fine particles DP having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the IPA liquid, and pressure-feeds the dry ice fine particles DP to the spraying unit 40 in response to a supply command from the control unit 90. As a result, the dry ice fine particles DP are sprayed from the nozzle 43 onto the surface Wf of the substrate W.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described later in detail, the dew condensation preventing portion 50 is provided in order to prevent dew condensation on the substrate W due to the influence of sublimation heat generated during sublimation drying. The dew condensation prevention unit 50 has a function of supplying high-temperature nitrogen gas having a temperature higher than room temperature to the central portion of the back surface Wb of the substrate W to heat the substrate W, and includes a gas supply pipe 51. The gas supply pipe 51 is arranged inside the rotation support shaft 112 with the nozzle portion 511 at the tip thereof facing the back surface Wb of the substrate W. Further, the gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the dew condensation preventing gas adjusting portion 83 (FIG. 6). Therefore, the nitrogen gas pressure-fed from the nitrogen gas storage section 81 is adjusted by the dew condensation preventing gas adjusting section 83 to a pressure, temperature and humidity suitable for preventing dew condensation, and the high temperature is set at a timing according to the supply command from the control unit 90. The nitrogen gas is supplied to the back surface Wb of the substrate W through the nozzle portion 511 of the gas supply pipe 51.

7 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing operation by the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the substrate processing operation. In the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when an unprocessed substrate W is loaded into the apparatus, the control unit 90 controls each part of the apparatus to perform a series of cleaning processing on the substrate W. Here, when the substrate W has a fine pattern formed on its surface Wf, the surface Wf of the substrate W corresponds to the “pattern surface” of the present invention, and the surface Wf faces upward. Then, the substrate W is loaded into the processing chamber and held by the spin chuck 11 (step S1). At this time, the blocking member 20 is in the separated position to prevent interference with the substrate W.

When the unprocessed substrate W is held by the spin chuck 11, the blocking member 20 is moved down to the facing position and is placed close to the front surface Wf of the substrate W (step S2). As a result, the front surface Wf of the substrate W is covered in a state of being close to the substrate facing surface 21 of the blocking member 20, and is shielded from the ambient atmosphere of the substrate W. Then, the control unit 90 drives the chuck rotating mechanism 113 to rotate the spin chuck 11 and supplies DIW from the DIW supply unit 70A. At this time, as shown in column (a) of FIG. 8, the centrifugal force associated with the rotation of the substrate W acts on the DIW supplied to the front surface Wf of the substrate W, and the DIW is directed outward in the radial direction of the substrate W. It is evenly spread and part of it is shaken off the substrate. As a result, the cleaning process for the front surface Wf of the substrate W and the rinse process corresponding to the “second wet process” of the present invention are executed (step S3). In the present embodiment, the cleaning process and the rinsing process are continuously performed with DIW, but the rinsing process with DIW may be performed after the cleaning process is performed using a liquid different from DIW as the cleaning liquid.

Then, when the rinse process is completed, the control unit 90 stops the supply of DIW from the DIW supply unit 70A and supplies the IPA liquid from the IPA liquid supply unit 70B while continuing the rotation of the substrate W. By this switching of the processing liquid, the IPA liquid is supplied to the surface Wf of the substrate W to which the DIW is attached, as shown in the column (b) of FIG. The W is uniformly spread outward in the radial direction, and a part of it is shaken off to the outside of the substrate. As a result, the DIW attached to the front surface Wf of the substrate W is pushed to the outside of the substrate W, and the front surface Wf of the substrate W is replaced with DIA from the IPA liquid as the “first wet treatment” of the present invention. (Step S4).

Subsequent to the replacement process, after the blocking member 20 is retracted to the separated position (step S5), the nozzle 43 is moved from the retracted position (solid line position in FIG. 4) to a position above the center of the front surface Wf of the substrate W, and then The dry ice fine particles DP are sprayed toward the front surface Wf of the substrate W from the spraying unit 40 while moving the nozzle 43 from the central portion toward the peripheral portion of the substrate W (step S6). As a result, the IPA liquid adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W is pushed to the outside of the substrate W to be removed and the surface Wf is covered with the dry ice fine particles DP (see column (c) in FIG. 8). After that, the nozzle 43 is returned to the retracted position.

In the next step S7, the rotation of the substrate W is stopped, the blocking member 20 is lowered to the facing position, and is placed close to the front surface Wf of the substrate W. As a result, the layer of the dry ice fine particles DP formed on the front surface Wf of the substrate W is covered in the state of being close to the substrate facing surface 21 of the blocking member 20, and the ambient atmosphere of the substrate W is blocked. Then, as shown in column (d) of FIG. 8, the control unit 90 supplies the sublimation nitrogen gas toward the front surface Wf of the substrate W by the gas supply unit 80 (step S8). As a result, the dry ice fine particles DP are sublimated from the solid phase to the vapor phase and removed from the surface Wf of the substrate W (sublimation removal treatment). Since the substrate W is rapidly cooled by the heat of sublimation generated when sublimating from the solid phase to the gas phase in this manner, in the present embodiment, the control unit 90 is in parallel with the sublimation removal process, and the control unit 90 is a gas supply unit. The high temperature nitrogen gas is supplied to the back surface Wb of the substrate W through the nozzle portion 511 of the gas supply pipe 51 by 80 (step S9). This effectively prevents the occurrence of dew condensation on the substrate W during the above-described sublimation removal process.

In this way, when the dry ice fine particles DP are removed from the substrate W by the sublimation removal process and the drying process for the substrate W is completed, the blocking member 20 is retracted to the separated position (step S10), and then the processed substrate W is unloaded. This completes the process for one substrate (step S11).

As described above, according to this embodiment, the IPA liquid adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W is removed by spraying the dry ice fine particles DP having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the IPA liquid, and the surface Wf is formed by the dry ice fine particles DP. After the covering, the dry ice fine particles DP are removed by sublimation. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, since the freezing point of the DIW is higher than the sublimation point of the dry ice fine particles DP, if the dry ice fine particles DP come into contact with the DIW adhering to the surface Wf of the substrate W, the DIW will be solidified, and the substrate W will be solidified. Becomes difficult to dry. However, in this embodiment, after the DIW is replaced with the IPA liquid, the spraying of the dry ice fine particles DP (column (c) in FIG. 8) and sublimation removal (column (d) in FIG. 8) are performed. Similarly to the second embodiment, it is possible to prevent the DIW from solidifying and to dry the substrate W satisfactorily.

In the embodiment described above, the nozzle rotating mechanism 44 corresponds to an example of the "nozzle moving mechanism" of the present invention. Further, the IPA liquid corresponds to an example of the "first treatment liquid" and the "replacement liquid" of the present invention. Further, the replacement process using the IPA liquid supply unit 70B and the IPA liquid respectively correspond to examples of the "first process liquid supply unit" and the "first wet process" of the present invention. Further, the rinsing process using the DIW, DIW supply unit 70A and DIW corresponds to examples of the "second process liquid", the "second process liquid supply unit" and the "second wet process" of the present invention, respectively. Further, the gas supply unit 80 and the sublimation nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply unit 80 correspond to examples of the “sublimation part” and the “sublimation gas” of the present invention, respectively.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, "DIW", "IPA liquid", and "dry ice fine particles" are used as the first treatment liquid, the second treatment liquid, and the sublimable solid particles, but the present invention is not limited to these. is not.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the nozzle 1 is moved with respect to the substrate W to spray the sublimable solid particles P onto the surface Wf of the substrate W, and the dry ice fine particles are applied to the surface Wf of the substrate W while moving the nozzle 43 and the substrate W. Although DP is sprayed, only the substrate W may be moved while fixing the nozzle.

In the above embodiment, the sublimation nitrogen gas is blown as the “sublimation gas” of the invention to the layer of the dry ice fine particles DP formed on the surface Wf of the substrate W to sublimate the dry ice fine particles DP. The sublimation means is not limited to this, and for example, a gas other than nitrogen gas may be blown as a “sublimation gas”, or the dry ice fine particles DP may be sublimated by heating the substrate W or the periphery of the substrate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the DIW, the IPA liquid, and the sublimation nitrogen gas are supplied from the blocking member 20 toward the surface Wf of the substrate W. However, using the blocking member 20 is not an essential requirement, and the blocking member 20 is used. The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate without providing. In short, the present invention can be applied to all substrate processing apparatuses that subject the surface Wf of the substrate W on which the pattern PT is formed to a wet treatment with a processing liquid and then sublimate and dry the surface Wf.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing techniques for sublimating and drying the surface of a substrate.

1, 43... Nozzle 10... Substrate holding part 40... Spraying part 44... Nozzle rotating mechanism (nozzle moving mechanism)
45... Dry ice supply mechanism 70A... DIW supply unit (second processing liquid supply section)
70B...IPA liquid supply unit (first processing liquid supply unit)
80... Gas supply unit (sublimation part)
100... Substrate processing device DP... Dry ice fine particles PT... Pattern L1... First processing liquid L2... Second processing liquid P... Sublimable solid particles W... Substrate Wf... Substrate surface (pattern surface)

Claims (6)

A substrate holding unit for holding a substrate having a pattern surface on which a pattern having irregularities is formed,
A first processing liquid supply unit that supplies a first processing liquid toward the pattern surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
A second processing liquid supply unit that supplies a second processing liquid to the pattern surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
A spraying unit that sprays sublimable solid particles having a temperature higher than the freezing point of the first processing liquid toward the pattern surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit,
A sublimation part for sublimating the sublimable solid particles,
The second processing liquid is a cleaning liquid or a rinse liquid,
The first processing liquid is a liquid different from both the cleaning liquid and the rinse liquid,
The first processing liquid supply unit supplies the second processing liquid by the second processing liquid supply unit to supply the first processing liquid to the pattern surface that has been subjected to the second wet processing, and thus the pattern is formed. Performing a first wet treatment for replacing the second treatment liquid adhering between the patterns existing on the surface with the first treatment liquid ,
The spraying unit sprays the sublimable solid particles onto the pattern surface that has been subjected to the first wet treatment to allow the sublimable solid particles to enter between the patterns, so that the first treatment liquid is applied between the patterns. By removing without solidifying, the sublimable solid particles do not go through a liquid state, forming a layer of the sublimable solid particles on the entire pattern surface,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the sublimation unit sublimates a layer of the sublimable solid particles covering the entire pattern surface from a solid phase to a vapor phase and removes the layer from the pattern surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
The second processing liquid is a rinse liquid,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first processing liquid is a replacement liquid having an affinity with the rinse liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
The second processing liquid is pure water,
The first processing liquid is an isopropyl alcohol liquid,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the sublimable solid particles are dry ice particles having a particle size smaller than the minimum interval of the pattern. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the sublimation unit supplies a sublimation gas having a temperature higher than a sublimation point of the sublimable solid particles to the pattern surface to sublimate the sublimable solid particles from a solid phase to a vapor phase. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The said processing part is a substrate processing apparatus which has a nozzle which ejects the said sublimable solid particle, and the nozzle moving mechanism which moves the said nozzle relatively with respect to the said pattern surface. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate having a pattern surface on which a pattern having irregularities is formed,
Supplying a first treatment liquid to the pattern surface to perform a first wet treatment;
Supplying a second treatment liquid to the pattern surface to perform a second wet treatment before the first wet treatment,
A step of Ru blowing hot sublimable solid particles than the freezing point of the first treatment liquid to the pattern surface which receives said first wet treatment,
Sublimating the sublimable solid particles ,
The second processing liquid is a cleaning liquid or a rinse liquid,
The first processing liquid is a liquid different from both the cleaning liquid and the rinse liquid,
In the step of performing the first wet treatment, the second treatment liquid adhering between the patterns existing on the pattern surface is supplied by supplying the first treatment liquid to the pattern surface subjected to the second wet treatment. Replace with the first treatment liquid,
In the step of spraying the sublimable solid particles, by blowing the sublimable solid particles between the patterns by spraying the sublimable solid particles onto the pattern surface subjected to the first wet treatment, from between the patterns By removing the first treatment liquid without solidifying, the sublimable solid particles do not go into a liquid state, forming a layer of the sublimable solid particles on the entire pattern surface,
In the step of sublimating the sublimable solid particles, the layer of the sublimable solid particles covering the entire pattern surface is sublimated from a solid phase to a vapor phase and removed from the pattern surface. Processing method.

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