JPH11150064A - Processing method and processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a liquid layer of treatment liquid having a thickness required for processing, to the surface even if the periphery of a board bends. SOLUTION: An LCD substrate G is held horizontally by a spin chuck 30, and the surface of the LCD substrate G held horizontally is supplied with developer from a developer supply nozzle 32. A developer holding means 35 is arranged in the position not in contact with the surface of the LCD substrate and besides in contact with the developer supplied to the surface of the LCD substrate G, in the periphery, at least, of the surface of the LCD substrate G. A liquid layer 55 of the developer is held between the developer holding means 35 and the LCD substrate G, on the LCD substrate G.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing method and a processing apparatus for applying a processing solution such as a developing solution to a surface of a substrate such as an LCD substrate or a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a liquid crystal display (LC)
D) In the manufacturing process of the device, in order to form, for example, a thin film of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or an electrode pattern on the LCD substrate, a circuit pattern is formed using the same photolithography technology used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Are exposed to a photoresist on the surface of the LCD substrate, and thereafter, a series of processing for developing the LCD substrate is performed.

[0003] Here, the developing device for developing the LCD substrate is one of the series of processes that requires the strictest control. That is, when developing, a developing solution is supplied to the surface of the exposed LCD substrate placed on the spin chuck, and a liquid layer of the developing solution having a predetermined thickness is formed over the entire surface of the LCD substrate. It is important to uniformly develop the surface of the LCD substrate for a predetermined time. LCD
As a method of supplying a developing solution to the surface of a substrate, a paddle method, a dip method, a spray method, and the like are conventionally known.

[0004] Among them, the paddle method, in particular, scans a developing solution supply nozzle provided with a large number of discharge ports on the surface of an LCD substrate mounted horizontally on a spin chuck, and fills the entire surface of the LCD substrate with the developing solution. This is a method of supplying the developer as a state, and is widely used because the developer can be reliably supplied to every corner of the entire surface of the LCD substrate.

[0005]

In recent years, the size of LCD substrates has tended to increase in order to improve productivity. However, in the conventional developing device as shown in FIG. 11, the mounting area of the spin chuck 100 becomes relatively small with respect to the large-sized LCD substrate G, and when the large-sized LCD substrate G is mounted. Is the LCD board G
The horizontal attitude of the camera becomes unstable. That is, the spin chuck 10
The LCD substrate G itself is bent or tilted due to its own weight of the peripheral portion of the LCD substrate G that cannot be completely placed on the top surface of the LCD substrate G. Therefore, after the developer is supplied, L
The developer moves to the bent portion of the CD substrate G, and an uneven liquid layer of the developer is formed on the surface of the LCD substrate G. In particular, there is a possibility that a processing failure may occur in a thin portion of the liquid layer caused by the bias of the developer.

Here, it is considered that the above problem can be solved by increasing the mounting area of the spin chuck 100. However, as the size of the spin chuck 100 increases, the manufacturing cost increases. In the spin chuck 100 mounted on the table top, the amount of air suction increases. Further, in order to wash the developing solution that has reached the rear surface of the LCD substrate G from below, an area where the spin chuck is not in contact with the rear surface of the LCD substrate G is required. Therefore, L
The possibility of particles adhering to the CD substrate G also increases, which is not practical.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and even if the horizontal posture of the substrate to be processed is unstable or the peripheral portion is bent, the surface of the substrate is not required for processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing method capable of forming a liquid layer of a processing liquid having a large thickness, and a processing apparatus capable of suitably performing the processing method, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for performing a predetermined process on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held horizontally. Holding the substrate horizontally, supplying a processing solution to the surface of the substrate held horizontally, and at least at a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate, at a position not in contact with the surface of the substrate, and at the surface of the substrate. Arranging the processing liquid holding means at a position where the processing liquid holding means comes into contact with the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid. According to this processing method, the processing liquid is held by the processing liquid holding means due to the surface tension of the processing liquid. Therefore, the processing liquid does not move to the bent portion on the surface of the substrate, and a liquid layer of the processing liquid having a thickness necessary for processing can be formed over the entire surface of the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent processing failure due to movement or deviation of the processing liquid.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a horizontally held substrate and performing a predetermined treatment on the substrate, wherein the step of holding the substrate horizontally includes the steps of: Arranging the processing liquid holding means at predetermined intervals on the substrate at a position at which the processing liquid holding means is not in contact with the substrate surface at least at a peripheral edge of the substrate surface; Supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate up to a thickness in contact with the means. In this way, even if the order of the step of disposing the processing liquid holding means and the step of supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate are reversed, the processing failure of the substrate due to the bias of the processing liquid is the same as in the first aspect. Can be prevented.

Further, as described in claim 3, the processing liquid holding means is preferably in a mesh shape. According to such a configuration, the liquid layer of the processing liquid can be effectively held with minimum contact.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus comprising a holding means for holding a substrate horizontally, and a supply means for supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held by the holding means. A processing liquid holding means which is movable at a position on the peripheral edge of the substrate which is not in contact with the surface of the substrate and which is in contact with the processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate. Provide equipment. According to such a processing apparatus, the processing method according to claims 1 and 2 can be suitably implemented. Even when the holding surface of the holding means is relatively small with respect to the substrate, the processing liquid having a thickness necessary for processing is applied to the entire surface of the substrate in the same manner as when the substrate is held horizontally. Can be formed.

In this case, if the processing liquid holding means is configured to be suspended above the surface of the substrate, the processing liquid holding means can be easily supplied to the surface of the substrate. It can be placed at the position where it comes into contact with the liquid.

Further, as described in claim 6, a supporting means for supporting the peripheral portion of the substrate from below may be provided, and may be arranged at least at a position facing the supporting means with the substrate interposed therebetween. In this case, it is more preferable that the processing liquid holding means is supported by the supporting means. In any of the configurations, by adding not only the processing liquid holding means but also the supporting means, the substrate itself can be prevented from bending, and a uniform liquid layer of the processing liquid can be promoted.

Further, if the processing liquid holding means has a mesh shape, the liquid layer of the processing liquid can be effectively held with minimum contact as described above.

Further, the processing liquid holding means may be provided with a nozzle mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate. According to this configuration, the supply of the processing liquid and the maintenance of the thickness of the liquid layer of the processing liquid can be performed by one means. Therefore, the processing device can be simplified and the processing time can be reduced.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus incorporating a developing device 18 as a processing device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coating and developing system that performs a series of photolithography processes on a CD substrate G.

The coating and developing system 1 includes a loader unit 2 for loading and unloading a rectangular LCD substrate G, for example,
A first processing unit 3 for processing the CD substrate G, and a second processing unit 3 connected to the first processing unit 3 via the interface unit 4
Processing unit 5, the second processing unit 5, and the exposure device 6
And an interface unit 7 for exchanging the LCD substrate G with the other devices.

The loader unit 2 includes a cassette station 1
The cassette station 10 has a plurality of cassettes 11 for storing unprocessed LCD substrates G and a plurality of cassettes 12 for storing processed LCD substrates G. The loader unit 2 is provided with a sub-transport arm 13 for loading or unloading an unprocessed LCD substrate G. The sub-transfer arm 1
Reference numeral 3 is configured to be movable in the Y and Z directions and rotatable in the θ direction.

In the first processing section 3, various processing apparatuses for performing predetermined processing on the LCD substrate G are arranged on both sides of the transfer path 16 of the main transfer arm 15. On one side of the transport path 16, the L
A brush cleaning device 17 for cleaning the CD substrate G and a developing device 18 are arranged side by side, and an adhesion device 19 for performing hydrophobic treatment on the LCD substrate G, a heating device 20, and an LCD on the opposite side of the transport path 16 therebetween. Cooling devices 21 for cooling the substrate G to a predetermined temperature are appropriately arranged in multiple stages.

The second processing unit 5 includes a main transfer arm 2
The coating / periphery removing device 24 according to the present embodiment is disposed on one side of the second transport path 23, and the heating device 20 and the cooling device 21 are appropriately arranged in multiple stages on the opposite side across the transport path 22. Are located.

The interface unit 7 includes an LCD substrate G
, A sub-transfer arm 26 for moving the LCD substrate G in and out of the cassette 25, and a transfer stand 27 for the LCD substrate G. The configurations of the first processing unit 3 and the second processing unit 5, the arrangement of various devices, and the like can be appropriately changed.

Next, the structure of the developing device 18 incorporated in the coating and developing system 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the configuration of the developing device 18, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof.

The developing device 18 includes a spin chuck 3 for horizontally mounting an LCD substrate G in a casing 18a.
0, a cylindrical processing container 31 having an open top surface and arranged to surround the spin chuck 30 and the LCD substrate G, and a developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution as a processing solution to the surface of the LCD substrate G A rinsing liquid supply nozzle 33 for supplying a rinsing liquid such as deionized water or pure water to the surface of the LCD substrate G after development processing; and an LCD for supplying an inert gas such as N ₂ gas to the surface of the LCD substrate G A dry gas supply nozzle 34 movable above the surface of the substrate G and a developer holding means 35 for holding the developer supplied to the surface of the LCD substrate G are provided.

An air suction unit (not shown) is provided on the top surface of the spin chuck 30. The suction of the air suction unit (not shown) causes the spin chuck 30 to suction the back surface of the LCD substrate G and to horizontally mount on the top surface of the table. It is configured to be placed. Further, the lower surface of the spin chuck 30 is fixed to the upper surface of a column 37 connected to an elevating / rotating mechanism 36 provided below the processing vessel 31, and the spin chuck 30 is moved up and down by the operation of the elevating / rotating mechanism 36. It is configured to be movable and rotatable.

The processing container 31 surrounding the spin chuck 30 and the LCD substrate G has a container lower portion 40 on the bottom surface and a cylindrical groove 41a disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the container lower portion 40 and having an inclined bottom surface. Container base 41 of shape
And an inclined surface 42a that is arranged along the inner periphery of the peripheral groove 41a of the container base 41 and that is inclined upward from the upper end toward the rear surface of the LCD substrate G held by the spin chuck 30.
And a circular cylindrical outer container 43 which is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner container 42 and which can be moved up and down by an elevating means (not shown) and can protrude from the inside of the peripheral groove 41a. .

When developing the LCD substrate G, the developer is scattered out of the processing container 31 by moving the outer container 43 upward to the position of the outer container 43 'shown by two-dotted lines in FIG. Not configured. In this case, the processing liquid scattered in the processing container 31 is transferred to the peripheral groove 4 of the container base 41.
Drain pipe 4 connected to the bottom surface on the lowermost side in 1a
Drained through 4. The atmosphere in the processing container 31 is exhausted through an exhaust pipe 45 connected to the lower portion 40 of the container.

On the inclined surface 42a of the inner container 42, a plurality of support pins 46, for example, four support pins 46 are arranged at four corners of the LCD substrate G, respectively. The support pins 46 are connected to the LCD substrate G
The upper end is formed in a spherical shape so as not to damage the back surface of the resin, and the material is resin, rubber, soft metal (brass,
Aluminum, etc.). When the LCD substrate G is mounted on the spin chuck 30, the support pins 46 are mounted on the surface of the spin chuck 30.
It has a function of supporting the periphery of the substrate G and placing the LCD substrate G horizontally on the spin chuck 30. Note that, below the LCD substrate G on which the spin chuck 30 is mounted, L
A back surface cleaning nozzle 47 for supplying pure water for cleaning the back surface of the CD substrate G is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the developing solution supply nozzle 32 is disposed above the processing container 31, and the width in the long side direction is set to be longer than one side (short side) of the LCD substrate G. Have been. Further, a developer supply tube 50 for supplying a developer to the inside of the developer supply nozzle 32 is connected to an upper portion of the developer supply nozzle 32. further,
As shown in FIG. 4, on the lower surface of the developer supply nozzle 32, a large number of developer discharge ports 51 are provided in a state of being densely arranged over the entire width. The developer supplied to the inside is discharged from these discharge ports 51 in a film-like state on the surface of the LCD substrate G without any gap.

As shown in FIG. 3, the developer supply nozzle 32
Is connected to a ball screw shaft 54 that is rotated forward and reverse by switching the rotation of a motor 53. Therefore, the developer supply nozzle 32 is slidable above the LCD substrate G along the long side direction of the LCD substrate G by the rotation operation of the motor 53. Then, when the developer supply nozzle 32 is moved across the processing container 31 while the developer is being discharged from the discharge port 51, the developer is spread over the entire surface of the LCD substrate G as shown in FIG. The liquid is supplied evenly so that the liquid layer 55 can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rinsing liquid supply nozzle 33 is disposed above the processing vessel 31, a rinsing liquid supply circuit 56 is connected to the upper part, and nozzles 57 are provided at two places on the back surface. Have been. Further, the rinsing liquid supply nozzle 33 is driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) to drive the LCD substrate G
Is configured to slide above the LCD substrate G along the long side direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, a suspending member 60 made of a wire is connected to the upper surface of the developing solution holding means 35, and the suspending member 60 is connected to a power mechanism (not shown). The lifting and lowering of the suspension member 60 is performed by the operation of the power mechanism (not shown). That is, when the suspending member 60 is lifted, the developer holding means 35 moves upward, and LC
When the suspension member 60 is pulled down, the developer holding means 35 is moved away from the surface of the D substrate G.
Is moved downward and approaches the surface of the LCD substrate G.

After the developing solution supply nozzle 32 forms the developing solution layer 55 on the surface of the LCD substrate G, as shown in FIGS.
The structure is such that the developer holding means 35 is lowered to a position not in contact with the surface of the CD substrate G and to a position in contact with the liquid layer 55 of the developer supplied to the surface of the LCD substrate G. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a liquid layer 55 of the developing solution is sandwiched between the surface of the LCD substrate G and the lower surface of the developing solution holding means 35, and the developing solution having a thickness necessary for development is provided. The liquid layer 55 can be stably maintained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the developing solution holding means 35 is formed in a rectangular shape like the LCD substrate G. The upper surface and the lower surface of the developer holding means 35 are formed in a mesh shape in which gaps 62 communicating with the external atmosphere are arranged like a mesh over the entire surface. The portion comes into contact with the liquid layer 55 of the developer.

Further, the lower surface of the developing solution holding means 35 which comes into contact with the liquid layer 55 of the developing solution has such a form that it can overlap at least to the position facing the support pins 46 supporting the back surface of the LCD substrate G. ing. As a result, the developer holding means 35 is configured to substantially cover the area from the center of the LCD substrate G to the peripheral portion of the LCD substrate G that cannot be placed on the top surface of the spin chuck 30. Therefore, when the developing solution holding means 35 is brought into contact with the processing solution of the developing solution, the developing solution holding means 35 can hold the liquid layer 55 of the developing solution over the entire surface of the LCD substrate G without leakage. ing.

Next, processing steps in a processing system provided with the developing device 18 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

First, the unprocessed LCD substrate G accommodated in the cassette 11 is taken out by the sub-transport arm 13 of the loader unit 2 and then transferred to the main transport arm 15 of the first processing unit 3. , And is transported into the brush cleaning device 17. The LCD substrate G, which has been brush-cleaned in the brush cleaning device 17, is thereafter subjected to an adhesion device 19.
After being subjected to a hydrophobizing treatment and cooled by the cooling device 21, it is carried into the coating / peripheral portion removing device 24. And
The LCD substrate G carried out of the coating / periphery removing device 24 is carried into the heating device 20 and subjected to a baking process on the resist film. . Then, the exposed LCD substrate G is transported into the developing device 18, and after being developed by the developing solution, the developing solution is washed away by the rinsing solution, and the developing process is completed.

Here, the processing steps in the developing device 18 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the main transfer arm 15 is connected to the developing device 1
8, the LCD substrate G is carried into the developing device 18 (S1). Then, the LCD substrate G is sucked and held on the upper surface of the raised spin chuck 30. L
After transferring the CD substrate G to the spin chuck 30, the main transfer arm 15 moves out of the developing device 18.

Next, the spin chuck 30 descends.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral portion of the LCD substrate G that could not be placed on the top surface of the spin chuck 30 is
It is supported by the support pin 46 (S2). As described above, even if the upper surface of the spin chuck 30 is relatively small with respect to the LCD substrate G, the LCD substrate G is kept horizontal and the LCD substrate G is
The substrate G is stored in the processing container 31.

Next, the developer supply nozzle 32 is
The movement of the LCD substrate G from one end to the other end is started along the long side direction of the substrate G. During the movement, the developing solution is supplied from the developing solution supply nozzle 32 to apply the developing solution to the surface of the LCD substrate G. Then, the developer supply nozzle 32
By moving to the position of the other edge of the CD substrate G, the LCD
The developer is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate G (S
3). Thereafter, the developer supply nozzle 32 retracts to a predetermined position.

Next, the developing solution holding means 35 descends from above the processing container 31 and stops when it comes into contact with the developing solution layer 55 formed on the surface of the LCD substrate G. In this way, the developer holding means 35 arranged at a position in contact with the developer liquid layer 55 holds the developer liquid layer 55 (S
4). That is, due to the surface tension of the developer, the developer becomes LC
It is held between the D substrate G and the lower surface of the developer holding means 35. Therefore, the developing solution has a uniform thickness on the LCD substrate G.

Further, since the developing solution holding means 35 is formed in a mesh shape, effective holding can be performed while minimizing the contact area of the developing solution with the liquid layer 55. Further, even if the LCD substrate G is slightly bent or tilted during the development, the liquid layer 5 of the thin developing solution is formed on the surface of the LCD substrate G.
5 is not generated. Therefore, if left for a predetermined time, the developing process on the surface of the LCD substrate G is performed stably (S5).

When a predetermined time has elapsed and the developing process is completed, the developing solution holding means 35 rises and separates from the surface of the LCD substrate G. After that, the rinsing liquid supply nozzle 33 is
The upper surface of the D substrate G is moved to supply pure water to clean the front surface of the LCD substrate G, and at the same time, pure water is also supplied from the back surface cleaning nozzle 47 to clean the rear surface of the LCD substrate G (S6).
Thus, the developer is washed away from the LCD substrate G, and the supply of pure water from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 33 and the back surface cleaning nozzle 47 is stopped. Then, the dry gas supply nozzle 34 is moved above the LCD substrate G while rotating the LCD substrate G, and an inert gas such as N ₂ gas is blown onto the surface of the LCD substrate G. In this way, the pure water is shaken off from the LCD substrate G and a drying process is performed (S7). Then, the LCD substrate G
Is stopped, and the supply of the N ₂ gas from the dry gas supply nozzle 34 is stopped (S8).

After the above processing is completed, the main transfer arm 15 enters the developing device 18. Then, the LCD substrate G mounted on the spin chuck 30 is transferred to the main transfer arm 15, the main transfer arm 15 retreats outside the developing device 18, and the LCD substrate G is unloaded from the developing device 18 (S9). ).

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the developing solution holding means 35 holds the developing solution layer 55 so that the developing solution having a thickness necessary for processing can be obtained over the entire surface of the LCD substrate G. A liquid layer 55 of the liquid can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the development failure due to the bias of the developer or the like, and it is possible to perform a stable development process.

The developing device 18 according to the present embodiment
In the processing step (3), the case where the developer holding means 35 performs the step S4 of holding the developer liquid layer 55 after the step S3 of supplying the developer from the developer supply nozzle 32 has been described. The liquid holding means 35 may be arranged at a predetermined interval on the LCD substrate G, and thereafter, the developer may be supplied from the developer supply nozzle 32.

Although an example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described, the present invention is not limited to this example.
It can take various aspects. For example, as shown in FIG.
May be provided with a nozzle mechanism for supplying the nozzle surface. That is, the developing solution holding means 70 is provided with a discharge port 71 as a nozzle mechanism for discharging the developing solution between the gaps 62, and is configured such that a large number of discharge ports 71 are arranged over the entire lower surface. According to this configuration, the supply of the developing solution and the maintenance of the thickness of the developing solution layer 55 can be performed by one unit. Therefore, simplification of the developing device 18 and shortening of the developing time can be realized.

Further, even if the surface of the substrate is not covered over the entire surface, it is formed in a frame shape with a central portion hollowed out as in the developing solution holding means 72 shown in FIG. The peripheral portion may be configured to hold the liquid layer 55 of the developer supplied to the position not in contact with the surface of the LCD substrate G and to the surface of the LCD substrate G. According to such a configuration, the developer holding means 72 can be simplified and the weight can be reduced.

When the developer holding means is supported, instead of the above-mentioned suspension system, as shown in FIG.
The developer holding means 75 is moved to the lower part of the periphery of the LCD substrate G by L
The support may be made by a substantially U-shaped support member 76 fixed to the support pins 46 supporting the CD substrate G. According to such a configuration, a suspending mechanism above the LCD substrate G is not required, and it is easy to carry the LCD substrate G into and out of the container.

The substrate is not limited to the LCD substrate G, but may be a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, a CD substrate, a photomask, a printed substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like.

[0051]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, even if the substrate has an unstable horizontal posture, the liquid layer of the processing liquid having a thickness necessary for processing over the entire surface of the substrate is provided. Can be formed and held. Therefore, the processing can be suitably performed even on a large-sized substrate, and the yield can be improved. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the liquid layer of the processing liquid can be effectively held with minimum contact.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, the processing method described in claims 1 and 2 can be suitably implemented. In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, the processing liquid holding means can be easily arranged at a position where the processing liquid holding means comes into contact with the processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, the substrate can be maintained in a horizontal position and a uniform liquid layer of the processing liquid can be formed. There is no. According to the invention described in claim 8,
As described above, the liquid layer of the processing liquid can be effectively held by the minimum contact. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, components necessary for supplying and holding the processing liquid can be combined into one, so that the processing apparatus does not become large. In addition, the time required to move the processing liquid holding means and the processing liquid supply means to predetermined positions can be saved, so that the processing time can be reduced and the throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing system including a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the developing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the developing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developer supply nozzle as viewed from below.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the developer holding means is arranged at a position not in contact with the surface of the LCD substrate and at a position in contact with a liquid layer of the developer supplied to the surface of the LCD substrate.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory side view showing a state in which the developer holding means is arranged at a position not in contact with the surface of the LCD substrate and at a position in contact with a liquid layer of the developer supplied to the surface of the LCD substrate; is there.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing steps according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bottom surface when a nozzle mechanism is provided in the developer holding means.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the shape of the developer holding means.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram viewed from the side when the developer holding means is supported by a support pin.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a problem of a conventional developing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating development processing system 18 Developing device 30 Spin chuck 31 Processing container 32 Developing solution supply nozzle 35 Developing solution holding means 46 Support pin 55 Liquid layer 60 Hanging member G LCD substrate

Claims (9)

[Claims] In a method of supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a horizontally held substrate and performing a predetermined process on the substrate, a step of holding the substrate horizontally, and a step of holding the horizontally held substrate. A step of supplying a processing liquid to the surface; and a processing liquid holding unit at least at a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate at a position not in contact with the surface of the substrate and at a position in contact with the processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate. And a step of disposing. 2. A method of supplying a processing liquid to a surface of a substrate held horizontally and performing a predetermined process on the substrate, the step of holding the substrate horizontally, and at least a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate. A step of arranging the processing liquid holding means at a predetermined distance from the substrate at a position not in contact with the surface of the substrate, and after arranging the processing liquid holding means,
Supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate at least to a thickness in contact with the processing liquid holding means. 3. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid holding means has a mesh shape. 4. A processing apparatus comprising: holding means for holding a substrate horizontally; and supply means for supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held by the holding means, wherein at least a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate is provided. A processing liquid holding means that is movable to a position not in contact with the surface of the substrate and to a position in contact with the processing liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing liquid holding means is suspended above a surface of the substrate. 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising support means for supporting the peripheral portion of the substrate from below, wherein the processing liquid holding means is arranged at least at a position facing the support means with the substrate interposed therebetween. A processing device according to claim 1. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing liquid holding means is supported by the supporting means. 8. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing liquid holding means has a mesh shape. 9. The processing liquid holding means includes a nozzle mechanism for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate.
The processing device according to claim 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8.