KR20190016919A - Substrate processing method, recording medium and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing method capable of improving a precision of a thickness of a liquid film of a processing liquid formed on a surface of a substrate. In the substrate processing method according to the present invention, first, as a liquid film forming process, a process liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate (W) while rotating the substrate (W) at a first rotation speed to form a liquid film of the process liquid which covers the surface of the substrate (W). After the liquid film forming process, as a supply stop process, the rotation number of the substrate (W) is set to a rotation number equal to or lower than the first rotation number, and supply of the processing liquid to the substrate (W) is stopped. After the supply stop process, as a liquid amount adjustment process, the rotation number of the substrate (W) is set to be a rotation number greater than the first rotation number to reduce an amount of liquid of the processing liquid for forming the liquid film.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing method, a storage medium,

The present invention relates to a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing system.

In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device for forming a laminated structure of an integrated circuit on a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate, a minute liquid such as a minute dirt or a natural oxide film on the wafer surface is removed by a cleaning liquid such as a chemical liquid , A processing step of treating the surface of the wafer by using a liquid is performed.

A method of using a processing fluid in a supercritical state when removing the liquid remaining on the surface of the wafer by such a processing step is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus for drying a wafer by dissolving an organic solvent from a substrate using a supercritical fluid.

In the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the surface of the wafer is cleaned by a cleaning liquid such as a chemical liquid in the processing apparatus. On the surface of the wafer after cleaning, an organic solvent as a treatment liquid is accumulated. The wafer on which the organic solvent is accumulated is transported from the cleaning device to the supercritical processing device, and the wafer is dried by using the supercritical processing fluid in the supercritical processing device. By thus liquefying the organic solvent on the surface of the wafer, the surface of the cleaned wafer is prevented from drying until it is dried in the supercritical processing apparatus, thereby preventing generation of particles.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-012538

However, if the liquid accumulation amount of the organic solvent on the surface of the wafer after cleaning is too small, there is a possibility that the organic solvent is vaporized until the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus is performed. On the other hand, if the liquid accumulation amount is too large, particles may be generated on the wafer after the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus. For this reason, it is required that the organic solvent on the surface of the cleaned wafer be stored in a desired amount with high accuracy.

The present invention provides a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing system that can improve the precision of the thickness of a liquid film of a processing liquid formed on a surface of a substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention,

A liquid film forming step of supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed to form a liquid film of the processing liquid that covers the surface of the substrate,

A supply stopping step of stopping supply of the processing liquid to the substrate while setting the number of revolutions of the substrate to be equal to or less than the first rotation number after the liquid film forming step,

And a liquid amount adjusting step of reducing the liquid amount of the processing liquid forming the liquid film by setting the rotation number of the substrate to a rotation number larger than the first rotation number after the stoppage of the supply,

.

According to another embodiment of the present invention,

A program for causing the computer to control the substrate processing system to execute the above-described substrate processing method, when executed by a computer for controlling the operation of the substrate processing system,

Lt; / RTI >

According to another embodiment of the present invention,

A holding portion for holding the substrate horizontally,

A rotation driving unit for rotating the holding unit,

A processing liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit;

And a control unit,

A liquid film forming step of supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed to form a liquid film of the processing liquid that covers the surface of the substrate; A supply stop step of stopping supply of the processing liquid to the substrate while setting the number of revolutions of the substrate to be equal to or lower than the first number of revolutions; And a control unit that controls the rotation driving unit and the processing liquid supply unit so as to perform a liquid amount adjustment step of reducing the liquid amount of the processing liquid that forms the liquid film as the second rotation number that is larger than the first rotation number,

.

According to the present invention, the precision of the thickness of the liquid film of the processing liquid formed on the surface of the substrate can be improved.

1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cleaning apparatus provided in the substrate processing system shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an IPA supply system in the cleaning apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig.
4 is an external perspective view of the processing container of the supercritical processing apparatus.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the processing container shown in Fig.
6A is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the maintenance opening of the processing container shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 6B is a view showing the surface of the second lid member on the container body side of Fig. .
7 is a block diagram of the supercritical processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 8A is a view for explaining the second rinsing step in the substrate processing method in the first embodiment, Fig. 8B is a view for explaining the IPA liquid film forming step, 8 (c) is a diagram for explaining the supply stop process, and FIG. 8 (d) is a diagram for explaining the liquid amount adjustment process.
Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a change in the number of revolutions of the substrate in the substrate processing method in Fig. 8; Fig.
10A to 10D are enlarged cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a pattern as a concave portion of a wafer, illustrating the drying mechanism of IPA.
11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a maintenance method of the processing container of the supercritical processing apparatus.
Fig. 12 (a) is a modification of the sectional view showing the periphery of the maintenance opening of the processing container shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 12 (b) is a transverse sectional view of the second lid member in Fig.
FIG. 13A is a diagram for explaining the IPA liquid accumulating step in the substrate processing method in the second embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a diagram for explaining the second liquid amount adjusting step. FIG.
14 is a diagram showing a change in the number of revolutions of the substrate in the substrate processing method in Fig.

(Embodiment 1)

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the substrate processing method, the storage medium, and the substrate processing system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The constitution shown in the drawings attached to the present specification may include a portion whose size and scale are changed in the real world for convenience of understanding and easy understanding.

[Configuration of substrate processing system]

1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a plurality of cleaning apparatuses 2 (two cleaning apparatuses 2 in the example shown in FIG. 1) for performing cleaning processing by supplying a cleaning liquid to a wafer W, (IPA: isopropyl alcohol, which is an example of an organic solvent in this embodiment) residing on the wafer W after the cleaning treatment is introduced into a treating fluid (in this embodiment, CO ₂ : carbon dioxide A plurality of supercritical processing apparatuses 3 (two supercritical processing apparatuses 3 in the example shown in Fig. 1) are provided.

In this substrate processing system 1, the FOUP 100 is arranged in the arrangement section 11 and the wafer W stored in the FOUP 100 is cleaned by the carrying-in / out section 12 and the transfer section 13 And transmitted to the processing unit 14 and the supercritical processing unit 15. The wafer W is first carried into the cleaning apparatus 2 provided in the cleaning processing section 14 and subjected to the cleaning processing in the cleaning processing section 14 and the supercritical processing section 15 and thereafter the wafer W is transferred to the supercritical processing section 15, And is subjected to a drying process for removing IPA from the wafer W. The wafer W is then transferred to the supercritical processing apparatus 3, 1, reference numeral 121 denotes a first transport mechanism for transporting the wafer W between the FOUP 100 and the transfer unit 13, and member No. 131 denotes a first transport mechanism for transporting the wafer W between the FOUP 100 and the transfer unit 13, And serves as a buffer in which the wafer W to be transferred between the cleaning processing section 14 and the supercritical processing section 15 is temporarily disposed.

A wafer transfer path 162 is connected to the opening of the transfer section 13 and a cleaning processing section 14 and a supercritical processing section 15 are provided along the wafer transfer path 162. One cleaning device 2 is disposed in the cleaning processing section 14 with the wafer transfer path 162 therebetween. In total, two cleaning devices 2 are provided. On the other hand, the supercritical processing unit 15 is provided with supercritical processing units 3 for performing drying processing for removing IPA from the wafers W, one by one across the wafer carrying path 162, A critical processing device 3 is provided. The wafer transporting path 162 is provided with a second transport mechanism 161 and the second transport mechanism 161 is provided movably within the wafer transport path 162. The wafer W placed on the transfer shelf 131 is received by the second transfer mechanism 161 and the second transfer mechanism 161 transfers the wafer W to the cleaning apparatus 2 and the supercritical processing apparatus 3 ). The number and arrangement of the cleaning device 2 and the supercritical processing device 3 are not particularly limited and the number of the wafers W processed per unit time and the number of the cleaning devices 2 and the supercritical processing devices 3, A suitable number of cleaning apparatus 2 and supercritical processing apparatus 3 are arranged in a suitable manner.

As shown in Fig. 2, the cleaning apparatus 2 is configured as a single wafer type apparatus for cleaning the wafers W one by one, for example, by spin cleaning. 2, the wafer W is held substantially horizontally by the wafer holding mechanism 23 (holding portion) disposed in the outer chamber 21 forming the processing space. The wafer W is rotated by rotating the wafer holding mechanism 23 around the vertical axis by the motor 20 (rotation drive portion). The nozzle arm 24 is introduced above the rotating wafer W and the cleaning liquid and rinsing liquid and IPA are supplied to the processing surface of the wafer W from the respective nozzles 25 to 28 provided at the tip end thereof The cleaning process of the wafer W is performed. A liquid supply path 231 is also formed in the wafer holding mechanism 23 so that the back surface of the wafer W is cleaned by the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid supplied from the chemical liquid supply path 231. [

The first chemical liquid nozzle 25, the second chemical liquid nozzle 26, the rinsing liquid nozzle 27, and the IPA nozzle 28 are provided at the distal end of the nozzle arm 24.

The first chemical liquid nozzle 25 supplies the wafer W with an SC1 liquid (that is, a mixed liquid of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide water) which is an alkaline chemical liquid. The SC1 solution is a chemical solution for removing particles or organic pollutants from the wafer W. Although not shown, the first chemical liquid supply source is connected to the first chemical liquid nozzle 25 via the first chemical liquid supply line, and the first chemical liquid supply valve is provided in the first chemical liquid supply line. By opening the first liquid chemical on-off valve, SC1 is supplied from the first chemical liquid supply source to the first chemical liquid nozzle 25. [

The second chemical liquid nozzle 26 supplies diluted hydrofluoric acid (DHF), which is an acidic chemical liquid, to the wafer W. This DHF is a chemical solution for removing the natural oxide film formed on the surface of the wafer W. The second liquid medicament liquid supply source is connected to the second liquid medicament nozzle 26 via a second liquid medicament supply line, and a second liquid medicament liquid shutoff valve is provided in the second liquid medicament liquid supply line. By opening the second liquid chemical opening / closing valve, DHF is supplied from the second chemical liquid supply source to the second chemical liquid nozzle (26).

The rinsing liquid nozzle 27 supplies deionized water (DIW), which is a rinsing liquid, to the wafer W. This DIW is a liquid for washing the SC1 liquid or DHF from the wafer W. The rinsing liquid nozzle 27 is connected to a rinsing liquid supply source via a rinsing liquid supply line (not shown), and a rinsing liquid opening / closing valve is provided in the rinsing liquid supply line. By opening the rinse liquid opening / closing valve, DIW is supplied from the rinse liquid supply source to the rinse liquid nozzle 27.

The IPA nozzle 28 supplies the wafer W with IPA, which is a processing solution for preventing drying. The IPA is a treatment liquid for preventing drying of the wafer W. Particularly, supply of IPA to the wafer W aims to prevent drying of the wafer W during the transportation of the wafer W from the cleaning device 2 to the supercritical processing device 3. [ The IPA is formed on the surface of the wafer W such that a film of IPA having a relatively large thickness is formed on the surface of the wafer W in order to prevent the occurrence of a so-called patterned ingot on the wafer W due to the vaporization of the IPA during transportation. ). ≪ / RTI > 3, an IPA supply source 30 is connected to the IPA nozzle 28 via an IPA supply line 29, and an IPA open / close valve 31 is provided in the IPA supply line 29. As shown in Fig. By opening the IPA opening / closing valve 31, IPA is supplied from the IPA supply source 30 to the IPA nozzle 28. The IPA supply unit 32 (process liquid supply unit) is constituted by the IPA nozzle 28, the IPA supply line 29, the IPA supply source 30 and the IPA on / off valve 31.

Further, the chemical liquid used for cleaning the wafer W is not limited to the SC1 liquid and DHF, and is optional. Instead of providing the rinsing liquid nozzle 27 on the nozzle arm 24, it is also possible to selectively discharge the DIW from the first chemical liquid nozzle 25 and the second chemical liquid nozzle 26.

These drug solutions, DIW and IPA are taken in the inner cup 22 and the outer chamber 21 disposed in the outer chamber 21 and discharged from the drain ports 221 and 211, as shown in Fig. Further, the atmosphere in the outer chamber 21 is exhausted from the exhaust port 212.

The wafer W taken out of the cleaning apparatus 2 is transferred into the processing vessel 301 of the supercritical processing apparatus 3 in a state in which IPA is accumulated in liquid by the second transport mechanism 161 shown in Fig. And the IPA is subjected to the drying treatment in the supercriticale treatment device 3.

[Supercritical Process Apparatus]

Next, details of the drying process using the supercritical fluid performed in the supercriticale treatment device 3 will be described. First, a configuration example of a processing vessel in which the wafer W is carried in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 will be described.

Fig. 4 is an external perspective view showing an example of the processing vessel 301 of the supercritical processing apparatus 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing an example of the processing vessel 301. Fig.

The processing vessel 301 accommodates the wafer W and performs processing on the wafer W by using a high-pressure processing fluid such as supercritical fluid. 4 and 5, the processing container 301 includes a container body 311 in the form of a housing that houses the wafer W, and a container body 311 in which the wafer W is carried into and out of the container body 311 A holding plate 316 for holding the wafer W to be processed laterally and a holding plate 316 for supporting the holding plate 316 and carrying the wafer W into the container body 311 And a first lid member 315 for sealing the transporting port 312. [ Further, a maintenance opening 321 is provided at a position different from the transporting port 312 of the container body 311. The maintenance opening 321 is closed by the second lid member 322 except for maintenance or the like.

The container body 311 accommodates the wafer W and performs processing using the processing fluid on the wafer W. [ The container body 311 is, for example, a container in which a processing space 319 capable of accommodating a wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm is formed therein. The transporting port 312 and the maintenance opening 321 (for example, openings of the same size and shape as the transporting port 312) are formed at both ends of the processing space 319, Respectively.

A discharge port 314 is provided in the wall of the container body 311 on the side of the transporting port 312. The discharge port 314 is connected to the discharge side supply line 65 (see FIG. 7) for circulating the processing fluid, which is provided on the downstream side of the processing vessel 301. Further, although two discharge ports 314 are shown in Fig. 4, the number of discharge ports 314 is not particularly limited.

The first upper block 312a and the first lower block 312b located on the upper side and the lower side of the transporting port 312 are respectively provided with inscribed holes 325 and 323 for inserting a first lock plate 327 Is formed. Each of the insertion holes 325 and 323 penetrates the first upper block 312a and the first lower block 312b in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W).

The holding plate 316 is a thin plate-like member configured to be horizontally disposed in the processing space 319 of the container body 311 while holding the wafer W. The first cover member 315, Respectively. A discharge port 316a is provided on the side of the first lid member 315 of the holding plate 316.

A first lid member accommodating space 324 is formed in the front side (the minus side in the Y direction) of the container main body 311. The first lid member 315 is accommodated in the first lid member accommodation space 324 when the holding plate 316 is brought into the process container 301 and the supercritical process is performed on the wafer W. In this case, the first lid member 315 closes the transporting port 312 to seal the process space 319.

The first lock plate 327 is provided on the front side of the processing vessel 301. The first lock plate 327 serves as a regulating member for regulating the movement of the first lid member 315 by the pressure in the container body 311 when the holding plate 316 is moved to the processing position do. The first lock plate 327 is inserted into the inserting hole 323 of the first lower block 312b and the inserting hole 325 of the first upper block 312a. The first lid member 315 and the retaining plate 316 are moved in the forward and backward directions (Y direction in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) because the first lock plate 327 serves as an acid Is regulated. The first lock plate 327 is retracted to the lock position where the first lock plate 325 is inserted into the insertion holes 323 and 325 to press the first cover member 315 and downward from the lock position to open the first cover member 315 And moves up and down by the lifting mechanism 326 between the open position. In this example, the movement of the first lid member 315 by the pressure in the container body 311 is regulated by the first lock plate 327, the insertion holes 323 and 325 and the lifting mechanism 326 A regulatory mechanism is established. Since the margins necessary for inserting and separating the first lock plates 327 are provided in the respective engagement holes 323 and 325, the engagement between the engagement holes 323 and 325 and the first lock plate 327 in the lock position A slight gap C1 (Fig. 5) is formed. Also, for convenience of illustration, the gap C1 is exaggerated in Fig.

The maintenance opening 321 is provided at a position opposite to the transport opening 312 as a wall surface of the container body 311. When the container body 311 is sealed by the first lid member 315 and the second lid member 322 by opposing the maintenance opening 321 and the transport opening 312 as described above, Is applied to the inner surface of the container body 311 substantially equally. Therefore, the stress is prevented from concentrating on a specific portion of the container body 311. [ However, the maintenance opening 321 may be provided at a portion other than the position opposite to the transporting port 312, for example, on the wall surface side with respect to the traveling direction (Y direction) of the wafer W.

The second upper block 321a and the second lower block 321b are located above and below the maintenance opening 321, respectively. The second upper block 321a and the second lower block 321b are provided with inscribed holes 335 and 333 for inserting the second lock plate 337, respectively. Each of the insertion holes 335 and 333 penetrates the second upper block 321a and the second lower block 321b in the vertical direction (the direction perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W, the Z direction).

A second lid member accommodation space 334 is formed in the rear side (Y direction plus side) of the container main body 311. The second lid member 322 is accommodated in the second lid member accommodating space 334 except for the maintenance or the like, and also closes the maintenance opening 321. [ The second lid member 322 is provided with a supply port 313. The supply port 313 is provided on the upstream side of the processing vessel 301 and is connected to a first supply line 63 (see Fig. 7) for circulating the processing fluid. Although two supply ports 313 are shown in Fig. 4, the number of supply ports 313 is not particularly limited.

The second lock plate 337 serves as a regulating member for regulating the movement of the second lid member 322 by the pressure in the container body 311. [ The second lock plate 337 is inserted into the insertion holes 333 and 335 around the maintenance opening 321. At this time, since the second lock plate 337 serves as an acid, the movement of the second lid member 322 in the forward and backward directions (Y direction) is restricted. The second lock plate 337 is retracted from the lock position where the second lock plate 332 is inserted into the insertion holes 333 and 335 and presses the second lid member 322 downward to open the second lid member 322 And is configured to move in the vertical direction with respect to the open position. In this embodiment, the second lock plate 337 is manually moved. However, the second lock plate 337 may be moved automatically by providing a substantially same lifting mechanism as that of the lifting mechanism 326. Since the margins necessary for inserting and separating the second lock plate 337 are provided in the inscribed holes 333 and 335, the gap between the inscribed holes 333 and 335 and the second lock plate 337 at the lock position A slight gap C2 (Fig. 5) is formed. Also, for convenience of illustration, the gap C2 is exaggerated in Fig.

In this embodiment, the second lid member 322 is connected to the first supply line 63, and the second lid member 322 is provided with a plurality of openings 332. The second lid member 322 serves as a fluid supply header for supplying the processing fluid supplied from the first supply line 63 to the interior of the container body 311 via the supply port 313. [ Thus, maintenance work such as cleaning of the openings 332 can be easily performed when the second lid member 322 is detached at the time of maintenance. A fluid discharge header 318 communicating with the discharge port 314 is provided in the wall of the container body 311 on the side of the transporting port 312. The fluid discharge header 318 also has a plurality of openings.

The second cover member 322 and the fluid discharge header 318 are provided so as to face each other. The second lid member 322 functioning as a fluid supply unit supplies the processing fluid into the container body 311 substantially in the horizontal direction. Here, the horizontal direction is a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction in which gravity acts, and is generally parallel to the direction in which the flat surface of the wafer W held by the holding plate 316 extends. The fluid discharge header 318 functioning as a fluid discharge portion for discharging the fluid in the container body 311 is configured to discharge the fluid in the container body 311 through the discharge port 316a provided in the holding plate 316, ). The fluid discharged through the fluid discharge header 318 to the outside of the container body 311 is supplied to the processing fluid from the surface of the wafer W in addition to the processing fluid supplied into the container body 311 through the second lid member 322 Included is dissolved IPA. By thus supplying the processing fluid into the container body 311 from the opening 332 of the second lid member 322 and discharging the fluid from the inside of the container body 311 through the opening of the fluid discharge header 318, In the container body 311, a laminar flow of the processing fluid that flows substantially parallel to the surface of the wafer W is formed.

Vacuum suction tubes 348 and 349 are respectively connected to the side surface of the container body 311 on the side of the transporting port 312 and the side of the maintenance opening 321 side. The vacuum suction tubes 348 and 349 communicate with the surface of the container body 311 on the side of the first lid member accommodation space 324 and the side of the second lid member accommodation space 334 side, respectively. These vacuum suction pipes 348 and 349 serve to pull the first lid member 315 and the second lid member 322 toward the container body 311 side by vacuum suction force, respectively.

Further, on the bottom surface of the container body 311, a bottom side fluid supply portion 341 for supplying the processing fluid to the inside of the container main body 311 is formed. The bottom side fluid supply portion 341 is connected to a second supply line 64 (see FIG. 7) for supplying the processing fluid into the container body 311. The bottom side fluid supply portion 341 substantially supplies the processing fluid into the container body 311 from the lower side toward the upper side. The processing fluid supplied from the bottom side fluid supply section 341 flows from the back surface of the wafer W to the surface of the wafer W through the discharge port 316a provided in the holding plate 316 and flows into the second lid member 322 And is discharged from the fluid discharge header 318 through the discharge port 316a provided in the holding plate 316 together with the processing fluid from the fluid discharge header 316. [ It is preferable that the position of the bottom side fluid supply portion 341 is located below the wafer W introduced into the container main body 311 and below the central portion of the wafer W, for example. As a result, the processing fluid from the bottom side fluid supply portion 341 can be uniformly circulated on the surface of the wafer W. [

As shown in Fig. 5, on both upper and lower surfaces of the container body 311, a heater 345 made of a resistance heating body such as a tape heater is provided. The heater 345 is connected to the power supply unit 346 and increases or decreases the output of the power supply unit 346 to maintain the temperature of the container body 311 and the processing space 319 within a range of, .

Next, the structure around the maintenance opening 321 will be further described with reference to Figs. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

6A, a concave portion 328 is formed in the side wall of the second lid member 322 on the process space 319 side so as to surround a position corresponding to the periphery of the maintenance opening 321 Respectively. The seal member 329 is fitted into the recessed portion 328 so that the seal member 329 is disposed on the sidewall surface of the second lid member 322 which is in contact with the sidewall surface around the maintenance opening 321 do.

The seal member 329 is annularly formed so as to surround the maintenance opening 321. The cross-sectional shape of the seal member 329 is U-shaped. In the seal member 329 shown in Fig. 6 (a), the U-shaped opening 329a is formed along the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal member 329. [ In other words, an inner space surrounded by a U-shape is formed in the seal member 329.

The seal member 329 is provided between the second lid member 322 and the container body 311 by closing the periphery of the maintenance opening 321 by using the second lid member 322 provided with the seal member 329. [ Is disposed between the second lid member 322 and the container body 311 so as to close the gap between the second lid member 322 and the container body 311. [ Since the gap is formed around the maintenance opening 321 in the container body 311, the opening 329a formed along the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 329 is communicated with the processing space 319 State.

The seal member 329 in which the opening 329a communicates with the process space 319 is exposed to the atmosphere of the process fluid which may elute components such as resin or rubber or impurities contained therein . The inside of the opening 329a facing at least the processing space 319 is made of the resin having the liquid IPA or the corrosion resistance against the processing fluid. Examples of such a resin include polyimide, polyethylene, polypropylene, para-xylene, and polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and even when a small amount of component is eluted into the treatment fluid, It is preferable to use a resin. It is preferable that a metal spring (not shown) is provided on the inner surface (surface facing the opening 329a) of the U-shaped seal member 329. The spring is configured to exert a spring force in a direction of expanding the seal member 329 outward (a direction in which the opening 329a is widened).

The seal member 329 is extended from the opening 329a so that the outer peripheral surface (the surface opposite to the opening 329a) of the seal member 329 is pressed against the second lid member 322, And the side wall surface of the container main body 311, as shown in Fig. The outer circumferential surface of the seal member 329 is brought into tight contact with the second lid member 322 and the container body 311 to hermetically seal the gap between the second lid member 322 and the container body 311 . This type of seal member 329 has a resilience that is deformable by the force received from the processing fluid while allowing a pressure gap (for example, about 16 to 20 MPa) between the processing space 319 and the outside It is possible to maintain an airtightly closed state. As described above, when a metal spring is provided on the inner surface of the seal member 329, the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 329 (the surface opposite to the opening 329a) The pressing force toward the side of the concave portion 328 of the container body 322 and the side wall surface of the container body 311 increases, and the airtightness can be enhanced.

6 (a) and 6 (b), the second lid member 322 is provided with a plurality of additional openings 330. The additional opening 330 is adapted to supply the processing fluid supplied from the first supply line 63 to the opening 329a of the seal member 329 via the supply port 313. [ Each of the additional openings 330 is provided for each of the openings 332 provided in the second cover member 322 so that a part of the processing fluid flowing toward the openings 332 is extracted and then the additional openings 330 corresponding to the openings 332 To the opening 329a of the seal member 329. As shown in Fig. 6 (b), it is preferable that the additional opening 330 is also provided on the side of the second lid member 322. In this case, the maintenance of the opening 329a of the seal member 329 The processing fluid is also supplied to a portion on the side of the opening 321 for use.

Also in the present embodiment, the transporting port 312 of the container body 311 is also sealed by the first lid member 315 in the same manner as the maintenance opening 321. [

5, a concave portion 338 is formed on the sidewall of the first lid member 315 on the processing space 319 side so as to surround a position corresponding to the periphery of the transportation opening 312 . The seal member 339 is placed on the sidewall of the side of the first lid member 315 which is in contact with the sidewall of the peripheral portion of the transporting port 312 by fitting the seal member 339 into the recess 338 .

The seal member 339 is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the transporting port 312. The cross-sectional shape of the seal member 339 is U-shaped. The sealing member 339 is disposed between the first lid member 315 and the transporting opening 312 by closing the transporting opening 312 using the first liding member 315 provided with the sealing member 339, Is disposed between the first lid member 315 and the container body 311 so as to close the gap between the first lid member 315 and the container body 311. [ The construction for closing the transportation opening 312 using the first lid member 315 and the seal member 339 is substantially the same as the construction for closing the maintenance opening 321 described above.

[Configuration of the entire system of the supercritical processing device]

7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the entire system of the supercritical processing apparatus 3. As shown in Fig.

4, 5, and 7, a first supply line 63 for supplying a processing fluid into the processing vessel 301 is connected to the second lid member 322. As shown in Fig. A second supply line 64 for supplying a processing fluid into the processing container 301 is connected to the wall portion of the container body 311. The second supply line 64 branches off from the first supply line 63 on the downstream side of the opening / closing valve 67. A discharge side supply line 65 for discharging the fluid in the processing container 301 is connected to the bottom of the container body 311.

The first supply line 63 connected to the processing vessel 301 is provided with an open / close valve 67, a filter 68, and a flow rate adjusting valve 69 that open and close in accordance with the supply and stop of the high- And is connected to the fluid supply tank 51 via the fluid supply pipe 51. A fluid supply tank 51, for example consisting of a CO ₂ cylinder for storing the liquid CO _2, for this CO supercritical ₂ to step-up the liquid CO ₂ supply from the gas cylinder, a syringe pump or a diaphragm pump, etc. And a booster pump. In Fig. 7, these CO ₂ cylinders and the booster pump are shown in the form of a bomb as a whole.

The supercritical CO ₂ supplied from the fluid supply tank 51 is supplied to the processing vessel 301 with its flow rate adjusted by the flow rate regulating valve 69. The flow rate regulating valve 69 is constituted by, for example, a needle valve or the like, and is also used as a shutoff section for interrupting supply of supercritical CO ₂ from the fluid supply tank 51.

The pressure reducing valve 70 of the discharge side supply line 65 is connected to the pressure controller 71. The pressure controller 71 is connected to the processing container 301 obtained from the pressure gauge 66 provided in the process container 301 And a feedback control function for adjusting the opening degree based on a result of comparison between a measurement result of the pressure within the predetermined range and a predetermined set pressure.

The substrate processing system 1, the cleaning apparatus 2, and the supercritical processing apparatus 3 having the above-described configuration are connected to the control unit 4 as shown in Figs. 1 and 7. The control unit 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes an operation unit 18 and a storage unit 19, which are not shown. The storage unit 19 stores a program for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1. [ The operation unit 18 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 19. [ The program may have been recorded in a storage medium readable by a computer and installed in the storage unit 19 of the control unit 4 from the storage medium. Examples of the storage medium readable by a computer include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnet optical disk (MO), a memory card and the like.

Particularly, with respect to the supercritical processing apparatus 3, the control unit 4 reduces the pressure in the processing vessel 301 and the first supply line 63 before removing the processed wafers W, 63 to the processing container 301 so as to avoid a sudden pressure change in the decompression direction. 7, the control unit 4 includes a pressure controller 71 for controlling the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 70 provided in the discharge side supply line 65, Closing valve 67 and the flow rate regulating valve 69, respectively.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having such a configuration, that is, the method of processing the wafer W (substrate processing method) in the substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[Cleaning treatment]

First, a cleaning treatment method of the wafer W in the cleaning apparatus 2 will be described.

≪ First chemical liquid cleaning step &

First, the wafer W is held substantially horizontally in the wafer holding mechanism 23 of the cleaning device 2. Then, the wafer holding mechanism 23 is rotated around the vertical axis to rotate the wafer W in the horizontal plane. Subsequently, the nozzle arm 24 enters above the rotating wafer W, and the SC1 liquid is supplied as a chemical liquid for cleaning from the first chemical liquid nozzle 25 provided at the tip end of the nozzle arm 24 to the center of the surface of the wafer W do. The SC1 liquid is diffused by the centrifugal force and the entire surface of the wafer W is covered by the liquid film of the SC1 liquid so that the surface of the wafer W is cleaned by the SC1 liquid. In this case, particles or organic pollutants can be removed from the wafer W. [ The SC1 liquid on the surface of the wafer W is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W. [ The scattered SC1 liquid is discharged from the liquid draining ports 221 and 211.

≪ First Rinse Process >

After the first chemical liquid cleaning process, the wafer W is rinsed while the wafer W is rotated. In this case, DIW (rinsing liquid) is supplied to the center of the surface of the rotating wafer W from the rinsing liquid nozzle 27 provided at the tip end of the nozzle arm 24. Thereby, DIW is diffused by the centrifugal force and can be washed away from the wafer W so as to drive out the SC1 liquid. DIW and SC1 liquid on the surface of the wafer W are scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W and are discharged from the liquid draining ports 221 and 211. [

≪ Second chemical liquid cleaning step &

After the first rinsing step, the wafer W is cleaned with the DHF solution. In this case, DHF is supplied as the chemical liquid for cleaning from the second chemical liquid nozzle 26 provided at the tip end of the nozzle arm 24 to the center of the surface of the rotating wafer W. DHF is diffused by the centrifugal force, and the entire surface of the wafer W is covered by the liquid film of DHF, whereby the surface of the wafer W is cleaned by DHF. In this case, the natural oxide film formed on the wafer W can be removed. The DHF liquid on the surface of the wafer W is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W and discharged from the liquid draining ports 221 and 211. [

≪ Second rinse process >

After the second chemical solution cleaning process, as shown in Figs. 8 (a) and 9, the wafer W is rinsed. In this case, the DIW is supplied from the rinsing liquid nozzle 27 provided at the tip end of the nozzle arm 24 to the center of the surface of the rotating wafer W in the same manner as the first rinsing step. As a result, DIW is diffused by the centrifugal force and can be washed away from the wafer W to remove DHF. The DIW and DHF on the surface of the wafer W are scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W and are discharged from the drain ports 221 and 211. [

In the second rinsing step, for example, the discharge amount of DIW is set to 300 mL / min and the number of revolutions of the wafer W is set to 1000 rpm. Then, as shown in Fig. 8A, a liquid film of DIW is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

≪ IPA liquid film forming step &

After the second rinsing step, as shown in Fig. 8 (b) and Fig. 9, IPA is supplied to the wafer W as the liquid for preventing drying, while the wafer W is rotated at the first rotation speed. In this case, first, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is reduced to the first number of revolutions lower than the number of revolutions in the second rinsing step. The IPA opening and closing valve 31 is opened to supply IPA to the IPA nozzle 28 provided at the tip end of the nozzle arm 24 from the IPA supply source 30 through the IPA supply line 29. [ The IPA supplied to the IPA nozzle 28 is supplied to the center portion of the surface of the rotating wafer W from the IPA nozzle 28. The IPA is diffused by the centrifugal force and the liquid film of DIW formed on the processing surface of the wafer W is replaced with IPA to form the surface of the wafer W on the surface of the wafer W as shown in FIG. A liquid film of IPA (liquid accumulating IPA puddle) is formed. The IPA on the surface of the wafer W is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W and discharged from the drain ports 221 and 211. [

In the IPA liquid film forming process, for example, the discharge amount of IPA is set to 300 mL / min, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is set to 30 rpm, and the discharge of IPA is continued for 15 seconds. The number of revolutions of the wafer W in the IPA liquid film forming process is smaller than the number of revolutions of the wafer W in the liquid amount adjusting process described later as shown in Fig. Thus, the IPA scattering from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W is suppressed, and the thickness of the liquid film of IPA after the IPA liquid film forming process (t1 shown in FIG. 8B) (T3 shown in Fig. 8 (d)). That is, the liquid accumulation amount of IPA after the IPA liquid film forming step is larger than the liquid accumulation amount of IPA after the liquid amount adjusting step.

≪ Feed stop process >

After the IPA liquid film forming process, as shown in FIG. 8C and FIG. 9, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is set to the number of revolutions equal to or less than the first number of revolutions (here, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped ), And also stops supplying the IPA to the wafer W. In this case, first, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. At this time, it is preferable that the rotation of the wafer W is stopped smoothly. As a result, the IPA remaining on the surface of the wafer W can be prevented from being discharged from the surface of the wafer W. Thereafter, the IPA open / close valve 31 is closed, and the supply of the IPA is stopped. The IPA liquid film having a thickness of t2 is left on the surface of the wafer W and the thickness t2 of the liquid film is the thickness of the IPA liquid film after the above IPA liquid film forming step t1, which is thicker than the thickness t3 of the liquid film of the IPA after the liquid level adjusting step described later.

≪ Liquid amount adjusting step &

8 (d) and 9, after the supply stop process, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is set to a second number of revolutions larger than the first number of revolutions, thereby forming a liquid film on the surface of the wafer W Thereby reducing the liquid amount of the IPA. In this case, the wafer holding mechanism 23 is rotated around the vertical axis to rotate the stationary wafer W again in the horizontal plane. A part of the IPA forming the liquid film on the surface of the wafer W is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, And is discharged from the openings 221 and 211. On the other hand, during this time, the IPA opening / closing valve 31 remains closed, and the supply of IPA to the surface of the wafer W is not performed. In this way, the liquid amount of the IPA forming the liquid film is reduced and the thickness t3 of the liquid film of IPA is thinner than the thickness t1 of the liquid film after the IPA liquid film forming step and the liquid film thickness t2 of the IPA liquid after the stop of feeding Loses. As a result, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA becomes a desired thickness.

In the liquid amount adjustment step, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped gently after a lapse of a predetermined time (for example, 1 second) after the rotation of the stationary wafer W is resumed (increased) Suitable. As a result, the IPA forming the liquid film is prevented from being excessively discharged from the surface of the wafer W, and the thickness t3 of the liquid film of IPA can be adjusted to a desired thickness.

In the liquid amount adjusting process, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting the number of revolutions of the wafer W or the time until the rotation of the wafer W is resumed. In order to shorten the processing time of the wafer W, it is necessary to shorten the time until the rotation of the wafer W is restarted and then stop, and to adjust the thickness of the liquid film of IPA to a desired thickness within this time The number of rotations of the wafer W may be set.

Thus, the cleaning process of the wafer W is completed. At this time, a liquid film of IPA having a desired thickness is formed on the surface of the wafer W, thereby preventing the wafer W from drying.

[Drying treatment]

Next, a method of drying the wafer W in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 will be described. First, the drying mechanism of IPA will be described with reference to Fig.

<Drying Mechanism>

10 (a), when the supercritical processing fluid R in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 is introduced into the container main body 311 of the processing vessel 301, ) Is filled with only IPA.

The IPA between the patterns P is gradually dissolved in the processing fluid R by contact with the processing fluid R in the supercritical state and is gradually replaced with the processing fluid R as shown in FIG. At this time, in the pattern P, there is mixed fluid M in which the IPA and the processing fluid R are mixed in addition to the IPA and the processing fluid R.

Then, as the substitution of the processing fluid R from the IPA proceeds between the patterns P, IPA is removed from between the patterns P, and ultimately, as shown in Fig. 10C, The pattern P is filled only by the processing fluid R of the pattern P.

The processing fluid R is changed from the supercritical state to the gaseous state as shown in Fig. 10 (d) by lowering the pressure in the container main body 311 to atmospheric pressure after the IPA is removed from between the patterns P And the pattern P is occupied only by the gas. Thus, the IPA between the patterns P is removed, and the drying process of the wafer W is completed.

With the background of the mechanism shown in Figs. 10 (a) to 10 (d), the supercritical processing apparatus 3 of this embodiment performs IPA drying processing as follows.

<Transportation Process>

After the liquid level adjustment process, the wafer W is carried into the processing vessel 301 of the supercritical processing apparatus 3 in a state in which a liquid film of IPA having a desired thickness is formed.

In this case, first, the wafer W is taken out of the cleaning device 2 by the second transport mechanism 161 and carried into the processing container 301 of the supercritical processing device 3. Then, The second transport mechanism 161 retracts from the upper position of the holding plate 316 after transferring the wafer W to the holding plate 316 waiting at the transfer position.

Then, the holding plate 316 is horizontally slid so that the holding plate 316 is moved to the processing position in the container body 311. At this time, the first lid member 315 is accommodated in the first lid member accommodating space 324, and covers the transport opening 312. Subsequently, the first lid member 315 is pulled by the suction force from the vacuum suction pipe 348 (Figs. 4 and 5) to the container body 311, and the first lid member 315 pushes the transport lid 312 are closed. The first lock plate 327 is raised to the lock position by the lifting mechanism 326 to bring the first lock plate 327 into contact with the front surface of the first lid member 315 and the first lid member 315 ).

<Drying step>

After the carrying-in process, the wafer W is dried. In the drying step, the pressurized processing fluid is supplied to the processing vessel 301 and the pressurized processing fluid is supplied to the processing vessel 301 while maintaining the pressure within the processing vessel 301 at a pressure at which the processing fluid remains in a critical state And discharges the processing fluid from the processing vessel 301. [ Thereby, the IPA on the wafer W is replaced with the processing fluid, and then the pressure in the processing vessel 301 is lowered, whereby the wafer W is dried.

More specifically, before the liquid IPA is dried on the surface of the wafer W, the opening / closing valve 67 and the flow rate adjusting valve 69 are opened to supply the first supply line 63 and the second supply line 64 And supplies the processing fluid to the processing space 319 at a high pressure. Thereby, the pressure in the processing space 319 is increased to, for example, about 14 to 16 MPa. The sealing member 339 having a U-shaped cross section and provided in the concave portion 338 of the first lid member 315 expands and the first lid member 315 and the container body 335 are expanded, (311) is hermetically closed.

On the other hand, in the processing space 319, when the processing fluid supplied into the processing space 319 comes into contact with the IPA accumulated in the wafer W, the liquid IPA gradually dissolves in the processing fluid, . As the substitution of the processing fluid from the IPA proceeds between the patterns of the wafers W, the IPA is removed from between the patterns, and finally, the pattern P is filled only by the processing fluid in the supercritical state. As a result, the surface of the wafer W is displaced from the IPA of the liquid to the processing fluid. In the equilibrium state, no interface is formed between the liquid IPA and the processing fluid, Can be replaced with the processing fluid.

Thereafter, when the predetermined time has elapsed since the supply of the processing fluid into the processing space 319 and the surface of the wafer W is replaced with the processing fluid, the pressure reducing valve 70 is opened to open the processing space 319 From the fluid discharge header 318 toward the outside of the container main body 311. [ As a result, the pressure in the container body 311 gradually decreases, and the processing fluid in the processing space 319 changes from the supercritical state to the gaseous state. At this time, since no interface is formed between the supercritical state and the base body, the wafer W can be dried without applying surface tension to the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W.

After the supercritical processing of the wafer W is completed by the above process, N ₂ gas is supplied from a purge gas supply line (not shown) to discharge the processing fluid remaining in the processing space 319, Purging is performed toward the discharge header 318. [ Then, the purge is completed by supplying N ₂ gas for a predetermined time, and when the container body 311 returns to the atmospheric pressure, the first lock plate 327 is lowered to the open position. Then, the holding plate 316 is horizontally moved to the delivery position, and the wafer W after the supercritical processing is carried out by using the second transport mechanism 161.

By the way, during the above-described supercritical processing, the second lock plate 337 is raised to the always-locked position. As a result, the second lock plate 337 and the rear surface of the second lid member 322 come into contact with each other, and the movement of the second lid member 322 is restricted. When the high-pressure processing fluid is not supplied to the processing space 319 and the pressure in the container body 311 is not raised, the second lid member 322 and the side wall surfaces of the container body 311 are directly The seal member 329 is pressed against the surface of the maintenance opening 321 to hermetically seal the periphery of the maintenance opening 321.

On the other hand, when the high-pressure processing fluid is supplied to the processing space 319, the second lid member 322 is inserted into the through holes 335 and 333 around the maintenance opening 321 and the second lock plate 337, (Y side plus side) away from the processing space 319 by an amount of the gap C2 between them. As the second lid member 322 moves, the gap between the second lid member 322 and the container body 311 is widened. The outer peripheral surface of the seal member 329 is brought into close contact with the second lid member 322 and the container main body 311 and the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 329 is brought into close contact with the second lid member 322. In this case, 2 The gap between the lid member 322 and the container body 311 is airtightly closed. As described above, while the supercritical processing is performed as described above, the second lid member 322 maintains the state in which the maintenance opening 321 is closed.

While the high-pressure processing fluid is being supplied from the first supply line 63 to the processing space 319, an additional opening 330 provided in the second lid member 322 is opened from the opening of the seal member 329 329a. As a result, the processing fluid is sprayed to the inner side of the seal member 329, so that foreign matter such as dust adhered to the inner surface of the seal member 329 can be blown away. Therefore, the inner surface of the seal member 329 can be cleaned while performing the supercritical treatment. The processing fluid supplied to the opening 329a is supplied to the processing space 319. [

[Maintenance method]

Subsequently, the operation when maintenance of the processing vessel 301 is finished after the supercritical processing described above is completed will be described.

First, the interior of the processing space 319 is opened to atmospheric pressure. The first lock plate 327 is moved downward from the insertion holes 323 and 325 by the lifting mechanism 326 to be the open position for opening the first lid member 315. [ Then, the first lid member 315 and the holding plate 316 are moved to the front side (negative direction in the Y direction). Thereby, the holding plate 316 is taken out of the process space 319, and the first lid member 315 is separated from the transporting port 312 (Fig. 11 (a)).

Subsequently, the second lock plate 337 is moved downward from the insertion holes 333 and 335 to the open position where the second lid member 322 is opened. The second lid member 322 is moved away from the maintenance opening 321 by moving the second lid member 322 inward (on the positive side in the Y direction) (FIG. 11 (b)).

Then, a cleaning jig or a tool or the like is inserted from the maintenance opening 321 to perform a maintenance operation (cleaning, adjustment, etc.) in the processing space 319. In this embodiment, since the second lock plate 337 is moved downward and the second lid member 322 is separated, the inside of the process space 319 can be accessed, . Since the supply port 313 is connected to the second lid member 322, the maintenance operation of the supply port 313 or the opening 332 (cleaning, adjustment, etc.) ) Can be easily performed.

After the maintenance work is completed in this manner, the second lid member 322 and the first lid member 315 are assembled to the container body 311 in the opposite order. That is, first, the second lid member 322 is moved to the front side (minus side in the Y direction), and the maintenance lid 321 is covered with the second lid member 322. Subsequently, the second lid member 322 is sucked toward the container body 311 by the suction force from the vacuum suction pipe 349. Then, the second lock plate 337 is raised so that the second lock plate 337 is inserted into the insertion holes 333, 335, thereby locking the second lid member 322. Thus, the periphery of the maintenance opening 321 is airtightly closed.

The holding plate 316 is moved into the processing space 319 and the first lid member 315 is moved to the inside by moving the first lid member 315 and the holding plate 316 inward So as to cover the transporting port 312. Subsequently, the first lid member 315 is sucked toward the container body 311 by the suction force from the vacuum suction pipe 348. Next, the first lock plate 327 is raised by the lifting mechanism 326, and the first lock plate 327 is inserted into the insertion holes 323 and 325 to be in the lock position. Thus, the periphery of the transporting port 312 is hermetically closed, and the processing space 319 is sealed again. Thereafter, the above-described supercritical processing is performed as necessary.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a liquid film of IPA is formed on the surface of the wafer W while the wafer W is rotated at the first rotation speed, and then the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, And thereafter, the wafer W is rotated at a second rotation speed greater than the first rotation speed. Thereby, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA can be adjusted by adjusting the number of revolutions of the wafer W irrespective of the timing of stopping supply of the IPA.

Here, a method is also considered in which the wafer W is rotated at a desired number of revolutions so that the wafer W is discharged at a desired IPA discharge amount (supply amount) for a predetermined time to adjust the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA. In this case, after the lapse of a predetermined time, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped and the supply of IPA is stopped. The rotation stop of the wafer W is realized by the control unit 4 issuing a stop command to the motor 20 that drives the wafer holding mechanism 23 to rotate. As a result, the time from when the control unit 4 issues the stop command until the rotation of the wafer W is stopped is not easily changed. On the other hand, the supply stop of the IPA is realized by the control unit 4 issuing a closing command to the IPA open / close valve 31. More specifically, the valve body drive section (not shown) of the IPA on-off valve 31, which has received the closing command from the control section 4, moves the valve body to close the internal flow path of the IPA open / close valve 31. As a result, it is assumed that the time from when the control unit 4 issues the closing command until the IPA open / close valve 31 is closed is likely to vary, and it is difficult to keep it constant. For this reason, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA on the surface of the wafer W fluctuates, and it may be difficult to maintain the liquid film at a desired thickness.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, as described above, after stopping the rotation of the wafer W and stopping the supply of the IPA, the wafer W is moved to the position where the IPA is supplied to the wafer W And is rotated at a second rotation speed that is larger than the rotation speed of the wafer W (first rotation speed). Therefore, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA can be adjusted by adjusting the number of revolutions of the wafer W irrespective of the supply stop of the IPA. Therefore, the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA can be prevented from varying, and the thickness accuracy can be improved. In this case, it is possible to prevent the IPA from vaporizing until the wafers W after the cleaning process perform the drying process in the supercritical processing device 3, and also to perform the drying process in the supercritical process device 3 The generation of particles on the wafer W can be prevented later.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped in the supply stopping step of stopping the supply of the IPA to the surface of the wafer W. This makes it possible to prevent the IPA remaining on the surface of the wafer W from being discharged from the surface of the wafer W by the centrifugal force in the supply stop process and to prevent the IPA liquid film on the wafer W . Therefore, the thickness of the liquid film at the start of the liquid amount adjusting process can be secured, and the liquid film of the IPA after the liquid amount adjusting process can be adjusted to a desired thickness.

According to the present embodiment, the supply of IPA is stopped after the rotation of the wafer W is stopped in the supply stop process for stopping the supply of IPA to the surface of the wafer W. That is, even if the control unit 4 simultaneously sends the stop command for the motor 20 and the closing command for the IPA open / close valve 31, the timing at which the IPA open / close valve 31 closes is longer than the rotation stop of the wafer W . Even in this case, the IPA supplied after the rotation of the wafer W stops flowing over the periphery of the wafer W. [ As a result, it is possible to suppress the thickness of the liquid film of IPA at the start of the liquid amount adjusting process to be increased, and to adjust the liquid film of IPA after the liquid amount adjusting step to a desired thickness.

According to the present embodiment, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped after the lapse of a predetermined time after the rotation number of the wafer W is increased in the liquid amount adjustment process for reducing the liquid amount of the IPA forming the liquid film. As a result, it is possible to prevent the IPA forming the liquid film from being excessively discharged from the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA from becoming thinner than the desired thickness, and to improve the precision of the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA.

According to the present embodiment, after the liquid level adjustment process, the wafer W is carried into the processing vessel 301 maintained at a pressure at which the processing fluid maintains the critical state, and the processing fluid of the pressure is supplied to the wafer W And the processing fluid is discharged from the processing vessel 301. [ Thereby, the wafer W can be dried by replacing the IPA forming the liquid film on the wafer W with the processing fluid and lowering the pressure in the processing vessel 301 thereafter. Therefore, generation of particles on the wafer W can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of stopping the rotation of the wafer W in the supply stopping process has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wafer W may be rotated at the first rotation speed or a rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed. In this case, it is possible to shorten the time required for the wafer W to reach the second rotation speed in the liquid amount adjustment step.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the second lid member 322 is provided with a plurality of openings 332 and a plurality of additional openings 330. However, it is not limited thereto. For example, the configuration shown in Figs. 12 (a) and 12 (b) may be employed. 12 (a) and 12 (b), a fluid supply header 350 provided in a tubular shape is provided on the surface of the second lid member 322 on the container body 311 side. The fluid supply header 350 extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface (X direction shown in Fig. 4) on the surface of the second lid member 322 on the container body 311 side. The fluid supply header 350 is connected to the first supply line 63 via the supply port 313. In addition, the fluid supply header 350 is provided with a plurality of openings 332 and a plurality of additional openings 330. The processing fluid supplied from the first supply line 63 can be supplied to the processing space 319 through the openings 332 and supplied to the inner surface of the seal member 329 through the additional openings 330 have.

(Embodiment 2)

Next, a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 13 and 14. Fig.

In the second embodiment shown in Figs. 13 and 14, a peripheral feeding step of supplying a processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate while rotating the substrate, and a second liquid amount adjusting step of reducing the liquid amount of the processing liquid forming the liquid film And the other structures are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 12. Fig. In Figs. 13 and 14, the same components as those in the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, after the liquid amount adjusting step shown in Fig. 8D, the peripheral feeding step and the second liquid amount adjusting step are performed. Hereinafter, the peripheral feeding step and the second liquid amount adjusting step of the liquid processing method according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail.

&Lt; Main feed step &

After the liquid amount adjustment process, IPA is supplied to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W at the third rotation speed, as shown in Figs. 13A and 14B. In this case, first, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is reduced to the third number of revolutions lower than the number of revolutions (second number of revolutions) during the liquid amount adjusting process. Then, the IPA nozzle 28 is positioned above the periphery Wa of the wafer W. Then, the IPA opening / closing valve 31 is opened to supply the IPA from the IPA supply source 30 to the IPA nozzle 28. The IPA supplied to the IPA nozzle 28 is supplied to the peripheral portion Wa of the surface of the rotating wafer W.

The IPA supplied to the periphery Wa remains at the periphery Wa of the wafer W because the wafer W rotates at the third rotation speed at which the liquid accumulation is formed. Thus, as shown in Fig. 13A, a liquid film of IPA covering the surface of the wafer W is formed so as to rise from the periphery Wa. A part of the IPA supplied to the periphery Wa is scattered radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W and is discharged from the drain ports 221 and 211. [ Here, the peripheral portion Wa means an area extending from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W to a predetermined width. For example, the supply point of the IPA (the position of the IPA nozzle 28) to the wafer W in the peripheral feeding process may be located 20 mm inside from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W. The IPA nozzle 28 can be positioned at a desired supply point by adjusting the entry position of the nozzle arm 24 shown in Fig.

The discharge amount (supply amount) of IPA to the periphery Wa of the wafer W in the peripheral feeding process is the same as the discharge amount of IPA to the wafer W in the IPA liquid film forming step shown in FIG. 8 (b) You can. In the peripheral feeding process, for example, the ejection amount of IPA is set to 300 mL / min, the number of revolutions of the wafer W is set to 30 rpm, and the ejection of IPA is continued for 4 seconds. 14, the number of revolutions (i.e., the third rotation number) of the wafer W in the main feeding process is determined by the number of revolutions of the wafer W in the IPA liquid film forming process Number). In this case, the scattering of IPA from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W is suppressed, and the thickness t4 of the IPA liquid film at the peripheral edge Wa of the wafer W is smaller than the peripheral edge Wa Is thicker than the thickness t3 of the liquid film of IPA in the inner side portion Wb positioned. That is, the liquid film of IPA in the inner portion Wb is maintained at the thickness t3 of the liquid film after the liquid amount adjusting step. The thickness t4 of the liquid film of IPA in the periphery Wa after the peripheral feeding process is thicker than the thickness t5 of the liquid film of IPA in the peripheral portion Wa after the second liquid amount adjusting process. That is, the liquid accumulation amount of the IPA of the peripheral portion Wa after the peripheral feeding process is larger than the liquid accumulation amount of the IPA of the peripheral portion Wa after the second liquid amount adjustment step.

&Lt; Second liquid amount adjustment step &

After supplying the IPA to the wafer W and rotating the wafer W, a liquid film is formed on the surface of the wafer W, as shown in Figs. 13 (b) and 14 Thereby reducing the liquid amount of IPA. In this case, first, the IPA opening / closing valve 31 is closed, and the supply of IPA to the wafer W is stopped. Next, the rotational speed of the wafer W is set to the fourth rotational speed which is larger than the third rotational speed and which is equal to or less than the second rotational speed. Thereby, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W is increased and a part of the IPA accumulated in the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W is radially outward from the outer peripheral edge We of the wafer W And is discharged from the drain ports 221 and 211. [ In addition, by making the fourth rotation speed equal to or lower than the second rotation speed, movement of the IPA from the inner side Wb of the wafer W to the outer circumferential side is suppressed. On the other hand, during this time, the IPA opening / closing valve 31 remains closed, and the supply of IPA to the surface of the wafer W is not performed. Thus, the thickness t3 of the liquid film of IPA at the inner side Wb of the wafer W is maintained at the peripheral edge Wa while maintaining the thickness t3 after the liquid amount adjustment process shown in Fig. 8 (d) Thereby reducing the accumulation amount of IPA in the liquid. Thus, the thickness t5 of the liquid film of IPA at the periphery Wa becomes thinner than the thickness t4 of the liquid film of IPA at the periphery Wa after the peripheral feeding process. Therefore, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA in the peripheral portion Wa becomes a desired thickness, and the total liquid accumulation amount of IPA on the surface of the wafer W is adjusted to a desired amount.

The liquid film of IPA is retained in a shape rising from the peripheral edge Wa of the wafer W due to the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the wafer W and the viscosity of the IPA even during the second liquid level adjustment step. In addition, the total liquid stock amount of IPA after the second liquid amount adjusting step of the present embodiment is made equal to the total liquid stock amount of IPA after the liquid amount adjusting step shown in Fig. 8D of the first embodiment The liquid accumulation amount of the IPA after the liquid amount adjusting step may be reduced by increasing the number of revolutions of the wafer W in the liquid amount adjusting step that is the front of the main feeding process of the present embodiment.

In the second liquid amount adjusting step, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA in the peripheral portion Wa can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting the time from the start of rotation to the stop at the fourth rotation speed or the fourth rotation speed have. In order to shorten the processing time of the wafer W, the time until the rotation of the wafer W is resumed and then stopped is set short (for example, 1 second) The number of revolutions of the wafer W that can adjust the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA in the desired thickness can be set.

Thus, the cleaning process of the wafer W is completed. At this time, a liquid film of IPA having a desired thickness (or liquid accumulation amount) is formed on the surface of the wafer W, thereby preventing the wafer W from drying. The liquid film is formed to rise from the peripheral edge Wa of the wafer W and the peripheral edge Wa is thicker than the inner edge Wb.

After the cleaning process of the wafer W is completed, the drying process of the wafer W is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, IPA is supplied to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W. As a result, the liquid film of IPA can be formed so as to rise at the periphery Wa of the wafer W.

The IPA at the periphery Wa of the surface of the wafer W is positioned on the inner side of the periphery Wa until the wafer W after the cleaning process is subjected to the drying process in the supercriticale treatment device 3 So that it is easier to vaporize than IPA in the inner side portion Wb positioned. Thus, the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W is dried first, and the IPA remains in the inner portion Wb. When the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W is dried first, a so-called patterned ingot may be formed in the peripheral portion Wa. A method of increasing the thickness of the liquid film of IPA on the surface of the wafer W as a whole in order to prevent the periphery Wa of the wafer W from drying. However, in this method, particles of IPA on the surface of the wafer W are liable to be generated on the surface of the wafer W after the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 because the liquid accumulation amount of the IPA on the surface of the wafer W increases.

On the other hand, according to this embodiment, as described above, the liquid film of IPA rises from the peripheral edge Wa of the wafer W. This makes it possible to keep the IPA long at the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W and prevent the wafer W from being dried first from the peripheral portion Wa. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the IPA from vaporizing over the entire surface of the wafer W after the cleaning process until the drying process in the supercritical processing device 3 is performed. On the other hand, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA can be suppressed from increasing at the inner side Wb of the wafer W. As a result, excessive accumulation of the IPA liquid on the surface of the wafer W can be prevented from being excessively increased, and generation of particles on the wafer W after the drying process in the supercritical processing device 3 can be prevented can do.

According to the present embodiment, the peripheral feeding process for supplying IPA to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W is performed after the liquid amount adjusting process for reducing the liquid amount of the IPA forming the liquid film. Thereby, the liquid film of IPA on the surface of the wafer W can be maintained for a long time in a shape rising from the peripheral portion Wa. Therefore, vaporization of IPA over the entire surface of the wafer W can be further prevented until the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 is performed.

The second liquid amount adjusting step for reducing the liquid amount of the IPA forming the liquid film on the surface of the wafer W after the peripheral feeding step for supplying the IPA to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W Is done. As a result, the thickness of the liquid film of IPA at the periphery Wa of the wafer W can be adjusted to improve the accuracy. Therefore, generation of particles on the wafer W after the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 can be further prevented.

According to the present embodiment, in the second liquid level adjustment step, the wafer W is subjected to the fourth rotation (second rotation speed) equal to or lower than the rotation speed of the wafer W Turns to the channel. This makes it possible to suppress the movement of the IPA from the inner portion Wb located on the inner side of the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA in the inner side Wb can be maintained at the thickness after the liquid amount adjusting step, and the precision of the thickness of the liquid film can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the third rotation number of the wafer W in the peripheral feeding process is set equal to the first rotation number of the wafer W in the IPA liquid film formation process Explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the third rotation number may be larger or smaller than the first rotation number if the liquid film of IPA can be formed so as to rise from the peripheral portion Wa.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the second liquid amount adjustment step is performed after the peripheral feeding step has been described. However, it is not limited thereto. For example, after the second rinsing step shown in Fig. 8A, the peripheral feeding step may be performed before the IPA liquid film forming step shown in Fig. 8B. Even in this case, the liquid film of IPA can be formed so as to rise from the periphery Wa of the wafer W, and the shape of the liquid film of the IPA can be maintained even after the second liquid amount adjusting step shown in Fig. 13 (b) have.

It is also possible to appropriately adjust the discharge amount or discharge time of the IPA supplied to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W in the peripheral feeding process and the rotation number of the wafer W so that the IPA The second liquid amount adjusting step may not be performed. In this case, the discharge amount of IPA to the peripheral portion Wa of the wafer W in the peripheral feeding process may be smaller than the discharge amount of IPA to the wafer W in the IPA liquid film forming process shown in FIG. 8 (b) . Also, the ejection time of IPA to the periphery Wa of the wafer W may be short (for example, 2 seconds). This makes it possible to suppress the excessive increase in the thickness of the liquid film of the IPA in the periphery Wa and to cause particles to be generated in the wafer W after the drying treatment in the supercritical processing apparatus 3 .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and the elements may be modified and embodied within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in each of the above embodiments and modified examples. Some of the constituent elements may be deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the respective embodiments and modified examples. In addition, components extending over different embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined.

1: substrate processing system
2: Cleaning device
3: supercritical processing device
4:
20: Motor
23: wafer holding mechanism
27: Rinse liquid nozzle
28: IPA nozzle
32: IPA supplier
301: Processing vessel
W: Wafer
Wa: Peripheral

Claims (12)

A liquid film forming step of supplying a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed to form a liquid film of the processing liquid that covers the surface of the substrate,
A supply stopping step of stopping supply of the processing liquid to the substrate while setting the number of revolutions of the substrate to be equal to or less than the first rotation number after the liquid film forming step,
And a liquid amount adjusting step of reducing the liquid amount of the processing liquid forming the liquid film by using the substrate rotation speed as a second rotation speed greater than the first rotation speed after the stopping of the supply. The method according to claim 1,
And stopping the rotation of the substrate in the supply stop step. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the supply of the processing solution is stopped after the rotation of the substrate is stopped in the supply stopping step. The method according to claim 1,
And the substrate is rotated at a rotation speed equal to or lower than the first rotation speed in the supply stop step. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the rotation of the substrate is stopped after a lapse of a predetermined time after the rotation number of the substrate is increased in the liquid amount adjustment step. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising a peripheral feeding step for feeding the processing liquid to the periphery of the substrate while rotating the substrate. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the peripheral feeding step is performed after the liquid amount adjusting step. 8. The method of claim 7,
And a second liquid amount adjusting step of reducing the liquid amount of the processing liquid forming the liquid film while stopping the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate and rotating the substrate after the peripheral feeding step, Way. 9. The method of claim 8,
And the substrate is rotated at a rotation speed not higher than the second rotation speed in the second liquid amount adjustment step. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A transfer step of transferring the substrate into the processing container in a state in which the liquid film of the processing liquid is formed after the liquid amount adjustment step;
Supplying the pressurized processing fluid to the processing vessel after the loading step and supplying the pressurized processing fluid to the processing vessel while maintaining the pressure in the processing vessel at a pressure that maintains the processing fluid in a critical state Further comprising a drying step of discharging the processing fluid from the processing vessel to dry the substrate. A program for causing a computer to execute the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 by controlling the substrate processing system when executed by a computer for controlling the operation of the substrate processing system media. A holding portion for holding the substrate horizontally,
A rotation driving unit for rotating the holding unit,
A processing liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit;
And a control unit,
A liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film of the processing liquid that covers the surface of the substrate by supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; A supply stop step of stopping supply of the processing liquid to the substrate while setting the number of revolutions of the substrate to be equal to or lower than the first number of revolutions; And controls the rotation driving section and the processing liquid supply section to perform a liquid amount adjustment step of reducing a liquid amount of the processing liquid forming the liquid film to a second rotation number larger than the rotation number.

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