TWI714831B - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate processing technology including the process of forming a liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate and then solidifying it can solidify the liquid film to the peripheral edge of the substrate in a short time. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes: a substrate holding portion 11, a processing liquid supply portion 84, and a refrigerant supply portion 86; the substrate holding portion 11 holds the peripheral portion of the substrate W and supports the substrate W in a horizontal position while making the substrate It rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction; the above-mentioned processing liquid supply unit 84 supplies the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W to form a liquid film of the processing liquid; the above-mentioned refrigerant supply unit 86 is from below the substrate W toward the bottom of the substrate W The surface is supplied with a fluid refrigerant at a lower temperature than the freezing point of the processing liquid to solidify the liquid film; wherein, the refrigerant supply part 86 starts to supply a predetermined flow of refrigerant to the center of rotation of the lower surface of the substrate W, and then causes it to face the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W. At least one of the flow rate and the supply amount of the supplied refrigerant increases with time.

Description

Substrate processing device and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method including a process of forming a liquid film on the upper surface of a substrate and then solidifying it.

In the substrate processing technology of supplying a processing liquid to a substrate and performing wet processing, it includes a process of forming a liquid film on the upper surface of a substrate in a horizontal position by the processing liquid, and then solidifying it. This kind of process is for the purpose of using the volume change when the liquid is solidified to free and remove the adhering matter attached to the substrate, or to prevent the pattern formed on the substrate from being caused by the treatment liquid when the substrate after the wet treatment is dried. It is implemented for the purpose of stress and damage caused by the surface tension.

For example, the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-185756 (Patent-Document 1) supplies nitrogen cooled by liquid nitrogen to the substrate by a nozzle that scans and moves along the upper surface of the substrate on which the liquid film has been formed. Surface, and freeze the liquid film. With the scanning of the nozzle, the solidification of the liquid film will proceed from the center of the substrate to the outer periphery. In addition, in order to shorten the time required for freezing, this technology supplies room temperature gas to the lower surface of the substrate that is wetted by the liquid, and uses the evaporation heat of the liquid to assist in cooling the substrate.

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the liquid film to be solidified is mainly composed of water, and its freezing point is below 0°C. Therefore, in order to solidify the liquid film, a higher cooling capacity is required. On the other hand, in order to reduce processing costs and energy consumption, a method of using high freezing point materials for the processing liquid system that forms the liquid film has been explored. One of the effective methods in this case is to supply a refrigerant to the lower surface of the substrate to solidify the liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate. This configuration can also allow the liquid used as a refrigerant to directly contact the substrate, and is more advantageous in terms of thermal efficiency than when the gas cooled by the refrigerant is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate to solidify the liquid film.

However, because it is necessary to support and rotate the substrate carrying the liquid film on the upper surface, it is difficult to design a mechanism for scanning and moving the nozzle that discharges the refrigerant toward the lower surface of the substrate. Therefore, it is conceivable that, for example, for the rotating substrate, the refrigerant is supplied to the vicinity of the rotation center of the lower surface, and the refrigerant reaches the peripheral edge of the substrate by centrifugal force. However, during this period, the temperature of the refrigerant rises, so there may be insufficient cooling capacity particularly at the periphery of the substrate. As a result, problems such as failure of the entire liquid film to solidify well, and it takes a long time to solidify the liquid film.

The present invention was completed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a substrate processing technology that includes a process of forming a liquid film on the upper surface of a substrate and then solidifying it, and a technology capable of solidifying the liquid film to the periphery of the substrate in a short time .

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with: a substrate holding part, a processing liquid supply part, and a refrigerant supply part; and the substrate holding part holds the peripheral edge of the substrate while holding the substrate Supported in a horizontal position, while rotating the substrate around a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction; the processing liquid supply unit supplies the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid; the refrigerant supply unit is from The lower surface of the substrate supplies a fluid refrigerant at a lower temperature than the freezing point of the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate to solidify the liquid film; wherein the refrigerant supply unit starts to supply the predetermined flow rate to the center of rotation of the lower surface of the substrate After the refrigerant, at least one of the flow velocity and the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate is increased over time.

Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the substrate processing method of the present invention is to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate, while supporting the substrate in a horizontal position, while rotating the substrate around a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction, and Supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid, and supplying a fluid refrigerant at a lower temperature than the freezing point of the processing liquid from below the substrate to the lower surface of the substrate to solidify the liquid film, After starting to supply the refrigerant at a predetermined flow rate to the center of rotation of the lower surface of the substrate, at least one of the flow rate and the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate is increased over time.

The invention constituted in this way is to first supply the refrigerant to the center of rotation in the lower surface of the substrate where the liquid film is formed on the upper surface and is rotated. As a result, solidification starts from the central part of the liquid film, and the solidified area expands toward the periphery. Even if this state is maintained, the cooling capacity of the peripheral portion of the substrate will decrease due to the increase in the temperature of the refrigerant, resulting in insufficient solidification of the liquid film at the peripheral portion, causing problems such as time-consuming solidification. Therefore, the present invention increases at least one of the flow rate and the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate over time. As a result, the amount of heat per unit time that the refrigerant at the periphery of the substrate takes from the substrate increases, and the cooling capacity of the refrigerant at the periphery is improved. As a result, the liquid film can be solidified to the peripheral edge well. In addition, the time required to solidify the entire liquid film can be shortened.

As described above, the present invention first supplies the refrigerant to the rotation center of the lower surface of the substrate on which the liquid film is formed on the upper surface, and then increases at least one of the flow rate and the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the periphery of the lower surface of the substrate. This improves the cooling capacity of the peripheral edge portion, so that the liquid film can be well solidified to the peripheral edge portion in a short time.

1, 1a, 1b‧‧‧Substrate processing equipment

10, 10a, 10b‧‧‧PCB holding part

11‧‧‧Rotating fixture

12, 13, 15‧‧‧ Refrigerant discharge section

14, 121, 151‧‧‧Opposite member

20‧‧‧Splash guard

21‧‧‧Shield

22‧‧‧Liquid receiving part

30, 40‧‧‧Processing liquid discharge section

31、41‧‧‧Rotating shaft

32, 42‧‧‧arm

33、43‧‧‧Nozzle

70‧‧‧Processing room

80, 80a‧‧‧Control unit

81‧‧‧CPU

82‧‧‧Memory

83‧‧‧Arm drive

84‧‧‧Processing Liquid Supply Department

85‧‧‧Hood lifting part

86, 89‧‧‧ Refrigerant Supply Department

87‧‧‧Fixture Drive

88‧‧‧Display

101‧‧‧Sleeve

103‧‧‧Clamp rotating mechanism

111‧‧‧Rotating base

112‧‧‧Rotating Pivot

114‧‧‧Clamping pin

122‧‧‧Supply Pipe

123、152‧‧‧Nozzle on lower surface

131‧‧‧The first bottom surface nozzle

132‧‧‧The second bottom surface nozzle

133‧‧‧Nozzle on the 3rd lower surface

134‧‧‧4th lower surface nozzle

140, 150‧‧‧ Opposite surface

141‧‧‧Refrigerant outlet (No. 1 outlet)

142‧‧‧Refrigerant outlet (2nd outlet)

143‧‧‧Refrigerant outlet (No. 3 outlet)

145‧‧‧Pivot

153‧‧‧Rectifying component

890‧‧‧Delivery Department

891: first valve

892: 2nd valve

893: 3rd valve

894: Valve Control Department

AX: Rotation axis

Ca: center of rotation

Cb: center of rotation

F: refrigerant

FF: solidified film

L: Treatment liquid

LF: Liquid film

W: substrate

Wa: the upper surface of the substrate

Wb: bottom surface of substrate

Wp: Peripheral

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an operation flowchart of the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Fig. 3A is a first diagram schematically showing the state of each part during the operation shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3B is a second diagram schematically showing the state of each part during the operation shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3C is a third diagram schematically showing the state of each part in the operation shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3D is a fourth diagram schematically showing the state of each part during the operation shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4A is a first diagram illustrating the change of the supply amount of refrigerant and the rotation speed of the substrate.

FIG. 4B is a second diagram illustrating the change of the supply amount of refrigerant and the rotation speed of the substrate.

Fig. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A is a first view of the main parts of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 6B is a second view of the main parts of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 6C is a third view of the main parts of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a first modification of the second embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a second modification of the second embodiment.

Fig. 9 is an operation flowchart of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 10A is the first diagram of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 10B is a second diagram of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 10C is a third diagram of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the outline of the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention can be applied will be described. Hereinafter, the "substrate" refers to semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma display, substrates for FED (Field Emission Display), substrates for optical discs, and magnetic discs. Various substrates such as substrates and substrates for optical magnetic disks. Hereinafter, the substrate processing system used in the processing of semiconductor substrates is mainly taken as an example, and the description will be made with reference to the drawings. The processing of various substrates exemplified above can also be applied to the present invention.

<First Embodiment>

Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing device 1 is a wet processing device that performs wet processing such as cleaning and etching processing on a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer with a processing liquid. Various known technologies can be applied to the wet processing system. Particularly preferably, the treatment includes a process of solidifying the liquid film formed on the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding portion 10, a splash guard 20, and processing liquid discharge portions 30 and 40 provided in a processing chamber 70, and a control unit 80 that controls each portion.

The substrate holding portion 10 holds and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal position with the surface of the substrate facing upward. The substrate holding portion 10 has a rotating jig 11 integrally coupled with a rotating base 111 and a rotating shaft 112. The rotation base 111 has a substantially circular shape in plan view, and a hollow rotation support shaft 112 extending in a substantially vertical direction is fixed to the center portion. The rotation support shaft 112 is connected to the rotation shaft of the clamp rotation mechanism 103 containing a motor. The clamp rotation mechanism 103 is housed in the cylindrical sleeve 101. The rotating support shaft 112 is supported by the sleeve 101 so as to be freely rotatable around a vertical rotation shaft.

The clamp rotation mechanism 103 is driven by the clamp drive part 87 of the control unit 80 to rotate the rotation support shaft 112 around the rotation axis. Thereby, the rotating base 111 attached to the upper end of the rotating support shaft 112 rotates around the vertical axis. The control unit 80 controls the clamp rotation mechanism 103 via the clamp drive unit 87 to adjust the rotation speed of the rotating base 111.

In the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the spin base 111, a plurality of clamping pins 114 for grasping the peripheral end of the substrate W are erected. The clamping pins 114 can surely hold the circular substrate W, and only three or more of them (six in this example) are provided, and they are arranged at equal angular intervals along the peripheral edge of the rotating base 111. The clamping pins 114 are each configured to be switchable between a pressed state pressed against the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W and a released state away from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

When the substrate W is transferred to the rotating base 111, the plurality of clamping pins 114 are respectively in a loose state. On the other hand, when the substrate W is rotated to perform a predetermined process, the plurality of clamping pins 114 are in a pressed state. Accordingly, by being in the pressed state, the clamping pin 114 grips the peripheral end of the substrate W, and the substrate W can be held in a substantially horizontal posture at a predetermined interval from the rotation base 111. Thereby, the substrate W is supported with the surface facing upward and the back surface facing downward. In addition, the clamping pin 114 is not limited to the above, and various well-known structures may be adopted.

In the state where the substrate W is held by the rotating jig 11, and the clamping pin 114 provided on the rotating base 111 is used to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W, the jig rotating mechanism 103 is activated, and the substrate W is surrounded The rotation axis AX in the vertical direction rotates. Hereinafter, the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W that are rotated in this manner are respectively given component symbols Wa and Wb. In addition, the rotation center on the upper surface side is given a component symbol Ca, and the rotation center on the lower surface side is given a component symbol Cb.

Below the substrate W supported in a horizontal posture by the rotating jig 11, a refrigerant discharge part 12 is provided. As described later, the refrigerant discharge unit 12 discharges a refrigerant lower than the freezing point of the liquid constituting the liquid film toward the lower surface Wb of the substrate W on which the liquid film has been formed on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W, and has a function of solidifying the liquid film. The refrigerant discharge part 12 is provided with an opposing member 121 and a supply pipe 122. The opposing member 121 has a disc-like shape slightly smaller than the substrate W, and is arranged such that the horizontal upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate are opposite to Wb. The supply pipe 122 is installed at the center of the opposed member 121 and extends downward in the vertical direction. The supply tube 122 is inserted into the hollow part of the rotating shaft 112 but is not connected to the rotating shaft 112. Therefore, when the rotating jig 11 rotates, the refrigerant discharge part 12 does not rotate.

The supply pipe 122 is a hollow pipe, and its upper end is opened at the center of the facing member 121 upward. The supply pipe 122 is connected to the refrigerant supply part 86 of the control unit 80, and discharges the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply part 86 toward the lower surface Wb of the substrate. Thereby, the refrigerant is supplied to the gap space between the lower surface Wb of the substrate and the upper surface of the opposite member 121. That is, the upper end of the supply pipe 122 functions as a nozzle having a discharge port opening toward the rotation center Cb on the lower surface side of the substrate W. Here, this part is referred to as "lower surface nozzle 123" when necessary in the following cases. In this way, the refrigerant discharge unit 12 cools the substrate W by bringing the discharged refrigerant into contact with the lower surface Wb of the substrate, thereby solidifying the liquid film carried on the upper surface Wa of the substrate. Any liquid or gas can be used for the refrigerant system.

Furthermore, around the sleeve 101, the splash guard 20 is designed to be lifted and lowered along the rotation axis of the rotating jig 11 so as to surround the periphery of the substrate W held in a horizontal posture by the rotating jig 11. The splash guard 20 has a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape with respect to the rotation axis. The splash guard 20 includes a plurality of layers (two layers in this example) of a shield 21 and a liquid receiving portion 22. The shields 21 are arranged concentrically with the rotating jig 11, respectively, and receive the processing liquid splashed from the substrate W. The liquid receiving portion 22 receives the processing liquid flowing down from the shield 21. Then, the shield 21 is raised and lowered in stages by the shield elevating portion 85 provided in the control unit 80, and processing liquids such as chemical liquids and cleaning liquids splashed from the rotating substrate W can be recovered.

At least one liquid supply part is provided around the splash guard 20. The liquid supply unit is used to supply chemical liquids such as etching liquids, and various processing liquids such as cleaning liquids, solvents, pure water, and DIW (deionized water) to the substrate W. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, two sets of processing liquid discharge parts 30 and 40 are provided. The processing liquid discharge unit 30 includes a rotating shaft 31, an arm 32, and a nozzle 33. The rotation shaft 31 is driven by the arm driving portion 83 of the control unit 80 and is configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The arm 32 extends from the rotating shaft 31 in the horizontal direction. The nozzle 33 is mounted on the front end of the arm 32 downward. By rotating and driving the rotating shaft 31 by the arm driving portion 83, the arm 32 swings around the vertical axis. Thereby, the nozzle 33 moves between a retracted position (position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1) that is more outside than the splash guard 20 and a position above the rotation center of the substrate W (position shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1). The nozzle 33 discharges a predetermined processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 84 of the control unit 80 while being positioned above the substrate W, and supplies the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate W.

Similarly, the processing liquid ejection unit 40 includes a rotating shaft 41, an arm 42, and a nozzle 43. The rotation shaft 41 is rotationally driven by the arm driving portion 83. The arm 42 is connected to the rotating shaft 41. The nozzle 43 is provided at the tip of the arm 42 and discharges the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 84. In addition, the number of processing liquid discharge parts is not limited to this, and can be increased or decreased as needed.

In a state where the substrate W is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the rotation of the rotary jig 11, the nozzles 33, 43 are sequentially positioned above the substrate W by the processing liquid discharge parts 30, 40, and the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate. W, wet processing is performed on the substrate W. According to the processing purpose, the nozzles 33 and 43 can discharge different processing liquids, and can also discharge the same processing liquid. In addition, two or more kinds of processing liquids may be discharged from one nozzle. The processing liquid supplied to the vicinity of the rotation center of the substrate W spreads outward by the centrifugal force derived from the rotation of the substrate W, and is finally dried from the peripheral edge of the substrate W to the side. The processing liquid splashed from the substrate W is received by the shield 21 of the splash cover 20 and recovered by the liquid receiver 22.

In addition to the above, the control unit 80 of the substrate processing system 1 is provided with a CPU 81, a memory 82, and a display unit 88. The CPU 81 executes a predetermined processing program to control the operation of each part. The memory 82 is used to store and store processing programs executed by the CPU 81, data generated during processing, and the like. The display unit 88 is used to notify the user of the progress of the processing, the occurrence of abnormalities, etc., as necessary.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. The above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus 1 can be applied to various processing. Here, a process of forming a liquid film on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W with a processing liquid after performing an appropriate wet process on the substrate W and then solidifying it will be described. This type of treatment is suitable for, for example, a cleaning treatment (freezing cleaning treatment) that uses the change in volume when the treatment liquid is solidified to free adherents from the substrate W; and sublimation of the solidified film by solidifying the liquid film. Drying treatment (sublimation drying treatment) for drying the substrate W, etc. The principle of such processing is already well known, so the description is omitted here.

Fig. 2 shows an operation flowchart of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In addition, FIGS. 3A to 3D show schematic diagrams of the states of various parts in this operation. The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 described below is realized by the CPU 81 executing a control program stored in advance in the memory 82 to make each part of the apparatus execute a predetermined operation. First, the substrate W carried in the apparatus is treated as a work and an appropriate wet process is performed (step S101). Most of the wet treatments belong to known well-known technologies, and this embodiment can also be applied to these treatments. Therefore, the description is omitted here.

After the wet process is completed, the jig rotating mechanism 103 is driven by the jig drive unit 87 to rotate the rotating jig 11 at a predetermined speed for liquid film formation. Thereby, the substrate W after the wet processing is rotated at the speed for forming the liquid film (step S102). Then, the nozzle 33 is positioned above the rotation center Ca of the substrate W (step S103), and the processing liquid for forming a liquid film is discharged from the nozzle 33 (step S104). As shown in FIG. 3A, when the processing liquid L discharged from the nozzle 33 is supplied to the rotation center Ca of the rotating substrate W, the processing liquid L spreads toward the outer periphery of the substrate W by centrifugal force. By appropriately setting the supply amount of the processing liquid L and the rotation speed of the substrate W, a liquid film LF covering the entire upper surface Wa of the substrate W is formed.

For the treatment liquid system for forming the liquid film LF, for example, ethylene carbonate, cyclobutylene, tert-butanol, dimethylsulfide, acetic acid, etc. can be used. In addition, the rotation speed of the substrate W is set to a low speed at which the supplied processing liquid will not be dried, for example, 300 rpm or less. In addition, the thickness of the liquid film LF can be controlled by the rotation speed of the substrate W.

If the processing liquid L is supplied to the substrate W for a predetermined time to form a liquid film LF (step S105), the nozzle 33 stops the discharge of the processing liquid and moves to the retreat position on the side of the substrate W (step S106). The substrate W continues to rotate at the liquid film formation speed or the solidification rotation speed lower than the rotation speed (step S107). Thereby, the upper surface Wa of the substrate W maintains the state covered by the liquid film LF of a predetermined thickness.

Next, the refrigerant supply part 86 of the control unit 80 sends out the refrigerant toward the refrigerant discharge part 12. Thereby, the refrigerant of a predetermined flow rate is discharged from the lower surface nozzle 123 of the refrigerant discharge part 12, and is supplied to the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of a board|substrate (step S108). The refrigerant is a liquid or gas that is lower than the freezing point of the treatment liquid L. As shown in FIG. 3B, the substrate W is cooled when the center portion of the lower surface Wb of the substrate contacts the refrigerant F, and the center portion of the liquid film LF formed on the upper surface Wa of the substrate is solidified and converted into a solidified film FF.

The freezing point of the treatment liquid L is around room temperature. Therefore, the refrigerant F system can use cold water, for example. The temperature of the cold water can be set at about 0°C to 10°C. By using a liquid with a larger specific heat as the refrigerant, the liquid film LF can be cooled efficiently. In addition, the refrigerant supply unit 86 only needs to have the function of cooling water to several degrees Celsius and sending it out, so that the refrigerant can be supplied with simpler equipment. Therefore, the device cost and processing cost can be suppressed. In addition to the above-mentioned refrigerant systems, mixed solutions of ethylene glycol added to water, perfluorocarbons such as hydrofluoroether (HFE) and Fluorinert ^TM can also be used.

After the refrigerant is continuously supplied for a predetermined time according to the initial flow rate (step S109), at least one of the supply amount of the refrigerant F and the rotation speed of the substrate W is increased (step S110). As shown in FIG. 3C, as more refrigerant is supplied to the peripheral edge Wp of the lower surface Wb of the substrate, the solidified film FF on the upper surface Wa of the substrate expands from the center to the peripheral edge, and finally the entire upper surface Wa of the substrate is formed uniformly. Covered by the solidified film FF.

FIG. 3D shows the temperature distribution of the substrate W during processing. The initial stage of refrigerant supply is shown by the solid line in Figure 3D. Even though the center of the substrate near the rotation center Ca is lower than the freezing point Tf of the processing liquid L, the temperature rises as the refrigerant expands toward the periphery, causing the substrate W to become cold. The peripheral edge is not sufficiently cooled. That is, the closer to the peripheral edge of the substrate, the lower the cooling capacity of the refrigerant. Therefore, there is a problem that the liquid film is not solidified at the periphery of the substrate W, or the solidification takes time.

In this embodiment, after a certain amount of refrigerant F is supplied to the substrate W for a predetermined period of time, one or both of the supply amount of the refrigerant F and the rotation speed of the substrate W are increased over time. By increasing the amount of supply of the peripheral portion Wp of the lower surface Wb of the substrate, the amount of the refrigerant F passing through the lower surface Wb of the substrate per unit time is increased. Therefore, the cooling capacity of the substrate W by the refrigerant F will be improved. In addition, by increasing the flow rate of the refrigerant F flowing along the lower surface Wb of the substrate, the refrigerant F can reach the peripheral edge portion Wp of the substrate while maintaining a low temperature. Therefore, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3D, the temperature difference between the peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate can be reduced in a short time. As a result, the entire substrate W can be lowered to a temperature lower than the freezing point Tf of the liquid film L in a short time, and the time required to solidify the entire liquid film can be shortened.

In order to improve the homogeneity of the coagulation film FF, it is preferable to first convert the center portion of the liquid film LF into the coagulation film FF, and then to expand the coagulation area sequentially toward the peripheral edge. In this embodiment, the refrigerant F is supplied to the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate, and then at least one of the supply amount of the refrigerant F and the rotation speed of the substrate W is increased. Accordingly, the solidification of the liquid film in response to the above requirements can be realized.

Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B show schematic diagrams of changes in the supply of refrigerant and the rotation speed of the substrate. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, time T1 corresponds to the start time of step S108, and time T2 corresponds to the start time of step S110. The supply amount of the relevant refrigerant F and the rotation speed of the substrate W may be continuously increased from time T2 as shown in FIG. 4A, or may be increased in stages from time T2 as shown in FIG. 4B .

Refer to FIG. 2 again to continue the operation description. If the predetermined time has elapsed from the time T3 when at least one of the supply amount of refrigerant and the substrate rotation speed increases (step S111), the discharge of the refrigerant F from the nozzle 123 on the lower surface and the rotation of the substrate W are stopped (step S112, time T4) . The workpiece whose entire upper surface Wa of the substrate is covered with the solidified film FF is carried out from the processing chamber 90 (step S113), and is supplied to an external device for a post-processing step.

In addition, in the case where the rotation speed of the substrate W is increased in step S110, the maximum rotation speed of the substrate W is still set below the liquid film formation speed. In this way, the liquid film LF that has not yet solidified can be reliably prevented from being spin-dried due to the high-speed rotation of the substrate W.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, by supplying the refrigerant F to the vicinity of the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate, the center portion of the liquid film LF starts to solidify. Then, by increasing at least one of the supply amount of the refrigerant F and the rotation speed of the substrate W, the amount of the refrigerant F supplied to the periphery of the substrate W per unit time is increased. Thereby, the cooling capacity by the refrigerant F is improved, and the time required to solidify the entire liquid film can be shortened.

<Second Embodiment>

Next, the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The structure of the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is mostly common to that of the first embodiment, and the purpose and content of the processing performed by the apparatus are also almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Here, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding configurations as those of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In addition, in FIG. 5, in order to make the drawing easy to see, the reference numerals of the components having the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1 are omitted.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The biggest difference between this substrate processing apparatus 1a and the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment lies in the structure of the substrate holding portion. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 1a of the second embodiment is provided with a substrate holding portion 10a instead of the substrate holding portion 10 of the first embodiment. The substrate holding portion 10a is provided with a refrigerant discharge portion 13 instead of the refrigerant discharge portion 12 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, due to the difference in terms, the configuration of the control unit 80a is also partially different. That is, the control unit 80a of the substrate processing apparatus 1a of the second embodiment is provided with a refrigerant supply unit 89 instead of the refrigerant supply unit 86 of the first embodiment.

6A to 6C are diagrams of the main parts of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the refrigerant discharge section 13 of the substrate processing apparatus 1a is provided with a plurality of (three in this example) lower surface nozzles 131, 132, and 133 arranged below the substrate W. Among them, the first lower surface nozzle 131 is located at a position directly below the lower surface side rotation center Cb of the substrate W, and is provided with a discharge port opening upward. In addition, the second lower surface nozzle 132 is in the radial direction of the substrate W, and a discharge port opening upward is provided at a position outside the first lower surface nozzle 131. In addition, the third lower surface nozzle 133 is located in the radial direction of the substrate W, and is provided with a discharge port that opens upward at a position outside the second lower surface nozzle 132.

The first to third lower surface nozzles 131 to 133 are respectively connected to the refrigerant supply unit 89 via a supply pipe provided in the hollow portion of the rotating support shaft 112 of the rotating jig 11. The supply pipes and nozzles are not connected to the rotating clamp 11 and will not rotate due to the rotation of the rotating clamp 11.

The refrigerant supply unit 89 is provided with a delivery unit 890 that delivers the refrigerant F, first to third valves 891 to 893, and a valve control unit 894. More specifically, the first valve 891 is provided in the middle of the piping connecting the delivery unit 890 and the first lower surface nozzle 131. In addition, a second valve 892 is provided in the middle of the pipe that connects the delivery unit 890 and the second lower surface nozzle 132. In addition, a third valve 893 is provided in the middle of the pipe that connects the delivery portion 890 and the third lower surface nozzle 133.

The first to third valves 891 to 893 can cooperate with the control from the valve control unit 894 to open and close independently of each other. That is, the valve control unit 894 controls the first to third valves 891 to 893 individually, so that the amount of refrigerant supplied from the delivery unit 890 to the first to third valves 891 to 893 and the supply timing can be adjusted independently of each other. The refrigerant F sent through the first to third valves 891 to 893 is discharged from the first to third lower surface nozzles 131 to 133 toward the substrate lower surface Wb. The refrigerant F supplied to the lower surface Wb of the substrate will flow along the substrate Wb toward the peripheral edge by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate W.

The arrangement of the first to third lower surface nozzles 131 to 133 in plan view is arbitrary. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, they may be arranged in a row, or as shown in FIG. 6C, the direction from the first lower surface nozzle 131 to the second lower surface nozzle 132 and the direction from the first lower surface nozzle 131 toward The directions of the third lower surface nozzles 133 are different from each other. In addition, the following configuration is also possible.

Figures 7 and 8 show diagrams of modified examples of the second embodiment. The modification shown in FIG. 7 is that in addition to the above, a fourth lower surface nozzle 134 is provided, and a total of 4 lower surface nozzles are designed. Among these, the first lower surface nozzle 131 is provided at a position directly below the rotation center Cb of the substrate W. On the other hand, the second to fourth lower surface nozzles 132 to 134 are arranged in the radial direction of the substrate W at positions different from each other from the rotation center Cb. In FIG. 7, the second to fourth lower surface nozzles 132 to 134 are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the substrate W. As in the above example, the arrangement of the lower surface nozzles in plan view may be arbitrary.

The modification shown in FIG. 8 is that under the substrate W held by the rotating jig 11, a disc-shaped opposing member 14 having an opposing surface 140 facing the lower surface Wb of the substrate is arranged. A support shaft 145 extending in the vertical direction is provided at the lower part of the opposing member 14, and the support shaft 145 is inserted into the hollow portion of the rotating support shaft 112 of the rotating jig. The opposing member 14 is not connected to the rotating clamp 11 and will not rotate as the rotating clamp 11 rotates.

A plurality of refrigerant discharge ports 141, 142, and 143 are provided on the facing surface 140 of the facing member 14 (three in this example). Among them, the first discharge port 141 is provided at a position directly below the rotation center Cb on the lower surface side of the substrate W. In addition, the second discharge port 142 is provided at a position on the outside of the first discharge port 141 in the radial direction of the substrate W. In addition, the third discharge port 143 is provided at a position outside the second discharge port 142 in the radial direction of the substrate W. In this case, the arrangement of the refrigerant discharge ports 141, 142, and 143 in plan view may be arbitrary.

The refrigerant discharge ports 141, 142, and 143 are respectively connected to valves 891, 892, and 893 of the refrigerant supply unit via a flow path and appropriate piping provided in the support shaft 145 of the opposed member 14, respectively. Therefore, by individually controlling the first to third valves 891 to 893 by the valve control unit 894, it is possible to adjust independently of each other from the delivery unit 890 through the first to third valves 891 to 893, and then from the first to third valves. The outlets 141~143 respectively spit out the amount and supply timing of refrigerant. The refrigerant F discharged toward the gap space between the opposing surface 140 and the bottom surface Wb of the substrate is supplied to the bottom surface Wb of the substrate, and flows along the substrate Wb toward the peripheral edge by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate W.

Fig. 9 is an operation flowchart of the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment. The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1a described below is realized by using the CPU 81 to execute a control program stored in advance in the memory 82 to make each part of the apparatus execute a predetermined operation. In addition, most of the steps in this operation are the same as in the first embodiment. The description of these steps is simplified here. In addition, the following operation description is based on the configuration shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the operation is basically the same in the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

The substrate W to be first carried into the device is treated as a workpiece and subjected to an appropriate wet process (step S201). After the wet process is completed, the rotating jig 11 is rotated at a predetermined speed for liquid film formation. Thereby, the substrate W is rotated at the speed for forming the liquid film (step S202). Then, the nozzle 33 is positioned above the rotation center Ca of the substrate W (step S203), and the processing liquid L for forming a liquid film is discharged from the nozzle 33 (step S204). If the processing liquid L is supplied to the substrate W for a predetermined time to form a liquid film LF (step S205), the nozzle 33 stops the discharge of the processing liquid and moves to a retracted position on the side of the substrate W (step S206). The substrate W continues to rotate at the liquid film formation speed or the solidification rotation speed lower than the rotation speed (step S207). So far, the operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

From this state, the valve control unit 894 opens the first valve 891. In this way, the refrigerant F sent from the sending unit 890 is ejected from the first lower surface nozzle 131 and supplied to the vicinity of the rotation center Cb on the lower surface side of the substrate W (step S208). Thereby, the center part of the substrate W is cooled, and the liquid film starts to solidify. After the predetermined time has elapsed (step S209), the valve control unit 894 opens the second valve 892, and starts to discharge the refrigerant F from the second lower surface nozzle 132 (step S210). Furthermore, after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S211), the valve control unit 894 opens the third valve 893 and starts to discharge the refrigerant F from the third lower surface nozzle 133 (step S212).

Accordingly, in the liquid film solidification process of the substrate processing apparatus 1a of the present embodiment, the first lower surface nozzle 131 provided directly below the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate supplies the refrigerant F to the lower surface Wb of the substrate. . Then, the supply of the refrigerant F is sequentially started from the second lower surface nozzle 132 and the third lower surface nozzle 133 near the peripheral edge of the lower surface Wb of the substrate. The refrigerant F discharged from the second lower surface nozzle 132 is discharged from the first lower surface nozzle 131, and merges with the refrigerant F flowing along the substrate lower surface Wb to a position facing the second lower surface nozzle 132. In this case, since the refrigerant discharged from the second lower surface nozzle 132 has a relatively low temperature, the cooling capacity of the substrate W on the outside of this position is improved. In addition, the refrigerant F discharged from the third lower surface nozzle 133 is discharged from the first lower surface nozzle 131 and the second lower surface nozzle 132, and flows along the lower surface Wb of the substrate to a position opposite to the third lower surface nozzle 133. The refrigerant F is colder. Therefore, the cooling capacity for the substrate W located further outside than this position is further improved.

In particular, in this embodiment, in addition to increasing the supply amount of refrigerant F over time, the supply position of the increased amount of refrigerant F moves to a position close to the peripheral edge of the substrate W in sequence. Thereby, the cooling capacity of the refrigerant F can be exerted at a position closer to the peripheral edge of the substrate. As a result, the problem of the lower the cooling capacity of the refrigerant F as the closer to the peripheral portion is effectively resolved.

After the refrigerant F is discharged from each lower surface nozzle for a predetermined time (step S213), similarly to the first embodiment, the refrigerant F discharged from each lower surface nozzle and the rotation of the substrate W are stopped (step S214). The workpiece covered with the solidified film FF on the entire upper surface Wa of the substrate is carried out from the processing chamber 90 (step S215), and the processing is terminated.

In addition, in the modification shown in FIG. 8, the first valve 891 is provided in the pipe communicating with the first discharge port 141 provided at the position closest to the rotation center Cb of the substrate W, and the rotation of the substrate W is close to the first valve 891. A second valve 892 is provided in the pipe communicating with the second outlet 142 provided at the center Cb position, and a third valve 893 is provided in the pipe communicating with the third outlet 143 farthest from the rotation center Cb. Therefore, as in the above-mentioned operation, by sequentially opening the first valve 891, the second valve 892, and the third valve 893, the refrigerant supply amount increases from the center of the substrate W to the peripheral edge in order.

As described above, in the process of solidifying the liquid film in this embodiment, the refrigerant F is first supplied to the vicinity of the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate. Then, the supply of refrigerant to the outside is sequentially added to increase the supply of refrigerant at the periphery. This compensates for the decrease in the cooling capacity caused by the increase in the temperature of the refrigerant as the closer to the peripheral portion, so that the peripheral portion of the substrate W can be cooled with high cooling capacity. Therefore, the liquid film LF formed on the upper surface Wa side of the substrate can be solidified well in a short time.

This is because the cooling capacity of the substrate does not increase the substrate overall from the beginning, but increases the cooling capacity from the center toward the periphery over time. Thereby, the solidification of the liquid film proceeds from the center to the peripheral edge, and the solidified film FF can be made homogeneous.

<The third embodiment>

10A to 10C are diagrams showing the main parts of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 10A, the description of the processing chamber 70 and the control unit 80 having the same configuration as the first embodiment is omitted. The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment also has a plurality of configurations common to the first embodiment, and the purpose and content of the processing performed by the apparatus are also substantially common to the first embodiment. Here, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding configurations as those of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In addition, in FIG. 10A, in order to make the drawing easy to see, the reference of the component symbols having the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1 is omitted.

The substrate processing apparatus 1b of the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the refrigerant discharge section. That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 1b of the third embodiment, the refrigerant discharge section 15 is provided in the substrate holding section 10b. The refrigerant discharge unit 15 includes a disc-shaped opposed member 151, a lower surface nozzle 152, and a plurality of rectifying members 153. The disc-shaped facing member 151 is fixed to the upper part of the rotating base 111, and the upper surface becomes the facing surface 150 facing the lower surface Wb of the substrate W. The lower surface nozzle 152 is provided in the opening at the center of the opposed member 151. The plurality of rectifying members 153 are arranged on the upper surface (opposing surface) 150 of the opposing member 151.

In this embodiment, the facing member 151 is installed on the rotating base 111 and rotates integrally with the rotating base 111. The clamping pin 114 holding the substrate W is attached to the peripheral edge portion of the opposed member 151. Therefore, when the rotating base 111 rotates, the opposed member 151, the clamping pin 114, and the substrate W held by the clamping pin 114 integrally rotate around the vertical rotation axis AX.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, none of the lower surface nozzles 152 is connected to the rotating base 111 or the facing member 151, and does not rotate. However, it is also possible to adopt a structure that rotates integrally with these. The lower surface nozzle 152 is connected to the refrigerant supply part 86 (FIG. 1) of the control unit 80, and discharges the refrigerant F supplied from the refrigerant supply part 86 toward the vicinity of the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate.

The rectifying member 153 is a thin plate or film-like elastic member formed of, for example, a resin material, and has an outward slope from the center of rotation of the opposed member 151 toward the peripheral edge portion, and extends diagonally upward from the opposed surface 150. As shown in FIG. 10A, a plurality of rectifying members 153 are provided at different positions in the radial direction from the center of rotation of the opposed member 151 toward the peripheral edge. Furthermore, it is provided in a continuous ring shape or a discontinuous ring shape formed by a plurality of members in the circumferential direction.

The rectifying members 153 are formed at different distances from the center of rotation of the opposing member 151. The greater the distance, the greater the restoring force. The choice of material can also be used to adjust the resilience, and the same material can also be used to adjust the resilience by changing the thickness. When the rotating base 111 rotates together with the opposing member 151, centrifugal force acts to apply a force toward the radially outer side of the opposing member 151 to the upper end of each rectifying member 153. When the magnitude of the elastic deformation caused by the force is the same rotation speed, the closer to the center of rotation, the greater the way to adjust the rectifying members 153. Therefore, when the opposing member 151 rotates, the closer the rectifying member 153 is to the center of rotation, the greater the inclination toward the outside caused by centrifugal force, and the smaller the inclination of the rectifying member 153 that is farther from the center of rotation.

The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1b constructed in this way is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. However, in this third embodiment, the coagulation speed in step S107 is set to a relatively low speed. Therefore, in the initial stage of refrigerant supply, as shown in FIG. 10B, the rectification members 153 provided on the opposite member 151 rotating at a relatively low speed have a small inclination, and the refrigerant F discharged from the nozzle 152 on the lower surface stays Near the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate. Thereby, the center portion of the liquid film LF on the Wa side of the substrate upper surface is converted into a solidified film FF.

In step S110, if the rotation speed is increased, as shown in FIG. 10C, the rectifying member 153 closer to the rotation center has a greater inclination. Thereby, the refrigerant F expands outward, and the range of the solidified film FF on the Wa side of the upper surface of the substrate is enlarged. Because the inclination of the outer rectifying member 153 is small, the time during which the refrigerant F contacts the lower surface of the substrate Wb can be prolonged compared to the case without the rectifying member. Thereby, the substrate W is cooled more effectively, and the liquid film LF can be solidified in a short time. Then, finally, the refrigerant F reaches the peripheral edge of the lower surface Wb of the substrate and is dried, and the entire liquid film LF including the peripheral edge is converted into a solidified film FF. Therefore, compared with the case without the rectifying member, the liquid film LF can be solidified in a short time and with excellent thermal efficiency.

In step S110, increasing the supply of the refrigerant F is also caused by the rectifying member 153 temporarily suppressing the expansion of the refrigerant F along the lower surface Wb of the substrate, thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the substrate W. Then, by sequentially expanding the area from the center to the peripheral edge, the liquid film LF can be solidified sequentially from the center to the peripheral edge. In this case, the opposing member 151 does not need to be rotated, so it is also effective to provide a rectifying member in the opposing member 121 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

<other>

As described above, in each of the above embodiments, the cooling medium F is supplied to the rotation center Cb of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W on which the liquid film LF has been formed on the upper surface Wa to cool the substrate W and solidify the liquid film LF. Then, in order to compensate for the situation in which the temperature of the refrigerant F rises toward the periphery of the substrate W and the cooling capability decreases, the cooling capability is sequentially increased toward the periphery. Specifically, at least one of the supply amount and the flow velocity of the peripheral portion is low at the beginning and then increases with time. As a result, solidification is performed sequentially from the center of the liquid film toward the periphery, and solidification can be completed in a short time.

In these embodiments, since the refrigerant is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate on the back side of the surface where the liquid film is formed, any gas or liquid can be used as the refrigerant. Especially if the refrigerant uses a liquid with a larger specific heat, high cooling capacity can be obtained. When the refrigerant is directly supplied to the liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate, the refrigerant uses gas. In order to obtain the same cooling capacity as the liquid, the gas must be cooled to a lower temperature or the nozzle must scan the liquid film. As a result, the device structure tends to be complicated. Each of the above embodiments does not require such a configuration, and the device cost and processing cost can be kept low.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various changes other than the above can be implemented without departing from the gist. For example, the types of the processing liquid L and the refrigerant F in the above-mentioned embodiment are merely examples, and the processing liquid and refrigerant used in the above-mentioned configuration are not particularly limited. In addition, the treatment liquid is not limited to a monomer, and may be a mixed liquid or solution of a plurality of substances. In addition, as the refrigerant system, a fluid having a lower freezing point than the treatment liquid can be used, and any gas or liquid can be used.

Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment performs wet processing of the substrate W, liquid film formation, and liquid film solidification. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to all processing devices capable of performing at least liquid film formation and liquid film coagulation. For example, it may be configured such that a substrate that has been subjected to wet processing by an external processing device is used as a workpiece and carried into the substrate processing device of the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the subsequent steps after solidification of the liquid film may be performed by the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

For example, the freeze washing (phase change washing) that uses the volume change during the solidification of the liquid film to remove the deposits from the substrate may also be performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment. That is, as described above, after the liquid film LF on the surface of the substrate W is solidified, the treatment liquid (for example, warm water) for melting or dissolving the solidified film is supplied to the substrate W from the treatment liquid supply unit 84 to remove the solidified film. Furthermore, by rotating the substrate W at a high speed to spin-dry the treatment liquid, the freezing washing and drying process of the substrate can be completed.

As mentioned above, specific embodiments have been exemplified and described. In the present invention, for example, the refrigerant supply unit may be configured to increase the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the rotation center of the lower surface of the substrate. According to this configuration, as the substrate rotates, the amount of refrigerant supplied from the center of rotation to the peripheral edge portion also increases, and therefore the cooling capacity of the peripheral edge portion can be improved.

Furthermore, for example, the substrate holding portion may be configured to increase the rotation speed of the substrate after the refrigerant supply portion starts to supply the refrigerant. According to this configuration, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing along the substrate increases, and the refrigerant can reach the peripheral edge of the substrate before the temperature of the refrigerant rises significantly. Thereby, the cooling capacity of the peripheral portion of the substrate is improved.

Furthermore, for example, the refrigerant supply unit may be configured to provide a plurality of discharge ports which are at different distances from the center of rotation in the radial direction of the substrate and respectively discharge the refrigerant toward the lower surface of the substrate, and the plural discharge ports start to discharge the refrigerant at different timings. According to this structure, the refrigerant supply amount can be independently adjusted at the center of rotation and the peripheral edge of the substrate. This can compensate for the difference in the cooling capacity of the refrigerant between the center of rotation and the peripheral edge.

Furthermore, for example, the substrate holding section may be configured to rotate the substrate supplied with the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply section to form a liquid film, and from the time the liquid film is formed until the entire liquid film is solidified, the rotation speed of the substrate It is set to be equal to or lower than the rotation speed during liquid film formation. According to this structure, the formed liquid film can be solidified without falling from the substrate, and the entire substrate can be covered with the solidified film.

Furthermore, for example, the substrate holding portion may be configured to provide an opposed member that can form a gap space between the lower surface of the substrate and the opposed substrate, and the refrigerant supply portion may supply refrigerant to the gap space. According to this structure, the substrate can be cooled more effectively by temporarily retaining the refrigerant in the gap space.

In this case, the refrigerant supply unit may be configured to discharge the refrigerant from the discharge port that opens toward the upper surface of the opposed member. According to this configuration, the refrigerant supplied from the discharge port to the gap space can surely reach the peripheral edge of the substrate using the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the substrate.

Alternatively, for example, the refrigerant supply portion may be configured as a rectifying member that is provided on the upper surface of the opposed member and temporarily restricts the flow of the refrigerant from the discharge port to the peripheral edge portion of the substrate. According to this structure, the flow of the refrigerant on the lower surface of the substrate can be actively controlled by the rectifying member, so that the substrate can be cooled more effectively.

(Industrial availability)

The present invention is applicable to all substrate processing technologies including the process of forming a liquid film on a substrate and solidifying it. The purpose of solidifying the liquid film is not particularly limited, and it is suitable for use in, for example, freezing (phase change) washing, freezing (phase change) drying, and the like.

1‧‧‧Substrate processing equipment

10‧‧‧Substrate holding part

11‧‧‧Rotating fixture

12‧‧‧Refrigerant discharge section

20‧‧‧Splash guard

21‧‧‧Shield

22‧‧‧Liquid receiving part

30, 40‧‧‧Processing liquid discharge section

31、41‧‧‧Rotating shaft

32, 42‧‧‧arm

33、43‧‧‧Nozzle

70‧‧‧Processing room

80‧‧‧Control Unit

81‧‧‧CPU

82‧‧‧Memory

83‧‧‧Arm drive

84‧‧‧Processing Liquid Supply Department

85‧‧‧Hood lifting part

86‧‧‧Refrigerant Supply Department

87‧‧‧Fixture Drive

88‧‧‧Display

101‧‧‧Sleeve

103‧‧‧Clamp rotating mechanism

111‧‧‧Rotating base

112‧‧‧Rotating Pivot

114‧‧‧Clamping pin

121‧‧‧Opposite member

122‧‧‧Supply Pipe

123‧‧‧Lower surface nozzle

AX‧‧‧Rotation axis

Ca‧‧‧Upper surface side rotation center

Cb‧‧‧Bottom surface side rotation center

W‧‧‧Substrate

Wa‧‧‧Top surface of substrate

Wb‧‧‧Bottom surface of substrate

Claims (9)

A substrate processing apparatus is provided with: a substrate holding portion that holds the peripheral edge of the substrate, while supporting the substrate in a horizontal position, while rotating the substrate around a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction; a processing liquid supply portion, It supplies a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid; and a refrigerant supply section which supplies a fluid refrigerant that is lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid from below the substrate to the lower surface of the substrate, and The liquid film is solidified; wherein the refrigerant supply unit starts to supply a predetermined flow of the refrigerant to the center of rotation of the lower surface of the substrate, and then causes the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate to pass Timeliness increases. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant supply unit increases the supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the center of rotation of the lower surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holding section increases the rotation speed of the substrate after the refrigerant supply section starts to supply the refrigerant. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant supply portion is provided with a plurality of discharge ports that respectively discharge the refrigerant toward the lower surface of the substrate at different distances from the center of rotation in the radial direction of the substrate, and The refrigerants are discharged from the plurality of discharge ports at different timings. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrate holding section rotates the substrate supplied with the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply section to form the liquid film, and the liquid film is formed from the liquid film. During the period until the entire liquid film is solidified, the rotation speed of the substrate is set to be equal to or lower than the rotation speed during the formation of the liquid film. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrate holding portion has an opposing member facing the lower surface of the substrate and forming a gap space between the substrate; the refrigerant supply portion The refrigerant is supplied to the interstitial space. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerant supply unit discharges the refrigerant from a discharge port opening to the upper surface of the opposed member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerant supply unit is provided with a rectifying member provided on the upper surface of the opposed member to temporarily restrict the flow of the refrigerant from the discharge port toward the peripheral edge of the substrate. A substrate processing method is to maintain the peripheral portion of the substrate, while supporting the substrate in a horizontal posture, while rotating the substrate around a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction, and supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to form the processing The liquid film is supplied from below the substrate to the lower surface of the substrate with a fluid refrigerant lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid to solidify the liquid film, and after starting to supply a predetermined flow of the refrigerant to the center of rotation on the lower surface of the substrate, The supply amount of the refrigerant supplied to the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the substrate increases with time.

Images