JP7511422B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates. Substrates include, for example, semiconductor wafers, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (electroluminescence) displays, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and FPDs, substrate processing apparatuses are used to process substrates such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates for FPDs. The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a spin chuck that holds the substrate horizontally while rotating it, a nozzle that supplies SPM (sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide mixture) to the top surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck, and a heater that heats the substrate and the SPM on the substrate.

JP 2013-201236 A

In some cases, an etching solution on a substrate, such as an SPM, is heated by a heater in order to increase the etching rate of an object to be etched, as in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1. However, when the heater generates heat, not only the substrate and the etching solution but also members located in the vicinity of the substrate are heated.
If the substrate and etching solution are heated multiple times rather than heated once for a long time, the temperature rise of the components located near the substrate can be suppressed. However, since the heater is already warmed up during the second and subsequent heatings, even if the heater output is set to the same value, the heater temperature becomes higher than during the first heating, and the temperatures of the substrate and etching solution also become higher.

The heater temperature during the second and subsequent heating operations is not necessarily the same each time. Even if feedback control or the like is performed based on the detected heater temperature to stabilize the heater temperature, there will always be a period during which the heater temperature is different from the intended temperature. Therefore, the maximum temperature of the substrate and the etching solution may vary from substrate to substrate.
When the etching target of the substrate is etched with the etching solution, the non-etching target of the substrate is also etched, albeit slightly. If the maximum temperature of the substrate and the etching solution changes, the etching amount of the non-etching target also changes. Therefore, the performance variation of the device formed on the substrate becomes large among multiple substrates.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus that can stabilize the temperature of a substrate during etching when etching a single substrate multiple times with a high-temperature etching solution.

The invention described in claim 1 for achieving the above object is a substrate processing method including: a first heating step in which the heater heats the first etching liquid and the substrate while the first etching liquid is in contact with the top surface of the substrate held horizontally by setting the heater output to an output value exceeding 0; a heater cooling step in which the heater output is reduced to less than the output value and at least one of the heater movement and the discharge of a cooling fluid having a temperature lower than that of the heater is started after the first heating step, thereby bringing the outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid and cooling the heater; and a second heating step in which the heater output is set to the output value, and the heater heats either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid and the substrate while either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid is in contact with the top surface of the substrate held horizontally after the heater cooling step.

According to this method, the substrate and the etching solution on the substrate are heated by a heater. The heater output is then reduced, and the heater is cooled by contacting the outer surface of the heater with a cooling fluid. The substrate and the etching solution are then heated again by the heater. In this way, the substrate and the etching solution are heated multiple times by the heater, rather than being heated for a long time at once, so that the temperature rise of the members located near the substrate can be suppressed. Furthermore, the heater is cooled before the heating of the substrate and the etching solution is resumed, and the heater output is set to the same value, so that the heater temperature can be stabilized when the heating of the substrate and the etching solution is resumed. This allows the temperatures of the substrate and the etching solution during heating, i.e., the temperatures of the substrate and the etching solution when they are being heated by the heater, to be stabilized.

The first etching liquid may be held on the top surface of the substrate from the first heating step to the second heating step, or the liquid on the substrate may be replaced with the second etching liquid after the first heating step. The second etching liquid may have the same components as the first etching liquid, or may have components different from those of the first etching liquid. The temperature of the second etching liquid before heating may be the same as or different from that of the first etching liquid before heating. This also applies to the third and fourth etching liquids described below.

The invention described in claim 2 is the substrate processing method described in claim 1, in which the second heating step is a step of heating the second etching liquid and the substrate by the heater, and the substrate processing method further includes an intermediate liquid supply step of replacing the first etching liquid on the substrate with an intermediate liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater, and a second etching liquid supply step of replacing the intermediate liquid on the substrate with the second etching liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater.

According to this method, after the substrate and the first etching liquid are heated by a heater, the first etching liquid on the substrate is replaced with the intermediate liquid. Then, the intermediate liquid on the substrate is replaced with the second etching liquid, and the substrate and the second etching liquid are heated by the heater. The intermediate liquid and the second etching liquid have a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater. Therefore, by supplying the intermediate liquid and the second etching liquid to the substrate, the temperature of the substrate can be lowered. Furthermore, since the second etching liquid that is not heated by the heater is heated, the increase in the temperature of the substrate and the etching liquid during heating can be suppressed compared to the case where the first etching liquid heated by the heater is heated again.

The intermediate liquid supplying step may be a step of supplying the intermediate liquid to the substrate only once, or may be a step of supplying the intermediate liquid to the substrate multiple times. In the latter case, the intermediate liquid supplying step may include a first intermediate liquid supplying step of replacing the first etching liquid on the substrate with a first intermediate liquid, and a second intermediate liquid supplying step of replacing the first intermediate liquid on the substrate with a second intermediate liquid. In this case, the second intermediate liquid on the substrate is replaced with the second etching liquid in the second etching liquid supplying step. The first intermediate liquid and the second intermediate liquid have a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater.

A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein one cycle including the first heating step, the heater cooling step, and the second heating step is performed a plurality of times.
According to this method, the heater alternately heats the substrate and the etching solution, and the heater alternately cools the substrate. Increasing the temperature of the etching solution further strengthens the corrosive power of the etching solution, and the etching rate of the object to be etched increases. By alternately repeating heating and cooling as described above, the temperature rise of the members located near the substrate can be suppressed, and the object to be etched can be etched in stages while stabilizing the temperatures of the substrate and the etching solution during heating.

The invention described in claim 4 is the substrate processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an internal cooling step of replacing gas inside the heater with cooling gas by supplying a cooling gas having a lower temperature than the heater into an internal space of the heater when an outer surface of the heater is in contact with the cooling fluid.
According to this method, a cooling gas is supplied to the interior space of the heater while the outer surface of the heater is in contact with the cooling fluid. This causes high-temperature gas to be discharged from the interior space of the heater, and at least a portion of the gas in the heater is replaced with the cooling gas. The cooling gas has a lower temperature than the heater. Thus, the heater can be cooled not only from the outside of the heater, but also from the inside of the heater.

The invention described in claim 5 is a substrate processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heater cooling process includes a standby position heater cooling process in which the heater is cooled by bringing an outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid while the heater is positioned in a standby position where the heater does not overlap the substrate in a planar view.
According to this method, after the heater heats the substrate and the etching solution, the heater is moved to a standby position where the heater does not overlap the substrate in a plan view. The heater is then cooled by contacting the outer surface of the heater with a cooling fluid. In this way, the heater is cooled outside the substrate, so that the heater can be cooled without affecting the substrate processing or while minimizing the effect.

The invention described in claim 6 is a substrate processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heater cooling process includes a processing position heater cooling process in which the heater is cooled by contacting an outer surface of the heater with the cooling fluid while the heater is positioned above or below the substrate.
According to this method, after the substrate and the etching solution are heated by a heater located above or below the substrate, the heater is cooled without moving outside the substrate, and therefore the heater does not need to be moved horizontally back and forth between the processing position and the standby position, thereby reducing the time required for the heater to cool and increasing the contact time between the outer surface of the heater and the cooling fluid.

The invention described in claim 7 is the substrate processing method described in claim 6, wherein the processing position heater cooling process includes a process of ejecting a cooling liquid, which is at a lower temperature than the heater and has the same composition as the liquid on the substrate, toward the heater while the heater is positioned above the substrate.
According to this method, the substrate and the etching liquid are heated by a heater located above the substrate, not below the substrate, and then the heater is cooled without moving to the outside of the substrate. To cool the heater, a cooling liquid having a lower temperature than the heater is discharged toward the heater. This allows the cooling liquid to come into contact with the outer surface of the heater, thereby cooling the heater. The cooling liquid has the same composition as the liquid on the top surface of the substrate when the cooling liquid is supplied to the heater. Therefore, even if the cooling liquid that has dropped from the heater mixes with the liquid on the substrate, the composition contained in the liquid on the substrate does not change. This allows the heater located above the substrate to be cooled without affecting the processing of the substrate, or with the effect being minimized.

The cooling liquid may be discharged upward or downward toward the heater located above the substrate, or may be discharged horizontally toward the heater located above the substrate. In the former case, the cooling liquid may be discharged vertically toward the heater located above the substrate, or may be discharged obliquely upward or downward toward the heater located above the substrate.
The invention described in claim 8 includes a third heating step in which, by setting an output of a second heater to a second output value exceeding 0, the second heater heats either the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, or the third etching liquid and the substrate while any one of the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, or the third etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate that is held horizontally while the heater cooling step is being performed; and a third heating step in which an output of the second heater is reduced to less than the second output value and, while the second heating step is being performed, a heat exchanger is provided between an outer surface of the second heater and the heater and the second heater. and a fourth heating step of, after the second heater cooling step, causing the second heater to heat any one of the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, the third etching liquid, and the fourth etching liquid and the substrate in a state in which any one of the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, the third etching liquid, and the fourth etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate that is held horizontally by setting an output of the second heater to the second output value.

According to this method, the substrate and etching solution are heated by the second heater while the heater is cooled. Then, the substrate and etching solution are heated by the heater while the second heater is cooled. That is, while one heater is heating the substrate and etching solution, the other heater is cooled. Therefore, the substrate and etching solution can be heated even while the heater is being cooled. This makes it possible to increase the heating time of the substrate and etching solution and the cooling time of the heater and the second heater without increasing the processing time of the substrate.

The present specification provides a method for processing a substrate including an etching object embedded in a hole, the method including a first etching liquid supplying step of etching the etching object with a first etching liquid, an intermediate liquid supplying step of cooling the substrate with an intermediate liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid, and a second etching liquid supplying step of etching the etching object with a second etching liquid having a higher temperature than the intermediate liquid, and by performing the first etching liquid supplying step, the intermediate liquid supplying step, and the second etching liquid supplying step, the etching object embedded in the hole is etched stepwise from a tip side of the etching object in a depth direction of the hole.

According to this method, a first etching liquid having a higher temperature than the intermediate liquid is supplied to the substrate. Then, an intermediate liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid is supplied to the substrate. Then, a second etching liquid having a higher temperature than the intermediate liquid is supplied to the substrate. In other words, a high-temperature etching liquid is supplied to the substrate multiple times. This allows the etching object embedded in the hole to be etched stepwise from the tip side of the etching object in the depth direction of the hole. Furthermore, since a low-temperature intermediate liquid is supplied to the substrate before the high-temperature second etching liquid is supplied, the temperature of the substrate is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in the temperature of the substrate when the high-temperature second etching liquid is supplied to the substrate, and the temperature can be stabilized.

The invention described in claim 9 includes a substrate holding means for holding a substrate horizontally, a heater for heating the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means and a liquid on the substrate, a first etching liquid supplying means for supplying a first etching liquid to an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means, a second etching liquid supplying means for supplying a second etching liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means, a cooling fluid supplying means for supplying a cooling fluid having a lower temperature than the heater, and a first etching process for causing the heater to heat the first etching liquid and the substrate in a state in which the first etching liquid is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means by setting an output of the heater to an output value exceeding 0. a heater cooling means for lowering an output of the heater below the output value and starting at least one of moving the heater and discharging the cooling fluid having a temperature lower than that of the heater after the heater heats the first etching liquid and the substrate, thereby bringing an outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid and cooling the heater, and a second heating means for setting an output of the heater to the output value, thereby causing the heater to heat either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid and the substrate in a state in which either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means after cooling the heater. This configuration can achieve the same effects as those described with respect to the substrate processing method described above.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above; FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the processing unit as viewed horizontally. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the inside of the processing unit as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of a heater. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of a waiting pod. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a waiting pod. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a coolant is supplied to a heater. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cooling gas is supplied to a heater. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus; FIG. 1A to 1C are process diagrams illustrating an example (first processing example) of substrate processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus. 10A to 10C are process diagrams illustrating another example (second processing example) of substrate processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how a heater is cooled outside a substrate. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how a heater is cooled above a substrate. 2A to 2C are schematic cross-sectional views showing an example of a cross section of a substrate before and after being processed by a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which a substrate and an etching solution are heated by a first heater while a second heater is cooled in a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which a first heater is cooled while a substrate and an etching solution are heated by a second heater in a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a spin chuck and a blocking member according to a third embodiment of the present invention, viewed horizontally.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 as viewed from the side.
1A, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer processing apparatus that processes disk-shaped substrates W, such as semiconductor wafers, one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a load port LP that holds a carrier C that accommodates a substrate W, a plurality of processing units 2 that process the substrate W transported from the carrier C on the load port LP, a transport robot that transports the substrate W between the carrier C on the load port LP and the processing units 2, and a control device 3 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The transport robots include an indexer robot IR, which loads and unloads substrates W into and from a carrier C on the load port LP, and a center robot CR, which loads and unloads substrates W into and from multiple processing units 2. The indexer robot IR transports substrates W between the load port LP and the center robot CR, and the center robot CR transports substrates W between the indexer robot IR and the processing units 2. The center robot CR includes a hand Hc that supports the substrate W, and the indexer robot IR includes a hand Hi that supports the substrate W.

The multiple processing units 2 form multiple towers TW arranged around the center robot CR in a plan view. FIG. 1A shows an example in which four towers TW are formed. The center robot CR can access any of the towers TW. As shown in FIG. 1B, each tower TW includes multiple (e.g., three) processing units 2 stacked one on top of the other.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the processing unit 2 as viewed horizontally. Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the inside of the processing unit 2 as viewed from above. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross-section of the heater 51.
As shown in FIG. 2, the processing unit 2 includes a box-shaped chamber 4 having an internal space, a spin chuck 10 that holds a single substrate W horizontally within the chamber 4 while rotating it about a vertical rotation axis A1 passing through the center of the substrate W, and a plurality of nozzles that supply processing liquids such as chemicals and rinsing liquids to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 10.

The chamber 4 includes a box-shaped partition 5 having an inlet/outlet 5b through which the substrate W passes, and a shutter 7 for opening and closing the inlet/outlet 5b. The chamber 4 further includes a baffle plate 8 disposed below an air outlet 5a that opens in the ceiling surface of the partition 5. An FFU 6 (fan filter unit 6) that sends clean air (air filtered by a filter) is disposed above the air outlet 5a. The air outlet 5a is provided at the upper end of the chamber 4, and an exhaust duct 9 is disposed at the lower end of the chamber 4. The upstream end of the exhaust duct 9 is disposed inside the chamber 4, and the downstream end of the exhaust duct 9 is disposed outside the chamber 4.

The straightening plate 8 divides the internal space of the chamber 4 into an upper space Su above the straightening plate 8 and a lower space SL below the straightening plate 8. The upper space Su between the ceiling surface of the partition 5 and the upper surface of the straightening plate 8 is a diffusion space in which clean air diffuses. The lower space SL between the lower surface of the straightening plate 8 and the floor surface of the partition 5 is a processing space in which processing of the substrate W is performed. The spin chuck 10 is disposed in the lower space SL. The vertical distance from the floor surface of the partition 5 to the lower surface of the straightening plate 8 is longer than the vertical distance from the upper surface of the straightening plate 8 to the ceiling surface of the partition 5.

The FFU 6 sends clean air to the upper space Su through the air outlet 5a. The clean air supplied to the upper space Su hits the straightening plate 8 and diffuses in the upper space Su. The clean air in the upper space Su passes through multiple through-holes that penetrate the straightening plate 8 vertically, and flows downward from the entire area of the straightening plate 8. The clean air supplied to the lower space SL is sucked into the exhaust duct 9 and exhausted from the chamber 4. As a result, a uniform downward flow of clean air flowing downward from the straightening plate 8 is formed in the lower space SL. The processing of the substrate W is performed with the downward flow of clean air formed.

The spin chuck 10 includes a number of chuck pins 11 that horizontally clamp the substrate W, and a disk-shaped spin base 12 that supports the number of chuck pins 11. The spin chuck 10 further includes a spin shaft 13 that extends downward from the center of the spin base 12, an electric motor 14 that rotates the number of chuck pins 11 and the spin base 12 by rotating the spin shaft 13, and a chuck housing 15 that surrounds the electric motor 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spin base 12 includes a circular upper surface 12u disposed below the substrate W. The upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 is parallel to the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 is spaced apart from the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 is concentric with the substrate W. The outer diameter of the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. The chuck pins 11 protrude upward from the outer periphery of the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12. The chuck pins 11 are held by the spin base 12.

2, the multiple nozzles include a first chemical liquid nozzle 16 that discharges a first chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W, and a second chemical liquid nozzle 24 that discharges a second chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W. The multiple nozzles further include a rinsing liquid nozzle 29 that discharges a rinsing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W, and a lower surface nozzle 35 that discharges a processing liquid toward the lower surface of the substrate W.
First chemical liquid nozzle 16 may be a scan nozzle that can move the collision position of the processing liquid with respect to substrate W within the upper or lower surface of substrate W, or may be a fixed nozzle that cannot move the collision position of the processing liquid with respect to substrate W. The same applies to the other nozzles. Fig. 2 shows an example in which first chemical liquid nozzle 16 and second chemical liquid nozzle 24 are scan nozzles, and rinsing liquid nozzle 29 and lower surface nozzle 35 are fixed nozzles.

The first chemical liquid may be a liquid containing at least one of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, ammonia water, hydrogen peroxide water, organic acid (e.g., citric acid, oxalic acid, etc.), organic alkali (e.g., TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide, etc.), surfactant, and corrosion inhibitor, or may be another liquid. The same applies to the second chemical liquid. Figure 3 shows an example in which the first chemical liquid is SPM (a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide water) and the second chemical liquid is SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide water mixture).

When the first chemical liquid is SPM, sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide are mixed to produce SPM. The sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide may be mixed in the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 or may be mixed upstream of the first chemical liquid nozzle 16. FIG. 2 shows an example of the former. In this example, the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is connected to a sulfuric acid pipe 17 that guides sulfuric acid to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 and a hydrogen peroxide pipe 20 that guides hydrogen peroxide to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16. The sulfuric acid pipe 17 supplies sulfuric acid in a sulfuric acid tank 19 to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16. The hydrogen peroxide pipe 20 supplies hydrogen peroxide in a hydrogen peroxide tank 22 to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16.

When the sulfuric acid valve 18 installed in the sulfuric acid pipe 17 is opened, sulfuric acid in the sulfuric acid tank 19 is supplied to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 via the sulfuric acid pipe 17. When the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 installed in the hydrogen peroxide pipe 20 is opened, hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide tank 22 is supplied to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 via the hydrogen peroxide pipe 20. The temperature of the sulfuric acid supplied to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is, for example, 60 to 90°C. The temperature of the hydrogen peroxide supplied to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is room temperature (for example, 20 to 30°C). The temperatures of the sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide are not limited to this.

When only the sulfuric acid valve 18 is opened, sulfuric acid is continuously ejected downward from the first chemical nozzle 16. When only the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 is opened, hydrogen peroxide is continuously ejected downward from the first chemical nozzle 16. When both the sulfuric acid valve 18 and the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 are opened, the sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide mix in the first chemical nozzle 16, generating SPM that is hotter (for example, 160°C) than the sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. This causes the hot SPM to be continuously ejected downward from the first chemical nozzle 16.

Although not shown, the sulfuric acid valve 18 includes a valve body with an annular valve seat through which liquid passes, a valve element that is movable relative to the valve seat, and an actuator that moves the valve element between a closed position in which the valve element contacts the valve seat and an open position in which the valve element is separated from the valve seat. The same applies to the other valves. The actuator may be a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator, or may be an actuator other than these. The control device 3 opens and closes the sulfuric acid valve 18 by controlling the actuator.

The first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is connected to a first nozzle movement unit 23 that moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. The first nozzle movement unit 23 includes a horizontally extending first nozzle arm 23a with the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 attached to its tip. By moving the first nozzle arm 23a, the first nozzle movement unit 23 moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 horizontally between a processing position where the chemical liquid discharged from the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is supplied to the top surface of the substrate W and a standby position where the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is positioned outside the spin chuck 10 in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first nozzle movement unit 23 is a rotation unit that moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 horizontally along an arc-shaped path that passes through the center of the substrate W in a plan view. The first nozzle movement unit 23 includes an electric motor that rotates the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 and the first nozzle arm 23a horizontally around a vertical axis. The first nozzle movement unit 23 is not limited to a rotation unit, and may be a slide unit that moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 horizontally along a linear path that passes through the center of the substrate W in a plan view. The same applies to the second nozzle movement unit 28 described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second chemical nozzle 24 is connected to a second chemical pipe 25 that guides SC1, an example of the second chemical, to the second chemical nozzle 24. The second chemical pipe 25 supplies SC1 in a second chemical tank 27 to the second chemical nozzle 24. When a second chemical valve 26 disposed in the second chemical pipe 25 is opened, SC1 is continuously discharged downward from the outlet of the second chemical nozzle 24. The temperature of SC1 is lower than the temperature of the SPM. The temperature of SC1 may be room temperature, or may be higher or lower than room temperature. The temperature of SC1 is, for example, 30 to 50°C.

The second chemical liquid nozzle 24 is connected to a second nozzle movement unit 28 that moves the second chemical liquid nozzle 24 in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. The second nozzle movement unit 28 includes a horizontally extending second nozzle arm 28a with the second chemical liquid nozzle 24 attached to its tip. By moving the second nozzle arm 28a, the second nozzle movement unit 28 moves the second chemical liquid nozzle 24 horizontally between a processing position where the chemical liquid discharged from the second chemical liquid nozzle 24 is supplied to the top surface of the substrate W and a standby position where the second chemical liquid nozzle 24 is positioned outside the spin chuck 10 in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rinse liquid nozzle 29 is connected to a pure water pipe 30 that guides pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized Water)), which is an example of a rinse liquid, to the rinse liquid nozzle 29, and a hot water pipe 32 that guides hot water (pure water that is hotter than room temperature), which is another example of a rinse liquid, to the rinse liquid nozzle 29. The rinse liquid supplied to the rinse liquid nozzle 29 is not limited to pure water and hot water, but may be any of IPA (isopropyl alcohol), carbonated water, electrolytic ionized water, hydrogen water, ozone water, hydrochloric acid water with a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), and ammonia water with a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm).

When the pure water valve 31 installed in the pure water pipe 30 is opened, pure water is continuously discharged downward from the outlet of the rinsing liquid nozzle 29. When the hot water valve 33 installed in the hot water pipe 32 is opened, pure water heated by the heater 34 to a temperature higher than room temperature is continuously discharged downward from the outlet of the rinsing liquid nozzle 29. When the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 discharges rinsing liquid while the substrate W is rotating, the rinsing liquid discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 collides with the center of the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10, and then spreads outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. As a result, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

The lower nozzle 35 includes a disk portion disposed between the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 and the lower surface of the substrate W, and a cylindrical portion extending downward from the disk portion. The cylindrical portion of the lower nozzle 35 is inserted into a through hole that passes vertically through the center of the spin base 12. The cylindrical portion of the lower nozzle 35 extends vertically along the rotation axis A1. The liquid discharge port of the lower nozzle 35 opens at the center of the upper surface of the disk portion of the lower nozzle 35. When the substrate W is held by the spin chuck 10, the liquid discharge port of the lower nozzle 35 faces the center of the lower surface of the substrate W in the vertical direction. Even if the electric motor 14 rotates the chuck pin 11 and the spin base 12, the lower nozzle 35 does not rotate.

The lower nozzle 35 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 36 that guides rinse liquid to the lower nozzle 35. When a rinse liquid valve 37 disposed in the rinse liquid pipe 36 is opened, rinse liquid is continuously ejected upward from the ejection port of the lower nozzle 35. The rinse liquid ejected from the lower nozzle 35 is pure water. The liquid supplied from the rinse liquid pipe 36 to the lower nozzle 35 may be a rinse liquid other than pure water.

The inner peripheral surface of the spin base 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower nozzle 35 form a cylindrical gas flow path 38 extending vertically. The gas flow path 38 includes a central opening 38o that opens at the center of the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12. The disk portion of the lower nozzle 35 is disposed above the central opening 38o and overlaps with the central opening 38o in a plan view. The gas flow path 38 is connected to a gas pipe 39 that guides an inert gas to the central opening 38o of the spin base 12. When a gas valve 40 interposed in the gas pipe 39 is opened, the inert gas is continuously discharged upward from the central opening 38o of the spin base 12. The inert gas discharged from the central opening 38o of the spin base 12 is nitrogen gas. The inert gas may be a gas other than nitrogen gas, such as helium gas or argon gas.

The processing unit 2 includes a cylindrical processing cup 41 that surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 10. The processing cup 41 includes a number of guards 42 that receive processing liquid that has splashed outward from the substrate W, a number of cups 45 that receive processing liquid that has been guided downward by the guards 42, and a cylindrical outer wall 46 that surrounds all of the guards 42 and all of the cups 45. Figure 2 shows an example in which three guards 42 and three cups 45 are provided, with the outermost cup 45 being integral with the second guard 42 from the outside.

The guard 42 includes a cylindrical portion 44 that surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 10, and a cylindrical ceiling portion 43 that extends obliquely upward from the cylindrical portion 44 toward the rotation axis A1. The multiple ceiling portions 43 are stacked one on top of the other, and the multiple cylindrical portions 44 are arranged concentrically. The inner periphery of the ceiling portion 43 corresponds to the upper end portion 42u of the guard 42. The upper end portion 42u of the guard 42 forms a circular opening that surrounds the substrate W and the spin base 12 in a plan view. The multiple cups 45 are respectively arranged below the multiple cylindrical portions 44. The cups 45 form an annular liquid-receiving groove that opens upward.

The multiple guards 42 are connected to a guard lifting unit 47 that raises and lowers the multiple guards 42 individually in the vertical direction. The guard lifting unit 47 positions the guards 42 at any position within the range from the processing position to the standby position. Figure 2 shows a state in which all guards 42 are positioned at the standby position. The processing position is a position where the upper end of the guard 42 is positioned above the substrate W holding position where the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 is positioned. The standby position is a position where the upper end of the guard 42 is positioned below the substrate W holding position.

When processing liquid is supplied to the rotating substrate W, at least one guard 42 is positioned at the processing position. When processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W in this state, the processing liquid is shaken outward from the substrate W. The shaken off processing liquid collides with the inner peripheral surface of the guard 42 that faces the substrate W horizontally, and is guided to the cup 45 corresponding to this guard 42. As a result, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W is collected in one of the cups 45.

The processing unit 2 includes a heater 51 that heats the substrate W and the liquid on the substrate W. The heater 51 is disposed above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 3, the heater 51 is smaller than the substrate W in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, the heater 51 includes an infrared lamp 52 that emits infrared rays, a housing 53 that houses the infrared lamp 52, and a support plate 54 that supports the infrared lamp 52 and the housing 53.

The infrared lamp 52 is a halogen lamp. The infrared lamp 52 includes a filament and a quartz tube that houses the filament. At least a portion of the housing 53 is formed of a light-transmitting and heat-resistant material such as quartz. The infrared light emitted by the infrared lamp 52 passes downward through the lower surface 51L of the heater 51, which will be described later, and is irradiated onto the substrate W and the liquid on the substrate W. The heating element that generates heat when supplied with power is not limited to the infrared lamp 52, but may be a carbon heater, a xenon arc lamp, an LED (light emitting diode) lamp, or a heating wire, or may be something other than these.

The infrared lamp 52 and the housing 53 are disposed below the support plate 54. The housing 53 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 51o that surrounds the infrared lamp 52, and a lower surface 51L that closes the bottom of the outer peripheral surface 51o. An opening at the upper end of the housing 53 is closed by the support plate 54. The housing 53 and the support plate 54 form an internal space 51i that houses the infrared lamp 52. The lower surface 51L is a flat surface that is parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. The lower surface 51L is smaller than the upper surface of the substrate W. The lower surface 51L may be circular with a diameter smaller than the radius of the substrate W, or may be non-circular.

The heater 51 is connected to an air supply pipe 55 that guides gas toward the internal space 51i of the heater 51, and an exhaust pipe 57 that guides gas exhausted from the internal space 51i of the heater 51. The exhaust pipe 57 is connected to an exhaust device that generates a suction force. The gas in the air supply pipe 55 is supplied to the internal space 51i via an air supply flow path 56 that extends from the outer surface of the heater 51 to the inner surface of the internal space 51i. The gas in the internal space 51i is exhausted to the exhaust pipe 57 via an exhaust flow path 58 that extends from the inner surface of the internal space 51i to the outer surface of the heater 51. This replaces the gas in the heater 51.

The air supply pipe 55 supplies cooling gas having a lower temperature than the heater 51 to the internal space 51i of the heater 51. If the temperature is lower than that of the heater 51, the temperature of the cooling gas may be room temperature, or may be higher or lower than room temperature. The cooling gas may be clean air or dry air, or may be an inert gas such as nitrogen gas. The cooling gas may be supplied to the internal space 51i of the heater 51 at all times, or may be supplied until a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater 51 starts generating heat.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 51 is connected to a heater moving unit 59 that moves the heater 51 in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. The heater moving unit 59 includes a horizontally extending heater arm 59a with the heater 51 attached to its tip. By moving the heater arm 59a, the heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51 horizontally between a processing position where the heater 51 overlaps the substrate W in a planar view and a standby position where the heater 51 does not overlap the substrate W in a planar view.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heater moving unit 59 is a rotating unit that moves the heater 51 horizontally along an arc-shaped path that passes through the center of the substrate W in a plan view. The heater moving unit 59 includes an electric motor that rotates the heater 51 and heater arm 59a horizontally around a vertical axis, and a lifting actuator that raises and lowers the heater 51 and heater arm 59a. The lifting actuator may be an electric motor or an air cylinder. The heater moving unit 59 is not limited to a rotating unit, and may be a slide unit that moves the heater 51 horizontally along a linear path that passes through the center of the substrate W in a plan view.

2, the processing unit 2 includes a ceiling nozzle 60 that discharges a cooling fluid that cools the heater 51 downward toward the heater 51. The ceiling nozzle 60 is an example of a cooling nozzle that discharges a cooling fluid such as a cooling liquid or a cooling gas toward the heater 51. The cooling fluid is discharged downward from the discharge port of the ceiling nozzle 60. The discharge port of the ceiling nozzle 60 overlaps with the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 in a plan view. The discharge port of the ceiling nozzle 60 is disposed above the heater 51 and below the straightening plate 8. If the discharge port of the ceiling nozzle 60 is disposed in this manner, a part of the ceiling nozzle 60 may be disposed above the straightening plate 8.

The ceiling nozzle 60 is connected to a cooling liquid pipe 61 that guides the cooling liquid that cools the heater 51 to the ceiling nozzle 60. When a cooling liquid valve 62 interposed in the cooling liquid pipe 61 is opened, the cooling liquid is continuously discharged downward from the ceiling nozzle 60. The ceiling nozzle 60 discharges the cooling liquid toward the spin chuck 10. When the heater 51 is placed in the path through which the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 passes, the cooling liquid collides with the heater 51 and flows downward along the heater 51. This cools the heater 51.

The cooling liquid is a liquid whose temperature is lower than that of the heater 51. If the temperature of the cooling liquid is lower than that of the heater 51, the temperature of the cooling liquid may be room temperature, or may be higher or lower than room temperature. The temperature of the cooling liquid may be equal to the temperature of the cooling gas, or may be higher or lower than the temperature of the cooling gas. The cooling liquid is preferably a water-containing liquid whose main component is water. The water-containing liquid may be water such as pure water. That is, the concentration of water in the water-containing liquid may be 100% or substantially 100%. If the concentration is low (e.g., 10 to 100 ppm), the water-containing liquid may contain components other than water. The cooling liquid may be any of the specific examples of the rinse liquid described above.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical section of the waiting pod 71. Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of the waiting pod 71. Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cooling liquid is being supplied to the heater 51. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cooling gas is being supplied to the heater 51.
5, the processing unit 2 includes a standby pod 71 that houses the heater 51. When the heater 51 is placed in the standby position, the heater 51 overlaps the standby pod 71 in a plan view. The standby pod 71 forms an internal space that is open upward. The standby positions of the heater 51 include a lower standby position where at least a part of the heater 51 is placed in the internal space of the standby pod 71, and an upper standby position where all parts of the heater 51 are located above the standby pod 71.

The heater moving unit 59 raises and lowers the heater 51 between the upper standby position and the lower standby position. The standby pod 71 includes a cylindrical inner circumferential surface 71i that surrounds the heater 51 located at the lower standby position, and a bottom surface 71b that closes the lower end of the inner circumferential surface 71i. A cooling liquid outlet 72 that discharges cooling liquid and a cooling gas outlet 77 that discharges cooling gas open on the inner circumferential surface 71i of the standby pod 71. Figures 5 and 6 show an example in which multiple cooling liquid outlets 72 and multiple cooling gas outlets 77 are provided on the inner circumferential surface 71i of the standby pod 71.

The cooling liquid outlet 72 of the waiting pod 71 discharges a cooling liquid such as carbonated water. A specific example of the cooling liquid discharged from the cooling liquid outlet 72 is the same as the specific example of the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 (see FIG. 2). The cooling liquid discharged from the cooling liquid outlet 72 may be the same as the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60, or it may be different. The temperature of the cooling liquid discharged from the cooling liquid outlet 72 may be the same as the temperature of the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60, or it may be different.

The cooling gas outlet 77 of the waiting pod 71 discharges a cooling gas such as nitrogen gas. A specific example of the cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas outlet 77 is the same as the specific example of the cooling gas supplied inside the heater 51. The cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas outlet 77 may be the same as the cooling gas supplied inside the heater 51, or it may be different. The temperature of the cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas outlet 77 may be the same as the temperature of the cooling gas supplied inside the heater 51, or it may be different.

The multiple cooling liquid outlets 72 are arranged at equal heights. Similarly, the multiple cooling gas outlets 77 are arranged at equal heights. The multiple cooling liquid outlets 72 are arranged below the multiple cooling gas outlets 77. The multiple cooling gas outlets 77 may be arranged above the multiple cooling gas outlets 77, or may be arranged at the same height as the multiple cooling gas outlets 77. The multiple cooling liquid outlets 72 may be arranged at multiple positions spaced apart in the vertical direction. Similarly, the multiple cooling gas outlets 77 may be arranged at multiple positions spaced apart in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the multiple cooling liquid outlets 72 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface 71i of the waiting pod 71. The waiting pod 71 includes a common flow path 74 that guides the cooling liquid to be supplied to the heater 51, and multiple branch flow paths 73 that guide the cooling liquid in the common flow path 74 to the multiple cooling liquid outlets 72. The cooling liquid piping 75 is connected to the common flow path 74. When the cooling liquid valve 76 interposed in the cooling liquid piping 75 is opened, the cooling liquid is supplied to all the cooling liquid outlets 72, and all the cooling liquid outlets 72 discharge the cooling liquid.

Similar to the cooling liquid outlet 72, the multiple cooling gas outlets 77 are also arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface 71i of the waiting pod 71. The waiting pod 71 includes a common flow path 79 that guides the cooling gas to be supplied to the heater 51, and multiple branch flow paths 78 that guide the cooling gas in the common flow path 79 to the multiple cooling gas outlets 77. The cooling gas pipe 80 is connected to the common flow path 79. When the cooling gas valve 81 interposed in the cooling gas pipe 80 is opened, the cooling gas is supplied to all the cooling gas outlets 77, and all the cooling gas outlets 77 discharge the cooling gas.

The cooling liquid outlet 72 may discharge the cooling liquid horizontally, or may discharge it diagonally upward or downward. The cooling liquid outlet 72 may include a cooling liquid outlet 72 whose cooling liquid outlet angle is different from the other cooling liquid outlets 72. Similarly, the cooling gas outlet 77 may discharge the cooling gas horizontally, or may discharge it diagonally upward or downward. The cooling gas outlet 77 may include a cooling gas outlet 77 whose cooling gas outlet angle is different from the other cooling gas outlets 77. Figure 5 shows an example in which all the cooling liquid outlets 72 discharge the cooling liquid diagonally upward, and all the cooling gas outlets 77 discharge the cooling gas horizontally.

The drain port 82 for draining the liquid in the waiting pod 71 opens on the inner circumferential surface 71i or the bottom surface 71b of the waiting pod 71. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the drain port 82 is provided on the bottom surface 71b of the waiting pod 71. The drain port 82 may open at the lowest end of the inner circumferential surface 71i of the waiting pod 71. The drain port 82 is connected to a drain pipe 83. When a drain valve 84 interposed in the drain pipe 83 is opened, the liquid in the waiting pod 71 is drained through the drain port 82 to the drain pipe 83. When the drain valve 84 is closed, the liquid such as the cooling liquid remains in the waiting pod 71.

As shown in FIG. 7, when cooling the heater 51 with cooling liquid, at least a portion of the heater 51 is positioned in the internal space of the standby pod 71, and cooling liquid is discharged from the multiple cooling liquid discharge ports 72. The cooling liquid discharged from the cooling liquid discharge ports 72 collides with the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51 located in the lower standby position, and then flows downward along the outer peripheral surface of the heater 51. This cools the heater 51.

When the coolant outlet 72 is discharging the coolant, the heater 51 may be stationary or may be raised and lowered. If the heater 51 is raised and lowered, the position where the coolant discharged from the coolant outlet 72 first hits the heater 51 moves up and down within the outer circumferential surface 51o of the heater 51, so that the heater 51 can be cooled uniformly. Also, when the coolant outlet 72 is discharging the coolant, the drain valve 84 may be opened or closed. If the drain valve 84 is closed, the coolant accumulates in the standby pod 71, so that at least a part of the heater 51 can be submerged in the coolant in the standby pod 71. This increases the time and area that the coolant contacts the heater 51, and the heater 51 can be cooled effectively.

After the cooling liquid valve 76 is closed and the discharge of the cooling liquid is stopped, the cooling gas valve 81 is opened as shown in FIG. 8 to discharge the cooling gas from the cooling gas discharge port 77. The cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas discharge port 77 collides with a collision position on the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51 located in the standby lower position, and then flows radially in all directions from the collision position along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51. This forms an airflow that flows along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51, cooling the heater 51. The cooling liquid adhering to the heater 51 evaporates due to the supply of the cooling gas to the heater 51. This allows the heater 51 to be further cooled, and the amount of cooling liquid remaining in the heater 51 to be reduced.

When the cooling gas outlet 77 is discharging the cooling gas, the heater 51 may be stationary or may be raised and lowered. By raising and lowering the heater 51, the heater 51 can be cooled evenly and the amount of remaining cooling liquid can be further reduced. By reducing the amount of remaining cooling liquid to zero or nearly zero, the heater 51 can be dried and the cooling liquid can be prevented from dripping from the heater 51.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.
The control device 3 is a computer including a computer main body 3a and a peripheral device 3d connected to the computer main body 3a. The computer main body 3a includes a CPU 3b (central processing unit) that executes various commands and a memory 3c that stores information. The peripheral device 3d includes a storage 3e that stores information such as a program P, a reader 3f that reads information from a removable medium RM, and a communication device 3g that communicates with other devices such as a host computer.

The control device 3 is connected to an input device and a display device. The input device is operated when an operator such as a user or maintenance personnel inputs information into the substrate processing apparatus 1. The information is displayed on the screen of the display device. The input device may be any one of a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel, or may be a device other than these. The substrate processing apparatus 1 may be provided with a touch panel display that serves as both an input device and a display device.

The CPU 3b executes a program P stored in the storage 3e. The program P in the storage 3e may be one that has been pre-installed in the control device 3, may be one that has been sent from the removable medium RM to the storage 3e via the reader 3f, or may be one that has been sent to the storage 3e from an external device such as a host computer via the communication device 3g.

The storage 3e and the removable medium RM are non-volatile memories that retain their memory even when power is not supplied. The storage 3e is, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive. The removable medium RM is, for example, an optical disk such as a compact disk or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card. The removable medium RM is an example of a computer-readable recording medium on which the program P is recorded. The removable medium RM is a non-transitory tangible recording medium.

The storage 3e stores multiple recipes. A recipe is information that specifies the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The multiple recipes differ from each other in at least one of the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The control device 3 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 so that the substrate W is processed according to a recipe specified by the host computer. The control device 3 is programmed to execute each process described below.

10 is a process diagram for explaining an example (first processing example) of processing of a substrate W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the following, reference will be made to FIGS.
When a substrate W is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1, a loading step of loading the substrate W into the chamber 4 is performed (step S1 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with all guards 42 and all scan nozzles in their standby positions, the center robot CR (see FIG. 1A ) supports the substrate W with the hand Hc and causes the hand Hc to enter the chamber 4. The center robot CR then places the substrate W on the hand Hc on the multiple chuck pins 11 with the front surface of the substrate W facing upward. The multiple chuck pins 11 are then pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W to grip the substrate W. After placing the substrate W on the spin chuck 10, the center robot CR causes the hand Hc to retreat from inside the chamber 4.

After the center robot CR retracts the hand Hc and the substrate W is gripped by the multiple chuck pins 11, the electric motor 14 is driven and the substrate W begins to rotate (step S2 in FIG. 10). Furthermore, the gas valve 40 is opened and the central opening 38o of the spin base 12 begins to discharge nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas discharged from the central opening 38o of the spin base 12 spreads radially in all directions in the space between the substrate W and the spin base 12. This fills the space between the substrate W and the spin base 12 with nitrogen gas.

Next, a hydrogen peroxide solution pre-supply step is performed in which hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S3 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, first nozzle movement unit 23 moves first chemical liquid nozzle 16 from the standby position to the processing position. Thereafter, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position, hydrogen peroxide valve 21 is opened and first chemical liquid nozzle 16 starts to discharge hydrogen peroxide. While first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is discharging hydrogen peroxide, first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the landing position of the hydrogen peroxide solution on the upper surface of substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

The hydrogen peroxide solution ejected from the first chemical nozzle 16 collides with the top surface of the substrate W, which is rotating at the initial hydrogen peroxide solution supply speed, and then flows outward along the top surface of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. As a result, the hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied to the entire top surface of the substrate W, and the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hydrogen peroxide solution. When the first nozzle movement unit 23 moves the landing position of the hydrogen peroxide solution, the landing position of the hydrogen peroxide solution passes over the entire top surface of the substrate W. As a result, the hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied evenly to the top surface of the substrate W.

Next, an etching liquid supplying step of supplying SPM, which is an example of a first chemical liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W and a heating step of heating the SPM on the substrate W with a heater 51 are performed (step S4 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 located at the processing position and the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 open, the sulfuric acid valve 18 is opened. This causes the hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid to mix together, generating SPM that is hotter than the hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid before they are mixed. The SPM is then ejected downward from the first chemical liquid nozzle 16. This starts the ejection of SPM. Before the ejection of SPM starts, the guard lifting unit 47 may vertically move at least one guard 42 to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W.

The SPM discharged from the first chemical nozzle 16 collides with the top surface of the substrate W rotating at the first chemical supply speed, and then flows outward along the top surface of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. The hydrogen peroxide solution on the substrate W is replaced with SPM. As a result, SPM is supplied to the entire top surface of the substrate W, and the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SPM. When the first chemical nozzle 16 is discharging SPM, the first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the landing position of the SPM on the top surface of the substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

The heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51, which is located at the standby position, above the substrate W. The control device 3 then sets the output of the heater 51, which means the amount of heat generated by the heater 51 per unit time, to an output value specified in the recipe. This starts the supply of power to the heater 51, and the heater 51 starts generating heat. Therefore, the temperature of the heater 51 rises and is maintained constant or approximately constant. The heater 51 may start generating heat after all the hydrogen peroxide solution has been replaced with SPM, or may start with at least a portion of the upper surface of the substrate W covered with hydrogen peroxide solution. The temperature of the heater 51 may be equal to or higher than the boiling point of the SPM at that concentration (for example, 200°C or higher), or may be lower than the boiling point. In either case, the temperature of the heater 51 rises to 100°C or higher.

When the heater 51 generates heat above the substrate W while the SPM is on the upper surface of the substrate W, the SPM on the substrate W is heated by the heater 51. Not only that, but the substrate W is also heated by the heater 51. As a result, the temperatures of the substrate W and the SPM rise to a value close to the temperature of the heater 51 and are maintained at that value. As the temperature of the SPM rises, the oxidizing power (corrosive power) of the SPM becomes stronger, and the amount of substrate W dissolved by the SPM per unit time increases. This increases the etching speed of the etching target 93 (see FIG. 14) that is etched by the SPM.

When the heater 51 is generating heat, the lower surface 51L of the heater 51 may be in contact with the liquid on the substrate W, such as the SPM, or may be spaced above the liquid on the substrate W. In the latter case, the lower surface 51L of the heater 51 may be located below the upper end 42u of the outermost guard 42. By bringing the lower surface 51L of the heater 51 into contact with the SPM on the substrate W or close to the SPM on the substrate W, the substrate W and the SPM can be efficiently heated, and the temperatures of the substrate W and the SPM can be further increased.

When the heater 51 is generating heat, the heater moving unit 59 may move the heater 51 horizontally above the substrate W or may keep the heater 51 stationary. In the former case, the heater moving unit 59 may move the heater 51 horizontally back and forth between a central position where the heater 51 overlaps the central part of the top surface of the substrate W in a plan view and a peripheral position where the heater 51 overlaps the peripheral part of the top surface of the substrate W in a plan view (half scan). Alternatively, the heater moving unit 59 may move the heater 51 horizontally back and forth between two peripheral positions to cause the heater 51 to pass the central position (full scan).

When the heater movement unit 59 moves the heater 51 horizontally above the substrate W, the first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the first chemical nozzle 16 horizontally while the first chemical nozzle 16 is ejecting SPM. In this case, the first chemical nozzle 16 and the heater 51 may be moved while maintaining a constant distance between the first chemical nozzle 16 and the heater 51, or the first chemical nozzle 16 and the heater 51 may be moved while changing the distance between the first chemical nozzle 16 and the heater 51.

When a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater 51 started to generate heat, the control device 3 stops the supply of power to the heater 51, causing the heater 51 to stop generating heat. This causes the temperature of the heater 51 to start decreasing. After the supply of power to the heater 51 is stopped, the heater movement unit 59 moves the heater 51 from above the substrate W to a standby position. The movement of the heater 51 may be started at the same time that the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 stops discharging SPM, or may be started before or after the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 stops discharging SPM.

Next, a post-hydrogen peroxide solution supplying step is performed in which hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S5 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position and the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 open, the sulfuric acid valve 18 is closed. As a result, only hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 and is discharged downward from the first chemical liquid nozzle 16. Before the discharge of hydrogen peroxide is resumed, the guard lifting unit 47 may vertically move at least one guard 42 to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the sulfuric acid valve 18 was closed, the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 is closed and the discharge of hydrogen peroxide is stopped. Thereafter, the first nozzle moving unit 23 moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 to the standby position.

The hydrogen peroxide solution discharged from the first chemical nozzle 16 collides with the upper surface of the substrate W, which is rotating at the subsequent hydrogen peroxide solution supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. The SPM on the substrate W is replaced with hydrogen peroxide solution. As a result, hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hydrogen peroxide solution. When the first chemical nozzle 16 is discharging hydrogen peroxide solution, the first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the landing position of the hydrogen peroxide solution on the upper surface of the substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

Next, a first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step of supplying pure water, which is an example of a rinsing liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W and a heater cooling step of cooling the heater 51 are performed (step S6 in FIG. 10). The heater cooling step will be described in detail later.
Regarding the supply of pure water, with at least one guard 42 located at the processing position, the pure water valve 31 is opened and the rinse liquid nozzle 29 starts to discharge the pure water. Before the discharge of the pure water starts, the guard lifting unit 47 may move at least one guard 42 vertically in order to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 29 collides with the center of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the first intermediate rinse liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The hydrogen peroxide solution on the substrate W is washed away by the pure water. As a result, the pure water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of the pure water. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the pure water valve 31 was opened, the pure water valve 31 is closed and the discharge of the pure water is stopped.

After the hydrogen peroxide solution on the substrate W has been replaced with deionized water, hydrogen peroxide solution, SPM, hydrogen peroxide solution, and deionized water are again supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W in this order. That is, a repeating process is performed (step S7 in FIG. 10) in which one cycle from the preliminary hydrogen peroxide solution supplying process (step S3 in FIG. 10) to the first intermediate rinsing liquid supplying process and the heater cooling process (step S6 in FIG. 10) is performed one or more times. "N" in step S7 in FIG. 10 means an integer of 1 or more. Therefore, the heating of the substrate W and SPM by the heater 51 is performed multiple times, and the heater 51 is cooled each time the heating of the substrate W and SPM is stopped.

After the final first intermediate rinsing liquid supply process (step S6 in FIG. 10) is performed, a second intermediate rinsing liquid supply process is performed in which warm water (pure water that is hotter than room temperature), which is an example of a rinsing liquid, is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S8 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position, the hot water valve 33 is opened, and the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 starts to discharge hot water. Before the discharge of hot water starts, the guard lifting unit 47 may move at least one guard 42 vertically in order to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. The hot water discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 collides with the center of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the second intermediate rinsing liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The pure water on the substrate W is replaced with hot water. As a result, the hot water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hot water. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the hot water valve 33 was opened, the hot water valve 33 is closed, and the discharge of hot water is stopped.

Next, an SC1 supplying step is performed in which SC1, which is an example of a second chemical liquid, is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (Step S9 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, second nozzle moving unit 28 moves second chemical liquid nozzle 24 from the standby position to the processing position. Thereafter, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position, second chemical liquid valve 26 is opened, and second chemical liquid nozzle 24 starts discharging SC1. Before discharging SC1 starts, guard lifting unit 47 may vertically move at least one guard 42 to switch guard 42 that receives liquid splashed outward from substrate W. When a predetermined time has elapsed since second chemical liquid valve 26 was opened, second chemical liquid valve 26 is closed, and discharging SC1 is stopped. Thereafter, second nozzle moving unit 28 moves second chemical liquid nozzle 24 to the standby position.

After the SC1 discharged from the second chemical nozzle 24 collides with the top surface of the substrate W rotating at the second chemical supply speed, it flows outward along the top surface of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. The warm water on the substrate W is replaced with the SC1 discharged from the second chemical nozzle 24. As a result, the SC1 is supplied to the entire top surface of the substrate W, and the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SC1. When the second chemical nozzle 24 is discharging SC1, the second nozzle movement unit 28 may move the landing position of SC1 on the top surface of the substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

Next, a third intermediate rinsing liquid supply step is performed in which warm water, which is an example of a rinsing liquid, is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S10 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position, the hot water valve 33 is opened, and the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 starts to discharge hot water. Before the discharge of hot water starts, the guard lifting unit 47 may move at least one guard 42 vertically in order to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. The hot water discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 29 collides with the center of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the third intermediate rinsing liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The SC1 on the substrate W is replaced with hot water. As a result, the hot water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hot water. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the hot water valve 33 was opened, the hot water valve 33 is closed, and the discharge of hot water is stopped.

Next, a final rinsing liquid supply step is performed in which pure water, which is an example of a rinsing liquid, is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S11 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position, the pure water valve 31 is opened, and the rinse liquid nozzle 29 starts to discharge pure water. Before the discharge of pure water starts, the guard lifting unit 47 may move at least one guard 42 vertically in order to switch the guard 42 that receives the liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 29 collides with the center of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the final rinse liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The warm water on the substrate W is replaced with the pure water. As a result, the pure water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of pure water. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the pure water valve 31 was opened, the pure water valve 31 is closed, and the discharge of pure water is stopped.

Next, a drying step is performed in which the substrate W is dried by rotating the substrate W at high speed (step S12 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 in the processing position, the electric motor 14 accelerates the rotation of the substrate W, rotating the substrate W at a high rotation speed (e.g., several thousand rpm) that is higher than the rotation speed of the substrate W during the period from the preliminary hydrogen peroxide solution supply step to the final rinsing liquid supply step. This removes liquid from the substrate W, and dries the substrate W. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the substrate W started to rotate at high speed, the electric motor 14 stops rotating. This stops the rotation of the substrate W (step S13 in FIG. 10).

Next, an unloading step is performed to unload the substrate W from the chamber 4 (step S14 in FIG. 10).
Specifically, the guard lifting unit 47 lowers all of the guards 42 to the standby position. Furthermore, the gas valve 40 is closed, and the central opening 38o of the spin base 12 stops discharging nitrogen gas. Thereafter, the center robot CR causes the hand Hc to enter the chamber 4. After the plurality of chuck pins 11 release the grip of the substrate W, the center robot CR supports the substrate W on the spin chuck 10 with the hand Hc. Thereafter, the center robot CR withdraws the hand Hc from inside the chamber 4 while still supporting the substrate W with the hand Hc. As a result, the processed substrate W is carried out from the chamber 4.

11 is a process diagram for explaining another example (second processing example) of processing of the substrate W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the following, reference will be made to FIGS.
In the second processing example, the steps up to the hydrogen peroxide solution pre-supply step (step S3 in FIG. 11 ) and the steps after the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11 ) are similar to those in the first processing example. Therefore, the following describes the steps performed from the hydrogen peroxide solution pre-supply step (step S3 in FIG. 11 ) to the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11 ).

After the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hydrogen peroxide in the preliminary hydrogen peroxide supply process (step S3 in FIG. 11), a liquid film formation process is performed to form a liquid film of SPM that covers the entire upper surface of the substrate W (step S41 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, with at least one guard 42 positioned at the processing position and the hydrogen peroxide valve 21 open, the sulfuric acid valve 18 is opened and the first chemical nozzle 16 starts to discharge SPM. The SPM discharged from the first chemical nozzle 16 collides with the top surface of the substrate W rotating at a liquid film formation speed, and then flows outward along the top surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. The hydrogen peroxide on the substrate W is replaced with SPM. As a result, the SPM is supplied to the entire top surface of the substrate W, and the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SPM.

Before the ejection of SPM begins, the guard lifting unit 47 may move at least one guard 42 vertically to switch the guard 42 that receives liquid splashed outward from the substrate W. When the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is ejecting SPM, the first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the landing position of the SPM on the top surface of the substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

After the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SPM, a puddle process is performed in which the entire upper surface of the substrate W is maintained in a state in which the SPM liquid film is covered while the supply of new SPM to the substrate W is stopped, and a heating process is performed in which the SPM on the substrate W is heated with a heater 51 (step S42 in Figure 11).
Specifically, electric motor 14 reduces the rotation of substrate W to a paddle speed (e.g., 0 to 30 rpm) that is equal to or greater than 0 and is smaller than the liquid film formation speed. This reduces the amount of SPM discharged from substrate W to zero or approximately zero. Thereafter, both sulfuric acid valve 18 and hydrogen peroxide solution valve 21 are closed, and first chemical liquid nozzle 16 stops discharging SPM. After discharging of SPM has stopped, first nozzle moving unit 23 may move first chemical liquid nozzle 16 to a standby position, or may position it above substrate W.

When the ejection of SPM is stopped, the supply of new SPM to the substrate W is stopped. However, because the rotation speed of the substrate W has been reduced to the paddle speed and the amount of SPM discharged from the substrate W is extremely small, a liquid film of SPM covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is retained on the substrate W. Therefore, when the rotation speed of the substrate W is maintained at the paddle speed, the entire upper surface of the substrate W continues to be covered with a liquid film of SPM.

The heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51, which is located in the standby position, above the substrate W. The control device 3 then sets the output of the heater 51 to an output value specified in the recipe. This starts the supply of power to the heater 51, and the heater 51 starts generating heat. As a result, the temperature of the heater 51 rises and is maintained constant or approximately constant. The heater 51 may start generating heat when the rotation speed of the substrate W is the liquid film formation speed or the paddle speed. The temperature of the heater 51 may be equal to or higher than the boiling point of the SPM at that concentration, or may be lower than the boiling point. In either case, the temperature of the heater 51 rises to 100°C or higher.

When the heater 51 is generating heat, the lower surface 51L of the heater 51 may be in contact with the liquid on the substrate W, such as SPM, or may be spaced above the liquid on the substrate W. When the heater 51 is generating heat, the heater movement unit 59 may move the heater 51 horizontally above the substrate W, or may keep the heater 51 stationary. When the heater movement unit 59 moves the heater 51 horizontally above the substrate W, the first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 horizontally while the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is ejecting SPM.

Next, a puddle process is performed in which the entire top surface of the substrate W is kept covered with a liquid film of SPM while the supply of new SPM to the substrate W is stopped, and a heater cooling process is performed in which the heater 51 is cooled (step S43 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the heater 51 started to generate heat, the control device 3 stops the supply of power to the heater 51, causing the heater 51 to stop generating heat. Thereafter, in a state in which the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SPM, that is, in a state in which the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 has stopped discharging SPM and the rotation speed of the substrate W is maintained at the paddle speed, the heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51 located above the substrate W to a standby position. Thereafter, the heater 51 is cooled. Details of the heater cooling process will be described later.

After the heater 51 has cooled in the standby position, the heater 51 is again moved above the substrate W, and the substrate W and SPM are heated by the heater 51. The heater 51 is then cooled in the standby position. That is, a cycle of the puddle step and heating step (step S42 in FIG. 11) to the puddle step and heater cooling step (step S43 in FIG. 11) is repeated one or more times (step S44 in FIG. 11). If necessary, in the second or subsequent cycles, SPM may be discharged from the first chemical nozzle 16 to replenish the SPM on the substrate W with new SPM. In this way, it is possible to reliably maintain a state in which the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of SPM.

After the final puddle step and heater cooling step (step S43 in FIG. 11) have been performed, a post-hydrogen peroxide supply step is performed in which hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W (step S5 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, when first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is located at the standby position, first nozzle movement unit 23 moves first chemical liquid nozzle 16 from the standby position to the processing position. Thereafter, with at least one guard 42 located at the processing position and sulfuric acid valve 18 closed, hydrogen peroxide valve 21 is opened and first chemical liquid nozzle 16 starts discharging hydrogen peroxide. When first chemical liquid nozzle 16 is discharging hydrogen peroxide, first nozzle movement unit 23 may move the landing position of the hydrogen peroxide solution on the upper surface of substrate W so that the landing position passes through the center and the outer periphery, or may stop the landing position at the center.

The hydrogen peroxide solution discharged from the first chemical nozzle 16 collides with the top surface of the substrate W, which is rotating at the preliminary hydrogen peroxide solution supply speed, and then flows outward along the top surface of the substrate W due to centrifugal force. The SPM on the substrate W is replaced with hydrogen peroxide solution. As a result, hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied to the entire top surface of the substrate W, and the entire top surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of hydrogen peroxide solution. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the hydrogen peroxide solution valve 21 was opened, the hydrogen peroxide solution valve 21 is closed and the discharge of hydrogen peroxide solution is stopped. The first nozzle movement unit 23 then moves the first chemical nozzle 16 to the standby position.

After the SPM on the substrate W is replaced with hydrogen peroxide, all steps from the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11) onwards are carried out as in the first processing example. Thus, pure water, warm water, SC1, warm water and pure water are supplied to the top surface of the substrate W in that order, and then the substrate W is dried by rotating at high speed. However, in the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11) of the second processing example, it is not necessary to cool the heater 51. After the substrate W is dried, the center robot CR (see FIG. 1A) removes the processed substrate W from the chamber 4.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the heater 51 is cooled outside the substrate W. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the heater 51 is cooled above the substrate W.
Fig. 12 shows an example of a heater cooling step performed in the first processing example shown in Fig. 10 and the second processing example shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 shows an example of a heater cooling step performed in the first processing example. The heater cooling step performed in the first processing example may be either the example shown in Fig. 12 or the example shown in Fig. 13, or both the example shown in Fig. 12 and the example shown in Fig. 13 may be included in the multiple heater cooling steps performed in the first processing example. For example, the example shown in Fig. 12 and the example shown in Fig. 13 may be performed alternately.

First, an example of the flow when cooling the heater 51 outside the substrate W will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, when cooling the heater 51 outside the substrate W, the heater 51 located above the substrate W is moved horizontally to the upper standby position and then lowered to the lower standby position. This causes the heater 51 to be inserted into the standby pod 71. Furthermore, the coolant valve 76 is opened to start discharging the coolant to the coolant outlet 72 of the standby pod 71. Discharging the coolant may start at the same time that the heater 51 is inserted into the standby pod 71, or may start before or after the heater 51 is inserted into the standby pod 71.

The cooling liquid discharged from the cooling liquid discharge port 72 collides with the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51 located in the lower standby position, and then flows downward along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51. This cools the heater 51. Furthermore, the chemicals such as SPM adhering to the heater 51 are washed away by the cooling liquid, cleaning the heater 51. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the cooling liquid valve 76 was opened, the cooling liquid valve 76 is closed to stop the discharge of the cooling liquid from the cooling liquid discharge port 72.

When the coolant outlet 72 is discharging the coolant, the heater 51 may be stationary or may be raised and lowered. If the heater 51 is raised and lowered, the position where the coolant discharged from the coolant outlet 72 first hits the heater 51 moves up and down within the outer circumferential surface 51o of the heater 51, so that the heater 51 can be uniformly cooled and cleaned. When the coolant outlet 72 is discharging the coolant, the drain valve 84 may be opened or closed. If the drain valve 84 is closed, the coolant accumulates in the standby pod 71, so that at least a part of the heater 51 can be submerged in the coolant in the standby pod 71. This increases the time and area that the coolant contacts the heater 51, and the heater 51 can be effectively cooled.

After the discharge of the cooling liquid has stopped, the cooling gas valve 81 is opened to start discharging the cooling gas to the cooling gas discharge port 77 of the standby pod 71. The cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas discharge port 77 collides with a collision position on the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51 located in the standby lower position, and then flows radially in all directions from the collision position along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51. This forms an airflow that flows along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51, cooling the heater 51. The cooling liquid adhering to the heater 51 evaporates due to the supply of cooling gas to the heater 51. This allows the heater 51 to be further cooled, and the amount of cooling liquid remaining in the heater 51 to be reduced.

When a predetermined time has elapsed since the cooling gas valve 81 was opened, the cooling gas valve 81 is closed, and the cooling gas outlet 77 stops discharging the cooling gas. When the cooling gas outlet 77 is discharging the cooling gas, the heater moving unit 59 may keep the heater 51 stationary or may raise and lower it. By raising and lowering the heater 51, the heater 51 can be cooled evenly and the amount of remaining cooling liquid can be further reduced. By reducing the amount of remaining cooling liquid to zero or almost zero, the heater 51 can be dried and the cooling liquid can be prevented from falling from the heater 51.

Next, an example of a flow when cooling the heater 51 above the substrate W will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the rinse liquid nozzle 29 is made to discharge rinse liquid while the ceiling nozzle 60 is made to discharge coolant. The heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51 to a cooling position where the rinse liquid discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 29 does not collide with the heater 51 and where the coolant discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 collide with the heater 51. If the heater 51 is already placed at the cooling position, the heater moving unit 59 may stop the heater 51 in place. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the heater 51 heats the substrate W and the SPM, and then the heater moving unit 59 moves the heater 51 upward. In this example, the heater 51 is placed at a position overlapping the center of the substrate W in a plan view.

When cooling the heater 51 outside the substrate W, the coolant valve 62 is opened and the ceiling nozzle 60 starts to eject coolant. The ejection of coolant may start at the same time that the heater 51 reaches the cooling position, or may start before or after the heater 51 reaches the cooling position. The ejection of coolant may start at the same time that the rinse liquid nozzle 29 starts to eject rinse liquid, or may start before or after the rinse liquid nozzle 29 starts to eject rinse liquid.

The cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 collides with a collision position on the top surface of the heater 51, and then flows radially in all directions from the collision position along the top surface of the heater 51. The cooling liquid then moves from the top surface of the heater 51 to the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51, and flows downward along the outer peripheral surface 51o of the heater 51. This cools the heater 51. Furthermore, the chemicals such as SPM adhering to the heater 51 are washed away by the cooling liquid, and the heater 51 is cleaned.

When the ceiling nozzle 60 is discharging the cooling liquid, the heater movement unit 59 may keep the heater 51 still or may oscillate it horizontally. In the latter case, the heater movement unit 59 may oscillate the heater 51 horizontally within a range where the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 directly hits the heater 51, or may move the heater 51 horizontally to a position where the cooling liquid discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 does not directly hit the heater 51. By oscillating the heater 51 horizontally, the range where the cooling liquid comes into contact with the heater 51 is expanded, allowing the heater 51 to be cooled and cleaned uniformly.

The cooling liquid supplied to the heater 51 from the ceiling nozzle 60 falls from the heater 51 and mixes with the rinsing liquid on the substrate W. Both the cooling liquid and the rinsing liquid are water-containing liquids whose main component is water. Therefore, the heater 51 can be cooled without affecting the processing of the substrate W or while minimizing the effect. In particular, if the cooling liquid and the rinsing liquid are the same liquid (liquids with the same components), the components contained in the liquid on the substrate W do not change even if the cooling liquid mixes with the rinsing liquid on the substrate W.

When a predetermined time has elapsed since the coolant valve 62 was opened, the coolant valve 62 is closed to stop the discharge of coolant from the ceiling nozzle 60. The discharge of coolant may be stopped at the same time as the discharge of rinsing liquid is stopped, or may be stopped before or after the discharge of rinsing liquid is stopped. After the discharge of coolant is stopped, cooling gas may be discharged from the ceiling nozzle 60 at a flow rate that maintains the entire top surface of the substrate W covered with a film of rinsing liquid. In this way, the heater 51 can be further cooled by the cooling gas, and the amount of coolant remaining in the heater 51 can be reduced.

The temperatures of the cooling liquid and the cooling gas and the cooling time of the heater 51 (the time for discharging the cooling liquid and the cooling gas) may be set so that the variation in the maximum temperatures of the substrate W and the etching liquid when the substrate W and the etching liquid are heated multiple times by the heater 51 does not exceed the upper limit. However, if the cooling time of the heater 51 is extended, the time required to process one substrate W increases, so the cooling time of the heater 51 must be set while taking into account the time allowed for processing one substrate W.

Figure 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross-section of a substrate W before and after processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1. Figure 14(a) shows an example of a cross-section of a substrate W before processing. Figure 14(b) shows an example of a cross-section of a substrate W after processing. The cross-sections of the substrate W shown in Figures 14(a) and 14(b) are cross-sections along a plane perpendicular to the front and back surfaces of the substrate W. The thickness direction Dt of the substrate W corresponds to the up-down direction in Figure 14.

The etching object 93 is disposed in a hole 94 that penetrates the multiple laminated films 91 in the thickness direction Dt of the substrate W. The etching object 93 extends from the bottom of the hole 94 toward the outermost surface of the multiple laminated films 91, which corresponds to the outermost surface of the substrate W. The etching object 93 is shorter than the hole 94 in the thickness direction Dt of the substrate W. Therefore, the tip of the etching object 93 is disposed on the bottom side of the hole 94 relative to the outermost surface of the substrate W. The depth D1 of the hole 94 from the outermost surface of the substrate W to the tip of the etching object 93 is more than half the height H1 of the etching object 93, that is, the length in the thickness direction Dt of the substrate W from the tip of the etching object 93 to the base of the etching object 93.

The multiple laminated films 91 are formed on a base material 92 such as a silicon wafer. The multiple laminated films 91 include multiple first laminated films 91a and multiple second laminated films 91b. The multiple first laminated films 91a and the multiple second laminated films 91b are alternately laminated. The multiple laminated films 91 include a lower layer 91L located in the range from the bottom of the hole 94 to the tip of the etching object 93, and an upper layer 91u located in the range from the tip of the etching object 93 to the outermost surface of the substrate W. The etching object 93 is embedded in the lower part of the hole 94 that vertically penetrates the lower layer 91L.

The upper layer 91u of the laminated film 91 is laminated on the lower layer 91L after the etching object 93 is embedded in the lower layer 91L of the laminated film 91. The upper part of the hole 94 is then formed in the upper layer 91u, and the upper part of the hole 94 is connected to the lower part of the hole 94. The steps up to this point are performed in an apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the etching object 93 is removed from the substrate W. These steps are part of the manufacturing process for a three-dimensional NAND-type flash memory. The multiple laminated films 91 are the part that will become the memory cell array of the memory. The memory cell array is a part that includes multiple memory cells that are arranged three-dimensionally in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions.

The diameter W1 of the hole 94 is smaller than the depth of the hole 94 (depth D1 + height H1). The diameter W1 of the hole 94 is smaller than the height H1 of the object 93 to be etched. The diameter W1 of the hole 94 is, for example, 80 to 130 nm. The depth of the hole 94 is, for example, 5000 to 7000 nm. The aspect ratio of the hole 94 (depth of the hole 94/diameter W1 of the hole 94) is, for example, 38.5 to 87.5. These numerical values are merely examples and are not limited to these.

The etching object 93 may be a metal or may be a material other than a metal. When the etching object 93 is a metal, the etching object 93 may be TiN, W and TiN, or other materials. The first stacked film 91a is a thin film of silicon oxide, and the second stacked film 91b is a thin film of silicon nitride. The first stacked film 91a may be a thin film of material other than silicon oxide. Similarly, the second stacked film 91b may be a thin film of material other than silicon nitride.

A substrate W having a cross section shown in FIG. 14(a) is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1. If the object to be etched 93 is a metal, an etching liquid that corrodes metals, such as SPM, is supplied to the substrate W. In the first and second processing examples described above, the SPM enters the hole 94 and comes into contact with the object to be etched 93 in the hole 94. In this state, the SPM is heated by the heater 51. As a result, the object to be etched 93 is etched and removed from the substrate W.

Although the etching object 93 is etched by an etching solution such as SPM, the etching rate of the etching object 93 may be low. In the first and second processing examples described above, the substrate W and SPM are heated multiple times. This further strengthens the oxidizing power of the SPM, and increases the etching rate of the etching object 93. Therefore, the etching object 93 is etched stepwise from the tip side of the etching object 93 in the depth direction of the hole 94 (corresponding to the thickness direction Dt), and finally disappears. Figure 14 (b) shows a cross section of the substrate W after the etching object 93 has been removed.

As described above, the upper part of the hole 94 penetrating the upper layer 91u of the laminate film 91 is formed after the lower part of the hole 94 penetrating the lower layer 91L of the laminate film 91 is formed. Therefore, the upper part of the hole 94 may be misaligned with respect to the lower part of the hole 94. In this case, as shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 14(b), the joint 95 between the upper part of the hole 94 and the lower part of the hole 94 may be inclined obliquely with respect to the thickness direction Dt of the substrate W. The enlarged view in FIG. 14(b) shows an example in which the joint 95 of the hole 94 penetrating the boundary between the upper layer 91u and the lower layer 91L obliquely.

As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 14(b), when the joint 95 of the hole 94 is inclined, the inner surface of the joint 95 includes a downward portion 95d facing away from the top surface of the substrate W, and an upward portion 95u facing the top surface of the substrate W. In such a case, the etching object 93 is likely to remain in the downward portion 95d of the hole 94. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 14(b) indicates the etching object 93 remaining in the downward portion 95d of the hole 94.

If the etching object 93 remains in the hole 94, the performance of the device formed on the substrate W may be degraded. In the first and second processing examples described above, the substrate W and the SPM are heated multiple times by the heater 51, so that the SPM, which has an extremely strong oxidizing power, is brought into contact with the etching object 93 multiple times. This makes it possible to reduce the etching object 93 remaining in the hole 94, and prevents degradation of the device's performance.

On the other hand, the first stacked film 91a and the second stacked film 91b are non-etching objects formed of materials that are not etched or are difficult to etch by an etching solution such as SPM. However, the first stacked film 91a and the second stacked film 91b are also etched by the etching solution, albeit to a small extent. In particular, in the first and second processing examples described above, the heater 51 is disposed above the substrate W, so that the first stacked film 91a and the second stacked film 91b located on or near the top surface of the substrate W are more easily etched than the other first stacked films 91a and second stacked films 91b.

If the amount of etching of the non-etching object differs for each substrate W, the performance of the device formed on the substrate W may vary for each substrate W. Therefore, even if the non-etching object is etched, it is important to stabilize the amount of etching of the non-etching object among multiple substrates W. In the first and second processing examples described above, the heater 51 is cooled to stabilize the temperatures of the substrate W and SPM when the substrate W and SPM are being heated by the heater 51. This makes it possible to stabilize the amount of etching of the non-etching object among multiple substrates W.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the substrate W and the etching solution on the substrate W are heated by the heater 51. Thereafter, the output of the heater 51 is reduced, and the heater 51 is cooled by contact between the outer surface of the heater 51, including the outer peripheral surface 51o and the lower surface 51L, and the cooling fluid. Thereafter, the substrate W and the etching solution are heated again by the heater 51. In this way, the substrate W and the etching solution are heated multiple times by the heater 51 rather than being heated for a long time at once, so that the temperature rise of the members (for example, the chuck pin 11 and the spin base 12) located near the substrate W can be suppressed. Furthermore, the heater 51 is cooled before the heating of the substrate W and the etching solution is resumed, and the output of the heater 51 is set to the same value, so that the temperature of the heater 51 can be stabilized when the heating of the substrate W and the etching solution is resumed. This allows the temperature of the substrate W and the etching solution during heating, that is, the temperature of the substrate W and the etching solution when the substrate W and the etching solution are heated by the heater 51, to be stabilized.

In the first embodiment, after the substrate W and SPM are heated by the heater 51, hydrogen peroxide, pure water, and hydrogen peroxide are supplied to the substrate W in this order. The hydrogen peroxide on the substrate W is then replaced with SPM, and the substrate W and SPM are heated by the heater 51. The liquids (hydrogen peroxide, pure water, and SPM) supplied to the substrate W after the heater 51 heats the substrate W and SPM have a lower temperature than the SPM heated by the heater 51. Therefore, by supplying these liquids to the substrate W, the temperature of the substrate W can be reduced. Furthermore, since the SPM that has not been heated by the heater 51 is heated, the increase in temperature of the substrate W and the etching liquid during heating can be suppressed compared to the case where the SPM heated by the heater 51 is heated again.

In the first embodiment, the heater 51 alternates between heating the substrate W and the etching solution and cooling the heater 51. Increasing the temperature of the etching solution further strengthens the corrosive power of the etching solution, and the etching rate of the object to be etched 93 increases. By alternately repeating heating and cooling as described above, it is possible to suppress the increase in temperature of the members located near the substrate W, and to etch the object to be etched 93 in stages while stabilizing the temperatures of the substrate W and the etching solution during heating.

In the first embodiment, when the outer surface of the heater 51 is in contact with the cooling fluid, cooling gas is supplied to the internal space 51i of the heater 51. This causes high-temperature gas to be discharged from the internal space 51i of the heater 51, and at least a portion of the gas in the heater 51 is replaced with the cooling gas. The cooling gas is a gas that has a lower temperature than the heater 51. Therefore, the heater 51 can be cooled not only from the outside of the heater 51, but also from the inside of the heater 51.

In the first embodiment, after the heater 51 heats the substrate W and the etching liquid, the heater 51 is moved to a standby position where the heater 51 does not overlap the substrate W in a planar view. The heater 51 is then cooled by contacting the outer surface of the heater 51 with a cooling fluid. In this way, the heater 51 is cooled outside the substrate W, so that the heater 51 can be cooled without affecting the processing of the substrate W or while minimizing the effect.

In the first embodiment, the heater 51 located above the substrate W heats the substrate W and the etching liquid, and then the heater 51 is cooled without moving outside the substrate W. Therefore, the heater 51 does not need to be moved horizontally back and forth between the processing position and the standby position. This shortens the time required to cool the heater 51 and increases the contact time between the outer surface of the heater 51 and the cooling fluid.

In the first embodiment, the heater 51, which is located above the substrate W rather than below the substrate W, heats the substrate W and the etching liquid, and then the heater 51 is cooled without moving it to the outside of the substrate W. To cool the heater 51, a cooling liquid that is at a lower temperature than the heater 51 is discharged toward the heater 51. This allows the cooling liquid to come into contact with the outer surface of the heater 51, thereby cooling the heater 51. The cooling liquid has the same components as the liquid on the upper surface of the substrate W when the cooling liquid is being supplied to the heater 51. Therefore, even if the cooling liquid that has dropped from the heater 51 mixes with the liquid on the substrate W, the components contained in the liquid on the substrate W do not change. This allows the heater 51 located above the substrate W to be cooled without affecting the processing of the substrate W, or while minimizing the effect.

In the first embodiment, the substrate W is etched with a high-temperature SPM heated by the heater 51. Then, hydrogen peroxide and pure water are supplied to the substrate W. Then, the substrate W is etched again with a high-temperature SPM heated by the heater 51. The temperatures of the hydrogen peroxide and pure water are lower than the temperature of the SPM heated by the heater 51. Therefore, the temperature of the substrate W alternately rises and falls.

In this way, since high-temperature SPM is supplied to the substrate W multiple times, the etching target 93 embedded in the hole 94 can be etched stepwise from the tip side of the etching target 93 in the depth direction of the hole 94. Furthermore, since low-temperature hydrogen peroxide solution and pure water are supplied to the substrate W before etching the substrate W with high-temperature SPM, the temperature of the substrate W is lowered. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the rise in temperature of the substrate W when etching the substrate W with high-temperature SPM, and the temperature can be stabilized.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.
The main difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that two heaters 51 are provided in one processing unit 2. Two standby pods 71 and other components related to the heaters 51 are also provided in each processing unit 2.
Hereinafter, one heater 51 is referred to as a first heater 51A, and the other heater 51 is referred to as a second heater 51B. The configuration corresponding to the first heater 51A is preceded by "first," and the configuration related to the second heater 51B is preceded by "second." For example, the waiting pod 71 corresponding to the first heater 51A is referred to as the first waiting pod 71A, and the waiting pod 71 corresponding to the second heater 51B is referred to as the second waiting pod 71B.

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the substrate W and etching solution are heated by the first heater 51A while the second heater 51B is cooled in the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how the substrate W and etching solution are heated by the second heater 51B while the first heater 51A is cooled in the second embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 15 to 16, configurations equivalent to those shown in the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 14 are given the same reference symbols as in Figure 1, etc., and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

15, the first heater 51A located above the substrate W heats the substrate W and the etching liquid in a state in which the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of the etching liquid such as SPM, similar to the heating process shown in FIG. 10 (step S4 in FIG. 10) or the heating process shown in FIG. 11 (step S42 in FIG. 11). If the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of the etching liquid, the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 (see FIG. 2) may discharge the etching liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W, or may stop discharging the etching liquid. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the first heater 51A started to generate heat, the first heater 51A is made to stop generating heat and the first heater 51A is moved to a standby position. Thereafter, the first heater 51A is cooled in the first standby pod 71A, similar to the heater cooling process shown in FIG. 12.

When the first heater 51A is heating the substrate W and the etching solution, the second heater 51B may be disposed above the substrate W or in a standby position. FIG. 15 shows an example of the latter. The second heater 51B starts generating heat above the substrate W after the first heater 51A starts generating heat. The second heater 51B may start generating heat at the same time that the first heater 51A stops generating heat, or may start generating heat before or after the first heater 51A stops generating heat. The output of the second heater 51B is set to the same value as the output of the first heater 51A. Therefore, the temperature of the second heater 51B rises to the same or approximately the same value as the first heater 51A and is maintained at that value.

16, the second heater 51B located above the substrate W heats the substrate W and the etching liquid in a state in which the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a liquid film of the etching liquid, similar to the heating step shown in FIG. 10 (step S4 in FIG. 10) or the heating step shown in FIG. 11 (step S42 in FIG. 11). The etching liquid on the substrate W may be the etching liquid heated by the first heater 51A, or may be another etching liquid. That is, the etching liquid on the substrate W may be replaced with a new etching liquid, and then the second heater 51B may heat the substrate W and the etching liquid. Alternatively, as in the first processing example shown in FIG. 10, the etching liquid on the substrate W may be replaced with an intermediate liquid other than the etching liquid, such as hydrogen peroxide water or pure water, and then the intermediate liquid on the substrate W may be replaced with a new etching liquid, and then the second heater 51B may heat the substrate W and the etching liquid.

When a predetermined time has elapsed since the second heater 51B started to generate heat, the second heater 51B is made to stop generating heat and is moved to a standby position. Thereafter, similar to the heater cooling process shown in FIG. 12, the second heater 51B is cooled in the second standby pod 71B. The heat generation time of the second heater 51B, which represents the time for which power is supplied to generate heat to the second heater 51B, may be the same as the heat generation time of the first heater 51A, which represents the time for which power is supplied to generate heat to the first heater 51A, or may be shorter or longer than the heat generation time of the first heater 51A.

If necessary, the second heater 51B may be switched back to the first heater 51A in the same manner as the switching from the first heater 51A to the second heater 51B described above, and the first heater 51A may be made to heat the substrate W and the etching solution after the second heater 51B starts to generate heat. In other words, the heating of the substrate W and the etching solution by the first heater 51A and the heating of the substrate W and the etching solution by the second heater 51B may be alternately repeated. After the final heating of the substrate W and the etching solution is performed, a processing solution such as pure water or SC1 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is dried by rotating the substrate W at high speed, in the same manner as the first processing example shown in FIG. 10 or the second processing example shown in FIG. 11.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. Specifically, in the second embodiment, the substrate W and the etching solution are heated by the second heater 51B while the first heater 51A is cooled. Then, the substrate W and the etching solution are heated by the first heater 51A while the second heater 51B is cooled. That is, while one heater 51 is heating the substrate W and the etching solution, the other heater 51 is cooled. Therefore, the substrate W and the etching solution can be heated even while the heater 51 is being cooled. This makes it possible to increase the heating time of the substrate W and the etching solution and the cooling time of the first heater 51A and the second heater 51B without increasing the processing time of the substrate W.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.
The main difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that, instead of the heater 51 in the first embodiment, a shielding member 101 and a lower heater 106 are arranged above and below the substrate W, and a heating element 102 and a heating element 107 are built into the shielding member 101 and the lower heater 106.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a spin chuck 10 and a blocking member 101 according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed horizontally. In Fig. 17, the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 to Fig. 16 are used for configurations equivalent to those shown in Fig. 1 and the like, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.
The processing unit 2 includes a blocking member 101 disposed above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10. The blocking member 101 is an example of an upper heater disposed above the substrate W. The blocking member 101 includes a heating element 102 that generates heat when supplied with electric power, and a housing 103 that accommodates the heating element 102. The heating element 102 may be an infrared lamp, a carbon heater, a xenon arc lamp, an LED lamp, or a heating wire, or may be something other than these.

The housing 103 of the blocking member 101 is a disk portion arranged horizontally above the spin chuck 10. The housing 103 may further include a cylindrical portion extending downward from the outer periphery of the disk portion. The lower surface of the housing 103 corresponds to the lower surface of the blocking member 101. The center of the lower surface of the blocking member 101 is located on the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W. The lower surface of the blocking member 101 is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate W and has an outer diameter equal to or greater than the diameter of the substrate W.

The blocking member 101 is supported horizontally by a support shaft 104 extending upward from the center of the blocking member 101. The blocking member 101 is connected to a blocking member lifting unit 105 that vertically raises and lowers the blocking member 101. The blocking member lifting unit 105 positions the blocking member 101 at any position within a range from a standby position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 17) to a processing position (position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 17). The processing position is a close position where the bottom surface of the blocking member 101 is close to the top surface of the substrate W to a height where the hand Hc (see FIG. 1A) of the center robot CR cannot enter between the substrate W and the blocking member 101. The standby position is a distant position where the blocking member 101 is retracted to a height where the hand Hc of the center robot CR can enter between the blocking member 101 and the substrate W.

Instead of the lower nozzle 35 (see FIG. 2) according to the first embodiment, the processing unit 2 includes a lower heater 106 disposed below the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10. The lower heater 106 is disposed above the spin chuck 10. The lower heater 106 is disposed between the substrate W held by the multiple chuck pins 11 and the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12. The lower heater 106 includes a heating element 107 that generates heat when power is supplied, and a housing 108 that contains the heating element 107. The heating element 107 may be an infrared lamp 52, a carbon heater, a xenon arc lamp, an LED lamp, or an electric heating wire, or may be something other than these.

The housing 108 of the lower heater 106 is a disk portion arranged horizontally above the spin chuck 10. The upper surface of the housing 108 corresponds to the upper surface of the lower heater 106. The center of the upper surface of the lower heater 106 is arranged on the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W. The upper surface of the lower heater 106 is parallel to the lower surface of the substrate W and is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. The lower heater 106 is arranged inside the multiple chuck pins 11. The outer diameter of the lower heater 106 is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. The shortest distance in the radial direction (direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A1) from the outer peripheral surface of the lower heater 106 to the multiple chuck pins 11 is shorter than the vertical length from the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 to the upper end of the chuck pin 11.

The upper surface of the lower heater 106 is close to the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10. The vertical distance from the upper surface of the lower heater 106 to the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 is shorter than the vertical distance from the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12 to the upper surface of the lower heater 106. The lower heater 106 is supported horizontally by a support shaft 109 extending downward from the center of the lower heater 106. The support shaft 109 is inserted into a through hole that vertically passes through the center of the spin base 12. Even if the electric motor 14 rotates the chuck pin 11 and the spin base 12, the lower heater 106 does not rotate.

When performing the etching liquid supplying step and heating step (step S4 in FIG. 10) of the first processing example, at least one of the blocking member 101 and the lower heater 106 is made to generate heat instead of the heater 51. When the blocking member 101 generates heat while the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with an etching liquid such as SPM, the entire upper surface of the substrate W is uniformly heated and the liquid film of the etching liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is uniformly heated. Similarly, when the lower heater 106 generates heat while the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with an etching liquid, the entire upper surface of the substrate W is uniformly heated and the liquid film of the etching liquid covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is uniformly heated.

When the blocking member 101 is heating the substrate W and the etching liquid, the blocking member 101 may be positioned at the standby position or the processing position, or may be positioned at a position between the standby position and the processing position. When at least one of the blocking member 101 and the lower heater 106 is heating the substrate W and the etching liquid, an etching liquid such as SPM may be discharged from the first chemical liquid nozzle 16 (see FIG. 2), or the supply of new etching liquid to the substrate W may be stopped while maintaining the entire upper surface of the substrate W covered with a liquid film of the etching liquid.

When cooling the blocking member 101, which is an example of an upper heater, in the first intermediate rinse liquid supply step and heater cooling step (step S6 in FIG. 10) of the first processing example, the ceiling nozzle 60 is made to eject a cooling liquid such as pure water downward. This supplies the cooling liquid to the blocking member 101, which cools it. When cooling the lower heater 106, in the first intermediate rinse liquid supply step and heater cooling step (step S6 in FIG. 10) of the first processing example, the rinse liquid supplied to the substrate W from the rinse liquid nozzle 29 flows around to the underside of the substrate W and is supplied to the outer periphery of the lower heater 106. Therefore, the lower heater 106 can be cooled by the rinse liquid supplied to the substrate W.

Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
For example, the etching target 93 may be made of a material other than metal, such as photoresist, etc. In other words, the process performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be a resist stripping process.

At least one of the repeating step in the first processing example (step S7 in FIG. 10) and the repeating step in the second processing example (step S44 in FIG. 11) may be omitted.
In the first processing example, an example has been described in which the heater 51 is cooled while pure water is being supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W in the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply process (step S6 in Figure 10). However, in addition to or instead of when pure water is being supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, the heater 51 may be cooled in at least one of the pre-hydrogen peroxide supply process (step S3 in Figure 10) and the post-hydrogen peroxide supply process (step S5 in Figure 10).

In the first processing example, the post-hydrogen peroxide supply step (step S5 in FIG. 10) and the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 10) may be omitted from one cycle, and the heater 51 may be cooled in the second or subsequent pre-hydrogen peroxide supply steps. In the first processing example, the pre-hydrogen peroxide supply step and the post-hydrogen peroxide supply step may be omitted. In this case, if warm water is supplied to the substrate W in the first intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 10), the second intermediate rinsing liquid supply step (step S8 in FIG. 10) may be omitted.

The supply of gas to the internal space 51i of the heater 51 may be omitted.
The spin chuck 10 is not limited to a mechanical chuck that brings a plurality of chuck pins 11 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, but may be a vacuum chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by attracting the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W, which is a non-device forming surface, to the upper surface 12u of the spin base 12. The spin chuck 10 may be a Bernoulli chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by an attractive force generated by Bernoulli's theorem, or an electrostatic chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by an electrical force.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to an apparatus for processing a disk-shaped substrate W, but may be an apparatus for processing a polygonal substrate W.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to a single-wafer processing apparatus, but may be a batch processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates W at once.
Any two or more of all the above-mentioned features may be combined. Any two or more of all the above-mentioned steps may be combined.

The control device 3 is an example of a first heating means, a heater cooling means, and a second heating means. The chuck pin 11 is an example of a substrate holding means. The first chemical nozzle 16 is an example of a first etching liquid supplying means and a second etching liquid supplying means. The ceiling nozzle 60 is an example of a cooling fluid supplying means. The cooling liquid outlet 72 is another example of a cooling fluid supplying means. The cooling gas outlet 77 is yet another example of a cooling fluid supplying means.

In addition, various design changes may be made within the scope of the claims.

1: Substrate processing apparatus 3: Control device (first heating means, heater cooling means, second heating means)
11: Chuck pin (substrate holding means)
16: First chemical liquid nozzle (first etching liquid supply means, second etching liquid supply means)
51: heater 51A: first heater 51B: second heater 51L: lower surface of heater 51o: outer peripheral surface of heater 52: infrared lamp 53: housing 55: air supply pipe 56: air supply flow path 60: ceiling nozzle (cooling fluid supply means)
71: standby pod 71A: first standby pod 71B: second standby pod 72: cooling liquid outlet (cooling fluid supply means)
77: Cooling gas outlet (cooling fluid supply means)
101: Shut-off member 102: Heating element 103: Housing 106: Lower heater 107: Heating element 108: Housing W: Substrate

Claims (9)

a first heating step of setting an output of a heater to an output value exceeding 0, thereby heating the first etching liquid and the substrate by the heater in a state in which the first etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate that is held horizontally;
a heater cooling step of lowering the output of the heater below the output value and starting at least one of moving the heater and discharging a cooling fluid having a temperature lower than that of the heater after the first heating step, thereby bringing an outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid and cooling the heater;
a second heating step of causing the heater to heat either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid and the substrate while either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate which is held horizontally, after the heater cooling step, by setting an output of the heater to the output value. the second heating step is a step of heating the second etching solution and the substrate by the heater,
2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: an intermediate liquid supplying step of replacing the first etching liquid on the substrate with an intermediate liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater; and a second etching liquid supplying step of replacing the intermediate liquid on the substrate with the second etching liquid having a lower temperature than the first etching liquid heated by the heater. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 or 2, in which one cycle including the first heating step, the heater cooling step, and the second heating step is performed multiple times. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an internal cooling step of replacing the gas in the heater with a cooling gas having a lower temperature than the heater by supplying the cooling gas to the internal space of the heater when the outer surface of the heater is in contact with the cooling fluid. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heater cooling step includes a standby position heater cooling step of cooling the heater by bringing an outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid while the heater is positioned at a standby position where the heater does not overlap the substrate in a plan view. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heater cooling step includes a processing position heater cooling step in which the heater is cooled by contacting an outer surface of the heater with the cooling fluid while the heater is positioned above or below the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 6, wherein the processing position heater cooling step includes a step of discharging a cooling liquid toward the heater, the cooling liquid having a lower temperature than the heater and the same composition as the liquid on the substrate, while the heater is positioned above the substrate. a third heating step of heating the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, or the third etching liquid and the substrate by the second heater while the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, or the third etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate that is held horizontally, while the heater cooling step is being performed, by setting an output of the second heater to a second output value that exceeds 0;
a second heater cooling step of lowering the output of the second heater to less than the second output value and bringing an outer surface of the second heater into contact with the cooling fluid having a lower temperature than the heater and the second heater while the second heating step is being performed, thereby cooling the second heater;
8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth heating step of causing the second heater to heat any one of the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, the third etching liquid, and the fourth etching liquid and the substrate with the second heater in a state in which any one of the first etching liquid, the second etching liquid, the third etching liquid, and the fourth etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate that is held horizontally, by setting an output of the second heater to the second output value, after the second heater cooling step. a substrate holding means for holding the substrate horizontally;
a heater for heating the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means and a liquid on the substrate;
a first etching liquid supplying means for supplying a first etching liquid onto an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means;
a second etching liquid supplying means for supplying a second etching liquid to an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means;
A cooling fluid supply means for supplying a cooling fluid having a temperature lower than that of the heater;
a first heating means for setting an output of the heater to an output value exceeding 0, thereby causing the heater to heat the first etching liquid and the substrate in a state in which the first etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means;
a heater cooling means for lowering an output of the heater below the output value and starting at least one of moving the heater and discharging the cooling fluid having a temperature lower than that of the heater after the heater has heated the first etching solution and the substrate, thereby bringing an outer surface of the heater into contact with the cooling fluid and cooling the heater;
and a second heating means for causing the heater to heat either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid and the substrate while either the first etching liquid or the second etching liquid is in contact with an upper surface of the substrate held horizontally by the substrate holding means, after cooling the heater by setting an output of the heater to the output value.

Images