JP2009277872A - Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, applying and developing apparatus, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of uniformly controlling the width of a removing portion on the peripheral edge of a film to be processed which is formed on a substrate over the entire periphery of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus is configured so as to be provided with: a liquid film forming section equipped with an opposite surface portion opposite via a gap to the peripheral edge portion of the rear surface side of the substrate held by a substrate holding section, forming a liquid film in the gap by surface tension and allowing the liquid film to sneak into the front surface from the rear surface of the substrate by a centrifugal force of the substrate to remove the peripheral edge portion of the film to be processed; and a posture control section in which a gas jetting hole and a gas suction hole are provided so as to oppose the rear surface of the substrate closer to the center than the opposite surface portion. Vertical wobbling of the substrate can be prevented by the gas jetting and suction actions, and the height of the peripheral edge portion of the substrate is adjusted depending on the gas jetting amount and suction amount to control the position of sneaking liquid film on the front surface side of the substrate, and the width to be removed of the film to be processed is controlled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, a coating / developing apparatus provided with the substrate processing apparatus, and a program for executing the substrate processing method for removing a peripheral portion of a film to be processed formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. Relates to a storage medium in which is stored.

  In the photoresist process, which is one of the semiconductor manufacturing processes, a resist is applied to the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), the resist is exposed in a predetermined pattern, and then developed to form a resist pattern. . Such processing is generally performed using a system in which an exposure apparatus is connected to a coating / developing apparatus for coating and developing a resist.

  In recent years, the line width of the resist pattern has been miniaturized, and the goal is to form a pattern with a line width of, for example, 45 nm. Development of, for example, an immersion exposure process has been promoted as a lithography technique for realizing the pattern. It has been. Briefly describing the immersion exposure, as shown in FIG. 24A, a liquid film 12 made of, for example, pure water is formed between the exposure lens 11 of the exposure means 1 and the wafer W, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the exposure means 1 is moved in the horizontal direction, the exposure means 1 is arranged at a position corresponding to the next transfer area (shot area) 11A, and the operation of irradiating light is repeated, whereby the resist on the wafer W is In this exposure method, a predetermined circuit pattern is transferred to a film. In the figure, 13A and 13B are a liquid supply path and a drain path for forming the liquid film 12, respectively. Further, the transfer region 11A is shown larger than the actual size.

  In order to suppress the influence of water on the resist film 18 during this immersion exposure and the cause of water flowing around the back surface of the wafer and generating particles, the entire surface of the wafer W is covered so as to cover the resist film 18. The water-repellent protective film 17 may be formed by spin coating. The spin coating is a film forming method in which the wafer W is rotated by the spin chuck 15 and the chemical solution supplied to the central portion of the wafer W is spread to the peripheral portion of the wafer W by centrifugal force.

  By the way, in this film-forming method by spin coating, the chemical solution wraps around from the side end surface of the wafer W to the peripheral portion of the back surface so that the end portion of the film is applied from the side end surface to the peripheral portion of the back surface as shown in FIG. May be formed. If the film is formed up to the side end surface and the peripheral edge of the back surface in this way, particles may be generated from the portion when the wafer W is transferred.

  Therefore, after the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 15 and the protective film 17 is formed by spin coating, the wafer W is provided on the back side of the rotating wafer W held on the spin chuck 15 and rotated as shown in FIG. The solvent F is supplied from the nozzle 16 to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W, and the solvent is caused to flow from the side end surface to the bevel portion on the front surface side using the surface tension of the solvent F. The bevel portion is a portion that is inclined at the peripheral edge of the wafer W so that the thickness becomes thinner from the inner side toward the outer side in the radial direction. The wraparound of the solvent F to the surface of the wafer W is controlled by the number of rotations of the wafer W. The lower the number of rotations in a predetermined range of rotations, the easier the solvent F can wrap around the surface of the wafer W, It becomes easy to move, and the cut (removal) width of the film from the peripheral edge of the wafer W to the inside increases. On the contrary, the higher the number of revolutions in the predetermined range, the more difficult the solvent F enters the surface of the wafer W, the movement of the solvent F to the inside of the solvent F is suppressed, and the cut width becomes smaller. Thus, by controlling the rotation speed at the time of supplying the solvent F, as shown in FIG. 25C, the peripheral edge portion of the protective film 17 is cut so that the outer edge is located at the bevel portion.

  The outer edge of the protective film is positioned at the bevel portion in this way because water droplets adhere to the bevel portion at the time of immersion exposure, and when the wafer W moves rapidly with the water droplets attached, protection is performed by the stress received from the water droplets. The film 17 is peeled off from the wafer W, and particles may be generated from the peeled protective film 17, so that the object is to prevent it and to effectively prevent water from flowing around the back surface of the wafer W. Further, since the protective film 17 usually has high adhesion to the wafer W, the outer edge of the protective film 17 is cut so as to be located outside the outer edge of the lower layer film in order to prevent the film from peeling off. A method of cutting the peripheral edge of the film in this way is also described in Patent Document 1.

  By the way, when the wafer W is rotated by the spin chuck 15, the peripheral portion of the rotating wafer W is shaken up and down. This rotational shake depends on the accuracy of the operation of the spin chuck 15 at present. From the relationship between the diameter of the wafer W and the rotational speed, the peripheral portion of the wafer W is about 50 μm in the wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm. Vibration may occur. This vibration does not greatly contribute to the uniformity of the protective film 17 when the protective film 17 is formed using the spin chuck 15, but at the periphery of the wafer W when the peripheral edge of the film is cut as described above. This causes fluctuations in the cut width. As a result, the cut width becomes smaller than the desired size, and there are places where the peripheral edge of the excess protective film cannot be removed sufficiently, or the cut width becomes too large and the outer edge of the protective film is inside the beveled portion. There is a concern that the film may be located at a position lower than the protective film.

  Although the case where the peripheral edge of the protective film is cut has been described, even when a water-repellent resist film that does not require a protective film is used, the outer edge of the resist film is located at the bevel portion for the same reason as the protective film. Therefore, the same problem as in the case of cutting the peripheral edge of the protective film occurs.

  As described above, in the above-described cutting method, the cutting width is controlled by the rotational speed of the wafer W. However, as shown in an evaluation test described later, when the rotational speed becomes larger than a predetermined range, The discharged solvent F is scattered and the film cannot be cut effectively. Further, when the rotational speed of the wafer W is lower than a predetermined range, the variation in the cut width increases around the wafer W, and when the rotational speed is even lower, the solvent goes around the surface of the film. Since the effective number of rotations is limited to a predetermined range as described above, the range of the film cut width is limited. Accordingly, when the peripheral portion of the film formed under the protective film is cut in the same manner as the protective film, the distance between the outer edge of the protective film and the outer edge of the lower layer film becomes shorter. As described above, the cut width of the film varies due to the vertical fluctuation of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Therefore, there is a concern that the lower layer film may be exposed when the peripheral portion of the lower layer film and the protective film is cut as described above. is there. Although Patent Document 2 describes a technique for cutting a film, it is not sufficient for cutting the film with high accuracy.

JP-A-8-264212 (FIG. 2) JP 2006-237063 (FIG. 3, paragraph 0043)

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to accurately and uniformly control the removal width of the peripheral edge of the film to be processed formed on the substrate. The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, a coating and developing apparatus, and a storage medium.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is a substrate holding unit for holding the central part of the back surface of a circular substrate having a film to be processed formed on the surface thereof, and horizontally supporting the substrate,
A rotation drive unit for rotating the substrate holding unit around a vertical axis;
A counter surface portion facing a peripheral portion on the rear surface side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion via a gap is formed, and a liquid film is formed in the gap by surface tension and the liquid film is formed by centrifugal force of the substrate. A liquid film forming part for wrapping around from the back side to the front side to remove the peripheral part of the film to be processed;
A gas discharge hole and a gas suction hole are provided opposite to the back surface of the substrate from the center of the substrate rather than the counter surface portion, and the upper and lower shakes of the substrate are suppressed by the gas discharge and suction action, and the gas discharge amount and suction are reduced. An attitude control unit for adjusting the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate according to the amount and controlling the position of the liquid film on the surface side of the substrate;
A storage unit storing data in which the removal width of the film to be processed is associated with the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount of the posture control unit;
Control means for reading a gas discharge amount and a gas suction amount corresponding to the selected removal width from the storage unit and outputting a control signal for controlling the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount;
It is provided with.

  For example, the film to be treated is a water-repellent protective film for covering and protecting a resist film exposed by immersion exposure, or a water-repellent resist film exposed by immersion exposure. For example, the peripheral portion of the front surface and the back surface of the substrate is formed with a bevel portion that forms a slope so that the thickness decreases toward the outer edge of the substrate, and the peripheral width is removed by the liquid film. The outer edge of the processed film may be selected so as to be located on the bevel portion of the substrate surface. The discharge holes and the suction holes are formed, for example, along the rotation direction of the substrate, and in that case, they may be alternately arranged along the rotation direction of the substrate and the radial direction of the rotating substrate.

  Also, a first raising / lowering for raising / lowering the posture control unit between a processing position for discharging and sucking gas to control the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate and a standby position below the position. A mechanism may be provided, in which case, for example, a second lifting / lowering for lifting / lowering the liquid film forming section between a liquid film forming position for forming the liquid film and a standby position below the liquid film forming position. A mechanism is provided, and the second elevating mechanism moves the liquid film forming unit from the standby position when gas is discharged from the discharge hole of the attitude control unit in order to suppress contact of the liquid film forming unit with the substrate. Raise to the liquid film forming position. Further, the liquid film forming section is provided with a draining means for removing, for example, a processing liquid that forms the liquid film that is no longer necessary.

The substrate processing method of the present invention includes a step of holding the back surface of a circular substrate having a film to be processed formed on the surface thereof by a substrate holding unit and supporting the substrate horizontally,
Rotating the substrate about a vertical axis;
Supplying a treatment liquid to the facing surface portion of the liquid film forming portion provided with a facing surface portion facing the peripheral edge portion of the substrate;
A step of forming a liquid film by surface tension in the gap by a liquid film forming portion having a facing surface portion facing the peripheral portion on the back side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion via the gap;
A step of removing the peripheral portion of the film to be processed by circulating the liquid film from the back side to the front side of the substrate by centrifugal force of the substrate;
The gas discharge hole and the gas suction hole provided opposite to the back surface of the substrate from the center of the substrate rather than the counter surface portion suppresses the vertical shaking of the substrate by the gas discharge and suction action, and the gas discharge amount and Adjusting the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate according to the suction amount to control the wraparound position of the liquid film on the surface side of the substrate;
It is provided with.

Selecting the removal width of the film to be processed;
A gas discharge amount and a gas suction corresponding to the selected removal width are stored in a storage unit storing data in which the removal width of the film to be processed is associated with the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount of the posture control unit. Reading the quantity;
Controlling gas discharge and gas suction to the read gas discharge amount and gas suction amount, respectively;
It is provided with.

  A step of removing the processing liquid constituting the liquid film during the rotation of the substrate may be provided, and the posture control unit may be disposed at a height of the peripheral portion of the substrate while discharging gas from the discharge hole of the posture control unit. A step of ascending to a processing position for controlling the height from a standby position below the processing position may be included. In this case, for example, a step of raising the posture control unit and a step of raising the liquid film forming unit to a liquid film forming position for forming the liquid film from a standby position below the liquid film forming unit are performed.

The coating and developing apparatus of the present invention includes a carrier block into which a carrier containing a substrate is carried,
A processing block including a coating unit that applies a resist to the surface of the substrate taken out of the carrier, and a developing unit that develops the exposed substrate.
In an application / development apparatus comprising an interface block that transfers a substrate between the processing block and an exposure apparatus that exposes a resist-coated substrate,
The above-described substrate processing apparatus is provided in the processing block or the interface block. The exposure is, for example, immersion exposure.

A storage medium for storing a computer program used in a substrate processing apparatus for removing a peripheral portion of a film to be processed formed on the surface of a rotating circular substrate,
The computer program includes a group of steps for carrying out the above-described substrate processing method.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes an opposing surface portion that opposes the peripheral portion on the back surface side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion via a gap, and forms a liquid film by surface tension in the gap and The liquid film is made to circulate from the back surface side to the front surface side of the substrate by centrifugal force, and a liquid film forming portion for removing the peripheral edge portion of the film to be processed; And an attitude control unit provided with a gas discharge hole and a gas suction hole facing the back surface, and suppresses up-and-down shaking of the substrate by the gas discharge and suction action and reduces the gas discharge amount and suction amount. Accordingly, the height of the peripheral portion of the substrate is adjusted to control the wraparound position of the liquid film on the substrate surface side, so that the removal width of the peripheral portion of the film to be processed can be controlled with high accuracy. Further, since the removal width can be controlled without controlling the number of rotations of the substrate, the degree of freedom in setting the removal width can be increased.

  A protective film forming apparatus 2 according to an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The protective film forming apparatus 2 is an apparatus that forms a protective film called a top coat for protecting the resist film when immersion exposure is performed on the wafer W on which the resist film is formed. 1 and 2 are a longitudinal side view and a transverse plan view of the protective film forming apparatus 2, respectively. Reference numeral 21 in FIG. 1 denotes a spin chuck forming a substrate holding unit, which is configured to hold the wafer W horizontally by vacuum suction. The spin chuck 21 can be rotated about a vertical direction by a rotation drive unit 22 including a motor or the like through a connection unit 21a. A substantially circular partition plate 23 is provided below the spin chuck 21 to partition the protective film forming apparatus 2 vertically. The peripheral side of the partition plate 23 is formed in a mountain shape in cross section, and its outer peripheral edge is bent and extends downward. A cup body 24 whose upper side is opened so as to surround the spin chuck 21 and the partition plate 23 is provided.

A gap 24 a that forms a discharge path is formed between the side peripheral surface of the cup body 24 and the outer peripheral edge of the partition plate 23. The lower side of the cup body 24 forms a curved path together with the outer peripheral edge portion of the partition plate 23 to constitute a gas-liquid separation portion. An exhaust port 25 is formed in the inner region of the bottom of the cup body 24, and an exhaust pipe 25 a is connected to the exhaust port 25. Further, a drain port 26 is formed in the outer region of the bottom of the cup body 24, and a drain tube 26 a is connected to the drain port 26.

  The protective film forming apparatus 2 includes a chemical nozzle 31 that is a coating nozzle for supplying a chemical for forming a protective film at the center of the surface of the wafer W. The chemical nozzle 31 includes a liquid supply pipe 32. The chemical solution supply source 33 in which the chemical solution is stored is connected. The liquid supply pipe 32 is provided with a liquid supply device group 34 including valves, a mass flow controller, and the like. The liquid supply device group 34 receives a control signal from the control unit 8 and receives a chemical solution supply source 33. The supply / disconnection of the chemical liquid stored in the chemical liquid nozzle 31 is controlled.

  The chemical nozzle 31 is connected to the moving mechanism 36 via the arm 35, and can move from one end of the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 21 along the guide rail 37 to the other end. Reference numeral 38 denotes a standby area for the chemical nozzle 31.

  Three support pins 44 are provided on the partition plate 23 for delivering the wafer W between the transport mechanism outside the protective film forming apparatus 2 and the spin chuck 22 (only two are shown in the figure). Is raised and lowered by an elevating unit 29 provided in a space 27 below the partition plate 23.

  The coating apparatus 2 is provided with a posture control unit 6 and a liquid film forming unit 5, and the posture control unit 6 is formed in a flat ring shape surrounding the spin chuck 21 as shown in FIG. A housing 6A is provided. Further, the liquid film forming unit 5 includes a flat housing 5A formed in a ring shape so as to surround the housing 6A of the attitude control unit 6. The posture control unit 6 and the liquid film forming unit 5 are configured to be movable up and down by elevating units 60 and 50 provided in the lower space 27, respectively.

  The surface of the casing 5 </ b> A of the liquid film forming unit 5 is formed as a horizontal and flat opposing surface part 51, and is formed so as to face the peripheral part along the peripheral part of the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 21. ing. A plurality of solvent supply holes 52 </ b> A and solvent suction holes 52 </ b> B are opened in the facing surface portion 51, for example, along the circumferential direction of the liquid film forming portion 5. As shown in FIG. 4A, the liquid film forming unit 5 moves to a liquid film forming position close to the peripheral portion on the back side of the rotating wafer W. Then, a solvent such as thinner is supplied as a processing liquid to the facing surface portion 51 of the liquid film forming portion 5 that has moved to the liquid film forming position, in the gap between the facing surface portion 51 and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W. The thinner supplied to the facing surface portion 51 is attracted to the facing surface portion 51 and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W by the surface tension, and the thinner adsorbed to the back surface peripheral portion is attached to the back surface of the wafer W by the centrifugal force of the wafer W. The liquid film L is formed by wrapping around from the peripheral edge to the surface side through the side end face. The liquid film L removes (cuts) the peripheral edge of the protective film. As will be described later, the wraparound position of the liquid film L toward the surface side is controlled, and the removal width of the protective film is controlled. A distance H1 from the facing surface portion 51 to the back surface of the wafer W at the liquid film forming position is, for example, 50 μm to 500 μm. Further, when the diameter of the wafer W is 30 cm, the amount of thinner required to form the liquid film L is, for example, 0.5 mL to 50 mL.

  4 (b) and 4 (c) are views of the casing 5A of the liquid film forming section 5 cut longitudinally along the circumferential direction, and the solvent supply hole 52A has a flow path 53A formed in the casing 5A and It is connected to a solvent supply source 55A via a pipe 54A connected to the flow path 53A. The pipe 54A is provided with a flow rate control unit 56A composed of a valve, a mass flow controller or the like. When the flow rate control unit 56A receives a control signal from the control unit 8, the flow rate control unit 56A is connected to the solvent discharge hole 52A. Controls the supply of thinner. The solvent suction hole 52B is connected to a suction means 55B such as an exhaust pump through a flow path 53B in the liquid film forming section 5 and a pipe 54B connected to the flow path 53B. The suction means 55B includes a pressure adjustment means (not shown), and when the pressure adjustment means receives a control signal from the control unit 8, the suction amount from the solvent suction hole 52B is controlled.

  The front surface 61 of the housing 6A of the posture control unit 6 is formed as a horizontal flat surface so as to face the back surface of the wafer W. The surface 61 has gas discharge holes along the circumferential direction of the posture control unit 6. 62A and gas suction holes 62B are formed. In FIG. 6A, the gas discharge holes 62A are indicated by hatching, and the gas discharge holes 62A and the gas suction holes 62B are alternately formed in the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the attitude control unit 6, that is, staggered. Has been.

  FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the casing 6A of the attitude control unit 6 cut longitudinally along the circumferential direction. As shown in this figure, the gas discharge hole 62A and the gas suction hole 62B are the casing of the attitude control unit 6. The spaces 63A and 63B communicate with the spaces 63A and 63B provided in the body 6A, and the spaces 63A are connected to an air supply source 65A in which, for example, air is stored, via gas supply pipes 64A. The gas supply pipe 64A is provided with a flow rate control unit 66A composed of a valve and a mass flow controller. The flow rate control unit 66A receives a control signal output from the control unit 8 and supplies air from the gas discharge hole 62A. Control feed and flow. The space 63B is connected to an exhaust means 65B such as a vacuum pump via a gas suction pipe 64B, and a pressure adjusting unit (not shown) included in the exhaust means 65B receives a control signal output from the control unit 8. Thus, the amount of suction from the suction hole 62B is controlled.

  A region on the inner side of the region where the liquid film L is formed on the wafer W is supplied with air from the gas discharge hole 62A, and a vertically upward force is applied thereto. Further, when air is sucked from the gas suction hole 62B, a vertically downward force is applied to the region. The attitude control unit 6 controls the attitude of the peripheral edge of the rotating wafer W by controlling the balance of these two combined pressures, and suppresses the vertical fluctuation of the peripheral edge, as shown in FIG. Then, the height of the peripheral edge of the wafer W is controlled. The upper and lower shake amounts are preferably suppressed to about 5 μm by discharging and sucking air from the attitude control unit 6 in order to remove the film with high accuracy. Since the protective film forming apparatus 2 is placed in an air atmosphere, air is used as a gas to be discharged and sucked. However, when the protective film forming apparatus 2 is placed in an inert gas atmosphere such as N2 gas, this inert film forming apparatus 2 is inactive. Gas may be discharged and sucked.

  7A, 7 </ b> B, and 7 </ b> C show the peripheral portions of the wafer W in FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C, in which 72 denotes a resist film, 73. Is an antireflection film, and 74 is a lower layer film made of, for example, silicon oxide. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, by increasing the air discharge amount with respect to the balance of the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount so that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is kept horizontal. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is inclined upward, and the height of the peripheral edge is increased. Thus, the surface tension of the liquid film L decreases as the height of the peripheral portion of the wafer W from the facing surface portion 51 of the liquid film forming unit 5 increases, and the liquid film L is less likely to wrap around the surface side of the wafer W. Thus, the wraparound position of the liquid film L is at the outer edge of the wafer W in the bevel portion on the surface side of the wafer W. Therefore, when the width between the outer edge of the protective film 71 cut by the thinner constituting the liquid film L and the outer edge (side end surface) of the wafer W is the cut width R, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is thus high. The cut width R becomes smaller.

  Further, by increasing the gas suction amount with respect to the balance between the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount in which the peripheral portion of the wafer W is kept horizontal, the wafer as shown in FIGS. 6C and 7C. The peripheral edge of W is inclined downward, and the peripheral edge of the wafer W is lowered. Thus, as the height of the peripheral edge of the wafer W from the liquid film forming portion 5 decreases, the surface tension of the liquid film L increases, so that the liquid film L easily wraps around the surface side, and the liquid film is formed in the bevel portion. The wraparound position of L is from the inside of the wafer W. As a result, the cut width R is increased.

  In this embodiment, since the protective film 71 has higher adhesion to the wafer W than the base film 74, the outer edge 71 </ b> A of the protective film 71 after the peripheral edge is cut is the bevel portion on the surface side of the wafer W. And the processing is performed so that the outer edge 74A of the lower layer film 74 is positioned outside the wafer W, and the cut width R of the protective film 71 depends on the position of the end 74A of the lower layer film 74. Is set arbitrarily. The outer edges of the antireflection film 73 and the resist film 72 are formed from the inner side of the outer edge 74A of the lower layer film 74 in the radial direction of the wafer W.

  Next, the control unit 8 including a computer provided in the protective film forming apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 81 denotes a bus, to which a CPU 82, a work memory 83 for performing various calculations, a program storage unit 85 storing a program 84, a storage unit 86, and an input means 87 are connected. In the program 84, commands (each step) are incorporated so that a control signal is output from the control unit 8 to each part of the protective film forming apparatus 2 and a coating process described later proceeds. The program 84 is stored in a storage unit such as a computer storage medium such as a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, or an MO (magneto-optical disk) and installed in the control unit 8.

  The storage unit 86 is supplied from the posture control unit 6 required to control the cut width of the protective film 71 and the height position of the peripheral edge of the wafer W from the facing surface unit 51 so that the cut width can be obtained. A large number of recipes in which the air discharge amount and the air suction amount sucked from the posture control unit 6 are associated with each other are stored. When the user sets the cut width R via the input means 87 such as a keyboard, the air discharge amount and the air suction amount corresponding to the set cut width R are read from the storage unit 86 and read. The control unit 8 outputs control signals to the flow rate control unit 66A and the exhaust unit 65B so as to perform the air discharge and suction of the amount, and the operations of the flow rate control unit 66A and the exhaust unit 65B are controlled.

  Next, the operation of the protective film forming apparatus 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 and FIGS. 10 and 11 showing the operation of the apparatus 2. First, the user inputs and sets the desired cut width of the protective film 71 through the input means 86 based on the position of the outer edge 74A of the lower layer film 74 formed on the wafer W (step S1). The control unit 8 reads out the gas discharge amount and the suction amount from the posture control unit 6 corresponding to the set cut width from the storage unit 86, and stores them in the work memory 83 (step S2).

  Thereafter, the inside of the cup body 24 is evacuated with a preset exhaust amount, and then the wafer W on which the films 72 to 74 are laminated is transferred to the protective film forming apparatus 2 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) from the outside. . When the wafer W is positioned on the spin chuck 21, the support pins 44 rise and support the back surface of the wafer W. When the support pins 44 are lowered and the center of the back surface of the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 21 and sucked, air is discharged from the gas discharge holes 62A of the attitude control unit 6 in a predetermined amount ( FIG. 10 (a), (b)).

  At this time, the posture control unit 6 and the liquid film forming unit 5 stand by at a processing position for controlling the posture of the wafer W and at respective standby positions below the liquid film forming position, and the discharge of the air is started. Then, the attitude control unit 6 and the liquid film forming unit 5 are raised to the processing position and the liquid film forming position, respectively. In addition, the pressure of the air discharged from the posture control unit 6 prevents the peripheral edge of the wafer W from falling downward, and prevents the liquid film forming unit 5 and the posture control unit 6 from coming into contact with each other. Both the posture control unit 6 and the liquid film forming unit 5 are located at the processing position and the liquid film forming position (FIG. 10C).

  Thereafter, the posture control unit 6 moved to the processing position starts suction with a predetermined suction amount on the back surface of the wafer W, and the gas discharge amount from the wafer W becomes a predetermined amount, so that the wafer W is kept horizontal. The spin chuck 21 rotates in a state in which the upper and lower shakes of the peripheral edge portion are suppressed. Subsequently, the chemical solution is supplied from the chemical solution nozzle 31 to the central portion of the wafer W, and the chemical solution spreads on the surface of the wafer W to the peripheral portion by centrifugal force (FIG. 11A).

  Thereafter, the supply of the chemical solution is stopped, the chemical solution is dried, and the protective film 71 is formed (step S3). Subsequently, the air discharge amount and the suction amount from the posture control unit 6 are controlled based on the discharge amount and the suction amount stored in the work memory 83, and the height of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is controlled accordingly. Step S4).

  After that, for example, 3 mL of thinner is supplied from the liquid film forming unit 5 to the gap between the facing surface portion 51 of the liquid film forming unit 5 and the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Then, due to the surface tension, the thinner is adsorbed to the opposing surface portion 51 and the back surface of the wafer W, and a liquid film L is formed. Further, the liquid film L turns to the surface side of the wafer W by the centrifugal force of the wafer W, and cuts the protective film 71 on the peripheral edge of the wafer W with the set cut width (FIG. 11B, step S5). . After the protective film 71 is cut, the thinner constituting the liquid film L is sucked and removed from the suction hole 52B of the liquid film forming unit 5 to stop the formation of the liquid film L (FIG. 11 (c)). The wafer W continues to rotate, and the thinner that has formed the liquid film L attached to the peripheral edge of the wafer W is dried. Thereafter, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, the suction of air from the attitude control unit 6 is stopped, and the wafer W is transferred to the external transfer mechanism by the operation opposite to that at the time of loading (FIG. 11D).

According to the protective film forming apparatus 2, the opposing surface portion 51 is provided to face the peripheral portion on the back surface side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 21 via a gap, and a liquid film is formed in the gap by surface tension. The liquid film is moved from the back surface side to the front surface side of the wafer W by the centrifugal force of the wafer W, and the liquid film forming unit 5 for removing the peripheral portion of the protective film, and the wafer W rather than the facing surface unit 51. An attitude control unit 6 provided with a gas discharge hole and a gas suction hole facing the back surface of the wafer W from the center of the wafer W, and is rotated by the air discharge and suction action of the attitude control unit 6. The liquid film is formed in a state in which the vertical fluctuation of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is suppressed and the height of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is adjusted according to the selected cut width according to the gas discharge amount and the suction amount. The peripheral edge of the protective film It is removed. Therefore, the peripheral edge of the protective film is removed with high accuracy with the cut width set for the entire circumference of the wafer W.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the outer edge of the protective film from being located inside the bevel portion of the wafer W or from the inner edge of the outer edge of the lower layer film. It is possible to prevent the protective film from being peeled off and the protective film from being peeled off from the wafer W, and water from entering the back surface of the wafer W. Further, it is possible to suppress occurrence of a portion where a sufficient protective film has not been removed around the wafer W.

  In this example, since the liquid film forming unit 5 forms a liquid film at a position close to the back surface of the wafer W, the amount of thinner constituting the liquid film can be suppressed, thereby suppressing the influence on the environment. Is preferable. Further, since the gas discharge holes 62A and the gas suction holes 62B are alternately arranged in the rotation direction and the radial direction of the wafer W in the posture control unit 6, the uniformity of the pressure applied around the wafer W is increased. The wafer W can be rotated in a state in which the upper and lower shakes are further suppressed. The gas discharge holes 62 </ b> A and the gas suction holes 62 </ b> B are not limited to this example. For example, the gas discharge holes 62 </ b> A and the gas suction holes 62 </ b> B may be formed in a slit shape along the circumferential direction around the rotation center of the wafer W. Further, the discharge holes and suction holes of the posture control unit are not limited to being provided in a large number as in this embodiment as long as the height of the peripheral portion of the wafer W can be controlled.

Further, in the protective film forming apparatus 2, the thinner constituting the liquid film is removed from the suction hole 52B after the liquid film is formed, and the dissolved material eluted in the liquid film of the protective film is sucked into the suction hole together with the thinner. Since it is removed from 52B, the particle contamination by the melt | dissolution of a protective film can be suppressed. Further, after the liquid film is formed, since the thinner attached to the wafer W is dried by continuing the rotation, particle contamination is prevented by this remaining thinner, which is preferable.
Further, as described above, the liquid film forming unit 5 and the posture control unit 6 move to the liquid film forming position and the processing position so that the contact with the wafer W is suppressed, so that the wafer W and the liquid film forming unit 5, It is possible to prevent the wafer W from receiving an impact due to the collision with the attitude control unit 6 and causing defects in each formed film.

  In the above embodiment, the cut width (removal width) is controlled by controlling the height of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, but a thinner for forming the liquid film L in addition to the height of the peripheral portion. The cut width may be controlled by controlling the supply amount. In this case, the storage unit 86 stores the cut width, the air supply amount, the air suction amount, and the thinner supply amount in association with each other, and controls the air flow rate according to the user setting from the input unit 87. In addition to the operations of the portion 66A and the suction means 65B, the operation of the thinner flow rate control unit 56A is controlled. The liquid film L may be formed by supplying thinner from the supply hole 52A to the facing surface portion 51 and sucking the thinner from the suction hole 52B.

  In addition to the height of the peripheral edge, the rotation width of the wafer W may be controlled to control the cut width. In this case, the storage section 86 stores the cut width, the air supply amount, and the air suction amount. And the number of rotations are stored in association with each other, and the operation of the rotation drive unit 22 is controlled in addition to the operations of the air flow rate control unit 66A and the suction unit 65B according to the user setting from the input unit 87. The In this way, by controlling the rotation speed and thinner supply amount of the wafer W in addition to the height of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the degree of freedom in setting the cut width can be increased, which is preferable.

  In this embodiment, since the adhesion of the protective film 71 to the wafer W is higher than the adhesion to the lower film 74, the cut width is set so that the outer edge 71A of the protective film 71 is located outside the outer edge of the lower film 74. However, for example, when the adhesion of the protective film 71 to the lower film 74 is higher than the adhesion to the wafer W, the outer edge of the protective film 71A is located inside the outer edge 74A of the lower film 74 as shown in FIG. The cut width may be set so as to be positioned. Moreover, although the example which cuts the periphery of a protective film is demonstrated, as a film to cut, it is not restricted to this, For example, a resist film may be sufficient. As described in the Background Art section, cutting the water-repellent resist film used for immersion exposure with high accuracy is effective for preventing film peeling and generation of particles as in the case of cutting the protective film.

  In the liquid film forming unit 5, the layout of the supply holes 52A and the suction holes 52B is not limited to the above example as long as the liquid film L can be formed. For example, in the above example, the supply holes 52A for supplying thinner are Although it is provided at a plurality of places, it may be provided at one place. Further, if the liquid film can be formed at one place on the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W, the protective film on the entire peripheral edge of the rotating wafer W can be removed, so that the liquid film forming part 5 is formed in a ring shape. Not limited to that. For example, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, a liquid film forming unit 50 in which a facing surface portion 51 is formed so as to face only a part of the peripheral portion of the wafer W may be provided.

  Next, an example in which the above-described protective film forming apparatus 2 is applied to a coating and developing apparatus will be briefly described. FIG. 14 is a plan view of a system in which, for example, an exposure apparatus for performing immersion exposure shown in the background art column is connected to the coating and developing apparatus, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the system. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the system. This apparatus is provided with a carrier block S1, and a transfer arm C takes out the wafer W from the hermetic carrier 100 mounted on the mounting table 101, transfers it to the processing block S2, and transfers it from the processing block S2. C is configured to receive the processed wafer W and return it to the carrier 100.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the processing block S2 is a first block (DEV layer) B1 for performing development processing in this example, and a processing for forming an antireflection film formed on the lower layer side of the resist film. The second block (BCT layer) B2, the third block (COT layer) B3 for applying the resist film, and the fourth block for forming the protective film formed on the upper layer side of the resist film. Blocks (TCT layers) B4 are stacked in order from the bottom.

  The second block (BCT layer) B2 and the fourth block (TCT layer) B4 consist of an application module for applying a chemical solution for forming an antireflection film and a protective film by spin coating, and an application module. A heating / cooling system processing module group for performing pre-processing and post-processing of the processing to be performed, and a transfer arm A2 provided between the coating module and the processing module group for transferring the wafer W therebetween. , A4. However, the third block (COT layer) B3 has the same configuration except that the chemical solution is a resist solution. The protective film forming apparatus 2 is provided as a coating module in the TCT layer B4.

  On the other hand, with respect to the first block (DEV layer) B1, as shown in FIG. 16, the development modules 103 are stacked in two stages in one DEV layer B1. In the DEV layer B1, a transfer arm A1 for transferring the wafer W to the two-stage development module 103 is provided. That is, the transport arm A1 is shared by the two-stage development module 103.

  Further, the processing block S2 is provided with a shelf module U5 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, and the wafer W from the carrier block S1 is one transfer module of the shelf module U5, for example, a second block (BCT layer). It is sequentially transported to the corresponding delivery module CPL2 of B2 by a first delivery arm D1 that is movable up and down provided in the vicinity of the shelf module U5. The transfer arm A2 in the second block (BCT layer) B2 receives the wafer W from the transfer module CPL2 and transfers it to each module (antireflection film module and heating / cooling processing module group). Thus, an antireflection film is formed on the wafer W.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred into the third block (COT layer) B3 via the transfer module BF2 of the shelf module U5, the transfer arm D1, the transfer module CPL3 of the shelf module U5, and the transfer arm A3, and a resist film is formed. . Further, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer module BF3 in the shelf module U5 through the transfer arm A3 → the transfer module BF3 of the shelf module U5 → the transfer arm D1. Then, the wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the transfer arm A4 via the transfer module CPL4, and further a protective film is formed in the fourth block (TCT layer) B4, and then transferred by the transfer arm A4. Passed to module TRS4.

  On the other hand, in the upper part of the DEV layer B1, a shuttle arm E which is a dedicated transfer means for directly transferring the wafer W from the transfer module CPL11 provided in the shelf module U5 to the transfer module CPL12 provided in the shelf module U6. Is provided. The wafer W on which the resist film and further the antireflection film are formed is transferred from the transfer modules BF3 and TRS4 to the transfer module CPL11 via the transfer arm D1, and from there to the transfer module CPL12 of the shelf module U6 by the shuttle arm E. It is directly conveyed and taken into the interface block S3. Note that the delivery module with CPL in FIG. 16 also serves as a cooling module for temperature control, and the delivery module with BF also serves as a buffer module on which a plurality of wafers W can be placed.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus S4 by the interface arm B. Here, for example, after the immersion exposure processing described in the background art section is performed, the wafer W is transferred by the interface arm B to the delivery module of the shelf module U6. It is placed on the TRS 6 and returned to the processing block S2. The returned wafer W is developed in the first block (DEV layer) B1. A removal module for removing the protective film may be provided in the transfer path of the wafer W from the exposure apparatus S4 to the DEV layer B1, and the protective film may be removed from the wafer W on which the protective film is formed. After the development processing, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer module TRS1 of the shelf module U5 by the transfer arm A1. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer module within the access range of the transfer arm C in the shelf module U5 by the first transfer arm D1, and returned to the carrier 100 via the transfer arm C. In FIG. 15, U1 to U4 are each a thermal system module group in which a heating unit and a cooling unit are stacked, and FIG. 15 shows a layout of the DEV layer B1 in plan view. It has the same layout as in plan view. Further, the protective film forming apparatus 2 may be provided in the interface block S3 instead of the TCT layer B4 and may form a protective film on the wafer W transferred to the exposure apparatus S4.

(Evaluation test)
Evaluation test 1
Using the posture control unit 6 described above, the amount of vertical deflection of the peripheral portion of the wafer W when the number of rotations of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 21 was changed in the range of 100 rpm to 300 rpm was measured. Further, the wafer W was rotated in the same manner without using the attitude control unit 6, and the vertical shake amount was measured. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the results of this test. In the graph, the horizontal axis represents the number of rotations (rpm) and the vertical axis represents the amount of deflection (mm). The solid line indicates the results when the gas supply amount to the posture control unit 6 and the suction amount from the posture control unit are 15 L / min, respectively, and the dotted line indicates the gas supply amount and posture control to the posture control unit 6. The results are shown when the suction amount from the section 6 is 50 L / min. A chain line indicates a result of an experiment in which the attitude control unit 6 was not used. In this way, the amount of shake is suppressed when the posture control unit 6 is used as compared to when it is not used. Therefore, when removing the peripheral portion of the protective film in the above embodiment, it is considered that fluctuations in the cut width around the wafer W due to the upper and lower shakes can be suppressed.

Evaluation test 2-1
As shown in FIG. 18A, a laser measuring device 70 is provided on the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and when the attitude control is performed by the attitude control unit 6 and when the attitude control is not performed, the upper and lower portions of the wafer W are adjusted. The amount of shake was measured by changing the number of rotations of the wafer. 18 (b), 18 (c), 19 (a), 19 (b), and 19 (c) show the case where the rotation speed of the wafer W is 10 rpm, 30 rpm, 50 rpm, 80 rpm, and 100 rpm, respectively. It is a graph of the amount of shake of the wafer W, where the solid line in the graph performs posture control (after correction), and the vertical position of the measurement position with respect to the time when the chain line in the graph does not perform posture control (before correction) The displacement of each is shown. Table 1 below shows each rotational speed and displacement obtained from the results of each graph. Table 1 shows that the displacement after correction is suppressed at any rotational speed.

これら評価試験２−１、２−２の結果から姿勢制御部６を設けることでウエハＷのぶれが抑えられることが示された。従ってこれらの評価試験からも姿勢制御部６を設けることでウエハＷの周におけるカット幅の変動を抑えることができると考えられる。 Evaluation test 2-2
Further, with respect to the position 20 mm from the edge (end) in the radial direction of the wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm, when the attitude control is performed by the attitude control unit 6 using a laser displacement meter, and when the attitude control is not performed. The amount of upper and lower shaking of the wafer W was measured by changing the number of rotations of the wafer. Table 2 shows the results.
Table 2

From the results of these evaluation tests 2-1, 2-2, it was shown that the shake of the wafer W can be suppressed by providing the posture control unit 6. Therefore, from these evaluation tests, it is considered that the fluctuation of the cut width around the wafer W can be suppressed by providing the posture control unit 6.

Evaluation test 3-1
End portions of the lower layer film and the protective film formed on the wafer W were cut without using the attitude control unit 6 as shown in the background art section, and then the cross section of the wafer was inspected by SEM. This inspection was performed on a plurality of wafers W, and the number of rotations at the time of cutting was changed for each wafer W.

  FIG. 20A is a graph showing the results. The cut surface height from the surface of the wafer W on the vertical axis of the graph is the height from the surface of the wafer W to the lower end (cut surface) of the film at the bevel when the wafer surface is used as a reference. As shown in b), the lower layer film 74 has a height H2 and the protective film 71 has a height H3. The lower layer film 74 and the protective film 71 were normally cut when the rotation speed was 800 to 1200 rpm. In this range, the cut surface height was smaller as the rotation speed was lower. When the rotational speed is 700 rpm or less, the disturbance of the cut surface (cut width) around the circumference of the wafer W becomes large, and when the rotational speed is 400 rpm or less, the supplied thinner wraps around the surface of the wafer W and cuts. The uniformity of the width was low. Further, when the rotational speed reached 1300 rpm, the thinner supplied to the wafer W rebounded, and the uniformity of the cut width was low. The difference (N1 in the graph) between the cut surface height of the lower layer film 74 when the rotational speed was 800 rpm and the cut surface height of the protective film 71 when the rotational speed was 1200 rpm was about 50 μm.

Evaluation test 3-2
Similarly to the evaluation test 3-1, the periphery of the protective film 71 was cut, and then the cross section of the wafer was inspected by SEM, and the cut width was observed. This inspection was performed on a plurality of wafers W, and the number of rotations at the time of cutting was changed for each wafer W. However, in this evaluation test 3-2, cutting was performed while controlling the posture of the wafer W using the posture control unit 6.

  FIG. 21 is a graph showing the results. The graph also shows the cut height of the lower layer film obtained in Evaluation Test 3-1, for comparison. In this evaluation test, even when the rotation speed of the wafer W is 800 rpm or less, the protective film 71 is cut with high uniformity, and the cut surface becomes higher as the rotation speed is decreased. And the difference of the cut surface height of the lower layer film 74 and the cut surface height of the protective film 71 can be made larger than 50 micrometers which is the said difference obtained by the evaluation test 3-1.

  From these evaluation tests 3-1, 3-2, it was shown that the degree of freedom in controlling the position of the cut surface is increased when the periphery of the film is cut by using the posture control unit 6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the outer edge 71A of the protective film 71 can be positioned on the lower film 74. In forming the protective film 71 so as to cover the lower film 74 around the entire bevel of the wafer W, the lower film It can suppress that 74 protrudes from the protective film 71. FIG.

Evaluation test 4
The peripheral edge of the film was cut without using the attitude control unit 6 by the method shown in the background art column, and then the height of the cut surface from the wafer W surface was measured for the entire surface of the wafer W. The rotation speed of the wafer W was set to 1000 rpm. 22 (a) and 22 (b) are graphs showing the cut heights for different films A and B, respectively, and the angle of the horizontal axis indicates the position where the notch is formed as shown in FIG. 22 (c). 0 ° and 360 °. The 3 sigma (3 times the standard deviation) for membrane A and membrane B were 18.8 μm and 14.1 μm, respectively. When the same test was performed with the rotation speed of the wafer W set at 600 rpm, the result shown in the graph of FIG. 23A was obtained, and the 3 sigma values for the films A and B were 13.8 μm and 14.5 μm, respectively. When the same test was performed with the rotation speed of the wafer W set to 400 rpm, the results shown in the graph of FIG. 23B were obtained, and the 3 sigma values for the films A and B were 18.4 μm and 26.8 μm, respectively. Thus, according to the conventional method, the accuracy of the cut width (3 sigma value) is 10 μm or more, but this cut is performed by cutting the film as in the above embodiment from the results of Evaluation Test 1 and Evaluation Test 2. The inventor believes that the accuracy of the width can be increased, and the 3 sigma can be suppressed to about 5 μm.

It is a vertical side view of the protective film formation apparatus of this invention. It is a top view of the said protective film formation apparatus. It is a perspective view of the liquid film formation part and attitude | position control part which are provided in the said protective film formation apparatus. It is a vertical side view of the said liquid film formation part. It is a block diagram of the said attitude | position control part. It is explanatory drawing which showed the mode of the wafer by which the attitude | position control was carried out by the said attitude | position control part. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the film | membrane of the peripheral part of the said wafer was cut. It is a block diagram of a control part. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure of the process by the said protective film formation apparatus. It is an operation view showing the operation of the protective film forming apparatus. It is an operation view showing the operation of the protective film forming apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the wafer in which the protective film was cut. It is the figure which showed the other structure of the liquid film formation part. It is a top view of the application | coating and developing apparatus provided with the said coating device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coating and developing device including the coating device. It is a vertical side view of the application | coating and developing apparatus provided with the said coating device. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the evaluation test. It is the graph which showed the result of the reference test. It is explanatory drawing shown about the method of immersion exposure. It is explanatory drawing which showed the removal method of the film | membrane in the bevel part of the conventional wafer.

Explanation of symbols

W Wafer 2 Protective film forming device 21 Spin chuck 31 Chemical nozzle 5 Liquid film forming part 51A Supply hole 51B Suction hole 6 Attitude control part 62A Discharge hole 62B Suction hole 66A Flow rate control part 66B Exhaust means 8 Control part 86 Storage part

Claims (17)

A substrate holding portion for holding the central portion of the back surface of the circular substrate having a film to be processed formed on its surface and supporting the substrate horizontally;
A rotation drive unit for rotating the substrate holding unit around a vertical axis;
A counter surface portion facing a peripheral portion on the rear surface side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion via a gap is formed, and a liquid film is formed in the gap by surface tension and the liquid film is formed by centrifugal force of the substrate. A liquid film forming part for wrapping around from the back side to the front side to remove the peripheral part of the film to be processed;
A gas discharge hole and a gas suction hole are provided opposite to the back surface of the substrate from the center of the substrate rather than the counter surface portion, and the upper and lower shakes of the substrate are suppressed by the gas discharge and suction action, and the gas discharge amount and suction are reduced. An attitude control unit for adjusting the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate according to the amount and controlling the position of the liquid film on the surface side of the substrate;
A storage unit storing data in which the removal width of the film to be processed is associated with the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount of the posture control unit;
Control means for reading a gas discharge amount and a gas suction amount corresponding to the selected removal width from the storage unit and outputting a control signal for controlling the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:   2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film to be processed is a water-repellent protective film for covering and protecting a resist film exposed by immersion exposure.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film to be processed is a water-repellent resist film exposed by immersion exposure.   The peripheral portions of the front surface and the back surface of the substrate are formed with bevel portions that form slopes so that the thickness decreases toward the outer edge of the substrate, and the peripheral portion of the removal width is removed by a liquid film. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outer edge of the film to be processed is selected so as to be positioned on the bevel portion of the substrate surface.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole and the suction hole are formed along a rotation direction of the substrate.   6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the discharge holes and the suction holes are alternately arranged along a rotation direction of the substrate and a radial direction of the rotating substrate.   A first raising / lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the posture control unit between a processing position for discharging and sucking gas to control the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate and a standby position below it; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is provided.   A second elevating mechanism is provided for elevating the liquid film forming portion between a liquid film forming position for forming the liquid film and a standby position below the liquid film forming portion. In order to suppress contact of the liquid film forming unit with the substrate, the liquid film forming unit is raised from the standby position to the liquid film forming position when gas is discharged from the discharge hole of the attitude control unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7.   9. The liquid film forming unit is provided with drainage means for removing a processing liquid that forms the liquid film that is no longer needed. Substrate processing equipment. A step of holding the back surface of a circular substrate having a film to be processed formed on the surface thereof by a substrate holding unit and supporting the substrate horizontally;
Rotating the substrate about a vertical axis;
Supplying a treatment liquid to the facing surface portion of the liquid film forming portion provided with a facing surface portion facing the peripheral edge portion of the substrate;
A step of forming a liquid film by surface tension in the gap by a liquid film forming portion having a facing surface portion facing the peripheral portion on the back side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion via the gap;
A step of removing the peripheral portion of the film to be processed by circulating the liquid film from the back side to the front side of the substrate by centrifugal force of the substrate;
The gas discharge hole and the gas suction hole provided opposite to the back surface of the substrate from the center of the substrate rather than the counter surface portion suppresses the vertical shaking of the substrate by the gas discharge and suction action, and the gas discharge amount and Adjusting the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate according to the suction amount to control the wraparound position of the liquid film on the surface side of the substrate;
A substrate processing method comprising: Selecting the removal width of the film to be processed;
A gas discharge amount and a gas suction corresponding to the selected removal width are stored in a storage unit storing data in which the removal width of the film to be processed is associated with the gas discharge amount and the gas suction amount of the posture control unit. Reading the quantity;
A step of controlling gas discharge and gas suction according to the read gas discharge amount and gas suction amount, respectively;
The substrate processing method according to claim 10, further comprising:   The substrate processing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of removing a processing liquid constituting the liquid film during the rotation of the substrate.   A step of raising the posture control unit to a processing position for controlling the height of the peripheral edge of the substrate from a lower standby position while discharging gas from the discharge hole of the posture control unit. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 10 to 12.   The step of raising the posture control unit and the step of raising the liquid film forming unit to a liquid film forming position for forming the liquid film from a standby position below the liquid film forming unit are performed. The substrate processing method as described in 2. A carrier block into which a carrier containing a substrate is loaded;
A processing block including a coating unit that applies a resist to the surface of the substrate taken out of the carrier, and a developing unit that develops the exposed substrate.
In an application / development apparatus comprising an interface block that transfers a substrate between the processing block and an exposure apparatus that exposes a resist-coated substrate,
A coating / developing apparatus comprising the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 in the processing block or the interface block.   The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the exposure is immersion exposure. A storage medium for storing a computer program used in a substrate processing apparatus for removing a peripheral portion of a film to be processed formed on the surface of a rotating circular substrate,
15. A storage medium in which the computer program incorporates a group of steps for carrying out the substrate processing method according to claim 10.

Images