Substrate processing apparatus

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a chamber that houses a substrate;

a main pipe that discharges an atmosphere in the chamber;

a plurality of branch pipes connected to the main pipe, each of the branch pipes having an internal space into which the atmosphere flows from the main pipe;

a plurality of upstream dampers each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the branch pipes and opens/closes the corresponding branch pipe;

a plurality of downstream dampers each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the branch pipes on the downstream side of the upstream damper and opens/closes the corresponding branch pipe;

wherein the internal space of each of the branch pipes is comprised of an upstream space located between a corresponding one of the upstream dampers and a corresponding one of the downstream dampers and a downstream space located downstream of the corresponding one of the downstream dampers; and wherein said branch pipes are surrounded by an external atmosphere existing in the chamber outside of said main pipe and outside of said branch pipes;

an upstream opening/closing damper that is controllable to either connect said upstream space to said external atmosphere to enable said external atmosphere to flow into said upstream space or to prevent the inflow of the external atmosphere into said upstream space; and

a downstream opening/closing damper that is controllable to either connect said downstream space to said external atmosphere to enable said external atmosphere to flow into said downstream space or to prevent the inflow of the external atmosphere into said downstream space.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of said branch pipes has an upstream inner peripheral surface having a circular shape in a cross-sectional view at a position where the upstream damper is provided, and

each of said upstream dampers includes an upstream valve having a shape along the upstream inner peripheral surface and opens/closes the branch pipe by being rotated in the branch pipe.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the branch pipe has a downstream inner peripheral surface having a circular shape in a cross-sectional view at a position where the downstream damper is provided, and

the downstream damper includes a downstream valve that has a shape along the downstream inner peripheral surface and that opens/closes the branch pipe by being rotated in the branch pipe.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a seal that seals a space between the downstream inner peripheral surface and the downstream valve when the downstream valve closes the branch pipe.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the branch pipes has an upstream opening that connects the upstream space and a space around the branch pipe, and

the upstream opening/closing damper opens/closes the upstream opening.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a blowing member that is provided in an exterior of the branch pipe and feeds an atmosphere around the branch pipe to the upstream space via the upstream opening.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a supply pipe connected to the branch pipe at a position on the downstream side of the upstream damper and on the upstream side of the downstream damper,

wherein the upstream opening/closing damper is effective to control a state of the upstream space based on whether a gas is supplied or not supplied to the upstream space via the supply pipe.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the branch pipes has a downstream opening that connects the downstream space and a space around the branch pipe, and

the downstream opening/closing damper opens/closes the downstream opening.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the branch pipes has an upstream opening that connects the upstream space and a space around the branch pipe and a downstream opening that connects the downstream space and a space around the branch pipe,

the upstream opening/closing damper includes an upstream slide damper that opens/closes the upstream opening by sliding with respect to the branch pipe,

the downstream opening/closing damper includes a downstream slide damper that opens/closes the downstream opening by sliding with respect to the branch pipe, and

the substrate processing apparatus further comprises:

a coupling member that couples the upstream slide damper and the downstream slide damper; and

a slide driving mechanism that causes the upstream slide damper and the downstream slide damper to slide by driving the coupling member.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an upstream opening/closing speed adjusting mechanism that adjusts opening/closing speed of the upstream damper;

a downstream opening/closing speed adjusting mechanism that adjusts opening/closing speed of the downstream damper; and

a downstream flow rate adjusting mechanism that controls a switching action of the downstream opening/closing damper and adjusts a flow rate of the external atmosphere flowing into the downstream space.

11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of processing liquid nozzles that discharge different types of processing liquids from each other toward the substrate housed in the chamber; and

a controller programmed to switch the branch pipe into which the atmosphere discharged from the main pipe flows in accordance with the type of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate which is housed in the chamber by controlling the plurality of upstream dampers, the plurality of downstream dampers, the plurality of upstream opening/closing dampers, and the plurality of downstream opening/closing dampers.

12 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is programmed to start, in each of the branch pipes, the inflow of the external atmosphere to the upstream space by the upstream opening/closing damper and the inflow of the external atmosphere to the downstream space by the downstream opening/closing damper before the upstream damper and the downstream damper close the corresponding branch pipe.

13 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of processing liquid nozzles include a chemical liquid nozzle that discharges

a chemical liquid toward the substrate housed in the chamber, a rinse liquid nozzle that supplies a rinse liquid toward the substrate housed in the chamber, and an organic solvent nozzle that supplies an organic solvent toward the substrate housed in the chamber, and

the plurality of branch pipes have a first branch pipe that discharges an atmosphere in the main pipe while the chemical liquid is discharged from the chemical liquid nozzle and while the rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle, and a second branch pipe that discharges the atmosphere in the main pipe while the organic solvent is discharged from the organic solvent nozzle.