Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method drying substrate
View Patent ↗A substrate processing apparatus comprises a spin chuck holding and rotating a substrate and an atmosphere blocking member, corresponding in planar shape and size to the substrate, arranged oppositely and proximately to the upper surface of the substrate and formed with a processing solution discharge port and a gas discharge port discharging a processing solution and gas to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate respectively. The atmosphere blocking member is formed with an outer gas discharge port outside the gas discharge port in plan view for discharging the gas to the upper surface of the substrate. The outer gas discharge port is so formed on the atmosphere blocking member that an arrival position of the gas discharged from the outer gas discharge port is closer to the center of the upper surface of the substrate held by a spin base than an intermediate portion between the center and the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface. Thus provided is an apparatus capable of effectively expelling droplets remaining on the substrate before spin-drying the substrate by high-speed rotation.
1. A substrate processing apparatus operable to supply a fluid to a rotated substrate, the substrate processing apparatus operable to perform prescribed processing and comprising:
a substrate holding/rotating element configured and operable to hold and to rotate said substrate; and
an atmosphere blocking plate configured to be substantially the same in planar shape and size as said substrate holding/rotating element, being rotatably driven and being arranged oppositely and proximately to at least one entire major surface of said substrate when said substrate is held by said substrate holding/rotating element, and formed with a processing solution discharge port and a single inner gas discharge port operable to discharge a processing solution and gas to said surface of said substrate respectively,
a tubular support cylinder supporting said atmosphere blocking plate to be rotatable and having a hollow portion therein; and
a cylindrical inner shaft inserted into the hollow portion of said support cylinder;
said inner shaft and said support cylinder arranged coaxially with each other,
said processing solution discharge port and said single inner gas discharge port arranged on said inner shaft in plan view, with a center of said single inner gas discharge port arranged eccentrically to a center of said inner shaft; and
an annular outer gas discharge port operable to discharge gas to said surface of said substrate held by said substrate holding/rotating element, the outer gas discharge port formed on said atmosphere blocking plate and interposed between an outer peripheral surface of said inner shaft and an inner peripheral surface of said support cylinder in plan view so as to continuously and annularly enclose said single inner gas discharge port.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said outer gas discharge port is so formed on said atmosphere blocking plate such that an arrival position of said gas discharged from said outer gas discharge port is in the vicinity of said intermediate portion between the center and the outer peripheral edge of said surface of said substrate held by said substrate holding/rotating element.