Developing apparatus
A method for developing a substrate includes spinning the substrate with a spin holder and discharging a developer to the substrate from a plurality of exhaust ports arranged in a row on a developer feeder. The method also includes causing a moving mechanism to move said developer feeder in one direction extending to a center of the substrate in plan view while maintaining a direction of arrangement of said exhaust ports in said one direction, thereby to move said developer feeder between substantially the center and an edge of the substrate. The method further includes causing the developer discharged from said exhaust ports to impinge in separate streams on the substrate, and causing each of the separate streams to impinge spirally on the substrate, thereby to develop the substrate. At least two of loci of positions of impingement of the developer corresponding to said exhaust ports overlap each other.
1. A developing method for developing a substrate, comprising:
spinning the substrate with a spin holder;
discharging a developer to the substrate from a plurality of exhaust ports arranged in a row on a developer feeder;
causing a moving mechanism to translate said developer feeder in one direction extending to a center of the substrate in plan view while maintaining a direction of arrangement of said exhaust ports in said one direction, thereby to move said developer feeder between substantially the center and an edge of the substrate in plan view; and
causing the developer discharged from said exhaust ports to impinge in separate streams on the substrate, and causing each of the separate streams to impinge spirally on the substrate, thereby to develop the substrate;
wherein said spin holder and said moving mechanism are controlled to cause positions of impingement of adjacent streams of the developer to be close to each other, thereby to cover ranges of the substrate between loci of the positions of impingement with the developer spreading after impingement;
a rearmost one of said exhaust ports, with respect to the direction of movement of said developer feeder, is moved while the substrate makes one spin to a position close in the direction of movement to a position of a foremost one of said exhaust ports at start of said one spin;
a spinning speed of the substrate and a moving speed of said developer feeder are controlled to be constant, respectively, when causing the separate streams of the developer discharged from said exhaust ports to impinge spirally on the substrate, thereby to develop the substrate;
said exhaust ports all move on one straight line in plan view; and
wherein said spin holder and said moving mechanism are controlled, in a relational expression v×2π/ω=L+2r+m×P, where
ω [rad/s] is said spinning speed,
v [m/s] is said moving speed of said developer feeder,
(m+1) is a total number of said exhaust ports arranged on said developer feeder,
r [m] is a radius of each exhaust port,
P [m] is a distance between centers of adjacent ones of said exhaust ports, and
L [m] is a distance of spacing between said foremost one of said exhaust ports at start of one spin of the substrate and said rearmost one of said exhaust ports having moved in the direction of movement relative to a position of said foremost one of said exhaust ports while the substrate makes the one spin,
to maintain a relationship between said spinning speed ω of the substrate and said moving speed v of said developer feeder.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the developer discharged from said exhaust ports flows down in bar-shaped streams.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said exhaust ports are arranged close to one another such that ranges of the substrate between positions of impingement of the developer are covered by the developer spreading after impingement.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said spin holder and said moving mechanism are controlled to adjust a relationship between a spinning speed of the substrate and a moving speed of said developer feeder, thereby to control a space between loci of positions of impingement of adjacent streams of the developer.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said space is controlled to be a predetermined value or within a predetermined range.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said exhaust ports are circular and approximately 1 mm in diameter, and an adjacent pair of said exhaust ports are spaced from each other by approximately 3 mm.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the developer having impinged on the substrate spreads out with progress of time, to cover the ranges of the substrate between the loci.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the relationship between said spinning speed w of the substrate and said moving speed v of said developer feeder is determined based on:
nozzle information specifying the total number (m+1) of said exhaust ports and values of the distance P between the centers of adjacent exhaust ports and the radius r of each exhaust port,
a processing recipe prescribing a value of said distance L, and
said relational expression.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said spin holder and said moving mechanism are controlled based on:
nozzle information specifying the total number (m+1) of said exhaust ports and values of the distance P between the centers of adjacent exhaust ports and the radius r of each exhaust port,
a processing recipe prescribing a value of upper limit Lmax of said distance L, and
an expression transformed from said relational expression
L=v× 2π/ω−2 r−m×P≦L max.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein said spin holder and said moving mechanism are controlled based on:
a lower limit Lmin of said distance L set beforehand, and
an expression transformed from said relational expression
L min≦ L=v× 2π/ω−2 r−m×P≦L max.