Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

1. A substrate processing method comprising:

performing a first oxygen concentration determination step of determining one of (a) a setting dissolved oxygen concentration which indicates a setting value of a dissolved oxygen concentration of an etching liquid and (b) a setting atmosphere oxygen concentration which indicates a setting value of an oxygen concentration in an atmosphere in contact with the etching liquid held on a main surface of a substrate, based on a required etching amount which indicates a required value of an amount of etching of the main surface of the substrate;

performing a second oxygen concentration determination step of determining the other of (a) the setting dissolved oxygen concentration and (b) the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration, based on the required etching amount, and based on the one of (a) the setting dissolved oxygen concentration and (b) the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step;

performing a low oxygen gas supply step of causing a low oxygen gas, whose oxygen concentration is lower than an oxygen concentration of air and equal or approached to the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step or the second oxygen concentration determination step, to flow into a chamber that houses the substrate; and

performing an etching step of etching the main surface of the substrate by supplying an entire region of the main surface of the substrate held horizontally with the etching liquid whose dissolved oxygen is reduced such that the dissolved oxygen concentration of the etching liquid is equal or approached to the setting dissolved oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step or the second oxygen concentration determination step, while causing the low oxygen gas that has flowed into the chamber in the low oxygen gas supply step to be in contact with the etching liquid held on the main surface of the substrate.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein one of the first oxygen concentration determination step and the second oxygen concentration determination step includes either a step of determining, as the setting dissolved oxygen concentration, a value larger than a minimum value in a range of values which can be set as the setting dissolved oxygen concentration or a step of determining, as the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration, a value larger than a minimum value in a range of values which can be set as the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the etching step includes a liquid discharge step of causing a liquid discharge port to discharge the etching liquid, whose dissolved oxygen is reduced such that the dissolved oxygen concentration of the etching liquid is equal or approached to the setting dissolved oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step or the second oxygen concentration determination step, toward the main surface of the substrate held horizontally, while locating a landing position of the etching liquid, where the etching liquid discharged from the liquid discharge port first contacts the main surface of the substrate, in a central portion of the main surface of the substrate after start of the discharge of the etching liquid until stop of the discharge of the etching liquid.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3 ,

wherein the second oxygen concentration determination step is a step of determining, based on the required etching amount and the one of the setting dissolved oxygen concentration and the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step, the other of the setting dissolved oxygen concentration and the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration such that a distribution of the amount of etching over the main surface of the substrate is formed in a shape of a cone or an inverted cone.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first oxygen concentration determination step is a step of determining the setting dissolved oxygen concentration based on the required etching amount, and

the second oxygen concentration determination step is a step of determining the setting atmosphere oxygen concentration based on the required etching amount and the setting dissolved oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the low oxygen gas supply step includes a step of causing the low oxygen gas to flow from an opening provided in an opposed surface of an opposed member to a space between the main surface of the substrate and the opposed surface of the opposed member, while causing the opposed surface of the opposed member which is movable within the chamber to face the main surface of the substrate.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 6 ,

wherein the low oxygen gas supply step includes

a step of causing the low oxygen gas to flow from a central opening, which is provided in the opposed surface of the opposed member and faces a central portion of the main surface of the substrate, to the space between the main surface of the substrate and the opposed surface of the opposed member and

a step of causing the low oxygen gas to flow from an outer opening, which is provided in the opposed surface of the opposed member and faces a portion of the main surface of the substrate other than the central portion of the main surface of the substrate, to the space between the main surface of the substrate and the opposed surface of the opposed member.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the low oxygen gas supply step includes a step of causing the low oxygen gas to flow from an upper end portion of the chamber into the chamber, while causing a gas within the chamber to flow out from a lower end portion of the chamber.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

performing a first dissolved oxygen concentration adjustment step of lowering the dissolved oxygen concentration of the etching liquid within a first tank to a first dissolved oxygen concentration by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the etching liquid; and

performing a second dissolved oxygen concentration adjustment step of lowering the dissolved oxygen concentration of the etching liquid within a second tank to a second dissolved oxygen concentration different from the first dissolved oxygen concentration by reducing the dissolved oxygen in the etching liquid,

wherein the etching step includes

performing a selection step of selecting, among the first tank and the second tank, a tank that stores the etching liquid having the dissolved oxygen concentration closer to the setting dissolved oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step or the second oxygen concentration determination step and

performing a liquid discharge step of discharging the etching liquid within the tank selected in the selection step toward the main surface of the substrate held horizontally.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the etching step is a step of etching a polysilicon film formed on the main surface of the substrate by supplying the entire region of the main surface of the substrate held horizontally with the etching liquid whose dissolved oxygen is reduced such that the dissolved oxygen concentration of the etching liquid is equal or approached to the setting dissolved oxygen concentration determined in the first oxygen concentration determination step or the second oxygen concentration determination step while causing the low oxygen gas that has flowed into the chamber in the low oxygen gas supply step to be in contact with the etching liquid held on the main surface of the substrate.