IP Library Granted Patent US 9,704,730
Granted Patent B2
US 9,704,730 · App. 14/283,331 · Granted Jul 11, 2017

Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method and non-transitory storage medium

Inventors: Atsushi Ookouchi (Koshi, JP); Kousuke Yoshihara (Koshi, JP); Hiroshi Ichinomiya (Koshi, JP); Hirosi Nisihata (Koshi, JP)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
H01L21/67051
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,704,730
App. No.
14/283,331
Granted
Jul 11, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A cleaning liquid and a gas are discharged in sequence to a central portion of a substrate while the substrate is being rotated, and after nozzles that discharge them are moved to a peripheral edge side of the substrate, discharge of the cleaning liquid is switched to a second cleaning liquid nozzle set at a position deviated from a movement locus of the first cleaning liquid nozzle. Both of the nozzles are moved toward the peripheral edge side of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid and discharging the gas so that a difference between a distance from the discharge position of the second cleaning liquid nozzle to the central portion of the substrate and a distance from the discharge position of the gas nozzle to the central portion of the substrate gradually decreases.

Claims (18)

1. A substrate cleaning method of cleaning a substrate using a cleaning liquid and a gas while rotating the substrate, comprising the steps of:

horizontally holding the substrate on a substrate holding unit;

discharging the cleaning liquid from a first cleaning liquid nozzle to a central portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate holding unit around a vertical axis;

then moving a discharge position of the cleaning liquid to a peripheral edge side of the substrate and thereafter discharging the gas from a gas nozzle to the central portion of the substrate;

subsequently moving discharge positions of the first cleaning liquid nozzle and the gas nozzle toward the peripheral edge side of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid and the gas from the first cleaning liquid nozzle and the gas nozzle respectively; and

then switching discharge of the cleaning liquid from the first cleaning liquid nozzle to a second cleaning liquid nozzle, and moving discharge positions of the second cleaning liquid nozzle and the gas nozzle toward the peripheral edge side of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid from the second cleaning liquid nozzle and discharging the gas from the gas nozzle,

wherein the discharge position of the second cleaning liquid nozzle is set at a position deviated from a movement locus of the discharge position of the first cleaning liquid nozzle, and

wherein where a distance from the discharge position of the second cleaning liquid nozzle to the central portion of the substrate is d2, and a distance from the discharge position of the gas nozzle to the central portion of the substrate is d3, when the cleaning liquid is being discharged from the second cleaning liquid nozzle, d3<d2 and a difference between d2 and d3 gradually decreases with movement of the second cleaning liquid nozzle to the peripheral edge side of the substrate.

2. The substrate cleaning method as set forth in claim 1 ,

wherein the first cleaning liquid nozzle, the second cleaning liquid nozzle, and the gas nozzle are provided on a common nozzle moving unit.

3. The substrate cleaning method as set forth in claim 1 ,

wherein a nozzle moving unit provided with at least one of the first cleaning liquid nozzle, the second cleaning liquid nozzle, and the gas nozzle is movable separately and independently from a nozzle moving unit provided with other of the nozzles.

4. The substrate cleaning method as set forth in claim 1 ,

wherein the gas nozzle comprises a first gas nozzle that is used when discharging the gas to the central portion of the substrate, and a second gas nozzle that is provided at a position deviated from a movement locus of the first gas nozzle and is used when moving the discharge positions of the cleaning liquid and the gas to the peripheral edge side of the substrate while discharging the cleaning liquid from the second cleaning liquid nozzle.

5. The substrate cleaning method as set forth in claim 4 ,

wherein a discharge flow rate of the gas at the second gas nozzle is set to be larger than a discharge flow rate of the gas at the first gas nozzle.

6. The substrate cleaning method as set forth in claim 1 ,

wherein the substrate held on the substrate holding unit is a substrate that has been exposed using a resist film having a water contact angle of 65 degrees or more and thereafter supplied with a developing solution.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 21, 2014
From: OOKOUCHI, ATSUSHI; YOSHIHARA, KOUSUKE; ICHINOMIYA, HIROSHI; NISIHATA, HIROSI; NAITOU, RYOUICHIROU
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 032937/0795 →
Priority Claims (3)
JP 2013-112395 · May 28, 2013 · national
JP 2014-014864 · Jan 29, 2014 · national
JP 2014-058221 · Mar 20, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140352737A1 · Dec 4, 2014