Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Limi Ted

Toyko Electron Limited

Junichi Kitano

Yuji Matsuyama

Takayuki Katano

Takahiro Kitano

Osamu Miyahara

Hideharu Kyouda

Yuko Ono

Hidefumi Matsui

Kenji Tsutsumi

Hidetami Yaegashi

Masami Akimoto

Masami Yamashita

Satoru Shimura

Norio Semba

Hiroyuki Iwaki

Yo Suzuki

Toru Aoyama

Taro Yamamoto

Naruaki Iida

Hideaki Sato

Hiroshi Shinya

Shinya Wakamizu

Kousuke Yoshihara

Takayuki Toshima

Akihiro Fujimoto

Yasushi Takiguchi

Masashi Enomoto

Teruomi Minami

Mitsunori Nakamori

Masatoshi Deguchi

Hisashi Kawano

Hitoshi Kosugi

Takashi Nagai

Kouzou Kanagawa

Yasunori Kawakami

Takeshi Shimoaoki

Keiko Hada

Eiji Yamaguchi

Keiko Kanzawa

Yuji Kakazu

Hiroyuki Hara

Fumihiko Kawano

Misako Saitou

Kenji Goto

Koichi Hontake

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing tank, a reservoir, a remover, a mixer, and a return path. Etching is performed on a substrate in the processing tank by immersing the substrate in a processing liquid containing a chemical liquid and silicon. The reservoir recovers and stores the processing liquid discharged from the processing tank. The remover recovers a portion of the processing liquid discharged from the processing tank, and removes silicon from the recovered processing liquid. The mixer mixes the processing liquid stored in the reservoir with the processing liquid from which silicon has been removed by the remover. The processing liquid mixed by the mixer is returned to the processing tank through a return path.

Substrate processing apparatus and processing liquid reuse method

A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a processing tubwhich is configured to store therein a processing liquid and in which a processing of a substrate is performed by immersing the substrate in the stored processing liquid; a circulation lineconnected to the processing tub; a pumpprovided at the circulation line and configured to generate a flow of the processing liquid flowing out from the processing tub and returning back to the processing tub after passing through the circulation line; and a heaterprovided at the circulation line and configured to heat the processing liquid. At least two temperature sensorstoare provided at different positions within a circulation system including the processing tub and the circulation line. Controllersandcontrol a heat generation amount of the heater based on detection temperatures of the at least two temperature sensors.

Substrate liquid processing apparatus

Disclosed is a substrate liquid processing apparatus. The apparatus includes: a pure water supply unit (a rinse liquid supply unit) configured to supply pure water to a substrate; and a drying liquid supply unit configured to supply a drying liquid having a higher volatility than the pure water to the substrate. The substrate liquid processing apparatus is used to supply the drying liquid having the higher volatility, of which a part contains a silicon-based organic compound, to the substrate, from the drying liquid supply unit.

Substrate liquid processing apparatus, substrate liquid processing method, and computer-readable storage medium storing substrate liquid processing program

In the coating treatment apparatus, in a first treatment chamber, the front and rear surfaces of the substrate held by a transfer arm are inverted by a turning mechanism, and a coating solution is applied from a coating nozzle to the rear surface of the substrate. The substrate is transferred into a second treatment chamber, in which the coating solution on the rear surface is heated by a heating unit to cure, thereby forming a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate. The formation of the coating film by the coating treatment apparatus is performed before exposure processing, whereby the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.

Substrate treatment method, coating treatment apparatus, and substrate treatment system

According to the present invention, during the photolithography processing of a substrate, exposure processing is performed immediately after removal of a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate, and a coating film is formed on the rear surface of the substrate immediately after the exposure processing. Thereafter, etching treatment and so on are performed, and a series of these treatment and processing steps are performed a predetermined number of times. The coating film has been formed on the rear surface of the substrate at the time for the etching treatment, so that even if the coating film gets minute scratches, the rear surface of the substrate itself is protected by the coating film and thus never scratched. Further, since the coating film on the rear surface of the substrate is removed immediately before the exposure processing, the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.

Substrate treatment method, coating film removing apparatus, and substrate treatment system

A coating film forming apparatus for immersion light exposure includes one or more coating units configured to apply a resist film or a resist film and an additional film onto a substrate, one or more thermally processing units configured to perform a thermal process, a defect eliciting unit configured to perform a process for eliciting a latent defect of a coating film at an edge portion of the substrate, a checking unit configured to check a state of the coating film after the process by the defect eliciting unit, a control section configured to use a check result obtained by the checking unit to make a judgment of the state of the coating film and permit transfer of the substrate to the light exposure apparatus, and a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning on the substrate before the process by the defect eliciting unit.

Coating film forming apparatus and coating film forming method for immersion light exposure

In the present invention, a plurality of rounds of patterning are performed on a substrate. In a patterning system, the substrate on which a first round of patterning has been performed is transferred to a planarizing film forming unit, where a planarizing film is formed above the substrate. The substrate is then transferred to the patterning system and subjected to a second round of patterning. The time from the completion of the forming processing of the planarizing film to the start of the second round of patterning is managed to be constant among the substrates. According to the present invention, in the pattern forming processing of performing a plurality of rounds of patterning, a pattern with a desired dimension can be stably formed above the substrate.

Substrate processing method, substrate processing system, and computer-readable storage medium

A developing method is used for subjecting a light-exposed resist film disposed on a wafer W to a developing process by a developing solution and a rinsing process by a rinsing liquid. In a state where the resist film on the wafer W is wet with the developing solution or rinsing liquid before a drying process is performed on the wafer W, a chemical liquid (curing chemical liquid), which contains a resist curing aid contributory to curing of a resist film remaining on the wafer W, is supplied onto a surface of the wafer W. Then, ultraviolet rays are radiated onto a surface of the wafer to cure a resist film remaining on the wafer W by a synergistic effect of the resist curing aid and the ultraviolet rays thus radiated, so as to prevent pattern fall.

Developing method and developing apparatus

In a developing method for performing developing treatment of a substrate by supplying a developing solution onto a resist film formed on a surface of the substrate, the present invention controls a zeta potential of the surface of the substrate at a predetermined potential in the same polarity as that of a zeta potential of insoluble substances floating in the developing solution, thereby preventing or reducing the adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate. This remedies the occurrence of development defects. The adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate can also be prevented or inhibited by supplying an acid liquid to a liquid on the substrate, or controlling a pH value of the liquid on the substrate to control an absolute value of the zeta potential of the insoluble substances.

Developing method and developing unit

In the present invention, in a rinse treatment method of cleaning a substrate after an exposed pattern thereon has been subjected to developing treatment, the following steps are performed such as supplying pure water onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the pure water; supplying a first rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a predetermined concentration onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the first rinse solution; and supplying a second rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a concentration lower than that of the first rinse solution onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the second rinse solution. According to the present invention, in the rinse treatment of the substrate after developing treatment, it is possible to dry the substrate without causing pattern collapse to restrain variation in pattern line width, and to reduce the remaining precipitation-based defects to increase the productivity.

Rinse treatment method, developing treatment method and developing apparatus

A coating film forming apparatus includes a process section including one or more coating units and one or more thermally processing units; a pre-coating cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning on a back surface and an edge portion of a substrate; and a pre-coating check unit configured to check a state of a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate. A control section is configured to realize a sequence of cleaning the substrate by the pre-coating cleaning unit, checking the substrate by the pre-coating check unit, making a judgment based on a check result thus obtained of whether or not a state of particles on a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate is within an acceptable range, and permitting transfer of the substrate into the process section where the state of particles is within the acceptable range.

Coating film forming apparatus and method

A coating/developing apparatus includes a process section including processing units to perform a series of processes for resist coating and development; an interface section disposed between the process section and immersion light exposure apparatus; and a drying section disposed in the interface section to dry the substrate immediately after the immersion light exposure process. The drying section includes a process container configured to accommodate the substrate, a substrate support member configured to place the substrate thereon, a temperature-adjusted gas supply mechanism configured to supply a temperature-adjusted gas into the process container, and an exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the process container. The drying section is arranged to dry the substrate by supplying the temperature-adjusted gas into the process container with the substrate placed on the substrate support member, while exhausting the process container.

Coating/developing apparatus and pattern forming method

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Koshi, Japan

Junichi Kitano