Tokyo Electron Limited

Koichi Obata

Takahiro Kitano

Nobuhiro Ogata

Hiroichi Inada

Taro Yamamoto

Masahiro Fukuda

Kouichirou Tanaka

Hiroshi Ichinomiya

There is provided a guide memberin which an inclined surfacethereof is inclined downwardly outwards from an edge portion of a rear surface of a horizontally held wafer W; and a cylindrical surrounding memberwhich surrounds the wafer W and in which an upper peripheral portion thereof is inwardly extended obliquely upwards. Further, the surrounding memberhas, at an inner surface side thereof, two groove portionsextended along an entire circumference and located above a height position of the horizontally held wafer W. If an air flow flows along the surrounding member, a vortex flow is formed within the groove portionsand stays therein. Thus, mist can be captured, so that the flow of the mist to the outside of a cup bodycan be suppressed. Accordingly, the adhesion of the mist to the wafer W can be suppressed.

Liquid processing apparatus and liquid processing method

A coating method includes supplying a coating liquid from a coating nozzle onto a front side central portion of a substrate held on a substrate holding member, rotating the substrate holding member about a vertical axis to spread the coating liquid toward a peripheral portion of the substrate by a centrifugal force and thereby form a film of the coating liquid, forming a liquid film of a process liquid for preventing a contaminant derived from the coating liquid from being deposited or left on a back side peripheral portion of the substrate, and damping a vertical wobble of the peripheral portion of the substrate being rotated, by a posture regulating mechanism, while delivering a gas from delivery holes onto a back side region of the substrate on an inner side of the peripheral portion on which the liquid film is formed.

Coating method

A coating method includes holding a substrate in a horizontal state on a substrate holding member; supplying a coating liquid onto a front side central portion of the substrate held on the substrate holding member; rotating the substrate holding member about a vertical axis to spread the coating liquid supplied on the front side central portion of the substrate toward a front side peripheral portion of the substrate by a centrifugal force; and damping a wobble of the substrate being rotated, by a wobble damping mechanism including a gas delivery port and a suction port both disposed to face a back side of the substrate, while delivering a gas from the delivery port and sucking the gas into the suction port.

A coating apparatus includes a liquid film forming mechanism configured to form a liquid film of a process liquid for preventing a contaminant derived from a coating liquid from being deposited or left on a back side peripheral portion of a substrate. The liquid film forming mechanism includes a counter face portion facing the back side peripheral portion of the substrate and a process liquid supply portion for supplying the process liquid onto the counter face portion. The coating apparatus further includes a posture regulating mechanism disposed around the substrate holding member and configured to damp a vertical wobble of the peripheral portion of the substrate being rotated. The posture regulating mechanism includes delivery holes arrayed in a rotational direction of the substrate and configured to deliver a gas onto a back side region of the substrate on an inner side of the peripheral portion.

Coating apparatus and method

A coating apparatus includes a driving unit configured to rotate a substrate holding member about a vertical axis to spread a coating liquid supplied on a front side central portion of a substrate toward a front side peripheral portion of the substrate by a centrifugal force. The apparatus is provided with a wobble damping mechanism including a gas delivery port and a suction port both disposed to face a back side of the substrate and configured to damp a wobble of the substrate being rotated by delivering a gas from the delivery port and sucking the gas into the suction port.

Growing community of inventors

Koshi, Japan

Koichi Obata