Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited

Ipec-planar

Nobuo Konishi

Takayuki Toshima

Mitsuaki Iwashita

Keizo Hirose

Masami Akimoto

Shuuichi Nishikido

Kazutoshi Yoshioka

Keizo Hasebe

Kiyohisa Tateyama

Kenji Sekiguchi

Tsutae Omori

Hideyuki Takamori

Takehiko Orii

Issei Ueda

Naruaki Iida

Yoshio Kimura

Hiroki Ohno

Shinji Nagashima

Masahito Sugiura

Takashi Takekuma

Norio Semba

Yoji Mizutani

Masaaki Murakami

Shigeru Kawamura

Kouji Harada

Norimitsu Morioka

Keizo Hasbe

Gary Cohrt

Gerald A Krulik

The invention relates to a process including a chemical liquid treatment and a rinse liquid treatment on a substrate, more particularly to a technique for reducing consumption of a chemical liquid while achieving uniform process and preventing particle generation. In a specific embodiment, the process is performed for removing a silicon oxide film formed on a silicon wafer. The process includes three subsequently performed steps, in which (1) diluted hydrofluoric acid (DHF), (2) DHF and de-ionized water (DIW), (3) DIW are supplied, respectively, onto a rotating wafer. Transition from step (1) to step (2) is done immediately before the hydrophilic silicon oxide film is dissolved to expose the underlying hydrophobic silicon layer.

Substrate processing method and apparatus

The present invention comprises the steps of performing a reforming process on a surface of a low dielectric constant insulation film formed on a substrate which includes one of a porous low dielectric constant insulation film and a non-porous low dielectric constant insulation film and forming an insulation film as at least one of an etching mask and a Chemical Mechanical Polishing stopper (CMP stopper) on the reformed surface of the low dielectric constant insulation film. For example, plasma is radiated as a reforming process mentioned above, the surface roughness of a low dielectric insulation film is increased and, as a result, adhesion between the films and also between the inter-layer insulation film and other neighboring films can be improved with so-called &ldquo;anchor effect&rdquo;.

Film forming method by radiating a plasma on a surface of a low dielectric constant film

After coating a resist for silylation on the semi-conductor substrate, the resist is exposed with a pattern. Then the silylation process is performed to form a silylated layer and the silylated layer is hardened with performing an electron beam processing or a ultra-violet ray processing. After that, an etching is performed with using the hardened silylated layer as a mask and the wiring step is taken without removing the hardened silylated layer as a stopper for chemical mechanical polishing. With this embodiment, the patterning steps of an insulation film can be simplified.

Film forming method and film forming apparatus

In an organic insulating film coating apparatus, an organic insulating film is applied onto a wafer by a spin coating. Thereafter, the wafer is subjected to heat processing and an inorganic insulating film is applied onto the wafer by a spin coating in an inorganic insulating film coating apparatus. After the coating of the inorganic insulating film, the wafer is subjected to aging processing and exchange-chemical coating processing. Thereafter, a solvent in the coating film is removed in a low-temperature heat processing apparatus and a low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, and thermal processing is performed for the wafer in a low-oxygen curing and cooling processing apparatus. The low-temperature heat processing apparatus, the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, a delivery section for the wafer between the low-temperature heat processing apparatus and the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus, and a delivery section for the wafer between the low-oxygen and high-temperature heat processing apparatus and the low-oxygen curing and cooling processing apparatus are brought to low-oxygen atmospheres.

Film forming method and film forming system

A solvent of a resist solution is dropped from a solvent supply nozzle onto the surface of a semiconductor wafer held by a spin chuck. The semiconductor wafer is rotated by the spin chuck to spread the resist solution over the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer W. Simultaneously, the resist solution is dropped from a resist solution supply nozzle onto the semiconductor wafer and spread following the solvent. During the processing, the processing space is isolated from the outer atmosphere by closing a lid of a processing vessel and a sprayed solvent is supplied into the processing space. The processing space is thus filled with the mist of solvent. In the processing space supplied with the solvent, evaporation of the solvent from the resist solution is suppressed. A film of the resist solution is formed with a uniform film thickness to the edge of the semiconductor wafer W.

Coating apparatus

A resist processing method includes (a), to a substrate having a circuit pattern with an uneven surface formed thereon, coating a photoresist solution to, by doing so, form a photoresist film, (b) subjecting the substrate to heat processing to cause a portion of the photoresist film to be chemically modified to create a modified resist layer of a substantially uniform thickness from the uneven surface of the circuit pattern, and (c) selectively removing only a resist portion unmodified at the step (b) to leave a modified resist layer on the uneven surface of the circuit pattern.

Resist processing method and resist processing apparatus

When a resist film formed on a substrate is exposed in a predetermined pattern and thereafter an exposed pattern is developed, a substance capable of decreasing fluidity of the developing solution is added to the developing solution, the developing solution to which the substance is added is caused to become low-fluid under a predetermined condition, the developing solution is applied onto the exposed resist film on the substrate, and thereafter a predetermined trigger is given to the developing solution to cause the developing solution to become high-fluid so as to allow developing to progress. Thereby, line width can be made uniform and defects do not tend to occur during coating of the developing solution.

Developing method and developing apparatus

A process solution supplying mechanism for supplying a process solution to a wafer, comprises a source for containing the process solution, a pipe for introducing the process solution from the source to the wafer, a process solution supply driving system for supplying the process solution from the source to the wafer, and a process solution supplying/stopping mechanism for carrying out apply and stop of the process solution, wherein the pipe and the process solution supply driving system are provided separately and the process solution supplying/stopping mechanism is provided to a portion other than the pipe.

Process solution supplying apparatus

A scrubbing apparatus is provided which sufficiently cleans every site on the wafer by a cleaning accelerating action of ultrasonic waves, the scrubbing apparatus comprising a substrate support section for supporting a substrate horizontally and substantially in contact with a circumferential portion of the substrate while front side and back side surfaces of the substrate are substantially kept untouched in operation by the substrate, rotation drive means for driving the substrate support section to rotate in order to give a rotation force to the substrate, a brush for scrub-cleaning the substrate while contacting at least the front surface, a main nozzle provided with a first supply circuit for supplying a-cleaning liquid in at least a central region of the substrate, an auxiliary nozzle provided with a second supply circuit for supplying the cleaning liquid in at least a peripheral region of the substrate, and an ultrasonic oscillator for applying ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid supplied on the substrate from an auxiliary nozzle.

Scrubbing apparatus

A method of forming a resist film comprises (a) forming a resist film on a substrate, and (b) removing a surface region of the resist film formed in the step (a) so as to decrease the thickness of the resist film.

Method of forming resist film

When the surface of a substrate is developed, a developing solution in low state of development function is supplied to the surface of the substrate. Thereafter, the development function of the supplied developing solution is improved. Thus, the surface of the substrate is developed. When the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the developing solution does not develop the surface of the substrate. Thus, even if there is a time lag of the developing solution supplied on the surface, the surface of the substrate is equally developed.

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Yamanashi-ken, Japan

Nobuo Konishi