Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Noritake Sumi

Masayuki Orisaka

Masanobu Sato

Daiki Uehara

Koji Hashimoto

Noriyuki Kikumoto

Koji Ando

Kei Suzuki

Hiroyuki Kawahara

Tomohiro Motono

In a substrate processing method according to this invention, a decompression process after processing a substrate using a fluid in a supercritical state in a chamber is divided into two stages. In the first decompress step, an internal space of the chamber is decompressed to a pressure lower than the critical pressure and higher than an atmospheric pressure while keeping the temperature of the internal space equal to or higher than a critical temperature of the processing fluid. In the second decompression step, the processing fluid is discharged at a discharge rate higher than in the first decompression step, thereby the internal space is decompressed. At this time, the discharge rate is so controlled that the temperature of the internal space when the pressure of the internal space is reduced to the atmospheric pressure becomes a predetermined target temperature.

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing method according to this invention includes supporting a substrate having a liquid film on an upper surface substantially in a horizontal posture by placing the substrate on a flat plate-like support tray, accommodating the support tray into an internal space of a chamber and sealing the internal space, introducing a gas which is pressurized toward a gap space between a lower surface of the support tray and a bottom surface of the internal space, and processing the substrate by a supercritical processing fluid by introducing the supercritical processing fluid into the internal space. This makes it possible to shorten a time required to remove a liquid adhering to the lower surface of a substrate being carried into a chamber.

Substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a support tray that is configured in such a manner that a residual liquid getting in between a lower surface of a substrate and a substrate facing surface of the support tray is trapped in a groove. The support tray further includes a discharge part through which the residual liquid trapped in the groove is discharged from the groove through a discharge part. As a result, backflow of the residual liquid is prevented effectively, thereby preventing re-adhesion of the residual liquid to the upper surface of the substrate.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

An upper flow passageis connected to a buffer space. The upper flow passagehas a constant cross-sectional shape and a processing fluid flows as a laminar flow in the upper flow passage. On the other hand, the buffer spacehas a larger flow passage cross-sectional area than the upper flow passage. Thus, the processing fluid flowing in the upper flow passageis released at once into the wide buffer space, whereby the pressure of the processing fluid decreases. A backflow of the processing fluid from the buffer spaceto the upper flow passageis prevented due to this pressure difference and the magnitude of a flow passage resistance of the upper flow passageviewed from the buffer space

Substrate processing apparatus

A processing fluid flows into a processing space SP by way of a flow passage and discharge openingshaving substantially the same cross-sectional shape as that of a gap space formed in a clearance between a wall surface of the processing space SP and a substrate holder. On the other hand, the processing fluid having passed through the processing space SP is discharged to an outside via discharge flow passagesafter flowing into the buffer spacehaving substantially the same width as the gap space. From these, the processing fluid can be caused to flow into the buffer spacewhile the laminar flow state is maintained in the gap space. Thus, the generation of a turbulence in the processing space SP can be suppressed.

A substrate processing system includes a processing container body having an opening, a lid which closes an opening, a mover for relatively moving the lid with respect to the opening to open and close the opening, and a lock mechanism which locks the lid to the processing container body. The lock mechanism includes an arm member and a locking member. The arm member is provided on one of the processing container body and the lid and extends toward the other when the processing container body is located at a position where the lid is separated from the processing container body. The locking member restricts a displacement of the arm member by being engaged with a part of the arm member. This part is located beyond the gap space when the lid is at the separated position.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing system

The disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus that processes a surface of a substrate with a processing fluid in a supercritical state, in which the substrate is protected from the pressure fluctuation caused by partial vaporization of the processing fluid in the flow path. A substrate processing apparatus which processes a surface of a substrate with a processing fluid in a supercritical state includes a chamber housing provided therein with a processing space capable of housing the substrate and a flow path which receives the processing fluid from outside and guides the processing fluid to the processing space, and a fluid supply part which pressure-feeds the processing fluid to the flow path, wherein a plurality of bent parts which change a flow direction of the processing fluid are provided in the flow path.

A substrate processing apparatus processes a surface of a substrate with a processing fluid and includes a support tray in which a concave part for housing the substrate is provided on an upper surface thereof; a storage container in which a cavity is formed, wherein the support tray may be stored in a horizontal posture in the cavity; and a fluid supply part supplying the processing fluid to the cavity, wherein the storage container has a flow path which receives the processing fluid and discharges the processing fluid in a horizontal direction into the cavity from a discharge port that opens on a side wall surface of the cavity and toward the cavity, and a lower end position of the discharge port in a vertical direction is the same as or higher than a position of the upper surface of the support tray stored in the cavity.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a base portionthat is disposed in a manner of being adjacent to a chamber; a handthat holds a substrate S; an armthat is attached to the base portion, supports the hand, and moves the hand forward and rearward by horizontally moving the hand with respect to the base portion; and a cover portionthat accommodates the hand in an internal space. The cover portion has a cover main bodyforming the internal space and an extending memberhaving a hollow structure which penetrates the cover portion in a horizontal direction and of which one end serves as an openingand being engaged with the cover main body in a state of being movable in the horizontal direction while the opening communicates with the internal space.

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Kyoto, Japan

Noritake Sumi