Tokyo Electron Limited

Sadayuki Fujishima

Yuji Kamikawa

Koji Egashira

In a resist-removing process systemfor removing a resist film formed on a wafer W, the resist film is denatured so as to make the resist film soluble in water and, then, the resist film is removed from the wafer by applying a water-wash processing to the denatured resist film. A series of the denaturing processing and the water-wash processing are carried out such that the denaturing processing of the resist film, which requires a long processing time, is performed by alternately using batch type resist-denaturing process unitsandeach permitting a plurality of wafers W to be processed simultaneously, and the water-wash processing requiring a processing time shorter than that of the denaturing processing of the resist film is carried out by simultaneously operating six water-wash process unitstoeach applying a water-wash processing to the wafers W one by one.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A liquid processing system of the present invention controls a temperature of a processing liquid being in a stand-by circulation line by control means for controlling the heaters to heat the processing liquid stored in the tank, while controlling the opening/closing means to pass the cooling medium into the tank with the stored processing liquid.

Substrate processing method and substrate processing system

The present invention controls a temperature of a processing liquid to be in within an allowable processing temperature range, whereby the processing efficiency and throughputs can be improved, deterioration of the processing liquid is prevented, and the life of the processing liquid can be extended. In the liquid processing method, a chemical liquid L stored in a tankcan have temperatures controlled by heating and cooling by a heaterand cooling meansand is circulated for stand-by. the chemical liquid L in the stand-by circulation is supplied to wafers loaded in a processing chamberto process the wafers, a cooling medium of the cooling meansis heat-exchanged with the chemical liquid L in the tankto be ready for the next stand-by circulation.

A rotary substrate processing apparatus includes a rotor having a holding member for holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers W arranged at appropriate intervals and a motor for rotating the rotor . The holding member includes open/close holding rods that are moved to open or close the rotor in inserting the wafers W into the rotor sideways and a plurality of constant-position holding rods to for holding the wafers W in cooperation with the open/close holding rods . Among the constant-position holding rods to , at least one constant-position holding rod is equipped with a plurality of press members which move toward respective peripheral portions of the wafers W by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor . Consequently, it becomes possible to make the wafers W follow the rotation of the rotor ensurely and also possible to reduce slip between the open/close holding rods , the constant-position holding rods to and the wafers W. Therefore, it is possible to accomplish both improvement in processing efficiency for the substrates and reduction in abrasion amount of the holding member and also possible to increase a life span of the apparatus.

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Tosu, Japan

Sadayuki Fujishima