Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Limi Ted

Yuko Ono

Junichi Kitano

Eiichi Nishimura

Yusuke Muraki

Hidefumi Matsui

Takayuki Katano

Keiko Hada

Yoshiaki Sasaski

In a substrate processing apparatus comprising a processing unit where a specific type of processing is executed on a wafer and a transfer chamber through which a wafer is carried into/out of the processing unit, the transfer chamber includes an air intake unit through which external air is drawn into the transfer chamber, a discharge unit disposed so as to face opposite the air intake unit, through which the discharge gas in the transfer chamber is discharged and a discharge gas filtering means disposed at the discharge unit and constituted with a harmful constituent eliminating filter through which a harmful constituent contained in the discharge gas, at least, is eliminated.

Substrate processing 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

A HMDS gas is supplied to a surface of a wafer W to perform a hydrophobic process, thereafter the wafer W is contained in an airtight container on a cassette stage, and is transferred to an analyzer provided at an external portion of a resist pattern forming apparatus. The analyzer performs mass spectrometry of the quantity of an ionic species such as CH Si , C H Si , C H Osi and the like on the surface of the wafer W using an analyzing section, for example, TOF-SIMS, whereby measuring a HMDS quantity (hexamethyldisilazane) on the surface of the wafer W. This method makes it possible to measure the HMDS quantity on the surface of the wafer W and to evaluate a hydrophobic process state with high reliability.

Evaluating method of hydrophobic process, forming method of resist pattern, and forming system of resist pattern

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Nirasaki, Japan

Yuko Ono