Substrate cleaning method and developing apparatus

Abstract

A cleaning method highly effectively cleans a surface of a semiconductor wafer by removing a dissolution product, produced when a surface of a semiconductor wafer is processed by a developing process that develops an exposed film formed on the semiconductor wafer by wetting the exposed film with a developer, from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. A cleaning liquid is poured through a cleaning liquid pouring nozzle onto a central part of a rotating wafer processed by a developing process to spread the cleaning liquid in a film over the surface of the wafer. Then, the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle is shifted to create a dry area in a central part of the wafer and the wafer is rotated at 1500 rpm to expand the dry area. The cleaning liquid pouring nozzle is moved at a nozzle moving speed high enough to keep the cleaning liquid pouring position ahead of the margin of the dry area and pouring the cleaning liquid is stopped upon the arrival of the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle at a predetermined position at 80 mm from the center of the wafer or at 5 mm above toward the center of the wafer from the peripheral edge of the wafer. The cleaning liquid may be poured through another cleaning liquid pouring nozzle disposed beforehand at the predetermined position and pouring the cleaning liquid through the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle may be stopped immediately before the margin of the dry area reaches a part onto which the cleaning liquid is poured through the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle. Preferably, a gas is blown instantaneously against the central part of the wafer to form a core fore the dry area.