Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes: a carrying-in and carrying-out block of a substrate; a dry cleaning block provided with a reduced-pressure transfer device and a plurality of processing units for performing dry cleaning of the substrate in a reduced-pressure atmosphere; and a load interlock block provided with at least one load interlock unit connecting the normal-pressure atmosphere carrying-in and carrying-out block and the reduced-pressure atmosphere dry cleaning block, in which the dry cleaning block has, as a plurality of processing units, at least one vacuum baking unit that heats the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere to perform vacuum baking on the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere, and performs vacuum baking on the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere to perform vacuum baking on the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere to perform vacuum baking on the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere to perform vacuum baking on the substrate in the reduced-pressure atmosphere. Removing attachments attached to the surface of the substrate; and at least one gas cluster cleaning unit that irradiates the surface of the substrate with a gas cluster in a reduced pressure atmosphere to remove deposits adhering to the surface of the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, there is gas cluster cleaning as a technology for removing contaminants such as liquid residues and tiny particles after a wet process. Gas cluster cleaning is a cleaning method that causes a gas cluster to collide with attached substances (pollutants such as particles) on the surface of a substrate at high speed to remove them through physical force. Gas cluster cleaning can remove fine contaminants on the surface of a substrate that cannot be completely removed in a wet process, so future development is expected. In gas cluster cleaning, a gas cluster irradiated from a nozzle located directly above the substrate is incident on the substrate approximately vertically. Therefore, although it is good at removing substances attached to horizontal surfaces, it is not good at removing defects inside deep holes, grooves, and 3D structures. Patent document 1 discloses a technology for improving the removal efficiency of particles inside a pattern recess by optimizing the particle size of a gas cluster based on particle information.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes dry cleaning of a substrate that has been wet cleaned in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. In Patent Document 1, the substrate that has been wet cleaned is firstly subjected to dry cleaning at a temperature of 600°C to 800°C and a pressure of 1×10 -6 Pa~1×10 -8 The first thermal cleaning is performed in a high vacuum atmosphere of 1000 Pa to remove the oxide film remaining on the substrate. Next, the second thermal cleaning is performed in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 750°C to 800°C (800°C to 900°C depending on the situation) and a pressure of 133.3 Pa to 1000 Pa to remove contamination such as carbon. The dry cleaning in Patent Document 2 is performed as a pretreatment for the process of epitaxially growing a crystal layer on the substrate from which the oxide film has been removed, and at least the second thermal cleaning in a hydrogen atmosphere and the epitaxial growth process are performed continuously in the same chamber.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-175681

[0007] Patent document 2: International Publication WO01 / 033618 Summary of the invention

[0008] The present disclosure provides a technology for efficiently removing attached matter (particles and substances causing them) on the surface of a substrate (including the surface of a pattern recess) by dry cleaning.

[0009] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a loading and unloading block, in which a container mounting table and a substrate conveying device are provided, the container mounting table carries a substrate conveying container for accommodating substrates, and the substrate conveying device carries in and out substrates contained in the substrate conveying container mounted on the container mounting table; a dry cleaning block, which comprises a plurality of processing units for performing dry cleaning of substrates under a reduced pressure atmosphere, in which a reduced pressure conveying device for conveying substrates under a reduced pressure atmosphere is provided; and a loading interlock block, in which at least one loading interlock unit is provided for connecting the loading and unloading block of a normal pressure atmosphere with the dry cleaning block of a reduced pressure atmosphere, wherein the dry cleaning block comprises, as the plurality of processing units: at least one vacuum baking unit for removing attachments attached to the surface of the substrate by heating the substrate under a reduced pressure atmosphere; and at least one gas cluster cleaning unit for removing attachments attached to the surface of the substrate by irradiating a gas cluster to the surface of the substrate under a reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to efficiently remove adhered matter on the surface of the substrate (including the surface of the pattern recessed portion) by dry cleaning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0012] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a structural example of a first cleaning area of ​​a dry cleaning block of a substrate processing system.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a structural example of a vacuum baking unit provided in the first cleaning zone.

[0014] Figure 4 It is shown that the Figure 1 A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a configuration example of a gas cluster cleaning unit in a second cleaning zone of a dry cleaning block of a substrate processing system.

[0015] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 A schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a configuration example of a nozzle of a gas cluster cleaning unit.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing a COX diagram for explaining a method of determining processing conditions for a vacuum baking process.

[0017] Figure 7 It is shown in Figure 1FIG. 1 is a graph showing an example of changes in the pressure around a substrate and the temperature of the substrate during a series of processing steps performed in the substrate processing system.

[0018] Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified embodiment of a substrate processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Next, the structure of a substrate processing system as an embodiment of a substrate processing device is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present application specification and the accompanying drawings, mutually orthogonal XYZ orthogonal coordinate systems are defined to make the positional relationship clear, and the description is made with reference to the coordinate system as needed. The positive direction of the Z axis is the vertical upward direction.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing system 1 includes a loading and unloading block 2 , a load lock block 3 , and a dry cleaning block (processing block) 4 .

[0021] The loading and unloading block 2 has a carrier loading area 11 and a substrate transport area 12. The loading and unloading block 2 is a normal pressure (atmospheric pressure) atmosphere, which is usually filled with clean room air. The carrier loading area 11 is also called a loading port, etc., and a container loading table capable of loading a plurality of carriers C (substrate transport containers) is provided in the carrier loading area 11. In each carrier C, a plurality of substrates W (e.g., semiconductor wafers) are stored in a horizontal posture at equal intervals in the vertical direction.

[0022] A substrate transport device 13 is provided in the substrate transport area 12. The substrate transport device 13 can be configured as, for example, a multi-joint transport robot having, as an end effector, a substrate holder, for example, in a fork shape, for holding the substrate W. The substrate transport device 13 can take out the substrate W from any carrier C placed in the carrier placement area 11.

[0023] The load lock block 3 serves as an interface between the normal pressure loading and unloading block 2 and the vacuum (decompression) atmosphere dry cleaning block 4. In the load lock block 3, a first load lock unit 141 and a second load lock unit 142 are arranged in a horizontal direction (Y direction).

[0024] Each load lock unit (141, 142) has: a load lock chamber, which is configured as a vacuum container; a substrate placement table, which is arranged in the load lock chamber to temporarily place a substrate W; a gate valve GV1 on the side (high pressure side) of the loading and unloading block 2 and a gate valve GV2 on the side (low pressure side) of the dry cleaning block 4; and a pressure regulating device (not shown) that regulates the pressure in the load lock chamber between the pressure on the side of the loading and unloading block 2 and the pressure on the side of the dry cleaning block 4. The pressure regulating device includes at least: a vacuum pump that evacuates the load lock chamber; and a gas introduction mechanism that introduces gas (e.g., air) into the load lock chamber to release the vacuum state. In addition, the load lock unit is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment having a vacuum (decompression) transfer system, and a detailed description of the structure and function is omitted.

[0025] The second load lock unit 142 is provided with a temperature controller (142b (only in Figure 1 The temperature controller is, for example, built into the substrate mounting table (142a (only in Figure 1 The heater structure of FIG. 1 is schematically shown in FIG. 14A . Such a temperature regulator is not provided in the first load lock unit 141 .

[0026] Alternatively, the first load interlock unit 141 and the second load interlock unit 142 may be replaced by Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first load-lock unit 141 and the second load-lock unit 142 are arranged in the horizontal direction (Y direction), and are stacked in the vertical direction (Z direction).

[0027] The dry cleaning block 4 includes a first cleaning zone 30 in which a plurality of vacuum baking units 34 are disposed, a second cleaning zone 40 in which a plurality of gas cluster cleaning units 41 are disposed, and a conveying zone 15 disposed between the first cleaning zone 30 and the second cleaning zone 20 .

[0028] A substrate transfer device 16 (hereinafter referred to as "decompression transfer device 16" for distinction) for transferring substrates W in a decompression atmosphere is provided in the transfer area 15. The decompression transfer device 16 can be configured as, for example, a multi-axis transfer robot having, for example, a fork-shaped substrate holder for holding the substrate W as an end effector.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first cleaning zone 30 includes a transfer section 31 , a vacuum conveying section 32 and a vacuum baking section 33 .

[0030] The first delivery unit (TRS) 311 and the second delivery unit (TRS) 312 are provided in the delivery section 31. The first delivery unit 311 and the second delivery unit 312 overlap each other, for example, the first delivery unit 311 is on the upper side and the second delivery unit 312 is on the lower side. The first delivery unit 311 is used when the substrate W is transported from the transport area 15 to the first cleaning area 30, and the second delivery unit 312 is used when the substrate W is transported from the first cleaning area 30 to the transport area 15.

[0031] A substrate stage is provided inside each of the delivery units (311, 312) on which a substrate W can be temporarily placed. Figure 1 A cooler (312b (only in FIG. 1 ) for cooling the substrate W is built in. Figure 1 Such a thermostat is not provided in the first interface unit 312 (not only a cooler but also a heater is not provided).

[0032] The vacuum transfer unit 32 includes a vacuum transfer chamber 321 and a vacuum transfer machine 322 disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber 321. The vacuum transfer machine 322 can be configured as, for example, a multi-joint transfer robot and includes, for example, a fork-shaped substrate holder for holding the substrate W as an end effector.

[0033] The first and second delivery units 311 and 312 are provided with a loading / unloading port G1 for the substrate W at the portion facing the transfer area 15. The first and second delivery units 311 and 312 are provided with a loading / unloading port G2 for the substrate W at the connection portion connected to the wall of the vacuum transfer chamber 321. The loading / unloading port G1 and the loading / unloading port G2 may be simple openings of a normally open type.

[0034] The vacuum baking section 33 is provided with a plurality of vacuum baking units (BAKE) 34. The plurality of vacuum baking units 34 are arranged in a vertical direction. Figure 3 As shown, the vacuum baking unit 34 has a substantially rectangular vacuum chamber 341. The vacuum chamber 341 is airtightly connected to the wall of the vacuum transfer chamber 321. The vacuum chamber 341 has a substrate W loading and unloading port 342 provided with a gate valve GV3 in a connection region with the vacuum transfer chamber 321.

[0035] Heaters 343 are provided on the top wall 3411 and the bottom wall 3412 of the vacuum chamber 341. The heater 343 is, for example, a lamp heater. Examples of the lamp heater include a UV heater, an LED heater, and the like. The lamp heater is provided to uniformly irradiate light onto the surface and back surface of the substrate W. A plurality of (for example, three) stationary support pins 344 extending upward from the upper surface are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 3412. The substrate W carried into the vacuum chamber 341 is supported by the support pins 344 and heated by the radiant heat from the heater 343. A radiation thermometer 345 is provided on the bottom wall 3412. The output of the heater 343 is controlled based on the deviation between the actual temperature of the substrate W measured by the radiation thermometer 345 and the target temperature, thereby controlling the temperature of the substrate W.

[0036] An exhaust port 346 and a gas supply port 347 are provided on the bottom wall 3412 of the vacuum chamber 341, preferably in the center of the bottom wall 3412. By providing the exhaust port 346 and the gas supply port 347 below the center of the substrate W, the gas flow in the vacuum chamber 341 during exhaust and gas supply can be made uniform.

[0037] An exhaust line 3461 provided with an on-off valve 3462 and a vacuum pump (here, a turbomolecular pump TMP) is connected to the exhaust port 346. By evacuating the atmosphere in the vacuum chamber 341 through the exhaust port 346, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 can be set to 1×10 -5 High vacuum of about Pa.

[0038] In addition, the internal space of the entire conveying area 15, the internal space of the first and second handover units 311 and 312 in the first cleaning area 30, and the internal space of the vacuum transfer chamber 321 of the vacuum transfer part 32 are always maintained as medium vacuum (for example, about 1Pa) by a vacuum pump (here, a rotary pump RP). In a preferred structural example, the conveying area 15 is surrounded by an airtight shell wall, the vacuum transfer chamber 321 is surrounded by an airtight shell wall, and the first and second handover units 311 and 312 have an airtight shell wall surrounding the substrate mounting table. Moreover, the first and second handover units 311 and 312 are airtightly connected to the conveying area 15 via the carrying-in and carrying-out port G1, and are airtightly connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 321 via the carrying-in and carrying-out port G2.

[0039] In the illustrated embodiment in which the conveying area 15 and the first cleaning area 30 (except the vacuum baking section 33) are always connected, the rotary pump RP may be used as Figure 1 The right end of the first cleaning zone 30 is connected to the transfer zone 15 instead of being connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 321. It is also possible to connect the first cleaning zone 30 and the transfer zone 15 to separate rotary pumps RP.

[0040] Since the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber 321 is always maintained at a medium vacuum (about 1 Pa), the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 321 does not become higher than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber 321. Therefore, it is not necessary to add a rough pump to the turbomolecular pump TMP for pumping the vacuum chamber 341.

[0041] The gas supply port 347 is connected to a gas supply source 3473 (for example, a nitrogen gas supply source) via a gas supply line 3471 provided with an on-off valve 3472. By supplying an appropriate amount of gas into the vacuum chamber 341 that has become a high vacuum through the gas supply port 347, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 can be restored to the same pressure as the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber 321 (in this example, a medium vacuum of about 1 Pa). The gas supplied from the gas supply source is not limited to nitrogen, but preferably has a low oxygen concentration and low humidity.

[0042] The pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 can be detected by the pressure sensor 348. The detection value of the pressure sensor 348 can be used for control when making the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 high vacuum or when returning the pressure to medium vacuum, for example.

[0043] The decompression conveying device 16 of the conveying area 15 can carry substrates W in and out of these load-lock units via the carrying-in / out ports G1 of the first delivery unit 311 and the second delivery unit 312. The vacuum conveyor 322 of the vacuum conveying section 32 can carry substrates W in and out of these load-lock units via the carrying-in / out ports G2 of the first delivery unit 311 and the second delivery unit 312. The vacuum conveyor 322 of the vacuum conveying section 32 can carry substrates W in and out of all the vacuum baking units 34 of the vacuum baking section 33.

[0044] Next, the second cleaning area 40 is described. The second cleaning area 40 has a plurality of gas cluster cleaning units 41. As the gas cluster cleaning unit 41, an appropriate known gas cluster cleaning unit can be used, for example, a gas cluster cleaning unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-175681 (Patent Document 1) related to a prior application of the applicant of the present application and its co-applicant can be used.

[0045] Below, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The gas cluster cleaning unit 41 is briefly described. The gas cluster cleaning unit 41 includes a vacuum chamber 42. A mounting table 43 for mounting a substrate W is arranged in the vacuum chamber 42. A cylindrical protrusion 44 is formed in the center of the top wall of the vacuum chamber 42, and a nozzle 45 is provided in the protrusion 44. A substrate W loading and unloading port 46 is provided on one side of the vacuum chamber 42, and a gate valve GV4 is provided in the loading and unloading port 46.

[0046] The decompression transfer device 16 of the transfer area 15 can enter the vacuum chamber 42 through the loading and unloading port 46 opened by the gate valve GV4, and place the substrate W on the mounting table 43. A lift pin (not shown) that can be raised and lowered and passes through the mounting table 43 may also be provided (such a structure is well known in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment) to assist the transfer of the substrate W between the decompression transfer device 16 and the mounting table 43. An exhaust pipe 47 is connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamber 42, and a pressure regulating valve 48 and a vacuum pump 49 are provided in this exhaust pipe 47 in sequence.

[0047] The stage 43 can be moved in the X direction and the Y direction by a horizontal moving mechanism 50 having a structure similar to that of an XY stage. By moving the stage 43 by the horizontal moving mechanism 50, the gas cluster irradiated from the nozzle 45 can be irradiated to any position on the surface of the substrate W supported on the stage 43. A temperature control mechanism (not shown) for controlling the temperature of the substrate W supported on the stage 43 may be provided on the stage 43.

[0048] The nozzle 45 ejects the cleaning gas toward the substrate W supported on the mounting table 43 from a region where the pressure is higher than the pressure of the space near the substrate W in the vacuum chamber 42. As a result, the ejected gas expands adiabatically to generate gas clusters, which are aggregates of atoms or molecules of the cleaning gas. Figure 5 As shown, the nozzle 45 has a substantially cylindrical pressure chamber 451. A throttle portion 452 having an opening diameter of about 0.1 mm is provided at the lower end of the pressure chamber 451, and a gas diffuser 453 whose diameter increases downward is connected to the throttle portion 452.

[0049] The nozzle 45 is arranged to irradiate the gas cluster substantially vertically to the surface of the substrate W. Here, "substantially irradiating" means that Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the angle θ formed by the central axis L in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 45 and the mounting surface (the surface of the substrate W) of the mounting table 43 is in the range of 90 degrees ± 15 degrees. In addition, the following structure is sometimes adopted: the gas cluster ejected from the nozzle 45 is ionized midway, and the advancing path is bent by a bending mechanism. In this case, the angle formed by the direction vector of the bent advancing path of the gas cluster and the surface of the substrate W is in the range of 90 degrees ± 15 degrees.

[0050] The downstream end of the gas supply path 6 is connected to the upper end of the pressure chamber 451 of the nozzle 45 .

[0051] A pressure control valve 61 is provided on the gas supply path 6. A carbon dioxide (CO2) gas supply path 62 and a helium (He) gas supply path 63 are connected to the upstream end of the gas supply path 6. The CO2 gas supply path 62 is connected to a CO2 supply source 62b via an on-off valve V1 and a flow control valve 62a, and the He gas supply path 63 is connected to a He gas supply source 63b via an on-off valve V2 and a flow control valve 63a.

[0052] A gas cluster is formed by CO2 gas, which is a cleaning gas. He gas is a gas used to increase the speed of a gas flow, i.e., a gas cluster. It is difficult for He gas to form a cluster, and by mixing He gas in CO2 gas, the speed of the cluster generated from the CO2 gas can be increased. A pressure sensor 64 for detecting the pressure in the gas supply path 6 is provided in the gas supply path 6. Based on the detection value of the pressure sensor 64, the opening of the pressure control valve 61 is controlled by the control unit 7 so that the pressure in the gas supply path 6 becomes the desired pressure, thereby controlling the gas pressure in the pressure chamber 451 of the nozzle 45. The pressure sensor 64 can also detect the pressure in the pressure chamber 451.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing system 1 includes a control device 100. The control device 100 is composed of, for example, a computer, and includes a computing unit 101 and a storage unit 102. The storage unit 102 stores programs (including processing recipes) for controlling various processes performed in the substrate processing system 1. The computing unit 101 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 102.

[0054] The program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium to the storage unit 102 of the control device 100. Examples of computer-readable storage media include a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

[0055] Next, the flow of processing of the substrate W in the substrate processing system 1 will be described. The processing of the substrate W is performed under the control of the control device 100 .

[0056] As a substrate W processed by the substrate processing system 1, a substrate that has been liquid-processed by an independent liquid processing system separated from the substrate processing system 1 is exemplified. As a substrate W that is preferably processed, a substrate having unevenness formed on the surface due to the progress of the manufacture of semiconductor circuits to a certain extent is exemplified. As a liquid processing system, a system including a plurality of single-chip liquid processing units is exemplified. The liquid processing system may be a system known in the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In the single-chip liquid processing unit of the liquid processing system, for example, a liquid processing consisting of the following steps is implemented. First, a chemical liquid (such as DHF, SC1, etc.) is supplied to the substrate W that is held and rotated by a rotating holding disk to implement a chemical liquid cleaning step, then DIW is supplied to the substrate W as a rinse liquid to implement a rinse step, then IPA is supplied to the substrate to implement an IPA replacement step, and finally, a spin drying step is implemented in which the substrate is dried by rotating the substrate at a high speed without supplying any liquid to the substrate. The substrate after the drying process has tiny attachments (such as attachments from organic matter dissolved in IPA, or chemical liquid residues from the chemical liquid cleaning step) that would not be a problem according to the previous standards. Such a substrate W is accommodated in a carrier C and carried into the substrate processing system 1 , and is processed according to the procedure described below.

[0057] The substrate W processed by the substrate processing system 1 may also be a substrate that forms an IPA puddle on the surface of the substrate W without performing a spin drying process after the IPA replacement process in the above series of processes, and dries the IPA puddle by a supercritical drying device using supercritical carbon dioxide, for example. In this case, tiny attachments (the above-mentioned attachments) are attached to the surface of the substrate W to a degree that would not be a problem according to the previous standards. Such a substrate W is also a processing object in the substrate processing system 1.

[0058] First, the substrate transfer device 13 of the transfer block 2 (CSB) takes out a substrate W from the carrier C placed in the carrier placement area 11. The substrate transfer device 13 transfers the taken-out substrate W into the first load lock unit 141 (LL) in a state where the gate valve GV2 is closed and the gate valve GV1 is opened. Next, the gate valve GV1 is closed, and the first load lock unit 141 is evacuated to a pressure substantially equal to the pressure in the transfer area 15 (e.g., about 1 Pa).

[0059] Next, the gate valve GV2 is opened, and the decompression transfer device 16 (H-Arm) of the transfer area 15 takes out the substrate W from the first load lock unit 141. The decompression transfer device 16 enters the first delivery unit 311 (TRS) of the first cleaning area 30 through the loading and unloading port G1, delivers the substrate W to the first delivery unit 311, and exits from the first delivery unit 311.

[0060] Next, the vacuum transporter 322 (V-Arm) of the vacuum transport unit 32 enters the first delivery unit 311 through the loading and unloading port G2, and takes out the substrate W from the first delivery unit 311. The vacuum transporter 322 carries the substrate W into the vacuum chamber 341 of the vacuum baking unit 34 (Bake) in a state where the gate valve GV3 is opened, and places it on the support pins 344. When the vacuum transporter 322 withdraws from the vacuum chamber 341, the gate valve GV3 is closed. At this time, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 is about 1 Pa, which is roughly equal to the pressure in the vacuum transport chamber 321.

[0061] Next, the vacuum chamber 341 is evacuated by a turbomolecular pump TMP, for example, to 1×10 -5 The high vacuum of about 1000 psi (about 0.0447 Pa) is formed, and the substrate W is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., a temperature of about 40°C to 200°C) by the heater 343. The setting of the process pressure and the process temperature will be described later. At this time, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 and the temperature of the substrate W are monitored by the pressure sensor 348 and the radiation thermometer 345, respectively, and the operating states of the turbomolecular pump TMP and the heater 343 are controlled based on the monitoring results to maintain the desired process conditions.

[0062] The above-mentioned vacuum degree and substrate temperature are maintained for a predetermined time (e.g., about 60 seconds to 600 seconds), so that the attachments attached to the surface of the substrate W are vaporized (or decomposed and vaporized) and separated from the surface of the substrate W, and discharged from the vacuum chamber 341 through the exhaust line 3461. As attachments to be removed by vacuum baking cleaning (vacuum baking treatment), there are exemplified substances attached to the surface of the substrate due to the liquid treatment process performed on the substrate W before it is carried into the substrate processing system 1, such as organic compounds such as higher fatty acids (e.g., erucic acid amide), activators, and residues of inorganic liquid chemicals (e.g., hydrofluoric acid) for liquid treatment (which are attached to the substrate surface at the molecular level). The principle of vacuum baking cleaning is briefly described below.

[0063] If the substrate is placed under pressure at the vapor pressure line of the COX diagram of the deposit (refer to Figure 6 The organic matter attached to the surface of the substrate can be removed by using an atmosphere below the oblique line VP) and with a temperature higher than the separation limit temperature. Here, the "separation limit temperature" refers to a temperature below which the removal target substance cannot be separated from the substrate even if the pressure is below the vapor pressure line of the COX diagram of the removal target substance. The "separation limit temperature" varies for each substance.

[0064] As an example, erucic acid amide (C 22 H 43NO). Figure 6 The COX diagram of erucic acid amide is schematically shown in FIG. The boiling point (at atmospheric pressure) of erucic acid amide is about 480°C, and the release limit temperature is about 40°C. In other words, the treatment temperature of the vacuum baking treatment needs to be at least about 40°C. On the COX diagram, the vapor pressure at 200°C is about 8 Pa, and the vapor pressure at 50°C is about 2×10 -5 When the treatment is performed at a temperature near the vapor pressure line VP, the treatment time becomes longer. Therefore, when the treatment temperature is 200°C, for example, the vacuum baking treatment can be performed at a treatment pressure of 1 Pa. When the treatment temperature is 50°C, for example, the vacuum baking treatment can be performed at a treatment pressure of 1×10 -5 The vacuum baking treatment can be carried out under a treatment pressure of 1000 Pa. If the heat is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the semiconductor device components already formed on the substrate, the treatment temperature can be further increased to higher than 200°C, for example, to an upper limit of about 300°C. However, in general, from the perspective of avoiding thermal damage or surface oxidation to the substrate and the semiconductor device components already formed on the substrate, it is considered that the upper limit of the treatment temperature is preferably about 200°C.

[0065] The processing pressure can be further reduced, but this may result in longer vacuuming time, lower throughput, and / or require a higher performance vacuum pump. Therefore, for the time being, it is preferred to set the processing pressure to 1×10 -5 Pa. That is, the upper limit of the processing temperature can be determined based on whether there is an adverse effect on the substrate, and the lower limit of the processing pressure can be determined based on throughput, operating costs, device manufacturing costs, etc. The lower limit of the processing temperature can be higher than the aforementioned escape limit temperature. Figure 6 It is sufficient to determine the processing conditions (processing temperature and processing pressure) within the following triangular area, which is surrounded by the vapor pressure line VP and two straight lines representing the upper limit of the processing temperature and the lower limit of the processing pressure determined based on the above idea.

[0066] Erucic acid amide has a large molecular weight and is one of the substances that are particularly difficult to remove among the substances that are envisioned as the removal object to be removed by vacuum baking. Therefore, if the treatment conditions are determined based on erucic acid amide, the attachments composed of other substances can be removed by vacuum baking simultaneously with erucic acid amide.

[0067] The vacuum baking treatment can also remove organic compounds such as higher fatty acids and activators having a molecular weight smaller than that of erucamide. In addition, not limited to organic compounds, residues of inorganic liquid chemicals (such as hydrofluoric acid) used for liquid treatment (which adhere to the surface of the substrate at the molecular level) can also be removed. Substances whose vapor pressure lines are on the upper left side of the graph compared to erucamide can be removed under treatment conditions of lower temperature and higher pressure (low vacuum). Since the substances attached to the substrate can be predicted based on the process performed on the substrate in the liquid treatment unit, it is sufficient to determine the treatment conditions that correspond to the predicted attachments. When the vapor pressure line is on the upper left side compared to erucamide, the removal of the substances can be carried out under treatment conditions of lower temperature and higher pressure (low vacuum). Figure 6 In the case of the material on the upper left side of the graph of , the processing pressure may be, for example, a pressure of about 1 Pa (medium vacuum). In addition, if the processing pressure is excessively high, the removal efficiency of the attached matter decreases, so it is preferred to set the processing pressure to about 1 Pa or less.

[0068] In addition, as attachments suitable for removal by vacuum baking treatment, attachments physically adsorbed on the surface of the substrate and attachments attached to the surface of the substrate as a result of the entanglement between molecules being inhibited from vaporizing can be cited. Attachments physically adsorbed on the surface of the substrate include attachments bonded by polar attraction such as hydrogen bonds and attachments bonded by van der Waals forces. Most of the attachments originating from the processing liquid used in the wet process (especially the cleaning process) of the semiconductor substrate are consistent with the above. On the other hand, it is difficult to remove substances adsorbed (chemically adsorbed) on the surface of the substrate by bonds with very high bond energy such as chemical bonds (ionic bonds, covalent bonds, metallic bonds), and therefore are not included in the objects to be removed by vacuum baking treatment. In addition, it is difficult to remove completely solidified (crystallized) attachments (however, except for attachments that are easily decomposed at the aforementioned processing temperature, such as around 200°C), and as attachments to be removed, attachments in liquid or semi-solid states are the main objects.

[0069] When the vacuum baking process (vacuum baking cleaning) is completed, N2 gas is supplied to the vacuum chamber 341 through the gas supply line 3471, so that the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 is roughly equal to the pressure (about 1Pa) in the vacuum transfer chamber 321. At this time, for example, the following process can be adopted: N2 gas is supplied while the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 is monitored by the pressure sensor 348, and the on-off valve 3472 is closed when the pressure in the vacuum chamber 341 reaches about 1Pa.

[0070] Next, the gate valve GV3 is opened, and the vacuum conveyor 322 (V-Arm) takes out the substrate W from the vacuum chamber 341. The vacuum conveyor 322 moves the substrate W into the second delivery unit 312 (Cool) via the loading and unloading port G2. The substrate W stays in the second delivery unit 312 for a predetermined period of time, during which the temperature of the substrate W is reduced to near normal temperature by the cooling device of the substrate mounting table built into the second delivery unit 312. Next, the decompression conveying device 16 (H-Arm) enters the second delivery unit 311 through the loading and unloading port G1 and takes out the substrate W from the second delivery unit 311. A radiation thermometer (not shown) may also be provided in the second delivery unit 312. In this case, it may also be configured that the substrate W is taken out from the second delivery unit 311 after confirming that the temperature of the substrate W detected by the radiation thermometer has become near normal temperature.

[0071] Next, the reduced pressure transfer device 16 transfers the taken-out substrate W into one of the gas cluster cleaning units 41 (GCS) in the second cleaning area 40 in which the gate valve GV4 is opened.

[0072] In the gas cluster cleaning unit 41, a gas cluster is used to remove particles from the surface of the substrate W placed on the stage 43. When showing an example of the processing conditions, the pressure of the vacuum chamber 42 (that is, the pressure in the space near the substrate W) is set to about 0.1Pa to 100Pa (here, it is set to a medium vacuum of about 1Pa), and the cleaning gas (carbon dioxide gas) is supplied to the nozzle 45 at a higher pressure (for example, 0.3MPa to 5.0MPa). The cleaning CO2 gas ejected from the nozzle 45 into the vacuum chamber 42 is cooled to below the condensation temperature due to the rapid adiabatic expansion, and the molecules ( Figure 5 The gas clusters ( denoted by the reference numeral "201") are bonded to each other by van der Waals forces to form aggregates, i.e., gas clusters ( Figure 5 denoted by the reference numeral “200”).

[0073] The gas clusters originating from the gas ejected from the nozzle 45 are irradiated vertically onto the surface of the substrate W. In any case where the gas clusters collide directly with the particles on the surface of the substrate W or collide with the surface of the substrate W near the particles, the particles are detached (blown away) from the surface of the substrate W by the kinetic energy of the gas clusters. For details of the mechanism of action for particle removal and the process of determining the conditions for gas cluster cleaning, refer to Patent Document 1. The particles detached from the surface of the substrate W are discharged from the vacuum chamber 42 through the exhaust path 36.

[0074] In actual processing, the gas clusters can be irradiated to the entire surface area of ​​the substrate W without omission while the substrate W placed on the mounting table 43 is moved by the horizontal moving mechanism 50. Alternatively, for example, each substrate W can be inspected before being loaded into the substrate processing system 1 to prepare a particle map, and the gas clusters can be irradiated to the location where the particles exist based on the particle map.

[0075] When the gas cluster cleaning in the gas cluster cleaning unit 41 is completed, the gate valve GV4 is opened, and the decompression transfer device 16 (H-Arm) takes the substrate W out of the gas cluster cleaning unit 41 and transfers it to the second load lock unit 142 (LLB) in which the gate valve GV2 is opened and the gate valve GV1 is closed. Next, the gate valve GV2 is closed.

[0076] During the gas cluster cleaning, the temperature in the vacuum chamber 42 and the temperature of the substrate W decrease due to cooling caused by the adiabatic expansion of the cleaning gas, and the temperature becomes a low temperature of, for example, about -50°C at the end time of the gas cluster cleaning. Therefore, if the atmosphere is introduced into the second load lock unit 142, condensation occurs on the substrate W. In order to prevent condensation, the substrate W is retained in the second load lock unit 142 for a predetermined time while the second load lock unit 142 is maintained in a decompressed state, and the substrate W is heated to room temperature (about 25°C) by a heater built into the substrate mounting table.

[0077] When the temperature of the substrate W reaches normal temperature, the atmosphere (e.g., clean room air) is introduced into the second load lock unit 142, and the pressure of the second load lock unit 142 is restored to normal pressure. Next, the gate valve GV1 is opened, and the substrate transport device 13 takes out the substrate W from the second load lock unit 142 and stores the substrate in the original carrier C placed in the carrier placement area 11 of the loading and unloading block 2 (CSB). Through the above, a series of transport and processing of a substrate W in the substrate processing system 1 is completed.

[0078] exist Figure 7 2 shows an example of changes in the pressure around the substrate and the temperature of the substrate in the above-mentioned series of steps. Figure 7 1 to 15 in the top section represent process numbers, and the letters CSB (2), LL (141), H-ARm (16) and other letters and numbers in parentheses in the next section and the next section of the next section represent the abbreviations of the components of the substrate processing system 1 holding the substrate and the reference figure marks.

[0079] exist Figure 7 In the diagram of FIG. 1 , the pressure in the transfer area 15 (see step numbers 11 and 13) is the same as the processing pressure in the gas cluster cleaning unit 41, but the present invention is not limited thereto and the pressures thereof may be different from each other. Figure 1In the case of the structure shown, the time required for adjusting the pressure in the gas cluster cleaning unit 41 to the processing pressure (usually equivalent to the vacuuming time) depends on the difference between the pressure in the conveying area 15 and the processing pressure in the gas cluster cleaning unit 41. In addition, the time required for adjusting the pressure in the vacuum baking unit 34 to the processing pressure (usually equivalent to the vacuuming time) depends on the difference between the pressure in the conveying area 15 and the processing pressure in the vacuum baking unit 34. Therefore, the pressure in the conveying area 15 can also be determined in a manner that minimizes the total time required for pressure adjustment. In addition, as described above, the processing pressure in the vacuum baking unit 34 is not limited to high vacuum, and there may also be a medium vacuum depending on the type of substance to be removed.

[0080] In the above-mentioned embodiment, vacuum baking cleaning is performed first, and then gas cluster cleaning is performed, but it is not limited thereto. Gas cluster cleaning may be performed first, and then vacuum baking cleaning may be performed. At least one or both of vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning may be performed multiple times. In this case, vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning may be performed alternately.

[0081] When vacuum baking cleaning is performed after gas cluster cleaning, the substrate cooled by gas cluster cleaning may be heated before being put into the vacuum baking unit 34. In this case, a heater may be added to the substrate mounting table of the first delivery unit 311, or a third delivery unit 313 (in the vacuum baking unit 34) may be provided. Figure 2 A heater is added to the substrate mounting table built into the third transfer unit 313 (indicated by dot-dash lines).

[0082] When the last process performed in the dry cleaning block 4 is vacuum baking cleaning, there is no need to provide a heater on the substrate stage of the second load lock unit 142. In addition, in this case, a cooler may be provided on the substrate stage of the second load lock unit 142 instead of providing a cooler on the substrate stage of the second delivery unit 312 to cool the substrate heated during vacuum baking cleaning.

[0083] If there is no problem in the transfer schedule, the second load lock unit 142 having a substrate stage with a heater may be used to heat the substrate W after the gas cluster cleaning before it is put into the vacuum baking unit 34 .

[0084] The temperature control function of the load lock unit (141, 142) of the load lock block 3 and the interface unit (311, 312, 313) of the dry cleaning block 4 can be determined by considering the required flexibility of the device operation (the degree of freedom of the execution order of gas cluster cleaning and vacuum baking cleaning) and the device cost. Figure 2If the third delivery unit 313 having a function of heating the substrate W is provided in the dry cleaning block 4 as indicated by the dashed line, it is considered that the flexibility of the operation of the apparatus is improved and the increase in the cost of the apparatus is suppressed to a minimum.

[0085] In a variant embodiment, it is also possible to Figure 1 The illustrated group of load interlock blocks 3 and dry cleaning blocks 4 is stacked in multiple layers to construct the substrate processing system 1. In this case, a decompression conveying device 16 of a conveying area 15 may be provided for each group of the load interlock blocks 3 and dry cleaning blocks 4, or a common decompression conveying device 16 may be provided for all groups instead.

[0086] In other variant embodiments, a dry cleaning block such as Figure 8 As shown in the figure. Figure 8 In a modified embodiment, two rows of vacuum baking unit rows are provided in the first cleaning area 30A, and each row of vacuum baking unit rows is composed of a plurality of vacuum baking units 34 stacked in the vertical direction. Each vacuum baking unit 34 has a gate valve G3 at a position facing the conveying area 15. A row of handover unit rows is provided next to the first cleaning area 30A. The handover unit row is composed of a plurality of handover units 312 (or 311) stacked in the vertical direction. The plurality of handover units 312 (or 311) are provided as a waiting place (buffer zone) for substrates waiting to be moved into the vacuum baking unit 34, substrates waiting to be moved into the gas cluster cleaning unit 41, and substrates waiting to be moved into the load interlock unit 141 (or 142). At least some (or all) of the plurality of handover units 312 may also be provided with a heating and / or cooling function for the substrate W. This function can be used to heat the substrate after being processed in the gas cluster cleaning unit 41, or to cool the substrate after being heated in the vacuum baking unit 34. In the case of such a configuration, the temperature adjustment function may not be provided in the load interlock unit 142. The number of load interlock units 141 (or 142) may also be increased and stacked in the vertical direction. In this modified embodiment, the first cleaning area 30A and the second cleaning area 40 (which has the same Figure 1 The decompression conveying device 16 of the conveying area 15 between the second cleaning area 40 (same structure) can carry substrates in and out relative to all load interlock units 141, all vacuum baking units 34, all gas cluster cleaning units 41 and all handover units 312.

[0087] Next, the role sharing of vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning is explained. Vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning are in a mutually complementary relationship in that the attachments that are difficult to remove by the cleaning method of one can be relatively easily removed by the cleaning method of the other. Therefore, most of the causative substances of the attachments (particles) attached to the substrate W as the cleaning object can be removed.

[0088] Tables 1 to 3 below show the characteristics of vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning.

[0089] [Table 1]

[0090] Vacuum baking Gas Cluster Remark Cleaning method Gasification separation Collision Breakaway Cleaning area The entire surface Perpendicular to the incident axis Adsorption state of pollutants Physical adsorption Physical adsorption Chemical adsorption cannot be removed Pattern damage none none Surface oxidation none none

[0091] Table 1 shows the characteristics of vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning. As shown in Table 1, vacuum baking cleaning vaporizes the attached matter to remove it from the substrate, while gas cluster cleaning removes the attached matter from the substrate by the collision energy of the cluster. Due to this difference, there are the following differences. That is, since the gas cluster is irradiated vertically to the surface of the substrate W, it is possible to efficiently remove particles attached to the "visible" surface (for example, the bottom surface of the concave portion of the pattern) when the surface of the substrate W is observed from the vertical direction (compared with vacuum baking). On the other hand, it is impossible to remove particles attached to the "invisible" surface (for example, the side of the deep concave portion, the surface of the horizontal groove that branches in the middle of the longitudinal groove and extends to the side) or the "difficult to see" surface (for example, the side of the shallow concave portion, the surface near the bottom of the deep concave portion) when the surface of the substrate W is observed from the vertical direction. Or although it can be removed, the removal efficiency is very low. Vacuum baking cleaning only needs to apply heat to the attached matter in a reduced pressure atmosphere, so it is possible to remove attached matter on the "invisible" surface or the "difficult to see" surface.

[0092] In addition, "no pattern damage" in the gas cluster cleaning in Table 1 means that no pattern damage will occur unless the treatment is performed under conditions that extremely increase the collision energy.

[0093] [Table 2]

[0094]

[0095] Table 2 shows substances that can be removed by vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning. In Table 2, "○" means that it can be removed, "△" means that it can be removed but is not suitable, and "×" means that it cannot be removed. As shown in Table 2, the substances that can be removed by vacuum baking cleaning and the substances that can be removed by gas cluster cleaning are mostly the same. When considering in comparison with Table 1, it can be seen that attachments other than non-volatile substances attached to "invisible" surfaces or "difficult to see" surfaces can be removed by combining vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning.

[0096] [Table 3]

[0097] Vacuum baking Gas Cluster Remark Transport system pressure Medium vacuum Medium vacuum Chamber pressure High vacuum Medium vacuum <![CDATA[1×10 -5 Pa (high vacuum), 1Pa (medium vacuum)]]> Chamber temperature ＜200℃ RT The upper temperature limit depends on the process

[0098] Table 3 shows the temperature and pressure used in vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning. Vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning have the same vacuum treatment, but the temperature (heating, non-heating) and vacuum degree (high vacuum, medium vacuum) are different. Both vacuum baking cleaning and gas cluster cleaning are decompression (vacuum) processes. Therefore, equipment for vacuum baking cleaning and equipment for gas cluster cleaning (equipment for vacuum transfer, load interlock unit, etc.) can be shared. In addition, the space where the equipment for vacuum baking cleaning is provided and the space where the equipment for vacuum transfer is provided can be decompressed by a common vacuum pump. Therefore, compared with the case where the substrate processing system for vacuum baking cleaning and the substrate processing system for gas cluster cleaning are separately provided as independent systems, the total device cost can be greatly reduced.

[0099] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The embodiments described above may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the appended claims and the gist thereof.

[0100] The substrate W is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be other types of substrates used in manufacturing semiconductor devices, such as a glass substrate and a ceramic substrate.

[0101] Description of Reference Numerals

[0102] W: substrate; C: substrate transport container; 2: loading and unloading block; 3: loading interlock block; 141, 142: loading interlock unit; 4: dry cleaning block; 13: substrate transport device; 34: vacuum baking unit; 41: gas cluster cleaning unit.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, comprising: A loading and unloading block, in which a container mounting table and a substrate conveying device are provided, the container mounting table carries a substrate conveying container for accommodating substrates, and the substrate conveying device carries in and out substrates contained in the substrate conveying container mounted on the container mounting table; A dry cleaning block including a plurality of processing units for performing dry cleaning of substrates in a reduced pressure atmosphere, wherein a reduced pressure conveying device for conveying substrates in a reduced pressure atmosphere is provided in the dry cleaning block; and A load interlock block is provided with at least one load interlock unit connecting the carrying in and carrying out block of normal pressure atmosphere with the dry cleaning block of reduced pressure atmosphere, in, In the dry cleaning block, as the plurality of processing units, there are: at least one vacuum baking unit that removes attachments attached to the surface of the substrate by heating the substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere; and At least one gas cluster cleaning unit irradiates a gas cluster to the surface of the substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere to remove deposits attached to the surface of the substrate.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The dry cleaning block has: a first cleaning area, in which a plurality of vacuum baking units are arranged; a second cleaning zone, in which a plurality of the gas cluster cleaning units are disposed; as well as a conveying area, in which the decompression conveying device is provided, The conveying area is arranged between the first cleaning area and the second cleaning area. The reduced pressure transfer device transfers the substrate between the first cleaning area, the second cleaning area, and the load lock block.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first cleaning area is equipped with: A plurality of said vacuum baking units; A vacuum transfer chamber connected to the plurality of vacuum baking units, wherein a vacuum transfer machine is disposed inside the vacuum transfer chamber; at least one transfer unit connected to the vacuum transfer chamber, In the first cleaning area, the substrate can be transferred between the vacuum conveyor and the plurality of vacuum baking units. The substrate can be delivered between the delivery unit and the decompression conveying device in the conveying area. The substrate can be delivered between the delivery unit and the vacuum transporter.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The at least one handover unit includes at least a first handover unit and a second handover unit, and at least the second handover unit is provided with a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting the temperature of a substrate to be processed next by the vacuum baking unit or the temperature of a substrate processed by the vacuum baking unit.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The temperature adjustment section of the second delivery unit includes a cooler for cooling the substrate processed by the vacuum baking unit before the substrate is delivered to the reduced pressure transfer device.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The temperature adjustment section of the second delivery unit includes a heater for heating the substrate before the substrate cooled during the processing by the gas cluster cleaning unit is delivered to the vacuum transporter.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The first interface unit does not have a temperature adjustment function for the substrate.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The plurality of vacuum baking units provided in the first cleaning area are arranged in a vertical direction, and the vacuum conveyor is provided so as to be able to transfer substrates to and from all of the plurality of vacuum baking units.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The internal spaces of the vacuum transfer chamber and the delivery unit in the first cleaning zone and the internal space of the transfer zone are controlled to be the same pressure by being depressurized by a common vacuum pump.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one load lock unit of the load lock block includes a first load lock unit and a second load lock unit, and a heater is provided at the second load lock unit to heat the substrate that is cooled when being processed by the gas cluster cleaning unit.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The first load lock unit does not have a temperature adjustment function for the substrate.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The first load interlock unit and the second load interlock unit are arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction or in a vertical direction.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate processed by the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate that has been subjected to a liquid process by another substrate processing apparatus and has deposits resulting from the liquid process attached to the surface.

14. A substrate processing method, comprising the following steps: The substrate is moved into a load lock block provided with at least one load lock unit by a substrate transfer device in a normal pressure atmosphere; taking out the substrate from the load lock block by a reduced pressure conveying device provided in a conveying area set to a reduced pressure atmosphere; The substrate is moved into a first cleaning area provided with a vacuum baking unit by the decompression conveying device, and the substrate is vacuum-baked and cleaned by the vacuum baking unit; The substrate is moved into a second cleaning area provided with a gas cluster cleaning unit by the decompression conveying device, and the substrate is subjected to gas cluster cleaning by the gas cluster cleaning unit; The substrate subjected to the vacuum baking cleaning and the gas cluster cleaning is carried into a load lock block by the decompression transport device; as well as The substrate is carried out from the load lock block by the substrate transfer device in a normal pressure atmosphere.

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein: The substrate is a substrate that has been subjected to a liquid treatment and has deposits resulting from the liquid treatment attached to the surface.

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