Developing device, developing method, computer program product, and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a developing apparatus, a developing method, a computer program product, and a computer readable storage medium. The developing device includes: a first nozzle including a first ejection port extending in a lateral direction so as to continuously cover a width of a substrate; a moving mechanism that sets a first state in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the first ejection port while the developer is being ejected from the first ejection port; a first liquid contact surface which forms an edge portion of the first ejection port and which is in contact with a liquid film of the developing liquid on the substrate in a first state; a second nozzle provided with a second discharge port formed such that the length in the extension direction of the first discharge port is shorter than the length of the first discharge port; a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate so as to be in a second state in which the substrate is rotated while the developing solution is ejected from the second ejection port; and a second liquid contact surface which forms an edge portion of the second ejection port and is in contact with a liquid film of the developing liquid on the substrate in the second state.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a developing device, a developing method, and a program. BACKGROUND

[0002] In manufacturing a semiconductor device, a developing process of supplying a developing solution to a resist film formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate to form a pattern is performed. The developing process is sometimes performed by spraying a developing solution from a spray outlet of a nozzle while moving the nozzle on a wafer in such a manner that a lower surface of the nozzle on which the spray outlet is formed is brought into contact with a liquid surface of a pool of the developing solution supplied to the wafer. A developing device in which such a process is performed is shown in Patent Literature 1.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-24733 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] The present disclosure can improve the convenience of a developing device.

[0008] SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

[0009] The developing device of the present disclosure has:

[0010] a holding portion that holds a substrate;

[0011] a first nozzle that has a first spray outlet of a developing solution, the first spray outlet being elongated in a lateral direction in such a manner that a length thereof covers a width of the substrate;

[0012] a moving mechanism that is configured to move the first nozzle in a direction intersecting an elongation direction of the first spray outlet in a first state in which the developing solution is sprayed from the first spray outlet to the substrate;

[0013] a first liquid contact surface that forms a rim portion of the first spray outlet and is brought into contact with a liquid film of the developing solution formed on the substrate in the first state;

[0014] a second nozzle that has a second spray outlet of a developing solution, the second spray outlet being formed so as to have a length in the elongation direction of the first spray outlet that is shorter than a length of the first spray outlet in the elongation direction;

[0015] a rotating mechanism that rotates the holding portion to become a second state in which the substrate is rotated in a period in which the developing solution is sprayed from the second spray outlet to the substrate; and

[0016] a second liquid contact surface which forms a lip portion of the second ejection port, and which is in contact with the liquid film of the developing solution formed on the substrate in the second state.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] The present disclosure can improve the convenience of a developing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a developing device of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional rear view of the rotating holding disk.

[0021] Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the rotating holding disk.

[0022] Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the rotating holding disk.

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method.

[0024] Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method.

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method.

[0026] Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method.

[0027] Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a supply of a developing solution in the first developing method.

[0028] Figure 10 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a supply of a developing solution in the first developing method.

[0029] Figure 11 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a supply of a cleaning solution in the first developing method.

[0030] Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a supply of a developing solution in the first developing method.

[0031] Figure 13 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a supply of a developing solution in the first developing method.

[0032] Figure 14 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method.

[0033] Figure 15 is a schematic plan view showing the second developing method.

[0034] Figure 16 is a schematic plan view showing the second developing method.

[0035] Figure 17 is a schematic plan view showing the second developing method.

[0036] Figure 18 is a schematic plan view showing the second developing method.

[0037] Figure 19 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the nozzle slot.

[0038] Figure 20 is a transverse sectional plan view showing the nozzle slot.

[0039] Figure 21 is a perspective view showing the cleaning section of the above-described nozzle slot.

[0040] Figure 22 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the cleaning processing by the above-described nozzle slot.

[0041] Figure 23 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a modification of the above-described nozzle slot.

[0042] Figure 24 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a modification of the above-described nozzle slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] An image developing device 1 as one embodiment of the image developing device of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the image developing device 1, showing a state in which nozzles 10, 20, 30 described later are arranged in nozzle slots B1, B2, B3, respectively. In the present embodiment, XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is used for the description, and the X direction is sometimes referred to as the lateral direction, and one side on which a rotary holding disk 41R serving as a substrate holding section is provided is sometimes referred to as the right, and one side on which a rotary holding disk 41L is provided is sometimes referred to as the left. The Y direction is sometimes referred to as the front-back direction, and one side on which a moving mechanism 14, 24, 34 is provided is sometimes referred to as the front, and one side on which the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L are provided is sometimes referred to as the back. Further, in the case where matters common to both the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L are described, the rotary holding disk 41 is sometimes referred to simply as the rotary holding disk 41.

[0044] On the upper surface of the developing device 1, rotary holding disks 41R, 41L separated in the left-right direction are arranged. Further, a wafer (substrate) W on which an exposed resist film (not shown) is provided is carried into the developing device 1, and the wafer W is placed on each of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L to sequentially undergo a developing process based on the supply of a developing liquid and a cleaning process based on the supply of a cleaning liquid. The developing device 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a first developing liquid supply mechanism D1, a second developing liquid supply mechanism D2, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1, the first developing liquid supply mechanism D1 and the second developing liquid supply mechanism D2 are configured to supply a developing liquid by having first nozzles 10 and second nozzles 20 having different shapes, and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 is configured to supply a cleaning liquid by a cleaning nozzle 30.

[0045] The cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 has the cleaning nozzle 30 which ejects a cleaning liquid such as pure water, a nozzle arm 33 on which the cleaning nozzle 30 is provided at the tip end side, a moving mechanism 34 which supports the base end side of the nozzle arm 33 and appropriately displaces the nozzle arm 33, and a processing liquid supply mechanism 36 which supplies the cleaning liquid to the nozzle 30. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 is provided for each of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L, and a nozzle groove B3 which becomes a standby position of the cleaning nozzle 30 is arranged on the right side of each of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L.

[0046] Similarly to the cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1, the first developing liquid supply mechanism D1 has the first nozzles 10 which eject a developing liquid, a nozzle arm 13 on which the first nozzles 10 are provided at the tip end side, a moving mechanism 14 which supports the base end side of the nozzle arm 13 and appropriately displaces the nozzle arm 13, and a processing liquid supply mechanism 16 which supplies the developing liquid to the nozzles 10, and the second developing liquid supply mechanism D2 has the second nozzles 20 which eject a developing liquid, a nozzle arm 23 on which the second nozzles 20 are provided at the tip end side, a moving mechanism 24 which supports the base end side of the nozzle arm 23 and appropriately displaces the nozzle arm 23, and a processing liquid supply mechanism 26 which supplies the developing liquid to the nozzles 20. The second developing liquid supply mechanism D2 is provided for each of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L, and a nozzle groove (second standby portion) B2 which becomes a standby position of the nozzles 20 is arranged on the left side of each of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L. Thus, with respect to the wafer W held in one of the rotary holding disks 41R, 41L, the second nozzles 20 arranged on the left side in the standby state and the cleaning nozzle 30 arranged on the right side in the standby state are used for the processing when viewed from the rotary holding disk 41 holding the wafer W.

[0047] Further, the moving mechanisms 14, 24, 34 that displace the positions of the nozzles as described above are constituted by a lifting mechanism that connects the nozzle arms 13, 23, 33 and lifts the nozzle arms 13, 23, 33, and a horizontal moving mechanism that connects the lifting mechanisms and horizontally moves the lifting mechanisms in the left-right direction. In the drawing, the lifting mechanisms are indicated by the numerals followed by the letter "A".

[0048] The lifting mechanisms 24A of the second developer supply mechanisms D2 and the lifting mechanisms 34A of the cleaning liquid supply mechanisms R1 are moved in the left-right direction by the horizontal moving mechanisms disposed in front of each of the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L. As for the horizontal moving mechanisms connected to the lifting mechanisms 24A, 34A, respectively, the horizontal moving mechanisms provided in correspondence with the same rotary holding plate 41 are collectively indicated as one horizontal moving mechanism G2. The lifting mechanism 14A of the first developer supply mechanism D1 is constituted so as to be connected to the horizontal moving mechanism G1 disposed so as to straddle the front of the two horizontal moving mechanisms G2, and is moved in the left-right direction by the horizontal moving mechanism G1. Thus, the moving mechanism 14 is located in front of the moving mechanisms 24, 34.

[0049] The first developer supply mechanism D1 is shared by the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L. Further, as will be described later, the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L are provided in each of the cups 44, respectively, and thus it can also be said that the first developer supply mechanism D1 is shared by the two cups 44. The nozzle slot (first standby portion) B1 that becomes the standby position of the nozzle 10 is disposed between the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L when viewed from above, and the nozzle slots B3, B1, B2 are arranged in this order from left to right between the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L. Thus, when the nozzle 10 moves from the nozzle slot B1 toward the rotary holding plates 41R, 41L in order to supply the developer, it moves in the left-right direction so as to pass above the nozzles 30, 20 that are in the standby position. Further, the nozzle slots B1 to B3 have recesses so as to be able to receive the lower portions of the nozzles and cause them to wait.

[0050] As for the lifting mechanisms 14A, 24A, 34A that are the same in structure, the lifting mechanism 14A will be simply described as representative, and a motor, a ball screw disposed so as to rotate while going toward the Z direction by the motor, and a guide rail for guiding the movement are provided in the lifting mechanism 14A, but the illustration is omitted. Further, by rotating each ball screw whose rotation amount is controlled by the control section 100 to be described later, the moving mechanism 14 and the nozzle arm 13 are appropriately displaced in the Z direction. The horizontal moving mechanisms G1, G2 are the same in structure as each of the lifting mechanisms except for the extension directions of the ball screws and the guide rails.

[0051] The supply path 15 connecting the nozzle 10 to the processing liquid supply mechanism 16 is installed so as to extend continuously from the nozzle arm 13 to the moving mechanism 14. The supply path 25 connecting the nozzle 20 to the processing liquid supply mechanism 26 is installed so as to extend continuously from the nozzle arm 23 to the moving mechanism 24. The supply path 35 connecting the nozzle 30 to the processing liquid supply mechanism 36 is installed so as to extend continuously from the nozzle arm 33 to the moving mechanism 34. As a representative example, the supply path 15 is provided with a valve (not shown). The processing liquid supply mechanism 16 includes a tank for storing a developer prepared in advance for developing the resist film and a flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of the developer. With the above structure, the nozzle 10 is configured to discharge the developer at a predetermined flow rate.

[0052] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The longitudinal sectional rear view of the rotary holding plate 41L shown in the figure also shows the nozzles 10 , 20 , and 30 that supply the processing liquid to the wafer W supported by the rotary holding plate 41L. Figure 3 、 Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional side view of the rotating holding plate 41L is shown. Figure 3 In the figure, a first developer supply mechanism D1 and a second developer supply mechanism D2 when supplying developer are indicated by solid lines, and a second developer supply mechanism D2 when horizontally moving is indicated by dot-dash lines. Figure 4 The first developer supply mechanism D1 is shown when supplying developer.

[0053] Nozzles 10, 20, and 30 have discharge ports 12, 22, and 32, respectively, opened at the center of their downwardly facing front end surfaces (lower end surfaces) 11, 21, and 31. Discharge port 12 is used to discharge developer supplied from a processing liquid supply mechanism 16 via a supply path 15, discharge port 22 is used to discharge developer supplied from a processing liquid supply mechanism 26 via a supply path 25, and discharge port 32 is used to discharge cleaning liquid supplied from a processing liquid supply mechanism 36 via a supply path 35. Nozzle 30 has a relatively small circular discharge port that opens vertically downward.

[0054] The nozzle 10 is rectangular in shape, with its height greater than the width of the short side of its front face 11. The nozzle 10's discharge port 12 is a long, slit-like shape extending perpendicularly to the X-direction (i.e., the lateral direction) in which the nozzle 10 moves. It extends in the Y-direction (i.e., the lateral direction) to a length that continuously covers the width, i.e., the diameter, of the wafer W supported by the rotating holding plates 41R and 41L. The front face 11 of the nozzle 10 is formed into a rectangular frame surrounding the discharge port 12.

[0055] The nozzle 20 is cylindrical, and its height is smaller than that of the nozzle 10. The front end face 21 of the nozzle 20 is an annular surface that constitutes the hole edge of the nozzle 22. In addition, a circular nozzle 22 is opened at the center of the circular surface serving as the front end face 21, and the diameter of the above-mentioned circular surface is smaller than the radius of the wafer W. Therefore, the corresponding width (in this case, the diameter) of the largest width portion in the nozzle 22 is smaller than the size of the nozzle 12 in the longitudinal direction of the slit. The area of ​​the front end face 21 is smaller than the surface area of ​​the wafer W, for example, it can be 1% to 15% of the surface area of ​​the wafer W, or it can be 1% to 11%, or it can be 1% to 3%. The area of ​​the nozzle 22 (opening area) can be about 0.3% to 5% of the area of ​​the front end face 21.

[0056] The amount of developer discharged from nozzle 10 having a relatively large discharge port 12, that is, the amount of developer supplied to nozzle 10, is greater than the amount of developer discharged from nozzle 20. Both nozzles 10 and 20 supply developer with their front end surfaces 11 and 21, which discharge the developer, in contact with the developer film formed on wafer W (in a liquid contact state).

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, the rotary holding disk 41 is connected to the rotating mechanism 43 via the rotating shaft 42. Through the rotating mechanism 43, the rotary holding disk 41 is configured to rotate freely around the vertical axis while holding the wafer W. In addition, the diameter of the wafer W is, for example, 300 mm. A horizontal circular plate 45 surrounding the rotating shaft 42 is provided on the lower side of the rotary holding disk 41. 46 in the figure is a lifting pin that passes through the circular plate 45 and is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 47 to transfer the wafer W between the transport mechanism of the wafer W (not shown) and the rotary holding disk 41.

[0058] Furthermore, a liquid receiving portion 48 is continuously provided along the entire circumference of the outer side of the circular plate 45, and is formed into an annular recess. A liquid discharge port 48a is provided in the liquid receiving portion 48. The liquid receiving portion 48 forms the bottom of the cup 44 described later. Furthermore, an annular body 49 is provided on the periphery of the circular plate 45, with its upper end close to the back surface of the wafer W. The annular body 49 is formed into a mountain shape when viewed in longitudinal section to guide falling liquid to the liquid receiving portion 48. Furthermore, an exhaust pipe 48b is provided in the liquid receiving portion 48 for exhausting the interior of the cup 44. The downstream side of the exhaust pipe 48b is connected to the factory's exhaust path via a valve that switches the exhaust volume by changing its opening, although this valve is not shown.

[0059] In addition, the developing device 1 is provided with a cup 44 that surrounds the side circumference of the wafer W placed on the rotating holding disk 41. The cup 44 is composed of an outer cup 44S, an inner cup 44T provided inside the outer cup 44S, and the liquid receiving portion 48 mentioned above. When the outer cup 44S is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 44U, the inner cup 44T is raised and lowered in conjunction with the outer cup 44S, and the relative height of the inner cup 44T with respect to the outer cup 44S is the same in the raised position and the lowered position and does not change. Figure 2 In the figure, the dotted line and the solid line respectively represent the inner cup 44T and the outer cup 44S in the raised position and the lowered position, respectively. In the following text, the raised position and the lowered position of the inner cup 44T and the outer cup 44S are sometimes referred to as the raised position and the lowered position of the cup 44.

[0060] Outer cup 44S and outer cup 44T have vertically open square and cylindrical shapes, respectively, with upper and lower openings being rectangular and circular, respectively. Outer cups 44S and 44T are arranged to extend upward from the area surrounded by the outer wall of liquid receiving portion 48. The width of the upper opening of inner cup 44T is larger than the diameter of wafer W supported by rotating holding plate 41. When viewed in longitudinal section, the upper portion of inner cup 44T is tilted upward and inward to form an inclined surface. Furthermore, the upper portion of inner cup 44T is positioned below wafer W in the lowered position, and above wafer W in the raised position so as not to interfere with the movement of first nozzle 10, which moves as described later. This inclined surface allows the catch of liquid droplets scattering from wafer W and guides them toward liquid receiving portion 48 below.

[0061] The upper end of the outer cup 44S is higher than the upper end of the inner cup 44T. The upper side of the outer cup 44S is also higher than the wafer W placed on the rotating holding plate 41 in the lowered position, and when the cup 44 is in the lowered position and the first nozzle 10 is used to perform the development process, the developer is prevented from scattering around. Figure 4 As shown, the nozzle 10, which is arranged close to the top of the wafer W when supplying the developer, is arranged on the inner side of the upper part of the outer cup 44S which is in the lowered position and serves as a square frame. The center of the nozzle 10 in the long side direction moves along a diameter parallel to the horizontal direction of the wafer W, and the developer is supplied in a manner without contacting the outer cup 44S.

[0062] In addition, when the nozzle 20 or the cleaning nozzle 30 is used for treatment, the cup 44 is in the raised position (see Figure 3 ), when performing this process, the liquid that is scattered from the wafer W due to the rotation of the wafer W can be caught by the inner peripheral surface of the inner cup 44T.

[0063] As the moving path in the case of supplying the developing solution or the like using the nozzle arm 13, 23, 33, first, the nozzle arm 13, 23, 33 in the standby state is raised to cause the nozzle 10, 20, 30 to exit from the nozzle slot Bl, B2, B3. Next, the nozzle arm 13, 23, 33 is lowered after being moved in the horizontal direction (i.e., the lateral direction) to the position directly above the ejection position, to dispose the nozzle 10, 20, 30 at the ejection position. The nozzle 10, 20, 30 at the ejection position is disposed in a manner that the lower end side is housed in the cup 44 at the raised position or the lowered position. Specifically, the ejection position with respect to the nozzle 10, 20 is a position at which the front end face 11, 21 approaches the surface of the wafer W and contacts the liquid film of the developing solution formed on the surface of the wafer W. The ejection position with respect to the nozzle 30 is a position at which the front end face 31 is relatively far from the wafer W and the front end face 31 does not contact the liquid film of the cleaning solution ejected to the wafer W. Figure 2 The arrow in FIG. 10 indicates the moving path of such a nozzle 10, 20, 30.

[0064] When the nozzle 10, 20, 30 ends the ejection of the liquid and returns to the nozzle slot, the nozzle slot is returned by sequentially performing the raising, the horizontal movement, and the lowering. That is, the moving path is opposite to that indicated by the arrow. However, since the nozzle 10 is shared by the rotation holding plates 41L, 41R, sometimes the nozzle is moved to the ejection position for the wafer W of the other rotation holding plate 41 by the raising, the horizontal movement, and the lowering after ending the ejection of the liquid to the wafer W of one rotation holding plate 41.

[0065] In FIG. 10, Figure 3 In FIG. 10, the moving region at the time of the horizontal movement of the nozzle 10 is indicated as a horizontal movement region Al, and the moving region at the time of the horizontal movement of the nozzle 20 is indicated as a horizontal movement region A2. The horizontal movement region A2 is also the moving path at the time of the horizontal movement of the nozzle 30. The horizontal movement region Al is located at a position higher than the horizontal movement region A2. The reason why the horizontal movement region Al of the nozzle 10 is set at a position higher than the horizontal movement region A2 of the nozzles 20, 30 is described below.

[0066] First, as described above, the nozzle 10 has the ejection port 12 long in the Y direction at the lower end. In order to uniformly eject the developing solution from each part of the ejection port 12, it is necessary to make the length of the flow path formed between the downstream end of the supply path 15 connected to the upper side of the nozzle 10 and the ejection port 12 relatively large. That is, in order to utilize the natural diffusion in the Y direction during the flow of the developing solution in the flow path formed in the nozzle 10, the nozzle 10 becomes a relatively high height. On the other hand, the ejection port of the nozzles 20, 30 is small in diameter as described above, and thus the nozzles 20, 30 do not need to form a high height.

[0067] Moreover, the lifting distance of the nozzle 20, 30 required when moving the nozzle 20, 30 between the ejection position and the nozzle slot B2, B3 will be assumed to be α in the case where the development device 1 is provided with only the nozzles 20, 30 and not the nozzle 10. The lifting distance becomes larger in the case where the horizontal movement region A2 of the nozzles 20, 30 is set above the horizontal movement region Al in the development device 1 compared to the lifting distance α. That is, the amount of increase in the lifting distance due to the action of avoiding the high nozzle 10 that is not required in the original processing of the nozzles 20, 30 is large. A large lifting distance means that the lifting mechanism is made large. That is, from the viewpoint that a large movement mechanism is required due to the action that is not required in the original processing of the nozzles 20, 30, it is not desirable to set the horizontal movement region A2 above the horizontal movement region Al.

[0068] In addition, from the viewpoint of achieving power saving of each movement mechanism that moves the nozzles, reduction of dust emission, and the like, it is preferable to make the movement mechanism small. Specifically, it is preferable to use a small motor as the motor that constitutes the movement mechanism, or to use a thin ball screw, a guide rail. The nozzles 20, 30 are lighter than the nozzle 10 based on the difference in the shape described above. If it is assumed that the movement mechanisms 24, 34 that move the nozzles 20, 30 are located on the front side than the movement mechanism 14 that moves the nozzle 10, the nozzle arms 23, 33 that support these nozzles 20, 30 need to be relatively long, and it can be difficult to make the movement mechanisms 24, 34 small. Thus, as described above, the movement mechanism 14 is disposed on the front side of the movement mechanisms 24, 34.

[0069] Moreover, the horizontal movement region A2 of the nozzles 20, 30 that are moved by the movement mechanisms 24, 34 disposed on the front side as such is set on the upper side than the horizontal movement region Al of the nozzle 10 that is moved by the movement mechanism 14 disposed on the rear side. In this case, the horizontal movement region Al is used as the lifting region of the nozzles 20, 30, and thus the nozzle 10 and the nozzle arm 13 connected thereto avoid interference with the nozzles 20, 30 and the nozzle arms 23, 33 connected thereto and move in the horizontal movement region Al. The action setting of each nozzle 10, 20, 30 when such interference is prevented can become complicated. In order to prevent the above adverse situation, it is preferable to set the horizontal movement region Al of the nozzle 10 on the upper side than the horizontal movement region A2 of the nozzles 20, 30.

[0070] In addition, the movement of each nozzle can also be controlled so that the nozzle 10 and the nozzle arm 13 moving in the horizontal movement area A1 overlap with the nozzles 20, 30 and the nozzle arms 23, 33 moving in the horizontal movement area A2 when viewed from above. However, in order to reliably prevent interference between the nozzles and between the nozzle arms, it is preferable not to produce such an overlap. To give a specific example, when the nozzle 10 moves from the nozzle slot B1 or the rotating holding disk 41L in the horizontal movement area A1 in order to process the wafer W on the rotating holding disk 41R on the right, the nozzles 20, 30 arranged corresponding to the rotating holding disk 41R are made to wait in the nozzle slot, and the nozzle 10 passes above the waiting nozzle 20 and then moves to above the wafer W.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown, when the developing solution and the cleaning solution are supplied by the nozzles 20 and 30, the liquid is scattered around the wafer W due to the rotation of the wafer W, so the cup 44 moves to Figure 2 The raised position indicated by the dashed line in the figure prevents the liquid from scattering. The nozzle arm 23 has a curved portion 23a formed therein to prevent contact between the nozzle 20 and the raised outer cup 44S when the nozzle 20 is positioned in the discharge position. The curved portion 23a is formed to bend in a mountain shape when viewed in the X direction. This curved portion 23a forms a recessed portion on the lower surface of the nozzle arm 23. When the nozzle 20 is positioned in the developer discharge position, the upper end of the outer cup 44S enters this recessed portion, thereby preventing the aforementioned contact.

[0072] A liquid receiving portion 23b is formed above the curved portion 23a and the front end of the nozzle arm 23. This liquid receiving portion 23b is configured to store developer dripping from the nozzle 10 passing above the nozzle arm 23. The liquid receiving portion 23b is arranged from the inclined surface on the front end side of the curved portion 23a to the front end side of the nozzle arm 23. A recessed portion 23c opening upward is formed on the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion 23b. The recessed portion 23c is located between the upper surface position of the top of the curved portion 23a and the upper surface position of the front end of the nozzle arm 23 when viewed from the side. The depth of the recessed portion 23c gradually increases as it moves from the base end side toward the front end side above the curved portion 23a, becoming approximately uniform at a position on the nozzle arm 23 closer to the front end side than the curved portion 23a.

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown, the developing device 1 is provided with a control unit 100 connected to each of the aforementioned components of the developing device 1. The control unit 100 is, for example, a computer and includes a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the development process of the wafer W in the developing device 1. Alternatively, the program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium into the control unit 100.

[0074] In the program, instructions (steps) are incorporated to output control signals to each part of the developing device 1 through the installed program, by which the movement of the first developer supply mechanism Dl, the movement of the second developer supply mechanism D2, the movement of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism Rl, the supply of the developer, the supply of the cleaning liquid, the nozzle cleaning operation of the nozzle slots B1 to B3 are controlled. The control section 100 is provided with one or more control circuits to be able to execute the steps of the program.

[0075] Hereinafter, the first developing method of the developing device 1 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figures 5-13 . Figures 5-8 is a schematic plan view showing the first developing method, only the outer cup 44S positioned above the wafer W and the inner cup 44T in the raised position are shown, the inner cup 44T in the lowered position is not shown, in Figure 14 the following drawings, the same applies. Figures 9-13 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing the supply method of the liquid in the first developing method, in these Figures 5-13 , the developer is marked with a dot, the same applies in the following drawings. In the explanation, sometimes the positive direction of the X direction is shown as the X direction (+), and sometimes the negative direction of the X direction is shown as the X direction (-). Each plan view shows the processing for the wafer W placed on the rotary holding disc 41R.

[0076] At the start of the developing processing, first, the wafer W carried by the not-shown substrate carrying mechanism is arranged on the protruding lift pin 46 and is lowered so that the wafer W is held by suction to the rotary holding disc 41R. The wafer W held to the rotary holding disc 41 is subjected to the supply of the developer by the nozzle 20 Figure 5 ) → the supply of the cleaning liquid by the nozzle 30, removal Figure 6 ) → the supply of the developer by the nozzle 10 Figure 7 ) → the supply of the cleaning liquid by the nozzle 30, removal Figure 8 ).

[0077] The series of processing is described in detail so that the nozzle 20 is moved from the nozzle slot B2 to the developer ejection position on the wafer W, the ejection port 22 is arranged directly above the center portion of the wafer W. Then, as shown in Figure 5 , Figure 9 , in the state where the cup 44 is arranged in the raised position, the processing liquid supply mechanism 26 Figure 1) to discharge the developer from the discharge port 22 of the nozzle 20. When discharging the developer, while the wafer W is being rotated at a relatively low speed (second state) by the rotation mechanism 43, the discharge port 22 is horizontally moved along the radius of the wafer W in the X direction (-) from the center of the wafer W toward the nozzle slot B2 side. As a result, a liquid film P2 of the developer is formed on the wafer W.

[0078] like Figure 9 、 Figure 10 As shown, during the process of supplying the developer using the nozzle 20, the developer is ejected from the nozzle (second nozzle) 22 in a liquid contact state while the wafer W and the nozzle 22 are moved relative to each other. The liquid contact state is a state in which the front end surface (second liquid contact surface) 21 forming the hole edge of the nozzle 22 is in contact with the liquid film P2. In this way, the front end surface 21 is in contact with the liquid film P2 while the nozzle 20 is moving and the wafer W is rotating. Therefore, a shear stress in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the wafer W and a shear stress in the direction of movement of the nozzle 20 are applied to the area below the front end surface 21 in the liquid film P2. The developer is stirred in this area by the action of this stress, so that the development reaction proceeds relatively quickly.

[0079] Then, when the nozzle 20 reaches the peripheral portion of the wafer W and the front end face 21 passes through the entire surface of the wafer W, that is, when the development process of the entire surface of the wafer W is completed, the ejection of the developer stops, and the nozzle 20 rises and returns to the nozzle groove B2. Next, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the center of the wafer W by the nozzle 30 that moves from the nozzle groove B3 to the center of the wafer W, and the wafer W is rotated relatively quickly. In this way, the developer and the cleaning liquid are thrown toward the outer periphery of the wafer W and removed from the surface of the wafer W ( Figure 6 、 Figure 11 ).

[0080] Then, the spraying of the cleaning liquid stops, and the nozzle 30 rises and returns to the nozzle groove B3. Even after the supply of the cleaning liquid stops, the wafer W continues to rotate to shake off and remove the cleaning liquid. When the wafer W is dry, the rotation of the wafer W stops. The cup 44 is placed in the lowered position, and the nozzle 10 moves from the nozzle groove B1 to the spraying position of the wafer W on the right end side in the outer cup 44S, and starts to spray the developer ( Figure 12 The nozzle 10 moves to the left, forming a liquid film P1 of the developer on the wafer W ( Figure 7 、 Figure 13). The front end surface (first liquid contact surface) 11 of the nozzle 10 is brought into a liquid contact state with the liquid film P1, and the movement of the nozzle 10 and the ejection of the developer from the ejection port (first ejection port) 12 are continued. The liquid film P1 is formed on the entire wafer W. When the nozzle 10 moves to the left end portion inside the outer cup 44S when viewed from above, the ejection of the developer stops, and the nozzle 10 returns to the nozzle groove B1, or moves to the wafer W on the rotating holding disk 41L to process the wafer W. After the wafer W is kept in a stationary state for a prescribed time to allow the development process to progress, the cleaning liquid is supplied through the nozzle 30 to remove the liquid film P1 in the same manner as the removal process of the liquid film P2, and the development of the resist film based on the first development method is completed.

[0081] Furthermore, wafers W on rotating holding disk 41L are processed in the same manner as wafers W on rotating holding disk 41R. However, nozzle 10 begins discharging developer at the left end of outer cup 44S and moves toward the right end of outer cup 44S while discharging developer to form liquid film P1 on wafer W. After moving to the right end of outer cup 44S, nozzle 10 returns to nozzle slot B1 or moves onto rotating holding disk 41R to process the next wafer W. As described above, the flow path within tall nozzle 10 is large, making it easy for developer to remain. However, nozzle 10 does not pass over wafer W after the formation of liquid film P1 has been completed. Therefore, even if developer remaining in this flow path drips from nozzle 10, it will not fall onto the already formed liquid film P1. This prevents development process defects. Furthermore, when wafer W on rotating holding plate 41R passes through horizontal movement area A1 after processing and heads toward nozzle slot B1, etc., even if developer drips from nozzle 10 onto nozzle arm 23 during the waiting period, it is caught by recess 23c of liquid receiving portion 23b, thereby suppressing contamination of nozzle arm 23. Thus, when developer is supplied through nozzle 20, unintended dripping of developer from nozzle arm 23 onto wafer W can be suppressed.

[0082] Next, the second developing method is shown below. Figures 14-17 Let's explain this method. Figures 14-17 1 is a schematic top view showing a second developing method. In the second developing method, unlike the first developing method, the developing solution is first supplied through the nozzle 10 and then supplied through the nozzle 20. Specifically, the developing solution is supplied to the wafer W held on the rotating holding disk 41R using the nozzle 10 ( Figure 14 ) → Use nozzle 30 to supply and remove cleaning liquid ( Figure 15 ) → The developer is supplied by the nozzle 20 ( Figure 16 ) → Use nozzle 30 to supply and remove cleaning liquid ( Figure 17 ).

[0083] The series of processes are described in detail as follows: Figure 14 As shown in FIG. 6, the supply of the developer is performed by the nozzle 10 in the same manner as in the first developing method. As to the subsequent cleaning process (supply and removal of the cleaning liquid), it is performed in the same manner as in the first developing method. Then, as to the developing process performed by the nozzle 20 next, for example, the nozzle 20 is arranged on the center portion of the wafer W, and the front end face 21 of the nozzle 20 is brought into contact with the liquid film P2 of the developer sprayed (FIG. 7). Figure 16 At this time, the wafer W is rotated, but the nozzle 20 is stationary. Thus, by locally generating the stirring action of the developer on the center portion of the wafer W, the progress of the developing reaction at the center portion is made relatively large. After the supply of the developer is stopped and the nozzle 20 is moved to the nozzle slot B2, the cleaning process is performed in the same manner as in the preceding cleaning process.

[0084] The reason for performing the developing twice using the nozzles 10, 20 as in the first developing method and the second developing method described above is explained. First, the first developing method is explained. The liquid repellency or the liquid affinity of the resist film surface to the developer varies depending on the type of the resist. That is, the interfacial tension between the developer supplied to the resist and the resist film surface differs depending on the type of the resist. The nozzle 10 is capable of supplying the developer to the wafer W with high in-plane uniformity by having the nozzle outlet 12 having the shape described above, but depending on the interfacial tension, the developer immediately after being supplied to the wafer W can undesirably flow to reduce the in-plane uniformity of the process. In addition, an area not covered with the developer can be generated in the wafer W.

[0085] To prevent this undesirable situation, the developing is performed first by the nozzle 20. As described above, the shear stress generated by the rotation of the wafer W and the movement of the nozzle 20 is applied, and thus the developing progresses in a state where the developer flows at a relatively large flow rate between the nozzle 20 and the wafer W under the nozzle 20. Therefore, the influence of the interfacial tension described above is suppressed, and at the stage where the developing by the nozzle 20 ends, the developing with relatively high uniformity is performed at each portion of the surface of the wafer W. Also, by the developing by the nozzle 20, the resist film is wetted and a part of the resist film is dissolved, and thus when the process by the nozzle 10 is started next, the effect of the interfacial tension described above is reduced, and therefore the nozzle 10 can be used to supply the developer to the wafer W with high in-plane uniformity, thereby improving the in-plane uniformity of the process.

[0086] Next, the second development method will be described. Due to variations in the processing within the surface of the wafer W from resist formation to development, even if development is performed uniformly across the surface of the wafer W, the pattern shape may vary at various locations in the radial direction of the wafer W. In other words, even if development is performed uniformly, a pattern may be formed in a portion of the wafer W with development progressing more slowly than in other portions. Figures 14-17 In the processing example shown in FIG. , the pattern in the center of wafer W is formed so that the development progresses more slowly than that of the pattern in other areas. Therefore, in the second development method, nozzle 10 is first used to develop wafer W with high in-plane uniformity. Then, nozzle 20 is positioned and processed only at the center of wafer W. This accelerates the development progress in the center, resulting in a higher in-plane uniformity of the pattern at the end of the process.

[0087] In the second development method, the arrangement of the nozzle 20 is arbitrary, and when improving the in-plane uniformity of the pattern, it can be arranged at a position in the surface of the wafer W where the development progress is expected to be accelerated. Figure 18 As shown, nozzles 20 may be positioned at the periphery to accelerate the development process at the periphery. Furthermore, when it is desired to accelerate the development reaction at a portion within the surface of wafer W, nozzle 20 is not limited to being stationary. As described in the first development method, nozzle 20 may be moved radially along wafer W. In this case, the degree of development progress at various portions of wafer W can be adjusted by adjusting the movement speed of nozzle 20, the rotation speed of wafer W, and the flow rate of the developer being sprayed.

[0088] In the first and second development methods, a cleaning process (supplying and discarding cleaning fluid) is performed between the first and second development processes. However, the first and second development processes can also be performed continuously without this cleaning process. Furthermore, in the first development method, in which nozzle 20 is first used, the nozzle 20 is shown to be moved so that the front end 21 passes over the entire surface of wafer W. However, this does not prohibit the nozzle 20 from being stationary and locally positioned within a portion of the surface of wafer W for development, as shown in the second development method. However, based on the principle of performing the first development method as described above, it is preferred to perform the process with the nozzle 20 moved.

[0089] The development process performed by the developing device 1 is not limited to development processes using both the nozzle 10 and the nozzle 20 as in the first and second development methods. If sufficient in-plane uniformity of the pattern can be achieved using only a single nozzle for development, then using only a single nozzle is sufficient for improving the productivity of the device. As described above, the developing device 1 of the present disclosure, which includes the first developer supply mechanism D1 including the nozzle 10 and the second developer supply mechanism D2 including the nozzle 20, can perform various development methods, thereby improving the convenience of the developing device.

[0090] Furthermore, if only the nozzle 20 is used, the entire surface of the wafer W can be developed by moving the nozzle 20 radially along the wafer W, as described in the first development method. Furthermore, the nozzle 20 is shown as moving from the center toward the periphery of the wafer W, but it can also be moved in the opposite direction. Furthermore, developing the entire surface of the wafer W means developing the entire formation area of ​​the semiconductor device. Therefore, when developing using the nozzle 20, the front end face of the nozzle 20 does not need to be positioned at the peripheral end portion of the wafer W that deviates from the formation area.

[0091] Furthermore, the advantages of supplying the developer using a liquid contact nozzle (a nozzle whose lower end surface contacts the liquid film on the wafer W during processing) such as the nozzle 10 and the nozzle 20 of this embodiment will be described by comparing it with supplying the developer using a non-contact liquid nozzle such as the nozzle 30 which is different from these liquid contact nozzles. Figure 11 A non-liquid contact nozzle such as nozzle 30 shown is positioned, for example, relatively far above the surface of wafer W. The developer is locally supplied to the center of wafer W, and the developer is then spread toward the periphery as wafer W rotates. Development using such a non-liquid contact nozzle causes a difference in the degree of development progress between the center and periphery of wafer W, potentially reducing pattern uniformity within the surface of wafer W.

[0092] In contrast, whether developing is performed using one of the two liquid contact nozzles (nozzles 10 and 20) or both, the supply position of the developer to the surface of the wafer W moves, and the developer supply position is not fixed. Therefore, the liquid contact nozzles are less likely to cause localized development, as occurs with non-liquid contact nozzles, and a decrease in the uniformity of the development process can be suppressed.

[0093] In addition, the nozzle outlet 12 of the nozzle 10 is not limited to a slit-shaped opening, and can be formed by arranging a plurality of openings in a manner that covers the length of the width of the wafer W. In this case, the shape (outline) of the nozzle outlet 12 can be circular or elliptical, or can be polygonal, or can be slit-shaped. The same applies to the nozzle 20.

[0094] Next, in describing the nozzle slots B1 to B3 in which the nozzles 10 to 30 wait, the nozzle slot B2 is described representatively with reference to Figure 19 , a longitudinal cross-sectional side view, Figure 20 , a horizontal cross-sectional plan view. The nozzle slot B2, in addition to waiting for the nozzle 20 as described above, also cleans the nozzle 20 during the waiting period with a cleaning liquid L, not shown. As the portion of the nozzle 20 to be cleaned, the front end face 11 and the lower side of the outer side face, which come into contact with the liquid film of the developing liquid through the developing process described above, are cleaned. The nozzle slot B2 is provided with a housing portion 61 and a cleaning portion 71. The housing portion 61 is a rectangular box that is open at the top, and a drain path 62, 63 is formed in the bottom wall thereof.

[0095] The cleaning portion 71 is arranged inside the housing portion 61. The description is continued with reference to Figure 21 , a perspective view of the cleaning portion 71. The cleaning liquid L is supplied between the surface of the cleaning portion 71 and the surface of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period. The kind of liquid used as the cleaning liquid L is not limited, and, for example, pure water is used as the cleaning liquid L, and the cleaning portion 71 is formed of, for example, a fluororesin having a relatively high hydrophobicity, so as to suppress the remaining of unnecessary liquid after the nozzle 20 is cleaned.

[0096] As shown in Figure 20 , Figure 21 , the general shape of the cleaning portion 71 is a thick plate that is rectangular and horizontally arranged with a notch of a horizontal length formed in the front side and the rear side in the Y direction, and the notch is formed in the central portions of the front side and the rear side edges, respectively, when viewed in plan. As shown in Figure 19 , the bottom surface of the thick plate is arranged on the bottom wall of the housing portion 61, and the outer side surface of the thick plate is in contact with the inner side surface of the housing portion 61, whereby the notches of the above-mentioned front side and rear side are open upward and form a drain port 72 that communicates with the drain path 62. Further, a groove 73 that is circular arc-shaped when viewed in plan is formed in the left and right sides of the upper surface of the thick plate, and the two circular arcs formed by the groove 73 form a portion of a circle with the center of the thick plate as the center. The both ends of the left groove 73 are connected to the left end portions of the respective drain ports 72, and the both ends of the right groove 73 are connected to the right end portions of the respective drain ports 72. In Figure 20 , the center of the above-mentioned circle is denoted as P, and the upper surface of the thick plate on the outer side of the groove 73 is denoted as 74.

[0097] like Figure 19 As shown, the side surfaces of groove 73 are formed by descending surfaces 73A that descend in a generally vertical direction from the thick plate upper surface 74. The bottom surface of groove 73 is formed by curved surface 73B, which is arc-shaped when viewed from the side and becomes lower as it approaches the center P, thereby increasing the depth of groove 73. Curved surface 73B is continuous with descending surfaces 73A. Because groove 73 is formed so that the portion closer to center P is deeper than the portion closer to the thick plate upper surface 74, cleaning liquid that overflows from recessed portion 76, described later, and is supplied to groove 73 flows toward drain port 72 without reaching the thick plate upper surface 74.

[0098] Furthermore, a circular recess 76 is formed in the center of the thick plate, centered on the aforementioned center P when viewed from above. This recess 76 forms an annular wall 77 on the outside of the recess 76, and the outer surface of the annular wall 77 forms the side surface of the groove 73 on the side closer to the center P. Furthermore, the side surface of the recess 76 extends in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the upper end of the recess 76 (the upper end of the annular wall 77) is lower than the upper surface 74 of the thick plate.

[0099] The recess 76 forms a space for accommodating the nozzle 20 during its waiting period. The nozzle 20 enters and exits the recess 76 through the lifting and lowering motion of the moving mechanism 24. A portion of the bottom surface of the recess 76 is raised, forming a circular platform 78 and an annular groove 79 surrounding the platform 78. The center of the platform 78, as viewed from above, is the center P. The upper surface of the platform 78, forming a horizontal plane, is located below the lower end of the groove 73. The diameter of the platform 78 is larger than the outer diameter of the front end face 21, the lower surface of the nozzle 20.

[0100] exist Figure 19 The nozzle 20 during the waiting period is indicated by a double-dashed line. Figure 20 The lower surface of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The upper end of the recess 76 is formed at a position lower than the upper surface of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period and higher than the upper surface of the stage 78, and the side and bottom surfaces of the recess 76 surround the lower side of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period. Moreover, the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period faces the upper surface of the stage 78, and a gap 81 is formed between the front end surface 21 of these nozzles 20 during the waiting period and the upper surface of the stage 78. Moreover, when viewed from above, the center of the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period is aligned with the center P, and when viewed from above, the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 does not extend beyond the upper surface of the stage 78. In addition, the position of the nozzle 20 during the waiting period is set to the standby position.

[0101] Liquid discharge ports 82 are formed in two portions of the front side and the rear side of the bottom surface of the circular groove 79, and each of the liquid discharge ports 82 is connected to the liquid discharge path 63 provided in the housing portion 61. A cleaning liquid discharge port 83 is formed in the side surface of the recessed portion 76 at a position higher than the upper surface of the stage 78. A cleaning liquid L is supplied from a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 to the cleaning portion 71, and the cleaning liquid L is discharged from the discharge port 83 into the recessed portion 76 through a flow path formed in the cleaning portion 71 and the housing portion 61. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 includes a valve and a flow rate adjustment mechanism, and the supply and cutoff of the cleaning liquid L to the discharge port 83 are controlled by opening and closing the valve, and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid L supplied to the discharge port 83 is adjusted by the flow rate adjustment mechanism.

[0102] The discharge port 83 is further described. The discharge port 83 is formed so as to be able to supply the cleaning liquid L to the stage 78 and the gap 81. Further, when viewed from above, an extension line in the opening direction of the discharge port 83 is located at a position offset with respect to a diameter of the recessed portion 76 along the diameter. Therefore, the cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge port 83 flows in a clockwise direction along the side surface when viewed from above after being discharged to the side surface of the recessed portion 76, and forms a swirling flow in which the cleaning liquid L is rolled up. In Figure 20 the flow of the cleaning liquid L is indicated by a broken line arrow. The swirling flow is formed in order to form a relatively large flow of the cleaning liquid L in the entire gap 81 formed by the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 described above, and to efficiently clean the front end surface 21.

[0103] The cleaning process of the nozzle 20 by the nozzle groove B2 is described using a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle groove B2. Figure 22 In a state in which the nozzle 20 is located in the standby position, the cleaning liquid L is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 to the discharge port 83, and a swirling flow is formed in the gap 81 between the nozzle 20 and the stage 78 in the recessed portion 76 by discharging the cleaning liquid L from the discharge port 83, so as to clean the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20.

[0104] A part of the cleaning liquid L supplied as described above flows to the liquid discharge port 82 of the circular groove 79 and is removed from the recessed portion 76, but the supply amount of the cleaning liquid L supplied from the discharge port 83 is adjusted to be larger than the discharge amount from the liquid discharge port 82, so that the liquid level of the cleaning liquid L in the recessed portion 76 rises. Then, a part of the cleaning liquid L overflows from the recessed portion 76 to the groove 73, flows from the groove 73 to the liquid discharge port 72, and is removed.

[0105] Due to the influence of the rotational flow formed in the gap 81, the cleaning liquid L also flows in a relatively large amount in the circumferential direction of the recess 76 in the region near the liquid surface in the recess 76. In addition, by overflowing from the recess 76, a liquid flow is formed from the lower side toward the upper side in addition to the liquid flow formed in the circumferential direction. The cleaning is performed by immersing the side surface of the nozzle 20 in the cleaning liquid L, but in addition to the immersion as such, the cleaning is efficiently progressed by the action of these liquid flows. After a prescribed time has elapsed, the ejection of the cleaning liquid L from the ejection port 83 is stopped, and the cleaning process is ended. The cleaning liquid L accumulated in the recess 76 is removed from the drain port 82 of the annular groove 79. Thereafter, the nozzle 20 is reused for the developing process.

[0106] It is also possible that the developing liquid is ejected from the ejection port 22 toward the gap 81 in the standby position until the reuse is performed. This action uses the developing liquid that is ejected and spreads on the table 78 in contact with the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 to remove the cleaning liquid L adhering to the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20, for preventing the developing liquid forming the liquid film P2 from being diluted by the cleaning liquid L when the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 is brought into contact with the ejected liquid film P2 immediately after the reuse.

[0107] The liquid flow of the cleaning liquid L in the above-described cleaning process will be further described. As described above, in the recess 76, the drain port 82 is formed in the annular groove 79, and the cleaning liquid L supplied onto the table 78 flows to this drain port 82 to be removed. That is, a liquid flow is formed from the table 78 toward the annular groove 79. Therefore, the cleaning liquid L that contains the dirt components adhering to the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 and flows to the annular groove 79 by coming into contact with the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 is more likely to flow directly to the drain port 82, and the cleaning liquid L can be inhibited from flowing in a manner to overcome the gravity to flow up the table 78 again. That is, by the drain port 82 provided at a position lower in height than the upper surface of the table 78 in which the rotational flow is formed, the dirt can be inhibited from adhering to the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 again, and the progress of the cleaning can be made fast. Further, as the arrangement of such a drain port 82, from the viewpoint of preventing the re-adhesion of the dirt components, it is preferable that the drain port 82 is not provided on the upper surface of the table 78 as in the above-described example of the structure. In addition, as described above, the front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 does not protrude beyond the upper surface of the table 78 in plan view, and by being configured as such, the re-adhesion of the dirt to the entire front end surface 21 of the nozzle 20 can be more reliably inhibited.

[0108] In addition, as described above, the ejection port 83 of the cleaning liquid is opened at the height position of the gap 81. By being opened at this height position, the flow rate of the rotational flow formed below the nozzle 20 becomes relatively high, thereby improving the cleaning property of the front end face 21 of the nozzle 20. Further, from the viewpoint of increasing the flow rate like this, the ejection port 83 can also be provided so as to be opened only at the upper side at the height position of the gap 81 and the lower side at the height position of the circular ring groove 79 (a position lower than the upper surface of the stage 78). However, from the viewpoint of preventing the reattachment of the dirt components to the nozzle 20 in a manner not to obstruct the flow of the cleaning liquid from the stage 78 to the circular ring groove 79, it is preferable to provide the ejection port 83 at a position higher than the upper surface of the stage 78 as in the structure described above (the lower end of the ejection port 83 is not at a position lower than the upper surface of the stage 78).

[0109] In the processing example described in Figure 22 , the cleaning liquid L is caused to overflow from the recess 76 during the cleaning process, but the cleaning of the side surface of the nozzle 20 can be performed by adjusting the ejection amount of the cleaning liquid L ejected from the ejection port 83 so that the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid L is at an appropriate height position within the recess 76 without overflowing.

[0110] In addition, in order to avoid the overflow of the cleaning liquid L to the outside of the recess 76, the size in the opening direction of the recess 76 can also be varied. In Figure 23 , the circular ring wall 77 is curved, whereby the recess 76 has a structure in which the diameter is enlarged toward the opening side when viewed in the longitudinal cross section. With such a recess 76, the rise of the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid L on the upper side is suppressed, and thus the overflow of the cleaning liquid L can be prevented.

[0111] In the example described in Figure 24 , the circular ring wall 77 is curved, whereby the recess 76 has a structure in which the diameter is reduced toward the opening side when viewed in the longitudinal cross section, and the upper end of the circular ring wall 77 is close to the side surface of the nozzle 20. Due to this, the pressure loss of the cleaning liquid L in the gap between the circular ring wall 77 and the nozzle 20 is high, and thus the flow of the cleaning liquid L in this gap is prevented, the cleaning liquid L is removed from the drain port 82 within the recess 76, and thus the overflow of the cleaning liquid L can be prevented. As described above, in the case of a structure in which the processing is performed in a manner so that the cleaning liquid L does not overflow from the recess 76, the groove 73 provided outside the recess 76 in the nozzle groove B2 and the drain port 72 can also not be provided. In addition, in the case of a structure in which the processing is performed in a manner so that the cleaning liquid L overflows from the recess 76, the drain path 63 and the drain port 82 provided within the recess 76 can also not be provided.

[0112] The developing apparatus 1 in the present disclosure is not limited to the structure and operation described above. As the substrate handled by the developing apparatus 1, not only a wafer W but also an FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate can be used. Moreover, it should be considered that the embodiments and developing method of the present disclosure are illustrative in all respects, not limiting. The above-described embodiments and developing method can be omitted, replaced, changed, and combined in various ways without departing from the appended claims and the spirit thereof.

[0113] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0114] P1, P2: liquid film; W: substrate; 1: developing apparatus; 10: first nozzle; 11, 21: front end surface; 12, 22: spray outlet; 14: moving mechanism; 20: second nozzle; 41L, 41R, 41: rotary holding disc; 43: rotary mechanism.

Claims

1. A developing device comprising: a holding portion that holds the substrate; a first nozzle including a first discharge port for the developer, the first discharge port extending in the transverse direction to cover a width of the substrate; a moving mechanism configured to be in a first state in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the first nozzle while the developer is being ejected from the first nozzle toward the substrate; a first liquid contact surface forming an edge of the first ejection port and contacting a liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the first state; a second nozzle having a second discharge port for the developer, wherein the second discharge port is formed to have a length in an extension direction of the first discharge port shorter than a length of the first discharge port in the extension direction; a rotating mechanism that rotates the holding portion so as to achieve a second state in which the substrate is rotated while the developer is ejected from the second ejection port toward the substrate; as well as The second liquid contact surface forms an edge portion of the second ejection port and contacts a liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the second state.

2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein A plurality of the holding portions are provided in a manner separated in the left-right direction, A first waiting portion for allowing the first nozzle to wait is provided between the holding portions in the left and right directions. For each of the holding portions, a second waiting portion for making the second nozzle wait is provided on either the left side or the right side of each of the holding portions.

3. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein A first waiting section for making the first nozzle wait and a second waiting section for making the second nozzle wait are provided. A lateral movement area of ​​the first nozzle on the movement path between the first standby portion and the developer ejection position on the substrate is located above a lateral movement area of ​​the second nozzle on the movement path between the second standby portion and the developer ejection position on the substrate.

4. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein A second waiting portion is provided for making the second nozzle wait. The second standby unit includes: a recessed portion, wherein an upper end of a side wall of the recessed portion is located above a lower surface of the second nozzle during the waiting period, whereby the recessed portion surrounds a lower side of the second nozzle; as well as A supply port is opened in the recess to supply cleaning liquid to clean the second liquid contact surface and side surfaces of the second nozzle.

5. The developing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: A control unit is provided, which outputs a control signal to sequentially form any one of the first state in which the first liquid contact surface is in contact with the liquid film of the developer and the second state in which the second liquid contact surface is in contact with the liquid film of the developer, and another state for the same substrate.

6. A developing method comprising the following steps: holding the substrate by the holding portion; The first nozzle ejects the developing solution from a first ejection port, wherein the first ejection port is provided to extend in the transverse direction so as to continuously cover the width of the substrate; During the period when the developer is ejected from the first ejection port toward the substrate, the first nozzle is set to a first state by a moving mechanism in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the first ejection port; bringing a first liquid contact surface forming an opening edge portion of the first ejection opening into contact with a liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the first state; In the second nozzle, the developer is ejected from a second ejection port, wherein the second ejection port is formed to have a length in an extension direction of the first ejection port shorter than a length of the first ejection port in the extension direction; rotating the holding portion by a rotating mechanism so as to set the substrate to a second state in which the substrate is rotated while the developer is ejected from the second ejection port toward the substrate; as well as A second liquid contact surface forming the opening edge of the second discharge port is brought into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the second state.

7. The developing method according to claim 6, wherein: A plurality of the holding portions are provided in a manner separated in the left-right direction, The developing method further comprises the following steps: causing the first nozzle to wait in a first standby portion provided between the holding portions in the left-right direction; and The second nozzle is placed on standby in a second waiting portion provided on either the left side or the right side of each holding portion for each holding portion.

8. The developing method according to claim 6, wherein: The process further includes making the first nozzle and the second nozzle wait in the first standby section and the second standby section respectively. A lateral movement area of ​​the first nozzle on the movement path between the first standby portion and the developer ejection position on the substrate is located above a lateral movement area of ​​the second nozzle on the movement path between the second standby portion and the developer ejection position on the substrate.

9. The developing method according to claim 6, wherein: The process further includes making the second nozzle wait in a second standby portion, The second standby portion includes a recessed portion, wherein the upper end of the side wall of the recessed portion is located above the lower surface of the second nozzle during the standby period, whereby the recessed portion surrounds the lower side of the second nozzle. The developing method further includes supplying a cleaning liquid to a supply port opened in the recessed portion to clean the second liquid contact surface and side surfaces of the second nozzle.

10. The developing method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein The method further includes forming, for the same substrate, one of the first state in which the first liquid contact surface contacts the liquid film of the developer and the second state in which the second liquid contact surface contacts the liquid film of the developer, and another state in sequence. 11 . A computer program product comprising a program, wherein the program is a computer program for use in a developing device for developing a substrate, wherein steps are incorporated into the program to execute the developing method according to claim 6 . 12 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program, wherein the program is a computer program used in a developing device for developing a substrate, wherein steps are incorporated into the program to execute the developing method according to claim 6 .

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