Developing device, developing method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience of a developing device.SOLUTION: A developing device includes: a first nozzle having a first outlet for developer that extends laterally to a length that covers the width of the substrate; a moving mechanism that sets the first nozzle to a first state of moving the first nozzle in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the first outlet while the developer is being discharged from the first outlet; a first liquid contact surface that forms the edge of the first outlet and comes into contact with the liquid film of developer formed on the substrate in the first state; a second nozzle that is formed with a length in the extension direction of the first outlet shorter than that of the first outlet and has a second outlet for developer; a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate such that the substrate is in a second state of rotating while the developer is being discharged from the second outlet; and a second liquid contact surface that forms the edge of the second outlet and comes into contact with the liquid film of developer formed on the substrate in the second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In manufacturing semiconductor devices, a development process is performed in which a developer is supplied to a resist film formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate to form a pattern. This development process may be performed by discharging developer from a nozzle outlet while moving the nozzle over the wafer so that the bottom surface of the nozzle, where the outlet is formed, contacts the liquid surface of a puddle of developer supplied to the wafer. Patent Document 1 shows a developing apparatus that performs such a process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-24733 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides improved convenience for developing devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The developing device of the present disclosure includes: a holder that holds a substrate; a first nozzle having a first outlet for the developer extending in a lateral direction over a length covering the width of the substrate; a moving mechanism that sets the first nozzle to a first state in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the first discharge port while the developer is being discharged from the first discharge port onto the substrate; a first liquid contact surface that forms an edge of the first discharge port and that comes into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the first state; a second nozzle including a second discharge port for the developer, the second discharge port being formed so that the length in the extension direction of the first discharge port is shorter than that of the first discharge port; a rotation mechanism that rotates the holding part so as to put the substrate into a second state in which the substrate rotates while the developer is being discharged onto the substrate from the second discharge port; a second liquid contact surface that forms an edge of the second discharge port and comes into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the second state; Equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present disclosure can improve the convenience of developing devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a developing device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional rear view of the spin chuck shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the spin chuck. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the spin chuck. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a first developing method. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply of developer in the first developing method. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply of developer in the first developing method. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply of a cleaning liquid in the first developing method. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply of developer in the first developing method. [Figure 13]FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the supply of developer in the first developing method. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a second developing method. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a nozzle bath. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a nozzle bus. [Figure 21] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cleaning unit of the nozzle bath. [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a cleaning process using the nozzle bath. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a modified example of the nozzle bath. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a modified example of the nozzle bath. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A developing device 1, which is one embodiment of the developing device disclosed herein, will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the developing device 1, showing nozzles 10, 20, and 30 (described later) arranged in nozzle buses B1, B2, and B3, respectively. In this embodiment, the description will be made using an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system, with the X direction sometimes referred to as the horizontal direction, and the side where spin chuck 41R, which is a substrate holding unit, is provided sometimes referred to as the right, and the side where spin chuck 41L is provided sometimes referred to as the left. The Y direction sometimes referred to as the front-to-rear direction, with the side where movement mechanisms 14, 24, and 34 are provided sometimes referred to as the front, and the side where spin chucks 41R and 41L are provided sometimes referred to as the rear. Note that when describing matters common to both spin chucks 41R and 41L, they may simply be referred to as spin chuck 41.

[0009] Spin chucks 41R and 41L are arranged on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the developing apparatus 1. A wafer (substrate) W having an exposed resist film (not shown) formed on its surface is transported to the developing apparatus 1, and the wafer W is placed on each spin chuck 41R or 41L, where a developing process using a supply of developer and a cleaning process using a supply of cleaning liquid are sequentially performed. The developing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes first and second developer supply mechanisms D1 and D2 configured to supply developer through first and second nozzles 10 and 20 having different shapes, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 configured to supply cleaning liquid through a cleaning nozzle 30.

[0010] The cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 includes a cleaning nozzle 30 that discharges a cleaning liquid, such as pure water, a nozzle arm 33 with the cleaning nozzle 30 attached to its tip end, a movement mechanism 34 configured to support the base end of the nozzle arm 33 and appropriately displace it, and a processing liquid supply mechanism 36 that supplies the cleaning liquid to the nozzle 30. A cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 is provided for each of the spin chucks 41R and 41L, and nozzle buses B3, which serve as standby positions for the cleaning nozzles 30, are located on the right side of the spin chucks 41R and 41L, respectively.

[0011] Like the cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1, the first and second developer supply mechanisms D1 and D2 each include first and second nozzles 10 and 20 that discharge developer, nozzle arms 13 and 23 with the first and second nozzles 10 and 20 at their distal ends, movement mechanisms 14 and 24 configured to support and appropriately displace the proximal ends of the nozzle arms 13 and 23, and processing liquid supply mechanisms 16 and 26 that supply developer to the nozzles 10 and 20. The second developer supply mechanism D2 is provided for each spin chuck 41R and 41L, and a nozzle bath (second standby section) B2, which serves as a standby position for the nozzle 20, is located to the left of each spin chuck 41R and 41L. Therefore, a wafer W held on one of the spin chucks 41R and 41L is processed by the second nozzle 20, which is located on the left side of the spin chuck 41 when in standby mode, and the cleaning nozzle 30, which is located on the right side when in standby mode.

[0012] Incidentally, the movement mechanisms 14, 24, 34 that displace the nozzle positions as described above are composed of a lifting mechanism to which the nozzle arms 13, 23, 33 are connected and which lifts and lowers the nozzle arms 13, 23, 33, and a horizontal movement mechanism to which the lifting mechanism is connected and which moves the lifting mechanism horizontally left and right. In the drawings, the lifting mechanisms are indicated by the letter "A" added after the numerals attached to the movement mechanisms.

[0013] The lifting mechanism 24A of the second developer supply mechanism D2 and the lifting mechanism 34A of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1 are moved left and right by horizontal movement mechanisms arranged in front of the spin chucks 41R and 41L. The horizontal movement mechanisms to which these lifting mechanisms 24A and 34A are connected, those that correspond to the same spin chuck 41, are collectively referred to as a single horizontal movement mechanism G2. The lifting mechanism 14A of the first developer supply mechanism D1 is connected to a horizontal movement mechanism G1 arranged in front of the two horizontal movement mechanisms G2, and is configured to be moved left and right by the horizontal movement mechanism G1. Therefore, the movement mechanism 14 is located in front of the movement mechanisms 24 and 34.

[0014] The first developer supply mechanism D1 is shared by the spin chucks 41R and 41L. As will be described later, the spin chucks 41R and 41L are each provided in a cup 44, so it can be said that the first developer supply mechanism D1 is shared by both cups 44. A nozzle bath (first standby section) B1, which serves as a standby position for the nozzle 10, is disposed between the spin chucks 41R and 41L in a plan view. The nozzle baths B3, B1, and B2 are arranged in this order from left to right between the spin chucks 41R and 41L. Therefore, when the nozzle 10 moves from the nozzle bath B1 to the spin chucks 41R and 41L to supply the developer, the nozzle 10 moves left and right, passing over the nozzles 30 and 20 in their standby positions. The nozzle baths B1 to B3 each have a recessed portion that allows the lower portions of the nozzles to be stored and standby.

[0015] Of the lifting mechanisms 14A, 24A, and 34A, which have a common configuration, the following briefly describes lifting mechanism 14A as a representative. Although not shown, the mechanism includes a motor, a ball screw rotated by the motor and extending in the Z direction, and a guide rail for guiding the movement. The rotation of each ball screw, the amount of rotation of which is controlled by a control unit 100 (described later), causes the movement mechanism 14 and the nozzle arm 13 to be appropriately displaced in the Z direction. The horizontal movement mechanisms G1 and G2 have the same configuration as the respective lifting mechanisms, except for the direction in which the ball screw and guide rail extend.

[0016] Supply paths 15, 25, 35 connecting the nozzles 10, 20, 30 and the processing liquid supply mechanisms 16, 26, 36 are attached from the nozzle arms 13, 23, 33 to the moving mechanisms 14, 24, 34. Regarding supply path 15 as a representative example, each supply path 15 is provided with a valve (not shown), and 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. From the above, nozzle 10 is configured to discharge developer at a preset flow rate.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional rear view of the spin chuck 41L shown in Fig. 1, and also shows nozzles 10, 20, and 30 for supplying a processing liquid to the wafer W supported by the spin chuck 41L. Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal sectional side views of the spin chuck 41L shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the first developer supply mechanism D1 during horizontal movement (described later) and the second developer supply mechanism D2 during developer supply by solid lines, and the second developer supply mechanism D2 during horizontal movement (described later) by dashed dotted lines, and Fig. 4 shows the first developer supply mechanism D1 during developer supply.

[0018] The nozzles 10, 20, 30 have outlets 12, 22, 32 that open in the center of downward-facing tip surfaces (lower end surfaces) 11, 21, 31. These outlets 12, 22, 32 discharge the developing solution and cleaning solution supplied from processing solution supply mechanisms 16, 26, 36 via supply paths 15, 25, 35. The nozzle 30 has a circular outlet with a relatively small diameter that opens vertically downward.

[0019] Nozzle 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its height is longer than the width of the shorter side of tip surface 11. Discharge port 12 of nozzle 10 is a long slit-like shape that extends perpendicular to the X direction (i.e., the lateral direction), which is the movement direction of nozzle 10, and extends in the Y direction (i.e., the lateral direction) over a length that covers the diameter, which is the width of wafer W supported by spin chucks 41R, 41L. Tip surface 11 of nozzle 10 has a rectangular frame shape that surrounds the periphery of discharge port 12.

[0020] The nozzle 20 is cylindrical, and its height is smaller than that of the nozzle 10. The tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 is an annular surface that forms the hole edge of the discharge port 22. More specifically, the circular discharge port 22 opens at the center of the circular surface that is the tip surface 21, and the diameter of the circular surface is smaller than the radius of the wafer W. Therefore, the width (diameter in this case) of the discharge port 22 at its maximum width point is smaller than the length of the slit of the discharge port 12 in the longitudinal direction. The area of ​​the tip surface 21 is smaller than the area of ​​the surface of the wafer W, and may be, for example, 1 to 15%, 1 to 11%, or 1 to 3% of the area of ​​the surface of the wafer W. The area (opening area) of the discharge port 22 may be approximately 0.3 to 5% of the area of ​​the tip surface 21.

[0021] The amount of developer discharged from the nozzle 10 having a relatively large discharge port 12, i.e., the amount of developer supplied to the nozzle 10, is greater than that of the nozzle 20. The nozzles 10 and 20 both supply the developer with their tip surfaces 11 and 21, which discharge the developer, in contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the wafer W (liquid-contact state).

[0022] 2, the spin chuck 41 is connected to a rotation mechanism 43 via a rotation shaft 42. The rotation mechanism 43 allows the spin chuck 41 to rotate freely around a vertical axis while holding a wafer W. The diameter of the wafer W is, for example, 300 mm. A horizontal circular plate 45 surrounding the rotation shaft 42 is provided below the spin chuck 41. In the figure, reference numeral 46 denotes lift pins that penetrate the circular plate 45 and are raised and lowered by a lift mechanism 47 to transfer the wafer W between the spin chuck 41 and a transfer mechanism for the wafer W (not shown).

[0023] A liquid receiving portion 48 is provided on the entire outer periphery of the disk 45, and is configured to form an annular recess. A drain port 48a is opened in the liquid receiving portion 48. The liquid receiving portion 48 forms the bottom of a cup 44, which will be described later. A ring 49, which has an upper end close to the backside of the wafer W and is formed in a mountain shape in vertical cross section, is provided on the periphery of the disk 45 to guide the dropped liquid to the liquid receiving portion 48. An exhaust pipe 48b is provided in the liquid receiving portion 48 to exhaust the inside of the cup 44. The downstream side of the exhaust pipe 48b is connected to an exhaust path of the factory via a valve (not shown) whose opening is changed to switch the exhaust amount.

[0024] The developing device 1 also includes a cup 44 that surrounds the lateral periphery of the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 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. When the outer cup 44S is raised or lowered by the lifting mechanism 44U, the inner cup 44T rises or lowers in conjunction with the outer cup 44S, and the relative height of the inner cup 44T to the outer cup 44S remains the same in the raised and lowered positions. The inner cup 44T and the outer cup 44S in the raised and lowered positions are indicated by dashed and solid lines, respectively, in FIG. 2. Hereinafter, the raised and lowered positions of the inner cup 44T and the outer cup 44S may be referred to as the raised and lowered positions of the cup 44.

[0025] The outer cups 44S, 44T have a rectangular or cylindrical shape that opens in the vertical direction, respectively. The upper and lower openings are rectangular or circular, and are provided so as to extend upward from a region surrounded by the outer wall of the liquid receiving portion 48. The width of the upper opening of the inner cup 44T is larger than the diameter of the wafer W supported by the spin chuck 41, and the upper portion of the inner cup 44T forms an inclined surface that slopes upward and inward in a vertical cross-sectional view. In the lowered position, the upper portion of the inner cup 44T is located below the wafer W so as not to interfere with the movement of the first nozzle 10, which moves as described below. In the raised position, the upper portion of the inner cup 44T is located above the wafer W so as to receive droplets scattered from the wafer W with its inclined surface and guide them toward the liquid receiving portion 48 below.

[0026] The upper end of the outer cup 44S is higher than the upper end of the inner cup 44T. Even in the lowered position, the upper portion of the outer cup 44S is higher than the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 41, preventing the developer from splashing to the surrounding area when the first nozzle 10 performs a development process with the cup 44 in the lowered position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle 10, which is positioned above and adjacent to the wafer W when supplying the developer, is positioned inside the upper portion of the rectangular frame of the outer cup 44S in the lowered position, and its longitudinal center moves along a diameter parallel to the lateral direction of the wafer W, supplying the developer without contacting the outer cup 44S.

[0027] When processing is performed using the nozzle 20 or the cleaning nozzle 30, the cup 44 is positioned in an elevated position (see FIG. 3), and the liquid splashed from the wafer W due to the rotation of the wafer W during this processing can be received by the inner surface of the inner cup 44T.

[0028] The movement path when supplying a developer or the like using the nozzle arms 13, 23, and 33 is as follows: first, the standby nozzle arms 13, 23, and 33 are raised to move the nozzles 10, 20, and 30 out of the nozzle baths B1, B2, and B3. Next, the nozzle arms 13, 23, and 33 are moved horizontally (i.e., laterally) to directly above the discharge positions and then lowered to position the nozzles 10, 20, and 30 at the discharge positions. At the discharge positions, the nozzles 10, 20, and 30 are positioned so that their lower sides fit within the cup 44, which is positioned in the raised or lowered position. Specifically, the discharge positions for the nozzles 10 and 20 are positions where the tip surfaces 11 and 21 are close to the surface of the wafer W and come into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the surface of the wafer W. The discharge position for the nozzle 30 is a position where the tip surface 31 is relatively far from the wafer W and does not come into contact with the liquid film of the cleaning liquid discharged onto the wafer W. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the movement paths of the nozzles 10, 20, and 30.

[0029] When the nozzles 10, 20, and 30 finish discharging liquid and return to the nozzle bath, they ascend, move horizontally, and descend in that order to return to the nozzle bath. In other words, the movement path is the opposite of that indicated by the arrows. However, because the nozzle 10 is shared by the spin chucks 41L and 41R, once it has finished discharging liquid onto the wafer W on one spin chuck 41, it may ascend, move horizontally, and descend to move to a discharging position onto the wafer W on the other spin chuck 41.

[0030] In Figure 3, the movement area of ​​nozzle 10 during horizontal movement is shown as horizontal movement area A1, and the movement area of ​​nozzle 20 during horizontal movement is shown as horizontal movement area A2. Horizontal movement area A2 is also the movement path of nozzle 30 during horizontal movement. Horizontal movement area A1 is located above horizontal movement area A2. The reason why horizontal movement area A1 of nozzle 10 is set above the horizontal movement areas A2 of nozzles 20 and 30 in this manner will be described.

[0031] First, as described above, nozzle 10 has at its lower end discharge port 12 that is long in the Y direction. In order to discharge developer with high uniformity from each portion of discharge port 12, it is necessary to make the length of the flow path formed between discharge port 12 and the downstream end of supply path 15 connected to the upper side of nozzle 10 relatively long. In other words, nozzle 10 is relatively tall in order to utilize the natural diffusion of developer in the Y direction while flowing through the flow path formed in nozzle 10. On the other hand, because the discharge ports of nozzles 20 and 30 have small diameters as described above, nozzles 20 and 30 do not need to be formed tall.

[0032] Let α denote the lift distance of the nozzles 20 and 30 required to move the nozzles 20 and 30 between the ejection position and the nozzle buses B2 and B3 in the developing device 1 without the nozzle 10. Compared to this lift distance α, the lift distance required when the horizontal movement region A2 of the nozzles 20 and 30 is set above the horizontal movement region A1 in the developing device 1 is relatively large. In other words, the increase in lift distance due to the operation of the nozzles 20 and 30 to avoid the tall nozzle 10, which is not necessary for the actual processing of the nozzles, is significant. A large lift distance requires a larger lift mechanism. In other words, it is undesirable to set the horizontal movement region A2 above the horizontal movement region A1, since this operation, which is not necessary for the actual processing of the nozzles 20 and 30, would require a large lift mechanism.

[0033] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption and dust generation in each movement mechanism that moves the nozzles, miniaturization of the movement mechanisms is preferable. Specifically, it is preferable to use small motors that constitute the movement mechanisms and thin ball screws and guide rails. Due to the difference in shape described above, the nozzles 20 and 30 are lighter than the nozzle 10. If the movement mechanisms 24 and 34 that move the nozzles 20 and 30 were located forward of the movement mechanism 14 that moves the nozzle 10, the nozzle arms 23 and 33 that support the nozzles 20 and 30 would need to be relatively long, which could make it difficult to make the movement mechanisms 24 and 34 smaller. Therefore, as described above, the movement mechanism 14 is located forward of the movement mechanisms 24 and 34.

[0034] Let us assume that the horizontal movement area A2 of the nozzles 20, 30, which are moved by the movement mechanisms 24, 34 arranged at the front side, is set above the horizontal movement area A1 of the nozzle 10, which is moved by the movement mechanism 14 arranged at the rear side. In this case, the horizontal movement area A1 is used as the lifting area of ​​the nozzles 20, 30, and the nozzle 10 and the nozzle arm 13 connected thereto must move through this horizontal movement area A1 while avoiding interference with the nozzles 20, 30 and the nozzle arms 23, 33 connected thereto. This makes the operation settings for each nozzle 10, 20, 30 to prevent interference complicated. To prevent the above-mentioned problems, it is preferable to set the horizontal movement area A1 of the nozzle 10 above the horizontal movement area A2 of the nozzles 20, 30.

[0035] The movement of each nozzle may be controlled so that the nozzle 10 and nozzle arm 13 moving through the horizontal movement region A1 overlap with the nozzles 20, 30 and nozzle arms 23, 33 moving through the horizontal movement region A2 in a plan view. However, to reliably prevent interference between the nozzles and nozzle arms, it is preferable to prevent such overlap. For example, when the nozzle 10 moves through the horizontal movement region A1 from the nozzle bath B1 or from above the spin chuck 41L to process the wafer W on the right spin chuck 41R, the nozzles 20, 30 provided for the spin chuck 41R are kept waiting in the nozzle bath, and the nozzle 10 passes above the waiting nozzle 20 to move onto the wafer W.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 3, when the nozzle 20 or nozzle 30 supplies the developing solution or cleaning solution, the rotation of the wafer W causes the solution to splash around, so the cup 44 moves to the raised position shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2 to prevent the solution from splashing. The nozzle arm 23 is formed with a bent portion 23a to prevent contact with the outer cup 44S in the raised position when the nozzle 20 is positioned at the discharge position. The bent portion 23a is a portion formed so as to be bent in a mountain shape when viewed in the X direction, and this bent portion 23a forms a recess on the underside of the nozzle arm 23. When the nozzle 20 is positioned at the developer discharge position, the upper end of the outer cup 44S enters this recess, preventing the above-mentioned contact.

[0037] A liquid receiving portion 23b is formed above the bent portion 23a and the tip of the nozzle arm 23, and is configured to store the developing solution dripping from the nozzle 10 passing above the nozzle arm 23. The liquid receiving portion 23b is provided from the slope on the tip side of the bent portion 23a toward the tip of the nozzle arm 23, and a recessed portion 23c that opens upward is formed on its upper surface. In a side view, the recessed portion 23c is provided between the upper surface position of the top of the bent portion 23a and the upper surface position of the tip of the nozzle arm 23. The depth of the recessed portion 23c gradually increases from the base end toward the tip above the bent portion 23a, and is generally uniform on the tip side of the nozzle arm 23 from the bent portion 23a.

[0038] 1, the developing apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit 100 connected to each of the above-described components of the developing apparatus 1. The control unit 100 is, for example, a computer, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the developing process of the wafer W in the developing apparatus 1. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed into the control unit 100 from the storage medium.

[0039] The installed program incorporates commands (steps) so that control signals are output to each part of the developing device 1. These control signals control the movement of the first and second developer supply mechanisms D1, D2 and cleaning liquid supply mechanism R1, the supply of developer and cleaning liquid, and the nozzle cleaning operation by the nozzle buses B1 to B3. The control unit 100 includes one or more control circuits so that it can execute the steps of the program.

[0040] The first developing method of the developing apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13. FIGS. 5 to 8 are schematic plan views showing the first developing method, showing only the outer cup 44S located above the wafer W and the inner cup 44T in the raised position; the inner cup 44T in the lowered position is not shown, as in FIG. 14 and subsequent figures. FIGS. 9 to 13 are longitudinal side views showing the liquid supply method in the first developing method. In FIGS. 5 to 13, the developer is indicated by dotted lines, and this also applies to the subsequent figures. In the description, the positive X direction may be indicated as the X direction (+), and the negative X direction may be indicated as the X direction (-). Each plan view shows the processing of the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 41R.

[0041] To start the development process, first, a wafer W transferred by a substrate transfer mechanism (not shown) is placed on protruding lift pins 46 and lowered to be held by suction on spin chuck 41R. The wafer W held on spin chuck 41 is supplied with a developer by nozzle 20 (FIG. 5), then supplied with a cleaning liquid by nozzle 30 and removed (FIG. 6), then supplied with a developer by nozzle 10 (FIG. 7), and then supplied with a cleaning liquid by nozzle 30 and removed (FIG. 8).

[0042] To describe this series of processes in detail, nozzle 20 is moved from nozzle bus B2 to a developer discharge position on wafer W, and discharge port 22 is positioned directly above the center of wafer W. Then, with cup 44 in the raised position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, developer is discharged from discharge port 22 of nozzle 20 by processing liquid supply mechanism 26 (FIG. 1). During discharge of developer, with wafer W rotated at a relatively low speed by rotation mechanism 43 (second state), discharge port 22 is moved horizontally along the radius of wafer W from the center of wafer W toward nozzle bus B2 in the X direction (-). As a result, a liquid film P2 of developer is formed on wafer W.

[0043] 9 and 10, when the nozzle 20 supplies the developer, the wafer W and the discharge port 22 are moved relative to each other, and the developer is discharged from the discharge port (second discharge port) 22 in a liquid-contact state. The liquid-contact state refers to a state in which the tip surface (second liquid-contact surface) 21 forming the hole edge of the discharge port 22 is in contact with the liquid film P2. In this way, the tip surface 21 contacts the liquid film P2 while the nozzle 20 is moving and the wafer W is rotating, and therefore, a shear stress is applied to the region of the liquid film P2 below the tip surface 21 in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the wafer W and a shear stress is applied in the direction of movement of the nozzle 20. The action of this stress agitates the developer in that region, and the development reaction proceeds relatively quickly.

[0044] Then, nozzle 20 reaches the peripheral edge of wafer W, and tip surface 21 passes over the entire surface of wafer W, i.e., when development processing is completed on the entire surface of wafer W, discharge of developer stops and nozzle 20 rises and returns to nozzle bath B2. Next, nozzle 30 moves from nozzle bath B3 to above the center of wafer W, where cleaning liquid is supplied to the center of wafer W while wafer W rotates relatively quickly. As a result, the developer along with the cleaning liquid is blown off toward the outer periphery of wafer W and removed from the surface of wafer W (FIGS. 6 and 11).

[0045] After that, the discharge of the cleaning liquid stops, and the nozzle 30 rises and returns to the nozzle bath B3. Even after the supply of the cleaning liquid stops, the wafer W continues to rotate, and the cleaning liquid is shaken off and removed. Once 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 bath B1 to a discharge position for the wafer W at the right end side of the outer cup 44S, and discharge of the developer begins (FIG. 12). The nozzle 10 moves leftward, and a liquid film P1 of the developer is formed on the wafer W (FIGS. 7 and 13). While the tip surface (first liquid contact surface) 11 of the nozzle 10 is in a liquid contact state in which it is in contact with the liquid film P1, the nozzle 10 continues to move and the developer continues to be discharged from the discharge port (first discharge port) 12. When the liquid film P1 is formed over the entire wafer W and the nozzle 10 moves to the left end of the outer cup 44S in a plan view, the discharge of the developer stops, and the nozzle 10 returns to the nozzle bath B1 or moves onto the wafer W in order to process the wafer W on the spin chuck 41L. After the wafer W is left stationary for a predetermined time while the development process progresses, a cleaning liquid is supplied by the nozzle 30 to remove the liquid film P1, similar to the process of removing the liquid film P2, and the development of the resist film by the first development method is completed.

[0046] The wafer W on the spin chuck 41L is processed in the same manner as the wafer W on the spin chuck 41R. However, the nozzle 10 is positioned at the left end of the outer cup 44S to begin discharging the developer, and then moves toward the right end of the outer cup 44S to discharge the developer, forming a liquid film P1 on the wafer W. After reaching the right end of the outer cup 44S, the nozzle 10 either returns to the nozzle bath B1 or moves toward the spin chuck 41R to process the next wafer W. As described above, the flow path within the tall nozzle 10 is large, making it easy for developer to remain. However, because the nozzle 10 does not pass over the wafer W on which the liquid film P1 has been formed, even if the developer remaining in the flow path drips from the nozzle 10, it will not fall onto the liquid film P1 that has already been formed. This prevents problems from occurring during the development process. Furthermore, even if developer drips from the nozzle 10 onto the waiting nozzle arm 23 when the spin chuck 41R passes through the horizontal movement area A1 toward the nozzle bath B1 after processing the wafer W, the developer is received by the recess 23c of the liquid receiving portion 23b, thereby preventing contamination of the nozzle arm 23. This prevents unintentional dripping of developer from the nozzle arm 23 onto the wafer W when the nozzle 20 supplies developer.

[0047] Next, the second developing method will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. FIGS. 14 to 17 are schematic plan views showing the second developing method. In the second developing method, unlike the first developing method, first, a developer is supplied by nozzle 10, and then the developer is supplied by nozzle 20. Specifically, the following sequence is performed for wafer W held on spin chuck 41R: supply of developer by nozzle 10 (FIG. 14), supply and removal of cleaning liquid by nozzle 30 (FIG. 15), supply of developer by nozzle 20 (FIG. 16), and supply and removal of cleaning liquid by nozzle 30 (FIG. 17).

[0048] To explain this series of processes in detail, as shown in FIG. 14, the supply of developer from the nozzle 10 is performed in the same manner as the supply of developer from the nozzle 10 in the first developing method. The subsequent cleaning process (supply and removal of cleaning solution) is also performed in the same manner as the cleaning process in the first developing method. The subsequent development process using the nozzle 20 involves, for example, placing the nozzle 20 above the center of the wafer W, and bringing the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 into contact with a liquid film P2 of the discharged developer (FIG. 16). During this contact, the wafer W is rotated, but the nozzle 20 is stationary. Therefore, by locally stirring the developer at the center of the wafer W, the development reaction at the center progresses relatively rapidly. Thereafter, the discharge of the developer is stopped, the nozzle 20 is moved to the nozzle bath B2, and the cleaning process is performed in the same manner as the previous cleaning process.

[0049] The reasons for performing two development steps using nozzles 10 and 20 as in the first and second developing methods described above will be explained. First, regarding the first developing method, the lyophobicity and lyophilicity of the resist film surface with respect to the developer vary depending on the type of resist. In other words, the interfacial tension between the developer and the resist film surface when supplied to the resist differs depending on the type of resist. The nozzle 10 can supply the developer to the wafer W with high uniformity by having the outlet 12 of the aforementioned shape. However, depending on the interfacial tension, unintended flow of the developer immediately after supplying it to the wafer W may occur, which may reduce the in-plane uniformity of the processing. Furthermore, there is a risk that areas of the wafer W may not be covered with the developer.

[0050] To prevent this problem, development using the nozzle 20 is performed first. As described above, development progresses under the nozzle 20 with a relatively large flow of developer between the nozzle 20 and the wafer W due to shear stress generated by the rotation of the wafer W and the movement of the nozzle 20. As a result, the influence of the interfacial tension described above is suppressed, and when development using the nozzle 20 is completed, development is performed relatively uniformly across the surface of the wafer W. Furthermore, since the resist film is wetted and partially dissolved by the development using the nozzle 20, the effect of the interfacial tension described above is weakened when processing using the nozzle 10 begins thereafter. Therefore, the developer can be supplied uniformly across the surface of the wafer W using the nozzle 10, thereby improving in-surface processing uniformity.

[0051] Next, the second development method will be described. Even if development is uniform across the wafer W, due to variations in the processing of the wafer W from the formation of the resist film to development, the shape of the pattern may vary across the diameter of the wafer W. In other words, even if development is uniform, a pattern in a certain region of the wafer W may be formed as if the development progressed slower than the pattern in other regions. In the processing example of the wafer W shown in Figures 14 to 17, the pattern in the central region is formed as if the development progressed slower than the pattern in other regions. Therefore, in the second development method, the nozzle 10 is first used to develop the wafer W with high uniformity across the wafer W, and then the nozzle 20 is positioned only above the center of the wafer W to perform processing, thereby greatly promoting the development reaction in the center and achieving high in-plane uniformity of the pattern at the end of processing.

[0052] In this second developing method, the nozzle 20 may be positioned arbitrarily. To improve the in-plane uniformity of the pattern, the nozzle 20 may be positioned at a location on the wafer W where the development reaction is desired to proceed rapidly. As shown in FIG. 18, the nozzle 20 may be positioned on the peripheral edge to allow development to proceed rapidly in that peripheral edge. Furthermore, when attempting to allow the development reaction to proceed relatively rapidly in a portion of the wafer W, the nozzle 20 does not need to be stationary, but may be moved along the radial direction of the wafer W, as described in the first developing method. In this case, the degree of development in each portion of the wafer W can be adjusted by adjusting the moving speed of the nozzle 20, the rotation speed of the wafer W, and the flow rate of the developer being dispensed.

[0053] In the first and second developing methods, a cleaning process (supply of cleaning liquid and shaking off of the cleaning liquid) is performed between the first and second developing processes, but the first and second developing processes may be performed consecutively without this cleaning process. In the first developing method, which uses the nozzle 20 first, the nozzle 20 is shown moved so that the tip surface 21 passes over the entire surface of the wafer W. However, this does not prohibit the nozzle 20 from being stationary and being positioned locally within a portion of the surface of the wafer W, as shown in the second developing method. However, given the purpose of performing the first developing method described above, it is preferable to perform the process while moving the nozzle 20.

[0054] The development process by the developing apparatus 1 is not limited to development processes using both the nozzle 10 and the nozzle 20 as in the first and second developing methods. If sufficient in-plane uniformity of the pattern can be obtained by performing development using only one nozzle, then it is sufficient to use only one nozzle in this manner in order to increase the throughput of the apparatus. As described above, the developing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure, which is equipped with the first developer supply mechanism D1 including the nozzle 10 and the second developer supply mechanism D2 including the nozzle 20, can perform various developing methods, thereby improving the convenience of the developing apparatus.

[0055] If only the nozzle 20 is used, it is sufficient to move the nozzle 20 along the radial direction of the wafer W as described in the first developing method so that the entire surface of the wafer W is developed. Although the nozzle 20 is shown moving from the center of the wafer W toward the periphery, it may also be moved in the opposite direction. Developing the entire surface of the wafer W means developing the entire region where semiconductor devices are formed. Therefore, when developing using the nozzle 20, the tip face of the nozzle 20 does not need to be positioned at the peripheral edge of the wafer W outside the region where the semiconductor devices are formed.

[0056] The advantages of supplying developer through a wetted nozzle such as nozzle 10 or nozzle 20 of this embodiment (a nozzle whose lower end surface comes into contact with the liquid film on the wafer W during processing) will be explained by comparing it with supplying developer through a non-wetted nozzle, such as nozzle 30, which is different from these wetted nozzles. A non-wetted nozzle such as nozzle 30 shown in FIG. 11 is placed, for example, at an upper position relatively far above the surface of the wafer W, and supplies developer locally to the center of the wafer W, and then spreads the developer toward the periphery as the wafer W rotates. With development using such a non-wetted nozzle, developer continues to be supplied locally to the center of the wafer W, which can cause a difference in the progress of development between the center and periphery of the wafer W, potentially reducing the uniformity of the pattern across the wafer W.

[0057] In contrast, whether development is performed using one of the two liquid-contacting nozzles (nozzles 10, 20) or both, the supply position of the developer relative to the surface of the wafer W moves and is not fixed. Therefore, with a liquid-contacting nozzle, localized development, which occurs with a non-liquid-contacting nozzle, is less likely to occur, and a decrease in the uniformity of the development process can be suppressed.

[0058] The discharge port 12 of the nozzle 10 is not limited to a single slit-shaped opening, but may be formed by arranging a plurality of openings over a length that covers the width of the wafer W. In this case, the shape (outline) of the discharge port 12 may be circular or elliptical, polygonal, or slit-shaped. The same applies to the nozzle 20.

[0059] Next, before describing nozzle buses B1 to B3, which hold nozzles 10 to 30 in standby, nozzle bus B2 will be described as a representative example with reference to the longitudinal side view of FIG. 19 and the transverse plan view of FIG. 20. In addition to holding nozzles 20 in standby mode as described above, nozzle bus B2 also cleans the nozzles 20 while they are in standby mode with cleaning liquid L (not shown). The portions of the nozzles 20 that are cleaned are the tip surface 11 and the lower side of the outer surface, which come into contact with a liquid film of developer during the development process described above. Nozzle bus B2 includes a storage section 61 and a cleaning section 71. Storage section 61 is a rectangular box that is open at the top, and drainage channels 62 and 63 are formed in its bottom wall.

[0060] A cleaning unit 71 is disposed inside the storage unit 61. The description will continue with reference to FIG. 21, which is a perspective view of the cleaning unit 71. A cleaning liquid L is supplied between the surface of the cleaning unit 71 and the surface of the nozzle 20 in standby. There is no limitation on the type of liquid used as the cleaning liquid L, but pure water, for example, is used as the cleaning liquid L, and the cleaning unit 71 is formed from, for example, a fluororesin having a relatively high water repellency so as to prevent unnecessary liquid from remaining on the nozzle 20 after cleaning.

[0061] As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the cleaning unit 71 is roughly shaped like a rectangular, horizontally installed thick plate with long notches formed on the front and rear sides in the Y direction. The notches are located at the center of the front edge and the center of the rear edge in a plan view. As shown in Figure 19, the bottom surface of the thick plate is placed on the bottom wall of the storage unit 61, and the outer surface of the thick plate contacts the inner surface of the storage unit 61, so that the front and rear notches open upward and form drainage ports 72 that communicate with the drainage channel 62. Arc-shaped grooves 73 are formed on the left and right sides of the top surface of the thick plate in a plan view. The two arcs formed by these grooves 73 form part of a circle centered at the center of the thick plate. Both ends of the left groove 73 are connected to the left ends of each drainage port 72, and both ends of the right groove 73 are connected to the right ends of each drainage port 72. In FIG. 20, the center of the circle is indicated as P, and the upper surface of the thick plate outside the groove 73 is indicated as 74.

[0062] 19, the side surface of the groove 73 is formed by a descending surface 73A that descends in a generally vertical direction from the upper surface 74 of the thick plate. The bottom surface of the groove 73 is formed by a curved surface 73B that is arc-shaped in side view and that becomes lower toward the center P, thereby increasing the depth of the groove 73, and the curved surface 73B is continuous with the descending surface 73A. In this way, the groove 73 is formed so that the side toward the center P is deeper than the side toward the upper surface 74 of the thick plate, so that the cleaning liquid that overflows from the recessed portion 76 (described later) and is supplied to the groove 73 flows toward the drain port 72 without running onto the upper surface 74 of the thick plate.

[0063] A circular recess 76 is formed in the center of the thick plate in a plan view, with the center P as its center. Due to the formation of this recess 76, the outside of this recess 76 is configured as an annular wall 77, and the outer surface of the annular wall 77 forms the side surface of the groove 73 on the center P side. The side surface of the recess 76 extends in the vertical direction. 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.

[0064] The recess 76 provides a space for accommodating the nozzle 20 on standby, and the nozzle 20 moves in and out of the recess 76 by the lifting action of the movement mechanism 24. A portion of the bottom surface of the recess 76 is raised to form a circular platform 78 and an annular groove 79 surrounding the platform 78. The center of the platform 78 in plan view is center P, and the upper surface of the platform 78, which forms 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 tip surface 21, which is the lower surface of the nozzle 20.

[0065] In Figure 19, the nozzle 20 in standby is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and in Figure 20, the underside of the nozzle 20 in standby is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The upper end of the recess 76 is formed lower than the upper surface of the nozzle 20 in standby and higher than the upper surface of the base 78, and the side and bottom surfaces of the recess 76 surround the lower side of the nozzle 20 in standby. The tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 in standby faces the upper surface of the base 78, and a gap 81 is formed between the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 and the upper surface of the base 78. In plan view, the center of the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 in standby is aligned with the center P, and the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 does not protrude from the upper surface of the base 78 in plan view. The position of the nozzle 20 in standby is referred to as the standby position.

[0066] Drainage ports 82 open at two locations, one on the front side and one on the rear side, on the bottom surface of the annular groove 79, and each drainage port 82 is connected to a drainage path 63 provided in the storage section 61. A cleaning liquid discharge port 83 opens on the side surface of the recess 76, above the upper surface of the base 78. A cleaning liquid L is supplied from a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 to the cleaning section 71, and this cleaning liquid L is discharged from the discharge port 83 into the recess 76 via flow paths formed in the cleaning section 71 and the storage section 61. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 includes a valve that opens and closes to control the supply and cut-off of the cleaning liquid to the discharge port 83, a flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of cleaning liquid L supplied to the discharge port 83, and the like.

[0067] Regarding the discharge port 83, the discharge port 83 is formed on the base 78 so as to be able to supply the cleaning liquid L to the gap 81. The extension line of the discharge port 83 in the opening direction is along the diameter of the recess 76 in a plan view, but is positioned offset from this diameter. Therefore, after the cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge port 83 hits the side surface of the recess 76, it flows counterclockwise in a plan view along the side surface, forming a swirling flow. The flow of this cleaning liquid L is indicated by dotted arrows in Figure 20. The reason for forming such a swirling flow is to create a relatively large liquid flow throughout the gap 81 formed by the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 described above, thereby efficiently cleaning the tip surface 21.

[0068] The cleaning process of the nozzle 20 by the nozzle bus B2 will be described using the longitudinal side view of the nozzle bus B2 in Figure 22. With the nozzle 20 in the standby position, cleaning liquid L is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 84 to the discharge port 83, and is discharged from the discharge port 83, forming a swirling flow in the gap 81 between the nozzle 20 in the recess 76 and the base 78, thereby cleaning the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20.

[0069] A portion of the cleaning liquid L supplied in this manner flows into the drain port 82 of the annular groove 79 and is removed from the recess 76, but the level of the cleaning liquid L in the recess 76 rises by adjusting the amount of cleaning liquid L supplied from the discharge port 83 to be greater than the amount of cleaning liquid L discharged from the drain port 82. Then, a portion of the cleaning liquid L overflows from the recess 76 into the groove 73, and flows from the groove 73 to the drain port 72 and is removed.

[0070] Due to the influence of the swirling flow formed in the gap 81, the cleaning liquid L flows relatively widely in the circumferential direction of the recess 76, even in the region close to the liquid surface in the recess 76. Furthermore, when the cleaning liquid overflows from the recess 76, in addition to the circumferential liquid flow, a liquid flow from below to above is also formed. The side surface of the nozzle 20 is cleaned by being immersed in the cleaning liquid L, and this cleaning progresses efficiently due to the action of these liquid flows in addition to being immersed. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the discharge of the cleaning liquid L from the discharge port 83 stops, and the cleaning process is completed. The cleaning liquid L accumulated in the recess 76 is removed from the drain port 82 of the annular groove 79. The nozzle 20 is then used again for the development process.

[0071] Before reuse, the developer may be discharged from the discharge port 22 into the gap 81 at the standby position. This is an operation to remove the cleaning liquid L adhering to the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 by the discharged developer that spreads on the platform 78 so as to come into contact with the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20, and to prevent the developer that forms the liquid film P2 from being diluted by the cleaning liquid L when the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 comes into contact with the discharged liquid film P2 immediately after reuse.

[0072] A supplementary explanation will be given regarding the flow of the cleaning liquid L during the above-described cleaning process. As described above, a drain port 82 is formed in the annular groove 79 within the recess 76, and the cleaning liquid L supplied onto the platform 78 flows into this drain port 82 and is removed. That is, a liquid flow is formed from above the platform 78 toward the annular groove 79. Therefore, the cleaning liquid L that flows into the annular groove 79, carrying contaminants adhering to the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 after coming into contact with the tip surface 21, flows relatively easily toward the drain port 82, and is prevented from flowing back up onto the platform 78 against gravity. That is, the drain port 82 is provided at a height lower than the upper surface of the platform 78, where a swirling flow is formed, thereby preventing contaminants from re-adhering to the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20, and cleaning proceeds quickly. Note that, from the viewpoint of preventing contaminants from re-adhering, it is preferable to not provide the drain port 82 on the upper surface of the platform 78, as in the configuration example described above. As mentioned above, when viewed in a plane, the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20 does not protrude from the upper surface of the base 78, but by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably suppress the re-adhesion of dirt over the entire tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20.

[0073] Furthermore, as described above, the discharge port 83 of the cleaning liquid opens at the height of the gap 81. By opening at this height position, the flow velocity of the swirling flow formed below the nozzle 20 becomes relatively high, improving the cleaning properties of the tip surface 21 of the nozzle 20. From the viewpoint of increasing the flow velocity, only the upper side of the discharge port 83 may be opened at the height of the gap 81, and the lower side may be positioned at the height of the annular groove 79 (below the upper surface of the base 78). However, from the viewpoint of preventing redeposition of contaminants on the nozzle 20 without interfering with the flow of liquid from the top of the base 78 toward the annular groove 79, it is preferable to position the discharge port 83 above the upper surface of the base 78 (so that the lower end of the discharge port 83 is not positioned below the upper surface of the base 78), as in the configuration described above.

[0074] In the processing example described in Figure 22, the cleaning liquid L is made to overflow from the recess 76 during cleaning, but the side surface of the nozzle 20 may also be cleaned by adjusting the amount of cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge port 83 so that the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid L is positioned at an appropriate height within the recess 76 without overflowing.

[0075] Furthermore, the size of the recess 76 in the opening direction may be varied to prevent the cleaning liquid L from spilling out of the recess 76. In the example of Fig. 23, the annular wall 77 is bent in a vertical cross-sectional view, so that the diameter of the recess 76 increases toward the opening side. In such a recess 76, the rise of the liquid level of the cleaning liquid L on the upper side is suppressed, and therefore the cleaning liquid L is prevented from spilling out.

[0076] 24 , the annular wall 77 is bent in a vertical cross-sectional view, so that the diameter of the recess 76 decreases toward the opening side, and the upper end of the annular wall 77 and the side surface of the nozzle 20 are close to each other. This increases the pressure loss of the cleaning liquid L in the gap between the annular wall 77 and the nozzle 20, preventing the cleaning liquid L from flowing through the gap and causing it to be removed through the drain port 82 in the recess 76, thereby preventing the cleaning liquid L from overflowing. As described above, if the cleaning liquid L is configured to be processed without overflowing from the recess 76, the groove 73 and the drain port 72 provided outside the recess 76 in the nozzle bath B2 may not be provided. Furthermore, if the cleaning liquid L is configured to be overflowed from the recess 76, the drain path 63 and the drain port 82 provided in the recess 76 may not be provided.

[0077] As described above, the developing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration and operation described above. The substrate processed by the developing apparatus 1 is not limited to wafers W, but may also be an FPD (flat panel display) substrate. The embodiments and developing methods disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments and developing methods may be omitted, substituted, modified, and combined in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] P1, P2 liquid film W substrate 1. Developing device 10 No. 1 nozzle 11, 21 Tip surface 12, 22 outlet 14 Moving mechanism 20 Second nozzle 41L, 41R, 41 Spin Chuck 43 Rotation mechanism

Claims

1. a holder for holding the substrate; a first nozzle including a first outlet for the developer extending in a lateral direction over a length covering the width of the substrate; a moving mechanism that sets the first nozzle to a first state in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the first discharge port while the developer is being discharged from the first discharge port onto the substrate; a first liquid contact surface that forms an edge of the first discharge port and that comes into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the first state; a second nozzle including a second discharge port for the developer, the second discharge port being formed so that the length in the extension direction of the first discharge port is shorter than that of the first discharge port; a rotation mechanism that rotates the holding part so as to bring the substrate into a second state in which the substrate rotates while the developer is being discharged onto the substrate from the second discharge port; a second liquid contact surface that forms an edge of the second discharge port and that comes into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the second state; A developing device comprising:

2. The holding portions are provided in plural and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, a first standby section for allowing the first nozzle to standby is provided between the holding sections in the left-right direction, 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein a second standby section for causing the second nozzle to standby is provided for each of the holding sections on either the left or right side of the holding section.

3. a first standby section for causing the first nozzle to wait, and a second standby section for causing the second nozzle to wait, 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein a lateral movement area in a movement path between the first waiting section and the developer ejection position on the substrate for the first nozzle is located above a lateral movement area in a movement path between the second waiting section and the developer ejection position on the substrate for the second nozzle.

4. a second standby section for causing the second nozzle to standby; The second standby section is a recessed portion surrounding a lower side of the second nozzle by positioning an upper end of a side wall above a lower surface of the second nozzle in a standby state; a supply port that opens into the recess and supplies a cleaning liquid to clean the second liquid contact surface and a side surface of the second nozzle; The developing device according to claim 1 , comprising:

5. 5. A developing device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that outputs a control signal so that, for the same substrate, one of the first state in which the first liquid contact surface is in contact with a liquid film of the developer, the second state in which the second liquid contact surface is in contact with a liquid film of the developer, and the other state are sequentially formed.

6. holding the substrate with a holder; a step of discharging the developer from a first discharge port provided in the first nozzle so as to extend in the lateral direction over a length that covers the width of the substrate; a step of setting the first nozzle to a first state by a movement mechanism, in which the first nozzle is moved in a direction intersecting with an extension direction of the first discharge port while the developer is being discharged from the first discharge port onto the substrate; a step of bringing a first liquid contact surface forming an edge portion of the first discharge port into contact with a liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the first state; a step of discharging the developer from a second outlet formed in the second nozzle such that the length in the extension direction of the first outlet is shorter than that of the first outlet; rotating the holder by a rotation mechanism to set the substrate in a second state in which the substrate rotates while the developer is being discharged from the second discharge port onto the substrate; a step of bringing a second liquid contact surface forming an edge portion of the second discharge port into contact with the liquid film of the developer formed on the substrate in the second state; A developing method comprising:

7. The holding portions are provided in plural and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, a step of causing the first nozzle to wait in a first waiting section provided between the holding sections in the left-right direction; a step of causing the second nozzles to wait in second waiting sections provided for each of the holding sections on either the left or right side of the holding sections; The developing method according to claim 6, comprising:

8. a step of causing the first nozzle and the second nozzle to wait in a first waiting section and a second waiting section, respectively; 7. A developing method according to claim 6, wherein a lateral movement region in a movement path between the first waiting section and the developer ejection position on the substrate for the first nozzle is located above a lateral movement region in a movement path between the second waiting section and the developer ejection position on the substrate for the second nozzle.

9. a step of causing the second nozzle to wait in a second waiting section, the second standby section has a recessed portion that surrounds a lower side of the second nozzle by positioning an upper end of a side wall above a lower surface of the second nozzle during standby, 7. The developing method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of supplying a cleaning liquid to a supply port that opens into the recess, to clean the second liquid contact surface and a side surface of the second nozzle.

10. 10. The developing method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of sequentially forming, on the same substrate, one of the first state in which the first liquid contact surface is in contact with a liquid film of the developer and the second state in which the second liquid contact surface is in contact with a liquid film of the developer, and the other.

11. 7. A computer program for use in a developing apparatus for developing a substrate, the program comprising steps for executing the developing method according to claim 6.

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