Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To effectively suppress the generation of particles in a substrate processing technique for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the substrate.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to a peripheral portion of the substrate, in which a substrate holder is rotated at least once around a rotation axis while a contact surface for processing of a processing brush is in contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder. While the processing brush is kept in contact with and pressed against the peripheral portion, the processing liquid is supplied to the entire periphery of the peripheral portion through the processing contact surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6C

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a substrate processing technology that supplies a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of a substrate. Here, the substrates include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for solar cells (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates"). The processing also includes bevel cleaning. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a substrate processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to perform chemical processing, cleaning processing, etc. For example, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a processing liquid such as a chemical liquid or a rinse liquid is discharged from a nozzle onto the peripheral portion of a rotating substrate, thereby performing so-called bevel processing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-140680 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Splashes of processing liquid ejected toward the peripheral edge of the substrate (so-called "liquid splashes") occur on the substrate, which can become a source of particle generation. In particular, with the miniaturization of patterns formed on substrates, it is desirable to suppress the generation of even minute liquid splashes. However, sufficient effects have not necessarily been achieved.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to effectively suppress the generation of particles in a substrate processing technique in which a processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral portion of a substrate for processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate in a horizontal position so that it can rotate freely around a rotation axis extending vertically; a rotating unit that rotates the substrate holding unit around the rotation axis; a processing brush that has a processing contact surface that can contact the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and supplies processing liquid to the peripheral portion through the processing contact surface; a processing brush moving unit that moves the processing brush to a contact position where the processing contact surface contacts the peripheral portion of the substrate; and a control unit that controls the rotating unit and the processing brush moving unit so that the substrate holding unit holding the substrate rotates at least one revolution around the rotation axis while the processing brush is positioned at the contact position.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method characterized by comprising the steps of: holding a substrate in a horizontal position so that it can rotate freely around a rotation axis extending vertically; and abutting the processing contact surface of a processing brush against the peripheral portion of the substrate, and rotating the substrate at least one revolution around the rotation axis while supplying processing liquid to the peripheral portion via the processing contact surface.

[0008] In the invention configured as described above, the substrate holder rotates at least one revolution around the rotation axis while the processing brush contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate held by the substrate holder. With the processing brush in contact with and pressed against the peripheral edge, the processing liquid is supplied over the entire peripheral edge via the processing contact surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above invention, the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral edge of the substrate while the processing brush is in contact with the peripheral edge, thereby suppressing the occurrence of liquid splashes, and as a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the generation of particles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2A] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2B] 2B is a diagram showing functional blocks of a processing unit provided in a control unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. [Figure 3] 2B is a plan view of a part of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2A, viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of an upper surface protection and heating mechanism. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration and operation of a processing brush provided in the processing mechanism. [Figure 6B] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration and operation of a processing brush provided in the processing mechanism. [Figure 6C] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration and operation of a processing brush provided in the processing mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a view showing a second embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 8 is a plan view of a part of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 7, viewed from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a view showing a third embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a view showing a fifth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. This is not an external view of the substrate processing system 100, but a schematic view showing the internal structure of the substrate processing system 100 by excluding the exterior wall panels and other components. The substrate processing system 100 is a single-wafer processing apparatus installed, for example, in a clean room, for processing substrates S, each of which has a circuit pattern or the like (hereinafter referred to as a "pattern") formed on only one main surface. The substrates are processed using a processing solution in a processing unit installed in the substrate processing system 100. In this specification, the pattern-formed surface (one main surface) of the two main surfaces of a substrate on which a pattern is formed is referred to as the "front surface," and the opposite main surface on which no pattern is formed is referred to as the "rear surface." The surface facing downward is referred to as the "lower surface," and the surface facing upward is referred to as the "upper surface." In this specification, the "pattern-formed surface" refers to the surface of a substrate on which a concave-convex pattern is formed in any region.

[0012] Here, the "substrate" in this embodiment can be any of various substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for FEDs (Field Emission Displays), substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, etc. The following description will be given with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a substrate processing apparatus used primarily for processing semiconductor wafers, but the invention can also be applied to processing the various substrates exemplified above.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 has a substrate processing area 110 where disk-shaped substrates S are processed. An indexer unit 120 is provided adjacent to the substrate processing area 110. The indexer unit 120 has a container holder 121 that can hold a plurality of containers C for accommodating the substrates S (such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), an SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) pod, or an OC (Open Cassette) that accommodates a plurality of substrates S in a sealed state). The indexer unit 120 also has an indexer robot 122 that accesses the containers C held in the container holder 121 to remove unprocessed substrates S from the container C or store processed substrates S in the container C. Each container C accommodates a plurality of substrates S in a substantially horizontal position.

[0014] The indexer robot 122 comprises a base 122a fixed to the apparatus housing, an articulated arm 122b rotatable about a vertical axis relative to the base 122a, and a hand 122c attached to the tip of the articulated arm 122b. The hand 122c is structured so that a substrate S can be placed on its upper surface and held thereon. Indexer robots having such articulated arms and hands for holding substrates are well known, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0015] In the substrate processing area 110, a mounting table 112 is provided so that a substrate S from an indexer robot 122 can be placed thereon. In addition, a substrate transfer robot 111 is arranged approximately in the center of the substrate processing area 110 in a plan view. Furthermore, a plurality of processing units 1 are arranged surrounding the substrate transfer robot 111. The substrate transfer robot 111 randomly accesses these processing units 1 to transfer the substrate S. Meanwhile, each processing unit 1 performs a predetermined process on the substrate S. In this embodiment, one of these processing units 1 corresponds to the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing functional blocks of a processor included in a control unit of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2A, showing a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. In FIGS. 2A, 3, and the figures referred to below, the dimensions and number of components may be exaggerated or simplified for ease of understanding. The chamber 11 used in the substrate processing apparatus (processing unit) 1 has a rectangular bottom wall 11a in a plan view from vertically above, four side walls extending from the periphery of the bottom wall 11a, and a ceiling wall covering the upper ends of the side walls. The bottom wall, side walls, and ceiling wall combine to form an internal space 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0017] Base support members 16, 16 are fixed to the upper surface of bottom wall 11a with bolts or other fasteners while spaced apart from each other. In other words, base support member 16 stands upright from bottom wall 11a. A base member 17 is fixed to the upper ends of these base support members 16, 16 with bolts or other fasteners. This base member 17 has a planar size smaller than that of bottom wall 11a and is made of a plate material that is thicker and more rigid than bottom wall 11a. As shown in FIG. 2A , base member 17 is raised vertically upward from the bottom wall by base support members 16, 16. In other words, a so-called raised floor structure is formed at the bottom of internal space 12 of chamber 11. The upper surface of base member 17 is designed to accommodate a substrate processing unit SP that processes substrates S, as will be described in detail later. The substrate processing unit SP is installed on this upper surface. Each component of this substrate processing unit SP is electrically connected to control unit 10, which controls the entire apparatus, and operates in response to instructions from control unit 10.

[0018] 3, of the four side walls of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a transfer opening 11b1 is provided in the side wall 11b facing the substrate transfer robot 111, thereby communicating the internal space 12 with the outside of the chamber 11. Therefore, a hand (not shown) of the substrate transfer robot 111 can access the substrate processing unit SP through the transfer opening 11b1. In other words, the provision of the transfer opening 11b1 makes it possible to load and unload the substrate S into and from the internal space 12. In addition, a shutter 15 for opening and closing this transfer opening 11b1 is attached to the side wall 11b.

[0019] A shutter opening / closing mechanism (not shown) is connected to the shutter 15, and opens and closes the shutter 15 in response to an opening / closing command from the control unit 10. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, when an unprocessed substrate S is loaded into the chamber 11, the shutter opening / closing mechanism opens the shutter 15, and the unprocessed substrate S is loaded into the substrate processing unit SP in a face-up position by the hand of the substrate transfer robot 111. That is, the substrate S is placed on the spin chuck 21 of the substrate processing unit SP with the patterned surface facing upward. After the substrate is loaded, when the hand of the substrate transfer robot 111 retracts from the chamber 11, the shutter opening / closing mechanism closes the shutter 15. Then, within the processing space of the chamber 11, the substrate processing unit SP performs bevel processing on the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S. After the bevel processing is completed, the shutter opening / closing mechanism reopens the shutter 15, and the hand of the substrate transfer robot 111 unloads the processed substrate S from the substrate processing unit SP. As described above, in this embodiment, the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 is maintained at room temperature. In this specification, "room temperature" means a temperature range of 5°C to 35°C.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the substrate processing unit mounted on a base member. Hereinafter, to clarify the relative positions and operations of the various components of the apparatus, a coordinate system is used, where appropriate, with the Z direction defined as the vertical direction and the XY plane defined as the horizontal plane. The substrate processing unit SP includes a holding and rotation mechanism 2, a scattering prevention mechanism 3, an upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4, a processing mechanism 5, and an elevation mechanism 7 (FIG. 2A). These mechanisms are mounted on a base member 17. In other words, the holding and rotation mechanism 2, the scattering prevention mechanism 3, the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4, the processing mechanism 5, and the elevation mechanism 7 are positioned in a predetermined relationship relative to each other, with the base member 17 having higher rigidity than the chamber 11 as the reference.

[0021] 2A, the holding and rotation mechanism 2 includes a substrate holding part 2A that holds the substrate S in a horizontal position with the surface of the substrate S facing upward, and a rotation part 2B that synchronously rotates the substrate holding part 2A holding the substrate S and part of the shatter prevention mechanism 3. Therefore, when the rotation part 2B operates in response to a rotation command from the control unit 10, the substrate S and the rotating cup part 31 of the shatter prevention mechanism 3 are rotated around a rotation axis AX that extends parallel to the vertical direction Z.

[0022] The substrate holding unit 2A is equipped with a spin chuck 21, which is a disk-shaped member smaller than the substrate S. The spin chuck 21 is disposed so that its upper surface is substantially horizontal and its central axis coincides with the rotation axis AX. A cylindrical rotation shaft unit 22 is connected to the lower surface of the spin chuck 21. The rotation shaft unit 22 extends in the vertical direction Z with its axis coincident with the rotation axis AX. The rotating unit 2B is also connected to the rotation shaft unit 22.

[0023] The rotating unit 2B includes a motor 23 that generates a rotational driving force for rotating the substrate holding unit 2A and the rotating cup unit 31 of the scattering prevention mechanism 3, and a power transmission unit 24 that transmits the rotational driving force. The motor 23 has a rotating shaft 231 that rotates in response to the generated rotational driving force, and the rotating shaft 231 is mounted on the base member 17 so that it extends vertically downward. As shown in FIG. 2A , the tip of the rotating shaft 231 protrudes downward from the base member 17. The substrate holding unit 2A is also mounted on the base member 17 so that its lower end protrudes downward from the base member 17. A first pulley 241 and a second pulley 242 are attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 231 and the lower end of the substrate holding unit 2A, respectively. An endless belt 243 is stretched between the first pulley 241 and the second pulley 242. As described above, in this embodiment, the first pulley 241, the second pulley 242, and the endless belt 243 form the power transmission unit 24.

[0024] A through-hole (not shown) is provided in the center of the spin chuck 21, and communicates with the internal space of the rotating shaft portion 22. A pump 26 is connected to the internal space via piping 25 equipped with a valve (not shown). The pump 26 and the valve are electrically connected to the control unit 10 and operate in response to commands from the control unit 10. This allows negative pressure and positive pressure to be selectively applied to the spin chuck 21. For example, when the pump 26 applies negative pressure to the spin chuck 21 with the substrate S placed horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21, the spin chuck 21 suction-holds the substrate S from below. On the other hand, when the pump 26 applies positive pressure to the spin chuck 21, the substrate S can be removed from the upper surface of the spin chuck 21. When the suction of the pump 26 is stopped, the substrate S can be moved horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21.

[0025] The rotating unit 2B has a power transmission unit 27 (FIG. 2A) not only for rotating the spin chuck 21 integrally with the substrate S but also for rotating the rotating cup unit 31 in synchronization with the rotation. As shown in FIG. 2A, the power transmission unit 27 has a circular member 27a made of a non-magnetic material or resin, a spin chuck-side magnet 27M built into the circular member 27A, and a cup-side magnet 32M built into the lower cup 32, which is one component of the rotating cup unit 31. The circular member 27a is attached to the rotating shaft unit 22 as shown in FIG. 2A and is rotatable together with the rotating shaft unit 22 about the rotation axis AX.

[0026] A plurality of spin chuck side magnets 27M are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX at equal angular intervals on the outer periphery of the annular member 27a. In this embodiment, one of two adjacent spin chuck side magnets 27M is arranged so that the outer and inner sides thereof are N and S poles, respectively, and the other is arranged so that the outer and inner sides thereof are N and S poles, respectively.

[0027] Similar to these spin chuck-side magnets 27M, multiple cup-side magnets 32M are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX at equal angular intervals. These cup-side magnets 32M are built into the lower cup 32. The lower cup 32 is a component of the scattering prevention mechanism 3, which will be described next, and has an annular shape. That is, the lower cup 32 has an inner peripheral surface that can face the outer peripheral surface of the annular member 27a. The inner diameter of this inner peripheral surface is larger than the outer diameter of the annular member 27a. The lower cup 32 is arranged concentrically with the rotation shaft portion 22 and the annular member 27a, with the inner peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the annular member 27a at a predetermined distance (= (the inner diameter - the outer diameter) / 2). An engagement pin and a connecting magnet are provided on the upper surface of the outer periphery of the lower cup 32, which connect the upper cup 33 to the lower cup 32, and this connected body functions as the rotation cup portion 31.

[0028] The lower cup 32 is supported on the upper surface of the base member 17 by bearings (not shown) so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis AX while remaining in the above-described arrangement. As described above, the cup-side magnets 32M are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX at equal angular intervals on the inner peripheral edge of the lower cup 32. The arrangement of two adjacent cup-side magnets 32M is also the same as that of the spin chuck-side magnets 27M. That is, one is arranged so that the outer and inner sides are N and S poles, respectively, and the other is arranged so that the outer and inner sides are N and S poles, respectively.

[0029] In the power transmission unit 27 configured as described above, when the motor 23 rotates the circular member 27a together with the rotating shaft 22, the magnetic force between the spin chuck-side magnet 27M and the cup-side magnet 32M causes the lower cup 32 to rotate in the same direction as the circular member 27a while maintaining the air gap (the gap between the circular member 27a and the lower cup 32). This causes the rotating cup unit 31 to rotate around the rotation axis AX. In other words, the rotating cup unit 31 rotates in the same direction as the substrate S and in synchronization with it.

[0030] 2A and 3, the anti-scattering mechanism 3 has a rotating cup portion 31 that is rotatable about a rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer periphery of the substrate S held by the spin chuck 21, and a fixed cup portion 34 that is fixedly provided to surround the rotating cup portion 31. The rotating cup portion 31 has a lower cup 32 and an upper cup 33 that is disposed above the lower cup 32. The height position of the lower cup 32 is fixed in the vertical direction Z. Meanwhile, the upper cup 33 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction Z by the lifting mechanism 7. When the upper cup 33 is moved upward by the lifting mechanism 7, a transport space for loading and unloading the substrate S is formed between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 in the vertical direction Z. Meanwhile, when the upper cup 33 is moved downward by the lifting mechanism 7, it is connected to the lower cup 32. As a result, the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 are integrated with a gap extending horizontally formed therebetween, and rotate around the rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer periphery of the rotating substrate S. The rotating cup portion 31 collects and recovers the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portion Ss of the substrate S and the rinse liquid splashed from the substrate S during the rinse process and purge process described later.

[0031] FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism shown in FIG. 4. The upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4 has a shielding plate 41 disposed above the upper surface Sf of the substrate S held by the spin chuck 21. The shielding plate 41 has a circular plate 42 held in a horizontal position. The circular plate 42 incorporates a heater 421. The circular plate 42 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the substrate S. The circular plate 42 is supported by a support member 43 so that the lower surface of the circular plate 42 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Sf of the substrate S from above, excluding the peripheral edge Ss. The reference numeral 44 in FIG. 4 denotes a notch provided in the peripheral edge of the circular plate 42 to prevent interference with a processing brush 51 for supplying a processing liquid, a rinse nozzle 52 for supplying a rinse liquid, and a purge nozzle 53 for purging, all of which are included in the processing mechanism 5. The notch 44 opens radially outward.

[0032] The lower end of the support member 43 is attached to the center of the disk portion 42. A cylindrical through-hole is formed so as to penetrate the support member 43 and the disk portion 42 from top to bottom. A central nozzle 45 is inserted vertically into the through-hole. As shown in FIG. 2A , this central nozzle 45 is connected to a nitrogen gas supply unit 47 via piping 46. The nitrogen gas supply unit 47 heats room-temperature nitrogen gas supplied from the utility power of the factory in which the substrate processing system 100 is installed, and supplies the heated gas to the substrate processing unit SP at a flow rate and timing according to a heated gas supply command from the control unit 10.

[0033] The heated nitrogen gas (hereinafter referred to as "heated gas") is pressure-fed toward the central nozzle 45 and discharged from the central nozzle 45. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the heated gas is supplied while the disk portion 42 is positioned at a processing position close to the substrate S held by the spin chuck 21, the heated gas flows from the center toward the periphery of the space SPa sandwiched between the upper surface Sf of the substrate S and the disk portion 42 with the built-in heater. This prevents the atmosphere around the substrate S from entering the upper surface Sf of the substrate S. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent droplets contained in the atmosphere from being drawn into the space SPa sandwiched between the substrate S and the disk portion 42. Furthermore, the upper surface Sf is entirely heated by the heater 421 and the heated gas, thereby making the in-plane temperature of the substrate S uniform. This prevents the substrate S from warping and stabilizes the supply position of the processing liquid.

[0034] Returning to FIG. 2A , the lifting mechanism 7 will be described. The lifting mechanism 7 is connected to the upper end of the support member 43, the upper cup 33, and the nozzle holder 54 that holds both the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53. Therefore, in response to a command from the control unit 10, the lifting mechanism 7 raises and lowers the disk portion 42 of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4 between the processing position ( FIG. 2A ) and a spaced position spaced above the processing position. Simultaneously with the raising and lowering of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4, the upper cup 33 also raises and lowers. For example, in FIG. 2A , the disk portion 42 is located at the processing position due to the lowering of the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4. At the same time, the upper cup 33 lowers and connects to the lower cup 32. Meanwhile, when the lifting mechanism 7 raises the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4 and the upper cup 33 in response to a lift command from the control unit 10, the disk portion 42 moves upward away from the substrate S, and the upper cup 33 also rises and separates from the lower cup 32. This widens the gap between the spin chuck 21 and the upper cup 33 and the disk portion 42, making it possible to load and unload the substrate S onto and from the spin chuck 21.

[0035] 6A to 6C are partial perspective views showing the configuration and operation of the processing brush equipped in the processing mechanism. The processing mechanism 5 has the processing brush 51 as described above. The processing brush 51 has a semicircular brush substrate 511, a sponge brush member 512 attached to the underside of the brush substrate 511, and a connection part 513 erected from the upper surface of the brush substrate 511. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, the processing brush 51 is movable between an abutment position P1 (position indicated by a solid line in the drawings) and a standby position (position indicated by a dotted line in the drawings).

[0036] The connection portion 513 is connected to the processing brush moving unit 55, which moves the processing brush 51 between the contact position P1 and the standby position, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3 . For example, in response to a command from the control unit 10, the processing brush moving unit 55 moves the processing brush 51 to the standby position. Once positioned at the standby position, the sponge brush member 512 is immersed in the processing liquid stored in a processing liquid tank 56 located away from the contact position P1. The processing liquid tank 56 includes a built-in heater 561 that adjusts the temperature of the stored processing liquid. The temperature-adjusted processing liquid is then absorbed into and supported by the sponge brush member 512. On the other hand, when processing the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S with the processing liquid, the processing brush moving unit 55 moves the processing brush 51, with the sponge brush member 512 soaked in the processing liquid, to the contact position P1 in response to a command from the control unit 10, and positions the processing brush 51. Then, the tip of the sponge brush member 512 comes into contact with the peripheral edge Ss and supplies the treatment liquid.

[0037] What is noteworthy here is the structure of the processing brush 51. In the processing brush 51, the brush base material 511 is finished in a shape corresponding to half the circumference of the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S, and a sponge brush member 512 is attached to the entire lower surface of the brush base material 511. Therefore, when the processing brush 51 is positioned at the abutment position P1, the lower surface of the sponge brush member 512, i.e., the processing abutment surface 512a, can come into contact with the peripheral edge Ss while covering an area equivalent to half the circumference of the peripheral edge Ss from above.

[0038] 6A to 6C, the processing contact surface 512a is flexible and is finished so as to approach the peripheral edge Ss as it moves away from the rotation axis AX in the radial direction Dr of the substrate S. Therefore, the area of ​​the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S that comes into contact with the processing contact surface 512a and is processed by the processing liquid varies depending on the height position of the processing brush 51 at the contact position P1. When an etching liquid is used as the processing liquid, the control unit 10 can adjust the etching width of the peripheral edge Ss (an example of the processing width of the peripheral edge Ss that is beveled by the processing liquid) by moving the processing brush 51 in the vertical direction Z at the contact position P1. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B , when the processing brush moving unit 55 pushes the processing brush 51 downward by a relatively small amount ΔZ1 from the height position where the processing contact surface 512a contacts the peripheral edge Ss (see the dashed line in FIG. 6B ), the radial portion of the processing contact surface 512a slides against the peripheral edge Ss, and etching is performed with an etching width ΔW1 corresponding to the amount ΔZ1 of the processing brush 51. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C , when the processing brush 51 is pushed by an amount ΔZ2 greater than the amount ΔZ1, the area where the processing contact surface 512a slides against the peripheral edge Ss expands inward in the radial direction Dr. As a result, etching is performed with an etching width ΔW2 wider than the etching width ΔW1. Thus, in this embodiment, the area where the processing contact surface 512a of the processing brush 51 contacts the peripheral edge Ss of the rotating substrate S corresponds to an example of the “sliding contact area” of the present invention. Furthermore, in order to utilize such characteristics to perform bevel processing with a desired processing width (corresponding to an etching width when an etching liquid is used as the processing liquid), the control unit 10 controls the width of the sliding contact area between the processing contact surface 512a and the peripheral edge portion Ss in the radial direction Dr. This point will be described in detail later.

[0039] In order to remove the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S by the processing brush 51 as described above, the processing mechanism 5 has a rinse nozzle 52 and a purge nozzle 53. In this embodiment, the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53 are held together by a nozzle holder 57 (see FIG. 2A). The nozzle holder 57 is connected to a nozzle moving unit 58, and as shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle moving unit 58 is actuated in response to a command from the control unit 10 to move the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53 between a position above the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S and a retracted position away from the above position.

[0040] A rinse liquid supply unit 59, which supplies a rinse liquid such as DIW (deionized water), is connected to the rinse nozzle 52. A purge gas supply unit 60, which supplies a purge gas such as nitrogen gas (equivalent to an example of the "second gas" of the present invention), is connected to the purge nozzle 53. When the bevel processing is performed by the processing brush 51, the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53 are located in the notch 44 together with the processing brush 51, i.e., above the peripheral edge Ss, as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 3 . More specifically, in the rotation direction AR of the substrate S, the rinse nozzle 52 is disposed adjacent to the processing brush 51 downstream, and the purge nozzle 53 is disposed adjacent to the rinse nozzle 52 downstream. As the substrate S rotates in the rotation direction AR, the peripheral region of the peripheral edge Ss to which the processing liquid is supplied by the processing brush 51 is immediately rinsed with the rinse liquid, and then purged with nitrogen gas. This ensures that the processing liquid is removed from the peripheral region.

[0041] As described above, in the first embodiment, the rinse nozzle 52 and the rinse liquid supply unit 59 correspond to an example of a "rinse unit" of the present invention. Also, the purge nozzle 53 and the purge gas supply unit 60 correspond to an example of a "rinse liquid purge unit" of the present invention.

[0042] The control unit 10 corresponds to an example of a "controller" of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 2A, includes an arithmetic processing unit 10A, a memory unit 10B, a reader 10C, a drive controller 10D, a display unit 10E (e.g., a display), and an input unit 10F (e.g., a keyboard and a mouse). The memory unit 10B is configured with a hard disk drive or the like and stores a program for executing bevel processing using the substrate processing apparatus 1. The program is stored, for example, in a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc.), read from the recording medium by the reader 10C, and stored in the memory unit 10B. The program is not limited to being provided from a recording medium; for example, the program may be provided via a telecommunications line. The drive controller 10D controls each drive unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The display unit 10E displays various information, and the input unit 10F accepts input from an operator.

[0043] The arithmetic processing unit 10A is configured by a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 10B as follows to perform bevel processing. In this embodiment, the same steps as those of the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 are performed, except that the manner in which the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral edge portion Ss and the manner in which the processing liquid is removed are different. In this embodiment, to supply the processing liquid to the peripheral edge portion Ss, the arithmetic processing unit 10A includes a width information acquisition unit 10A1, a push-in amount calculation unit 10A2, a position information acquisition unit 10A3, and a brush movement control unit 10A4, as shown in FIG. 2B. The width information acquisition unit 10A1 acquires width information related to the width in the radial direction Dr of the peripheral edge portion Ss to be processed with the processing liquid (e.g., etching widths ΔW1 and ΔW2 when an etching liquid is used as the processing liquid). The push-in amount calculation unit 10A2 calculates the push-in amount corresponding to the width information. Position information acquisition unit 10A3 acquires position information of processing brush 51 based on a signal from a position detection means, such as an encoder built into the motor that is the drive source of processing brush movement unit 55 or a separately attached encoder. Brush movement control unit 10A4 controls processing brush movement unit 55 by pushing processing brush 51 by a pushing amount based on the above width information and position information so that the width of the sliding contact area in the radial direction Dr matches the width information. In the following, steps that are the same as those in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 will be briefly described, while differences will be described in detail.

[0044] The arithmetic processing unit 10A requests the substrate transfer robot 111 to load the substrate S. In response to this, the substrate S is placed on the spin chuck 21. Then, after the substrate transfer robot 111 retreats from the substrate processing apparatus 1, the spin chuck 21 suction-holds the substrate S from below. Subsequently, the arithmetic processing unit 10A lowers the upper surface protection and heating mechanism 4 and the nozzle holder 54. As a result, the disk portion 42 is positioned at the processing position, and at the same time, the upper cup 33 is connected to the lower cup 32. Furthermore, the lower surface of the disk portion 42 covers the upper surface Sf of the substrate S from above, excluding the notch 44.

[0045] Next, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 3, and 6A, the processing unit 10A moves the processing brush 51, whose sponge brush member 512 has been immersed in the processing liquid tank 56, into the notch 44 of the disk portion 42 and positions it above the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S with the processing contact surface 512a facing the peripheral edge Ss. In this embodiment, the processing contact surface 512a is positioned so that a portion of the processing contact surface 512a extends radially outward from the peripheral edge Ss in a plan view from above. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 10A positions the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53 together with the processing brush 51 in the notch 44. At this time, the rinse nozzle 52 and the purge nozzle 53 are positioned above the peripheral edge Ss with their outlets (not shown) facing the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S downstream of the processing brush 51 in the rotation direction AR of the substrate S. In this way, when preparation for bevel processing on the substrate S is complete, the arithmetic processing unit 10A starts rotating the substrate S and the rotating cup unit 31. In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the rotation of the substrate S and the rotating cup unit 31 so that the substrate S rotates around the rotation axis AX at a rotation speed slower than the rotation speed during bevel processing in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1.

[0046] Simultaneously with the start of rotation of the substrate S or the like, or after a predetermined time has elapsed, the arithmetic processing unit 10A lowers the processing brush 51 to bring the processing contact surface 512a into contact with the peripheral edge Ss, and then feedback-controls the further lowering of the processing brush 51 based on the width information and position information. More specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 10A presses the processing brush 51 by a predetermined amount to match the width of the sliding contact area in the radial direction Dr with the width information. This initiates bevel processing using the processing liquid at a preset width (e.g., etching widths ΔW1 and ΔW2 when an etching liquid is used as the processing liquid).

[0047] In response to the start of this bevel processing, the arithmetic processing unit 10A supplies a rinse liquid from the outlet of the rinse nozzle 52 to the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S, and also supplies nitrogen gas from the outlet of the purge nozzle 53. As a result, in parallel with the bevel processing using the processing liquid, a rinse process and a purge process are performed in this order on the peripheral region of the peripheral edge Ss to which the processing liquid has been supplied by the processing brush 51.

[0048] Then, after the substrate S has rotated at least one revolution, the arithmetic processing unit 10A stops the processing (e.g., etching) using the processing liquid by moving the processing brush 51 to the standby position, thereby separating the processing contact surface 512a from the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S. In this embodiment, even after the processing brush 51 has moved upward, the arithmetic processing unit 10A continues the rinsing process and purging process for at least half a revolution or more, thereby preventing the processing liquid from remaining on the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S.

[0049] Once the processing liquid and rinse liquid have been removed from the peripheral edge portion Ss, the arithmetic processing unit 10A stops the supply of rinse liquid from the rinse nozzle 52 and the supply of nitrogen gas from the purge nozzle 53, and also stops the rotation of the substrate S and the rotating cup portion 31.

[0050] Thereafter, the arithmetic processing unit 10A requests the substrate transport robot 111 to unload the substrate S, and the processed substrate S is carried out from the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0051] As described above, in the first embodiment, the processing brush 51, which is immersed in the processing liquid tank 56 and soaked in the processing liquid, comes into contact with the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S, thereby supplying the processing liquid to the peripheral edge Ss. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the substrate S when supplying the processing liquid is slower than that of conventional devices. Therefore, splashing of liquid can be prevented more effectively than in conventional devices (for example, the device described in Patent Document 1) that supply the processing liquid to the peripheral edge Ss by ejecting the processing liquid from the ejection opening of a nozzle toward the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S.

[0052] Furthermore, since the processing brush 51 soaked in the processing liquid is brought into contact with the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S and supplied to the peripheral edge Ss, the amount of processing liquid that splashes from the peripheral edge Ss is reduced compared to conventional devices, allowing the processing liquid to be used effectively. As a result, the amount of processing liquid consumed in the bevel processing can be reduced, and the environmental impact can be reduced.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the processing contact surface 512a is flexible and is finished so as to approach the peripheral edge Ss as it moves away from the rotation axis AX in the radial direction Dr of the substrate S. When performing bevel processing, the processing brush 51 is pressed in by a predetermined amount based on the width information and position information, so that the width of the sliding contact area in the radial direction Dr matches the width information. As a result, when an etching solution is used as the processing solution, for example, the bevel processing can be performed uniformly with a preset etching width without being affected by the surface condition of the substrate S.

[0054] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a heater 561 is built into the processing liquid tank 56, and the processing liquid is adjusted to a temperature suitable for bevel processing. Therefore, the bevel processing can be performed efficiently, and throughput can be improved.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a portion of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 7, showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing unit. This second embodiment differs significantly from the first embodiment in that, instead of the rinse nozzle 52 and rinse liquid supply unit 59, a rinse brush 61, a rinse brush moving unit 62, and a rinse liquid tank 63 are provided as the "rinse unit" of the present invention. In other words, instead of supplying rinse liquid by ejection from the outlet of the rinse nozzle 52 to the peripheral portion Ss of the substrate S, the rinse brush 61 soaked in rinse liquid is supplied to the peripheral region to which the processing liquid has been applied by the processing brush 51. Note that the other components are basically the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 7, the rinse brush 61 has a similar configuration to the processing brush 51. Specifically, the rinse brush 61 includes a substantially semicircular brush substrate 611, a sponge brush member 612 attached to the underside of the brush substrate, and a connection portion 613 extending from the upper surface of the brush substrate. The connection portion 613 is connected to a rinse brush moving unit 62. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rinse brush 61 is moved by the rinse brush moving unit 62 between a contact position (position indicated by a solid line in the drawings) and a standby position (position indicated by a dotted line in the drawings). For example, in response to a command from the control unit 10, the rinse brush moving unit 62 moves the rinse brush 61 to the standby position. When the rinse brush 61 is positioned at the standby position, the sponge brush member 612 is immersed in the rinse liquid stored in a rinse liquid tank 63 located away from the contact position. This allows the rinse liquid to soak into and be carried by the sponge brush member 612. On the other hand, when rinsing the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S with the rinse liquid, the rinse brush moving part 62 moves and positions the rinse brush 61, whose sponge brush member 612 has been soaked in the rinse liquid, to the contact position in response to a command from the control unit 10. Then, the rinse contact surface 612a of the sponge brush member 612 comes into contact with the peripheral edge Ss, and the rinse process with the rinse liquid is performed.

[0057] In the second embodiment configured as described above, the processing unit 10A stops the bevel processing using the processing liquid by moving the processing brush 51 upward to separate the processing contact surface 512a from the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S after the substrate S has rotated at least one revolution. This is the same as the first embodiment, but the conditions for stopping the rinsing process and the purging process are partially different. That is, even after the processing brush 51 starts to move to the standby position, the processing unit 10A stops the rinsing process when the rinse brush 61 starts to move into the rinse liquid tank 63 after the rinse brush 61 continues to contact the peripheral edge Ss for at least half a revolution. Furthermore, even after the rinse brush 61 starts to move into the rinse liquid tank 63, the purging process continues for at least half a revolution to prevent the rinse liquid from remaining on the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S.

[0058] In the second embodiment, not only are the effects similar to those of the first embodiment achieved, but the rinse process is performed while the sponge brush member 612 of the rinse brush 61 is in sliding contact with the peripheral edge Ss over approximately half the circumference on the opposite side of the substrate S from the processing brush 51 (the left-hand side in FIG. 8). This effectively prevents splashing of the rinse liquid and efficiently removes residue left after processing with the processing liquid. As a result, particle generation can be more effectively suppressed.

[0059] 9 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The third embodiment differs significantly from the first embodiment in that a purge nozzle 64 for purging processing liquid radially outward from the substrate S and a purge nozzle moving unit 65 for moving the purge nozzle 64 are additionally provided. Note that other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description of the configurations will be omitted.

[0060] In the third embodiment, the purge nozzle 64 is connected to the purge gas supply unit 60 and is capable of discharging nitrogen gas as a processing liquid purge gas (corresponding to an example of the "first gas" of the present invention) from a discharge port 641 provided at the tip of the purge nozzle 64. The purge nozzle 64 is connected to a purge nozzle moving unit 65. Therefore, when performing bevel processing, the purge nozzle 64 is positioned by the purge nozzle moving unit 65 closer to the rotation axis AX than the processing brush 51 in the radial direction Dr so that the discharge port 641 faces the sliding contact area where the peripheral edge Ss and the sponge brush member 512 are in sliding contact with each other. For ease of explanation, this position is referred to as the "processing liquid purge position." On the other hand, when bevel processing is not being performed, the purge nozzle 64 is retracted to a position away from the processing brush 51 and away from the processing liquid purge position.

[0061] In the third embodiment configured as described above, the processor 10A controls the purge nozzle moving unit 65 to position the purge nozzle 64 at the processing liquid purging position when preparing for the beveling of the substrate S. Then, simultaneously with or slightly after the start of the beveling, the processor 10A ejects nitrogen gas as a processing liquid purging gas from the outlet 641 of the purge nozzle 64 toward the sliding contact region, as shown in FIG. 9 . This pushes the processing liquid that tends to seep inward in the radial direction Dr after being supplied to the peripheral edge Ss outward in the radial direction Dr. As a result, it is possible to prevent the area processed by the processing liquid during the beveling from expanding inward in the radial direction Dr from the sliding contact region, thereby preventing a decrease in the accuracy of the beveling. Note that excess processing liquid supplied to the sliding contact region is scattered to the outside of the substrate S along the flow of the processing liquid purging gas and collected in the rotating cup unit 31.

[0062] Thus, in the third embodiment, the purge nozzle 64 corresponds to an example of the "processing liquid purge section" of the present invention.

[0063] FIG. 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The fourth embodiment differs significantly from the first embodiment in the manner in which the processing liquid is supplied to the processing brush 51. In other words, in the first embodiment, the sponge brush member 512 of the processing brush 51 is immersed in the processing liquid tank 56 to allow the processing liquid to soak into the sponge brush member 512. Therefore, the amount of processing liquid carried by the sponge brush member 512 during each immersion is fixed, and continuous bevel processing beyond this amount is not possible. In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the processing liquid is circulated and supplied to the sponge brush member 512, allowing continuous bevel processing. To enable this, a processing liquid tank 66 is provided that stores the processing liquid while adjusting the temperature of the processing liquid using a heater 661. Since the other components are similar to those of the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0064] The processing liquid tank 66 is connected to the processing brush 51 by a supply pipe 514 and a suction pipe 515. A processing liquid supply unit 67 is inserted into the supply pipe 514. When the processing liquid supply unit 67 is activated in response to a command from the control unit 10, the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank 66 is supplied to the sponge brush member 512 via the supply pipe 514. In addition, a processing liquid suction unit 68 is inserted into the suction pipe 515. When the processing liquid suction unit 68 is activated in response to a command from the control unit 10, the processing liquid remaining in the sponge brush member 512 is returned to the processing liquid tank 66. As a result, in the processing brush 51, a predetermined amount of processing liquid is always present in the sponge brush member 512, and the processing liquid can be stably supplied from the sponge brush member 512 to the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the processing contact surface 512a of the sponge brush member 512 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge portion Ss of the substrate S, there is a restriction that the bevel processing cannot be continued beyond the amount of processing liquid that has soaked into the sponge brush member 512. In contrast, the present embodiment is not subject to the above restriction and can continue the bevel processing, providing excellent versatility.

[0065] In the fourth embodiment, the processing liquid tank 66, the supply pipe 514, the processing liquid supply unit 67, the suction pipe 515, and the processing liquid suction unit 68 constitute the "processing liquid circulation unit" of the present invention, and the processing liquid is circulated between the sponge brush member 512 and the processing liquid tank 66.

[0066] 11 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The fifth embodiment differs significantly from the first embodiment in that a brush cleaning unit 69 for cleaning the processing brush 51 is added. Since the other components are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and a description of the components will be omitted.

[0067] The brush cleaning section 69 has a cleaning liquid reservoir tank that stores a cleaning liquid for cleaning the processing brush 51. The control unit 10 controls the processing brush moving section 55 so that the processing brush 51 is immersed in the cleaning liquid reservoir tank of the brush cleaning section 69 and cleaned at an appropriate cleaning timing. This removes foreign matter such as particles adhering to the processing brush 51. The above cleaning timing may include, for example, every time a bevel process is performed on a substrate S or every time the cumulative number of substrates that have been continuously beveled reaches a certain value.

[0068] As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the processing brush 51 can be kept in good condition and bevel processing can be performed stably. Note that in the fifth embodiment, the processing brush 51 is cleaned by immersing it in a cleaning liquid storage tank, but it goes without saying that the processing brush 51 may be cleaned by other methods.

[0069] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, position information of the processing brush 51 is obtained based on a signal from a position detection means such as an encoder, and the processing width, such as the etching width, is controlled. However, the processing width may also be controlled based on the pressure with which the processing brush 51 presses the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S. An electro-pneumatic regulator, for example, can be used as the pressure detection means.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, beveling is performed while indirectly determining the processing width based on the position information and pressing pressure of the processing brush 51, but feedback control of the pressing amount and the rotation speed of the substrate S may also be performed while directly detecting the processing width. As a means for directly detecting the processing width, for example, the width of the sliding contact area may be continuously or intermittently detected based on boundary information relating to the boundary between the area treated with the processing liquid and the area not treated, which is included in an image obtained by capturing an image of the peripheral area Ss immediately after purging using an imaging unit such as that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-153470. Such feedback control makes it possible to improve the accuracy of the processing width.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in order to change the processing width, the processing contact surface 512a of the processing brush 51 is finished so that it approaches the peripheral edge Ss as it moves away from the rotation axis AX in the radial direction Dr of the substrate S, and the processing width is controlled by the amount of depression. Here, a processing brush 51 may be used in which the processing contact surface 512a is finished so that it is parallel to the peripheral edge Ss of the substrate S. In this case, as a means for changing the processing width, processing brushes 51 having processing contact surfaces 512a with different widths in the radial direction Dr are prepared. Then, the processing brushes 51 can be selectively used depending on width information related to the width in the radial direction Dr of the peripheral edge Ss to be processed with the processing liquid.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a rotating cup portion 31, but the present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a so-called fixed cup portion. [Industrial Applicability]

[0073] The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing techniques in which a processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral edge of a rotating substrate for processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1...Substrate processing equipment 2...Holding and rotating mechanism 2A...Board holding part 2B...Rotating part 10...Control unit (control section) 10A1…Width information acquisition section 51...Processing brush 52...Rinse nozzle 53,64...Purge nozzle 55...Processing brush moving part 56...Processing liquid tank 58...Nozzle moving part 59...Rinse liquid supply unit 60...Purge gas supply unit 61...Rinse brush 62...Rinse brush moving part 63...Rinse liquid tank 65...Purge nozzle moving part 66...Processing liquid tank 67... Processing liquid supply unit 68... Processing liquid suction part 512, 612...Sponge brush parts 512a... Processing contact surface 514...Supply piping 515...Suction piping 612a...Rinse contact surface 641…Discharge port AR...Rotation direction AX...axis of rotation Dr...(circumferential direction of the board) P1…Contact position S...Substrate Ss...periphery (of the substrate) ΔW1, ΔW2...etching width (width information) Z: Vertical direction

Claims

1. a substrate holder that holds the substrate in a horizontal position so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis that extends in a vertical direction; a rotation unit that rotates the substrate holding unit around the rotation axis; a processing brush having a processing contact surface capable of contacting a peripheral portion of the substrate held by the substrate holder, the processing brush supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral portion via the processing contact surface; a processing brush moving unit that moves the processing brush to a contact position where the processing contact surface contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate; a control unit that controls the rotating unit and the processing brush moving unit so as to rotate the substrate holding unit that holds the substrate at least one revolution around the rotation axis while the processing brush is positioned at the abutting position; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , the processing contact surface is finished so as to approach the peripheral edge portion as it moves away from the rotation axis in the radial direction of the substrate, the processing brush moving unit moves the processing brush in a vertical direction at the contact position to change a sliding contact area between the processing contact surface and the peripheral edge portion, The control unit of the substrate processing apparatus has a width information acquisition unit that acquires width information related to the radial width of the peripheral portion to be processed with the processing liquid, and controls the processing brush moving unit so that the width of the sliding contact area in the radial direction matches the width information.

3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an imaging unit for acquiring an image of the peripheral portion, The control unit controls the processing brush moving unit while continuously or intermittently acquiring the width of the sliding contact area based on boundary information related to the boundary between the area processed by the processing liquid and the area not processed, which is included in the image acquired by the imaging unit.

4. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing liquid purge unit that blows a first gas onto the sliding contact area from the rotation axis side to push the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral edge portion in a radial direction of the substrate.

5. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a processing liquid tank for storing the processing liquid at a position separated from the contact position; the processing brush is a sponge brush capable of carrying the processing liquid, the processing brush moving unit moves the processing brush between the contact position and the separated position, The control unit controls the processing brush moving unit so that the processing brush moves to the separated position, receives and carries the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank, and then moves to the abutment position, where it is pressed against the peripheral portion to supply the processing liquid.

6. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a processing liquid circulating unit connected to the processing brush, the processing brush is a sponge brush capable of carrying the processing liquid, the treatment liquid circulation unit includes a tank that stores the treatment liquid, a treatment liquid supply unit that supplies the treatment liquid from the tank to the treatment brush, and a treatment liquid circulation unit that recovers the treatment liquid from the treatment brush into the tank, The control unit controls the processing liquid circulation unit so that the processing liquid circulates between the tank and the processing brush.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , a rinse unit that supplies a rinse liquid to the peripheral portion to which the processing liquid has been supplied by the processing brush, thereby rinsing the processing liquid from the substrate.

8. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, The rinsing unit has a rinsing contact surface that can contact the peripheral portion to which the processing liquid has been supplied, and a rinsing brush that supplies the rinsing liquid to the peripheral portion via the rinsing contact surface.

9. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, a rinse liquid purge unit that blows a second gas onto the peripheral portion to which the rinse liquid has been supplied, thereby removing the rinse liquid from the substrate.

10. a step of holding the substrate in a horizontal position so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; a step of bringing a processing contact surface of a processing brush into contact with a peripheral edge portion of the substrate, and rotating the substrate at least one revolution around the rotation axis while supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge portion via the processing contact surface; A substrate processing method comprising:

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