Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can improve the removal rate of foreign matter adhering to the substrate. [Solution] The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment comprises a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate, a processing liquid supply unit for supplying processing liquid onto the cleaning surface of the substrate, a solidification unit for supplying a cooling medium for cooling the substrate, an impact application unit capable of applying impact to the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate, and a control unit for controlling the processing liquid supply unit, the solidification unit, and the impact application unit. The control unit controls the solidification unit to cool the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate to a temperature lower than the solidification point, thereby creating a supercooled state, and controls the impact application unit to apply impact to a forced freezing point located away from the spontaneous freezing point of the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate when the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate reaches a set temperature that is lower than the solidification point and higher than the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This embodiment relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Background Art

[0002] There is freeze cleaning in which a cooling medium is brought into contact with the back surface of a substrate, a liquid film formed on the surface of the substrate is solidified to form a frozen film, and the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the substrate is removed by removing the frozen film. At this time, the liquid film formed on the surface of the substrate is cooled to a temperature below the freezing point and spontaneously solidifies at a predetermined temperature to form a frozen film.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of improving the removal rate of foreign matter adhering to a substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment comprises a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate, a processing liquid supply unit for supplying processing liquid onto the cleaning surface of the substrate, a solidification unit for supplying a cooling medium for cooling the substrate, an impact application unit capable of applying impact to the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate, and a control unit for controlling the processing liquid supply unit, the solidification unit, and the impact application unit. The control unit controls the solidification unit to cool the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate to a temperature below the freezing point, thereby creating a supercooled state. When the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate reaches a set temperature that is below the freezing point and higher than the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs, the control unit controls the impact application unit to apply impact to a forced freezing point located away from the spontaneous freezing point of the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] A schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing of the processing liquid layer in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing of the processing liquid layer in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] A flowchart showing an example of the freeze-cleaning procedure in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing in the treatment liquid layer in a comparative configuration. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the progress of freezing at the start of freezing of the treatment liquid layer in the comparative form. [Figure 13] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] A top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the third embodiment. [Figure 17] A top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the third embodiment. [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the third embodiment. [Figure 19] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the third embodiment. [Figure 20] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the third embodiment. [Figure 21] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the third embodiment. [Figure 22] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the third embodiment. [Figure 23] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 24] A top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 25] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 27] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 29]A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 30] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 31] A top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 32] A diagram of the ultrasonic oscillator included in the substrate processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 33] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 34] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 35] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 36] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 37] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 38] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 39] A top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 40] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 41] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 42] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 43] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 44] A diagram showing an example of the procedure of the substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 45] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the seventh embodiment. [Figure 46] A cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the eighth embodiment. [Figure 47] A flowchart showing an example of the freeze-cleaning procedure in the eighth embodiment. [Figure 48] A schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in the ninth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are not limiting to the present invention. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the proportions of each part may not necessarily be the same as those of actual objects. In the specification and drawings, elements similar to those described above with respect to previously shown drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0008] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment. Figures 3 to 7 are diagrams showing an example of the procedure for processing a substrate in the first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80a, and a control unit 90a.

[0009] The chamber 10 is, for example, a rectangular or cylindrical container into which substrates W to be subjected to freeze cleaning can be loaded and unloaded.

[0010] Stage 20 holds the substrate W. Stage 20 corresponds to the substrate holding section. Stage 20 is provided with support sections 21 that support the substrate W at a position higher than the upper surface of Stage 20. The support sections 21 support the substrate W at a distance from the upper surface of Stage 20 so that the cooling medium 31, described later, contacts the back surface, i.e., the bottom surface, of the substrate W. When the substrate W is supported by Stage 20, it may be supported so that the cleaned surface of the substrate W becomes the top surface. The support sections 21 extend vertically from the upper surface of Stage 20 and contact a part of the side surface or bottom surface of the substrate W to support the substrate W. The support sections 21 are, for example, pin-shaped, and multiple support sections 21 are provided on the upper surface of Stage 20. If the substrate W is quadrilateral, the support sections 21 may be provided at four locations on the upper surface of Stage 20 to support the four ends of the substrate W. The following describes the case where four support sections 21 are provided on the upper surface of Stage 20.

[0011] Furthermore, a through-hole 22 is provided near the horizontal center of the stage 20, extending vertically. The through-hole 22 extends vertically from the top surface of the stage 20 in the opposite direction to the support portion 21, and penetrates the stage 20. The portion where the through-hole 22 intersects with the top surface of the stage 20 becomes a supply port 23 for the cooling medium 31. The through-hole 22 of the stage 20 is connected to a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, and the cooling medium 31 supplied from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is supplied to the back surface of the cleaning surface of the substrate W through the through-hole 22.

[0012] The stage 20 may be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the surface on which the substrate can be placed. This axis may pass through the center of the surface on which the substrate W can be placed. If the stage 20 is rotatable, the support portion 21 may be provided with a stopper to suppress the horizontal movement of the substrate W due to the rotation of the stage 20. Also, if the stage 20 is rotatable, the stage 20 may have a rotation mechanism, and the rotation mechanism may be controlled by the control unit 90a.

[0013] The cooling medium supply mechanism 30 supplies a cooling medium 31 to cool the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate W during freeze cleaning to below the freezing point of the processing liquid. The cooling medium supply mechanism 30 includes, for example, a cooling medium storage unit (not shown), cooling medium piping, and a valve. The cooling medium storage unit stores the cooling medium 31. The cooling medium piping connects the cooling medium storage unit to the through-hole 22 of the stage 20. The valve switches the supply of the cooling medium 31 on and off. The cooling medium supply mechanism 30 corresponds to the freezing section.

[0014] The cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is connected to the stage 20 via a through-hole 22, and supplies the cooling medium 31 towards the back surface of the substrate W through the through-hole 22. Therefore, the cooling medium 31 passes through the through-hole 22 and is supplied into the chamber 10 from the supply port 23, contacting the back surface of the cleaning surface on the substrate W and cooling the substrate W and the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W. Furthermore, the through-hole 22 is located near the center of the stage 20 when viewed from above, and the cooling medium 31 supplied from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is supplied towards the center of the back surface of the substrate W. In other words, the back surface of the substrate W is cooled first in the center, and then gradually cooled towards the edges.

[0015] Furthermore, the supply location of the cooling medium 31 from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 to the back surface of the substrate W does not have to be the center of the back surface of the substrate W. In this case, the substrate W is first cooled from the area where the cooling medium 31 is supplied, and then gradually cooled toward the periphery.

[0016] As the cooling medium 31 supplied from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30, for example, a gas such as nitrogen gas cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid supplied to the cleaning surface of the substrate W, or a liquid such as liquid nitrogen or liquid fluorocarbon is used.

[0017] The cleaning cup 40 is located inside the chamber 10. The shape of the cleaning cup 40 may be, for example, cylindrical. The stage 20 is housed inside the cleaning cup 40.

[0018] The processing liquid supply unit 50 includes a nozzle 51 for dripping the processing liquid onto the cleaning surface of the substrate W, a nozzle head 52, a processing liquid supply mechanism 53, and a position adjustment unit 54.

[0019] The nozzle 51 and nozzle head 52 are positioned above the substrate W and are used for freeze cleaning, supplying a processing liquid to the cleaning surface of the substrate W. The processing liquid is, for example, pure water or deionized water. The supply port of the nozzle 51 is above the substrate W and may be located near the center. The following describes the case where the nozzle 51 of the processing liquid supply unit 50 is provided above the center of the substrate W placed on the stage 20, and pure water is supplied as the processing liquid. The center refers to, for example, the center of the substrate W and its vicinity.

[0020] The nozzle 51 and nozzle head 52 are connected to the processing liquid supply mechanism 53 via processing liquid piping (not shown). In other words, the processing liquid piping (not shown) connects the nozzle 51 and the processing liquid supply mechanism 53. The processing liquid supply unit 50 may be provided so as to be movable in the horizontal or vertical direction by a position adjustment unit 54, or it may be fixed in place near the center of the stage 20. The processing liquid supply unit 50 may also be provided so as to be rotatable.

[0021] The processing liquid supply mechanism 53 includes, for example, a processing liquid storage unit for storing processing liquid (not shown), processing liquid piping (not shown), a pump (not shown), and a valve (not shown). The processing liquid storage unit stores the processing liquid to be supplied onto the substrate W. For example, pure water is stored in the processing liquid storage unit. The processing liquid piping connects the nozzle head 52 and the processing liquid storage unit. The pump sends the processing liquid from the processing liquid storage unit to the nozzle 51 via the processing liquid piping. The valve switches between supplying and stopping the processing liquid from the processing liquid storage unit to the nozzle 51.

[0022] The position adjustment unit 54 can drive the nozzle 51 or nozzle head 52 horizontally or vertically. The position adjustment unit 54 drives the nozzle 51 or nozzle head 52 under control from the processing liquid supply control unit 91, which will be described later.

[0023] The radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W. The radiation thermometer 60 is included in the first thermometer.

[0024] The radiation thermometer 60 may be built into the nozzle 51 or nozzle head 52 of the processing liquid supply unit 50, or it may be provided separately from the processing liquid supply unit 50. When the radiation thermometer 60 is built into the nozzle 51 or nozzle head 52 of the processing liquid supply unit 50, the radiation thermometer 60 is driven in conjunction with the horizontal or vertical movement of the processing liquid supply unit 50 by the position adjustment unit 54. When the radiation thermometer 60 is provided separately from the processing liquid supply unit 50, the radiation thermometer 60 may have a drive mechanism (not shown) and be driven horizontally or vertically above the substrate W.

[0025] Furthermore, the radiation thermometer 60 may estimate the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 by measuring the temperature of the center of the substrate W. This is because the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 is reflected in the substrate W. This indirect measurement method is also included in the meaning of "the radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W."

[0026] The temperature information measured by the radiation thermometer 60 is sent to the control unit 90a, which will be described later. The following description will focus on the case where the radiation thermometer 60 is built into the processing liquid supply unit 50.

[0027] The thermometer 70 measures the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W, which will be described later. The thermometer 70 is included in the second thermometer.

[0028] The thermometer 70 has a drive mechanism (not shown) and may be movable horizontally or vertically above the substrate W by the drive mechanism, or it may be fixed in a predetermined position.

[0029] Furthermore, the thermometer 70 may estimate the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer by measuring the temperature distribution of the substrate W. This indirect measurement method is also included in the meaning of "the thermometer 70 measures the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W."

[0030] The temperature information measured by the thermometer 70 is sent to the control unit 90a, which will be described later.

[0031] Furthermore, if temperature distribution information of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer is recorded in hardware or software, it is not necessary to provide the radiation thermometer 60 and the thermometer 70. In this case, the hardware or software can retain information such as the change in temperature of the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W over time and the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer, and may give instructions to the impact application unit 80a, which will be described later, at predetermined timings. A substrate processing apparatus 1 without such a radiation thermometer 60 and thermometer 70 will be described in detail in the 7th and 8th embodiments.

[0032] The impact-applying unit 80a includes a nozzle 81a, a nozzle head 82a, an impact-applying mechanism 83a, and an impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a. The impact-applying unit 80a is included in the liquid supply unit.

[0033] The impact-applying unit 80a moves horizontally or vertically to areas of high temperature on the substrate W based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70, and applies an impact to a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate W. The predetermined location is, for example, an area of ​​high temperature in the processing liquid layer. In this case, multiple impact-applying units 80a may be provided. By moving the impact-applying units 80a to multiple locations on the cleaning surface of the substrate W, impacts can be applied to multiple locations on the substrate W simultaneously. In this embodiment, the processing liquid layer is impacted by dropping liquid droplets onto it.

[0034] One impact-applying unit 80a may be configured to have multiple sets consisting of nozzles 81a and nozzle heads 82a, or multiple impact-applying units 80a having one set of nozzles 81a and nozzle heads 82a may be provided. When multiple impact-applying units 80a are provided, for example, four impact-applying units 80a are provided above the substrate W. In this case, if the nozzles 81a and nozzle heads 82a are considered as one set, then four sets of nozzles 81a and nozzle heads 82a are provided above the substrate W. The impact-applying mechanism 83a and the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a may be provided for each impact-applying unit 80a, or multiple impact-applying units 80a may share one impact-applying mechanism 83a and impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a. Alternatively, multiple impact-applying units 80a may share either the impact-applying mechanism 83a or the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a, while the other is provided for each of the multiple impact-applying units 80a.

[0035] The following describes the case where four impact-applying sections 80a are provided, such as 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4. Note that impact-applying sections 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 may also be described collectively as impact-applying section 80a.

[0036] The impact application unit 80a applies an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 when the control unit 90 determines that the temperature measured by the radiation thermometer 60 is below the set temperature after the processing liquid layer 1000 has been formed on the substrate W. The nozzle 81a and nozzle head 82a of the impact application unit 80a are positioned above the processing liquid layer 1000 and supply liquid. At this time, the liquid supplied from the nozzle 81a may be the same as the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50, or it may be a different liquid. If the liquid supplied from the nozzle 81a is the same as the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50, the nozzle 81a supplies the processing liquid onto the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W. The case in which the processing liquid is supplied from the impact application mechanism 83a will be described below.

[0037] The nozzle 81a and nozzle head 82a are connected to the impact mechanism 83a via processing fluid piping (not shown). In other words, the processing fluid piping (not shown) connects the nozzle head 82a and the impact mechanism 83a.

[0038] The impact-applying mechanism 83a includes, for example, a processing liquid storage unit for storing a processing liquid (not shown), processing liquid piping, a pump, and a valve. The processing liquid storage unit stores the processing liquid to be supplied onto the processing liquid layer 1000. For example, pure water is stored in the processing liquid storage unit. The processing liquid piping connects the nozzle head 82a and the processing liquid storage unit. The pump sends the processing liquid from the processing liquid storage unit to the nozzle 81a via the processing liquid piping. The valve switches between supplying and stopping the processing liquid from the processing liquid storage unit to the nozzle 81a.

[0039] The processing liquid storage section in the impact-applying mechanism 83a may be provided separately for each impact-applying section 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a3, and 80a-4, or it may be shared by each impact-applying section 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4. In addition, the processing liquid storage section in the processing liquid supply mechanism 53 and the impact-applying mechanism 83a may be shared.

[0040] The impact position adjustment unit 84a can drive the nozzle 81a or nozzle head 82a horizontally or vertically. The impact units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 can be driven independently by the impact position adjustment unit 84a. The impact position adjustment unit 84a is controlled by the impact control unit 94a, which will be described later, and controls the nozzle 81a or nozzle head 82a. In this case, the impact position adjustment units 84a in the impact units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 may each be provided independently and driven separately. In other words, the impact position adjustment unit 84a may be provided in each of the impact units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4, and each impact position adjustment unit 84a can individually drive the impact units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4.

[0041] The control unit 90a controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90a includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94a.

[0042] The processing liquid supply control unit 91 controls the dropping position and amount of processing liquid on the substrate W during freeze cleaning. The processing liquid supply control unit 91 drops processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit 50 to form a processing liquid layer 1000 so that a solidified layer 1010, described later, is formed on the entire surface of the substrate W by solidifying the processing liquid. In addition, when supplying processing liquid, the processing liquid supply unit 50 may be driven towards the center of the substrate W by the position adjustment unit 54. In other words, the processing liquid supply control unit 91 instructs the drive mechanism so that the nozzle 51 is positioned at the center of the substrate W. Note that in this specification, "solidify" may be expressed as "freeze".

[0043] The cooling control unit 92 controls the on / off switching of the supply of the cooling medium 31 during freeze cleaning. This control is performed, for example, by controlling the opening and closing of a valve of a cooling medium supply mechanism 30 (not shown).

[0044] The thermometer control unit 93 controls the radiation thermometer 60 and the thermometer 70, which measure the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate W. The thermometer control unit 93 receives the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 measured by the radiation thermometer 60 and the thermometer 70, and displays the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer 1000 on a display unit or the like, which does not illustrate the temperature distribution. The received temperature information can be sent to the impact application control unit 94a, which will be described later.

[0045] Furthermore, if the thermometer 70 has a drive mechanism (not shown), the thermometer 70 can be driven within the chamber 10, and the thermometer control unit 93 controls the drive mechanism to drive the thermometer 70.

[0046] The impact application control unit 94a controls the dripping position and amount of the processing liquid from the impact application unit 80a. Based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 from the thermometer control unit 93, the impact application position adjustment unit 84a controls the nozzle 81a above the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the impact application unit 80a is driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84a to a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94a. Based on the received temperature information, the impact application control unit 94a controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84a to position the nozzle 81a on a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. That is, the impact application control unit 94a controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84a so that the nozzle 81a is positioned at a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0047] In this case, if multiple impact-applying units 80a are provided (for example, the impact-applying units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 described above), the impact-applying control unit 94a instructs the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a to position the impact-applying units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 at multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer. The impact-applying units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 positioned on the processing liquid layer 1000 drop the processing liquid at predetermined timings. At this time, the impact-applying units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 may drop the processing liquid simultaneously.

[0048] Each element included in the control unit 90a may be composed of hardware or software. Furthermore, each element included in the control unit 90a may be provided independently, or multiple elements included in the control unit 90a may be provided as a single integrated unit.

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a processing liquid supply unit 50 and an impact application unit 80a located above the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. When processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50 located above the center of the substrate W, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate W. The substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 are cooled by the cooling medium 31 coming into contact with the surface of the substrate W opposite to the surface on which the processing liquid layer 1000 is formed, i.e., the back surface. The temperature change of the processing liquid layer is measured by a thermometer 70, and Figure 2 shows the case where the temperature is high near the four corners of the substrate W. In such a case, the impact application units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 are respectively located near the four corners of the processing liquid layer.

[0050] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the outer periphery of the substrate W is high.

[0051] Next, a freeze-cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment will be described. Figures 3 to 7 show an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the first embodiment.

[0052] First, the substrate W is loaded into the chamber 10 of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate W is, for example, a template used in imprint lithography, a photomask used in photolithography, or a semiconductor substrate. The following explanation describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape. Note that the substrate W may also have a shape other than quadrilateral, such as a circle.

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 3, the substrate W to be processed is placed on the stage 20 with the cleaning surface facing upwards. Foreign matter is attached to the cleaning surface of the substrate W. The substrate W is supported by the support portion 21 of the stage 20 so that there is a gap between the stage 20 and the surface of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface. The support portion 21 may be movable in the vertical direction.

[0054] Next, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W. At this time, the processing liquid may be supplied from the nozzle 51 to the cleaning surface of the substrate W, and the processing liquid may be spread over the entire surface of the cleaning surface of the substrate W by a spin coating method to form the processing liquid layer 1000. Pure water, deionized water, etc. can be used as the processing liquid. When spreading the processing liquid over the entire surface of the cleaning surface of the substrate W, the stage 20 may rotate around the through hole 22 as an axis.

[0055] When forming the processing liquid layer 1000, a cooling medium 31 is supplied from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 toward the side of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface, i.e., the back surface. As the cooling medium, for example, a gas such as nitrogen gas cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid, or a liquid such as liquid nitrogen or liquid fluorocarbon is used. In addition to discharging the cooling medium 31, the processing liquid layer 1000 may also be cooled by keeping the inside of the chamber 10 at a low temperature.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying the cooling medium 31 to the back surface of the substrate W.

[0057] The processing liquid is, for example, pure water. The freezing point of pure water at 1 atmosphere is 0°C. Pure water can be made to a so-called supercooled state, where it remains in a liquid state even when its temperature drops below 0°C at 1 atmosphere. In this embodiment, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid. As a result, the processing liquid layer 1000 becomes supercooled.

[0058] As the cooling medium 31 is supplied, the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 decreases. The temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 then drops to 0°C, which is below its freezing point. In other words, the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 are cooled by the supply of the cooling medium 31, which has been cooled to a temperature below the freezing point of the processing liquid, and the processing liquid layer 1000 becomes supercooled.

[0059] In this embodiment, the radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. The radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 and sends the measurement result to the thermometer control unit 93. When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the thermometer control unit 93 notifies the impact application control unit 94a of this fact.

[0060] In this embodiment, the set temperature is the temperature at which the supercooled processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies. The set temperature is set within the temperature range in which the processing liquid layer 1000 becomes supercooled. The range of the set temperature is, for example, -40°C to 0°C at 1 atmosphere, which is higher than the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs. Spontaneous freezing is the process by which a liquid, after becoming supercooled, spontaneously solidifies into a solid when its temperature drops to a specific temperature. In other words, it is the process by which a supercooled liquid solidifies into a solid without being subjected to shock or other impacts. Therefore, the set temperature in this embodiment is the temperature just before the supercooled processing liquid layer 1000 spontaneously freezes, and is set higher than the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs.

[0061] Furthermore, a thermometer 70, positioned above the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000, measures the temperature of the entire processing liquid layer 1000. The temperature distribution across the entire processing liquid layer 1000, measured by the thermometer 70, is sent to the thermometer control unit 93. When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the thermometer control unit 93 sends location information of the areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 that were hotter to the impact application control unit 94a.

[0062] The cooling medium 31 is supplied towards the center of the back surface of the substrate W and gradually diffuses into the chamber 10 to cool the entire back surface of the substrate W. In other words, the through-holes 22 and supply ports 23 for supplying the cooling medium 31 into the chamber 10 are located directly below the region including the center of the substrate W. Therefore, when the cooling medium supplied from the through-holes 22 and supply ports 23 diffuses into the chamber 10 from the supply ports 23, it is likely to come into contact with the center of the back surface of the substrate W.

[0063] In this case, the center of the substrate W cools easily, while the edges of the substrate W cool more slowly compared to the center. Therefore, temperature variations occur in different parts of the substrate W during cooling. Alternatively, the processing liquid layer 1000 may be cooled by keeping the chamber 10 at a low temperature. In this case, high-temperature areas on the substrate W are not necessarily limited to the edges.

[0064] The following describes a case where, when comparing the entire surface of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W, areas with higher temperatures occur at the edges.

[0065] As shown in Figure 5, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches the set temperature, the impact application unit 80a drops a droplet of processing liquid onto the hotter area of ​​the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the temperature of the droplet dropped from the nozzle 81a may be, for example, below room temperature. The amount of droplet dropped is such that the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 at the dropping location remains below the freezing point, and the amount dropped is controlled by the impact application control unit 94a. The amount of droplet supplied from the impact application unit 80a is, for example, 1 cc or less.

[0066] The processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze from the point of contact with the liquid droplet dropped from the nozzle 81a due to the impact of the droplet's contact. Forced freezing in this embodiment means that when a liquid reaches a supercooled state where it remains liquid even below its freezing point, it begins to solidify by applying an impact to the liquid. In other words, forced freezing is the process of applying an impact to a supercooled processing liquid to forcibly start solidification. At this time, the point where the impact is applied and solidification is forcibly started is called the forced freezing starting point.

[0067] In Figure 4, the radiation thermometer 60 and the thermometer 70, which measure the temperature of the center or the entire surface of the processing liquid layer 1000 respectively, send the measured temperature to the thermometer control unit 93. When the radiation thermometer 60 detects that the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached a temperature below the set temperature, the thermometer control unit 93 sends this notification and the location information of multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 detected by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94a.

[0068] As a result, in Figure 5, the impact application control unit 94a controls the impact application unit 80a based on information from the thermometer control unit 93. Specifically, the impact application control unit 94a controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84a, which drives the nozzle 81a and the nozzle head 82a. The impact application control unit 94a also controls the impact application unit 80a to adjust the amount of liquid droplets dispensed from the nozzle 81a.

[0069] The nozzle head 82a is driven so that the droplet dropping position from the nozzle 81a is positioned above the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the impact-applying units 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 are driven by the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a, so that each nozzle 81a is positioned above multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, droplets are dropped almost simultaneously onto four high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0070] The droplets from the nozzle 81a are released just before spontaneous freezing occurs in the processing liquid layer 1000. Therefore, when a portion of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify due to the impact of the droplets from the nozzle 81a, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. The point where spontaneous freezing begins at this time is defined as the spontaneous freezing initiation point. In this embodiment, the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 is the spontaneous freezing initiation point.

[0071] Figure 8 is a top view showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing in the processing liquid layer 1000 in the first embodiment. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing in the processing liquid layer 1000 in the first embodiment. Figures 8 and 9 show the case when spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 and forced freezing occurs at four ends of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to droplet dripping from the nozzle 81a.

[0072] The dripping of liquid droplets from the impact application sections 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 creates four freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D at the edges of the processing liquid layer 1000, initiating forced freezing. Furthermore, since forced freezing occurs due to the impact from the impact application sections 80a-1, 80a-2, 80a-3, and 80a-4 before spontaneous freezing occurs, spontaneous freezing occurs after forced freezing. Spontaneous freezing begins at the freezing initiation point 1040, which is the center with the lowest temperature in the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing initiation points.

[0073] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, it is thought that solidification progresses radially at freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0074] Next, as shown in Figure 6, solidification of the treatment liquid layer 1000 progresses from the freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, 1030D, and 1040, forming the solidified layer 1010. In other words, the treatment liquid layer 1000 solidifies, and the solidified layer 1010 is formed.

[0075] By applying an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 in a supercooled state, the processing liquid layer 1000 undergoes a phase transition (solidification), changing from a liquid to a solid. At this time, the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 returns to its freezing point. Subsequently, the temperature of the solidified layer 1010 becomes lower than its freezing point again. The temperature of the solidified layer 1010 may be measured by a radiation thermometer 60.

[0076] When the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies into the solidification layer 1010, the processing liquid between the foreign object and the substrate W solidifies and expands, causing the foreign object to experience an upward force. If the processing liquid surrounding the foreign object is melted in this state, the probability of the foreign object moving upward increases.

[0077] Next, as shown in Figure 7, the supply of the cooling medium 31 to the lower surface of the substrate W is stopped, and the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the supplied processing liquid may be at room temperature. The processing liquid layer 1020 is formed by the melting of the solidified layer 1010.

[0078] As a result, any foreign matter that has moved upward on the cleaning surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid. The foreign matter removal process that utilizes the solidification of the liquid described above is called "freeze cleaning".

[0079] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the freeze-cleaning procedure in the first embodiment.

[0080] First, the substrate W is brought into the chamber 10 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and placed on the stage 20 (S10). At this time, the substrate W is placed with the cleaning surface facing upwards. Foreign matter is attached to the cleaning surface of the substrate W.

[0081] Next, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W (S20). The processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the clean surface of the substrate W by supplying processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the processing liquid layer 1000 may be formed by, for example, a spin coating method. Also, when forming the processing liquid layer 1000 on the clean surface of the substrate W, a cooling medium 31 at a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid may be supplied to the back surface of the substrate W, that is, the surface opposite to the clean surface.

[0082] The processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying a cooling medium 31 to the back surface of the substrate W, thereby bringing the processing liquid layer 1000 into a supercooled state (S30). At this time, the stage 20 may be rotated around the through hole 22 as an axis, or its rotation may be stopped. The cooling medium is, for example, a gas such as nitrogen gas cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid, or a liquid such as liquid nitrogen or liquid fluorocarbon.

[0083] During the cooling of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 by supplying the cooling medium 31, a thermometer placed above the processing liquid layer 1000 measures the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 (S40). A radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. In addition, a thermometer 70 measures the temperature of the entire surface of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0084] Next, the thermometer control unit 93 determines whether the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached or below the set temperature (S50). When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached or below the set temperature (YES in S50), the impact application control unit 94a, which has received from the thermometer control unit 93 that the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached or below the set temperature and location information of the high-temperature area, controls the impact application unit 80a to apply an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 and cause forced freezing (S60). Specifically, in this embodiment, droplets are dropped onto the high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. The position where the droplets are dropped in the processing liquid layer 1000 is determined by the measurement result of the thermometer 70. Also, when dropping droplets onto the processing liquid layer 1000, the stage 20 may be rotated around the through-hole 22 as an axis. When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 is higher than the set temperature (NO in S50), the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 are continued to be cooled and temperature controlled.

[0085] When the processing liquid layer 1000 is subjected to an impact, forced freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins (S60). The processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze from the point of contact with the droplet supplied from the nozzle 81a due to the impact of the droplet contact. In addition, the droplet is dispensed from the nozzle 81a just before spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs. Therefore, when a part of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify due to the impact of the droplet from the nozzle 81a, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies due to the forced freezing caused by the impact of the droplet from the nozzle 81a and the spontaneous freezing in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 (S70).

[0086] Next, the supply of the cooling medium 31 to the lower surface of the substrate W is stopped, and the stage 20 is rotated around the through hole 22 as an axis while the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50 to melt the solidified layer 1010 (S80). At this time, the supplied processing liquid may be at room temperature.

[0087] As the above process is carried out, foreign matter present on the cleaning surface of the substrate W and covered by the processing liquid layer 1000 will be removed from the cleaning surface of the substrate W by an upward force.

[0088] As a comparative example, we will explain the case in which spontaneous freezing occurs in a supercooled processing liquid layer 1000' formed on a substrate W without applying any shock.

[0089] Figure 11 is a top view showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing in the treatment liquid layer 1000' in the comparative configuration. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the progression of freezing at the start of freezing in the treatment liquid layer 1000' in the comparative configuration. Figures 11 and 12 show the case when spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the treatment liquid layer 1000'.

[0090] As mentioned earlier, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, solidification is thought to proceed radially at the freezing initiation point 1040'.

[0091] Therefore, if solidification proceeds radially from the center of the treated liquid layer 1000', the direction of solid growth is thought to become more lateral as the distance from the freezing initiation point 1040' increases, as shown in Figure 12. As a result, at the edges of the treated liquid layer 1000', the direction of solid growth becomes more lateral than upward. In other words, the rate of upward expansion due to solidification at the edges of the treated liquid layer 1000' is smaller than at the center.

[0092] When the processing liquid layer solidifies into the solidified layer, the processing liquid between the foreign matter and the substrate W expands due to solidification, and the foreign matter experiences an upward force. If the processing liquid surrounding the foreign matter is melted in this state, the probability of the foreign matter moving upward increases. At the edge of the processing liquid layer 1000', the force of solid growth becomes stronger in the lateral direction than in the upward direction, making it difficult for the foreign matter to move upward, resulting in a low foreign matter removal rate.

[0093] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, a shock is applied to the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 at the timing when spontaneous freezing occurs, thereby also performing forced freezing. In other words, in the supercooled processing liquid layer 1000, solidification occurs from multiple freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, 1030D, and 1040, forming a solidified layer 1010.

[0094] Therefore, in the processing liquid layer 1000, the liquid expands upward into a solid from multiple freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, 1030D, and 1040. As a result, there are fewer areas of lateral expansion compared to the comparative configuration. Consequently, even in areas far from where spontaneous freezing occurs and at higher temperatures, foreign matter is more susceptible to upward forces, improving the removal rate of foreign matter on the substrate W.

[0095] Furthermore, the freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D, i.e., the forced freezing initiation points, do not necessarily have to be high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000, and may be located at different positions from the spontaneous freezing initiation points. In other words, the locations in the processing liquid layer 1000 that are subjected to impact and serve as forced freezing initiation points may be located at positions far from the spontaneous freezing initiation points. For example, the forced freezing initiation point may be the freezing initiation point 1040, i.e., the location furthest from the spontaneous freezing initiation point.

[0096] Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the substrate W and the entire processing liquid layer 1000 using the thermometer 70, the temperature distribution can be measured with high accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to reliably apply impact to areas with high temperatures in the processing liquid layer 1000 and induce forced freezing.

[0097] (Second Embodiment) Figure 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the second embodiment. Figure 14 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the second embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80b, and a control unit 90b.

[0098] Note that elements other than the impact-applying unit 80b and the control unit 90b may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0099] The impact-applying unit 80b includes a nozzle 81b, a nozzle head 82b, an impact-applying mechanism 83b, and an impact-applying position adjustment unit 84b. The impact-applying unit 80b is included in the gas supply unit.

[0100] The impact-applying unit 80b moves horizontally or vertically to areas with high temperatures in the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70, and injects gas into these high-temperature areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. The gas injected from the impact-applying unit 80b is cooled and at a temperature below the freezing point of the processing liquid layer 1000. Multiple impact-applying units 80b may be provided. By moving the impact-applying units 80b to multiple locations in the processing liquid layer 1000, gas can be injected simultaneously at multiple locations in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0101] One impact-applying unit 80b may be configured to have multiple sets consisting of nozzles 81b and nozzle heads 82b, or multiple impact-applying units 80b having one set of nozzles 81b and nozzle heads 82b may be provided. When multiple impact-applying units 80b are provided, for example, four impact-applying units 80b are provided above the substrate W. In this case, if the nozzles 81b and nozzle heads 82b are considered as one set, then four sets of nozzles 81b and nozzle heads 82b are provided above the substrate W. The impact-applying mechanism 83b and the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84b may be provided for each impact-applying unit 80b, or multiple impact-applying units 80b may share one impact-applying mechanism 83b and impact-applying position adjustment unit 84b. Alternatively, multiple impact-applying units 80b may share either the impact-applying mechanism 83b or the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84b, while the other is provided for each of the multiple impact-applying units 80b.

[0102] The following describes the case where four impact-applying sections 80b are provided, such as 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4. Note that impact-applying sections 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 may sometimes be described collectively as impact-applying section 80b.

[0103] The impact application unit 80b applies impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 after it has formed on the substrate W and when the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached a temperature below its freezing point. The nozzle 81b and nozzle head 82b of the impact application unit 80b are positioned above the processing liquid layer 1000 and supply cooled gas. The temperature of the cooled gas is preferably lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. The gas supplied from the nozzle 81b is, for example, nitrogen.

[0104] The nozzle 81b and nozzle head 82b are connected to the impact mechanism 83b via gas piping (not shown). In other words, the gas piping (not shown) connects the nozzle head 82b and the impact mechanism 83b.

[0105] The impact-applying mechanism 83b includes, for example, a gas storage unit for storing a gas (not shown), gas piping, a pump, a valve, and a cooling unit. The gas storage unit stores the gas to be supplied onto the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the gas in the cooling gas storage unit may be cooled. In other words, the gas stored in the gas storage unit may be cooled by means of a method such as cooling the entire gas storage unit. For example, nitrogen is stored in the gas storage unit. The gas piping connects the nozzle head 82b and the gas storage unit. The pump sends gas from the gas storage unit to the nozzle 81b via the gas piping. The valve switches the supply of gas from the gas storage unit to the nozzle 81b. The cooling unit cools the gas to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50. The temperature of the gas supplied from the nozzle 81b must be lower than its freezing point, and the cooling unit may be provided in the nozzle head 82b, the processing liquid piping, or the processing liquid storage unit.

[0106] The gas storage section in the impact-applying mechanism 83b may be provided separately for each impact-applying section 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4, or it may be shared by each impact-applying section 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4.

[0107] The impact position adjustment unit 84b can drive the nozzle 81b or nozzle head 82b horizontally or vertically. The impact units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 can be driven independently by the impact position adjustment unit 84b. In this case, the impact position adjustment units 84b in impact units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 may each be provided independently and driven separately. In other words, the impact position adjustment unit 84b may be provided in each of the impact units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4, and each impact position adjustment unit 84b can drive the impact units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 separately.

[0108] The control unit 90b controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90a includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94b.

[0109] The processing liquid supply control unit 91, the cooling control unit 92, and the thermometer control unit 93 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0110] The impact application control unit 94b controls the position and amount of gas sprayed from the impact application unit 80b. Based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W from the thermometer control unit 93, the impact application position adjustment unit 84b controls the nozzle 81b above the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the impact application unit 80b is driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84b to a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94b. Based on the received temperature information, the impact application control unit 94b controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84b to position the nozzle 81b above a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. That is, the impact application control unit 94b instructs the impact application position adjustment unit 84b so that the nozzle 81b is positioned above a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0111] In the case where multiple impact-applying units 80b are provided (for example, the aforementioned impact-applying units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4), the impact-applying control unit 94b instructs the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84a to position the impact-applying units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 at multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000. The impact-applying units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4, each positioned above the processing liquid layer 1000, blow cooled gas onto the processing liquid layer 1000 at predetermined timings. At this time, the impact-applying units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 may blow cooled gas simultaneously.

[0112] Figure 14 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a processing liquid supply unit 50 and an impact application unit 80b located above the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment. When processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50 located above the center of the substrate W, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed over the entire substrate W. The processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by the supply of a cooling medium 31. The temperature change of the processing liquid layer is measured by a thermometer 70, and Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing the case where the temperature is high near the four corners of the processing liquid layer 1000. Because the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 is high near the four corners, the impact application units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 are located near the four corners of the processing liquid layer 1000, respectively.

[0113] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the substrate W is high.

[0114] Next, a freeze-cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the substrate W is freeze-cleaned in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In other words, the flow of freeze-cleaning using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the second embodiment is the same as in Figure 10.

[0115] Figure 15 shows an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the second embodiment. Figure 15 shows the step in which a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the substrate W and an impact is applied to the supercooled processing liquid layer 1000. In the second embodiment, Figure 15 shows the step shown in Figure 5 of the first embodiment.

[0116] The processing method for the substrate W shown in Figure 15 may be the same as in the first embodiment. In other words, the same processing as in Figures 3, 4, 6, and 7 is performed in the first embodiment, so the explanation is omitted.

[0117] In the second embodiment, the substrate W loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1 is placed on the stage 20. As the stage 20 rotates, processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. Cooling medium 31 is then supplied to the back side of the substrate W, causing the processing liquid layer 1000 to become supercooled. The radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the control unit 90 controls the impact application unit 80 to drive the nozzle 81b to be positioned above the hottest area in the processing liquid layer 1000. The detection of hotter areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 is performed by the thermometer 70 and the thermometer control unit 93.

[0118] As shown in Figure 15, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the impact-applying unit 80b applies an impact to the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, cooled gas is blown from the nozzle 81b toward the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the temperature of the gas blown from the nozzle 81b is lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid. It may also be lower than the temperature of the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0119] Gas is blown from the nozzle 81b, and the impact of the blown gas coming into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000 causes forced freezing to occur in the processing liquid layer 1000 from the point of contact with the gas.

[0120] The impact application control unit 94b controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84b and drives the nozzle 81b and nozzle head 82b. The nozzle 81b and nozzle head 82b are driven so that the gas blowing position from the nozzle 81b is positioned above a predetermined position in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the impact application units 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 are driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84b, and each nozzle 81b is positioned above multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, cooled gas is blown onto four high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000 almost simultaneously.

[0121] The impact application control unit 94a controls the amount of cooled gas blown from the impact application unit 80b. When the cooled gas from the impact application unit 80b is blown onto the processing liquid layer 1000, for example, it is blown in an amount and force that does not reach the surface of the processing liquid layer 1000 that is in contact with the substrate W.

[0122] Furthermore, the gas is sprayed from the nozzle 81b just before spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs. Therefore, when a portion of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify due to the impact of the droplets from the nozzle 81b, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0123] In the second embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing occurs at four ends of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to gas blowing from the nozzle 81b.

[0124] Gas is blown from the impact-applying sections 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4, creating four freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D at the edges of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing begins. Furthermore, since forced freezing occurs due to the impact from the impact-applying sections 80b-1, 80b-2, 80b-3, and 80b-4 before spontaneous freezing occurs, spontaneous freezing occurs after forced freezing. Spontaneous freezing begins at the freezing initiation point 1040, which is the center with the lowest temperature in the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing initiation points. As a result, a solidified layer 1010 is formed.

[0125] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, the processing liquid is supplied to the solidified layer 1010, similar to the first embodiment, and the solidified layer 1010 melts. As a result, any foreign matter that has moved upward on the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0126] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the second embodiment as well, it is considered that solidification progresses radially at the freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0127] In other words, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method in the second embodiment can provide the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0128] Furthermore, the gas sprayed from the nozzle 81b is cooled to below the freezing point of the processing liquid that forms the processing liquid layer 1000. Therefore, when the processing liquid layer 1000 is subjected to impact, the processing liquid layer 1000 can also be cooled from its upper surface. Thus, when cooled gas is sprayed onto the processing liquid layer 1000, it is subjected to impact, and the processing liquid layer 1000 can be solidified by cooling from both the surface in contact with the substrate W and the surface of the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, since the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled from both the surface in contact with the substrate W and the surface, the solidification time of the processing liquid layer 1000 can be shortened.

[0129] The gas sprayed from the nozzle 81b may have its injection speed controlled by the impact application control unit 94b. In this case, the strength of the impact applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 can be changed by changing the injection speed of the cooled gas.

[0130] (Third embodiment) Figure 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the third embodiment. Figure 17 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the third embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80c, and a control unit 90c.

[0131] Note that elements other than the impact-applying unit 80c and the control unit 90c may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0132] The impact-applying section 80c includes an impact-applying position adjustment section 84c, a contact section 85c, and a support section 86c.

[0133] The impact-applying part 80c moves horizontally or vertically to a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000, as described later, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70, and applies an impact to a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the contact part 85c makes direct contact with the processing liquid layer 1000. In this case, multiple impact-applying parts 80c may be provided, such as impact-applying parts 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4. By moving each of the impact-applying parts 80c above the processing liquid layer, impacts can be applied simultaneously to multiple locations in the processing liquid layer.

[0134] One impact-applying unit 80c may be configured to have multiple sets consisting of nozzles 81c and nozzle heads 82c, or multiple impact-applying units 80c having one set of nozzles 81c and nozzle heads 82c may be provided. When multiple impact-applying units 80c are provided, for example, four impact-applying units 80c are provided above the processing liquid layer 1000. In this case, if the contact portion 85c and the support portion 86c are considered as one set, then four sets of contact portions 85c and support portions 86c are provided above the substrate W. An impact-applying position adjustment unit 84c may be provided for each impact-applying unit 80c, or multiple impact-applying units 80c may share one impact-applying position adjustment unit 84c.

[0135] The following describes the case where four impact-applying sections 80c are provided, such as 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4. Note that impact-applying sections 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 may also be described collectively as impact-applying section 80c.

[0136] The impact-applying unit 80c applies impact to the processing liquid layer 1000, which will be described later, when the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches a set temperature after it has been formed on the substrate W. The contact portion 85c and support portion 86c of the impact-applying unit 80c are positioned above the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0137] The impact position adjustment unit 84c can drive the contact portion 85c and the support portion 86c horizontally or vertically. The impact position adjustment unit 84c may also be able to pivot the contact portion 85c and the support portion 86c.

[0138] The impact application units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 can be driven independently by the impact application position adjustment unit 84c. In this case, the impact application position adjustment units 84c in each of the impact application units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 may be provided independently and driven separately. In other words, the impact application position adjustment unit 84c may be provided in each of the impact application units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4, and each impact application position adjustment unit 84c can drive the impact application units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 separately.

[0139] The contact portion 85c directly contacts a predetermined location on the processing liquid layer 1000 after the processing liquid layer 1000 has been formed on the substrate W. The contact portion 85c may have a pointed tip, such as a needle, or it may have a rod-like shape with a constant width from one end to the other (tip), connecting to the support portion 86c. The contact area and shape of the contact portion 85c with the processing liquid layer 1000 can be changed as long as the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 at the point of contact does not exceed the freezing point.

[0140] The support portion 86c supports the contact portion 85c. The support portion 86c is driven horizontally or vertically above the processing liquid layer 1000 by the impact position adjustment portion 84c.

[0141] The control unit 90c controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90c includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94c.

[0142] The processing liquid supply control unit 91, the cooling control unit 92, and the thermometer control unit 93 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0143] The impact application control unit 94c controls the contact of the impact application unit 80c with the processing liquid layer 1000. Based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W from the thermometer control unit 93, the impact application position adjustment unit 84c controls the contact unit 85c above the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the impact application unit 80c is driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84c to a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94c. Based on the received temperature information, the impact application control unit 94c controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84c to position the contact unit 85c above a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. That is, the impact application control unit 94c instructs the impact application position adjustment unit 84c so that the contact unit 85c is positioned above a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0144] In this case, if multiple impact-applying units 80c are provided (for example, the aforementioned impact-applying units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4), the impact-applying control unit 94c instructs the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84c to position the impact-applying units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 at multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000. The impact-applying units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 positioned on the processing liquid layer 1000 bring their contact portions 85c into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000 at a predetermined timing. At this time, the impact-applying units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 may contact the processing liquid layer 1000 simultaneously.

[0145] Figure 17 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a processing liquid supply unit 50 and an impact application unit 80c located above the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the third embodiment. When processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50 located above the center of the substrate W, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed over the entire substrate W. An impact is applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 when the contact part 85c comes into contact with it. The temperature change of the processing liquid layer 1000 is measured by a thermometer 70, and Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram when the temperature is high near the four corners of the substrate W. Because the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 is high near the four corners, the impact application units 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 are respectively located near the four corners of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0146] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the substrate W is high.

[0147] A freeze-cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the third embodiment will now be described. In the third embodiment, the substrate W is freeze-cleaned in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In other words, the flow of freeze-cleaning using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the third embodiment is the same as in Figure 10.

[0148] Figures 18 to 22 show an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the third embodiment.

[0149] Figures 18, 19, and 22 can be described using the same procedures as in Figures 3, 4, and 7 in the first embodiment, and will therefore be explained briefly.

[0150] First, the substrate W, which has been brought into the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the third embodiment, is placed on the stage 20. Then, as shown in Figure 18, processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the cooling medium 31 is supplied toward the side of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface.

[0151] Next, as shown in Figure 19, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying the cooling medium 31, bringing the processing liquid layer 1000 into a supercooled state. In other words, the processing liquid layer 1000 becomes a liquid below its freezing point. At this time, the radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the control unit 90 controls the impact application unit 80c to drive the contact unit 85c to be positioned above the hottest area in the processing liquid layer 1000. The detection of hotter areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 is performed by the thermometer 70 and the thermometer control unit 93.

[0152] As shown in Figure 20, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches the set temperature, the impact application part 80c applies an impact to the hotter area of ​​the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the tip of the contact part 85c makes contact with the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0153] For example, if the substrate W is a template used for imprint lithography, it is preferable that the contact portion 85c contacts an area of ​​the substrate W other than the pattern area, which has a pattern of bumps and dips that contacts the resist on the workpiece. In other words, the contact portion 85c contacts the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the outer periphery of the area on the template where the pattern to be transferred to the workpiece is placed. Marks such as alignment marks for positioning with the workpiece are placed in the outer periphery of the area where the pattern is placed. That is, the contact portion 85c contacts an area of ​​the substrate W other than the pattern area in the processing liquid layer 1000, and a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000. This allows the contact of the contact portion 85c to apply an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 for solidification without damaging the pattern formed on the substrate W.

[0154] The impact application control unit 94c controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84c, which drives the contact portion 85c and the support portion 86c. The contact portion 85c is driven to be positioned above the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the impact application portions 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 are driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84c, and each contact portion 85c is positioned above multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the contact portions 85c make contact with four high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 almost simultaneously.

[0155] The contact portion 85c contacts only the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, it contacts the processing liquid layer 1000 without directly contacting the substrate W. Furthermore, after contacting the processing liquid layer 1000, the contact portion 85c is removed from the processing liquid layer 1000 before the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies.

[0156] As shown in Figure 21, the impact of the contact portion 85c coming into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000 causes forced freezing to occur in the processing liquid layer 1000 from the point of contact with the contact portion 85c.

[0157] Furthermore, the contact portion 85c makes contact with the processing liquid layer 1000 just before spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs. Therefore, when a portion of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify due to the impact of contact by the contact portion 85c, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. This forms the solidified layer 1010.

[0158] In the third embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing occurs at four ends of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to contact of the contact portions 85c.

[0159] Contact at the contact points 85c in the impact application sections 80c-1, 80c-2, 80c-3, and 80c-4 generates freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D at four locations at the edges of the processing liquid layer 1000, initiating forced freezing. Furthermore, forced freezing occurs just before spontaneous freezing occurs, so spontaneous freezing occurs after forced freezing. Spontaneous freezing begins at the freezing initiation point 1040, which is the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 where the temperature is lowest. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing initiation points.

[0160] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, as shown in Figure 22, processing liquid is supplied to the solidified layer 1010 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the solidified layer 1010 melts. As a result, foreign matter that has moved upward on the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0161] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the third embodiment as well, it is considered that solidification progresses radially at the freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0162] In other words, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method in the third embodiment can provide the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0163] (Fourth Embodiment) Figure 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fourth embodiment. Figure 24 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fourth embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80d, and a control unit 90d.

[0164] Note that elements other than the impact-applying unit 80d and the control unit 90d may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0165] The impact-applying section 80d includes an impact-applying mechanism 83d, an impact-applying position adjustment section 84d, a contact section 85d, and a support section 86d.

[0166] The impact-applying unit 80d moves horizontally or vertically to areas with higher temperatures in the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70, and drops the processing liquid onto the areas with higher temperatures in the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, multiple impact-applying units 80d may be provided, such as impact-applying units 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4. By moving the impact-applying units 80d to multiple locations in the processing liquid layer 1000, the processing liquid can be dropped onto multiple locations in the processing liquid layer 1000 simultaneously.

[0167] One impact-applying unit 80d may be configured to have multiple sets consisting of nozzles 81d and nozzle heads 82d, or multiple impact-applying units 80d having one set of nozzles 81d and nozzle heads 82d may be provided. When multiple impact-applying units 80d are provided, for example, four impact-applying units 80d are provided above the substrate W. In this case, if the contact portion 85d and the support portion 86d are considered as one set, then four sets of contact portions 85d and support portions 86d are provided above the substrate W. The impact-applying mechanism 83d and the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84d may be provided for each impact-applying unit 80d, or multiple impact-applying units 80d may share one impact-applying mechanism 83d and impact-applying position adjustment unit 84d. Alternatively, multiple impact-applying units 80d may share either the impact-applying mechanism 83d or the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84d, while the other is provided for each of the multiple impact-applying units 80d.

[0168] The following describes the case where four impact-applying sections 80d are provided, such as 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4. Note that impact-applying sections 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 may also be described collectively as impact-applying section 80d.

[0169] The impact-applying unit 80d applies impact to the processing liquid layer 1000, which will be described later, after it has formed on the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached a temperature below its freezing point. The contact portion 85d and support portion 86d of the impact-applying unit 80d are positioned above the substrate W.

[0170] The impact-applying mechanism 83d includes, for example, a power supply (not shown). When the power supply is turned on, a voltage is output to the contact portion 85d, and ultrasonic waves are emitted from the contact portion 85d.

[0171] The impact application position adjustment unit 84d is the same as the impact application position adjustment unit 84c in the third embodiment, so its description is omitted.

[0172] The contact portion 85d directly contacts a predetermined location on the processing liquid layer 1000 after it has been formed on the substrate W. Furthermore, the contact portion 85d is vibrated by ultrasonic waves, and when it comes into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000, which will be described later, it can cause the processing liquid layer 1000 to vibrate.

[0173] The contact portion 85d may, for example, have a rectangular surface that contacts the processing liquid layer 1000, and may be cubic or rectangular in shape. It may also have a pointed tip, like a needle, or a rod-like shape with a constant width from one end to the other (tip) that connects to the support portion 86d. The contact area and shape of the contact portion 85d can be changed as long as the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 at the point of contact is not raised above the freezing point.

[0174] The support portion 86d supports the contact portion 85d. The support portion 86d is driven horizontally or vertically above the processing liquid layer 1000 by the impact position adjustment portion 84d. The support portion 86d may also be provided to be rotatable.

[0175] The control unit 90d controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90d includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94d.

[0176] The processing liquid supply control unit 91, the cooling control unit 92, and the thermometer control unit 93 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0177] The impact application control unit 94d controls the contact of the impact application unit 80d with the processing liquid layer 1000, and the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the impact application unit 80d. Based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 from the thermometer control unit 93, the impact application position adjustment unit 84d controls the contact part 85d above the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the impact application unit 80d is driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84d to a location in the processing liquid layer 1000 with a high temperature. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94d. Based on the temperature information received, the impact application control unit 94d controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84d to position the contact part 85d above a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the impact application control unit 94d instructs the impact application position adjustment unit 84d to position the contact portion 85d above the high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000 on the substrate W.

[0178] Furthermore, the impact control unit 94d adjusts the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the impact application unit 80d. In other words, the impact control unit 94d adjusts the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the contact unit 85d. By controlling the frequency of the ultrasonic waves from the impact control unit 94d, the intensity of the vibration caused by the ultrasonic waves in the contact unit 85d can be adjusted.

[0179] In this case, if multiple impact-applying units 80d are provided, the impact-applying control unit 94d instructs the impact-applying position adjustment unit 84d to position impact-applying units 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 at multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000. The impact-applying units 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 positioned on the processing liquid layer 1000 bring their contact portions 85d into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000 at a predetermined timing. At this time, impact-applying units 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 may contact the processing liquid layer 1000 simultaneously.

[0180] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the fourth embodiment, the top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the processing liquid supply unit 50 and the impact application unit 80d arranged above the substrate W may be the same as that of Figure 17 in the third embodiment, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0181] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the substrate W is high. The freeze cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the substrate W is freeze-cleaned in the same way as in the first embodiment. That is, the flow of freeze cleaning using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fourth embodiment is the same as in Figure 10.

[0182] Figures 25 to 29 show an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the second embodiment.

[0183] Figures 25, 26, and 29E can be described using the same procedures as in Figures 4, 5, and 7 in the first embodiment, and will therefore be explained briefly.

[0184] First, the substrate W, which has been brought into the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fourth embodiment, is placed on the stage 20. Then, as shown in Figure 25, processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the cooling medium 31 is supplied toward the side of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface.

[0185] Next, as shown in Figure 26, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying the cooling medium 31, and the processing liquid layer 1000 is brought into a supercooled state.

[0186] As shown in Figure 27, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches the set temperature, the impact application unit 80d applies an impact to the hotter area of ​​the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the tip of the contact unit 85d makes contact with the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0187] Preferably, the contact portion 85d contacts the processing liquid layer 1000 in a predetermined area within the processing liquid layer 1000. The predetermined area is as described above in the third embodiment. In other words, the contact portion 85d is, for example, in an area of ​​the processing liquid layer 1000 other than the pattern area of ​​the substrate W, and contacts a high-temperature area within the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, in the fourth embodiment as in the third embodiment, it is possible to apply an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 for solidification without damaging the pattern on the substrate W.

[0188] The impact application control unit 94d controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84d, which drives the contact portion 85d and the support portion 86d. The contact portion 85d is driven to be positioned above the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the impact application portions 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 are driven by the impact application position adjustment unit 84d, and each contact portion 85d is positioned above multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the contact portions 85d make contact with four high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 almost simultaneously.

[0189] Furthermore, the contact portion 85d emits ultrasonic waves and vibrates. The frequency range of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the contact portion 85d is, for example, 20 kHz or higher.

[0190] The contact portion 85d contacts only the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, it contacts the processing liquid layer 1000 without directly contacting the substrate W. Furthermore, the contact portion 85c contacts the processing liquid layer 1000, but is removed from the processing liquid layer 1000 before the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies.

[0191] As shown in Figure 28, when the contact portion 85d comes into contact with the processing liquid layer 1000, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the contact portion 85d deliver an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000. This impact from the contact portion 85d causes forced freezing to occur in the processing liquid layer 1000 from the point of contact with the contact portion 85d.

[0192] Furthermore, the contact of the contact portion 85d with the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs just before spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 takes place. Therefore, when the impact from the ultrasonic waves emitted from the contact portion 85d is transmitted to the processing liquid layer 1000 and a part of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the solidified layer 1010 is formed.

[0193] In the fourth embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing occurs at four ends of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to contact of the contact portions 85d.

[0194] Contact at the contact points 85d in the impact application sections 80d-1, 80d-2, 80d-3, and 80d-4 generates freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D at four locations at the edges of the processing liquid layer 1000, initiating forced freezing. Furthermore, forced freezing occurs just before spontaneous freezing occurs, so spontaneous freezing occurs after forced freezing. Spontaneous freezing begins at the freezing initiation point 1040, which is the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 where the temperature is lowest. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing initiation points.

[0195] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, as shown in Figure 29E, processing liquid is supplied to the solidified layer 1010 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the solidified layer 1010 melts. As a result, foreign matter that has moved upward on the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0196] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the fourth embodiment as well, it is considered that solidification progresses radially at the freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0197] In other words, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method in the fourth embodiment can provide the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0198] Furthermore, the output of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the contact portion 85d may be controlled by the impact application control unit 94b. In this case, by changing the output of the ultrasonic waves, the vibrations caused by the oscillation of ultrasonic waves at the contact portion 85d can be controlled, and the strength of the impact applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 can be changed.

[0199] (Fifth embodiment) Figure 30 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment. Figure 31 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment. Figure 32 is a diagram of the ultrasonic oscillator 87e in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment. Figure 32 is a bottom view of the ultrasonic oscillator 87e, or to put it another way, Figure 32 is a view of the ultrasonic oscillator 87e as seen from the stage 20 side.

[0200] The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80e, and a control unit 90e.

[0201] Note that elements other than the impact-applying unit 80e and the control unit 90e may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0202] The impact-applying unit 80e includes an impact-applying mechanism 83e and an ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e.

[0203] The impact-applying unit 80e applies an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 after the processing liquid layer 1000, described later, has been formed on the substrate W, and when the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached a temperature below its freezing point.

[0204] The impact-generating mechanism 83e includes, for example, a power supply (not shown). When the power supply is turned on, ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic oscillating unit 87e.

[0205] The ultrasonic oscillator 87e is located above the stage 20 within the chamber 10. The ultrasonic oscillator 87e emits ultrasonic waves to areas of the substrate W with high temperatures, based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70. In this case, multiple ultrasonic oscillators 87e may be provided, such as ultrasonic oscillators 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4. By providing ultrasonic oscillators 87e at multiple locations on the cleaning surface of the substrate W, ultrasonic waves can be applied to multiple locations on the substrate W simultaneously.

[0206] If multiple ultrasonic oscillators 87e are provided, for example, four ultrasonic oscillators 87e may be provided above the substrate W. In this case, a power supply may be provided for each ultrasonic oscillator 87e, or multiple ultrasonic oscillators 87e may share a power supply.

[0207] The following describes the case where four ultrasonic oscillators 87e are provided, such as 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4. Note that ultrasonic oscillators 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4 may also be described collectively as ultrasonic oscillator 87e.

[0208] The ultrasonic oscillator 87e emits ultrasonic waves toward a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000 after the processing liquid layer has been formed on the substrate W. The ultrasonic oscillator 87e has a plurality of ultrasonic oscillator elements 88e.

[0209] Multiple ultrasonic oscillators 88e are arranged in an array in the ultrasonic oscillator unit 87e, and ultrasonic waves are emitted from each ultrasonic oscillator 88e. The ultrasonic waves emitted from each ultrasonic oscillator 88e interfere with each other, causing the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic oscillator unit 87e to be focused. Therefore, the ultrasonic waves emitted from one ultrasonic oscillator unit 87e into the chamber 10 can be directed to a single location in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0210] The control unit 90e controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90e includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94e.

[0211] The processing liquid supply control unit 91, the cooling control unit 92, and the thermometer control unit 93 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0212] The impact application control unit 94e controls the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the impact application unit 80e to the processing liquid layer 1000. The impact application control unit 94e also controls the impact application position adjustment unit 84e based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 sent from the thermometer control unit 93, adjusting the direction of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e. At this time, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e are controlled by the impact application control unit 94e so that they are emitted towards areas of higher temperature in the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94e. Based on the received temperature information, the impact application control unit 94e controls the frequency of the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e so that ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e towards areas of higher temperature in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0213] In this case, if multiple impact-applying units 80e are provided, the impact-applying control unit 94e controls each of the ultrasonic oscillation units 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4. Therefore, the frequency of the ultrasonic oscillation units 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4 is adjusted by the impact-applying control unit 94e so that they can emit ultrasound to multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0214] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the substrate W is high.

[0215] A freeze-cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment will now be described. In the fifth embodiment, the substrate W is freeze-cleaned in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In other words, the flow of freeze-cleaning using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment is the same as in Figure 10.

[0216] Figures 33 to 37 show an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the fifth embodiment.

[0217] Figures 33, 34, and 37 can be described using the same procedures as in Figures 3, 4, and 7 in the first embodiment, and will therefore be explained briefly.

[0218] First, the substrate W, which has been brought into the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment, is placed on the stage 20. Then, as shown in Figure 33, processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the cooling medium 31 is supplied toward the side of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface.

[0219] Next, as shown in Figure 34, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying the cooling medium 31, and the processing liquid layer 1000 is brought into a supercooled state.

[0220] As shown in Figure 35, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the impact application unit 80e applies an impact to the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 is measured by the radiation thermometer 60, and when the temperature of the center reaches below the set temperature, the impact application control unit 94e controls the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e to emit ultrasonic waves.

[0221] The impact application control unit 94e controls the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e and adjusts the frequency so that it emits ultrasonic waves towards the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the ultrasonic oscillation units 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4 are controlled by the impact application control unit 94e, and each ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e emits ultrasonic waves towards multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, ultrasonic waves are applied to four high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 almost simultaneously. The ultrasonic waves are irradiated near the surface of the processing liquid layer 1000 (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the substrate W). In other words, the ultrasonic waves hit the processing liquid layer 1000 without hitting the substrate W.

[0222] The ultrasonic frequency range of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic oscillator 87e is, for example, 20 kHz or higher.

[0223] After ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic oscillator 87e toward the processing liquid layer 1000 for a certain period of time, the ultrasonic oscillation from the ultrasonic oscillator 87e is stopped.

[0224] As shown in Figure 36, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic wave emitting unit 87e deliver an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000. This impact causes forced freezing to occur in the processing liquid layer 1000 from the point where the ultrasonic waves hit.

[0225] Furthermore, the ultrasonic oscillation from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e is performed just before spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs. Therefore, when the impact from the ultrasonic oscillation emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e is transmitted to the processing liquid layer 1000 and a part of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the solidified layer 1010 is formed.

[0226] In the fifth embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, spontaneous freezing occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing occurs at four ends of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to contact of the contact portions 85d.

[0227] Ultrasonic oscillations from ultrasonic oscillators 87e-1, 87e-2, 87e-3, and 87e-4 generate freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, and 1030D at four locations at the edges of the processing liquid layer 1000, initiating forced freezing. Furthermore, since forced freezing occurs just before spontaneous freezing occurs, spontaneous freezing also occurs after forced freezing. Spontaneous freezing begins at freezing initiation point 1040, which is the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 where the temperature is lowest. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing initiation points.

[0228] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, as shown in Figure 37, processing liquid is supplied to the solidified layer 1010 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the solidified layer 1010 melts. As a result, foreign matter that has moved upward on the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0229] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the fifth embodiment as well, it is considered that solidification progresses radially at the freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0230] In other words, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method in the fifth embodiment can provide the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0231] Furthermore, the configuration of the fifth embodiment makes it possible to suppress foreign matter adhering to the impact application section 80e, or liquid generated by condensation, from dripping or adhering to the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0232] The ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e may be controlled by the impact application control unit 94b. In this case, by changing the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic oscillation element 88e, the interference of ultrasonic waves between multiple ultrasonic oscillation elements 88e in one ultrasonic oscillation unit 87e can be controlled, and the strength of the impact applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 can be changed.

[0233] (Sixth Embodiment) Figure 38 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the sixth embodiment. Figure 39 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the sixth embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, a thermometer 70, an impact application unit 80f, and a control unit 90f.

[0234] Note that elements other than the impact-applying unit 80f and the control unit 90f may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0235] The impact-applying section 80f includes the laser section 89f.

[0236] The laser unit 89f includes a light source unit 89f1, a mirror 89f2, and a lens 89f3.

[0237] The laser unit 89f is located above the stage 20 within the chamber 10. The laser unit 89f irradiates the areas of the substrate W with high temperatures based on the temperature measured by the thermometer 70. In this case, multiple laser units 89f may be provided, such as laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4. In this case, multiple light source units 89f1, mirrors 89f2, and lenses 89f3 will also be provided. By providing multiple laser units 89f above the cleaning surface of the substrate W, multiple areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W can be irradiated with lasers simultaneously.

[0238] When the light source unit 89f1, mirror 89f2, and lens 89f3 are considered as one set, if multiple laser units 89f are provided, for example, four sets of light source unit 89f1, mirror 89f2, and lens 89f3 are provided above the stage 20.

[0239] The following description will focus on the case where four laser units 89f are provided, such as laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4. Note that laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4 may also be collectively referred to as the laser unit 89f.

[0240] The impact-applying unit 80f applies an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000 when the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches a set temperature after the processing liquid layer 1000, described later, has been formed on the substrate W.

[0241] The laser unit 89f includes a light source unit 89f1, a mirror 89f2, and a lens 89f3, and irradiates the processing liquid layer 1000 with the laser when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below a set temperature.

[0242] The light source unit 89f1, under control from the impact application control unit 94f (described later), irradiates the chamber 10 with a laser when the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches a set temperature or below.

[0243] The mirror 89f2 reflects the laser emitted from the light source 89f1 so that it is directed onto the lens 89f3, which will be described later. By adjusting the tilt of the mirror 89f2, the laser irradiation position in the processing liquid layer 1000 can be adjusted.

[0244] The lens 89f3 focuses the laser beam that is emitted from the light source 89f1 and reflected by the mirror 89f2. This allows the laser to be directed to a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000. This predetermined location is, for example, a high-temperature area in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0245] The mirror 89f2 and lens 89f3 may have their tilt adjusted by a drive mechanism (not shown). In this case, the drive mechanism is controlled by the impact application control unit 94f.

[0246] The control unit 90f controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90f includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93, and an impact application control unit 94f.

[0247] The processing liquid supply control unit 91, the cooling control unit 92, and the thermometer control unit 93 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0248] The impact application control unit 94f controls the intensity of the laser irradiated from the impact application unit 80f onto the processing liquid layer 1000. The impact application control unit 94f may also control the mirror 89f2 and lens 89f3 based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 sent from the thermometer control unit 93 to adjust the direction of the laser irradiated from the impact application unit 80f onto the processing liquid layer 1000. In this case, the laser irradiated from the impact application unit 80f is controlled by the impact application control unit 94f so that it is directed towards areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 with higher temperatures. In other words, the thermometer control unit 93 sends the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 obtained by the thermometer 70 to the impact application control unit 94f. Based on the received temperature information, the impact application control unit 94f controls the laser so that it is directed from the impact application unit 80f to areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 with higher temperatures.

[0249] In this case, if multiple impact-applying units 80f are provided, the laser unit 89f controls each of the laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4. Therefore, the laser intensity and other parameters of the laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4 are adjusted by the impact-applying control unit 94f so that the laser can be irradiated to multiple high-temperature locations in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0250] The following describes the case where the substrate W has a quadrilateral shape and the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 formed near the four corners of the substrate W is high.

[0251] A freeze-cleaning method using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the sixth embodiment will now be described. In the sixth embodiment, the substrate W is freeze-cleaned in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In other words, the flow of freeze-cleaning using the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the sixth embodiment is the same as in Figure 10.

[0252] Figures 40 to 44 show an example of the procedure for processing the substrate W in the sixth embodiment.

[0253] Figures 40, 41, and 44 can be described using the same procedure as in Figures 3, 4, and 7 in the first embodiment, and will therefore be explained briefly.

[0254] First, the substrate W, which has been brought into the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the sixth embodiment, is placed on the stage 20. Then, as shown in Figure 40, processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate W from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the cooling medium 31 is supplied toward the side of the substrate W opposite to the cleaning surface.

[0255] Next, as shown in Figure 41, the processing liquid layer 1000 is cooled by supplying the cooling medium 31, and the processing liquid layer 1000 is brought into a supercooled state.

[0256] As shown in Figure 42, when the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the impact application unit 80f delivers an impact to the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the radiation thermometer 60 measures the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and when the temperature of the center reaches below the set temperature, the laser unit 89f irradiates and focuses the laser. Therefore, the focused laser can deliver an impact to the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0257] The impact control unit 94f controls the laser unit 89f, focusing the laser towards the high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, the laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, and 89f-4 are controlled by the impact control unit 94f, and each laser unit 89f irradiates multiple high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the laser irradiates four high-temperature areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 almost simultaneously. The laser is controlled to irradiate near the surface of the processing liquid layer 1000 (the side opposite to the surface in contact with the substrate W). In other words, the laser irradiates the processing liquid layer 1000 without directly irradiating the substrate W.

[0258] After the laser is irradiated from the laser unit 89f to the processing liquid layer 1000 for a certain period of time, the laser irradiation from the light source unit 89f1 is stopped.

[0259] As shown in FIG. 43, the processing liquid layer 1000 is impacted by the laser irradiated from the laser unit 89f. Due to this impact, forced freezing occurs at the point where the laser hits in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0260] Also, the laser irradiation from the laser unit 89f is executed before the spontaneous freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 occurs. Therefore, when the impact of the laser irradiated from the laser unit 89f is transmitted to the processing liquid layer 1000 and a part of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze, spontaneous freezing also occurs at the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. Thereby, the solidified layer 1010 is formed.

[0261] Also in the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, spontaneous freezing occurs at the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing due to the contact of the contact portion 85d occurs at four locations at the ends of the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0262] Due to the laser irradiation from the laser units 89f-1, 89f-2, 89f-3, 89f-4, freezing initiation points 1030A, 1030B, 1030C, 1030D occur at four locations at the ends of the processing liquid layer 1000, and forced freezing starts. Also, since forced freezing occurs before spontaneous freezing occurs, spontaneous freezing also occurs after forced freezing occurs. Spontaneous freezing occurs from the freezing initiation point 1040 which is the center part with the lowest temperature in the processing liquid layer 1000. The processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from a plurality of freezing initiation points.

[0263] After the solidification of the processing liquid layer 1000, as shown in FIG. 44, similar to the first embodiment, the processing liquid is supplied to the solidified layer 1010, and the solidified layer 1010 melts. Thereby, foreign substances that have moved upward from the cleaning surface of the substrate W are washed away by the processing liquid and removed.

[0264] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the fourth embodiment as well, it is considered that solidification progresses radially at the freezing initiation points 1030 and 1040.

[0265] In other words, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method in the sixth embodiment can provide the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0266] Furthermore, with the configuration of the sixth embodiment, similar to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to suppress foreign matter adhering to the impact application section 80f or liquid generated by condensation, etc., from dripping or adhering to the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0267] The laser emitted from the laser unit 89f may be controlled by the impact application control unit 94b. In this case, the strength of the impact applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 can be changed by changing the intensity of the laser output from the light source unit 89f1.

[0268] (Seventh Embodiment) Figure 45 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the seventh embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a washing cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, a radiation thermometer 60, an impact application unit 80g, and a control unit 90g. In this embodiment, a case in which the control unit controls the temperature of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate will be described.

[0269] The chamber 10, stage 20, cooling medium supply mechanism 30, washing cup 40, processing liquid supply unit 50, and radiation thermometer 60 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description is omitted. Also, the impact application unit 80g may be any of the impact application units 80a to 80f in the first to sixth embodiments.

[0270] In this embodiment, temperature distribution information of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer is recorded in hardware or software. For example, the temperature distribution of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 may be controlled by the impact application control unit 94g, which will be described later.

[0271] The control unit 90g controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the recipe. The control unit 90g includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, a thermometer control unit 93g, and an impact application control unit 94g.

[0272] The processing liquid supply control unit 91 and the cooling control unit 92 may be the same as in the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0273] The thermometer control unit 93g controls the radiation thermometer 60 which measures the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000. The thermometer control unit 93g receives the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 measured by the radiation thermometer 60 and displays the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer 1000 on a display unit or the like which is not shown. The received temperature information can be sent to the impact application control unit 94g.

[0274] The impact application control unit 94g controls the impact from the impact application unit 80g and the location where the impact is applied. Based on the temperature information of the processing liquid layer 1000 from the thermometer control unit 93g, the impact application control unit 94g determines the timing and location of the impact on the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, when the radiation thermometer 60 detects that the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 has reached the temperature just before the processing liquid layer 1000 spontaneously freezes, the impact application control unit 94g controls the impact application unit 80g to apply an impact to a set location in the processing liquid layer 1000. The set location may be, for example, a location in the processing liquid layer 1000 that is hotter when the center reaches the set temperature.

[0275] The impact application control unit 94g can store information such as the temperature change in the processing liquid layer 1000 over time and the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer. In addition, the impact application control unit 94g can pre-set the position where the impact application unit 80g will be placed above the processing liquid layer 1000, and the degree of impact to be applied just before the processing liquid layer 1000 spontaneously freezes.

[0276] Here, if the substrate W is quadrangular and the cooling medium 31 from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is supplied to the center of the back surface of the substrate W, the areas with high temperatures in the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W are often near the four corners. In this case, the impact application control unit 94g is set to apply impact to the areas near the four corners of the substrate W. Then, when the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches the set temperature (the temperature just before the processing liquid layer 1000 spontaneously freezes), the impact application control unit 94g drives the impact application unit 80g to the set area of ​​the processing liquid layer 1000, that is, the area with high temperature.

[0277] Furthermore, even when the shape of the substrate W and the supply position of the cooling medium 31 are not limited, the impact application control unit 94g can continuously freeze-clean multiple substrates W and retain information such as the temperature change in the processing liquid layer 1000 over time and the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer 1000. Alternatively, the impact application control unit 94g can be pre-set to apply impact to locations where impact should be applied when the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches a set temperature. For example, the impact application control unit 94g can pre-set the locations to be impacted to be near the four corners of the substrate W, and when the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, it drives the impact application unit 80g to the set location in the processing liquid layer 1000. Then, the impact application unit 80g applies impact to the pre-set location in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0278] The impact applied to the processing liquid layer 1000 from the impact-applying unit 80g is performed just before spontaneous freezing occurs. Therefore, when a portion of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing points.

[0279] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, processing liquid is supplied to the solidified processing liquid layer 1000 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and it is melted. As a result, foreign matter that has moved upward from the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0280] Also in this embodiment, similar to the first to sixth embodiments, an impact is applied to a location set in the processing liquid layer 1000 at the timing when spontaneous freezing occurs, and forced freezing is also performed. Therefore, even at a location far from the location where spontaneous freezing occurs and at a high temperature, foreign matter is likely to receive an upward force, and the removal rate of foreign matter on the substrate W is improved.

[0281] In addition, since the temperature distribution measurement using a thermo thermometer is not performed, the overall device configuration and operation control can be simplified.

[0282] (Eighth Embodiment) FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 in the eighth embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10, a stage 20, a cooling medium supply mechanism 30, a cleaning cup 40, a processing liquid supply unit 50, an impact application unit 80h, and a control unit 90h. In this embodiment, the case where the control unit 90h controls the temperature of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer formed on the substrate will be described.

[0283] The chamber 10, the stage 20, the cooling medium supply mechanism 30, the cleaning cup 40, and the processing liquid supply unit 50 may be the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. Also, the impact application unit 80h may be any one of the impact application units 80a to 80f in the first to sixth embodiments.

[0284] In this embodiment, temperature distribution information of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer is recorded in hardware, software, or the like. For example, the temperature distribution of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 may be controlled by an impact application control unit 94h described later.

[0285] The control unit 90h controls the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a recipe. The control unit 90h includes a processing liquid supply control unit 91, a cooling control unit 92, and an impact application control unit 94h.

[0286] The processing liquid supply control unit 91 and the cooling control unit 92 may be the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0287] The impact application control unit 94h determines the timing and location of impact application to the processing liquid layer 1000. In other words, it pre-sets the timing at which the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches the temperature just before it spontaneously freezes. When that timing is reached, the impact application control unit 94h controls the impact application unit 80h to apply impact to the set location on the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0288] The impact application control unit 94h can store information such as the temperature change in the processing liquid layer 1000 over time and the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer. Therefore, it is possible to pre-calculate the time from when the processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the substrate W and cooling by the cooling medium 31 begins until the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below a set temperature. In addition, the impact application control unit 94h can also pre-set the position where the impact application unit 80h will be placed above the processing liquid layer 1000, and the degree of impact to be applied just before the processing liquid layer 1000 spontaneously freezes.

[0289] Here, if the substrate W is quadrangular and the cooling medium 31 from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is supplied to the center of the back surface of the substrate W, the areas of high temperature in the processing liquid layer 1000 formed on the substrate W are often near the four corners. At this time, the impact application control unit 94h sets the timing when the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 reaches a set temperature and the areas to be impacted to be near the four corners of the substrate W. Then, when it is predicted that the processing liquid layer 1000 has fallen below the set temperature, the impact application control unit 94h controls the impact application unit 80h to move to the high-temperature areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 and applies impact.

[0290] Even if the substrate W is not quadrangular, or if the supply position of the cooling medium 31 is not at the center of the substrate W, the impact application control unit 94h can, for example, continuously freeze-clean multiple substrates W, performing freeze-cleaning multiple times. This allows the unit to retain information such as the temperature change in the processing liquid layer 1000 over time and the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer 1000, and to use this information for predicting the next freeze-cleaning. The impact application control unit 94g can also pre-set the locations to be impacted. For example, the impact application control unit 94h can pre-set the impact locations to be near the four corners of the substrate W, and when the cooling time of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 has elapsed for the set time, it drives the impact application unit 80h to the areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 where the temperature is higher. The impact application unit 80h then applies impact to the pre-set locations in the processing liquid layer 1000. The pre-set locations may be, for example, areas of the processing liquid layer 1000 where the temperature is higher when the center falls below the set temperature.

[0291] Figure 47 is a flowchart showing an example of the freeze-cleaning procedure in the eighth embodiment.

[0292] First, the substrate W is brought into the chamber 10 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and placed on the stage 20 (S10). At this time, the substrate W is placed with the cleaning surface facing upwards. Foreign matter is attached to the cleaning surface of the substrate W.

[0293] Next, a processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W (S20). The processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the clean surface of the substrate W by supplying processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit 50. At this time, the processing liquid layer 1000 may be formed by, for example, a spin coating method. Also, when forming the processing liquid layer 1000 on the clean surface of the substrate W, a cooling medium 31 at a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid may be supplied to the back surface of the substrate W, that is, the surface opposite to the clean surface.

[0294] For a set period of time, the cooling medium 31 is supplied to the back surface of the substrate W to cool the processing liquid layer 1000 and bring the processing liquid layer 1000 into a supercooled state (S30). At this time, the stage 20 may be rotated around the through hole 22 as an axis, or the rotation may be stopped. The cooling medium is, for example, a gas such as nitrogen gas cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid, or a liquid such as liquid nitrogen or liquid fluorocarbon.

[0295] In the control unit 90h, the cooling time for the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 is set in advance. The cooling time is controlled, for example, by the impact application control unit 94h. The set time is the time from when the cooling of the processing liquid layer 1000 starts until it reaches the temperature just before spontaneous freezing.

[0296] After a set time has elapsed, the impact application control unit 94h controls the impact application unit 80h to apply an impact to the processing liquid layer 1000, causing forced freezing (S40). At this time, the impact is applied to a predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000. Specifically, the impact application control unit 94h stores or sets, for example, a location in the processing liquid layer 1000 with a high temperature. As a result, after the substrate W and the processing liquid layer have cooled for a certain period of time, the impact application control unit 94h controls the impact application unit 80h to apply an impact to the predetermined location in the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0297] The processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze from the point of impact when impact is applied from the impact application unit 80h. Furthermore, the impact on the processing liquid layer 1000 is performed just before spontaneous freezing occurs. Therefore, when a part of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to freeze, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000, and the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies (S50).

[0298] Next, the supply of the cooling medium 31 to the lower surface of the substrate W is stopped, and the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 50 while the stage 20 is rotated around the through hole 22 as an axis, to melt the processing liquid that had solidified on the substrate W (S60). At this time, the supplied processing liquid may be at room temperature.

[0299] As the above process is carried out, foreign matter present on the cleaning surface of the substrate W and covered by the processing liquid layer 1000 will be removed from the cleaning surface of the substrate W by an upward force.

[0300] In this embodiment, as in the first to seventh embodiments, an impact is applied to a designated location in the processing liquid layer 1000 at the timing when spontaneous freezing occurs, thereby also performing forced freezing. Therefore, even in areas far from where spontaneous freezing occurs and at higher temperatures, foreign matter is more likely to be subjected to an upward force, improving the removal rate of foreign matter on the substrate W.

[0301] Furthermore, by eliminating the need for temperature measurement using a radiation thermometer and temperature distribution measurement using a thermometer, the overall device configuration and operation control can be simplified.

[0302] (Ninth Embodiment) The substrate W used in this embodiment is circular in shape. The configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be the same as in the first embodiment.

[0303] First, the substrate W is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1 and placed on the stage 20. The substrate W placed on the stage 20 is fixed in place so that its position does not shift when the stage 20 rotates. In addition, the cooling medium 31 from the cooling medium supply mechanism 30 is supplied, for example, to the center of the back surface of a circular substrate W. The center refers to the central part of the substrate W, and indicates the center of the substrate W and its vicinity.

[0304] Figure 48 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the ninth embodiment. In the ninth embodiment, the cleaning flow of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the substrate W is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0305] After forming a processing liquid layer 1000 on the surface (cleaning surface) of the substrate W by supplying processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit 50, the temperature of the processing liquid layer 1000 is measured using a radiation thermometer 60 and a thermometer 70. At this time, the radiation thermometer 60 and thermometer 70 may be omitted, and the temperature distribution information of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer may be recorded in hardware or software. If the temperature distribution information of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000 is recorded in hardware or software, the timing and location of impact on the processing liquid layer 1000 should be determined and set in advance.

[0306] The following describes a case where the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a radiation thermometer 60 and a thermometer 70, and measures the temperature of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000.

[0307] A processing liquid layer 1000 is formed on the substrate W while supplying the cooling medium 31 toward the back surface of the substrate W. At this time, the supply of the cooling medium 31 toward the back surface of the substrate W causes the processing liquid layer 1000 to become supercooled.

[0308] When the temperature of the center of the processing liquid layer 1000 falls below the set temperature, the impact application unit 80 applies an impact to the hotter areas of the processing liquid layer 1000. At this time, the hotter areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 can be measured by the thermometer 70, and the control unit determines the areas in the processing liquid layer 1000 to be impacted based on the measurement results of the thermometer 70.

[0309] In Figure 48, four high-temperature locations are identified in the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000, and the impact application unit 80 is installed above these locations.

[0310] When the impact from the impact-applying unit 80 is transmitted to the processing liquid layer 1000, a portion of the processing liquid layer 1000 begins to solidify. When forced freezing of the processing liquid layer 1000 due to such impact begins, spontaneous freezing also occurs in the center of the processing liquid layer 1000. As a result, the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies. Because forced freezing occurs just before spontaneous freezing occurs, and spontaneous freezing occurs after forced freezing, the processing liquid layer 1000 solidifies from multiple freezing points.

[0311] After the processing liquid layer 1000 has solidified, processing liquid is supplied onto the solidified processing liquid layer 1000 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and melted. As a result, foreign matter that has moved upward from the cleaned surface of the substrate W is washed away and removed by the processing liquid.

[0312] As described above, even if the substrate W is circular in shape, by identifying and applying impact to high-temperature areas of the substrate W and the processing liquid layer 1000, or to any arbitrary area, the processing liquid layer 1000 can be solidified from multiple freezing points. Therefore, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0313] These embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0314] 1: Substrate processing equipment 10: Chamber 20: Stage 30:Cooling medium supply mechanism 31:Cooling medium 40: Washing cup 50: Processing liquid supply unit 51: Nozzle 52: Nozzle head 53: Processing liquid supply mechanism 54:Position adjustment section 60: Radiation thermometer 70: Thermometer 80: Impact-generating part 81a, 81b: Nozzle 82a, 82b: Nozzle head 83a, 83b, 83d, 83e: Impact mechanism 84a, 84b, 84c, 84d: Impact application position adjustment section 85c, 85d: Contact part 86c, 86d: Support part 87e: Ultrasonic oscillator 88e: Ultrasonic Oscillator 89f: Laser section 89f1: Light source section 89f2: Mirror 89f3: Lens 90: Control Unit 91: Processing liquid supply control unit 92: Cooling Control Unit 93: Thermometer Control Unit 94: Impact application control unit 1000, 1020: Processing liquid layer 1010: Solidified layer 1030, 1040: Freeze starting point W: Circuit board

Claims

1. A substrate holding section that holds the substrate, A processing liquid supply unit that supplies processing liquid onto the cleaning surface of the substrate, A solidification unit that supplies a cooling medium for cooling the substrate, An impact-applying unit capable of applying impact to the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate, The system includes a control unit that controls the processing liquid supply unit, the solidification unit, and the impact application unit, The control unit, The solidification portion is controlled so that the layer of the processing liquid formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate is cooled to a temperature lower than the solidification point, resulting in a supercooled state. A substrate processing apparatus that controls the impact application unit to apply an impact to a forced freezing point located at a position away from the spontaneous freezing point of the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate when the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate reaches a set temperature that is lower than the freezing point and higher than the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs.

2. A first thermometer for measuring the temperature of the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate, The system further includes a second thermometer for measuring the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate, The control unit, Based on the temperature of the processing liquid layer measured by the first thermometer, it is determined when the processing liquid layer has reached or below the set temperature. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the processing liquid layer with a high temperature is determined to be the forced freezing starting point based on the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer measured by the second thermometer.

3. The first thermometer indirectly measures the temperature of the processing liquid layer by measuring the temperature of the substrate, which reflects the temperature of the processing liquid layer. The second thermometer indirectly measures the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer by measuring the temperature distribution of the substrate, which reflects the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The substrate processing apparatus is It has a plurality of the aforementioned impact-applying parts, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls each of the plurality of impact-applying units to simultaneously apply an impact to each of the plurality of forced freezing starting points in the processing liquid layer.

5. The solidification unit supplies a cooling medium to the center of the back surface of the cleaned surface of the substrate, The spontaneous freezing starting point is the portion of the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate that is located on the central part of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forced freezing starting point is a portion of the layer of the processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate on the outer periphery of the substrate.

6. The aforementioned substrate has a quadrilateral shape, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the forced freezing starting point is a portion of the four corners of the outer periphery of the substrate in the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate, when the temperature reaches below the set temperature, forced freezing begins at the forced freezing starting point of the layer of processing liquid, and thereafter, spontaneous freezing begins at the spontaneous freezing starting point of the layer of processing liquid.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein foreign matter that has moved upward from the cleaning surface of the substrate is removed by the forced freezing and the spontaneous freezing.

9. The impact application unit includes a liquid supply unit capable of dropping liquid droplets onto the layer of the processing liquid, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit to drop the liquid droplet from the liquid supply unit onto the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer to apply an impact.

10. The impact application unit includes a gas supply unit capable of supplying gas cooled to a temperature lower than the freezing point of the processing liquid onto the layer of the processing liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit to blow the gas from the gas supply unit onto the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer.

11. The impact-applying portion includes a contact portion that can directly contact the layer of the processing liquid, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit so that the contact unit directly contacts the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer.

12. The impact-applying portion is capable of directly contacting the layer of the processing liquid and includes a contact portion capable of emitting ultrasonic waves. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit so that the contact unit that emits ultrasonic waves directly contacts the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer.

13. The impact application unit includes an ultrasonic oscillating unit capable of emitting ultrasonic waves onto the layer of the processing liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit to emit ultrasonic waves at the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer.

14. The impact application unit includes a laser unit capable of irradiating a laser onto the layer of the processing liquid, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the impact application unit to irradiate the laser from the laser unit onto the forced freezing starting point of the processing liquid layer.

15. The system further includes a thermometer for measuring the temperature of the layer of the processing liquid formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate. The control unit, Based on the temperature of the processing liquid layer measured by the thermometer, it is determined when the processing liquid layer has reached or below the set temperature. The control unit, It is possible to retain information on the temperature distribution over time in the layer of the processing liquid, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on the aforementioned information, the portion of the processing liquid layer with a high temperature is determined to be the forced freezing starting point.

16. The control unit, It is possible to retain information on the temperature change and temperature distribution over time in the layer of the processing liquid, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on the information described above, when the layer of the processing liquid reaches a temperature below the set temperature, and when a portion of the layer of the processing liquid with a higher temperature is determined to be the forced freezing starting point.

17. The processing solution is supplied onto the cleaning surface of the substrate to form a layer of processing solution. The layer of the processing liquid formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate is cooled to a temperature below its freezing point to create a supercooled state. When the layer of the processing liquid reaches a set temperature that is below the freezing point and above the temperature at which spontaneous freezing occurs, an impact is applied to a forced freezing point located away from the spontaneous freezing point of the layer of the processing liquid formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate, thereby solidifying the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaned surface of the substrate and forming a solidified layer. A substrate processing method comprising supplying the processing liquid onto the solidified layer and melting the solidified layer.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein, based on the temperature of the processing liquid layer, it is determined when the processing liquid layer has reached or below the set temperature, and based on the temperature distribution of the processing liquid layer, the portion of the processing liquid layer with a high temperature is determined to be the forced freezing starting point.

19. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein the forced freezing starting point is multiple.

20. The aforementioned substrate has a quadrilateral shape, The processing liquid is supplied onto the center of the back surface of the cleaning surface of the substrate. The spontaneous freezing starting point is the portion of the processing liquid layer formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate that is located on the central part of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein the forced freezing starting point is a portion of the four corners of the outer periphery of the substrate in the layer of processing liquid formed on the cleaning surface of the substrate.

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