Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To surely remove mist of leaked chemical liquid even if the mist of the chemical liquid leaks to an outside of a guard through an inner side of an upper end part of the guard.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises: a cylindrical guard 53A that receives liquid scattered to an outer side from a substrate W; a chamber 12 that surrounds the guard 53A; a separation board 81 that vertically separates a space surrounding the guard 53A in the chamber 12; and an exhaust duct that sucks air inside the guard 53A and air on a lower side of the separation board 81 into an upstream end arranged below the separation board 81 in the chamber 12, and exhausts the air to an outside of the chamber 12. The separation board 81 comprises: an outer periphery end 81o separate to an inner side from an inner periphery surface 12i of the chamber 12; and an inner periphery end surrounding the guard 53A. A guard lifting unit lifts the guard 53A to change the shortest distance from the inner periphery end (an inner periphery surface 83i) of the separation board 81 to the guard 53A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate. Examples of the substrate include a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for a FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a substrate for a photomask, a ceramic substrate, a substrate for a solar cell, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices and FPDs, etc., a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for FPD is used. The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a spin chuck that rotates while holding the substrate horizontally, a nozzle that discharges SPM (a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide water) toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck, a nozzle that discharges a rinse liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck, a cylindrical guard that receives the liquid scattered outward from the substrate, and a chamber that houses the spin chuck, the guard, etc.

[0003] The upper end portion of the guard surrounds the substrate in a plan view. The guard is disposed at any one of a lower position where the upper end of the guard is located below the substrate, a liquid receiving position where the upper end of the guard is located above the substrate, and an upper position above the liquid receiving position. When supplying SPM to the substrate, the guard is disposed at the upper position where the upper end of the guard is sufficiently separated from the upper surface of the substrate. When washing away the SPM on the substrate with the rinse liquid, the guard is disposed at the liquid receiving position where the vertical distance from the upper surface of the substrate to the upper end of the guard is reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When a processing liquid such as a chemical solution or a rinse solution is discharged toward a rotating substrate, mist of the processing liquid is generated above the substrate or around the substrate. If the generated mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the guard through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard, an atmosphere containing the leaked mist of the chemical solution and the leaked mist-like chemical solution (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as "chemical solution atmosphere") may adhere to the inner surface of the chamber and change into particles. The chemical solution atmosphere may flow toward the substrate and adhere to the substrate. The chemical solution atmosphere may also adhere to the substrate when the substrate is carried out of or into the chamber. These can cause contamination of the substrate.

[0006] In order to prevent an atmosphere containing mist of a chemical solution such as SPM from leaking outside the guard through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 raises the guard to an extremely high position when supplying SPM to the substrate. However, depending on the substrate processing apparatus, it may not be possible to arrange the guard at such a high position. Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of reliably removing the leaked mist of the chemical solution even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the guard through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One embodiment of the present inventionIt includes substrate holding means for horizontally holding a substrate, substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means around a vertical rotation axis passing through the central portion of the substrate, a chemical liquid nozzle for discharging a chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means, an upper end portion surrounding the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view, and a cylindrical inclined portion extending obliquely upward toward the upper end portion. It also includes a cylindrical guard for receiving the liquid scattered outward from the substrate held by the substrate holding means, a chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard, an outer peripheral end separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard. A partition plate for vertically partitioning the space around the guard in the chamber, a guard lifting unit for changing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lifting and lowering the guard, an exhaust duct including an upstream end disposed below the partition plate in the chamber, for sucking the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end of the exhaust duct and discharging them outside the chamber, a substrate processing apparatus is provided 。

[0008] According to this configuration, a partition plate is disposed around the guard. The outer peripheral end of the partition plate is separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and the inner peripheral end of the partition plate surrounds the guard. When the guard lifting unit lifts and lowers the guard, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard increases or decreases. Thereby, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate can be increased or decreased.

[0009] The exhaust duct sucks the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate from the upstream end of the exhaust duct into the interior of the exhaust duct. The gas above the guard passes downward inside the upper end portion of the guard and is sucked into the exhaust duct. The gas above the partition plate passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate and is sucked into the exhaust duct.

[0010] When the guard lifting unit reduces the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate increases, so the flow rate of the gas passing inside the upper end of the guard increases. As a result, the amount of mist of the chemical solution leaking out of the guard through the inside of the upper end of the guard can be reduced. When the guard lifting unit increases the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate decreases, so the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate increases. Even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks out of the guard, the leaked mist passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate, and is sucked into the exhaust duct. As a result, the leaked mist can be reliably removed.

[0011] Focusing on sucking the atmosphere inside the guard is important for preventing the mist of the chemical solution from leaking out of the guard. Focusing on sucking the atmosphere above the guard and the partition plate is important for removing the leaked mist of the chemical solution. Therefore, balancing the exhaust, that is, changing the location where the exhaust is focused, is important for reducing the contamination of the substrate and the chamber.

[0012] By raising and lowering the guard to change the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard, the location where the exhaust is focused can be changed between the inside of the guard and above the guard and the partition plate. Therefore, if the guard is raised and lowered according to the progress of the substrate processing, the atmosphere of the location where the mist of the chemical solution may exist can be focused on being sucked, and the contamination of the substrate and the chamber can be reduced. In the above embodiment, at least one of the following features may be added to the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a rinse liquid nozzle that discharges a rinse liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and a control device that, by controlling the guard lifting unit, makes the shortest distance when replacing the chemical solution on the substrate with the rinse liquid discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle larger than the shortest distance when the chemical solution nozzle is discharging the chemical solution. 。

[0013] According to this configuration, the chemical solution on the substrate is replaced with a rinse solution. When the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the guard, the chemical solution atmosphere floats above the guard and the partition plate when the rinse solution nozzle is discharging the rinse solution. When the rinse solution nozzle is discharging the rinse solution, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is greater than when the chemical solution nozzle is discharging the chemical solution. Thereby, the chemical solution atmosphere floating above the guard and the partition plate can be sucked into at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate.

[0014] The rinse solution means a liquid other than the chemical solution. A specific example of the rinse solution is a water-containing liquid mainly composed of water. The water-containing liquid may be water such as pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized Water)). That is, the concentration of water in the water-containing liquid may be 100% or substantially 100%. If the concentration is low (for example, 10 to 100 ppm), the water-containing liquid may contain substances other than water. If there is no problem with the quality of the substrate even if the mist of the rinse solution adheres to the chamber or the substrate, the rinse solution may be a liquid other than the water-containing liquid. For example, an organic solvent (liquid) such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or HFE (hydrofluoroether) may be the rinse solution.

[0015] The substrate processing apparatus further includes a cylindrical outer wall including an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, a discharge hole that is open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas discharged from the chamber through the exhaust duct passes, and an exhaust relay hole that is open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas moving from the outside of the outer peripheral surface to the inside of the inner peripheral surface passes 。

[0016] According to this configuration, the cylindrical outer wall surrounds the guard below the partition plate. The gas that has passed through the inside of the upper end of the guard passes through the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall and the exhaust duct and is discharged outside the chamber. The gas that has passed between the guard and the partition plate also passes through the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall and the exhaust duct and is discharged outside the chamber. Therefore, these gases are discharged outside the chamber without passing through the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall.

[0017] On the other hand, the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate passes through the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall and moves from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall. Then, this gas passes through the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall and the exhaust duct and is discharged outside the chamber. Therefore, the gas around the cylindrical outer wall moves from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall, and then moves from the inside of the cylindrical outer wall to the outside of the cylindrical outer wall.

[0018] In this way, since the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate passes through the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall and then passes through the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall and the exhaust duct, the path through which the gas flowing into the space between the chamber and the partition plate passes has a greater pressure loss than the path passing through the inside of the upper end of the guard. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end of the guard and the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate can be increased.

[0019] By increasing the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end of the guard, the mist of the chemical solution leaking outside the guard can be reduced. Further, even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the guard, the leaked mist flows around from the upper end of the guard. The inner peripheral end of the partition plate is disposed closer to the guard than the outer peripheral end of the partition plate. Therefore, the leaked mist of the chemical solution can be more reliably removed by increasing the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate.

[0020] The The exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall 。 According to this configuration, the area of the exhaust relay hole in the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the area of the discharge hole in the cylindrical outer wall. The gas that has passed inside the upper end of the guard and the gas that has passed between the guard and the partition plate do not pass through the exhaust relay hole, whereas the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate passes through the exhaust relay hole and then passes through the discharge hole and the exhaust duct. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path through which the gas flowing into the space between the chamber and the partition plate passes is large. As a result, the flow rate of the gas passing inside the upper end of the guard and the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate can be further increased.

[0021] The The cylindrical outer wall includes a cylindrical body having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, and through holes opening on the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, and a movable cover held by the cylindrical body in a state of covering a part of the through holes and movable with respect to the cylindrical body. The exhaust relay hole is formed by the through hole of the cylindrical body and the movable cover, and the opening degree changes according to the position of the movable cover with respect to the cylindrical body. 。

[0022] According to this configuration, the exhaust relay hole through which the gas flows from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall is formed by the through hole penetrating the cylindrical body and the movable cover covering a part of the through hole. When the movable cover is moved with respect to the cylindrical body, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole increases or decreases. Thereby, the balance of the exhaust can be changed. That is, the balance of the exhaust passing inside the upper end of the guard, the exhaust passing between the guard and the partition plate, and the exhaust passing between the chamber and the partition plate can be changed.

[0023] The movable cover may be a slide cover that moves parallel along the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, or may be an opening / closing cover that opens and closes around a horizontal or vertical straight line. When the movable cover is a slide cover, moving the movable cover relative to the cylindrical body changes the area of the portion in the through-hole of the cylindrical body that is not covered by the movable cover. When the movable cover is an opening / closing cover, moving the movable cover relative to the cylindrical body changes the size of the gap between the cylindrical body and the movable cover. As a result, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole increases or decreases.

[0024] The The outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross-section, and the partition plate includes a horizontal portion that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber and a cylindrical vertical portion that extends downward from the horizontal portion. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate has a vertical linear cross-section and surrounds the vertical portion of the guard in plan view. When the guard is disposed at the upper processing position where the vertical portion of the guard faces horizontally with the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion. 。

[0025] According to this configuration, the horizontal portion of the partition plate vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber, and the vertical portion of the partition plate extends downward from the horizontal portion. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion surrounds the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard in plan view. When the guard is moved to the upper processing position, the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is disposed inside the vertical portion and faces horizontally with the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion.

[0026] When the guard is disposed at the upper processing position, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion. In other words, when the guard is disposed at the upper processing position, the radial distance (the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the substrate) from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard corresponds to the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate mainly depends on the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard.

[0027] The cross sections of both the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion are vertical. Further, since the vertical portion extends downward from the horizontal portion, the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion is disposed below the horizontal portion. In other words, the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion has a certain length in the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the position of the guard in the vertical direction is not precisely controlled, the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard can be horizontally opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate can be easily adjusted.

[0028] The The partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the partition plate, and a support plate supporting the inner peripheral ring, and the inner peripheral ring is movable relative to the support plate and the guard in the radial direction, which is the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. 。 According to this configuration, the inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion is supported by the support plate. The inner peripheral ring is movable in the radial direction with respect to the support plate. When the inner peripheral ring is moved in the radial direction with respect to the support plate, the inner peripheral ring moves in the radial direction with respect to the guard, and the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard changes. Therefore, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard can be changed, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate can be increased or decreased.

[0029] TheThe vertical length of the opposing range in which the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate faces horizontally the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, which is the direction around the rotation axis. 。 According to this configuration, the vertical length (corresponding to the length L1 shown in FIG. 6) of the opposing range in which the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate faces horizontally the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is not constant over the entire circumference but varies. The distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate is not constant over the entire circumference but varies.

[0030] When the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate is small near the exhaust duct (when the resistance applied to the gas passing downward through the gap between the guard and the partition plate is small near the exhaust duct), the suction force attracting the gas toward the exhaust duct is significantly reduced near the exhaust duct, and the suction force transmitted to a position circumferentially away from the upstream end of the exhaust duct is significantly reduced. Since the length of the opposing range in the vertical direction increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, the pressure loss of this path increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the suction force transmitted to a position circumferentially away from the upstream end of the exhaust duct, and it is possible to improve the uniformity of the suction force in the circumferential direction.

[0031] The The distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard in the radial direction, which is the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, decreases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, which is the direction around the rotation axis. 。 According to this configuration, the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is not constant over the entire circumference but varies. The distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate is not constant over the entire circumference but varies.

[0032] If the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate is small near the exhaust duct, the suction force that sucks the gas toward the exhaust duct is significantly reduced near the exhaust duct, and the suction force transmitted to a position circumferentially away from the upstream end of the exhaust duct is significantly reduced. Since the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard decreases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, the pressure loss of this path increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the suction force transmitted to a position circumferentially away from the upstream end of the exhaust duct, and it is possible to improve the uniformity of the suction force in the circumferential direction.

[0033] Another embodiment of the present invention A substrate processing method including: rotating a substrate horizontally about a vertical axis passing through the central portion of the substrate; discharging a chemical solution toward the rotating substrate; causing the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate to be received by a cylindrical guard including an upper end portion surrounding the substrate in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion extending obliquely upward toward the upper end portion; sucking the gas inside the guard into the upstream end of an exhaust duct disposed below a partition plate that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber, the partition plate including an outer peripheral end spaced inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber surrounding the guard and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and discharging the gas outside the chamber; sucking the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end of the exhaust duct and discharging the gas outside the chamber; and increasing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lowering the guard after stopping the discharge of the chemical solution onto the substrate. is provided.

[0034] According to this method, a chemical solution is discharged toward the rotating substrate. Then, the guard is lowered. As a result, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard increases, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate decreases. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate increases. Even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the guard, the leaked mist passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate, and is sucked into the exhaust duct. Thereby, the leaked mist can be surely removed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0035]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12A

Figure 12B

Figure 12C

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the inside of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross-section of the substrate processing apparatus 1 taken along line II-II shown in FIG. 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer one by one. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a load port LP that supports a carrier CA that houses a plurality of substrates W, a processing unit 2 that processes the substrate W conveyed from the carrier CA on the load port LP with a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or a processing gas, a transfer system 5 that transfers the substrate W between the carrier CA on the load port LP and the processing unit 2, and a control device 3 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a plurality of load ports LP and a plurality of processing units 2 are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The plurality of load ports LP are arranged horizontally in a straight line.

[0037] The plurality of processing units 2 form a plurality of towers TW each including a plurality of processing units 2 stacked vertically. FIG. 1 shows an example in which four towers TW are formed. Half of the plurality of towers TW are arranged on the right side of the linear transfer path 4, and the other half of the plurality of towers TW are arranged on the left side of the transfer path 4. As shown in FIG. 2, in this example, each tower TW includes six processing units 2 stacked vertically. Therefore, 24 processing units 2 are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0038] The upper processing units 2 of all the towers TW constitute an upper processing unit group, and the lower processing units 2 of all the towers TW constitute a lower processing unit group. When the number of processing units 2 constituting one tower TW is odd, the middle processing unit 2 may belong to either the upper processing unit group or the lower processing unit group. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper 12 processing units 2 constitute the upper processing unit group, and the lower 12 processing units 2 constitute the lower processing unit group.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer system 5 includes a substrate placement unit 6 on which a substrate W transferred between a carrier CA on a load port LP and a processing unit 2 is temporarily placed, an index robot IR that transfers the substrate W between the carrier CA on the load port LP and the substrate placement unit 6, and a center robot CR that transfers the substrate W between the substrate placement unit 6 and the processing unit 2.

[0040] The substrate placement unit 6 is disposed between the index robot IR and the center robot CR in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate placement unit 6 includes an upper substrate placement unit 6u and a lower substrate placement unit 6L that overlap each other in a plan view. The upper substrate placement unit 6u is disposed above the lower substrate placement unit 6L. The upper substrate placement unit 6u temporarily holds the substrate W transferred between the upper processing unit group and the carrier CA. The lower substrate placement unit 6L temporarily holds the substrate W transferred between the lower processing unit group and the carrier CA.

[0041] Both the upper substrate placement unit 6u and the lower substrate placement unit 6L include an unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 on which an unprocessed substrate W is placed and a processed substrate placement unit 8 on which a processed substrate W is placed. The unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 and the processed substrate placement unit 8 overlap each other in a plan view. The unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 is disposed above the processed substrate placement unit 8. In at least one of the upper substrate placement unit 6u and the lower substrate placement unit 6L, the unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 may be disposed below the processed substrate placement unit 8.

[0042] Both the unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 and the processed substrate placement unit 8 include a plurality of support portions that horizontally support a plurality of substrates W so as to overlap vertically. The support portion may be a plurality of pins that contact the lower surface of the substrate W, or may be a pair of rails that horizontally extend on the right and left sides of the substrate W. The substrate W can enter the unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 from either the index robot IR side or the center robot CR side, and can enter the processed substrate placement unit 8 from either the index robot IR side or the center robot CR side.

[0043] The indexer robot IR is disposed between the substrate placement unit 6 and the load port LP in a plan view. The indexer robot IR includes one or more hands Hi that horizontally support the substrate W. The hand Hi is movable parallel to both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The hand Hi is rotatable by 180 degrees or more about a vertical straight line. The hand Hi can carry the substrate W into and out of any carrier CA on the plurality of load ports LP, and can carry the substrate W into and out of any unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 and processed substrate placement unit 8.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the center robot CR includes an upper center robot CRu that conveys the substrate W between the upper substrate placement unit 6u and the upper processing unit group, and a lower center robot CRL that conveys the substrate W between the lower substrate placement unit 6L and the lower processing unit group. The upper center robot CRu is disposed above the lower center robot CRL. The upper center robot CRu and the lower center robot CRL are disposed in the conveyance path 4 formed between the plurality of towers TW.

[0045] Both the upper center robot CRu and the lower center robot CRL include one or more hands Hc that horizontally support the substrate W. The hand Hc is movable parallel to both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The hand Hc is rotatable by 180 degrees or more about a vertical straight line. The hand Hc of the upper center robot CRu can carry the substrate W into and out of any processing unit 2 belonging to the upper processing unit group, and can carry the substrate W into and out of the unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 and the processed substrate placement unit 8 of the upper substrate placement unit 6u. The hand Hc of the lower center robot CRL can carry the substrate W into and out of any processing unit 2 belonging to the lower processing unit group, and can carry the substrate W into and out of the unprocessed substrate placement unit 7 and the processed substrate placement unit 8 of the lower substrate placement unit 6L.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the interior of the processing unit 2 as seen horizontally. FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrative plan views showing the interior of the processing unit 2. In FIG. 4B, the partition plate 81 is omitted, and the cylindrical outer wall 70 is shown in a horizontal cross-section located between the partition plate 81 and the exhaust duct 78. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3 further enlarged. FIG. 7 is an external view of the cylindrical outer wall 70 seen in the direction of arrow VII shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is an illustrative plan view of the processing cup 52 and the partition plate 81 as seen from above.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 2 includes a box-shaped chamber 12 having an internal space, a spin chuck 21 that rotates around a vertical axis A1 passing through the central portion of the substrate W while horizontally holding one substrate W in the chamber 12, and a plurality of nozzles that supply a processing liquid such as a chemical solution or a rinse solution to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21. As shown in FIG. 4A, the chamber 12 includes a box-shaped partition wall 13 provided with a carry-in / carry-out port 13b through which the substrate W passes, and a shutter 17 that opens and closes the carry-in / carry-out port 13b. As shown in FIG. 3, the chamber 12 further includes a rectifying plate 18 disposed below the air supply port 13a that opens on the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13. The FFU 11 (Fan Filter Unit 11) that sends clean air (air filtered by a filter) is disposed above the air supply port 13a. The air supply port 13a is provided at the upper end of the chamber 12, and the exhaust duct 78 described later is disposed at the lower end of the chamber 12. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is disposed inside the chamber 12, and the downstream end of the exhaust duct 78 is disposed outside the chamber 12.

[0048] The partition wall 13 includes a cylindrical side wall 15 that surrounds the spin chuck 21, an upper wall 14 disposed above the spin chuck 21, and a lower wall 16 disposed below the spin chuck 21. The lower surface of the upper wall 14 corresponds to the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13, and the upper surface of the lower wall 16 corresponds to the floor surface of the partition wall 13. The air supply port 13a is provided in the upper wall 14, and the carry-in / carry-out port 13b is provided in the side wall 15.

[0049] The rectifying plate 18 divides the internal space of the chamber 12 into an upper space Su above the rectifying plate 18 and a lower space SL below the rectifying plate 18. The upper space Su between the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13 and the upper surface of the rectifying plate 18 is a diffusion space where clean air diffuses. The lower space SL between the lower surface of the rectifying plate 18 and the floor surface of the partition wall 13 is a processing space where the substrate W is processed. The spin chuck 21 is disposed in the lower space SL. The vertical distance from the floor surface of the partition wall 13 to the lower surface of the rectifying plate 18 is longer than the vertical distance from the upper surface of the rectifying plate 18 to the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13.

[0050] The FFU 11 sends clean air into the upper space Su through the air outlet 13a. The clean air supplied to the upper space Su hits the rectifying plate 18 and diffuses in the upper space Su. The clean air in the upper space Su passes through a plurality of through holes penetrating the rectifying plate 18 vertically and flows downward from the entire area of the rectifying plate 18. The clean air supplied to the lower space SL is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 and discharged from the chamber 12. Thereby, a uniform downward flow (downflow) of clean air flowing downward from the rectifying plate 18 is formed in the lower space SL. The processing of the substrate W is performed in a state where the downward flow of clean air is formed.

[0051] The spin chuck 21 includes a plurality of chuck pins 22 that horizontally sandwich the substrate W and a disc-shaped spin base 23 that supports the plurality of chuck pins 22. The spin chuck 21 further includes a spin shaft 24 extending downward from the central portion of the spin base 23, an electric motor 25 that rotates the plurality of chuck pins 22 and the spin base 23 by rotating the spin shaft 24, and a chuck housing 26 that surrounds the electric motor 25.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, the spin base 23 includes a circular upper surface 23u disposed below the substrate W and a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 23o extending downward from the outer periphery of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. The outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26 extends downward from the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is parallel to the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is separated from the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is concentric with the substrate W. The outer diameter of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. The chuck pins 22 project upward from the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of nozzles include a first chemical solution nozzle 27 that discharges a first chemical solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W and a second chemical solution nozzle 31 that discharges a second chemical solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W. The plurality of nozzles further include a center nozzle 44 that discharges a processing solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W and a lower surface nozzle 35 that discharges a processing solution toward the lower surface of the substrate W. The center nozzle 44 and the lower surface nozzle 35 are examples of rinse solution nozzles that discharge a rinse solution toward the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate W. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first chemical solution is DHF (dilute hydrofluoric acid), the second chemical solution is SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide mixture), and the rinse solution is pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized Water)).

[0054] The first chemical solution nozzle 27 may be a scan nozzle capable of moving the collision position of the processing solution with respect to the substrate W within the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate W, or may be a fixed nozzle incapable of moving the collision position of the processing solution with respect to the substrate W. The same applies to the other nozzles. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first chemical solution nozzle 27 and the second chemical solution nozzle 31 are scan nozzles and the center nozzle 44 and the lower surface nozzle 35 are fixed nozzles.

[0055] The first chemical solution nozzle 27 is connected to a first chemical solution pipe 28 that guides the first chemical solution to the first chemical solution nozzle 27. When a first chemical solution valve 29 installed in the first chemical solution pipe 28 is opened, the first chemical solution is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the first chemical solution nozzle 27. Similarly, the second chemical solution nozzle 31 is connected to a second chemical solution pipe 32 that guides the second chemical solution to the second chemical solution nozzle 31. When a second chemical solution valve 33 installed in the second chemical solution pipe 32 is opened, the second chemical solution is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the second chemical solution nozzle 31.

[0056] The first chemical solution may be a liquid containing at least one of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, aqueous ammonia, hydrogen peroxide water, organic acids (such as citric acid, oxalic acid, etc.), organic alkalis (such as TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide, etc.), surfactants, and corrosion inhibitors, or it may be other liquids. The same applies to the second chemical solution.

[0057] Although not shown in the figure, the first chemical solution valve 29 includes a valve body provided with an annular valve seat through which the chemical solution passes, a valve element movable relative to the valve seat, and an actuator that moves the valve element between a closed position where the valve element contacts the valve seat and an open position where the valve element is separated from the valve seat. The same applies to other valves. The actuator may be a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator, or it may be other actuators. The control device 3 opens and closes the first chemical solution valve 29 by controlling the actuator.

[0058] The first chemical solution nozzle 27 is connected to a first nozzle moving unit 30 that moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The first nozzle moving unit 30 includes a horizontally extending first nozzle arm 30a to which the first chemical solution nozzle 27 is attached at its tip. The first nozzle moving unit 30 horizontally moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 between a processing position where the chemical solution discharged from the first chemical solution nozzle 27 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W and a retracted position where the first chemical solution nozzle 27 is located around the spin chuck 21 in plan view.

[0059] Similarly, the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 is connected to a second nozzle moving unit 34 that moves the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The second nozzle moving unit 34 includes a second nozzle arm 34a that extends horizontally with the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 attached to its tip. By moving the second nozzle arm 34a, the second nozzle moving unit 34 horizontally moves the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 between a processing position where the chemical liquid discharged from the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W and a retracted position where the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 is positioned around the spin chuck 21 in plan view.

[0060] The first nozzle moving unit 30 may be a turning unit that horizontally moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 along an arc-shaped path passing through the central portion of the substrate W in plan view, or may be a slide unit that horizontally moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 along a linear path passing through the central portion of the substrate W in plan view. The same applies to the second nozzle moving unit 34. FIG. 4A shows an example in which both the first nozzle moving unit 30 and the second nozzle moving unit 34 are turning units.

[0061] The lower surface nozzle 35 includes a disk portion disposed between the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 and the lower surface of the substrate W, and a cylindrical portion extending downward from the disk portion. The cylindrical portion of the lower surface nozzle 35 is inserted into a through hole that vertically penetrates the central portion of the spin base 23. The cylindrical portion of the lower surface nozzle 35 extends vertically along the rotation axis line A1. The liquid discharge port of the lower surface nozzle 35 opens at the central portion of the upper surface of the disk portion of the lower surface nozzle 35. In a state where the substrate W is held by the spin chuck 21, the liquid discharge port of the lower surface nozzle 35 faces the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate W vertically.

[0062] The lower nozzle 35 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 36 that guides the rinse liquid to the lower nozzle 35. When a rinse liquid valve 37 installed in the rinse liquid pipe 36 is opened, the rinse liquid is continuously discharged upward from the discharge port of the lower nozzle 35. The rinse liquid discharged from the lower nozzle 35 is pure water. The rinse liquid may be any one of IPA (isopropyl alcohol), carbonated water, electrolyzed ionized water, hydrogen water, ozone water, hydrochloric acid water with a dilution concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), and ammonia water with a dilution concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm).

[0063] The inner peripheral surface of the spin base 23 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower nozzle 35 form a cylindrical gas flow path 38 that extends vertically. The lower cylindrical passage includes a central opening 38o that opens at the center of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. The disk portion of the lower nozzle 35 is disposed above the central opening 38o and overlaps the central opening 38o in plan view. The gas flow path 38 is connected to a gas pipe 39 that guides an inert gas to the central opening 38o of the spin base 23. When a gas valve 40 installed in the gas pipe 39 is opened, the inert gas is continuously discharged upward from the central opening 38o of the spin base 23. The inert gas discharged from the central opening 38o of the spin base 23 is nitrogen gas. The inert gas may be a gas other than nitrogen gas such as helium gas or argon gas.

[0064] The processing unit 2 further includes a blocking member 41 disposed above the spin chuck 21. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the blocking member 41 is a disk-shaped blocking plate. The blocking member 41 is a disk portion horizontally disposed above the spin chuck 21. The blocking member 41 may further include a cylindrical portion extending downward from the outer periphery of the disk portion. The blocking member 41 is horizontally supported by a cylindrical support shaft 42 extending upward from the central portion of the blocking member 41. The center line of the blocking member 41 is disposed on the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W. The lower surface of the blocking member 41 is an opposing surface facing the upper surface of the substrate W. The lower surface of the blocking member 41 is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate W and has an outer diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate W.

[0065] The blocking member 41 is connected to a blocking member lifting unit 43 that vertically raises and lowers the blocking member 41. The blocking member lifting unit 43 positions the blocking member 41 at an arbitrary position within the range from the retracted position (the position shown in FIG. 3) to the processing position. The processing position is a proximity position where the lower surface of the blocking member 41 approaches the upper surface of the substrate W to a height at which the hand Hc (see FIG. 1) of the center robot CR cannot enter between the substrate W and the blocking member 41. The retracted position is a separated position where the blocking member 41 has retracted to a height at which the hand Hc of the center robot CR can enter between the blocking member 41 and the substrate W. The processing position includes a liquid processing position (the positions shown in FIGS. 12A to 12B) and a drying processing position (the position shown in FIG. 12C). The liquid processing position is a position between the drying processing position and the retracted position.

[0066] The center nozzle 44 supplies a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or a processing gas to the substrate W through a central opening 47o that opens at the central portion of the lower surface of the blocking member 41. The center nozzle 44 extends vertically along the rotation axis A1. The center nozzle 44 is inserted into a through hole that vertically penetrates the central portion of the blocking member 41. The inner peripheral surface of the blocking member 41 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the center nozzle 44 with a radial interval (a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A1). The center nozzle 44 moves up and down together with the blocking member 41. The discharge port of the center nozzle 44 that discharges the processing fluid is disposed above the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41.

[0067] The center nozzle 44 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 45 that guides a rinse liquid to the center nozzle 44. When a rinse liquid valve 46 interposed in the rinse liquid pipe 45 is opened, the rinse liquid is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the center nozzle 44. The rinse liquid discharged from the center nozzle 44 passes through the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 and collides with the upper surface of the substrate W. The rinse liquid discharged from the center nozzle 44 is pure water. A rinse liquid other than pure water may be discharged from the center nozzle 44.

[0068] The inner peripheral surface of the blocking member 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the central nozzle 44 form a vertically extending cylindrical gas flow path 47. The gas flow path 47 is connected to a gas pipe 48 that guides an inert gas to the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41. When a gas valve 49 interposed in the gas pipe 48 is opened, the inert gas is continuously discharged downward from the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41. The inert gas discharged from the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 is nitrogen gas. The inert gas may be a gas other than nitrogen gas such as helium gas or argon gas.

[0069] The processing unit 2 includes a cylindrical processing cup 52 that surrounds the spin chuck 21. The processing cup 52 includes a plurality of guards 53 that receive the processing liquid scattered outward from the substrate W, a plurality of cups 68 that receive the processing liquid guided downward by the plurality of guards 53, and a cylindrical outer wall 70 that surrounds all the guards 53 and all the cups 68. FIG. 3 shows an example in which two guards 53 and two cups 68 are provided, and the outermost cup 68 is integral with the second guard 53 from the outside.

[0070] The two guards 53 surround the spin chuck 21 concentrically. The two cups 68 also surround the spin chuck 21 concentrically. Hereinafter, the outermost guard 53 is referred to as the first guard 53A, and the remaining guards 53 are referred to as the second guard 53B. Similarly, the outermost cup 68 is referred to as the first cup 68A, and the remaining cups 68 are referred to as the second cup 68B. The first guard 53A and the second guard 53B may be collectively referred to as the guard 53, and the first cup 68A and the second cup 68B may be collectively referred to as the cup 68.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 5, the guard 53 includes a cylindrical portion 54 surrounding the spin chuck 21 and a cylindrical ceiling portion 60 extending obliquely upward from the cylindrical portion 54 toward the rotation axis A1. The ceiling portion 60 includes a cylindrical inclined portion 61 extending obliquely upward toward the rotation axis A1, a circular horizontal portion 62 extending horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 61 toward the rotation axis A1, and a circular folded-back portion 63 protruding downward from the inner peripheral end of the horizontal portion 62 corresponding to the inner peripheral end of the ceiling portion 60. The cylindrical portions 54 of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B concentrically surround the spin chuck 21. The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A is disposed above the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B.

[0072] The inner peripheral portion of the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral portion of the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B corresponds to the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the upper end portion of the second guard 53B form a circular opening surrounding the substrate W and the spin base 23 in plan view. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A may be equal to the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The inner diameters of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the upper end portion of the second guard 53B are larger than the outer diameters of the spin base 23 and the blocking member 41.

[0073] The cylindrical portion 54 of the guard 53 includes a cylindrical upper vertical portion 55 extending vertically downward from the ceiling portion 60. The cylindrical portion 54 of the first guard 53A, in addition to the upper vertical portion 55, includes a cylindrical outer vertical portion 56 extending vertically downward from the ceiling portion 60 and concentrically surrounding the upper vertical portion 55, and a base ring 57 provided at the lower end portion of the outer vertical portion 56. The cylindrical portion 54 of the second guard 53B, in addition to the upper vertical portion 55, includes a cylindrical intermediate inclined portion 58 extending obliquely downward from the inner peripheral surface of the upper vertical portion 55 toward the rotation axis A1, and a cylindrical lower vertical portion 59 extending vertically downward from the lower end portion of the intermediate inclined portion 58.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A includes a cylindrical vertical portion 65 having a vertical linear cross-section, a cylindrical arc portion 66 having an outer convex arc-shaped cross-section extending upward from the upper end of the vertical portion 65, and a cylindrical inclined portion 67 having a linear cross-section extending obliquely upward from the upper end of the arc portion 66 toward the rotation axis A1. The vertical portion 65 is the outer peripheral surface of the outer vertical portion 56 of the first guard 53A. The inclined portion 67 is the outer peripheral surface of the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A. The arc portion 66 is the outer peripheral surface of the joint portion between the outer vertical portion 56 and the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 5, the cup 68 includes a cylindrical inner wall portion 69i surrounding the spin chuck 21, a cylindrical outer wall portion 69o surrounding the inner wall portion 69i at a radial interval, and a circular bottom wall portion 69b extending from the lower end portion of the inner wall portion 69i to the lower end portion of the outer wall portion 69o. The inner wall portion 69i, the outer wall portion 69o, and the bottom wall portion 69b form an upwardly open annular liquid receiving groove. The liquid received by the guard 53 flows down into the liquid receiving groove. The drain port for discharging the liquid in the cup 68 opens on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 69b.

[0076] The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A extends downward from the upper vertical portion 55 of the second guard 53B. The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A surrounds the lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B. The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A is disposed outside the outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B. The inner wall portion 69i of the second cup 68B is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26. The outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26 includes a tapered portion 26t that gradually narrows toward the upper end of the chuck housing 26. The inner wall portion 69i of the second cup 68B is disposed inside the lower end (outer peripheral end) of the tapered portion 26t and overlaps the tapered portion 26t in plan view. The outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B is disposed outside the lower end of the tapered portion 26t.

[0077] The upper vertical portion 55 of the first guard 53A is inserted between the inner wall portion 69i and the outer wall portion 69o of the first cup 68A. The lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B is inserted between the inner wall portion 69i and the outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B. The first guard 53A is separated from the first cup 68A and does not contact the first cup 68A. Similarly, the second guard 53B is separated from the second cup 68B and does not contact the second cup 68B. The processing liquid received by the first guard 53A enters the first cup 68A along the upper vertical portion 55 of the first guard 53A. The processing liquid received by the second guard 53B enters the second cup 68B along the lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B.

[0078] The first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are vertically movable with respect to the partition wall 13 of the chamber 12. The first cup 68A is integral with the second guard 53B and moves vertically together with the second guard 53B. The first cup 68A may be a member separate from the second guard 53B and fixed to the partition wall 13. The second cup 68B is fixed to the partition wall 13. The bottom wall portion 69b of the second cup 68B is spaced upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12 (the floor surface of the partition wall 13. The same applies hereinafter). The bottom wall portion 69b of the first cup 68A is also spaced upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12.

[0079] The cylindrical outer wall 70 extends upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12. The upper end of the cylindrical outer wall 70 is disposed above the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23. The upper end of the cylindrical outer wall 70 is disposed below the substrate W. The inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the cylindrical outer wall 70 are vertical. The inner peripheral surface 70i of the cylindrical outer wall 70 concentrically surrounds the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A with a radial interval. The outer peripheral surface 70o of the cylindrical outer wall 70 is spaced inward from the side wall 15 of the chamber 12 (the side wall 15 of the partition wall 13. The same applies hereinafter). The inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the cylindrical outer wall 70 may be a cylindrical surface concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A, or may include two or more strip-shaped surfaces formed in an arc shape concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and two or more connection surfaces connecting the two or more strip-shaped surfaces.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of guards 53 are connected to a guard lifting unit 51 that individually raises and lowers the plurality of guards 53 in the vertical direction. The guard lifting unit 51 positions the guard 53 at an arbitrary position within a range from the processing position to the retracted position. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are disposed at the retracted position. The processing position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is disposed above the holding position of the substrate W where the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 is disposed. The retracted position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is disposed below the holding position of the substrate W.

[0081] The processing positions include an upper processing position (the position shown in FIG. 12A) and a lower processing position (the position shown in FIG. 12B). Both the upper processing position and the lower processing position are positions where the upper end of the guard 53 is disposed above the holding position of the substrate W. The upper processing position is a position above the lower processing position. The upper processing position of the second guard 53B located inside the first guard 53A is a position where the folded-back portion 63 of the first guard 53A located at the upper processing position closes the entrance to the gap between the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A and the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B. The lower processing position of the second guard 53B is a position where the folded-back portion 63 of the first guard 53A located at the lower processing position closes the entrance to the gap between the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A and the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B.

[0082] When supplying the processing liquid to the rotating substrate W, at least one guard 53 is disposed at the processing position. In this state, when the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the processing liquid is flung outward from the substrate W. The flung processing liquid collides with the inner surface of the guard 53 facing the substrate W horizontally, and is guided to the cup 68 corresponding to this guard 53. Thereby, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W is collected in the cup 68.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 2 includes an exhaust duct 78 for discharging the gas in the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 is connected to the cylindrical outer wall 70. The exhaust duct 78 is disposed below the substrate W. The exhaust duct 78 penetrates the side wall 15 of the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 extends horizontally from the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the outside of the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 is connected to the exhaust facility provided in the factory where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed. The gas (including the mist-like liquid) in the chamber 12 is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 through the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 by the suction force of the exhaust facility, and is guided by the exhaust duct 78 toward the exhaust facility.

[0084] The exhaust duct 78 is inserted into the discharge hole 72 that radially penetrates the cylindrical outer wall 70. The exhaust duct 78 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface 70i of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is disposed inside the cylindrical outer wall 70. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is disposed outside the outer peripheral end of the first guard 53A. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 forms an exhaust port that sucks the gas in the chamber 12. If the exhaust port of the exhaust duct 78 overlaps with the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70, the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 may be connected to the outer peripheral surface 70o of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The number of exhaust ports formed in the exhaust duct 78 is one. A plurality of exhaust ports may be formed in the exhaust duct 78.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical outer wall 70 includes a cylindrical body 71 that surrounds the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B, and a slide cover 75 attached to the cylindrical body 71. The inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 71 correspond to the inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The discharge hole 72 (see FIG. 3) is formed in the cylindrical body 71. The slide cover 75 covers a part of the through hole 74 that radially penetrates the cylindrical body 71. The through hole 74 of the cylindrical body 71 and the slide cover 75 form an exhaust relay hole 73 through which the gas flowing from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 passes.

[0086] The slide cover 75 is disposed outside the cylindrical outer wall 70 and is fixed to the cylindrical outer wall 70 by bolts 77. As shown in FIG. 7, the bolts 77 are inserted into the long holes 76 formed in the slide cover 75. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the long holes 76 of the slide cover 75 extend in the circumferential direction (the direction around the rotation axis A1). The slide cover 75 is movable relative to the cylindrical outer wall 70 within a range in which the bolts 77 and the long holes 76 can move relative to each other.

[0087] The exhaust relay hole 73 corresponds to the portion of the through hole 74 of the cylindrical body 71 that is not covered by the slide cover 75. When the bolts 77 that fix the slide cover 75 to the cylindrical outer wall 70 are loosened and the slide cover 75 is moved relative to the cylindrical outer wall 70, the area of the portion of the through hole 74 covered by the slide cover 75 changes. Thereby, the area of the exhaust relay hole 73 is adjusted. Thereafter, when the bolts 77 are tightened, the slide cover 75 is fixed to the cylindrical outer wall 70 again.

[0088] FIG. 7 shows an example in which the through hole 74 and the slide cover 75 are square-shaped and the slide cover 75 is movable in the circumferential direction. When the area of the portion of the through hole 74 not blocked by the slide cover 75 is small, slits extending vertically are formed by the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the slide cover 75. This slit corresponds to the exhaust relay hole 73. The area of the exhaust relay hole 73 is smaller than the area of the exhaust port formed by the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. The area of the exhaust relay hole 73 may be equal to or larger than the area of the exhaust port.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 4B, the cylindrical outer wall 70 includes a cylindrical portion 91 that concentrically surrounds the first guard 53A in plan view, and a pair of protruding portions 92 that protrude outward from the cylindrical portion 91. The pair of protruding portions 92 are arranged on opposite sides of each other in plan view with respect to the rotation axis A1 corresponding to the rotation center of the substrate W. The inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 directly faces the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A with a radial gap in plan view. The gap between the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction is constant or substantially constant. The aforementioned discharge hole 72 (see FIG. 3) and through hole 74 (see FIG. 5) penetrate the cylindrical portion 91 in the radial direction. The exhaust duct 78 extends from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 91 toward the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12.

[0090] Each protruding portion 92 includes an outermost wall 94 disposed outside the cylindrical portion 91 and a pair of side walls 93 extending from the cylindrical portion 91 to the outermost wall 94. In a horizontal cross-section, the side wall 93 extends linearly from the inner end to the outer end of the side wall 93. The outermost wall 94 extends from the outer end of one side wall 93 to the outer end of the other side wall 93. The distance between the inner surface of the outermost wall 94 and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction is larger than the distance between the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction. The angle of the corner portion formed by the inner surface of the side wall 93 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is, for example, 90 degrees or approximately 90 degrees.

[0091] The guard lifting unit 51 is accommodated in a pair of protruding portions 92 of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The guard lifting unit 51 includes a lifting actuator 98 that converts energy into the movement of the output portion and a transmission mechanism 95 that transmits the movement of the output portion of the lifting actuator 98 to the guard 53. Two lifting actuators 98 and transmission mechanisms 95 are provided for each guard 53. The two transmission mechanisms 95 corresponding to the same guard 53 are arranged on opposite sides with respect to the rotation axis A1. The two transmission mechanisms 95 are arranged between one protruding portion 92 and the first guard 53A, and the remaining two transmission mechanisms 95 are arranged between the other protruding portion 92 and the first guard 53A.

[0092] The lifting actuator 98 may be a linear actuator that converts energy into the linear movement of the output portion, or may be a rotary actuator that converts energy into the rotational movement of the output portion. When the lifting actuator 98 is a rotary actuator such as an electric motor, the transmission mechanism 95 includes a conversion mechanism that converts the rotation of the output portion of the lifting actuator 98 into the movement of the guard 53 in the vertical direction. The conversion mechanism may be a ball screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism, or may be other than these.

[0093] FIG. 4B shows an example in which the lifting actuator 98 is an electric motor and the conversion mechanism of the transmission mechanism 95 is a rack and pinion mechanism. The rack and pinion mechanism includes a pinion 97 that is rotationally driven by the lifting actuator 98 and a rack shaft 96 that moves axially in response to the rotation of the pinion 97. Two rack shafts 96 are disposed between one protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A, and the remaining two rack shafts 96 are disposed between the other protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A. The four rack shafts 96 are supported in a vertical posture.

[0094] Two rack shafts 96 corresponding to the first guard 53A are connected to the first guard 53A via brackets provided for each rack shaft 96. Two rack shafts 96 corresponding to the second guard 53B (see FIG. 5) are connected to the second guard 53B via brackets provided for each rack shaft 96. When the lifting actuator 98 rotates the pinion 97, the rack shaft 96 moves upward or downward relative to the pinion 97 by an amount corresponding to the rotation angle of the pinion 97, and the movement of the rack shaft 96 is transmitted to the guard 53. The control device 3 (see FIG. 1) controls two lifting actuators 98 corresponding to the same guard 53 to stop the first guard 53A or the second guard 53B at an arbitrary position within the range from the processing position to the retracted position.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 2 includes a partition plate 81 that vertically partitions the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12. The partition plate 81 is disposed around the first guard 53A. The partition plate 81 includes an inner peripheral ring 83 facing horizontally the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and a support plate 82 that supports the inner peripheral ring 83. The inner peripheral ring 83 and the support plate 82 surround the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral ring 83 is fixed to the support plate 82. The inner peripheral ring 83 and the support plate 82 vertically partition the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12.

[0096] The support plate 82 is disposed above the cylindrical outer wall 70. The support plate 82 is placed on the cylindrical outer wall 70 and supported by the cylindrical outer wall 70. The support plate 82 is fixed to the partition wall 13 of the chamber 12. The support plate 82 may be an integral single member or a plurality of divided bodies. The upper surface of the support plate 82 is a horizontal plane from the inner peripheral end to the outer peripheral end of the support plate 82. The upper surface of the support plate 82 may be a flat inclined surface extending obliquely upward or obliquely downward toward the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W, or may include a horizontal flat portion and an inclined portion inclined obliquely with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0097] The outer peripheral surface of the support plate 82 corresponds to the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81. The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is arranged along the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 (the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 15 of the partition wall 13. The same applies hereinafter). The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is horizontally separated from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 and faces the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 horizontally. The size of the outer gap Go between the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 and the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is constant or substantially constant regardless of the location. The outer gap Go is larger than the thickness of the substrate W and smaller than the shortest radial distance from the outer peripheral end 81o to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81.

[0098] The inner peripheral ring 83 includes a vertical portion 85 facing the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction and a horizontal portion 84 extending from the vertical portion 85 toward the support plate 82. The vertical portion 85 is disposed inside the support plate 82 and surrounded by the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 overlaps the support plate 82 in plan view and is in contact with the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 protrudes from the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 toward the first guard 53A. The horizontal portion 84 is disposed above the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 may be disposed below the support plate 82. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the horizontal portion 84 corresponds to the upper end of the partition plate 81. The upper end of the partition plate 81 is disposed below the substrate W.

[0099] The vertical portion 85 surrounds the first guard 53A in plan view. The vertical portion 85 is disposed above the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A and overlaps the base ring 57 in plan view. The inner diameter of the vertical portion 85 is larger than the outer diameter of the outer vertical portion 56 of the first guard 53A and smaller than the outer diameter of the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 is a cylindrical shape that is concentric or substantially concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A.

[0100] The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 corresponds to the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. The inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is vertical from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. The upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is disposed below the substrate W. The upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is disposed above the upper end of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is disposed below the upper end of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is disposed above the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23.

[0101] As described above, the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are stationary at any position within the range from the upper processing position to the retracted position. The lower processing position is a position between the upper processing position and the retracted position. Both the upper processing position and the lower processing position are positions where the upper end of the guard 53 is disposed above the substrate W. The retracted position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is disposed below the substrate W.

[0102] Regardless of the position at which the first guard 53A is disposed, at least a part of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is disposed at the same height as the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. As shown in FIG. 6, when the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 with a radial gap therebetween. Since both the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 are vertical, at this time, a vertically extending cylindrical inner gap Gi is formed between the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral ring 83. When the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the vertical portion 85 is separated upward from the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A.

[0103] When the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is closest to the first guard 53A among the partition plates 81. Therefore, the inner gap Gi between the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 and the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the minimum gap, which is the smallest among the gaps between the first guard 53A and the partition plates 81. The radial distance from the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the size D1 of the inner gap Gi.

[0104] The inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 corresponds to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81. The inner gap Gi between the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 and the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is larger than the thickness of the substrate W and smaller than the shortest radial distance from the outer peripheral end 81o to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81. The inner gap Gi may be smaller than, larger than, or equal to the outer gap Go (see FIG. 5).

[0105] If the inner diameter of the vertical portion 85 and the outer diameter of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A are constant, the size D1 of the inner gap Gi and the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi (the area of the cross-section of the inner gap Gi along the horizontal plane) are constant regardless of the height of the first guard 53A (the position of the first guard 53A in the vertical direction; the same applies hereinafter). In contrast, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi (the length L1 of the inner gap Gi in the vertical direction; the same applies hereinafter) changes according to the height of the first guard 53A. For example, if the first guard 53A is positioned above the position shown in FIG. 6, the inner gap Gi becomes longer in the vertical direction.

[0106] When changing the height of the first guard 53A within the range where the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A horizontally faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, the size D1 and the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi do not change, and the length L1 of the inner gap Gi increases or decreases. The length L1 of the inner gap Gi is in a directly proportional relationship with the height of the first guard 53A. That is, when the first guard 53A is moved up and down, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi increases or decreases by a value obtained by multiplying the movement amount of the first guard 53A by a positive constant. Therefore, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi can be easily adjusted as compared with the case where at least one of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is inclined obliquely.

[0107] When the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A may face the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally with a radial gap, or may not face the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally. That is, the upper end of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A may be arranged below the lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. When the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally with a radial gap, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi is shorter than when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position.

[0108] When the first guard 53A is disposed at either the upper processing position or the lower processing position, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is greater than when the first guard 53A is disposed at the retracted position. The pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 varies according to the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi. If the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi is the same, this pressure loss varies according to the length L1 of the inner gap Gi. Therefore, when the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is greater than when the first guard 53A is disposed at the lower processing position.

[0109] The inner peripheral ring 83 may be a single integral member or a plurality of divided bodies. The inner peripheral ring 83 may be integral with the support plate 82. In this case, the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 may extend downward from the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided into three arc-shaped divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, and each divided ring 83r is fixed to the support plate 82 by bolts 87.

[0110] The bolts 87 for fixing the divided ring 83r to the support plate 82 are inserted into the long holes 86 provided in the divided ring 83r. The long holes 86 of the divided ring 83r extend in the radial direction. The divided ring 83r is movable relative to the support plate 82 within a range in which the bolt 87 and the long hole 86 can move relative to each other. When the bolt 87 is loosened and the divided ring 83r is moved radially with respect to the support plate 82, the radial distance from the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A to the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 changes. Thereby, the size D1 and the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi can be adjusted.

[0111] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the gas flow in the processing unit 2. Hereinafter, FIGS. 3 and 9 are referred to. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are disposed at the upper processing positions. The exhaust duct 78 is connected to the exhaust facility provided in the factory where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is installed. The gas above the first guard 53A is attracted toward the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A by the suction force of the exhaust facility, and passes downward inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The air flow F1 in FIG. 9 indicates the air flow passing inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. After the gas passing inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes inside and below all the guards 53, or after passing between two radially adjacent guards 53, it is sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

[0112] On the other hand, since the inner peripheral ring 83 constituting the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 is separated from the first guard 53A and an inner gap Gi is formed between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, the gas above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is attracted toward the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 by the suction force of the exhaust facility and passes downward through the inner gap Gi. The air flow F2 in FIG. 9 indicates the air flow passing through the inner gap Gi. The gas passing through the inner gap Gi is sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

[0113] Furthermore, since an exhaust relay hole 73 penetrating the cylindrical outer wall 70 in the radial direction is formed in the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the support plate 82 constituting the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is separated from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12, the gas above the partition plate 81 is attracted toward the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 by the suction force of the exhaust facility and passes downward through the outer gap Go. Then, this gas is sucked into the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 from the exhaust relay hole 73 and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. The air flow F3 in FIG. 9 indicates the air flow passing through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and then passing through the exhaust relay hole 73.

[0114] The size of the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 is constant regardless of the height of the first guard 53A. On the other hand, the size D1 (see FIG. 6) of the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 changes according to the height of the first guard 53A. Further, when the height of the first guard 53A is changed within the range where the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A horizontally faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, only the length L1 (see FIG. 6) of the inner gap Gi changes. Therefore, by changing the height of the first guard 53A, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi can be changed, and the flow rate of the gas flowing into the inner gap Gi can be varied.

[0115] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control device 3 is a computer including a computer main body 3a and a peripheral device 3d connected to the computer main body 3a. The computer main body 3a includes a CPU 3b (central processing unit) that executes various instructions and a memory 3c that stores information. The peripheral device 3d includes a storage 3e that stores information such as a program P, a reader 3f that reads information from a removable medium RM, and a communication device 3g that communicates with other devices such as a host computer.

[0116] The control device 3 is connected to an input device and a display device. The input device is operated when an operator such as a user or a maintenance person inputs information to the substrate processing apparatus 1. The information is displayed on the screen of the display device. The input device may be any one of a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel, or may be a device other than these. A touch panel display that also serves as an input device and a display device may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0117] The CPU 3b executes the program P stored in the storage 3e. The program P in the storage 3e may be pre-installed in the control device 3, may be sent from the removable media RM to the storage 3e through the reader 3f, or may be sent from an external device such as a host computer to the storage 3e through the communication device 3g.

[0118] The storage 3e and the removable media RM are non-volatile memories that retain storage even when power is not supplied. The storage 3e is, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive. The removable media RM is, for example, an optical disk such as a compact disk or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card. The removable media RM is an example of a computer-readable recording medium on which the program P is recorded. The removable media RM is a non-transitory tangible medium.

[0119] The storage 3e stores a plurality of recipes. A recipe is information that defines the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The plurality of recipes differ from each other in at least one of the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The control device 3 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 so that the substrate W is processed according to the recipe specified by the host computer. The control device 3 is programmed to execute each step described later.

[0120] FIG. 11 is a process diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the substrate W executed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. Hereinafter, FIGS. 3 and 11 will be referred to. The substrate W to be processed is, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer. The surface of the substrate W corresponds to a device formation surface on which devices such as transistors and capacitors are formed. The substrate W may be a substrate W having a pattern formed on the surface of the substrate W which is a pattern formation surface, or a substrate W having no pattern formed on the surface of the substrate W.

[0121] When the substrate W is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1, a loading process (step S1 in FIG. 11) for loading the substrate W into the chamber 12 is performed. Specifically, with the blocking member 41 located at the retracted position, all the guards 53 located at the retracted position, and all the scan nozzles located at the retracted position, the center robot CR (see FIG. 1) enters the chamber 12 with the hand Hc while supporting the substrate W with the hand Hc. Then, the center robot CR places the substrate W on the hand Hc with the surface of the substrate W facing upward on the plurality of chuck pins 22. Thereafter, the plurality of chuck pins 22 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is gripped. After the center robot CR places the substrate W on the spin chuck 21, the hand Hc is retracted from the inside of the chamber 12.

[0122] Next, the gas valve 49 and the gas valve 40 are opened, and nitrogen gas discharge starts from the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 and the central opening 38o of the spin base 23. Thereby, the space between the substrate W and the blocking member 41 and the space between the substrate W and the spin base 23 are filled with nitrogen gas. On the other hand, the blocking member lifting unit 43 lowers the blocking member 41 from the retracted position to the liquid processing position, and the guard lifting unit 51 raises at least one guard 53 from the retracted position to the processing position. Thereafter, the electric motor 25 is driven, and rotation of the substrate W is started (step S2 in FIG. 11).

[0123] Next, a first chemical solution supply process for supplying DHF, which is an example of the first chemical solution, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S3 in FIG. 11). Specifically, with the blocking member 41 positioned at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 positioned at the processing position, the first nozzle moving unit 30 moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 from the retracted position to the processing position. Thereafter, the first chemical liquid valve 29 is opened, and the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 starts discharging DHF. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the first chemical liquid valve 29 was opened, the first chemical liquid valve 29 is closed, and the discharge of DHF is stopped. Thereafter, the first nozzle moving unit 30 moves the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 to the retracted position.

[0124] The DHF discharged from the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 collides with the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the first chemical liquid supply rate and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. Therefore, DHF is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and a liquid film of DHF covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 is discharging DHF, the first nozzle moving unit 30 may move the liquid landing position so that the liquid landing position of DHF on the upper surface of the substrate W passes through the central portion and the outer peripheral portion, or may keep the liquid landing position stationary at the central portion.

[0125] Next, a first rinse liquid supply step of supplying pure water, which is an example of a rinse liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S4 in FIG. 11). Specifically, with the blocking member 41 positioned at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 positioned at the processing position, the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened, and the center nozzle 44 starts discharging pure water. Before the discharge of pure water is started, the guard lifting unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 in order to switch the guard 53 that receives the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the center nozzle 44 collides with the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the first rinse liquid supply rate and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The DHF on the substrate W is washed away by the pure water discharged from the center nozzle 44. Thereby, a liquid film of pure water covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the rinse liquid valve 46 was opened, the rinse liquid valve 46 is closed, and the discharge of pure water is stopped.

[0126] Next, a second chemical solution supply step of supplying SC1, which is an example of the second chemical solution, onto the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S5 in FIG. 11). Specifically, with the blocking member 41 positioned at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 positioned at the processing position, the second nozzle moving unit 34 moves the second chemical solution nozzle 31 from the retracted position to the processing position. Thereafter, the second chemical solution valve 33 is opened, and the second chemical solution nozzle 31 starts discharging SC1. Before the discharge of SC1 starts, the guard elevating unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 in order to switch the guard 53 that receives the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the second chemical solution valve 33 is opened, the second chemical solution valve 33 is closed, and the discharge of SC1 stops. Thereafter, the second nozzle moving unit 34 moves the second chemical solution nozzle 31 to the retracted position.

[0127] The SC1 discharged from the second chemical solution nozzle 31 collides with the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the second chemical solution supply rate, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. The pure water on the substrate W is replaced by the SC1 discharged from the second chemical solution nozzle 31. Thereby, a liquid film of SC1 covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When the second chemical solution nozzle 31 is discharging SC1, the second nozzle moving unit 34 may move the liquid landing position so that the liquid landing position of SC1 on the upper surface of the substrate W passes through the central portion and the outer peripheral portion, or may keep the liquid landing position stationary at the central portion.

[0128] Next, a second rinse liquid supply step of supplying pure water, which is an example of the rinse liquid, onto the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S6 in FIG. 11). Specifically, with the blocking member 41 positioned at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 positioned at the processing position, the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened, and the central nozzle 44 starts discharging pure water. Before the discharge of pure water starts, the guard lifting and lowering unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 to switch the guard 53 that receives the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44 collides with the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the second rinse liquid supply rate, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The SC1 on the substrate W is washed away by the pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44. Thereby, a liquid film of pure water covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the rinse liquid valve 46 was opened, the rinse liquid valve 46 is closed, and the discharge of pure water is stopped.

[0129] Next, a drying process for drying the substrate W by rotating the substrate W is performed (step S7 in FIG. 11). Specifically, with at least one guard 53 positioned at the processing position, the blocking member lifting and lowering unit 43 lowers the blocking member 41 from the liquid processing position to the drying processing position. In this state, the electric motor 25 accelerates the substrate W in the rotational direction and rotates the substrate W at a high rotational speed (for example, several thousand rpm) greater than the rotational speed of the substrate W during the period from the first chemical liquid supply process to the second rinse liquid supply process. Thereby, the liquid is removed from the substrate W, and the substrate W is dried. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the high-speed rotation of the substrate W started, the electric motor 25 stops rotating. Thereby, the rotation of the substrate W is stopped (step S8 in FIG. 11).

[0130] Next, a carrying-out process for carrying out the substrate W from the chamber 12 is performed (step S9 in FIG. 11). Specifically, the shutter member lifting unit 43 raises the shutter member 41 to the retracted position, and the guard lifting unit 51 lowers all the guards 53 to the retracted position. Further, the gas valve 49 and the gas valve 40 are closed, and the discharge of nitrogen gas from the central opening 47o of the shutter member 41 and the central opening 38o of the spin base 23 is stopped. Thereafter, the center robot CR causes the hand Hc to enter the chamber 12. After the plurality of chuck pins 22 release the grip on the substrate W, the center robot CR supports the substrate W on the spin chuck 21 with the hand Hc. Thereafter, the center robot CR retracts the hand Hc from the inside of the chamber 12 while supporting the substrate W with the hand Hc. Thereby, the processed substrate W is carried out of the chamber 12.

[0131] FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when supplying a chemical solution to the substrate W. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when supplying a rinse solution to the substrate W. FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when drying the substrate W.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 12A, when supplying a chemical solution to the substrate W, while positioning the guard 53 located most outward among all the guards 53, that is, the first guard 53A, at the upper processing position, the chemical solution is discharged toward the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. At this time, the second guard 53B may be arranged at the upper processing position where the second guard 53B is close to the first guard 53A, or the second guard 53B may be arranged at the retracted position away from the first guard 53A. FIG. 12A shows an example in which both the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are arranged at the upper processing position.

[0133] If the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is within the range where it horizontally faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, the upper processing position of the first guard 53A may be different when supplying the first chemical solution to the substrate W (first chemical solution supply step (step S3 in FIG. 11)) and when supplying the second chemical solution to the substrate W (second chemical solution supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11)). Also, if the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the position of the second guard 53B may be different or the same when supplying the first chemical solution to the substrate W and when supplying the second chemical solution to the substrate W.

[0134] As described above, while the area of the opening formed inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the size of the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 are constant regardless of the height of the first guard 53A, when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 becomes the smallest. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 decreases. Instead, at least one of the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the gas flow rate passing through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 increases.

[0135] The flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is defined as the "central flow rate", the flow rate of the gas passing through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is defined as the "inner flow rate", and the flow rate of the gas passing through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 is defined as the "outer flow rate". In the state shown in FIG. 12A, the inner flow rate is less than the outer flow rate (inner flow rate < outer flow rate), and the sum of the inner flow rate and the outer flow rate is less than or equal to the central flow rate (inner flow rate + outer flow rate ≦ central flow rate). However, the relationship among the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is not limited to this.

[0136] FIG. 12B shows an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when supplying the rinse liquid to the substrate W. When supplying the rinse liquid to the substrate W in at least one of the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11), while positioning the first guard 53A at the lower processing position, the rinse liquid is discharged toward the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. At this time, the second guard 53B may be arranged at the lower processing position or may be arranged at the retracted position. FIG. 12B shows an example in which both the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are arranged at the lower processing position.

[0137] The lower processing position of the first guard 53A may be different or the same between the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11). Also, if the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, the position of the second guard 53B may be different or the same between the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11).

[0138] When the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 decreases compared to when the first guard 53A is at the upper processing position, so the inner flow rate increases compared to when the first guard 53A is at the upper processing position. In the state shown in FIG. 12B, the inner flow rate is less than or equal to the outer flow rate (inner flow rate ≤ outer flow rate), and the sum of the inner flow rate and the outer flow rate is greater than or equal to the central flow rate (inner flow rate + outer flow rate ≥ central flow rate). However, the relationship among the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is not limited to this.

[0139] FIG. 12C shows an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when drying the substrate W. When drying the substrate W in the drying process (step S7 in FIG. 11), the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B may be arranged at any of the upper processing position, the lower processing position, and the retracted position. FIG. 12C shows an example in which the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position and the second guard 53B is arranged at the retracted position. The state shown in FIG. 12C is different from the state shown in FIG. 12A in that the second guard 53B is arranged at the retracted position.

[0140] In the state shown in FIG. 12A, the gas that has passed inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes inside and below the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B, whereas in the state shown in FIG. 12C, the gas that has passed inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes between the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B. Although there are such differences, the relationships among the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate are equal between the state shown in FIG. 12A and the state shown in FIG. 12C. However, the relationships among the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate are not limited to this.

[0141] When the chemical solution collides with the upper surface of the substrate W, mist of the chemical solution is generated. Mist of the chemical solution is also generated when the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate W collides with the inner surface of the guard 53. When the substrate W is in the chamber 12, a downflow of clean air is formed in the chamber 12, and the exhaust duct 78 sucks the gas in the chamber 12. Therefore, the mist of the chemical solution is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 without leaking outside the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. Further, when supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 12A, the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, increasing the central flow rate, so that the mist of the chemical solution is more surely sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

[0142] After supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W, a rinse solution is supplied to the substrate W. When supplying the rinse solution to the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 12B, the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, and since the inner flow rate is increased, even if a small amount of chemical solution mist leaks outside the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, the leaked chemical solution mist or the atmosphere containing the leaked mist-like chemical solution (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as the "chemical solution atmosphere") is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 or the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81.

[0143] On the other hand, when supplying the rinse solution to the substrate W, the central flow rate, that is, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, is decreased. When supplying the rinse solution to the substrate W, a mist of the rinse solution such as pure water is generated instead of a mist of the chemical solution. Therefore, even if the mist of the rinse solution leaks outside the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, contamination of the chamber 12 and the substrate W does not occur.

[0144] Even if a small amount of chemical solution mist leaks outside the first guard 53A when supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W, when starting to dry the substrate W, all or almost all of the chemical solution atmosphere is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. Even if some chemical solution atmosphere remains, the remaining amount is extremely small. Therefore, as in the example shown in FIG. 12C, the substrate W may be dried while positioning the first guard 53A at the upper processing position. In this case, it is possible to prevent the mist generated during the drying of the substrate W from leaking outside the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. When there is concern that some chemical solution atmosphere remains at the start of drying the substrate W, the substrate W may be dried while positioning the first guard 53A at the lower processing position or the retracted position.

[0145] As described above, in the first embodiment, the partition plate 81 is disposed around the first guard 53A. The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is spaced inwardly from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12, and the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 surrounds the first guard 53A. When the guard lifting unit 51 raises and lowers the first guard 53A, the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A increases or decreases. Thereby, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased or decreased.

[0146] The exhaust duct 78 sucks the gas inside the first guard 53A and the gas below the partition plate 81 into the exhaust duct 78 from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. The gas above the first guard 53A passes downward inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. The gas above the partition plate 81 passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

[0147] When the guard lifting unit 51 decreases the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases, so the flow rate of the gas passing inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A increases. Thereby, the amount of the mist of the chemical solution leaking outside the first guard 53A through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A can be reduced.

[0148] When the guard lifting unit 51 increases the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 decreases, so the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases. Even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the first guard 53A, the leaked mist passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. Thereby, the leaked mist can be surely removed.

[0149] Focusing on sucking the atmosphere inside the first guard 53A is important for preventing the mist of the chemical solution from leaking outside the first guard 53A. Focusing on sucking the atmosphere above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is important for removing the leaked mist of the chemical solution. Therefore, balancing the exhaust, that is, changing the location where the exhaust is focused, is important for reducing the contamination of the substrate W and the chamber 12.

[0150] If the first guard 53A is moved up and down to change the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A, the location where the exhaust is focused can be changed between the inside of the first guard 53A and above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81. Therefore, if the first guard 53A is moved up and down according to the progress of the processing of the substrate W, the atmosphere of the location where the mist of the chemical solution may exist can be focused on being sucked, and the contamination of the substrate W and the chamber 12 can be reduced.

[0151] In this embodiment, the chemical solution on the substrate W is replaced with a rinse solution. When the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the first guard 53A, the chemical solution atmosphere drifts above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 when the central nozzle 44, which is an example of a rinse solution nozzle, is discharging the rinse solution. When the central nozzle 44 is discharging the rinse solution, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A is larger than when the chemical solution nozzle is discharging the chemical solution. Thereby, the chemical solution atmosphere drifting above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be sucked into at least one of the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81.

[0152] In this embodiment, the cylindrical outer wall 70 surrounds the first guard 53A below the partition plate 81. The gas that has passed inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes through the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged outside the chamber 12. The gas that has passed between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 also passes through the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged outside the chamber 12. Therefore, these gases are discharged outside the chamber 12 without passing through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the cylindrical outer wall 70.

[0153] On the other hand, the gas that has passed between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and moves from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70. After that, this gas passes through the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged outside the chamber 12. Therefore, the gas around the cylindrical outer wall 70 moves from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70, and then moves from the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the outside of the cylindrical outer wall 70.

[0154] Thus, since the gas that has passed between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and then passes through the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, the path through which the gas that has flowed between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes has a greater pressure loss than the path that passes inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased.

[0155] By increasing the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, it is possible to reduce the mist of the chemical solution leaking outside the first guard 53A. Further, even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks outside the first guard 53A, the leaked mist flows around from the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 is disposed closer to the first guard 53A than the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81. Therefore, by increasing the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, the leaked mist of the chemical solution can be more reliably removed.

[0156] In the present embodiment, the area of the exhaust relay hole 73 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 is smaller than the area of the discharge hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70. The gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 do not pass through the exhaust relay hole 73, while the gas passing between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes through the exhaust relay hole 73 and then passes through the discharge hole 72 and the exhaust duct 78. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path through which the gas flowing into the space between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes is large. Thereby, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be further increased.

[0157] In the present embodiment, the exhaust relay hole 73 through which the gas flows from the outside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 to the inside of the cylindrical outer wall 70 is formed by a through hole penetrating the cylindrical body 71 and a slide cover 75 covering a part of the through hole. When the slide cover 75, which is an example of the movable cover, is moved with respect to the cylindrical body 71, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole 73 changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole 73 increases or decreases. Thereby, the balance of the exhaust can be changed. That is, the balance of the exhaust passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, the exhaust passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, and the exhaust passing between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 can be changed.

[0158] In this embodiment, the horizontal portion 84 of the partition plate 81 vertically partitions the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12, and the vertical portion 85 of the partition plate 81 extends downward from the horizontal portion 84. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 surrounds the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in plan view. When the first guard 53A is moved to the upper processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is disposed inside the vertical portion 85 and faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85.

[0159] When the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A is the smallest between the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85. In other words, when the first guard 53A is disposed at the upper processing position, the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A. Therefore, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 mainly depends on the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A.

[0160] Both the cross section of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the cross section of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 are vertical. Further, since the vertical portion 85 extends downward from the horizontal portion 84, the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 is disposed below the horizontal portion 84. In other words, the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 has a certain length in the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the position of the first guard 53A in the vertical direction is not precisely controlled, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A can be made to face horizontally the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be easily adjusted.

[0161] In the present embodiment, an inner peripheral ring 83 including a horizontal portion 84 and a vertical portion 85 is supported by a support plate 82. The inner peripheral ring 83 is movable in the radial direction with respect to the support plate 82. When the inner peripheral ring 83 is moved in the radial direction with respect to the support plate 82, the inner peripheral ring 83 moves in the radial direction with respect to the first guard 53A, and the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A changes. Therefore, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A can be changed, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased or decreased.

[0162] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that three guards 53 are provided in one processing cup 52. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross-section of a processing cup 52 provided in a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, for the configurations equivalent to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 12C described above, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and the like are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0163] The three guards 53 concentrically surround the spin chuck 21. The outermost guard 53 is the first guard 53A, the guard 53 inside the first guard 53A is the second guard 53B, and the guard 53 inside the second guard 53B is the third guard 53C. The form of the second guard 53B is the same as that of the first guard 53A according to the first embodiment. The form of the third guard 53C is the same as that of the second guard 53B according to the first embodiment. That is, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an additional guard 53 (the first guard 53A according to the second embodiment) is arranged outside the first guard 53A according to the first embodiment.

[0164] The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A includes a cylindrical inclined portion 61 that extends obliquely upward toward the rotation axis A1, and a circular horizontal portion 62 that extends horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 61 toward the rotation axis A1. The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A may include a circular folded-back portion 63 that protrudes downward from the inner peripheral end of the horizontal portion 62 corresponding to the inner peripheral end of the ceiling portion 60. The cylindrical portion 54 of the first guard 53A includes a cylindrical upper vertical portion 55 that extends vertically downward from the ceiling portion 60, and a base ring 57 provided at the lower end portion of the upper vertical portion 55. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is larger than the diameter of the substrate W and larger than the outer diameter of the spin base 23. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is equal to the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B and smaller than the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the third guard 53C.

[0165] The guard lifting unit 51 (see FIG. 3) vertically moves the first guard 53A, the second guard 53B, and the third guard 53C individually in the vertical direction between the upper processing position and the retracted position. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the first guard 53A, the second guard 53B, and the third guard 53C are arranged at the upper processing position. When the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 with a radial gap therebetween, and a vertically extending cylindrical inner gap Gi is formed between the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral ring 83. Thereby, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0166] Other embodiments The present invention is not limited to the contents of the foregoing embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the chemical solution may be supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W instead of the upper surface of the substrate W. Or, the chemical solution may be supplied to both the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. In these cases, the chemical solution may be discharged from the lower surface nozzle 35.

[0167] When discharging the rinse liquid toward the substrate W, instead of disposing the first guard 53A at the lower processing position, after stopping the discharge of the rinse liquid, the first guard 53A may be disposed at the lower processing position. The spin chuck 21 is not limited to a mechanical chuck that brings a plurality of chuck pins 22 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, and may be a vacuum chuck that horizontally holds the substrate W by adsorbing the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W, which is a non-device formation surface, to the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. The spin chuck 21 may be a Bernoulli chuck that horizontally holds the substrate W by the suction force generated by Bernoulli's theorem, or an electrostatic chuck that horizontally holds the substrate W by an electric force.

[0168] The opening degree of the exhaust relay hole 73 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 may be constant. In this case, a slide cover 75, which is an example of a movable cover, may be omitted. The exhaust relay hole 73 may be omitted from the cylindrical outer wall 70. In this case, a gap may be provided at least between the upper end of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the lower surface of the partition plate 81, and between the lower end of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the floor surface of the chamber 12.

[0169] The partition plate 81 may be a flat plate having a constant thickness from the outer peripheral end 81o to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81. That is, the inner peripheral ring 83 may be omitted, and the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 may be extended toward the first guard 53A. In this case, the upper processing position of the first guard 53A may be a position where the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface of the support plate 82 corresponding to the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82.

[0170] At least one of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the partition plate 81 may be omitted. When dividing the inner peripheral ring 83 into a plurality of divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, as shown in FIG. 14, the vertical portion 85 of the divided ring 83r closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction among the plurality of divided rings 83r may be made longer downward than the vertical portions 85 of the other divided rings 83r (see the white arrow). Instead of or in addition to this, as shown in FIG. 15, the vertical portion 85 of the divided ring 83r closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction among the plurality of divided rings 83r may be brought closer to the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction than the vertical portions 85 of the other divided rings 83r (see the white arrow).

[0171] The suction force for sucking the gas toward the exhaust duct 78 becomes weaker as it moves away from the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction. Increasing the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 alleviates such a decrease in the suction force. However, if the pressure loss of this path is increased over the entire circumference of the first guard 53A, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 and being sucked into the exhaust duct 78 will decrease.

[0172] By making the vertical portion 85 of the divided ring 83r longer downward only near the exhaust duct 78, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased only near the exhaust duct 78. Similarly, by bringing the vertical portion 85 of the divided ring 83r closer to the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction only near the exhaust duct 78, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased only near the exhaust duct 78. Thereby, while reducing the decrease in the flow rate of the gas passing through the inner gap Gi and being sucked into the exhaust duct 78, the decrease in the suction force depending on the circumferential distance from the exhaust duct 78 can be reduced.

[0173] In addition, when the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided into three or more divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, if not all of the divided rings 83r, two or more divided rings 83r may be formed as shown in at least one of FIGS. 14 and 15. The inner peripheral ring 83 may be equally divided or unequally divided. In the latter case, the shortest divided ring 83r in the circumferential direction may be arranged at the position closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction. In this way, when at least one of the structures shown in FIG. 14 and the structure shown in FIG. 15 is adopted, it is easy to finely adjust the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81.

[0174] You may adopt at least one of the structure shown in FIG. 14 and the structure shown in FIG. 15 without dividing the inner peripheral ring 83. Specifically, only the portion closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction and its vicinity in the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 may be made longer downward. Instead of or in addition to this, only the portion closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction and its vicinity in the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 may be brought closer to the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction.

[0175] In either the case of dividing the inner peripheral ring 83 or the case of not dividing it, the vertical length of the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 may be increased stepwise or continuously as it approaches the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78, or the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A (corresponding to the size D1 of the inner gap Gi shown in FIG. 6) may be decreased stepwise or continuously as it approaches the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. In this way, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be changed stepwise or continuously.

[0176] As shown in FIG. 16, in a horizontal cross-section, the angle formed by the inner surface of the protruding portion 92 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 may be a value exceeding 90 degrees. In the horizontal cross-section shown in FIG. 16, a tangent line at the circumferential end E1 of the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is defined as the tangent line TL1. The angle formed by the inner surface 93i of the side wall 93 with respect to the tangent line TL1 may increase stepwise or continuously as it approaches the outermost wall 94. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the angle formed by the inner surface of the protruding portion 92 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is about 140 degrees, and the angle formed by the inner surface 93i of the side wall 93 with respect to the tangent line TL1 increases from about 30 degrees (angle θ11 shown in FIG. 16) to about 40 degrees (angle θ12 shown in FIG. 16) as it approaches the outermost wall 94.

[0177] All of the side walls 93 may be formed in this way, or only some of the side walls 93 may be formed in this way. For example, only the pair of side walls 93 of the protruding portion 92 closer to the exhaust duct 78 among the pair of protruding portions 92 may be formed in this way. By forming at least one side wall 93 in this way, the resistance received by the gas flowing between the first guard 53A and the cylindrical outer wall 70 toward the exhaust duct 78 from the protruding portion 92 can be reduced, and the decrease in the suction force depending on the circumferential distance from the exhaust duct 78 can be reduced.

[0178] As shown in FIG. 17, in a horizontal cross section, the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 may be an obtuse angle (a value greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees). In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 17, a tangent line at the circumferential end E2 of the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is defined as the tangent line TL2. The angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 with respect to the tangent line TL2 may increase stepwise or continuously as it moves away from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 along the exhaust duct 78. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is about 110 degrees, and the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 with respect to the tangent line TL2 increases from about 75 degrees (angle θ21 shown in FIG. 17) to about 80 degrees (angle θ22 shown in FIG. 17) as it moves away from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 along the exhaust duct 78.

[0179] In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 17, the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 intersects the cylindrical outer wall 70 at two intersection points. The inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 may be formed as described above at both of these two intersection points, or may be formed as described above at only one of these two intersection points. By forming the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 as described above at at least one of the two intersection points, the resistance received by the cylindrical portion 91 from the gas flowing between the first guard 53A and the cylindrical outer wall 70 toward the exhaust duct 78 can be reduced.

[0180] In the example shown in FIG. 17, the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W is counterclockwise, and the gas flowing clockwise between the first guard 53A and the cylindrical outer wall 70 passes through the left intersection point (the portion surrounded by the dashed rectangle in FIG. 17) and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. Therefore, in the structure shown in FIG. 17, the resistance applied to the gas flowing in the direction opposite to the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W can be reduced, and the gas flowing in such a direction can be efficiently sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

[0181] The substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to an apparatus for processing a disk-shaped substrate W, and may be an apparatus for processing a polygonal substrate W. Two or more of all the above-described configurations may be combined. Two or more of all the above-described steps may be combined. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0182] 1: Substrate processing apparatus 3: Control device 12: Chamber 12i: Inner peripheral surface of the chamber 21: Spin chuck (substrate holding means) 25: Electric motor (substrate rotating means) 27: First chemical liquid nozzle (chemical liquid nozzle) 31: Second chemical liquid nozzle (chemical liquid nozzle) 35: Bottom surface nozzle (rinse liquid nozzle) 44: Center nozzle (rinse liquid nozzle) 51: Guard lifting unit 53A: First guard (guard) 53u: Upper end portion of the first guard 61: Inclined portion of the guard 65: Vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard 70: Cylindrical outer wall 70i: Inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 70o: Outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical outer wall 71: Cylindrical body 72: Discharge hole 73: Exhaust relay hole 74: Through hole 75: Slide cover (movable cover) 78: Exhaust duct 78u: Upstream end of the exhaust duct 81: Partition plate 81i: Inner peripheral end of the partition plate 81o: Outer peripheral end of the partition plate 82: Support plate 83: Inner peripheral ring 84: Horizontal part of the inner peripheral ring 85: Vertical part of the inner peripheral ring A1: Axis of rotation D1: Size of the inner gap Gi: Inner gap Go: Outer gap W: Substrate

Claims

1. substrate holding means for horizontally holding a substrate; substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means about a vertical axis passing through the central portion of the substrate; a chemical liquid nozzle for discharging a chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means; an upper end portion surrounding the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view, and a cylindrical inclined portion extending obliquely upward toward the upper end portion, and a cylindrical guard for receiving liquid scattered outward from the substrate held by the substrate holding means; a chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard; an outer peripheral end separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and a partition plate for vertically partitioning the space around the guard in the chamber; a guard lifting unit for changing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by raising and lowering the guard; an exhaust duct including an upstream end disposed below the partition plate in the chamber, sucking the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end, and discharging it outside the chamber; the outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross section; the partition plate includes a horizontal portion for vertically partitioning the space around the guard in the chamber, and a cylindrical vertical portion extending downward from the horizontal portion; the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate has a vertical linear cross section and surrounds the vertical portion of the guard in a plan view; when the guard is disposed at an upper processing position where the vertical portion of the guard faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion; the partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the partition plate, and a support plate for supporting the inner peripheral ring; the inner peripheral ring is movable relative to the support plate and the guard in a radial direction which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, a substrate processing apparatus.

2. substrate holding means for horizontally holding a substrate; substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means about a vertical axis passing through the central portion of the substrate; A chemical liquid nozzle that discharges chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means. An upper end portion that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view, and a cylindrical inclined portion that extends obliquely upward toward the upper end portion, and a cylindrical guard that receives liquid scattered outward from the substrate held by the substrate holding means. A chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard. An outer peripheral end that is separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and an inner peripheral end that surrounds the guard, and a partition plate that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber. A guard lifting unit that changes the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by raising and lowering the guard. An exhaust duct that includes an upstream end disposed below the partition plate in the chamber, sucks the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end, and discharges it outside the chamber. An inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface that surround the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, discharge holes that are open on the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas discharged from the chamber through the exhaust duct passes, and exhaust relay holes that are open on the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas moving from the outside of the outer peripheral surface to the inside of the inner peripheral surface passes, and a cylindrical outer wall. The exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall, a substrate processing apparatus.

3. Substrate holding means for horizontally holding a substrate, Substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means around a vertical rotation axis passing through the central portion of the substrate, A chemical liquid nozzle that discharges chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means. An upper end portion that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view, and a cylindrical inclined portion that extends obliquely upward toward the upper end portion, and a cylindrical guard that receives liquid scattered outward from the substrate held by the substrate holding means. A chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard. An outer peripheral end that is separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and an inner peripheral end that surrounds the guard, and a partition plate that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber. A guard lifting unit that changes the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by raising and lowering the guard; An exhaust duct that includes an upstream end disposed below the partition plate in the chamber, sucks the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end, and discharges them outside the chamber; The outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross section; The partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the inner peripheral end; The inner peripheral ring includes a horizontal portion that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber, and a cylindrical vertical portion that includes the inner peripheral end and extends downward from the horizontal portion; A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the inner peripheral ring has a vertical linear cross section and surrounds the vertical portion of the guard in plan view.

4. A rinse liquid nozzle that discharges rinse liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means; A control device that, by controlling the guard lifting unit, makes the shortest distance when replacing the chemical liquid on the substrate with the rinse liquid discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle larger than the shortest distance when the chemical liquid nozzle discharges the chemical liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

5. The cylindrical outer wall includes a cylindrical body including an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface that surround the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, and through holes that open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, and is held by the cylindrical body in a state of covering a part of the through holes, and a movable cover that is movable with respect to the cylindrical body; The exhaust relay hole is formed by the through hole of the cylindrical body and the movable cover, and the opening degree changes according to the position of the movable cover with respect to the cylindrical body. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2.

6. The length in the vertical direction of the facing range where the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard face each other horizontally increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, which is the direction around the rotation axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3.

7. In the radial direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, the distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard decreases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, which is the direction around the rotation axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3, or 6.

8. While horizontally holding the substrate, rotating it around a vertical rotation axis passing through the central portion of the substrate; Discharging a chemical solution toward the rotating substrate; Causing the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate to be received by a cylindrical guard including an upper end portion surrounding the substrate in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion extending obliquely upward toward the upper end portion; Suctioning the gas inside the guard into the upstream end of an exhaust duct disposed below a partition plate that includes an outer peripheral end spaced inward from the inner peripheral surface of a chamber surrounding the guard and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard and vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber, and discharging it outside the chamber; Suctioning the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end of the exhaust duct and discharging it outside the chamber; After stopping the discharge of the chemical solution onto the substrate, increasing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lowering the guard; The outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross section; The partition plate includes a horizontal portion that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber and a cylindrical vertical portion extending downward from the horizontal portion; The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate has a vertical linear cross section and surrounds the vertical portion of the guard in a plan view; When the guard is disposed at an upper processing position where the vertical portion of the guard faces horizontally the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion; The partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the partition plate and a support plate supporting the inner peripheral ring; The inner peripheral ring is movable relative to the support plate and the guard in the radial direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis. A substrate processing method. Step of rotating about a vertical axis passing through the central portion of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally; Step of discharging a chemical solution toward the rotating substrate; Step of causing the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate to be received by a cylindrical guard including an upper end portion surrounding the substrate in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion extending obliquely upward toward the upper end portion; Step of sucking the gas inside the guard into the upstream end of an exhaust duct disposed below a partition plate that includes an outer peripheral end spaced inward from the inner peripheral surface of a chamber surrounding the guard and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and partitioning the space around the guard in the chamber vertically, and discharging the gas outside the chamber; Step of sucking the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end of the exhaust duct and discharging the gas outside the chamber; Step of increasing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lowering the guard after stopping the discharge of the chemical solution onto the substrate; A cylindrical outer wall surrounds the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber; The cylindrical outer wall includes an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, a discharge hole that is open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas discharged from the chamber through the exhaust duct passes, and an exhaust relay hole that is open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface and through which the gas moving from the outside of the outer peripheral surface to the inside of the inner peripheral surface passes; The exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the discharge hole of the cylindrical outer wall, a substrate processing method.

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