Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

To improve film thickness uniformity of a coating that is a heat treatment target while efficiently recovering a sublimate.SOLUTION: A heat treatment apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on a substrate for which a coating is formed; and a control unit for controlling the heat treatment unit. The heat treatment unit includes: a heating part for supporting and heating the substrate; a chamber that covers the substrate supported by the heating part; a gas discharge part that has a head part, in which a plurality of discharge holes are formed to be scattered along a surface facing the substrate supported by the heating part, and discharges a gas from the plurality of discharge holes to a surface of the substrate; an outer peripheral exhaustion part for exhausting a processing space in the chamber from an outer peripheral region on an outer side with respect to a peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the heating part; and a central exhaustion part for exhausting the processing space from a central region on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edge of the substrate supported by the heating part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a coating film formed on a substrate. This heat treatment apparatus includes a placement part provided in a processing container for placing the substrate, a heating part for heating the substrate placed on the placement part, an outer peripheral exhaust port and a central exhaust port for exhausting the inside of the processing container.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium capable of efficiently recovering sublimates while improving the film thickness uniformity of a film to be heat-treated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment on a substrate on which a film is formed, and a control unit that controls the heat treatment unit. The heat treatment unit includes a heating part that supports and heats the substrate, a chamber that covers the substrate supported by the heating part, and a head part in which a plurality of discharge holes are formed at intervals along the surface facing the substrate supported by the heating part, a gas discharge part that discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes toward the surface of the substrate, an outer peripheral exhaust part that exhausts the processing space in the chamber from an outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating part, and a central exhaust part that exhausts the processing space from a central region inside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating part.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, there are provided a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium capable of efficiently recovering a sublimate while improving the film thickness uniformity of a film to be heat-treated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments will be described.

[0009] A substrate processing apparatus according to one exemplary embodiment includes a heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment on a substrate having a film formed thereon, and a control unit that controls the heat treatment unit. The heat treatment unit includes a heating unit that supports and heats the substrate, a chamber that covers the substrate supported by the heating unit, and a head unit having a plurality of discharge holes formed along a surface facing the substrate supported by the heating unit, and a gas discharge portion that discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes toward the surface of the substrate, an outer peripheral exhaust portion that exhausts the processing space in the chamber from an outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating unit, and a central exhaust portion that exhausts the processing space from a central region inside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating unit.

[0010] In the heat treatment unit of the substrate processing apparatus, exhaust from the central region can be performed during the heat treatment of the substrate by the central exhaust portion, and the sublimates from the film can be efficiently recovered. Further, gas is discharged onto the surface of the substrate by the gas discharge portion, and the upward flow of the air current accompanying the exhaust from the central region is suppressed. For this reason, the influence of the air current on the film thickness of the film is made uniform within the substrate surface. Therefore, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimates.

[0011] The heat treatment unit may further include an exhaust switching unit that switches between a first state in which the processing space is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust portion and a second state in which the processing space is exhausted at least from the central exhaust portion. The control unit may control the exhaust switching unit so as to switch from the first state to the second state while discharging gas from a plurality of discharge holes by the gas discharge portion. In the latter stage of heating the substrate to be processed, film formation proceeds, and the influence on the film thickness variation due to exhaust is small. In the above configuration, central exhaust can be performed in the latter stage of heating. As a result, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimates.

[0012] The heat treatment unit may further include a substrate elevating unit that elevates the substrate, and an opening / closing switching unit that switches between a closed state in which a processing space is formed by the chamber and an open state in which the chamber is separated from the heating unit as compared with the closed state. The chamber may include a top plate provided with a head portion. The control unit may control the substrate elevating unit to raise the substrate from the heating unit and approach the top plate, and after the substrate approaches the top plate, control the opening / closing switching unit to switch from the closed state to the open state. In this case, the sublimates generated from the film of the substrate in the state of approaching the top plate are more reliably recovered. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the contamination of the heat treatment unit by the sublimates from the film.

[0013] The outer exhaust part may have outer exhaust holes for exhausting the processing space. When moving the substrate closer to the top plate, the control unit may control the substrate lifting part to lift the substrate to a position higher than the outer exhaust holes. In this case, when the substrate is moved closer to the top plate, the airflow generated on the surface of the substrate due to the exhaust through the outer exhaust holes weakens. Therefore, the possibility of the sublimated material flowing outside the substrate decreases, and it becomes possible to recover the sublimated material more efficiently.

[0014] The chamber may cover the substrate on the heating part in a state where a communication part connecting the processing space and the space outside the chamber is formed in the outer peripheral region. The outer exhaust part may include outer exhaust holes that open into the communication part, and the processing space may be exhausted through the outer exhaust holes and the communication part. In this case, it becomes possible to prevent the sublimated material from leaking into the space outside the chamber through the communication part.

[0015] The chamber may include a holding part that holds the heating part, and a lid part that is arranged with a gap provided between the holding part and the lid part so as to cover the substrate on the heating part from above. The gap between the holding part and the lid part may function as the communication part. In this case, since the chamber can be opened and closed without contact between the members, it becomes possible to suppress the generation of particles caused by the opening and closing of the chamber.

[0016] The heat treatment unit may sequentially perform heat treatment on a plurality of substrates including the above-mentioned substrate. During the period of replacing the substrate to be processed, the control unit may continue to cause the gas discharge part to discharge gas from a plurality of discharge holes. In this case, the ambient temperature change associated with the discharge of gas from the gas discharge part is kept substantially constant. Therefore, it becomes possible to stabilize the heat treatment result between substrates.

[0017] The central exhaust portion may include a central exhaust hole provided in the head portion so as to open into the processing space. The gas discharge portion may further include a nozzle portion that discharges gas downward toward the central exhaust hole. In this case, by discharging the gas downward from the exhaust port of the nozzle portion, it is possible to suppress the amount of protrusion of the film thickness near the central exhaust hole. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the substrate surface.

[0018] The substrate processing apparatus may further include a gas supply unit that generates a regulated gas whose concentration of the one component is adjusted to a predetermined value by mixing a first gas containing one component and a second gas containing another component, and supplies the regulated gas to the gas discharge portion. The gas discharge portion may discharge the regulated gas as a gas toward the surface of the substrate. The gas supply unit may be disposed in a separate space partitioned from the space in which the heat treatment unit is disposed. In this case, it is possible to reduce the influence received by the members for generating the regulated gas due to the heat generated during the heat treatment.

[0019] The control unit may cause the gas discharge portion to discharge the regulated gas at least in the first half of the period during which the substrate is heated by the heating portion. Since film formation progresses in the first half of the period of heating the substrate, it is possible to more reliably adjust the quality of the film using the regulated gas.

[0020] The heating unit may include a hot plate that generates heat for heating the substrate, a plurality of gap pins provided on the main surface of the hot plate and supporting the substrate such that a gap is formed between the main surface and the substrate, and a suction hole that opens on the main surface and sucks the substrate disposed on the plurality of gap pins. The plurality of gap pins may include a first group of gap pins disposed in a suction region located near the suction hole on the main surface and a second group of gap pins disposed in a non-suction region other than the suction region on the main surface. The number of the first group of gap pins per unit area of the suction region may be larger than the number of the second group of gap pins per unit area of the non-suction region. Since the suction force from the suction hole is large in the suction region, the load applied to one gap pin tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the substrate. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of the first group of gap pins per unit area in the suction region, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin is suppressed.

[0021] The substrate processing apparatus may include a plurality of heat treatment units including a heat treatment unit. The heating unit may include a hot plate that generates heat for heating the substrate, a plurality of gap pins provided on the main surface of the hot plate and supporting the substrate such that a gap is formed between the main surface and the substrate, and a suction hole that opens on the main surface and sucks the substrate disposed on the plurality of gap pins. The plurality of heat treatment units may include a first heat treatment unit and a second heat treatment unit. The heating temperature of the substrate in the heat treatment performed by the first heat treatment unit may be higher than the heating temperature of the substrate in the heat treatment performed by the second heat treatment unit. The number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the first heat treatment unit may be larger than the number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the second heat treatment unit. When the heating temperature of the substrate in the heat treatment is high, the load applied to one gap pin tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the substrate due to the thermal expansion of the substrate. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of gap pins included in the heating unit of the first heat treatment unit that performs the heat treatment at a high heating temperature, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin is suppressed.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus may include a plurality of heat treatment units including a heat treatment unit. The heating unit may include a hot plate that generates heat for heating the substrate, a plurality of gap pins provided on the main surface of the hot plate and supporting the substrate so that a gap is formed between the main surface and the substrate, and a suction hole that opens on the main surface and sucks the substrate disposed on the plurality of gap pins. The plurality of heat treatment units may include a first heat treatment unit and a second heat treatment unit. The suction force applied to the substrate from the suction hole of the first heat treatment unit may be greater than the suction force applied to the substrate from the suction hole of the second heat treatment unit. The number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the first heat treatment unit may be greater than the number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the second heat treatment unit. When the suction force from the suction hole is large, the load applied to one gap pin tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the substrate. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of gap pins included in the heating unit of the first heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment in a state where the suction force is large, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin is suppressed.

[0023] A substrate processing method according to one exemplary embodiment is a method including performing heat treatment on a substrate on which a film is formed. Performing heat treatment on the substrate includes supporting and heating the substrate covered by the chamber in the heating unit, evacuating the processing space in the chamber from an outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating unit, evacuating the processing space from a central region inside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating unit, and discharging gas toward the surface of the substrate from a plurality of discharge holes scattered along the surface facing the substrate supported by the heating unit. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently collecting the sublimated material.

[0024] Performing a heat treatment on the substrate may further include switching from a first state in which gas is discharged from a plurality of discharge holes toward the surface of the substrate while the processing space is evacuated from the outer peripheral region to a second state in which the processing space is evacuated at least from the central region. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently collecting the sublimated substance.

[0025] Performing a heat treatment on the substrate may further include raising the substrate from the heating unit and bringing it closer to the top plate of the chamber, and after bringing the substrate closer to the top plate, switching from a closed state in which the processing space is formed by the chamber to an open state in which the chamber is separated from the heating unit as compared to the closed state. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to suppress contamination of the heat treatment unit by the sublimated substance from the film.

[0026] Evacuating the processing space from the outer peripheral region may include evacuating the processing space through the outer peripheral exhaust holes. Bringing the substrate closer to the top plate may include raising the substrate to a position higher than the outer peripheral exhaust holes. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to collect the sublimated substance more efficiently.

[0027] The above-described substrate processing method may further include sequentially performing heat treatment on a plurality of substrates including the substrate. Sequentially performing heat treatment on a plurality of substrates may include continuing to discharge gas from the plurality of discharge holes during a period when the substrate to be processed is replaced. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to stabilize the processing results of the heat treatment between substrates.

[0028] Evacuating the processing space from the central region may further include discharging the gas in the processing space through the central exhaust holes provided in the head portion where the plurality of discharge holes are formed, and discharging gas from the nozzle portion toward the lower side of the central exhaust holes. In this case, similar to the above-described substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the substrate surface.

[0029] A computer-readable storage medium according to one exemplary embodiment stores a program for causing an apparatus to execute the above-described substrate processing method.

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements or elements having the same function, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0031] [First Embodiment] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, a substrate processing system according to the first embodiment will be described. The substrate processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that forms a photosensitive film, exposes the photosensitive film, and develops the photosensitive film on a substrate. The substrate to be processed is, for example, a semiconductor wafer W. The photosensitive film is, for example, a resist film. The substrate processing system 1 includes a coating / developing apparatus 2 and an exposure apparatus 3. The exposure apparatus 3 is an apparatus that exposes the resist film (photosensitive film) formed on the wafer W (substrate). Specifically, the exposure apparatus 3 irradiates an energy beam onto the exposed portion of the resist film by a method such as immersion exposure. The coating / developing apparatus 2 performs a process of forming a resist film by applying a resist (chemical solution) to the surface of the wafer W on which the underlying film is formed before the exposure process by the exposure apparatus 3, and performs a developing process of the resist film after the exposure process.

[0032] [Substrate Processing Apparatus] Hereinafter, as an example of the substrate processing apparatus, the configuration of the coating / developing apparatus 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating / developing apparatus 2 includes a carrier block 4, a processing block 5, an interface block 6, and a control device 100 (control unit).

[0033] The carrier block 4 introduces the wafer W into the coating / developing apparatus 2 and discharges the wafer W from the coating / developing apparatus 2. For example, the carrier block 4 can support a plurality of carriers C for the wafer W and incorporates a transfer device A1 including a transfer arm. The carrier C accommodates, for example, a plurality of circular wafers W. The transfer device A1 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C and delivers it to the processing block 5, and receives the wafer W from the processing block 5 and returns it into the carrier C. The processing block 5 has a plurality of processing modules 11, 12, 13, 14.

[0034] The processing module 11 incorporates a coating unit U1, a heat treatment unit U2, and a transfer device A3 that transfers the wafer W to these units. The processing module 11 forms an underlayer film on the surface of the wafer W by the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2. The coating unit U1 applies a processing liquid for forming the underlayer film onto the wafer W. The heat treatment unit U2 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the underlayer film. That is, the heat treatment unit U2 performs heat treatment on the wafer W on which a film of the processing liquid is formed. Thereby, an underlayer film is formed on the surface of the wafer W. Specific examples of the underlayer film include so-called hard masks such as spin-on carbon (SOC) films. When the wafer W on which a film is formed is heated during the heat treatment, sublimates (unnecessary substances) are generated from the film. For this reason, the heat treatment unit U2 is provided with an exhaust portion for discharging the sublimates.

[0035] The processing module 12 incorporates a coating unit U3, a heat treatment unit U4, and a transfer device A3 that transfers the wafer W to these units. The processing module 12 forms a resist film on the underlayer film by the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4. The coating unit U3 applies a processing liquid for forming the resist film onto the underlayer film. The heat treatment unit U4 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the film.

[0036] The processing module 13 incorporates a coating unit U5, a heat treatment unit U6, and a transfer device A3 for transferring the wafer W to these units. The processing module 13 forms an upper layer film on the resist film by means of the coating unit U5 and the heat treatment unit U6. The coating unit U5 applies a liquid for forming the upper layer film onto the resist film. The heat treatment unit U6 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the upper layer film.

[0037] The processing module 14 incorporates a developing unit U7, a heat treatment unit U8, and a transfer device A3 for transferring the wafer W to these units. The processing module 14 performs development processing of the resist film subjected to exposure processing and heat treatments associated with the development processing by means of the developing unit U7 and the heat treatment unit U8. The developing unit U7 applies a developer onto the surface of the exposed wafer W and then washes it away with a rinse liquid to perform development processing of the resist film. The heat treatment unit U8 performs various heat treatments associated with the development processing. Specific examples of the heat treatments include pre-development heat treatment (PEB: Post Exposure Bake), post-development heat treatment (PB: Post Bake), etc.

[0038] A shelf unit U10 is provided on the side of the carrier block 4 within the processing block 5. The shelf unit U10 is partitioned into a plurality of cells arranged vertically. A transfer device A7 including a lifting arm is provided in the vicinity of the shelf unit U10. The transfer device A7 raises and lowers the wafer W between the cells of the shelf unit U10.

[0039] A shelf unit U11 is provided on the side of the interface block 6 within the processing block 5. The shelf unit U11 is partitioned into a plurality of cells arranged vertically.

[0040] The interface block 6 transfers the wafer W to and from the exposure apparatus 3. For example, the interface block 6 incorporates a transfer device A8 including a transfer arm and is connected to the exposure apparatus 3. The transfer device A8 transfers the wafer W placed on the shelf unit U11 to the exposure apparatus 3. The transfer device A8 receives the wafer W from the exposure apparatus 3 and returns it to the shelf unit U11.

[0041] Note that the specific configuration of the substrate processing apparatus is not limited to the configuration of the coating / developing apparatus 2 exemplified above. The substrate processing apparatus may be any apparatus as long as it includes a heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on a film such as an underlying film and a control device capable of controlling the heat treatment unit.

[0042] (Heat treatment unit) Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an example of the heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 11 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the heat treatment unit U2 includes a heating unit 20, a substrate lifting unit 30, a chamber 40, and an exhaust unit 60. Note that in FIG. 3, hatching indicating that a part of the elements is a cross section is omitted except for some elements.

[0043] The heating unit 20 supports and heats the wafer W. The heating unit 20 includes, for example, a hot plate 22 and a hot plate heater 24. The hot plate 22 supports the wafer W to be heat-treated and transfers heat to the supported wafer W. The hot plate heater 24 raises the temperature of the hot plate 22. As an example, during the heat treatment, the temperature of the hot plate 22 is maintained at about 300° to 500°. The hot plate heater 24 is provided, for example, inside the hot plate 22. The hot plate 22 is formed in a substantially disk shape as an example. The diameter of the hot plate 22 may be larger than the diameter of the wafer W. The hot plate 22 has a mounting surface 22a and supports the wafer W in a state where the wafer W is mounted at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 22a. The hot plate 22 may be made of a metal such as aluminum, silver, or copper having high thermal conductivity.

[0044] The substrate lifting unit 30 raises and lowers the wafer W on the hot plate 22. The substrate lifting unit 30 moves the wafer W up and down, for example, between a processing position where the wafer W is placed on the placement surface 22a of the hot plate 22 and a delivery position where the wafer W is transferred to and from a loading device (unloading device) above the hot plate 22 and spaced apart therefrom. The substrate lifting unit 30 includes a plurality (for example, three) of support pins 32 and a lifting drive unit 34.

[0045] The support pins 32 are pins that support the wafer W from below. The support pins 32 are configured to penetrate the hot plate 22 and extend in the vertical direction, for example. The plurality of support pins 32 may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the center of the hot plate 22. The lifting drive unit 34 raises and lowers the support pins 32 using an electric motor or a lifting cylinder, etc. as a power source. The lifting drive unit 34 raises the wafer W to the delivery position, for example, by raising the support pins 32 so that the upper ends of the support pins 32 protrude above the placement surface 22a. Also, the lifting drive unit 34 lowers the wafer W to the processing position (places the wafer W on the placement surface 22a) by lowering the support pins 32 so that the upper ends of the support pins 32 are positioned below the placement surface 22a. The lifting drive unit 34 raises and lowers the support pins 32 in accordance with an operation instruction from the control device 100, thereby raising and lowering the wafer W between the processing position and the delivery position.

[0046] The chamber 40 covers the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20. By covering the wafer W on the hot plate 22 with the chamber 40, a processing space S for performing heat treatment is formed on the hot plate 22. The processing space S is a space that is closed to such an extent that the film on the wafer W can be sufficiently heated. The chamber 40 includes, for example, a top plate 42, side walls 44, and a chamber heater 46.

[0047] The top plate 42 is formed in a disc shape having a diameter comparable to that of the hot plate 22. The top plate 42 is arranged so as to face the placement surface 22a of the hot plate 22 in the vertical direction. That is, the top plate 42 covers the placement surface 22a from above. The side wall 44 is formed so as to extend downward from the outer edge of the top plate 42. The side wall 44 surrounds the placement surface 22a. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the processing space S is configured by the lower surface of the top plate 42, the inner surface of the side wall 44, and the placement surface 22a. The chamber heater 46 is provided on the top plate 42 and raises the temperature of the top plate 42 (chamber 40). Thereby, adhesion of the sublimated substance generated when heating the coating to be processed to the chamber 40 is suppressed.

[0048] The chamber 40 is provided in the housing of the heat treatment unit U2 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The heat treatment unit U2 has, for example, a chamber drive unit 48 (opening / closing switching unit) that drives the chamber 40. The chamber drive unit 48 moves the chamber 40 in the vertical direction using an electric motor or the like as a power source. When the chamber 40 is lowered by the chamber drive unit 48, the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40. Hereinafter, the state in which the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40 is referred to as the "closed state". In the closed state, the lower end portion of the chamber 40 (side wall 44) is close to the hot plate 22. For example, in the closed state, the lower end portion (the lower end and its vicinity) of the side wall 44 may be in contact with the hot plate 22, or a gap may be formed between the lower end portion of the side wall 44 and the hot plate 22. Thus, in the closed state, a hermetically sealed processing space S may be formed, or a processing space S having a gap in part may be formed. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates the case where a gap is formed between the side wall 44 and the hot plate 22.

[0049] When the chamber 40 is lifted by the chamber drive unit 48, the chamber 40 moves away from the heating unit 20 (hot plate 22) compared to the closed state. Hereinafter, the state in which the chamber 40 is separated from the heating unit 20 compared to the closed state is referred to as the "open state". In the open state, the processing space S is not formed on the hot plate 22, and the space on the hot plate 22 is opened to the space outside the chamber 40. That is, in the open state, the chamber 40 is separated from the hot plate 22 to such an extent that the wafer W cannot be sufficiently heated. The chamber drive unit 48 switches between the closed state and the open state by raising and lowering the chamber 40 in response to an operation instruction from the control device 100.

[0050] The chamber 40 includes a gas discharge unit 50. The gas discharge unit 50 discharges gas upward toward the wafer W on the hot plate 22 in the processing space S inside the chamber 40. The gas discharge unit 50 discharges gas, for example, toward substantially the entire surface of the wafer W. The type of gas discharged by the gas discharge unit 50 is not limited, but for example, air, a gas with an adjusted moisture content, or an inert gas (nitrogen gas) may be used. A gas supply source is connected to the gas discharge unit 50 via a supply path 56. The gas discharge unit 50 may have a head unit 52 provided on the top plate 42. The head unit 52 is formed with a buffer space provided below the top plate 42 and a plurality of discharge holes 54 penetrating between the buffer space and the processing space S on the lower surface of the top plate 42 facing the wafer W on the hot plate 22. The buffer space is a space connecting the plurality of discharge holes 54 and the supply path 56.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the chamber 40 illustrated in FIG. 3 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of discharge holes 54 are scattered along the lower surface of the top plate 42. The plurality of discharge holes 54 are scattered, for example, at a substantially uniform density in a portion (opposing portion) of the lower surface of the top plate 42 that faces the wafer W on the hot plate 22. Note that, when viewed from above, the discharge holes 54 may also be provided outside the opposing portion (outside the periphery of the wafer W). The plurality of discharge holes 54 are scattered and arranged in the opposing portion. When a gas such as air is discharged from the gas discharge unit 50, the plurality of discharge holes 54 may be scattered so that the discharge amount per unit time is substantially uniform over the entire surface of the wafer W.

[0052] The opening areas of the plurality of discharge holes 54 may be substantially the same as each other. When the opening areas of the plurality of discharge holes 54 are substantially the same as each other, the plurality of discharge holes 54 may be scattered so that the ratio of the opening area of the discharge holes 54 per unit area of the opposing portion is uniform. When viewed from the vertical direction, the shape of the discharge hole 54 may be a circle or an ellipse. The plurality of discharge holes 54 may be scattered so that the intervals between adjacent discharge holes 54 are substantially the same. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the plurality of discharge holes 54 are two-dimensionally arranged along the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the intervals between adjacent discharge holes 54 in the horizontal direction may be uniform, and the intervals between adjacent discharge holes 54 in the vertical direction may be uniform. The interval between adjacent discharge holes 54 in the horizontal direction and the interval between adjacent discharge holes 54 in the vertical direction may be substantially the same.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 3, the exhaust unit 60 discharges the gas in the chamber 40 (inside the processing space S) to the outside of the chamber 40. The exhaust unit 60 includes an outer peripheral exhaust unit 70, a central exhaust unit 80, and an exhaust switching unit 90.

[0054] The outer exhaust portion 70 discharges the gas in the processing space S from the outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the wafer W supported by the heating portion 20. The outer exhaust portion 70 exhausts the inside of the chamber 40 from the outer periphery of the processing space S, for example, through a plurality of exhaust holes 72 (a plurality of outer peripheral exhaust holes) provided outside the gas discharge portion 50. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the plurality of exhaust holes 72 are provided outside the head portion 52 of the gas discharge portion 50.

[0055] The plurality of exhaust holes 72 are provided in the top plate 42 of the chamber 40 and open to the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the top plate 42 (that is, the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the processing space S), respectively. The plurality of exhaust holes 72 may be arranged annularly outside the head portion 52. The plurality of exhaust holes 72 may be located outside the periphery of the wafer W on the hot plate 22 when viewed from above. In other words, the plurality of exhaust holes 72 may not overlap the wafer W on the hot plate 22 when viewed from above. The shape of the exhaust holes 72 in the top plate 42 is not particularly limited. The plurality of exhaust holes 72 are connected to an exhaust pump via an exhaust duct 74. By the suction of the exhaust pump, the gas in the processing space S is discharged outside the chamber 40 through the plurality of exhaust holes 72.

[0056] The central exhaust portion 80 discharges the gas in the processing space S from the central region inside the periphery of the wafer W supported by the heating portion 20. When viewed from above, the outer edge of the central region is defined by a circle having a radius of about half the radius of the wafer W, for example. However, the central region is not limited to the above, and for example, it may be configured to perform exhaust by the central exhaust portion 80 from outside about half the radius of the wafer W. The central exhaust portion 80 has one exhaust hole 82 (central exhaust hole) provided in the head portion 52 of the gas discharge portion 50, and the central axis Ax may be located in the exhaust hole 82. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the center of the exhaust hole 82 may substantially coincide with the central axis Ax. Alternatively, the center of the exhaust hole 82 may be eccentric with respect to the central axis Ax in the central region.

[0057] The exhaust hole 82 is provided in the gas discharge part 50 so as to open into the processing space S. Specifically, the exhaust hole 82 is provided in the top plate 42 including the head part 52 of the gas discharge part 50 and opens at the center of the lower surface of the top plate 42. The shape of the exhaust hole 82 in the top plate 42 including the head part 52 is not particularly limited. As an example, when viewed from the vertical direction, the shape of the exhaust hole 82 may be circular or elliptical. The size (diameter) of the exhaust hole 82 may be larger than the size (diameter) of the discharge hole 54 and may also be larger than the exhaust hole 72. The exhaust hole 82 is connected to an exhaust pump via an exhaust duct 84. By the suction of the exhaust pump, the gas in the processing space S is discharged outside the chamber 40 through the exhaust hole 82.

[0058] The exhaust switching part 90 switches the exhaust state from the processing space S. Specifically, the exhaust switching part 90 switches between a state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust part 70 (hereinafter referred to as the "first state") and a state in which the processing space S is exhausted from at least the central exhaust part 80 (hereinafter referred to as the "second state"). Hereinafter, in the second state, a case where the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust part 70 in addition to the central exhaust part 80 will be exemplified. The exhaust switching part 90 has, for example, a valve 92 and a valve 94.

[0059] Valve 92 switches the exhaust state by the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. Specifically, valve 92 is provided in the exhaust duct 74 and opens and closes between the exhaust hole 72 and the exhaust pump. Valve 94 switches the exhaust state by the central exhaust portion 80. Specifically, valve 94 is provided in the exhaust duct 84 and opens and closes between the exhaust hole 82 and the exhaust pump. The exhaust pump may continuously exhaust at all times while the coating / developing apparatus 2 is operating, and the exhaust state from the processing space S may be switched by individually opening and closing valves 92 and 94. In this case, when valve 92 is in the closed state, the exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 stops, and when valve 92 is in the open state, the exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 is carried out. Also, when valve 94 is in the closed state, the exhaust from the central exhaust portion 80 stops, and when valve 94 is in the open state, the exhaust from the central exhaust portion 80 is carried out. The exhaust switching unit 90 (valves 92, 94) operates according to the operation instruction of the control device 100. Each of valves 92 and 94 is, as an example, a solenoid valve.

[0060] The heat treatment unit U2 further includes a cooling plate 98 having a function of cooling the wafer W (see FIG. 9(c)). The cooling plate 98 reciprocates between a cooling position outside the chamber 40 and a loading / unloading position of the wafer W at least a part of which is disposed inside the chamber 40. Alternatively, the cooling plate 98 may be fixed at a position horizontally aligned with the hot plate 22, and the heat treatment unit U2 may have a transfer arm that transfers the wafer W while moving between the cooling plate 98 and the hot plate 22.

[0061] The exhaust volume by the central exhaust portion 80 (the discharge amount of gas per unit time) may be approximately the same as the exhaust volume by the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70, or may be larger than the exhaust volume by the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. As an example, the exhaust volume by the central exhaust portion 80 may be about 1.1 to 5.0 times the exhaust volume by the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. Note that the supply amount of gas from the gas discharge portion 50 (the discharge amount of gas per unit time) may be smaller than the exhaust volumes of the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 and the central exhaust portion 80, respectively. As an example, the supply amount of gas from the gas discharge portion 50 may be about 1 / 6 to 1 / 2 of the exhaust volume by the central exhaust portion 80. In this case, gas may be sucked into the chamber 40 from the gap between the lower end portion of the chamber 40 and the hot plate 22.

[0062] (Control device) The control device 100 controls each part of the coating / developing apparatus 2 including the heat treatment unit U2. The control device 100 is configured to support and heat the wafer W covered by the chamber 40 on the heating unit 20, exhaust the processing space S from the outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, exhaust the processing space S from the central region inside the periphery of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, and discharge gas toward the surface of the wafer W from the plurality of discharge holes 54.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 100 functionally includes a storage unit 102 and a control unit 104. The storage unit 102 stores a program for operating each part of the coating / developing device 2 including the heat treatment unit U2. The storage unit 102 also stores various data (for example, information related to an instruction signal for operating the heat treatment unit U2) and information from sensors and the like provided in each part. The storage unit 102 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, an optical recording disk, a magnetic recording disk, or a magneto-optical recording disk. The program may also be included in an external storage device separate from the storage unit 102 or an intangible medium such as a propagation signal. The program may be installed from these other media into the storage unit 102 and stored in the storage unit 102. The control unit 104 controls the operation of each part of the coating / developing device 2 based on the program read from the storage unit 102.

[0064] The control device 100 is constituted by one or more control computers. For example, the control device 100 has a circuit 110 shown in FIG. 5. The circuit 110 has one or more processors 112, a memory 114, a storage 116, a timer 122, and an input / output port 118. The storage 116 has a computer-readable storage medium such as a hard disk. The storage medium stores a program for causing the control device 100 to execute a substrate processing procedure including a heat treatment procedure described later. The storage medium may be a removable medium such as a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The memory 114 temporarily stores the program loaded from the storage medium of the storage 116 and the calculation results by the processor 112. The processor 112 cooperates with the memory 114 to execute the above program, thereby constituting each of the above-described functional modules. The timer 122 measures the elapsed time, for example, by counting reference pulses at a fixed period. The input / output port 118 performs input / output of electrical signals with the heat treatment unit U2 according to a command from the processor 112.

[0065] Note that the hardware configuration of the control device 100 is not necessarily limited to configuring each functional module by a program. For example, each functional module of the control device 100 may be configured by a dedicated logic circuit or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) integrating the same.

[0066] [Substrate processing procedure] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a substrate processing procedure including coating and developing processes. The control device 100 controls the coating and developing device 2 to execute the coating and developing processes for one wafer W in the following procedure, for example. First, the control unit 104 of the control device 100 controls the transfer device A1 to transfer the wafer W in the carrier C to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transfer device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 11.

[0067] Next, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to transfer the wafer W in the shelf unit U10 to the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 in the processing module 11. Further, the control unit 104 controls the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 to form a lower layer film on the surface of the wafer W (step S01). The heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as "heat treatment procedure") accompanying the formation of the lower layer film performed in step S01 will be described later. Thereafter, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to return the wafer W on which the lower layer film is formed to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transfer device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 12.

[0068] Next, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to transfer the wafer W in the shelf unit U10 to the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4 in the processing module 12. Further, the control unit 104 controls the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4 to form a resist film on the lower layer film of the wafer W (step S02). Thereafter, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to return the wafer W to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transfer device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 13.

[0069] Next, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to transfer the wafer W in the shelf unit U10 to each unit in the processing module 13. Further, the control unit 104 controls the coating unit U5 and the heat treatment unit U6 to form an upper layer film on the resist film of the wafer W (step S03). Thereafter, the control device 100 controls the transfer device A3 to transfer the wafer W to the shelf unit U11.

[0070] Next, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A8 to send out the wafer W stored in the shelf unit U11 to the exposure device 3. Then, in the exposure device 3, an exposure process is performed on the film formed on the wafer W (step S04). Thereafter, the control unit 104 receives the wafer W on which the exposure process has been performed from the exposure device 3, and controls the transfer device A8 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 14 in the shelf unit U11.

[0071] Next, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to transfer the wafer W in the shelf unit U11 to the heat treatment unit U8 in the processing module 14. Then, the control device 100 controls the heat treatment unit U8 to perform a heat treatment on the film of the wafer W before development (step S05). Next, the control unit 104 controls the development unit U7 and the heat treatment unit U8 to perform a development process and a heat treatment after the development process on the film of the wafer W heat-treated by the heat treatment unit U8 (steps S06, S07). Thereafter, the control unit 104 controls the transfer device A3 to return the wafer W to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transfer device A7 and the transfer device A1 to return this wafer W into the carrier C. Thus, the substrate process including the coating and development processes is completed. The control unit 104 may repeatedly execute the processes of steps S01 to S07 for other wafers W (subsequent wafers W).

[0072] (Heat treatment procedure) FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a heat treatment procedure performed in the heat treatment unit U2. The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 shows the procedure when the heat treatment unit U2 sequentially performs heat treatment on a plurality of wafers W. First, the control unit 104 of the control device 100 controls the heat treatment unit U2 to discharge gas from the gas discharge unit 50 in a state where the hot plate 22 is maintained at a predetermined temperature and the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80 is being performed (step S11). For example, the control unit 104 supplies gas from the gas supply source into the buffer space of the head unit 52 by switching the on-off valve provided in the supply path 56 from the closed state to the open state. Thereby, gas is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 54 formed in the head unit 52.

[0073] Next, the control unit 104 controls the exhaust switching unit 90 so that exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 becomes possible (step S12). For example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 92 provided in the exhaust duct 74 connected to the exhaust holes 72 of the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 from the closed state to the open state. Thereby, gas is discharged from the space located below the plurality of exhaust holes 72 through the exhaust holes 72. By executing step S12, the exhaust state in the chamber 40 becomes a second state in which exhaust is performed by both the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 and the central exhaust unit 80. In the subsequent steps, the control unit 104 continues to discharge gas from the gas discharge unit 50 and exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 while maintaining the temperature of the hot plate 22 at a predetermined temperature according to the processing conditions stored in the storage unit 102. In the second state, the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 is mainly exhausted from the central exhaust unit 80. Also, when a gap is formed between the side wall 44 and the hot plate 22, the gas that has entered the chamber 40 from the gap is exhausted from both the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 and the central exhaust unit 80. Therefore, a gas flow mainly from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side (center side) is formed in the chamber 40.

[0074] Next, the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 to raise the chamber 40 (step S13). For example, the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 to switch from the closed state in which the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40 to the open state in which the chamber 40 is separated from the heating unit 20 (hot plate 22).

[0075] Next, the control unit 104 controls the heat treatment unit U2 to carry the wafer W to be processed, on which a film of the processing liquid is formed, into the chamber 40 (step S14). For example, the control unit 104 controls the heat treatment unit U2 to insert the cooling plate 98 on which the wafer W to be processed is placed between the hot plate 22 and the chamber 40 (to be arranged at the loading / unloading position). Then, the control unit 104 raises the support pin 32 by the lifting drive unit 34 so that the support pin 32 receives the wafer W on the cooling plate 98 disposed above the hot plate 22. Thereby, the wafer W to be processed is carried into the chamber 40.

[0076] Next, the control unit 104 controls the lifting drive unit 34 to lower the wafer W (step S15). Specifically, the control unit 104 lowers the support pin 32 that supports the wafer W by the lifting drive unit 34 so that the wafer W is placed on the placement surface 22a of the hot plate 22.

[0077] Next, the control unit 104 controls the exhaust switching unit 90 so that the exhaust from the central exhaust unit 80 stops (step S16). For example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 94 from the open state to the closed state so that the exhaust from the central exhaust unit 80 stops. Thereby, in the exhaust unit 60, the gas is not discharged from the exhaust hole 82, but the gas is discharged from the plurality of exhaust holes 72. That is, the exhaust state in the chamber 40 switches from the second state to the first state in which the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80 is not performed and the exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 is performed.

[0078] Next, the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 to lower the chamber 40 (step S17). For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 to switch from the open state to the closed state in which the processing space S is formed. Thereby, heating of the wafer W to be processed is started. By performing steps S11 to S17, heat treatment is started in a state where gas is discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 and exhaust is performed from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 without exhaust from the central exhaust unit 80. In the first state, the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 and the gas that has entered the chamber 40 through the gap formed between the side wall 44 and the hot plate 22 are exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70. Therefore, a gentle gas flow toward the outer peripheral side is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

[0079] Next, after the descent of the chamber 40 is completed (after heating of the wafer W is started), the control unit 104 waits until a first predetermined time elapses. The first predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 102. The first predetermined time is set to such an extent that the film on the wafer W solidifies at a predetermined level. While the control unit 104 waits until the first predetermined time elapses, the first state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 continues. At the first predetermined time, while exhaust is not performed from the central region and exhaust is performed from the outer peripheral region, the gas discharge unit 50 discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 toward the surface of the wafer W on the hot plate 22. In the initial stage from the start of heating of the wafer W, solidification (formation) of the film on the wafer W further progresses. As described above, in the initial stage, by setting the first state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral region without including the central region, the influence of the air flow generated by the exhaust on the film formation can be suppressed.

[0080] After the elapse of the first predetermined time, the control unit 104 switches the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80 from the stopped state to the exhaust state (step S19). Specifically, the control unit 104 switches the valve 94 from the closed state to the open state so that the exhaust from the central exhaust unit 80 is performed. That is, the control unit 104 controls the exhaust switching unit 90 so that while the gas discharge unit 50 discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54, the exhaust state in the chamber 40 is switched from the first state to the second state.

[0081] Next, after switching to the second state (after starting the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80), the control unit 104 waits until the second predetermined time elapses (step S20). The second predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 102. The second predetermined time is set to such an extent that the film on the wafer W solidifies to a desired level in the heat treatment. While the control unit 104 waits until the second predetermined time elapses, the second state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 and the central exhaust unit 80 continues. At the second predetermined time, as shown in FIG. 8(b), while the exhaust from the central region and the exhaust from the outer peripheral region are being performed, the gas discharge unit 50 discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 toward the surface of the wafer W on the hot plate 22. By setting the second state in which the exhaust from the central region is added at the stage where the solidification of the film on the wafer W proceeds to such an extent that the influence of the air flow on the film is smaller than in the initial stage (the latter stage), the sublimates can be efficiently discharged. As described above, in the second state, a gas flow from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side (central side) of the wafer W is formed near the surface of the wafer W. By utilizing this gas flow, the sublimates can be discharged from the central exhaust unit 80.

[0082] After the elapse of the second predetermined time, the control unit 104 controls the lifting drive unit 34 to lift the wafer W (step S21). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the control unit 104 raises the support pins 32 by the lifting drive unit 34 so as to lift the wafer W from the heating unit 20 (hot plate 22) and bring it closer to the top plate 42 of the chamber 40. For example, the control unit 104 raises the wafer W by the lifting drive unit 34 to a standby position set between the processing position where heating is performed and the delivery position where the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. At this time, the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 so as to maintain the closed state in which the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40. The control unit 104 controls the lifting drive unit 34 to lift the wafer W and bring it closer to the top plate 42 while continuing the exhaust from the central region and the outer peripheral region. In step S21, when the wafer W leaves the placement surface 22a, the heating of the wafer W to be processed by the heating unit 20 ends. Also, in the state where the wafer W is moved to the standby position, the movement of the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 along the surface of the wafer W and the exhaust from the central exhaust unit 80 are promoted. Therefore, the discharge of the sublimated substance from the central exhaust unit 80 is promoted.

[0083] Next, the control unit 104 waits until the third predetermined time elapses after raising the wafer W to the standby position (step S22). The third predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 102. The third predetermined time is determined such that the generation of the sublimated substance from the film on the wafer W sufficiently decreases due to the decrease in the temperature of the wafer W heated by the hot plate 22. The third predetermined time may be set to about several seconds to several tens of seconds. As an example, from the viewpoint of achieving both the recovery of the sublimated substance and the maintenance of the throughput, the third predetermined time may be 1 to 10 seconds, may be 1.5 to 8 seconds, or may be 2 to 6 seconds. In this way, the control unit 104 controls the heat treatment unit U2 to continue the state in which the wafer W is close to the top plate 42 for the third predetermined time.

[0084] After the elapse of the third specified time, the control unit 104 controls the chamber driving unit 48 to raise the chamber 40 (step S23). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the control unit 104 controls the chamber driving unit 48 so that the chamber 40 switches from the closed state in which it is close to the hot plate 22 to the open state in which it is separated from the hot plate 22, with the processing space S being opened to the outside of the chamber 40. In this way, after the control unit 104 brings the wafer W close to the top plate 42 (more specifically, after continuing the state of bringing the wafer W close to the top plate 42), the chamber driving unit 48 is switched from the closed state to the open state.

[0085] Next, the control unit 104 controls the lifting and lowering driving unit 34 to raise the wafer W at the standby position (step S24). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the control unit 104 raises the support pins 32 supporting the wafer W by the lifting and lowering driving unit 34 so as to raise the wafer W from the standby position to the delivery position.

[0086] Next, the control unit 104 controls the heat treatment unit U2 to carry out the wafer W at the delivery position out of the chamber 40 (step S25). For example, the control unit 104 controls the driving unit for moving the cooling plate 98, so that as shown in Fig. 9(c), the cooling plate 98 is inserted between the chamber 40 and the hot plate 22 and into the chamber 40 (between the wafer W supported by the support pins 32 and the hot plate 22). Then, the control unit 104 lowers the support pins 32 supporting the wafer W by the lifting and lowering driving unit 34. As a result, the wafer W is transferred from the support pins 32 to the cooling plate 98. After that, the control unit 104 controls the driving unit to move the cooling plate 98 holding the wafer W out of the chamber 40. As a result, the wafer W to be processed is carried out of the chamber 40. Thus, a series of heat treatments for the first wafer W is completed.

[0087] After the end of step S25, the control unit 104 repeats the series of processes from step S14 to step S25. As a result, heat treatment is sequentially performed on a plurality of wafers W. The processes of steps S22 to S25 in one heat treatment and the processes of steps S14 to S17 in the next heat treatment are processes for replacing the wafer W to be processed. During the period of replacing the wafer W to be processed, the control unit 104 continues to cause the gas discharge unit 50 to discharge gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 and continues to exhaust gas from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70.

[0088] [Effects of the First Embodiment] The coating / developing apparatus 2 according to the above first embodiment includes a heat treatment unit U2 that performs heat treatment on a wafer W on which a film is formed, and a control device 100 that controls the heat treatment unit U2. The heat treatment unit U2 includes a heating unit 20 that supports and heats the wafer W, a chamber 40 that covers the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, and a head unit 52 in which a plurality of discharge holes 54 are formed at intervals along the surface facing the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20. The heat treatment unit U2 further includes a gas discharge unit 50 that discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 toward the surface of the wafer W, an outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 that exhausts the processing space S in the chamber 40 from an outer peripheral region outside the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, and a central exhaust unit 80 that exhausts the processing space S from a central region inside the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20.

[0089] The substrate processing procedure according to the above first embodiment includes performing heat treatment on a wafer W on which a film is formed. Performing heat treatment on the wafer W includes supporting and heating the wafer W covered by the chamber 40 by the heating unit 20, exhausting the processing space S from an outer peripheral region outside the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, exhausting the processing space S from a central region inside the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20, and discharging gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 that are formed at intervals along the surface facing the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20 toward the surface of the wafer W.

[0090] In this coating / development apparatus 2 and substrate processing procedure, by exhausting air from the central region at least in part during the heat treatment of the wafer W to be processed, the sublimates from the film can be efficiently recovered. Further, by discharging gas onto the surface of the wafer W from the gas discharge unit 50, the influence on the film thickness due to the air flow accompanying the exhaust from the central region can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimates.

[0091] By exhausting air from the central region, the sublimates can be efficiently recovered. However, the air flow on the wafer W generated along with the central exhaust affects the film thickness uniformity of the film on the wafer W. Specifically, the air flow accompanying the central exhaust flows so as to rise as it goes from the periphery to the approximate center on the wafer W. For this reason, the distance between the boundary layer of the air flow and the surface of the wafer W is different within the plane of the wafer W, and unevenness can occur in the amount of the volatile components of the film on the wafer W. In this case, the film thickness on the wafer W tends to become thicker toward the center.

[0092] On the other hand, in this coating / development apparatus 2 and substrate processing procedure, gas is discharged from a plurality of discharge holes 54 scattered along the surface facing the surface of the wafer W. The air flow (hereinafter referred to as "air flow F") generated along with the exhaust from the central region tends to rise as it goes from the periphery to the center of the wafer W. However, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the rise of the air flow F is suppressed over substantially the entire surface of the wafer W by the discharge of gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54. For this reason, the difference within the plane of the wafer W in the distance between the boundary layer of the air flow F generated along with the central exhaust and the surface of the wafer W is reduced. As a result, the variation in the film thickness within the plane of the wafer W due to the central exhaust is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimates.

[0093] In the above first embodiment, the heat treatment unit U2 further includes an exhaust switching unit 90 that switches between a first state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 and a second state in which the processing space S is exhausted at least from the central exhaust portion 80. The control device 100 controls the exhaust switching unit 90 to switch from the first state to the second state while discharging gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 by the gas discharge unit 50. By switching from the first state to the second state in the latter stage of heating the wafer W to be processed, the processing space S is exhausted from the central exhaust portion 80, and the sublimates from the film on the wafer W can be efficiently recovered. On the other hand, in the latter stage of heating, the formation of the film is in progress, and the influence on the film thickness variation due to the air flow accompanying the exhaust is small. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimates.

[0094] In addition, in the above embodiment, by continuing the exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 even in the second state, the exhaust is performed from both the central exhaust portion 80 and the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. By setting such a state, the turbulence of the air flow accompanying the change in the air flow in the processing space S when switching from the first state to the second state can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated due to the turbulence of the air flow generated when switching the state. In particular, in the case of a structure in which a gap is formed between the side wall 44 and the hot plate 22 and gas enters the chamber 40 from this gap as in the above embodiment, an upward flow is formed by exhausting from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. Therefore, by continuing the exhaust from the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70 even in the second state, an upward flow is continuously formed by exhausting the gas entering from the gap at the outer periphery of the wafer W to the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70. Therefore, the turbulence of the air flow near the surface of the wafer W inside the upward flow can be further suppressed.

[0095] In the above-described first embodiment, the heat treatment unit U2 further includes a substrate lifting unit 30 that raises and lowers the wafer W, and a chamber driving unit 48 that switches between a closed state in which a processing space S is formed by the chamber 40 and an open state in which the chamber 40 is separated from the heating unit 20 as compared to the closed state. The chamber 40 includes a top plate 42 provided with a head unit 52. The control device 100 controls the substrate lifting unit 30 to raise the wafer W from the heating unit 20 and bring it closer to the top plate 42, and after bringing the wafer W closer to the top plate 42, controls the chamber driving unit 48 to switch from the closed state to the open state. Since the wafer W that has been heated and then raised from the heating unit 20 has heat, it can generate sublimates even after the heating is completed. In the above configuration, since it is brought closer to the chamber 40 after being raised from the heating unit 20, the sublimates generated even after the heating is completed can be confined within the chamber 40 and exhausted outside the chamber 40. Therefore, it is possible to suppress contamination of the heat treatment unit U2 by sublimates from the film on the wafer W.

[0096] In the above-described first embodiment, the heat treatment unit U2 sequentially performs heat treatment on a plurality of wafers W including the above-described wafer W. The control device 100 causes the gas discharge unit 50 to continue discharging gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 during the period when the wafers W to be processed are replaced. In this case, the ambient temperature change associated with the gas discharge from the gas discharge unit 50 is maintained substantially constant. Therefore, it is possible to stabilize the heat treatment results among the wafers W. For example, when the head unit 52 of the gas discharge unit 50 is provided on the top plate 42, no temperature change of the chamber 40 occurs due to the presence or absence of gas discharge from the gas discharge unit 50 during the period of replacing the wafers W. For this reason, it is easy to keep the temperature of the chamber 40 substantially constant during continuous heat treatment, and it is possible to stabilize the heat treatment of the wafers W.

[0097] In the heat treatment procedure according to the above-described first embodiment, performing the heat treatment on the wafer W further includes switching from a first state in which gas is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 54 toward the surface of the wafer W and the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral region to a second state in which the processing space S is exhausted at least from the central region. In this case, similar to the coating / developing apparatus 2 described above, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently collecting the sublimates.

[0098] In the above-described first embodiment, performing the heat treatment on the wafer W further includes raising the wafer W from the heating unit 20 and bringing it closer to the top plate 42 of the chamber 40, and after bringing the wafer W closer to the top plate 42, switching from a closed state in which the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40 to an open state in which the chamber 40 is separated from the heating unit 20 as compared to the closed state. In this case, similar to the coating / developing apparatus 2 described above, it is possible to suppress the contamination of the heat treatment unit U2 by the sublimates from the film.

[0099] In the above-described first embodiment, the heat treatment procedure includes sequentially performing the heat treatment on a plurality of wafers W. Sequentially performing the heat treatment on a plurality of wafers W includes continuing the discharge of gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54 during the period of replacing the wafer W to be processed. In this case, similar to the coating / developing apparatus 2 described above, it is possible to stabilize the processing results of the heat treatment among the wafers W.

[0100] Note that, in the above-described first embodiment, after the heat treatment of the lower layer film is performed in the heat treatment unit U2, a resist film is applied to the surface of the wafer W on which the lower layer film is formed by the coating unit U1 of the processing module 12, and a resist film is formed. Depending on the type of the lower layer film, a processing liquid that is more likely to generate sublimates may be used. Alternatively, a processing liquid that is highly sensitive to the air flow may be used. In the case of forming the lower layer film using such a processing liquid, the coating / developing apparatus 2 and the substrate processing procedure according to the first embodiment are useful due to the compatibility between the efficient collection of sublimates and the film thickness uniformity.

[0101] (Modification example) The configuration of the central exhaust portion 80 is not limited to the above example. In the central exhaust portion 80, instead of one exhaust hole 82, exhaust of the processing space S may be performed from a plurality of exhaust holes 82 (a plurality of central exhaust holes) provided in the head portion 52 (top plate 42) of the gas discharge portion 50. As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a plurality of exhaust holes 82 provided so as to surround the central axis Ax may be provided in the head portion 52. Each of the plurality of exhaust holes 82 is eccentric from the central axis Ax. The plurality of exhaust holes 82 may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the central axis Ax. The size of each of the plurality of exhaust holes 82 may be larger than that of the discharge hole 54. One or a plurality of discharge holes 54 may be arranged between adjacent exhaust holes 82 among the plurality of exhaust holes 82. Note that the head portion 52 may be provided with a plurality of exhaust holes 82 arranged around the central axis Ax and an exhaust hole 82 arranged on the central axis Ax.

[0102] Due to the flow of the air current toward the exhaust hole 82 of the central exhaust portion 80, the film thickness at the position corresponding to the exhaust hole 82 of the film on the wafer W tends to protrude more than other portions. By exhausting the processing space S from the central region through the plurality of exhaust holes 82, when the total exhaust amount is the same, the exhaust amount per unit time from each exhaust hole 82 decreases. Therefore, the air current toward each exhaust hole 82 weakens, and it becomes possible to reduce the amount of protrusion of the film thickness at the position corresponding to one exhaust hole 82.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 11, the gas discharge unit 50 may further include a nozzle unit 58 that discharges gas downward toward the exhaust hole 82. The nozzle unit 58 may be formed in a cylindrical shape so as to connect between the buffer space and the processing space S of the head unit 52. Alternatively, the nozzle unit 58 may be a discharge hole that penetrates the lower surface of the head unit 52 in a vertically oblique direction. A plurality of nozzle units 58 may be arranged so as to surround one exhaust hole 82. The gas discharge amount from each nozzle unit 58 may be substantially the same as or different from the discharge amount from each discharge hole 54. During the heat treatment of the wafer W, the control unit 104 causes the gas discharge unit 50 to supply gas from the discharge hole 54 and the nozzle unit 58 to the processing space S. In the head unit 52 illustrated in FIG. 11, when gas is supplied from the gas supply source to the buffer space of the head unit 52, the gas is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 54 and the plurality of nozzle units 58 to the processing space S.

[0104] In this configuration, the central exhaust portion 80 includes an exhaust hole 82 provided in the head unit 52 so as to open to the processing space S. The gas discharge unit 50 further includes a nozzle unit 58 that discharges gas downward toward the exhaust hole 82. By discharging the gas from the nozzle unit 58 downward to the lower side of the exhaust hole 82, the air flow toward the exhaust hole 82 is weakened below the exhaust hole 82. Thereby, the protrusion amount of the film thickness at the position corresponding to the exhaust hole 82 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the wafer W surface.

[0105] In the heat treatment procedure performed in the heat treatment unit U2 having this configuration, exhausting the processing space S from the central region includes discharging the gas in the processing space S through the exhaust hole 82 provided in the head unit 52 in which a plurality of discharge holes 54 are formed, and discharging gas from the nozzle unit 58 downward toward the exhaust hole 82. Also in this case, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the wafer W surface.

[0106] In the above example, the density of the plurality of ejection holes 54 was substantially uniform over the entire surface of the portion (opposing portion) of the top plate 42 facing the wafer W. However, in the region near the exhaust hole 82 of the central exhaust portion 80, the density of the plurality of ejection holes 54 may be higher than the density in other regions. Specifically, the ratio of the opening area of the ejection holes 54 in the region near the exhaust hole 82 (nearby region) (the ratio of the opening area of the ejection holes 54 to the total area of the nearby region) may be larger than the ratio of the opening area of the ejection holes 54 in the region other than the above-mentioned nearby region.

[0107] The above-mentioned nearby region of the exhaust hole 82 may be set as a region facing a part on the wafer W that is affected by the exhaust by the exhaust hole 82 in terms of film thickness or the like. In one example, when one exhaust hole 82 is provided on the central axis Ax, the nearby region of the exhaust hole 82 may be set as a range having a radius of about 2 to 10 times the radius of the exhaust hole 82 with the central axis Ax as the center. Alternatively, when a plurality of exhaust holes 82 are provided around the central axis Ax, the nearby region of the exhaust hole 82 may be set as a range having a radius of about 1.1 to 5 times the distance between the central axis Ax and the center of each exhaust hole 82 with the central axis Ax as the center. Note that the nearby region of the exhaust hole 82 may be set as a range having a radius of about 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 times the radius of the wafer W. Depending on the arrangement position of the exhaust hole 82, the position of the nearby region where the plurality of ejection holes 54 are densely arranged may be changed.

[0108] With the above configuration, since the density of the plurality of ejection holes 54 in the region near the exhaust hole 82 is higher than the density of the plurality of ejection holes 54 in other regions, the airflow directed toward the exhaust hole 82 weakens below the exhaust hole 82. Thereby, the amount of protrusion of the film thickness at the position corresponding to the exhaust hole 82 can be suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the wafer W surface.

[0109] After heating the wafer W to be processed, the method of bringing the wafer W closer to the top plate 42 is not limited to the above example. After step S20 shown in FIG. 7 (after continuing the second state for a second predetermined time), as shown in FIG. 12(a), the control unit 104 may raise the wafer W and the chamber 40 substantially simultaneously while maintaining the state where the wafer W is surrounded by the chamber 40. For example, the control unit 104 controls the substrate elevating unit 30 while the chamber 40 remains in the closed state to raise the wafer W so as to approach the top plate 42. Then, after the wafer W approaches the top plate 42, the control unit 104 controls the substrate elevating unit 30 and the chamber driving unit 48 without waiting for a predetermined time, so as to raise the wafer W and the chamber 40 at substantially the same speed. As an example, the control unit 104 raises the wafer W and the chamber 40 until the wafer W is disposed at the delivery position.

[0110] Then, the control unit 104 may continue the state where the wafer W is disposed at the delivery position and the wafer W is brought closer to the top plate 42 for a predetermined time. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the control unit 104 may further raise the chamber 40 by controlling the chamber driving unit 48 while maintaining the wafer W at the delivery position. Also in this case, it is possible to suppress contamination of the heat treatment unit U2 by the sublimated substance from the film.

[0111] In the above description, the lower layer film formed on the wafer W as the object of heat treatment has been described as an example. However, the film to be heat-treated may be a resist film, an upper layer film, or a coating film of a developing solution, which are respectively heat-treated in the processing modules 12, 13, and 14, or may be other films on the wafer W. The heat treatment units U4, U6, and U8 may each have a chamber 40 including a gas discharge unit 50 and an exhaust unit 60, similar to the heat treatment unit U2. Note that the substrate to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be, for example, a glass substrate, a mask substrate, an FPD (Flat Panel Display), or the like.

[0112] [Second Embodiment] Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18, a substrate processing system according to the second embodiment will be described. The substrate processing system according to the second embodiment is different from the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment in that the processing module 11 has a heat treatment unit U20 instead of the heat treatment unit U2. The heat treatment unit U20 has, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a housing 198, a heating unit 20, a substrate lifting unit 30, a chamber 40A, and an exhaust unit 60A. The housing 198 houses at least the heating unit 20, the substrate lifting unit 30, and the chamber 40A. In this case, the chamber 40A is disposed within the accommodation space V formed by the housing 198.

[0113] Similar to the chamber 40, the chamber 40A forms a processing space S for performing heat treatment on the wafer W supported by the heating unit 20 by covering the wafer W. The chamber 40A covers the wafer W on the heating unit 20 in a state where a communication portion connecting the processing space S and the space outside the chamber 40A (more specifically, the space within the accommodation space V and outside the chamber 40A) is formed in the outer peripheral region. The chamber 40A has, for example, a holding portion 130 and a lid portion 140.

[0114] The holding portion 130 holds the hot plate 22 of the heating unit 20 in a predetermined position. The holding portion 130 includes, for example, a support bottom wall 132 and a peripheral wall portion 134. The support bottom wall 132 is formed in a disk shape having a diameter approximately the same as the diameter of the hot plate 22. The support bottom wall 132 is disposed so as to face (contact) the back surface of the hot plate 22 opposite to the mounting surface 22a and supports the back surface. The peripheral wall portion 134 is formed so as to extend upward from the outer edge of the support bottom wall 132. The peripheral wall portion 134 is formed in an annular shape and has a height approximately the same as the thickness of the hot plate 22. The peripheral wall portion 134 surrounds the periphery of the hot plate 22. For example, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 134 and the outer peripheral surface of the hot plate 22 face each other. A gap may be formed between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 134 and the outer peripheral surface of the hot plate 22.

[0115] When the processing space S is formed, the lid portion 140 is disposed with a gap g provided between it and the holding portion 130 so as to cover the wafer W on the heating portion 20 from above. The lid portion 140 includes, for example, a top plate 142 and side walls 144. The top plate 142 is formed in the same manner as the top plate 42 described above. That is, the head portion 52 of the gas discharge portion 50 is provided in the top plate 142.

[0116] The side wall 144 is formed to extend downward from the outer edge of the top plate 142 in the same manner as the side wall 44 described above. The side wall 144 is formed in an annular shape and surrounds the placement surface 22a. FIG. 13 shows an example of the arrangement of the lid portion 140 when the processing space S is formed. In this arrangement, the lower end surface 144a of the side wall 144 faces the upper end surface of the peripheral wall portion 134 of the holding portion 130 in a state of being close thereto. Specifically, a gap g is formed between the lower end surface 144a of the side wall 144 and the upper end surface of the peripheral wall portion 134, and this gap g functions as a communication portion connecting the processing space S and the space outside the chamber 40A.

[0117] The inner peripheral surface 144b of the side wall 144 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction such that the distance from the center (central axis Ax) of the top plate 42 in the horizontal direction decreases as it approaches the top plate 42 from the lower end of the side wall 144. In this case, the inner diameter of the side wall 144 decreases as it approaches the top plate 42 from the lower end of the side wall 144.

[0118] The lid portion 140 is provided in the housing 198 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The chamber driving portion 48 of the heat treatment unit U20 moves the lid portion 140 in the vertical direction. By the chamber driving portion 48, the lid portion 140 descends until the side wall 144 of the lid portion 140 approaches the peripheral wall portion 134, whereby the processing space S is formed by the chamber 40A (the chamber 40A is in a closed state). By the chamber driving portion 48, the lid portion 140 ascends so that the side wall 144 of the lid portion 140 is separated from the peripheral wall portion 134, whereby the space on the hot plate 22 is opened to the space outside the chamber 40A (the chamber 40A is in an open state).

[0119] The exhaust section 60A differs from the exhaust section 60 according to the first embodiment in that it has an outer peripheral exhaust section 70A instead of the outer peripheral exhaust section 70. In FIG. 13, a case is illustrated where the central exhaust section 80 of the exhaust section 60A has a plurality of exhaust holes 82 (central exhaust holes). Similar to the outer peripheral exhaust section 70, the outer peripheral exhaust section 70A discharges the gas in the processing space S from the outer peripheral region outside the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported by the heating section 20. The outer peripheral exhaust section 70A has a plurality of first exhaust holes 172 and a plurality of second exhaust holes 174 provided outside the head section 52 of the gas discharge section 50.

[0120] The plurality of first exhaust holes 172 are provided in the side wall 144 of the lid section 140 and open respectively to the inclined inner peripheral surface 144b of the side wall 144. As shown in FIG. 14, the plurality of first exhaust holes 172 may be arranged annularly outside the top plate 142. Note that the plurality of first exhaust holes 172 may be provided in the top plate 142 and open respectively to the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the top plate 142, similar to the exhaust holes 72.

[0121] The plurality of second exhaust holes 174 (a plurality of outer peripheral exhaust holes) are provided in the side wall 144 of the lid section 140 and open respectively to the lower end surface 144a of the side wall 144. The plurality of second exhaust holes 174 open to the gap g between the lid section 140 (side wall 144) and the holding section 130 (peripheral wall section 134) when the chamber 40A is in a closed state. The plurality of second exhaust holes 174 may be arranged annularly outside the plurality of first exhaust holes 172. The height position of the second exhaust hole 174 is lower than the height position of the first exhaust hole 172 and lower than the height position of the exhaust hole 82 of the central exhaust section 80.

[0122] The first exhaust hole 172 and the second exhaust hole 174 are connected to an exhaust pump via an exhaust duct 176. The exhaust duct 176 may be formed such that the exhaust flow paths connected to each of the plurality of first exhaust holes 172 and each of the plurality of second exhaust holes 174 converge into one flow path within the lid portion 140. The outer peripheral exhaust portion 70A having the above configuration discharges the gas in the processing space S through the second exhaust hole 174 opening into the gap g and through the gap g, and also discharges the gas in the processing space S through the first exhaust hole 172. Note that the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70A may not have the plurality of first exhaust holes 172, and may discharge the gas in the processing space S through the second exhaust hole 174 and the gap g.

[0123] The control unit 104 of the control device 100 may cause the heat treatment unit U20 according to the second embodiment to execute the heat treatment procedure shown in FIG. 7, similar to the heat treatment procedure in the heat treatment unit U2 according to the first embodiment. In this case, in step S21, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the control unit 104 raises the support pin 32 by the lifting drive unit 34 so that the wafer W approaches the top plate 142 after the heat treatment. In step S23 (after the elapse of the second predetermined time), as shown in FIG. 15(b), the control unit 104 controls the chamber drive unit 48 so that the chamber 40A switches from the closed state to the open state. For example, the control unit 104 raises the lid portion 140 by the chamber drive unit 48 so that the lid portion 140 of the chamber 40A separates from the holding portion 130. In the heat treatment procedure according to the second embodiment, the lifting operation of the lid portion 140 corresponds to the lifting operation of the chamber 40 according to the first embodiment.

[0124] In the process of step S21, the control unit 104 may control the lifting drive unit 34 to lift the wafer W to a position higher than the second exhaust hole 174. That is, the standby position between the processing position where the wafer W is heated and the delivery position where the wafer W is carried in and out of the chamber 40A may be higher than the second exhaust hole 174 when the chamber 40A is in the closed state. In this case, the height position of the back surface of the wafer W disposed at the standby position, which is opposite to the surface on which the film is formed, may be higher than the opening edge of the second exhaust hole 174. Note that the height position of the back surface of the wafer W disposed at the standby position may be below the lowermost part of the opening edge of the first exhaust hole 172 or may be higher than the lowermost part.

[0125] Here, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, an example of the details of the heating unit 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the heating unit 20 may include a hot plate 22, a plurality of gap pins 182, and a suction hole 184. Since the hot plate heater 24 is incorporated in the hot plate 22 as described above, the hot plate 22 generates heat for heating the wafer W to be processed using the hot plate heater 24 as a heat source. The mounting surface 22a (main surface) of the hot plate 22 faces the back surface of the wafer W in a state where the heating unit 20 supports the wafer W.

[0126] The plurality of gap pins 182 are provided on the mounting surface 22a of the hot plate 22. The gap pins 182 are protrusions that protrude upward from the mounting surface 22a. When the wafer W to be processed is placed on the mounting surface 22a, the plurality of gap pins 182 support the wafer W so that a gap is formed between the mounting surface 22a and the wafer W (the back surface of the wafer W).

[0127] The suction holes 184 suck the wafer W placed on the plurality of gap pins 182. The suction holes 184 are provided so as to penetrate the hot plate 22 along the thickness direction (the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 22a), and open to the mounting surface 22a. The suction holes 184 open to the gap (space) between the back surface of the wafer W and the mounting surface 22a in a state where the plurality of gap pins 182 support the wafer W. Note that the heating unit 20 may include a plurality of suction holes 184. A suction pump is connected to each of the plurality of suction holes 184 via a suction path 186. By suction of the suction pump, a suction force is generated in the gap between the back surface of the wafer W and the mounting surface 22a in a direction approaching the mounting surface 22a with respect to the back surface of the wafer W. By sucking the back surface of the wafer W on the plurality of gap pins 182 by the plurality of suction holes 184, the warpage generated in the wafer W is corrected (eliminated).

[0128] FIG. 17 schematically shows an example of the arrangement of the plurality of gap pins 182 and the plurality of suction holes 184 when the mounting surface 22a of the hot plate 22 is viewed from above. The plurality of gap pins 182 include a first group of gap pins 182 arranged in a region near each of the plurality of suction holes 184 (hereinafter referred to as “suction region SR”), and a second group of gap pins 182 arranged in a region other than the suction region SR (non-suction region). The suction region SR is a region facing a part of the back surface of the wafer W affected by the suction force from the suction holes 184, and is set, for example, in a range having a radius about 3 to 20 times the radius of the suction holes 184. Note that the suction region SR may be set in a range having a radius about 1 / 10 to 1 / 3 times the radius of the wafer W.

[0129] The number of gap pins 182 in the first group per unit area of the attraction region SR is larger than the number of gap pins 182 in the second group per unit area of the non-attraction region outside the attraction region SR. The sizes of the plurality of gap pins 182 (the area of the region surrounded by the outer edges of the gap pins 182 when viewing the mounting surface 22a from above) may be substantially the same as each other. In this case, when viewing the mounting surface 22a from above, the ratio of the gap pins 182 in the first group in the attraction region SR (the ratio of the area of the gap pins 182 in the first group to the total area of the attraction region SR) is larger than the ratio of the gap pins 182 (the area thereof) in the second group in the non-attraction region. In the above arrangement, the interval between adjacent gap pins 182 in the attraction region SR is smaller than the interval between adjacent gap pins 182 in the non-attraction region.

[0130] The processing module 11 may have two heat treatment units that perform heat treatment under different heat treatment conditions. The processing module 11 may have, for example, heat treatment units U21 and U22 that perform heat treatment under different heat treatment conditions. Each of the heat treatment units U21 and U22 is configured in the same manner as the heat treatment unit U20 except for some components. The heating temperature of the wafer W in the heat treatment performed by the heat treatment unit U21 (the first heat treatment unit) may be higher than the heating temperature of the wafer W in the heat treatment performed by the heat treatment unit U22 (the second heat treatment unit). When the heating temperature is high in the heat treatment, the stress inside the wafer W generated by the thermal expansion of the wafer W due to heating (more specifically, the stress having a component in the direction along the surface of the wafer W) tends to increase. Therefore, in the heat treatment units U21 and U22, the number of gap pins 182 is adjusted according to the heating temperature of the heat treatment.

[0131] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b), the heating units 20 of the heat treatment unit U21 and the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U22 are configured such that the number (total number) of the gap pins 182 is different from each other. The number (total number) of the gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U21 that performs heat treatment at a high heating temperature is larger than the number (total number) of the gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U22 that performs heat treatment at a low heating temperature. Thereby, the difference in the load (the load received by one gap pin 182) received by each gap pin 182 from the stress inside the wafer W generated by thermal expansion is reduced between the heat treatment unit U21 and the heat treatment unit U22.

[0132] Instead of or in addition to the heating temperature during heat treatment, the suction force of the gas from the suction holes 184 (the gas suction amount per unit time) may be different between the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U21 and the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U22. More specifically, the suction force applied to the wafer W from the suction holes 184 of the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U21 may be larger than the suction force applied to the wafer W from the suction holes 184 of the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U22. When the suction force applied from the suction holes 184 is large, the stress generated inside the wafer W (the stress having a component in the direction along the surface of the wafer W) tends to increase as the warpage of the wafer W due to suction is eliminated. Therefore, in the heat treatment units U21 and U22, the number of the gap pins 182 is adjusted according to the suction force from the suction holes 184.

[0133] The number of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U21, which performs heat treatment with a large suction force applied to the wafer W, is larger than the number of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the heat treatment unit U22, which performs heat treatment with a small suction force applied to the wafer W. Therefore, between the heat treatment unit U21 and the heat treatment unit U22, the difference in the load received by each gap pin 182 from the stress inside the wafer W generated as the warp due to suction is eliminated becomes smaller. In each of the heating units 20 of the heat treatment units U21 and U22, similar to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 17, the number of gap pins 182 per unit area in the region near the suction hole 184 may be larger than the number of gap pins 182 per unit area in the region other than the region near the suction hole 184.

[0134] [Effects of the Second Embodiment] Also in the coating / developing apparatus 2 including the heat treatment units U20, U21, and U22 according to the second embodiment, similar to the coating / developing apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently collecting the sublimated substance.

[0135] In the above second embodiment, the outer peripheral exhaust portion 70A has an outer peripheral exhaust hole (second exhaust hole 174) for exhausting the processing space S. The control device 100 controls the substrate elevating unit 30 so that the wafer W is raised to a position higher than the outer peripheral exhaust hole when the wafer W is brought closer to the top plate 142. In this case, when the wafer W is brought closer to the top plate 142, the outward airflow on the surface of the wafer W due to the exhaust by the outer peripheral exhaust hole weakens. Therefore, the possibility that the sublimated substance flows outside the wafer W decreases, and it becomes possible to collect the sublimated substance more efficiently.

[0136] In the above-described second embodiment, the chamber 40A covers the wafer W on the heating unit 20 in a state where a communication portion (gap g) that connects the processing space S and the space outside the chamber 40A is formed in the outer peripheral region. The outer peripheral exhaust unit 70A includes an outer peripheral exhaust hole (second exhaust hole 174) that opens into the communication portion, and exhausts the processing space S through the outer peripheral exhaust hole and the communication portion. In this case, it is possible to prevent the sublimated substance from leaking into the space outside the chamber through the communication portion. Specifically, since the sublimated substance flowing from the processing space S to the space outside the chamber passes through the communication portion, it is possible to reduce the possibility of leakage of the sublimated substance by exhausting through the communication portion.

[0137] In the above-described second embodiment, the chamber 40A includes a holding unit 130 that holds the heating unit 20, and a lid unit 140 that is disposed with a gap g provided between the holding unit 130 so as to cover the wafer W on the heating unit 20 from above. The gap g between the holding unit 130 and the lid unit 140 functions as the communication portion. In this case, since the holding unit and the lid unit do not come into contact with each other as the chamber 40A is opened and closed, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles as the chamber 40A is opened and closed.

[0138] In the above-described second embodiment, the heating unit 20 includes a hot plate 22 that generates heat for heating the wafer W, a plurality of gap pins 182 that are provided on the main surface (mounting surface 22a) of the hot plate 22 and support the wafer W such that a gap is formed between the main surface and the wafer W, and a suction hole 184 that opens on the main surface and sucks the wafer W disposed on the plurality of gap pins 182. The plurality of gap pins 182 includes a first group of gap pins 182 disposed in a suction region SR located in the vicinity of the suction hole 184 in the main surface and a second group of gap pins 182 disposed in a non-suction region other than the suction region SR in the main surface. The number of the first group of gap pins 182 per unit area of the suction region SR is larger than the number of the second group of gap pins 182 per unit area of the non-suction region. Since the suction force from the suction hole 184 is large in the suction region SR, the load applied to one gap pin 182 tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the wafer W. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of the first group of gap pins 182 per unit area in the suction region SR, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin 182 is suppressed. The load applied to one gap pin 182 is a factor that causes friction at the contact portion between the wafer W and the gap pin 182. Therefore, by suppressing an increase in the load, generation of particles from the wafer W and the gap pin 182 due to the friction is suppressed.

[0139] In the above-described second embodiment, the coating / development apparatus 2 includes a plurality of heat treatment units. The heating unit 20 includes a hot plate 22 that generates heat for heating the wafer W, a plurality of gap pins 182 that are provided on the main surface (mounting surface 22a) of the hot plate 22 and support the wafer W so that a gap is formed between the main surface and the wafer W, and a suction hole 184 that opens on the main surface and sucks the wafer W disposed on the plurality of gap pins 182. The plurality of heat treatment units include a first heat treatment unit (heat treatment unit U21) and a second heat treatment unit (heat treatment unit U22). The heating temperature of the wafer W in the heat treatment performed by the first heat treatment unit is higher than the heating temperature of the wafer W in the heat treatment performed by the second heat treatment unit. The number of the plurality of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the first heat treatment unit is larger than the number of the plurality of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the second heat treatment unit. When the heating temperature of the wafer W in the heat treatment is high, the load applied to one gap pin 182 tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the wafer W due to the thermal expansion of the wafer W. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the first heat treatment unit that performs the heat treatment at a high heating temperature, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin 182 is suppressed.

[0140] In the above-described second embodiment, the coating / developing apparatus 2 may include a plurality of heat treatment units. The heating unit 20 includes a hot plate 22 that generates heat for heating the wafer W, a plurality of gap pins 182 that are provided on the main surface (mounting surface 22a) of the hot plate 22 and support the wafer W so that a gap is formed between the main surface and the wafer W, and a suction hole 184 that opens on the main surface and sucks the wafer W disposed on the plurality of gap pins 182. The plurality of heat treatment units include a first heat treatment unit (heat treatment unit U21) and a second heat treatment unit (heat treatment unit U22). The suction force applied to the wafer W from the suction hole 184 of the first heat treatment unit is greater than the suction force applied to the wafer W from the suction hole 184 of the second heat treatment unit. The number of the plurality of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the first heat treatment unit is larger than the number of the plurality of gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the second heat treatment unit. When the suction force from the suction hole 184 is large, the load applied to one gap pin 182 tends to increase due to the stress generated inside the wafer W. In the above configuration, by increasing the number of the gap pins 182 included in the heating unit 20 of the first heat treatment unit that performs heat treatment in a state where the suction force is large, an increase in the load applied to one gap pin 182 is suppressed.

[0141] [Third Embodiment] Next, a substrate processing system according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. The substrate processing system according to the third embodiment is different from the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment in that a coating / developing apparatus 2B is provided instead of the coating / developing apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 19, the processing block 5 of the coating / developing apparatus 2B has two processing modules 11, two processing modules 12, and two storage units 16 instead of the processing modules 11, 12, 13, and 14. The storage unit 16 houses, for example, accessory devices (units) necessary for processing the wafer W in the processing modules 11 and 12. Examples of the accessory devices include a unit that supplies a processing liquid to each of the coating units U1 and U3, and a unit that supplies a gas to each of the heat treatment units U2.

[0142] The coating / development apparatus 2B is housed in the housing portion 16 and includes a gas supply unit 200 that supplies gas to each heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 11. As shown in FIG. 19, the gas supply unit 200 may be disposed within the lower housing portion 16. Since the gas supply unit 200 is provided in the housing portion 16, it is arranged in a separate, partitioned space from the space in which each heat treatment unit U2 is housed in the processing module 11. For example, the floor that supports each unit of the processing module 11 partitions the space in which the heat treatment unit U2 is arranged and the space in which the gas supply unit 200 is arranged.

[0143] The gas supply unit 200 supplies a gas (hereinafter referred to as "regulated gas") in which the concentration of one component is adjusted to a predetermined value to the gas discharge portion 50 of each heat treatment unit U2. In this case, the gas discharge portion 50 discharges the regulated gas from a plurality of discharge holes 54 toward the surface Wa of the wafer W. Examples of the regulated gas include a gas in which the concentration of oxygen is adjusted. Note that as the regulated gas, a gas in which the concentration of a component such as nitrogen, ammonia, or argon is adjusted may be used. The above-mentioned predetermined value for the concentration of one component is determined in advance, for example, according to the target value of the concentration of the component in the processing space S during the heat treatment.

[0144] The gas supply unit 200 may generate the regulated gas by mixing a gas containing a component to be adjusted in concentration (hereinafter referred to as "regulated component") (first gas) and a gas containing another component different from the regulated component (second gas). For example, the gas supply unit 200 mixes an oxygen gas having oxygen as a main component (high-concentration oxygen gas) and a nitrogen gas having nitrogen as a main component (high-concentration nitrogen gas) to generate a regulated gas in which the oxygen concentration is adjusted to a predetermined value.

[0145] In one example, as shown in FIG. 19, in the gas supply unit 200, oxygen gas is supplied from an oxygen gas source 202 through a gas supply path 204, and nitrogen gas is supplied from a nitrogen gas source 206 through a gas supply path 208. The gas supply unit 200 generates a regulated gas by mixing the oxygen gas from the gas source 202 and the nitrogen gas from the gas source 206 in the housing 16 so that the oxygen concentration becomes a predetermined value. Then, the gas supply unit 200 supplies the regulated gas to the head unit 52 through the gas supply path 210 and a supply path 56 branched from the gas supply path 210. Since the regulated gas is a mixture of multiple types of gases, the concentration of the regulated component (e.g., oxygen concentration) in the regulated gas flowing through the gas supply path 210 is lower than the concentration of the regulated component (e.g., oxygen concentration) in the oxygen gas flowing through the gas supply path 204.

[0146] The control unit 104 of the control device 100 may cause the heat treatment unit U2 according to the third embodiment to perform heat treatment in the same procedure as the heat treatment procedure shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the heat treatment procedure performed in the heat treatment unit U2 according to the third embodiment. First, the control unit 104 executes steps S41 to S44 in the same manner as steps S11 to S14 while the hot plate 22 is maintained at a predetermined temperature and the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80 is being performed. By executing step S41, the regulated gas with the concentration of the regulated component adjusted starts to be discharged from the gas discharge unit 50. Hereinafter, the case of using the regulated gas with the oxygen concentration adjusted will be exemplified.

[0147] Next, the control unit 104 controls the lifting drive unit 34 to lower the wafer W (step S45). Different from the process of step S15 described above, the control unit 104 controls the lifting drive unit 34 so that the wafer W descends to a position (e.g., the above-mentioned standby position) set between the processing position where heating is performed and the delivery position where the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. At this point, since the processing space S is not formed, the oxygen concentration in the space above the hot plate 22 substantially coincides with the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space V in the housing 198 (e.g., the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere).

[0148] Next, the control unit 104 executes steps S46 and S47 in the same manner as steps S16 and S17. Then, after the descent of the chamber 40 is completed (after the processing space S is formed), the control unit 104 waits until the fourth predetermined time elapses. The fourth predetermined time is stored in the storage unit 102. The fourth predetermined time is set such that the oxygen concentration in the processing space S approaches the target concentration Tc.

[0149] FIG. 21 shows an example of the temporal change in the oxygen concentration in the processing space S (the space above the hot plate 22). In the graph shown in FIG. 21, step S47 is being executed at time t0 (the processing space S is formed). The time from time t0 to time t1 corresponds to the fourth predetermined time, and at time t1, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S is approximately equal to the target concentration Tc.

[0150] Next (after the fourth predetermined time has elapsed), the control unit 104 controls the lifting and lowering drive unit 34 to further lower the wafer W (step S49). Specifically, the control unit 104 lowers the support pins 32 that support the wafer W by the lifting and lowering drive unit 34 so that the wafer W is placed on the placement surface 22a of the hot plate 22. Thereby, heating of the wafer W to be processed is started.

[0151] Next, the control unit 104 waits until the first predetermined time elapses after heating of the wafer W is started, in the same manner as step S18 (step S50). While the control unit 104 waits until the first predetermined time elapses, the first state in which the processing space S is exhausted from the outer peripheral exhaust unit 70 continues. During the first predetermined time, exhaust from the central region is not performed, and while exhaust from the outer peripheral region is being performed, a gas with an adjusted oxygen concentration is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 54 of the gas discharge unit 50 toward the surface of the wafer W on the hot plate 22.

[0152] In the graph of FIG. 21, the time from time t1 to time t2 corresponds to a first predetermined time, and the oxygen concentration in the processing space S is maintained substantially constant during the time (period) from time t1 to time t2. That is, the concentration of the conditioning gas supplied from the gas supply unit 200 described above is set such that the oxygen concentration in the processing space S is maintained at the target concentration Tc in the first state in which exhaust is performed from the outer peripheral region.

[0153] Next, the control unit 104 switches the exhaust by the central exhaust unit 80 from the stopped state to the exhaust state (step S51) in the same manner as in step S19. As a result, the exhaust state in the chamber 40 switches from the first state to the second state in which exhaust is performed from the outer peripheral region and the central region. With the switch to the second state, the exhaust amount from the exhaust unit 60 increases, so the oxygen concentration in the processing space S is affected by the oxygen concentration of the gas outside the processing space S. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, after time t2, the oxygen concentration of the gas in the processing space S changes (decreases) to substantially match the oxygen concentration of the space outside the chamber 40.

[0154] Next, the control unit 104 executes steps S52 to S57 in the same manner as steps S20 to S25. In the graph of FIG. 21, step S53 is executed at time t3, and the heating of the wafer W has ended, and step S55 is executed at time t4, and the chamber 40 has been switched to the open state. After time t2, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S (the space on the hot plate 22) is maintained substantially constant to the same extent as the oxygen concentration of the space outside the chamber 40.

[0155] After the end of step S57, the control unit 104 repeats the series of processes from step S44 to step S57. Thereby, heat treatment is sequentially performed on a plurality of wafers W. In the above example, the control unit 104 causes the adjustment gas to be discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 throughout the entire heat treatment period for one wafer W. Different from this, the control unit 104 may cause the adjustment gas to be discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 throughout the entire heating period for the wafer W to be processed or during the first half of the heating period, and may not cause the adjustment gas to be discharged from the gas discharge unit 50 during periods other than these periods. The first half of the heating period for the wafer W may correspond to a period during which the first state in which peripheral exhaust is performed without central exhaust continues.

[0156] [Effects of the Third Embodiment] Also in the coating / developing apparatus 2B according to the third embodiment, similar to the coating / developing apparatus 2 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the film thickness uniformity of the film to be heat-treated while efficiently recovering the sublimated substance.

[0157] In the above third embodiment, the coating / developing apparatus 2B further includes a gas supply unit 200 that generates an adjustment gas adjusted so that the concentration of one component becomes a predetermined value by mixing a first gas containing one component and a second gas containing another component, and supplies the adjustment gas to the gas discharge unit 50. The gas discharge unit 50 discharges the adjustment gas toward the surface of the wafer W. The gas supply unit 200 is arranged in a space separated from the space in which the heat treatment unit U2 is arranged. In this case, during the period of heating the wafer W, the concentration of one component contained in the gas around the wafer W can be kept substantially constant, and the quality of the film after heat treatment can be adjusted. Further, it is possible to reduce the influence received by the members (for example, the pipes for the first gas and the second gas) for generating the adjustment gas from the heat generated during the heat treatment.

[0158] In the above-described third embodiment, the control device 100 causes the gas discharge unit 50 to discharge the adjustment gas from the plurality of discharge holes 54, at least in the first half of the period during which the wafer W is heated by the heating unit 20. Since film formation progresses in the first half of the period of heating the wafer W, it becomes possible to more reliably adjust the quality of the film using the adjustment gas.

[0159] From the above description, it will be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in this specification for the purpose of explanation, and that various changes can be made without departing from the scope and gist of the present disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed in this specification are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and gist are indicated by the appended claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0160] 1... Substrate processing system, 2, 2B... Coating / development device, 20... Heating unit, 30... Substrate lifting / lowering unit, 40... Chamber, 42... Top plate, 48... Chamber drive unit, 50... Gas discharge unit, 52... Head unit, 54... Discharge hole, 60... Exhaust unit, 70... Outer peripheral exhaust unit, 72... Exhaust hole, 80... Central exhaust unit, 82... Exhaust hole, 90... Exhaust switching unit, 100... Control device, 70A... Outer peripheral exhaust unit, 174... Second exhaust hole, 40A... Chamber, 130... Holding unit, 140... Lid unit, 142... Top plate, g... Gap, 182... Gap pin, 184... Suction hole, 200... Gas supply unit, U2, U20, U21, U22... Heat treatment unit, W... Wafer.

Claims

1. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on a substrate with a film formed thereon, The heat treatment unit, A heating unit that supports and heats the substrate, A chamber that covers the substrate supported by the heating unit, It has a head portion formed with a plurality of discharge holes provided along the surface facing the substrate supported by the heating unit, and a gas discharge unit that discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes toward the surface of the substrate, An exhaust unit for exhausting the processing space in the chamber, The gas is an adjustment gas in which one component and another component are mixed and the concentration of the one component is adjusted to a predetermined value, The chamber forms a communication portion connecting the processing space and the space outside the chamber when the heat treatment is executed, a substrate processing apparatus.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one component is oxygen.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the exhaust unit exhausts the processing space in the chamber from an outer peripheral region outside the periphery of the substrate supported by the heating unit.

4. Further comprising a gas supply unit that generates the adjustment gas by mixing a first gas containing the one component and a second gas containing the other component, and supplies the adjustment gas to the gas discharge unit, The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas supply unit is arranged in a space separated from the space in which the heat treatment unit is arranged.

5. A heat treatment unit for performing heat treatment on a substrate with a film formed thereon, The heat treatment unit, A heating unit that supports and heats the substrate, A chamber that covers the substrate supported by the heating unit, It has a head portion formed with a plurality of discharge holes provided along the surface facing the substrate supported by the heating unit, and a gas discharge unit that discharges gas from the plurality of discharge holes toward the surface of the substrate, An exhaust unit for exhausting the processing space in the chamber, The gas is an adjustment gas in which one component and another component are mixed and the concentration of the one component is adjusted to a predetermined value, Further comprising a gas supply unit that generates the adjustment gas by mixing a first gas containing the one component and a second gas containing the other component, and supplies the adjustment gas to the gas discharge unit, The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the gas supply unit is disposed in another space located outside the space formed by the chamber, and the other space is a space partitioned from the space in which the heat treatment unit is disposed.

6. The heating unit includes: a hot plate that generates heat for heating the substrate; a plurality of gap pins provided on the main surface of the hot plate and supporting the substrate so that a gap is formed between the main surface and the substrate; a suction hole that opens on the main surface and sucks the substrate disposed on the plurality of gap pins; the plurality of gap pins include a first group of gap pins disposed in a suction region located near the suction hole on the main surface, and a second group of gap pins disposed in a non-suction region other than the suction region on the main surface; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the number of the first group of gap pins per unit area of the suction region is larger than the number of the second group of gap pins per unit area of the non-suction region.

7. The apparatus includes a plurality of heat treatment units including the heat treatment unit, The heating unit includes: a hot plate that generates heat for heating the substrate; a plurality of gap pins provided on the main surface of the hot plate and supporting the substrate so that a gap is formed between the main surface and the substrate; a suction hole that opens on the main surface and sucks the substrate disposed on the plurality of gap pins; the plurality of heat treatment units include a first heat treatment unit and a second heat treatment unit; the heating temperature of the substrate in the heat treatment performed by the first heat treatment unit is higher than the heating temperature of the substrate in the heat treatment performed by the second heat treatment unit; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the first heat treatment unit is larger than the number of the plurality of gap pins included in the heating unit of the second heat treatment unit.

8. A substrate processing method including performing a heat treatment on a substrate having a film formed thereon, Performing the heat treatment on the substrate includes: heating the substrate covered by the chamber while being supported by a heating unit; exhausting a processing space in the chamber; and discharging a gas from a plurality of discharge holes provided along a surface facing the substrate supported by the heating unit toward the surface of the substrate. The gas is a regulated gas in which one component and another component are mixed and the concentration of the one component is adjusted to a predetermined value. The chamber forms a communication portion that connects the processing space and the space outside the chamber when the heat treatment is performed. A substrate processing method. **Claim 9**: A substrate processing method including performing a heat treatment on a substrate having a film formed thereon by a heat treatment unit having a chamber, a heating unit, and a gas discharge unit, Performing the heat treatment on the substrate includes: Supporting and heating the substrate covered by the chamber by the heating unit; Exhausting the processing space in the chamber; Discharging gas toward the surface of the substrate from a plurality of discharge holes provided along the surface of the substrate facing the heating unit among the gas discharge units. The gas is a regulated gas in which one component and another component are mixed and the concentration of the one component is adjusted to a predetermined value. The method further includes supplying the regulated gas to the gas discharge unit by a gas supply unit that generates the regulated gas by mixing a first gas containing the one component and a second gas containing the other component. The gas supply unit is disposed in another space located outside the space formed by the chamber, and the other space is a space partitioned from the space in which the heat treatment unit is disposed. A substrate processing method. **Claim 10** A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an apparatus to execute the substrate processing method according to claim 8 or 9.

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