Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

This substrate processing apparatus comprises a processing container, a fluid supply part, a heating mechanism, a temperature measurement part, and a control part, and is configured to dry a substrate having a liquid film by using supercritical fluid. The control part acquires information on the internal temperature of the processing container measured by the temperature measurement part during a period from the time when the substrate is carried into the processing container until the time when the substrate is carried out, and stores temperature time data in which the information on the temperature is associated with time. Furthermore, the control part: extracts, from the stored temperature time data, the temperature in a target period for temperature control; determines whether or not correction for the preset temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary on the basis of comparison of the temperature in the target period for temperature control with the reference temperature held in advance; and if it is determined that the correction for the preset temperature is necessary, controls output of the heating mechanism in accordance with the corrected preset temperature.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing by supplying a supercritical fluid into a processing vessel to dry the substrate. The supercritical fluid dries the liquid film formed on the substrate so that the liquid film transitions directly from a supercritical state, where no gas-liquid interface exists, to a gas phase (i.e., so that surface tension does not act on the uneven pattern of the substrate). This type of substrate processing apparatus promotes uniformity in process performance for each substrate processing by appropriately controlling the temperature for each substrate processing that is repeated multiple times. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-26348 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique that can further promote uniformity of temperature for each substrate processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus that dries a substrate having a liquid film thereon using a supercritical fluid, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing vessel that accommodates the substrate; a fluid supply unit that supplies the supercritical fluid into the processing vessel; a heating mechanism that heats the inside of the processing vessel; a temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature inside the processing vessel; and a control unit that controls the fluid supply unit and the heating mechanism, wherein the control unit acquires temperature information inside the processing vessel measured by the temperature measurement unit over a period from when the substrate is loaded into the processing vessel to when the substrate is unloaded, stores temperature-time data that links the temperature information to time, extracts the temperature for a period subject to temperature adjustment from the stored temperature-time data, and determines whether or not temperature correction is required when the heating mechanism heats based on a comparison between the temperature for the period subject to temperature adjustment and a reference temperature stored in advance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect, it is possible to further promote uniformity of the temperature for each substrate processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing method performed by the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 4] 10 is a graph showing temperature changes inside a processing vessel in each step of supercritical drying. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an in-plane temperature distribution of a substrate when the substrate is placed in a processing chamber after multiple supercritical drying processes without temperature correction. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(A) is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a heating mechanism provided on the ceiling wall side of the processing chamber, and Fig. 6(B) is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged view of a sensor heater unit. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional parts of a control unit that performs temperature stabilization control and temperature distribution uniformity control. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing method including temperature stabilization control and temperature distribution uniformization control. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0009] First, the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs substrate processing to dry a substrate W by replacing a liquid film of a drying liquid formed on the substrate W with a supercritical fluid (hereinafter, drying using a supercritical fluid is also referred to as supercritical drying). A supercritical fluid is a fluid in a state in which it is indistinguishable between liquid and gas when it is kept at a temperature equal to or higher than its critical temperature and at a pressure equal to or higher than its critical pressure. By replacing a liquid film such as a drying liquid with a supercritical fluid, it is possible to eliminate the interface between the liquid and gas in the uneven pattern on the substrate W. As a result, surface tension of the liquid is no longer generated, and collapse of the uneven pattern can be prevented.

[0010] The drying liquid forming the liquid film is, for example, an organic solvent such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol). Examples of supercritical fluids include carbon dioxide, ethanol, methanol, propanol, butanol, methane, ethane, propane, water, ammonia, ethylene, and fluoromethane. Below, we will explain a representative example using carbon dioxide as the supercritical fluid.

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 10, a fluid supply unit 30 that supplies a fluid to the processing vessel 10, a fluid discharge unit 40 that discharges the fluid from the processing vessel 10, a substrate transport unit 50 that transports a substrate W to the processing vessel 10, and a heating mechanism 60 that heats the processing vessel 10. The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a control unit 90 that controls the operation of each component.

[0012] The processing vessel 10 is formed as a substantially rectangular box, and accommodates a substrate W having a liquid film of drying liquid therein in an internal processing chamber 11 for processing the substrate W. The processing chamber 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is wide horizontally but narrow vertically in order to accommodate a thin, perfectly circular substrate W. The ceiling wall 12 and floor wall 13 surrounding the processing chamber 11 in the processing vessel 10 are thicker than the vertical height of the processing chamber 11.

[0013] Processing vessel 10 has a recessed space 14 at its front, with a vertically intermediate portion recessed toward the rear (toward processing chamber 11). The front of processing vessel 10 constitutes a load / unload mechanism 15 for fixing substrate transport part 50 when substrate W is loaded into processing chamber 11. Load / unload mechanism 15 has a front opening 14f that allows substrate transport part 50 to enter recessed space 14, and has a load / unload opening 15p at the rear of recessed space 14 that communicates with processing chamber 11.

[0014] Furthermore, one or more (two in this embodiment) through-holes 18 are formed in each of the upper wall 16 and the lower wall 17 of the processing vessel 10, sandwiching the recessed space 14 therebetween. Each through-hole 18 in the upper wall 16 and each through-hole 18 in the lower wall 17 are formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view and face each other. The loading / unloading mechanism 15 accommodates front blocking members 19 in a pair of through-holes 18 on the lower wall 17 side. The loading / unloading mechanism 15 also has an elevation drive unit 20 below the processing vessel 10 that simultaneously raises and lowers the multiple front blocking members 19.

[0015] Each front blocking member 19 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped block and moves up and down in the respective through-holes 18 in the vertical direction under the operation of the elevation drive unit 20. When the substrate transport unit 50 loads a substrate W into the processing chamber 11, each front blocking member 19 passes through the respective through-holes 18 in the lower wall 17, passes through the recessed space 14, and is further inserted into the respective through-holes 18 in the upper wall 16. By disposing each front blocking member 19 across the respective through-holes 18 in the upper wall 16 and the respective through-holes 18 in the lower wall 17, the loading / unloading mechanism 15 can firmly fix the substrate transport unit 50 to the processing vessel 10.

[0016] Furthermore, the processing vessel 10 has a recessed space 21 at its rear, with a vertically intermediate portion recessed toward the front (toward the processing chamber 11). A fluid discharge fixing mechanism 22 for fixing a first supply header 27 that discharges a supercritical fluid is configured at the rear of the processing vessel 10. The fluid discharge fixing mechanism 22 has a mounting portion 21r, which is in communication with the processing chamber 11, at the front side of the recessed space 21. The first supply header 27 is accommodated in the mounting portion 21r.

[0017] Similar to the loading / unloading mechanism 15, one or more (two in this embodiment) through-holes 25 are formed in each of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 of the processing vessel 10, sandwiching the recessed space 21 therebetween. Each through-hole 25 in the upper wall 23 and each through-hole 25 in the lower wall 24 face each other. However, a rear blocking member 26 for fixing a first supply header 27 is pre-inserted into each through-hole 25. The rear blocking member 26 is fixed so as not to move during operations such as supercritical drying, and is removed during maintenance, etc., to allow the first supply header 27 to be removed from the processing vessel 10.

[0018] The first supply header 27 is accommodated in the placement portion 21r of the processing vessel 10, thereby airtightly sealing the rear of the processing chamber 11. The first supply header 27 is connected to the fluid supply unit 30 and has a plurality of outlets 27a that discharge the supercritical fluid onto the exposed surface of the processing chamber 11. The plurality of outlets 27a are arranged in a row at equal intervals along the lateral direction (horizontal direction) of the processing chamber 11.

[0019] The processing vessel 10 also includes a second supply header 28 at the center of the floor wall 13 in the front-to-rear direction. The second supply header 28 is also connected to the fluid supply unit 30 and has a plurality of outlets 28a that discharge the supercritical fluid onto the exposed surface of the processing chamber 11. The plurality of outlets 28a are arranged in a row at equal intervals along the lateral direction (horizontal direction) of the processing chamber 11.

[0020] The fluid supply unit 30 has a supply path 31 connected to the first supply header 27 and the second supply header 28, and supplies a supercritical fluid via the supply path 31. The supply path 31 is connected to a fluid source (not shown) at its upstream end, and branches off midway according to the first supply header 27 and the second supply header 28. The fluid supply unit 30 also includes a supply-side heater 32, and a pump, a flow regulator, an on-off valve, and the like (not shown) at midway along the supply path 31. The fluid supply unit 30 is connected to a control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and each component is controlled by the control unit 90.

[0021] The fluid source may be a high-pressure tank or the like, and the supercritical fluid (CO2) stored in the tank flows into the supply path 31. The supply-side heater 32 heats the supercritical fluid supplied from the fluid source and maintains the temperature of the supercritical fluid at or above its critical temperature. The supply-side heater 32 is provided, for example, over substantially the entire supply path 31. Flow regulators and on-off valves are provided at each branch point of the supply path 31 to adjust the supply amount of the supercritical fluid and switch between supply and stop.

[0022] The fluid discharge unit 40 has a discharge path 41 connected to a discharge header 29 of the processing vessel 10, and discharges the fluid from inside the processing chamber 11 via the discharge path 41. The discharge header 29 is provided on the front side (the side of the loading / unloading port 15p) of the floor wall 13 of the processing vessel 10. A discharge port 29a of the discharge header 29 opens on the upper surface of the floor wall 13 so as to communicate with the processing chamber 11. The fluid discharged to the outside of the processing vessel 10 via the discharge header 29 includes not only the supercritical fluid but also vapor of the drying liquid that dissolves in the supercritical fluid.

[0023] The fluid discharge unit 40 includes a discharge-side heater 42, a flow regulator, a pressure reducing valve, an on-off valve, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, and the like (not shown) at a midpoint of the discharge path 41. The downstream end of the discharge path 41 is connected to a discharge mechanism (not shown) for processing the discharged supercritical fluid. The discharge-side heater 42 suppresses liquefaction of the fluid in the discharge path 41. The discharge-side heater 42 is provided, for example, over the entire discharge path 41.

[0024] On the other hand, the substrate transport unit 50 is installed in front of the processing vessel 10 and receives or transfers the substrate W to or from a transport device (not shown). Furthermore, the substrate transport unit 50 moves the substrate W relative to the processing vessel 10, thereby placing the substrate W into the processing vessel 10 or removing the substrate W from the processing vessel 10. In particular, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment performs supercritical drying, which is a substrate processing, while the substrate W is held by the substrate transport unit 50.

[0025] Specifically, the substrate transport unit 50 includes a substrate holder 51 that holds the substrate W, an advancing / retracting unit 54 that moves the substrate holder 51 forward and backward relative to the processing vessel 10, and a lift pin mechanism 55 that raises and lowers the substrate W to receive and transfer the substrate W to and from the transport device. The substrate holder 51 also has a tray 52 on which the substrate W is placed, and a lid 53 provided on the front edge of the tray 52.

[0026] The tray 52 is configured as a rectangular frame slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate W, and is supported so as to extend horizontally by a lid 53. When the tray 52 holds the substrate W horizontally, the surface of the substrate W having the liquid film thereon faces vertically upward.

[0027] The lid 53 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped block and moves integrally with the tray 52 to enter the recessed space 14, thereby closing the loading / unloading port 15p of the processing vessel 10. At least one of the lid 53 and the rear of the processing vessel 10 may be provided with a sealing member (not shown) that airtightly closes the processing chamber 11. Furthermore, the loading / unloading mechanism 15 prevents the lid 53 from moving toward the front open portion 14f by raising the front blocking member 19 while the lid 53 is closing the loading / unloading port 15p. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to prevent the substrate holder 51 from moving relative to the processing vessel 10 during supercritical drying.

[0028] The advancing / retreating unit 54 is connected to a control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and slides the substrate holder 51 in the horizontal direction under the control of the control unit 90. The advancing / retreating unit 54 reciprocates the substrate holder 51, for example, between an outer position where the substrate W is received and transferred, and an inner position where the tray 52 is disposed in the processing chamber 11 and the loading / unloading opening 15p is closed by the lid 53.

[0029] With the tray 52 positioned at the outer position, the lift pin mechanism 55 raises and lowers a plurality of (three or more) lift pins 56 to receive and transfer the substrate W to and from the transport device. For example, in addition to each lift pin 56, the lift pin mechanism 55 internally includes a drive source connected to the control unit 90, a drive transmission unit that transmits the drive force of the drive source to each lift pin 56, and the like (both not shown).

[0030] The heating mechanism 60 heats the ceiling wall 12 and the floor wall 13 of the processing vessel 10, thereby heating the inside of the processing chamber 11 from above and below the processing chamber 11 and maintaining the inside of the processing chamber 11 at a predetermined temperature. The specific configuration of this heating mechanism 60 will be described in detail later.

[0031] The substrate processing apparatus 1 also includes a temperature measurement unit 70 that measures the temperature of the substrate W accommodated in the processing chamber 11 and transmits the temperature information to the control unit 90. For example, the temperature measurement unit 70 includes an indoor temperature sensor 71 that measures the temperature of the processing chamber 11, and a plurality of heater temperature sensors 72 that measure the temperature of each of a plurality of sensor heater units 61 of the heating mechanism 60, which will be described later. Note that the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured to acquire the temperature of the processing chamber 11 by including either the indoor temperature sensor 71 or each heater temperature sensor 72.

[0032] The control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be a computer having a processor 91, a memory 92, an input / output interface (not shown), and electronic circuits. The processor 91 is one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a circuit made up of multiple discrete semiconductors. The memory 92 is an appropriate combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory (e.g., a compact disc, a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk, a flash memory, etc.). The control unit 90 may be an integrated control device that controls the operations of multiple substrate processing apparatuses. In this case, the control unit 90 may be configured by a host computer or multiple nodes that communicate with each other via a network.

[0033] The memory 92 stores programs for controlling various processes executed in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 90 controls the operation of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by causing the processor 91 to execute the programs stored in the memory 92. The control unit 90 performs, for example, the process flow of the substrate processing method shown in FIG.

[0034] In the substrate processing method, in a pre-processing step of step S1, a substrate W is placed in the processing chamber 11 of the processing vessel 10. At this time, the control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 raises the lift pins 56 to receive the substrate W having a liquid film of drying liquid from the transfer device, and then lowers the lift pins 56 to place the substrate W on the tray 52 of the substrate holder 51. The control unit 90 then operates the advancing / retracting unit 54 to slide the substrate holder 51 horizontally, and load the substrate W into the processing chamber 11 through the loading / unloading opening 15p. When the lid 53 contacts the rear wall that defines the recessed space 14 and closes the loading / unloading opening 15p, the control unit 90 operates the lifting / lowering unit 20 of the loading / unloading mechanism 15 to advance the front blocking members 19 up to the through-holes 18 in the upper wall 16, thereby fixing the lid 53 and sealing the processing chamber 11.

[0035] Next, in the pressure increasing process of step S2, the control unit 90 controls the fluid supply unit 30 to supply the supercritical fluid to the processing chamber 11 of the processing vessel 10, while blocking the discharge path 41 of the fluid discharge unit 40. As a result, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 11 is increased to a set pressure equal to or higher than the critical pressure of the supercritical fluid. Furthermore, in the pressure increasing process, the control unit 90 supplies the supercritical fluid to the processing chamber 11 only from the second supply header 28, thereby suppressing shaking of the drying liquid on the upper surface of the substrate W and preventing the concave-convex pattern from collapsing.

[0036] Then, in the circulation process of step S3, the control unit 90 controls the fluid supply unit 30 to supply the supercritical fluid to the processing chamber 11 and the fluid discharge unit 40 to discharge the fluid from the processing chamber 11, thereby circulating the supercritical fluid above the substrate W. At this time, the control unit 90 discharges the supercritical fluid into the processing chamber 11 from both the first supply header 27 and the second supply header 28. The control unit 90 controls each flow rate regulator so that the flow rate of the supercritical fluid supplied by the fluid supply unit 30 is equal to the flow rate of the fluid discharged by the fluid discharge unit 40, thereby maintaining the internal pressure of the processing vessel 10 at a set pressure. As a result, the liquid film of the drying liquid is dissolved in the supercritical fluid and replaced with the supercritical fluid, drying the substrate W. The drying liquid dissolved in the supercritical fluid is discharged to the outside of the processing vessel 10 together with the supercritical fluid via the discharge path 41.

[0037] In the decompression process of step S4, the control unit 90 stops the supply of supercritical fluid by the fluid supply unit 30 while continuing to discharge the fluid from the processing chamber 11 by the fluid discharge unit 40, thereby reducing the internal pressure of the processing vessel 10 to approximately atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa).

[0038] Finally, in the post-processing step of step S5, the control unit 90 controls the lifting drive unit 20 to lower the front blocking member 19, and further operates the advancing / retracting operation unit 54 to retract the substrate holder 51 from the processing vessel 10. This causes the lid 53 to open the loading / unloading opening 15p of the processing vessel 10, and the substrate W placed on the tray 52 is unloaded to the outside of the processing vessel 10. When the substrate holder 51 has retracted to the outer position, the control unit 90 raises the lift pins 56 to lift the substrate W from the tray 52, and delivers the substrate W to the transport device that has just arrived.

[0039] During the substrate processing method described above, the control unit 90 controls the output of the heating mechanism 60 based on the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 to heat the processing chamber 11 and the substrate W. The higher the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60, the higher the output of the heating mechanism 60 is controlled. The output of the heating mechanism 60 is expressed as the amount of heat generated per unit time. While the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 is constant, the control unit 90 controls the output of the heating mechanism 60 to be constant. While the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 is constant, the actual temperature of the processing chamber 11 (e.g., the substrate W) fluctuates over time, as shown in the graph in FIG. 4, for example. In the graph in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the processing chamber 11. The set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 is basically the same for all steps, but may be corrected at any desired timing. When the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 is corrected, the output of the heating mechanism 60 is also corrected.

[0040] Specifically, in the pre-treatment step, the control unit 90 heats the treatment chamber 11 using the heating mechanism 60. This adjusts the temperature of the treatment chamber 11 to a state where the pressure increase step of supercritical drying can be started immediately.

[0041] In the next pressure increase step, the control unit 90 heats the processing chamber 11 with the heating mechanism 60 and supplies a supercritical fluid with the fluid supply unit 30. As the pressure in the processing chamber 11 increases due to the supply of the supercritical fluid, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 increases rapidly.

[0042] Then, when the process shifts from the pressure increase step to the circulation step, the control unit 90 supplies and discharges the supercritical fluid while heating the processing chamber 11 with the heating mechanism 60. Therefore, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 is maintained substantially constant at a temperature optimal for supercritical drying (a temperature equal to or higher than the critical temperature).

[0043] In the next depressurization step, the control unit 90 heats the processing chamber 11 with the heating mechanism 60 and discharges the supercritical fluid with the fluid discharge unit 40. In the depressurization step, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 drops rapidly as the pressure in the processing chamber 11 drops. Thereafter, as the pressure drop in the processing chamber 11 becomes more gradual, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 rises more gradual. In other words, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 in the depressurization step follows a curve with a valley.

[0044] In the post-processing step, in order to smoothly perform the next substrate processing, the control unit 90 heats the processing chamber 11 using the heating mechanism 60. As a result, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 gradually increases following the depressurization step.

[0045] Note that the graph shown in FIG. 4 merely shows an example of temperature changes during supercritical drying. When supercritical drying is actually performed repeatedly, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 fluctuates due to various factors. For example, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 after the pre-processing step varies with each supercritical drying (each substrate processing) due to temperature changes associated with opening and closing of the loading / unloading port 15p, heat accumulation in the processing vessel 10 during supercritical drying, and other factors. For example, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 gradually rises due to heat accumulation in the processing vessel 10. Thereafter, when the heat accumulation and heat dissipation in the processing vessel 10 are balanced, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 becomes constant.

[0046] Furthermore, the graph shown in FIG. 4 averages the temperature throughout the processing chamber 11, and the temperature distribution of the substrate W accommodated in the processing chamber 11 may not be uniform. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the temperature of the substrate W before the pre-processing step tends to be higher at the back of the processing vessel 10 and lower at the loading / unloading port 15p side. This is because heat tends to build up at the back of the processing chamber 11, while heat tends to escape from the loading / unloading port 15p side when the processing chamber 11 is opened. If the pressure increase step and circulation step are performed in a state where there is a large difference in temperature distribution as shown in FIG. 5, uneven drying of the surface of the substrate W may occur, which may lead to the collapse of the concave-convex pattern. Note that the black parts of the substrate W in FIG. 5 are areas with high temperatures in the temperature distribution of the substrate W.

[0047] In other words, when adjusting the temperature of the processing chamber 11 for supercritical drying, it is preferable to perform temperature stabilization control, which controls the temperature of the processing chamber 11 to be constant each time supercritical drying is performed, and temperature distribution uniformity control, which controls the temperature so that no difference occurs in the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate W.

[0048] To achieve uniform temperature distribution control, the heating mechanism 60 for heating the processing vessel 10 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of sensor heater units 61 (vessel heaters) as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The sensor heater units 61 are distributed and arranged at positions facing the substrate W moved to an inner position by the substrate transport unit 50. Each sensor heater unit 61 is elongated along the vertical direction of the processing vessel 10 (see also FIG. 2). More specifically, a plurality of imaginary concentric circles with different radii are set with the center of the substrate W at the inner position as the base point. The sensor heater units 61 are arranged at equal intervals on each imaginary concentric circle, and the number of the sensor heater units 61 increases from the center to the outer imaginary concentric circle.

[0049] Each sensor heater unit 61 includes a plurality of (for example, four) rod-shaped heater bodies 62, a cylindrical body 63 that holds each heater body 62, and a heater temperature sensor 72 housed inside the cylindrical body 63.

[0050] The multiple heater bodies 62 are formed thinner than the wall thickness of the cylindrical body 63, and are inserted into multiple peripheral holes 63b formed in the cylindrical body 63. Each heater body 62 is connected to a heating power supply unit 64 via wiring (not shown), and is individually heated by the power supply from the heating power supply unit 64. The cylindrical body 63 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, and has a sensor arrangement hole 63a in the center and multiple peripheral holes 63b around the sensor arrangement hole 63a.

[0051] The heater temperature sensors 72 constituting the temperature measurement unit 70 are integrated with each heater main body 62 and the cylindrical body 63 by inserting rod-shaped detectors into the sensor placement holes 63a of the cylindrical body 63. For example, a non-contact radiation temperature sensor that measures the temperature by collecting infrared rays radiated from the substrate W can be used as this heater temperature sensor 72. The radiation type heater temperature sensor 72 measures the temperature at an opposing position on the substrate W, thereby accurately detecting the temperature applied to the substrate W by each heater main body 62 at the same point. Furthermore, by installing the heater temperature sensor 72 in a position adjacent to each heater main body 62 that actually heats up inside the cylindrical body 63, the heater temperature sensor 72 can measure the temperature without interference from temperatures outside the cylindrical body 63.

[0052] 2, each heater temperature sensor 72 provided on the ceiling wall 12 measures the temperature of the upper surface of the substrate W, and each heater temperature sensor 72 provided on the floor wall 13 measures the temperature of the lower surface of the substrate W. Immediately after the substrate W is accommodated, the upper surface is covered with a liquid film of drying liquid, so the heater temperature sensor 72 on the ceiling wall 12 can measure the temperature of the liquid film. On the other hand, each heater temperature sensor 72 on the floor wall 13 can directly detect the temperature of the substrate W by using a tray 52 having a hole in the opposing location. Note that the heater temperature sensors 72 do not necessarily have to be provided on both the ceiling wall 12 and the floor wall 13, and may be provided on only one of them.

[0053] In the heating mechanism 60 configured as described above, the control unit 90 controls the heating power supply unit 64 to adjust the amount of power supplied to each of the multiple sensor heater units 61. This allows the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 to be adjusted independently of one another. Therefore, for example, as shown in Figure 5, when the temperature of the outer periphery of the substrate W is high, making the temperature of the sensor heater unit 61 on the outer periphery lower than the temperature of the center of the substrate W promotes uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate W.

[0054] Furthermore, in order to perform temperature stabilization control, the control unit 90 continuously samples the temperature in each step of supercritical drying and stores it in memory 92, and adjusts the temperature to an appropriate level when the next supercritical drying is performed based on the stored temperature information. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 90 internally configures an adjustment setting unit 100, a temperature acquisition unit 101, a temperature determination unit 102, a correction value calculation unit 103, and a temperature command unit 104 when performing supercritical drying.

[0055] The adjustment setting unit 100 sets a temperature adjustment target period for adjusting the temperature in supercritical drying via a user interface (not shown) connected to the control unit 90. The temperature adjustment target period may be set in units of a pre-processing period during which a pre-processing step is performed, a pressure increase period during which a pressure increase step is performed, a circulation period during which a circulation step is performed, a pressure reduction period during which a pressure reduction step is performed, a post-processing period during which a post-processing step is performed, or the like. For example, the adjustment setting unit 100 displays a graph such as that shown in FIG. 4 to allow the user to select the temperature adjustment target period. Note that the temperature adjustment target period may also be automatically set by the control unit 90 without user operation. This enables the control unit 90 to flexibly adjust the temperature in accordance with the time of each step in the recipe.

[0056] The temperature acquisition unit 101 acquires temperature information measured by the temperature measurement unit 70 during supercritical drying, and stores temperature-time data linking the temperature information with time information in the memory 92. Therefore, the memory 92 stores temperature-time data for each of the multiple supercritical drying operations (each substrate processing operation). The temperature-time data stored in the memory 92 may be automatically erased when the substrate processing apparatus 1 is stopped, and new data may be stored the next time the substrate processing apparatus 1 is started.

[0057] Furthermore, when multiple heater temperature sensors 72 are provided as described above, the temperature-time data is stored for each of the multiple heater temperature sensors 72. This allows the control unit 90 to monitor the temperature-time data of each of the multiple heater temperature sensors 72 for each of multiple supercritical drying operations.

[0058] The temperature determination unit 102 determines whether or not to correct the heating temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 based on the stored temperature-time data. For example, the temperature determination unit 102 compares the reference temperature for the temperature adjustment period with the temperature information that applies to the temperature adjustment period in the temperature-time data measured in the current supercritical drying. Then, the temperature determination unit 102 determines that correction is necessary if the temperature information is equal to or higher than the reference temperature (or if the deviation from the reference temperature is by a predetermined amount or more), and determines that correction is not necessary if the temperature information is lower than the reference temperature (or if the deviation from the reference temperature is less than the predetermined amount).

[0059] The reference temperature can be the temperature-time data acquired in the previous (previous) supercritical drying. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to adjust the temperature so that it always remains constant when supercritical drying is repeated multiple times. Alternatively, the reference temperature can be an average value of multiple temperature-time data measured in the past, or optimal temperature-time data obtained by conducting experiments, simulations, etc. can be prepared in advance.

[0060] As an example, if the depressurization process is set as the temperature adjustment target period for temperature stabilization control, the temperature determination unit 102 may compare the minimum temperature during the current depressurization process with the minimum value of the reference temperature during the depressurization process. If the minimum temperature during the current process is higher than the minimum value of the reference temperature by a predetermined amount, it determines whether correction should be performed. Note that as the number of supercritical drying processes increases, the minimum temperature during the depressurization process gradually increases due to heat storage in the processing vessel 10. Thereafter, when the heat storage and heat dissipation in the processing vessel 10 are balanced, the minimum temperature during the depressurization process becomes constant.

[0061] Furthermore, when multiple heater temperature sensors 72 are provided, the temperature determination unit 102 determines the uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution using the temperature information of each heater temperature sensor 72. For example, when a pressure increase process is set as the temperature adjustment target period for temperature distribution uniformity control, the temperature determination unit 102 extracts the temperatures measured by each heater temperature sensor 72 at the same time (e.g., at the start) of the pressure increase process and compares these measured temperatures with a predetermined threshold range. If the measured temperatures are outside the predetermined threshold range, the temperature determination unit 102 determines that correction is necessary for the sensor heater unit 61 that includes that heater temperature sensor 72. On the other hand, if the measured temperatures are within the predetermined threshold range, the temperature determination unit 102 determines that correction is not necessary.

[0062] Furthermore, when the temperature determination unit 102 determines that a correction should be made, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value for correcting the temperature of the sensor heater unit 61. The correction value in the temperature stabilization control is calculated by calculating the difference between the current temperature information in the temperature adjustment period and the reference temperature in the same temperature adjustment period, and is calculated as an appropriate value that attempts to eliminate the difference.

[0063] For example, if a depressurization process is set as the temperature adjustment target period for temperature stabilization control, and the minimum temperature during the current depressurization process is higher than the minimum reference temperature, a correction value (negative temperature) is calculated to lower the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60. As a result, the set temperature for the next supercritical drying will be the temperature obtained by adding the correction value (negative temperature). As a result, the temperature for the next supercritical drying will match or be sufficiently close to the reference temperature, making it possible to match the temperatures for the post-processing process, the pre-processing process for the next supercritical drying, and the temperature for the heating process. In other words, the minimum temperature during the depressurization process serves as the starting point for the subsequent temperature increase, and the temperature of the processing chamber 11 can be easily controlled by matching the temperature at this starting point to the reference temperature.

[0064] On the other hand, the correction value in temperature distribution uniformity control is calculated as a value that eliminates the difference between the temperatures measured by each heater temperature sensor 72 during the temperature adjustment period of the temperature distribution uniformity control. As an example, if a pressure increase process is set as the temperature adjustment period of the temperature distribution uniformity control, the measured temperatures of each heater temperature sensor 72 at the start of the current pressure increase process are monitored. Then, for example, if the measured temperature of the heater temperature sensor 72 facing the outer periphery of the substrate W is high, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value that lowers the temperature of the sensor heater unit 61 that has that heater temperature sensor 72.

[0065] Furthermore, when temperature stabilization control is corrected, the correction value for temperature distribution uniformization control is preferably calculated taking into account the correction value for temperature stabilization control. For example, if the correction value for temperature stabilization control is -3°C and the difference in temperature information from the heater temperature sensor 72 on the outer periphery of the substrate W is +2°C, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates -5°C as the correction value for that heater temperature sensor 72. This allows the control unit 90 to obtain a correction value that includes both temperature stabilization control and temperature distribution uniformization control.

[0066] The temperature command unit 104 calculates a temperature parameter for each sensor heater unit 61 based on the correction value calculated by the correction value calculation unit 103 and the set temperature for supercritical drying. The temperature parameter is the set temperature corrected based on the correction value if correction is required, and is the set temperature itself if correction is not required. Then, in the next supercritical drying, the temperature command unit 104 sends command information of the calculated temperature parameter to the heating power supply unit 64. Based on this command information, the heating power supply unit 64 adjusts the amount of power supplied to each sensor heater unit 61, allowing each sensor heater unit 61 to heat the substrate W accommodated in the processing vessel 10 at an appropriate temperature.

[0067] The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is basically configured as described above, and the operation (substrate processing method) including the temperature stabilization control and the temperature distribution uniformization control will be described below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0068] Before starting supercritical drying, the control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 first sets a temperature adjustment period for supercritical drying using the adjustment setting unit 100 (step S11). The following describes a case where temperature stabilization control is performed in the depressurization step and temperature distribution uniformity control is performed in the pressure increase step.

[0069] Next, the control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs supercritical drying (step S12). At this time, the control unit 90 performs a pre-processing step, a pressure increase step, a circulation step, a pressure reduction step, and a post-processing step in this order in accordance with the processing flow shown in Fig. 3. When supercritical drying is performed for the first time after startup of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the temperature of the heating mechanism 60 is controlled at a set temperature that has not been corrected.

[0070] Then, during supercritical drying, the temperature acquisition unit 101 measures the temperature of the processing chamber 11 (substrate W) using the temperature measurement unit 70, acquires temperature information from the temperature measurement unit 70, and stores it in the memory 92 as temperature-time data (step S13).

[0071] When the current supercritical drying is completed, the control unit 90 reads out the current temperature-time data stored in the memory 92, and determines whether or not to correct the temperature in the next supercritical drying based on the temperature-time data.

[0072] Specifically, the temperature determination unit 102 extracts the minimum temperature in the current decompression step and compares it with the minimum reference temperature stored to determine whether or not to correct the temperature stabilization control (step S14). If the current minimum temperature is different from the minimum reference temperature by a predetermined value or more, the temperature determination unit 102 determines to correct the temperature stabilization control and proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the current minimum temperature is less than the minimum reference temperature by a predetermined value, the temperature determination unit 102 determines not to correct the temperature stabilization control and skips step S15 and proceeds to step S16.

[0073] In step S15, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value for the temperature stabilization control. For example, if the current minimum temperature is higher than the minimum temperature of the reference temperature by a predetermined value or more, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value that lowers the temperature of the heating mechanism 60. Conversely, if the current minimum temperature is lower than the minimum temperature of the reference temperature by a predetermined value or less, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value that raises the temperature of the heating mechanism 60.

[0074] Next, the temperature determination unit 102 determines whether or not to correct the temperature distribution uniformization control in the temperature rise process using the current temperature-time data of each sensor heater unit 61 read from the memory 92 (step S16). If the temperatures of the sensor heater units 61 are non-uniform, the temperature determination unit 102 determines to correct the temperature distribution uniformization control and proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if the temperatures of the sensor heater units 61 are uniform, the temperature determination unit 102 determines not to correct the temperature distribution uniformization control and skips step S17 and proceeds to step S18.

[0075] In step S17, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value for each sensor heater unit 61 in the temperature distribution uniformity control. For example, if the temperature of the outer periphery of the substrate W is higher than the temperature of the center of the substrate W, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates a correction value that lowers the temperature of the sensor heater unit 61 facing the outer periphery of the substrate W. Furthermore, if a correction value for temperature stabilization control has been calculated, the correction value calculation unit 103 calculates the correction value for each sensor heater unit 61 taking the correction value for temperature stabilization control into account.

[0076] Then, the temperature command unit 104 sets the temperature parameters of the heating mechanism 60 for the next supercritical drying (step S18). If it is determined that correction is necessary for the current supercritical drying, the temperature parameters are reset to the values ​​calculated by the correction value calculation unit 103.

[0077] Thereafter, the control unit 90 determines whether or not to perform the next supercritical drying (step S19), and if the next supercritical drying is to be performed, the process returns to step S12 and repeats the same process flow. In the next supercritical drying, the temperature command unit 104 outputs command information of the set temperature parameter (the corrected set temperature or the uncorrected set temperature) to the heating power supply unit 64, thereby appropriately adjusting the temperature of the substrate W accommodated in the processing vessel 10.

[0078] During supercritical drying, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above heats the heating mechanism 60 with temperature parameters set before supercritical drying (performs feedforward control) without feeding back the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 70. This makes it possible to suppress minute temperature fluctuations in the processing vessel 10 and stably uniformize the temperature for each of multiple supercritical drying runs.

[0079] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the substrate processing method can promote uniformity of the temperature for each substrate processing by determining whether or not the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 needs to be corrected based on a comparison between the temperature information for the temperature adjustment period and the reference temperature. That is, if the temperature information deviates from the reference temperature, correcting the set temperature of the heating mechanism 60 brings the temperature for the next substrate processing closer to the reference temperature. This minimizes temperature variations for each substrate processing, stabilizing the process performance during substrate processing. As a result, the state of the uneven pattern on the substrate W can be more reliably maintained.

[0080] Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can adjust the temperature for each substrate processing operation based on the minimum temperature during the depressurization process by setting the depressurization process for depressurizing the processing chamber 11 as the temperature adjustment period. This makes it possible to align the starting temperatures of the temperature adjustment temperature curves, making it easier to stabilize the temperature.

[0081] Furthermore, since the heating mechanism 60 is provided with a plurality of sensor heater units 61, it is possible to independently adjust the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 for the substrate W accommodated in the processing chamber 11. Then, the control unit 90 determines whether or not temperature correction is required for each of the sensor heater units 61, which makes it possible to easily make the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate W uniform.

[0082] In the temperature distribution uniformization control, the control unit 90 determines whether or not it is necessary to correct the temperature of each of the plurality of sensor heater units 61, based on the temperature information of the heater temperature sensor 72 provided in each of the plurality of sensor heater units 61. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can adjust the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 with even greater accuracy.

[0083] The substrate processing apparatus 1 and substrate processing method according to this embodiment are not limited to the above embodiment and may take various modifications. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to performing both temperature stabilization control and temperature distribution uniformization control, and may be configured to perform only one of these controls. As an example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured to perform only temperature stabilization control, which keeps the temperature of the heating mechanism 60 constant for each supercritical drying (each substrate processing) during the temperature adjustment period, without performing temperature distribution uniformization control. Even in this case, the temperature is uniform for each supercritical drying, which stabilizes the process performance and allows the uneven pattern on the substrate W to be maintained approximately constant.

[0084] Furthermore, the temperature adjustment period for temperature stabilization control in supercritical drying is not limited to the depressurization process, but may be any of the pre-processing process, the pressurization process, the circulation process, and the post-processing process. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may perform temperature stabilization control in the pre-processing process by correcting the temperature before the substrate W is placed in the processing chamber 11 to match the temperature at the same time, thereby stabilizing the process performance. Similarly, the same effect can be achieved by performing temperature stabilization control in the post-processing process by correcting the temperature when the substrate W is removed from the processing chamber 11 to match the temperature at the same time. Alternatively, the stabilization of process performance can be promoted by performing temperature stabilization control in the pressurization process by correcting the temperature at the start of the pressurization process or when a predetermined pressure is reached to match the temperature at the same time. Furthermore, temperature unevenness between supercritical drying processes can be suppressed by performing temperature stabilization control in the circulation process by correcting the temperature at the start and end of the circulation process to match the temperature at the same time.

[0085] Furthermore, the temperature adjustment period for temperature distribution uniformity control in supercritical drying is not limited to the pressure increase process, but may be any of the pre-processing process, circulation process, depressurization process, and post-processing process. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can uniformly heat the accommodated substrate W by performing temperature distribution uniformity control in the pre-processing process by correcting the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 to be uniform before the substrate W is accommodated in the processing chamber 11. The same effect can be achieved by performing temperature distribution uniformity control in the post-processing process by correcting the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 when the substrate W is removed from the processing chamber 11. Alternatively, temperature unevenness during each supercritical drying process can be suppressed by performing temperature distribution uniformity control in the circulation process by uniforming the temperature at the start and end of the circulation process. Furthermore, temperature distribution uniformity control in the depressurization process by correcting the minimum temperature during the depressurization process to be uniform to the temperature of each sensor heater unit 61 can also be used to appropriately adjust the temperature in the processing chamber 11.

[0086] 9 differs from the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above in that it includes a temperature adjusting gas supply unit 80 that sprays a temperature-adjustable temperature adjusting gas into the processing chamber 11 of the processing vessel 10. The temperature adjusting gas sprayed by the temperature adjusting gas supply unit 80 may be a cooling inert gas (e.g., N2 gas) that is adjusted to a temperature lower than that of the processing vessel 10. For example, the temperature adjusting gas supply unit 80 includes a drive nozzle 81 and an external supply mechanism 82 that supplies the temperature adjusting gas to the drive nozzle 81.

[0087] The drive nozzle 81 is L-shaped and includes a base extension 81a that can advance and retreat into the recessed space 14, and a tip extension 81b that can advance and retreat from the protruding end of the base extension 81a into and from the processing chamber 11 via the loading / unloading port 15p. The tip extension 81b of the drive nozzle 81 is configured to be mechanically expandable and contractible, and is provided at its tip with an outlet (not shown) for ejecting a temperature adjustment gas. Note that while FIG. 9 illustrates the drive nozzle 81 inserted into the loading / unloading port 15p through the through-hole 18 in the upper wall 16, the path for inserting the drive nozzle into the loading / unloading port 15p is not particularly limited; for example, the drive nozzle may be configured to access the loading / unloading port 15p from the side of the processing vessel 10.

[0088] The external supply mechanism 82 starts and stops supplying the temperature adjustment gas to the driven nozzle 81 under the control of the control unit 90. For example, when the control unit 90 determines that the temperature of the heating mechanism 60 needs to be corrected after the end of supercritical drying (post-treatment process), it causes the temperature adjustment gas supply unit 80 to supply the temperature adjustment gas.

[0089] The control unit 90 advances the drive nozzle 81 into the processing chamber 11 of the processing vessel 10 at the timing when the substrate holder 51 retreats from the processing vessel 10. After the drive nozzle 81 advances, the temperature of the processing chamber 11 is adjusted by spraying a temperature control gas into the processing chamber 11. At this time, the fluid discharge unit 40 also discharges the gas and temperature control gas remaining in the processing chamber 11 from the processing chamber 11. This enables the substrate processing apparatus 1A to reduce the temperature of the processing chamber 11 in a short time, thereby further shortening the time required for temperature stabilization control.

[0090] The substrate processing apparatus 1A may include a sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the nozzle of the drive nozzle 81, and may vary the extension length of the tip extension portion 81b (the position of the nozzle) based on the detection result of the sensor. By placing the drive nozzle 81 at an appropriate position (for example, the back side) in the processing chamber 11, it becomes possible to apply the temperature adjustment gas directly to the area that needs to be cooled intensively, thereby further promoting uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate W.

[0091] The substrate processing apparatus 1 and the substrate processing method according to the presently disclosed embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The features described in the above embodiments can be configured differently and can be combined within the scope of the appended claims.

[0092] This application claims priority from basic application No. 2022-18193, filed with the Japan Patent Office on February 8, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Substrate processing equipment 10 Processing container 30 Fluid supply section 60 Heating mechanism 70 Temperature measurement section 90 Control Unit W substrate

Claims

1. 1. A substrate processing apparatus that dries a substrate having a liquid film thereon by using a supercritical fluid, comprising: a processing vessel that accommodates the substrate; a fluid supply unit that supplies the supercritical fluid into the processing vessel; a heating mechanism for heating the inside of the processing vessel; a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature inside the processing vessel; a control unit that controls the fluid supply unit and the heating mechanism, The control unit acquiring temperature information inside the processing vessel measured by the temperature measurement unit over a period from when the substrate is carried into the processing vessel to when the substrate is carried out, and storing temperature-time data linking the temperature information with time; extracting a temperature during a temperature adjustment period from the stored temperature-time data, and determining whether or not a correction of the set temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary based on a comparison between the temperature during the temperature adjustment period and a reference temperature stored in advance; When it is determined that the set temperature needs to be corrected, the output of the heating mechanism is controlled in accordance with the corrected set temperature; The period is: a pressure increase period in which the pressure inside the processing chamber is increased to a set pressure after the substrate is carried in; a flow period during which the substrate is processed by flowing the supercritical fluid at the set pressure; a depressurization period in which the inside of the processing vessel is depressurized after the processing of the substrate is completed, the temperature adjustment target period is the depressurization period, The control unit extracting a minimum temperature during the depressurization period from the temperature-time data; If the minimum temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, it is determined that the set temperature needs to be corrected; If the minimum temperature is lower than the reference temperature, it is determined that correction of the set temperature is unnecessary. Substrate processing equipment.

2. the reference temperature is the lowest temperature during the pressure reduction period of the temperature-time data acquired before the current temperature-time data; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. A substrate processing apparatus that dries a substrate having a liquid film thereon using a supercritical fluid, comprising: a processing vessel that accommodates the substrate; a fluid supply unit that supplies the supercritical fluid into the processing vessel; a heating mechanism for heating the inside of the processing vessel; a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature inside the processing vessel; a control unit that controls the fluid supply unit and the heating mechanism, The control unit acquiring temperature information inside the processing vessel measured by the temperature measurement unit over a period from when the substrate is carried into the processing vessel to when the substrate is carried out, and storing temperature-time data linking the temperature information with time; extracting a temperature during a temperature adjustment period from the stored temperature-time data, and determining whether or not a correction of the set temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary based on a comparison between the temperature during the temperature adjustment period and a reference temperature stored in advance; When it is determined that the set temperature needs to be corrected, the output of the heating mechanism is controlled in accordance with the corrected set temperature; the heating mechanism has a plurality of container heaters whose temperatures can be adjusted independently of one another; the control unit determines whether or not correction of the set temperature is required for each of the plurality of container heaters. Substrate processing equipment.

4. the plurality of container heaters are arranged to face an upper surface or a lower surface of the substrate accommodated inside the processing container; the temperature measurement unit includes a plurality of heater temperature sensors provided in the plurality of container heaters, the control unit corrects the set temperatures of the corresponding container heaters based on the temperature information of the plurality of heater temperature sensors. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. the control unit compares the measured temperatures of the heater temperature sensors during the temperature adjustment period with a predetermined threshold range; If the measured temperature is outside a predetermined threshold range, correcting the set temperature of the corresponding container heater. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 .

6. a temperature adjusting gas supply unit that supplies a temperature adjusting gas into the processing vessel; When the control unit determines that the set temperature needs to be corrected, the control unit supplies the temperature adjustment gas from the temperature adjustment gas supply unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3.

7. the control unit controls the output of the heating mechanism to be constant while the set temperature is constant during supercritical drying, in which the supercritical fluid is supplied to the substrate to dry it. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3.

8. 1. A substrate processing method for drying a substrate having a liquid film thereon by using a supercritical fluid, comprising: carrying the substrate into a processing vessel, supplying the supercritical fluid into the processing vessel, and heating the inside of the processing vessel with a heating mechanism to perform supercritical drying; acquiring temperature information inside the processing vessel measured by a temperature measurement unit over a period from when the substrate is carried into the processing vessel to when the substrate is carried out, and storing temperature-time data linking the temperature information with time; extracting a temperature during a temperature adjustment period from the stored temperature-time data, and determining whether or not correction of the set temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary based on a comparison between the temperature during the temperature adjustment period and a reference temperature stored in advance; and when it is determined that correction of the set temperature is necessary, controlling the output of the heating mechanism in accordance with the corrected set temperature; The period is: a pressure increase period in which the pressure inside the processing chamber is increased to a set pressure after the substrate is carried in; a flow period during which the substrate is processed by flowing the supercritical fluid at the set pressure; a depressurization period in which the inside of the processing vessel is depressurized after the processing of the substrate is completed, In the step of determining whether or not the set temperature needs to be corrected, extracting a minimum temperature during the depressurization period from the temperature-time data; If the minimum temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, it is determined that the set temperature needs to be corrected; If the minimum temperature is lower than the reference temperature, it is determined that correction of the set temperature is unnecessary. Substrate processing method.

9. A substrate processing method for drying a substrate having a liquid film thereon using a supercritical fluid, comprising: carrying the substrate into a processing vessel, supplying the supercritical fluid into the processing vessel, and heating the inside of the processing vessel with a heating mechanism to perform supercritical drying; acquiring temperature information inside the processing vessel measured by a temperature measurement unit over a period from when the substrate is carried into the processing vessel to when the substrate is carried out, and storing temperature-time data linking the temperature information with time; extracting a temperature during a temperature adjustment period from the stored temperature-time data, and determining whether or not correction of the set temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary based on a comparison between the temperature during the temperature adjustment period and a reference temperature stored in advance; and when it is determined that correction of the set temperature is necessary, controlling the output of the heating mechanism in accordance with the corrected set temperature; the heating mechanism has a plurality of container heaters whose temperatures can be adjusted independently of one another; the substrate processing method includes determining whether or not correction of the set temperature is required for each of the plurality of container heaters. Substrate processing method.

10. the plurality of container heaters are arranged to face an upper surface or a lower surface of the substrate accommodated inside the processing container; the substrate processing method includes correcting the set temperatures of the corresponding container heaters based on the temperature information of a plurality of heater temperature sensors provided in the corresponding container heaters. The substrate processing method according to claim 9 .

11. The step of determining whether or not correction of the temperature when the heating mechanism heats is necessary, comparing the measured temperatures of the heater temperature sensors during the temperature adjustment period with a predetermined threshold range; If the measured temperature is outside a predetermined threshold range, correcting the set temperature of the corresponding container heater. The substrate processing method according to claim 10.

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