Liquid processing apparatus, liquid processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

To appropriately eliminate static electricity from a processing liquid supplied to a substrate, and to suppress variations in the film thickness of the substrate coated with the processing liquid.SOLUTION: A resist coating device 1 includes a coating liquid nozzle 41, and a standby bus 50 that is provided in a standby area 90 which is an area outside the space above a substrate W, and accommodates the coating liquid nozzle 41 during the non-processing period when liquid processing is not performed. The standby bus 50 includes an insulating member 51 arranged to surround the coating liquid nozzle 41, and a conductive member 52 located below the tip of the coating liquid nozzle 41 and grounded. As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole TH through which a resist passes is formed so as to penetrate through the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that prevents damage to patterns on a substrate due to charging and improves the manufacturing yield of semiconductor devices by moving a nozzle outside the substrate before discharging a chemical solution onto the substrate, discharging the chemical solution outside the substrate for several seconds, and then moving the nozzle above the substrate and discharging the chemical solution. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-87326 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, simply discharging the treatment liquid before the liquid treatment described above may not be enough to sufficiently remove electricity from the treatment liquid in the liquid discharge line (in the supply pipe and nozzle).The treatment liquid may be charged, which may cause variations in the film thickness on the substrate to which the treatment liquid is applied.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a liquid processing apparatus that appropriately neutralizes static electricity from a processing liquid supplied to a substrate, thereby suppressing variations in the film thickness of the substrate coated with the processing liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A liquid processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a processing liquid discharge nozzle configured to be able to discharge a processing liquid onto a substrate, and a standby bath provided in a standby area, which is an area outside a space above the substrate, and which houses the processing liquid discharge nozzle when liquid processing is not being performed. The standby bath includes an insulating member arranged to surround the processing liquid discharge nozzle when the processing liquid discharge nozzle is housed therein, and a first conductive member arranged below the tip of the processing liquid discharge nozzle when the processing liquid discharge nozzle is housed therein and which is grounded. A through hole is formed through the insulating member and the first conductive member to allow the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge nozzle to pass therethrough. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately neutralize the charge on the treatment liquid supplied to the substrate, and to suppress variations in the film thickness on the substrate on which the treatment liquid has been applied. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a resist coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a standby bus included in the resist coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the storage area for waiting buses. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage section of a standby bus according to a modified example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a storage section of a standby bus according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage section of a standby bus according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage section of a standby bus according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a resist coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The resist coating apparatus 1 is an apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) included in a substrate processing system that forms a photosensitive coating on a substrate W, exposes the photosensitive coating, and develops the photosensitive coating. Examples of the substrate W to be processed include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, mask substrates, and FPDs (Flat Panel Displays). The substrate W also includes semiconductor wafers or the like on which a coating or the like has been formed in a previous process. The resist coating apparatus 1 performs a process of forming a resist film on the surface of the substrate W before an exposure process by an exposure apparatus (not shown) included in the substrate processing system. More specifically, the resist coating apparatus 1 supplies a coating liquid for forming a resist film to the surface of the substrate W to form the pre-baked resist film. After forming the pre-baked resist film on the surface of the substrate W, the resist coating apparatus 1 supplies a remover liquid to the peripheral portion of the substrate W to remove the peripheral portion of the pre-baked resist film.

[0010] 1, the resist coating apparatus 1 includes a coating processing section 1a, a nozzle unit 40, a standby bus 50, a moving mechanism 3, and a control section 7. The resist coating apparatus 1 may include two or more coating processing sections arranged side by side, but only one coating processing section 1a will be described here. The resist coating apparatus 1 may also include other components such as a removing solution nozzle, a standby bus for the removing solution nozzle, and a processing space camera, but these will not be described here.

[0011] 1, the coating processing unit 1a includes a spin chuck 12a, which is a rotary holder that horizontally holds the substrate W by suction at the center of the back surface thereof and rotates the substrate W. The spin chuck 12a is connected to a rotary drive mechanism 14a via a rotation shaft 13a. The spin chuck 12a is configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis while holding the substrate W via the rotary drive mechanism 14a, and is set so that the center of the substrate W is positioned on the rotation shaft. The rotary drive mechanism 14a receives a control signal from the control unit 7 to control the rotation speed of the spin chuck 12a.

[0012] A cup 21a having an opening 20a on its upper side is provided around the spin chuck 12a so as to surround the substrate W on the spin chuck 12a. The upper end of the circumferential side surface of the cup 21a forms an inwardly sloping portion 22a. A liquid receiving portion 23a having, for example, a recessed shape is provided on the bottom side of the cup 21a. The liquid receiving portion 23a is divided into an outer region and an inner region by a partition wall 24a along the entire periphery below the periphery of the substrate W. A drain port 25a for discharging accumulated resist and the like is provided at the bottom of the outer region, and exhaust ports 26a, 26a for exhausting the processing atmosphere are provided at the bottom of the inner region.

[0013] One end of an exhaust duct 110 is connected to the exhaust ports 26a, 26a, and the other end of the exhaust duct 110 is connected to the exhaust source of the factory (see FIG. 1) via an exhaust damper. In this way, the exhaust duct 110 is connected to the exhaust port 26a of the cup 21a and also to the exhaust source.

[0014] Three lift pins 15a are provided in the cup 21a (only two are shown in FIG. 1 for convenience). The lift pins 15a are raised and lowered by a lift mechanism 16a, allowing the substrate W to be transferred between the spin chuck 12a and a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) that transports the substrate W to the resist coating apparatus 1.

[0015] The nozzle unit 40 is attached to the tip of a nozzle arm of the moving mechanism 3, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle unit 40 has a plurality of coating liquid nozzles 41 (treatment liquid discharge nozzles) configured to be able to discharge a plurality of types (e.g., 10 types) of resist onto the substrate W. The nozzle unit 40 also has a treatment liquid nozzle 42 configured to be able to discharge a thinner that makes it easier for the resist to spread on the substrate W. The coating liquid nozzle 41 and the treatment liquid nozzle 42 have discharge ports that open vertically downward. The chemical solutions discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 and the treatment liquid nozzle 42 are applied to the entire surface of the substrate W by so-called spin coating, in which the chemical solutions are spread toward the peripheral edge of the substrate W by centrifugal force.

[0016] 1, the coating liquid nozzle 41 and the processing liquid nozzle 42 are supplied with a chemical liquid from a chemical liquid supply unit 43 (processing liquid supply section). The chemical liquid supply unit 43 has a resist supply mechanism 44 including a tank in which the chemical liquid to be supplied to the coating liquid nozzle 41 is stored and a liquid delivery mechanism for pressurizing the inside of the tank to send the chemical liquid in the tank to the coating liquid nozzle. The number of resist supply mechanisms 44 provided is the same as the number of coating liquid nozzles 41. The chemical liquid supply unit 43 also has a thinner supply mechanism 6 including a tank in which the chemical liquid to be supplied to the processing liquid nozzle 42 is stored and a liquid delivery mechanism for pressurizing the inside of the tank to send the chemical liquid in the tank to the processing liquid nozzle 42.

[0017] A chemical liquid supply line 45 is provided to connect the coating liquid nozzle 41 and the resist supply mechanism 44, and to connect the processing liquid nozzle 42 and the thinner supply mechanism 6. A flow rate control unit 47 including a valve 46 is interposed in the chemical liquid supply line 45. Each valve 46 is controlled to open or close in response to a control signal from the control unit 7, whereby various types of resist and thinner are switched and supplied to the substrate W.

[0018] On the primary side of the coating liquid nozzle 41 and the processing liquid nozzle 42, a discharge valve V and a suck-back valve SV are provided in series in this order from the discharge side within the nozzle head 34. The discharge valve V and the suck-back valve SV are operated, for example, using air pressure as power. The discharge valve V opens and closes the flow path between each chemical liquid supply line 45 and each coating liquid nozzle 41 and processing liquid nozzle 42 using air pressure. The suck-back valve SV is capable of adjusting the volume and chemical liquid pressure using a piston mechanism operated by air pressure.

[0019] The movement mechanism 3 is configured to hold and move the nozzle unit 40. The movement mechanism 3 holds the nozzle unit 40 at the tip of a nozzle arm. The nozzle arm of the movement mechanism 3 can be raised and lowered by a cylinder motor or the like. A nozzle drive unit of the movement mechanism 3 moves the nozzle arm horizontally along a nozzle movement axis by, for example, a motor or the like. The movement mechanism 3 moves the nozzle unit 40 in response to a control signal from the control unit 7.

[0020] The standby bus 50 is provided in a standby area 90, which is an area outside the processing space, which is the space above the substrate W. The standby bus 50 accommodates a nozzle unit 40 including a coating liquid nozzle 41 during non-processing times when liquid processing (liquid processing in which a resist is discharged onto the substrate W) is not being performed on the substrate W. In the standby bus 50, resist is discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 to neutralize the resist (details will be described later). For this reason, a drain port is provided at the bottom of the standby bus 50 to discharge the discharged resist, etc. Furthermore, in order to neutralize the resist as described above, a portion of the configuration of the standby bus 50 is grounded (earthed) (details will be described later).

[0021] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a side view of the standby bus 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the standby bus 50 has a plurality of storage sections 500 in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of coating liquid nozzles 41. That is, each storage section 500 stores one coating liquid nozzle 41. Below, the detailed configuration of one storage section 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the accommodating section 500 of the standby bus 50. Fig. 3 shows only the configuration of the accommodating section 500 that is related to the neutralization of the resist, and some other configurations are omitted. As shown in Fig. 3, the accommodating section 500 has a three-layer structure and includes an insulating member 51 (upper layer), a conductive member 52 (first conductive member, middle layer) disposed directly below the insulating member, and a support portion 53 (lower layer) disposed directly below the conductive member 52.

[0023] The insulating member 51 is an insulating member arranged to surround the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 when the coating liquid nozzle 41 is housed in the housing section 500. The insulating member 51 may be made of a material such as polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxyalkane, or polyacetal resin. When the coating liquid nozzle 41 is housed in the standby bus 50, at least the discharge port of the coating liquid nozzle 41 from which the coating liquid is discharged is located inside the housing section 500. In this embodiment, for example, the discharge port is provided at the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41.

[0024] A through hole TH is formed in the insulating member 51 so that the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 can be inserted. The through hole TH extends vertically so as to penetrate not only the insulating member 51 but also the conductive member 52 and the support member 53, and allows the resistor discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 to pass through. The through hole TH formed in the insulating member 51 is formed in a tapered shape that narrows from the upper end portion to the lower end portion of the insulating member 51. That is, the inner wall 51x of the insulating member 51 constituting the through hole TH is farther away from the center portion of the through hole TH toward the upper end portion and closer to the center portion of the through hole TH toward the lower end portion. At the lower end portion of the insulating member 51, the diameter of the through hole TH is reduced to such an extent that the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 cannot pass through. That is, the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 accommodated in the through hole TH is positioned at least above the lower end portion of the insulating member 51.

[0025] The conductive member 52 is a conductive member that is disposed below the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 and is grounded when the coating liquid nozzle 41 is housed in the housing portion 500. The conductive member 52 may be made of a material such as stainless steel or a carbon-containing resin. The resin matrix of the carbon-containing resin may be, for example, polyether ether ketone resin, polypropylene, or polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0026] As described above, the through hole TH extends to penetrate the conductive member 52. The inner wall 52x of the conductive member 52 constituting the through hole TH is formed so as to be closer to the liquid column LC of the resist discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 than the inner wall 51x of the insulating member 51 constituting the through hole TH (i.e., closer to the central portion of the through hole TH). The boundary surface BO between the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52 is located below the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41 when the coating liquid nozzle 41 is accommodated in the accommodation section 500.

[0027] According to this configuration, the resist discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 and passing through the through-hole TH flows near the inner wall 52x of the conductive member 52. At this time, the charge on the charged resist is released to the ground side via the conductive member 52. This allows the resist to be properly neutralized before the liquid processing.

[0028] The support portion 53 is disposed directly below the conductive member 52 and is configured to support the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52. The support portion 53 may be made of the same material as the insulating member 51, or may be made of the same material as the conductive member 52.

[0029] The configuration of the storage section of the standby bus (the configuration related to the charge removal of the resist) is not limited to the above. Below, the configuration of the storage section of the standby bus according to the modified example will be described with reference to Figs.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage unit 500A of a standby bus according to a modified example. Support member 53 is not shown in FIG. In addition to the components included in storage unit 500 described above, storage unit 500A also includes a conductive member 60 (third conductive member). Conductive member 60 is a rod-shaped member extending across conductive member 52 surrounding through-hole TH. In other words, conductive member 60 extends from the inner wall of conductive member 52 toward the inside of through-hole TH. Conductive member 60 is provided on the upper end of conductive member 52 (the boundary with insulating member 51). Conductive member 60 does not cover the entire surface of through-hole TH, but rather spans conductive member 52, leaving at least the area of ​​through-hole TH open enough for resist to pass through the through-hole TH. By providing such conductive member 60, a configuration can be achieved in which the resist and conductive member 60 come into contact with each other at the resist-passing surface of through-hole TH. As a result, the charge on the resist is also removed by the conductive member 60, and the resist can be more suitably removed.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a storage unit 500B of a standby bus according to a modified example. Insulating member 51 is not shown in FIG. 5. Similar to storage unit 500A, storage unit 500B has a rod-shaped conductive member (conductive member 160, third conductive member) extending across conductive member 52 surrounding through-hole TH. As shown in FIG. 5, storage unit 500B includes a plurality of conductive members 160. The plurality of conductive members 160 are spaced apart from one another. By providing a plurality of conductive members 160 on the resist passage surface of through-hole TH, the resist and conductive members 160 can easily come into contact with each other even if the resist passage area is misaligned. Furthermore, since the plurality of conductive members 160 are spaced apart from one another, the aperture ratio of through-hole TH is maintained, thereby preventing resist from accumulating in through-hole TH. The plurality of conductive members 160 are not limited to extending in the same direction, but may extend so as to intersect with each other (so as to form a cross) when viewed in a plan view.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage unit 500C of a standby bus according to a modified example. In FIG. 6, the insulating member 51 and the support member 53 are omitted. The shape of the conductive member 52 is also simplified. In addition to the components included in the storage unit 500 described above, the storage unit 500C includes a pair of conductive members 260, 260. One conductive member 260 extends downward from an inner wall 52x of the conductive member 52 surrounding the through-hole TH toward the center of the through-hole TH. The other conductive member 260 extends downward from a portion of the inner wall 52x facing the base end of the one conductive member 260 toward the center of the through-hole TH. The pair of conductive members 260, 260 are in contact with each other at their distal ends (lower ends). Thus, the pair of conductive members 260, 260 extend from the inner wall 52x toward the center of the through-hole TH, forming a V-shape in the longitudinal cross-section. Such V-shaped conductive members 260, 260 can separate the contact point between the resist and the conductive member 260 from the coating liquid nozzle 41, effectively preventing the resist from adhering to the coating liquid nozzle 41. Furthermore, the V-shaped conductive members 260, 260 can easily guide the resist that comes into contact with the conductive member 260 downward, effectively preventing the resist from accumulating in the through hole TH.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a storage section 500D of a standby bus according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 7, unlike storage section 500 and the like, storage section 500D does not have a layered conductive member, but instead has a cylindrical conductive member formed along through-hole TH. Specifically, storage section 500D includes, as conductive members, a conductive member 152 (first conductive member) and a conductive member 70 (second conductive member). The conductive member 152 and the conductive member 70 are grounded.

[0034] The conductive member 152 is disposed below the tip of the coating liquid nozzle 41. The conductive member 152 is a cylindrical conductive member that extends in the vertical direction below the insulating member 51 so as to surround the through-hole TH.

[0035] The conductive member 70 has a portion that extends along the upper wall inside the upper wall of the insulating member 51, and a cylindrical portion that extends in the vertical direction inside the inner wall of the insulating member 51 so as to surround the through-hole TH. In this way, the conductive member 70 is provided inside the insulating member 51. Since the conductive member 70 is not exposed to the outside, contamination by eluted components of the conductive member 70 itself is suppressed, and the resist attracted by the conductive member 70 is suppressed from adhering to the coating liquid nozzle 41, etc.

[0036] Returning to FIG. 1 , the control unit 7 controls each component of the resist coating apparatus 1. The control unit 7 is composed of one or more control computers. As shown in FIG. 8 , the control unit 7 has a circuit 190. The circuit 190 includes at least one processor 191, a memory 192, a storage 193, an input / output port 194, an input device 195, and a display device 196. The storage 193 has a computer-readable storage medium such as a hard disk. The storage 193 stores a program for causing the control unit 7 to execute a liquid processing method for the resist coating apparatus 1.

[0037] The memory 192 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage medium of the storage 193 and calculation results by the processor 191. The processor 191 configures each of the above-mentioned functional modules by executing the programs in cooperation with the memory 192. The input / output port 194 inputs and outputs electrical signals to and from each component in response to commands from the processor 191. The input device 195 and the display device 196 function as a user interface for the control unit 7. The input device 195 is, for example, a keyboard, and acquires information input by the user. The display device 196 includes, for example, an LCD monitor, and is used to display information to the user. The input device 195 and the display device 196 may be integrated into a so-called touch panel.

[0038] The control unit 7 is configured to execute the following first control, second control, third control, and fourth control. While the accommodation unit 500 is exemplified as the accommodation unit, accommodation units 500A, 500B, 500C, and 500D may also be used. In the first control, the control unit 7 controls the moving mechanism 3 so that the coating liquid nozzle 41 is accommodated in the accommodation unit 500 of the standby bus 50 before the liquid processing. In the second control, the control unit 7 controls the chemical liquid supply unit 43 so that the resist is discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 accommodated in the accommodation unit 500 of the standby bus 50 after the first control.

[0039] In the third control, after the second control, the control unit 7 controls the moving mechanism 3 so that the coating liquid nozzle 41 moves above the substrate W. In the fourth control, after the third control, the control unit 7 controls the chemical liquid supply unit 43 so that a liquid process is performed in which a resist is discharged onto the substrate W. With this configuration, the above-described static elimination process can be appropriately performed before the liquid process.

[0040] By carrying out such first to fourth controls, a liquid treatment method including the following first to fourth steps is carried out. Note that the first to fourth steps do not necessarily have to be carried out in accordance with the control of control unit 7 (the above-mentioned first to fourth controls).

[0041] In the first step, before the liquid treatment, the coating liquid nozzle 41 is accommodated in the accommodation section 500 of the standby bus 50, and the coating liquid nozzle 41 is disposed in a position surrounded by the insulating member 51 of the standby bus 50 and above the conductive member 52. In the second step after the first step, the coating liquid nozzle 41 ejects resist, and the ejected resist passes through the through-hole TH formed so as to penetrate the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52.

[0042] In a third step after the second step, the coating liquid nozzle 41 is moved above the substrate W. In a fourth step after the third step, a liquid process is performed in which resist is discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 onto the substrate W.

[0043] Next, the effects of the resist coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0044] [E1] The resist coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a coating liquid nozzle 41 and a standby bus 50 that is provided in a standby area 90, which is an area outside the space above the substrate W, and that accommodates the coating liquid nozzle 41 during non-processing when no liquid processing is being performed. The standby bus 50 has an insulating member 51 that is arranged to surround the coating liquid nozzle 41, and a conductive member 52 that is arranged below the tip of the coating liquid nozzle 41 and is grounded. As shown in FIG. 3 , a through hole TH that allows the resist to pass through is formed so as to penetrate the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52.

[0045] The standby bus 50 of the resist coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes an insulating member 51 that surrounds the coating liquid nozzle 41 when the coating liquid nozzle 41 is housed therein, and a grounded conductive member 52 that is located below the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41. The standby bus 50 includes a through hole TH that penetrates the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52 to allow the resist discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 to pass through. This configuration allows the resist discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 41 and passing through the through hole TH to flow near the inner wall 51x of the conductive member 52. At this time, the charge on the charged resist is released to the ground via the conductive member 52, allowing the resist to be properly neutralized. That is, the standby bus 50 of the resist coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment allows the resist in the liquid discharge line to be properly neutralized via the liquid column and the conductive member 52, thereby preventing variations in the film thickness of the substrate W coated with the resist.

[0046] [E2] 3, in the resist coating apparatus 1, the conductive member 52 may be disposed directly below the insulating member 51. The boundary surface BO between the insulating member 51 and the conductive member 52 may be located below the tip 41a of the coating liquid nozzle 41. With this configuration, even if the conductive member 52 attracts the charge of the resist, it is possible to prevent the resist from adhering to the coating liquid nozzle 41 or the inner wall 51x of the insulating member 51 in the vicinity thereof.

[0047] [E3] 3, the resist coating apparatus 1 may be the apparatus described in [E1] or [E2], in which the inner wall 52x of the conductive member 52 is formed closer to the liquid column LC of the resist than the inner wall 51x of the insulating member 51. With this configuration, the charge of the liquid column LC of the resist can be more suitably attracted to the conductive member 52.

[0048] [E4] 7, the resist coating apparatus 1 may be the apparatus according to any one of [E1] to [E3], further including a grounded conductive member 70 located inside the surface layer of the inner wall of the insulating member 51. With this configuration, the resist can be neutralized by the conductive member 70 provided inside the inner wall of the insulating member 51. In other words, the resist can be neutralized more appropriately.

[0049] [E5] 4, the resist coating apparatus 1 may be the apparatus described in any one of [E1] to [E4], further including a conductive member 60 extending from the inner wall of the conductive member 52 surrounding the through hole TH toward the inside of the through hole TH. With this configuration, the charge of the resist can be attracted to the conductive member 60 at the surface through which the resist passes in the through hole TH, and the resist can be more suitably neutralized.

[0050] [E6] 4, the resist coating apparatus 1 may be the apparatus described in [E5], in which the conductive member 60 is provided at the upper end of the conductive member 52. The resist has a more stable columnar shape at a position closer to the coating liquid nozzle 41 (i.e., the upper part). Therefore, by providing the conductive member 60 at the upper end of the conductive member 52, the resist and the conductive member 60 can be brought into contact at a location where the resist state is stable, and the resist can be more suitably de-electrified.

[0051] [E7] 5, a plurality of conductive members 160 are provided across the conductive member 52, and the plurality of conductive members 160 may be spaced apart from one another. This configuration allows the resist and the conductive members 160 to easily come into contact with each other even if the resist passage area is shifted. Furthermore, since the plurality of conductive members 160 are spaced apart from one another, the aperture ratio of the through hole TH can be maintained, and the resist can be appropriately prevented from remaining in the through hole TH without passing through it.

[0052] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the resist coating apparatus 1 has been described as a liquid processing apparatus, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the liquid processing apparatus may be another liquid processing apparatus (for example, a developing processing apparatus). [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...resist coating device (liquid processing device), 3...movement mechanism, 7...control unit, 41...coating liquid nozzle (processing liquid discharge nozzle), 41a...tip, 43...chemical liquid supply unit (processing liquid supply unit), 50...standby bus, 51...insulating member, 51x...inner wall, 52, 152...conductive member (first conductive member), 52x...inner wall, 60, 160...conductive member (third conductive member), 70...conductive member (second conductive member), 90...standby area, BO...boundary surface, LC...liquid column, TH...through hole, W...substrate.

Claims

1. a processing liquid discharge nozzle configured to be able to discharge a processing liquid onto a substrate; a standby bus that is provided in a standby area that is an area outside the space above the substrate and that accommodates the processing liquid discharge nozzle during non-processing when liquid processing is not being performed, The standby bus is an insulating member arranged to surround the processing liquid discharge nozzle in a state in which the processing liquid discharge nozzle is housed; a first conductive member that is disposed below a tip of the processing liquid discharge nozzle and is grounded when the processing liquid discharge nozzle is housed; a through-hole for passing the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge nozzle is formed so as to penetrate the insulating member and the first conductive member.

2. the first conductive member is disposed directly below the insulating member, 2 . The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the boundary surface between the insulating member and the first conductive member is located below a tip of the processing liquid discharge nozzle when the processing liquid discharge nozzle is housed.

3. 3. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the first conductive member constituting the through hole is formed so as to be closer to a liquid column of the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge nozzle than an inner wall of the insulating member constituting the through hole.

4. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a grounded second conductive member located inside a surface layer of the inner wall of the insulating member.

5. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third conductive member extending from an inner wall of the first conductive member surrounding the through hole toward the inside of the through hole.

6. The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the third conductive member is provided on an upper end of the first conductive member.

7. The third conductive member is provided in plurality, The liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the third conductive members are spaced apart from one another.

8. a processing liquid supply unit that supplies the processing liquid to the processing liquid discharge nozzle; a moving mechanism that moves the processing liquid discharge nozzle; a control unit, The control unit a first control for controlling the moving mechanism so that the processing liquid discharge nozzle is accommodated in a standby bath before the liquid processing; a second control that controls the processing liquid supply unit so that the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid discharge nozzle accommodated in the standby bath after the first control; a third control for controlling the movement mechanism so that the processing liquid discharge nozzle moves above the substrate after the second control; 2. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth control, after the third control, for controlling the processing liquid supply unit so that liquid processing is performed by discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate.

9. a first step of housing a processing liquid discharge nozzle configured to be able to discharge a processing liquid in a standby bath and arranging the processing liquid discharge nozzle in a position surrounded by an insulating member and above a conductive member of the standby bath before liquid processing; a second step of discharging the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid discharge nozzle after the first step and passing the discharged treatment liquid through a through hole formed to penetrate the insulating member and the conductive member; a third step of moving the processing liquid discharge nozzle above the substrate after the second step; a fourth step, after the third step, of discharging the processing liquid from the processing liquid discharge nozzle to perform liquid processing by discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an apparatus to execute the liquid processing method according to claim 9.

Images