Substrate processing equipment

Abstract

To reduce environmental impact by reducing the amount of heated gas used in a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the substrate whose temperature has been raised by heated gas.SOLUTION: A top surface protection heating mechanism heats a substrate while covering the top surface of the substrate held by a substrate holding portion, a base block, a first underblock, and a second underblock are combined to form a gap region and an annular air outlet. Then, gas flowing through the gap region is heated by a peripheral edge heating portion and then supplied from the annular outlet to the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the top surface of the substrate. Further, the peripheral edge heating portion can raise and lower the temperature of the peripheral edge of the substrate, which heats not only the gas but also the peripheral edge of the top surface of the substrate, to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a peripheral portion of a substrate with a processing liquid. Here, the substrate includes a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a solar cell, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate"). Further, the processing includes an etching process.

Background Art

[0002] As a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to a peripheral portion of a substrate while rotating the substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and performing chemical treatment or cleaning treatment, for example, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this substrate processing apparatus, the substrate is held horizontally by a spin chuck, and a gas supply unit is provided as an auxiliary mechanism at that time. This gas supply unit has a blocking plate whose lower surface faces the upper surface of the substrate. A nozzle is provided at the central portion of this blocking plate. Then, a gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied from the nozzle toward the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to improve processing efficiency when processing the peripheral edges of a substrate, such as in beveling, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the substrate's peripheral edges to a desired temperature. Therefore, in the conventional apparatus described above, it has been proposed to supply heated gas from a nozzle on a barrier plate (proposed technology). However, the heated gas supplied from the nozzle is first supplied to the center of the upper surface of the substrate, and then supplied to the peripheral edges along the upper surface of the substrate. As a result, the gas, which is at a temperature higher than room temperature, is not necessarily efficiently supplied to the peripheral edges of the substrate, and the amount of heated gas used increases. In other words, there was room for improvement in reducing the environmental impact of conventional substrate processing equipment. Furthermore, with the increase in the amount of heated gas used, a large amount of electricity is consumed to heat the gas, and there was also room for improvement in reducing power consumption.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to reduce the environmental burden by reducing the amount of heated gas used in a substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing on the peripheral edge of a substrate heated by a heated gas by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate holding part that is rotatable around a rotation axis extending vertically while holding a substrate substantially horizontally; a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding part around the rotation axis; a processing mechanism for performing substrate processing on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part rotated by the rotation mechanism by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate; and an upper surface protection heating mechanism for heating the substrate while covering the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part. The upper surface protection heating mechanism comprises a base block having a first opening in the center of the upper surface for introducing gas to be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and a second opening wider than the first opening in the center of the lower surface, with a funnel-shaped space formed where the inner diameter expands downward from the first opening and connects to the second opening; and a third opening having the same shape as the second opening in the center of the upper surface, with the third opening extending downward from the lower The device comprises a first underblock having a hollow shape with a through-space formed that penetrates toward the center of the surface, with the third opening coinciding with the second opening and the lower surface of the peripheral edge facing the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, a peripheral heating section provided on the first underblock, and a second underblock connected to the base block with its lower surface facing the center of the upper surface of the substrate and loosely inserted into the through-space and funnel-shaped space, an annular outlet formed between the lower surface of the first underblock and the lower surface of the second underblock near the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, connected to the first opening via the gap region between the base block and the first and second underblocks, and the peripheral heating section heating the gas flowing through the gap region and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate.

[0007] In this configuration, an annular outlet is formed near the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, and heated gas is directly supplied from this annular outlet to the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the substrate. Therefore, the present invention can efficiently raise the temperature of the peripheral edge of the substrate compared to the proposed technology, which raises the temperature of the peripheral edge of the substrate by allowing heated gas supplied to the center of the upper surface of the substrate to flow along the upper surface to the peripheral edge of the substrate. Consequently, the peripheral edge of the substrate can be heated with less heated gas than in the proposed technology.

[0008] Furthermore, efficiently raising the substrate temperature improves processing capacity, meaning processing time is shortened. As a result, the amount of chemicals used can be reduced, thus lowering the environmental impact.

[0009] Furthermore, in this invention, a peripheral heating section is provided in the first underblock as a heating means for heating the gas flowing through the gap region. In other words, the gas is heated just before it is supplied from the annular outlet. As a result, high-temperature heated gas is supplied from the annular outlet to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. Moreover, this peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is heated not only by the heated gas but also by the peripheral heating section. Therefore, compared to the proposed technology, the temperature of the peripheral edge of the substrate can be raised or lowered to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.

[0010] In this specification, "loose insertion" means insertion with sufficient space. More specifically, it means that the surface of the funnel-shaped base block and the surface of the second underblock are not in contact with each other, and furthermore, the surface of the first underblock facing the through-space and the surface of the second underblock are not in contact with each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this invention, in a substrate processing apparatus that applies substrate processing to the peripheral edge of a substrate heated by a heated gas, the amount of heated gas used can be reduced, thereby reducing the environmental burden. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the configuration of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the chamber and the components that are mounted within it. [Figure 4] This is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing unit installed on the base member. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the dimensional relationship between the substrate held in the spin chuck and the rotating cup. [Figure 6] This diagram shows a portion of the rotating cup section and the fixed cup section. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the top protective heating mechanism. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is an exploded assembly diagram of the top protective heating mechanism. [Figure 9] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the nozzle movement section. [Figure 10] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a beveling process as an example of a substrate processing operation performed by the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. This does not show the external appearance of the substrate processing system 100, but is a schematic diagram that clearly shows its internal structure by excluding the outer wall panels and some other components of the substrate processing system 100. This substrate processing system 100 is a single-wafer type device that is installed, for example, in a clean room and processes substrates W one by one, on which circuit patterns, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "patterns") are formed only on one main surface. Substrate processing is performed using a processing liquid in the processing unit 1 equipped in the substrate processing system 100. In this specification, of the two main surfaces of the substrate, the pattern-forming surface (one main surface) on which a pattern is formed is referred to as the "front surface," and the other main surface on the opposite side on which no pattern is formed is referred to as the "back surface." Also, the surface facing downwards is referred to as the "bottom surface," and the surface facing upwards is referred to as the "top surface." In this specification, "pattern-forming surface" means a surface on the substrate on which an uneven pattern is formed in an arbitrary area.

[0014] Here, as the "substrate" in the present embodiment, various substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for FED (Field Emission Display), substrates for optical discs, substrates for magnetic discs, and substrates for magneto-optical discs can be applied. In the following, a substrate processing apparatus mainly used for processing semiconductor wafers will be taken as an example and described with reference to the drawings, but it can be similarly applied to the processing of various substrates exemplified above.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 has a substrate processing area 110 for performing processing on a substrate W. An indexer unit 120 is provided adjacent to this substrate processing area 110. The indexer unit 120 has a container holding part 121 that can hold a plurality of containers C (such as FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) pod, OC (Open Cassette) that house a plurality of substrates W in a sealed state). Further, the indexer unit 120 includes an indexer robot 122 for accessing the container C held by the container holding part 121 to take out an unprocessed substrate W from the container C or store a processed substrate W in the container C. A plurality of substrates W are accommodated in each container C in a substantially horizontal posture.

[0016] The indexer robot 122 includes a base part 122a fixed to the apparatus housing, an articulated arm 122b provided rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to the base part 122a, and a hand 122c attached to the tip of the articulated arm 122b. The hand 122c has a structure that can place and hold the substrate W on its upper surface. Since an indexer robot having such an articulated arm and a hand for holding a substrate is well-known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0017] In the substrate processing area 110, a mounting table 112 is provided so as to be able to mount the substrate W from the index robot 122. Also, in a plan view, a substrate transfer robot 111 is arranged substantially at the center of the substrate processing area 110. Further, a plurality of processing units 1 are arranged so as to surround the substrate transfer robot 111. Specifically, the plurality of processing units 1 are arranged facing the space where the substrate transfer robot 111 is arranged. The substrate transfer robot 111 randomly accesses the mounting table 112 with respect to these processing units 1 and transfers the substrate W to and from the mounting table 112. On the other hand, each processing unit 1 executes a predetermined process on the substrate W and corresponds to the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, these processing units (substrate processing apparatuses) 1 have the same function. Therefore, parallel processing of a plurality of substrates W is possible. Note that the mounting table 112 is not necessarily required as long as the substrate transfer robot 111 can directly transfer the substrate W from the index robot 122.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Also, FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the chamber and the configuration mounted on the chamber. In FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and each figure referred to below, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and numbers of each part may be exaggerated or simplified in the illustration. As shown in FIG. 3, the chamber 11 used in the substrate processing apparatus (processing unit) 1 has a bottom wall 11a having a rectangular shape in a plan view from vertically above, four side walls 11b to 11e erected from the periphery of the bottom wall 11a, and a ceiling wall 11f covering the upper end portions of the side walls 11b to 11e. By combining these bottom wall 11a, side walls 11b to 11e, and ceiling wall 11f, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped internal space 12 is formed.

[0019] Base support members 16, 16 are fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall 11a with fasteners such as bolts, spaced apart from each other. In other words, the base support members 16 are erected from the bottom wall 11a. A base member 17 is fixed to the upper ends of these base support members 16, 16 with fasteners such as bolts. This base member 17 has a smaller planar size than the bottom wall 11a and is made of a metal plate that is thicker and has higher rigidity than the bottom wall 11a. As shown in Figure 2, the base member 17 is lifted vertically upward from the bottom wall 11a by the base support members 16, 16. In other words, a so-called raised floor structure is formed at the bottom of the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. The upper surface of this base member 17 is finished so that a substrate processing unit SP for performing substrate processing on a substrate W can be installed, as will be described in detail later, and the substrate processing unit SP is installed on this upper surface. Each part constituting this substrate processing unit SP is electrically connected to a control unit 10 that controls the entire device and operates in accordance with instructions from the control unit 10. The shape of the base component 17, and the configuration and operation of the circuit board processing unit SP will be described in detail later.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a fan filter unit (FFU) 13 is mounted on the ceiling wall 11f of the chamber 11. This fan filter unit 13 further purifies the air in the cleanroom where the substrate processing device 1 is installed and supplies it to the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. The fan filter unit 13 is equipped with a fan and filter (e.g., a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter) for taking in air from the cleanroom and sending it into the chamber 11, and supplies the clean air through an opening 11f1 provided in the ceiling wall 11f. This creates a downflow of clean air into the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. In addition, a perforated plate 14 with numerous outlet holes is provided directly below the ceiling wall 11f to uniformly disperse the clean air supplied from the fan filter unit 13.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, a transport opening 11b1 is provided in the side wall 11b facing the substrate transport robot 111, one of the four side walls 11b to 11e, thereby connecting the internal space 12 with the outside of the chamber 11. As a result, the hand (not shown) of the substrate transport robot 111 can access the substrate processing apparatus SP through the transport opening 11b1. In other words, the provision of the transport opening 11b1 allows for the loading and unloading of substrates W into and out of the internal space 12. A shutter 15 for opening and closing this transport opening 11b1 is attached to the side wall 11b.

[0022] A shutter opening / closing mechanism (not shown) is connected to the shutter 15, which opens and closes the shutter 15 in response to an opening / closing command from the control unit 10. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, when an unprocessed substrate W is loaded into the chamber 11, the shutter opening / closing mechanism opens the shutter 15, and the unprocessed substrate W is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus SP in a face-up position by the hand of the substrate transport robot 111. In other words, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck (reference numeral 21 in Figure 5) of the substrate processing apparatus SP with its upper surface Wf facing upwards. After the substrate is loaded, when the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 moves away from the chamber 11, the shutter opening / closing mechanism closes the shutter 15. Then, within the processing space of the chamber 11 (corresponding to the sealed space 12a which will be described in detail later), beveling of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W is performed by the substrate processing apparatus SP as an example of the "substrate processing" of the present invention. Furthermore, after the beveling process is completed, the shutter opening / closing mechanism opens the shutter 15 again, and the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 removes the processed substrate W from the substrate processing unit SP. In this embodiment, the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 is maintained at a normal temperature. In this specification, "normal temperature" means a temperature range of 5°C to 35°C.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the side wall 11d is located on the opposite side of the side wall 11b, with the substrate processing unit SP (Figure 2) installed on the base member 17 in between. A maintenance opening 11d1 is provided in this side wall 11d. During maintenance, the maintenance opening 11d1 is opened, as shown in the figure. This allows the operator to access the substrate processing unit SP from outside the device through the maintenance opening 11d1. On the other hand, during substrate processing, a cover member 19 is attached to close the maintenance opening 11d1. Thus, in this embodiment, the cover member 19 is detachably attached to the side wall 11d.

[0024] Furthermore, a heating gas supply unit 47 is attached to the outer surface of the side wall 11e for supplying heated inert gas (nitrogen gas in this embodiment) to the substrate processing unit SP. This heating gas supply unit 47 incorporates a heater 471.

[0025] Thus, the shutter 15, lid member 19, and heating gas supply unit 47 are arranged on the outer wall side of the chamber 11. In contrast, the substrate processing unit SP is installed on the upper surface of the raised base member 17 inside the chamber 11, i.e., the internal space 12.

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the substrate processing unit installed on the base member. Hereafter, in order to clarify the arrangement and operation of each part of the device, a coordinate system in which the Z direction is the vertical direction and the XY plane is the horizontal plane is used as appropriate. In the coordinate system in Figure 4, the horizontal direction parallel to the transport path TP of the substrate W is called the "X direction", and the horizontal direction perpendicular to it is called the "Y direction". More specifically, the directions from the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 toward the transport opening 11b1 and the maintenance opening 11d1 are called the "+X direction" and "-X direction", respectively, the directions from the internal space 12 of the chamber 11 toward the side walls 11c and 11e are called the "-Y direction" and "+Y direction", respectively, and the directions toward the vertically upward and vertically downward are called the "+Z direction" and "-Z direction", respectively.

[0027] The substrate processing unit SP includes a holding and rotating mechanism 2, a scattering prevention mechanism 3, an upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, a processing mechanism 5, an atmosphere separation mechanism 6, a lifting mechanism 7, a centering mechanism 8, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. These mechanisms are mounted on a base member 17. In other words, the holding and rotating mechanism 2, the scattering prevention mechanism 3, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the processing mechanism 5, the atmosphere separation mechanism 6, the lifting mechanism 7, the centering mechanism 8, and the substrate observation mechanism 9 are arranged relative to each other in predetermined positions, with the base member 17 having higher rigidity than the chamber 11 as the reference point.

[0028] The holding and rotating mechanism 2 includes a substrate holding section 2A that holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal position with its surface facing upward, and a rotating mechanism 2B that synchronously rotates the substrate holding section 2A holding the substrate W and a part of the anti-scattering mechanism 3. Therefore, when the rotating mechanism 2B is activated in response to a rotation command from the control unit 10, the substrate W and the rotating cup section 31 of the anti-scattering mechanism 3 are rotated around a rotation axis AX that extends parallel to the vertical direction Z.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the substrate holding section 2A is equipped with a spin chuck 21, which is a disc-shaped member smaller than the substrate W. The spin chuck 21 corresponds to an example of the "substrate holding section" of the present invention and is made of resin. Furthermore, in the horizontal plane (XY plane), the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 is approximately horizontal and is narrower than the lower surface of the second underblock of the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, which will be described in detail later. As shown in Figure 7, which will be explained later, the diameter D21 of the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 and the diameter D43 of the lower surface of the second underblock have the relationship (D43 > D21). Moreover, the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 is located vertically below the lower surface of the second underblock. The central axis of the spin chuck 21 is positioned to coincide with the rotation axis AX. In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the center of the substrate holding section 2A (corresponding to the central axis of the spin chuck 21) is offset in the (+X) direction from the center 11g of the chamber 11. In other words, the substrate holding section 2A is positioned such that, in a plan view from above the chamber 11, the central axis (rotation axis AX) of the spin chuck 21 is located at a processing position shifted by a distance Lof from the center 11g of the internal space 12 toward the transport opening 11b1. In order to clarify the arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus described later, in this specification, the virtual lines that pass through the center (rotation axis AX) of the offset substrate holding section 2A and are perpendicular to the transport path TP, and the virtual lines that are parallel to the transport path TP, are referred to as the "first virtual horizontal line VL1" and the "second virtual horizontal line VL2," respectively.

[0030] A cylindrical rotating shaft portion 22 is connected to the lower surface of the spin chuck 21. The rotating shaft portion 22 extends vertically in the Z direction with its axis aligned with the rotation axis AX. A rotating mechanism 2B is also connected to the rotating shaft portion 22.

[0031] The rotating mechanism 2B includes a motor 23 that generates rotational driving force to rotate the substrate holding portion 2A and the rotating cup portion 31 of the anti-scattering mechanism 3, and a power transmission portion 24 for transmitting the rotational driving force. The motor 23 has a rotating shaft 231 that rotates in conjunction with the generation of rotational driving force. The motor is mounted on the motor mounting portion 171 of the base member 17 in a position where the rotating shaft 231 extends vertically downward.

[0032] A first pulley 241 is attached to the tip of a rotating shaft 231 that protrudes downward from the base member 17. A second pulley 242 is attached to the lower end of the substrate holding portion 2A. More specifically, the lower end of the substrate holding portion 2A is inserted through a through hole provided in the spin chuck mounting portion 172 of the base member 17 and protrudes downward from the base member 17. The second pulley 242 is provided on this protruding portion. An endless belt 243 is stretched between the first pulley 241 and the second pulley 242. Thus, in this embodiment, the power transmission portion 24 is composed of the first pulley 241, the second pulley 242 and the endless belt 243.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, a through-hole 211 is provided in the center of the spin chuck 21, communicating with the internal space of the rotating shaft 22. A pump 26 is connected to the internal space via piping 25, which has a valve (not shown) interposed therein. The pump 26 and the valve are electrically connected to the control unit 10 and operate in response to commands from the control unit 10. This allows negative pressure and positive pressure to be selectively applied to the spin chuck 21. For example, when the substrate W is placed on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 in a substantially horizontal position and the pump 26 applies negative pressure to the spin chuck 21, the spin chuck 21 attracts and holds the substrate W from below. On the other hand, when the pump 26 applies positive pressure to the spin chuck 21, the substrate W becomes removable from the upper surface of the spin chuck 21. Also, when the suction of the pump 26 is stopped, the substrate W becomes able to move horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21.

[0034] A nitrogen gas supply unit 29 is connected to the spin chuck 21 via a pipe 28 located in the center of the rotating shaft 22. The nitrogen gas supply unit 29 supplies ambient temperature nitrogen gas, supplied from a utility in the factory where the substrate processing system 100 is installed, to the spin chuck 21 at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the gas supply command from the control unit 10, causing the nitrogen gas to circulate radially outward from the center on the lower surface Wb side of the substrate W. In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is used, but other inert gases may also be used. The same applies to the heated gas discharged from the central nozzle, which will be described later. Also, "flow rate" refers to the amount of fluid, such as nitrogen gas, that moves per unit time.

[0035] The rotating mechanism 2B not only rotates the spin chuck 21 integrally with the substrate W, but also has a power transmission unit 27 (Figure 2) to rotate the rotating cup portion 31 in synchronization with the rotation. The power transmission unit 27 has an annular member 27a (Figure 5) made of a non-magnetic material or resin, a spin chuck-side magnet (not shown) built into the annular member, and a cup-side magnet (not shown) built into the lower cup 32, which is a component of the rotating cup portion 31. As shown in Figure 5, the annular member 27a is attached to the rotating shaft portion 22 and is rotatable around the rotating shaft AX together with the rotating shaft portion 22. More specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, the rotating shaft portion 22 has a flange portion that protrudes radially outward at a position directly below the spin chuck 21. The annular member 27a is arranged concentrically with respect to the flange portion and is connected and fixed by bolts (not shown).

[0036] On the outer edge of the annular member 27a, multiple spin chuck-side magnets are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals. In this embodiment, in one pair of adjacent spin chuck-side magnets, the outer and inner poles are arranged to be the north and south poles, respectively, while in the other pair, the outer and inner poles are arranged to be the south and north poles, respectively.

[0037] Similar to these spin chuck-side magnets, multiple cup-side magnets are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX at equal angular intervals. These cup-side magnets are housed in the lower cup 32. The lower cup 32 is a component of the splash prevention mechanism 3, which will be described next, and has an annular shape. That is, the lower cup 32 has an inner circumferential surface that can face the outer circumferential surface of the annular member 27a. The inner diameter of this inner circumferential surface is larger than the outer diameter of the annular member 27a. The lower cup 32 is positioned concentrically with the rotation axis 22 and the annular member 27a, with the inner circumferential surface facing the outer circumferential surface of the annular member 27a at a predetermined distance (=(inner diameter - outer diameter) / 2). Engagement pins and connecting magnets are provided on the upper surface of the outer circumferential edge of the lower cup 32, and these connect the upper cup 33 to the lower cup 32, and this connected body functions as the rotation cup portion 31.

[0038] The lower cup 32 is supported on the upper surface of the base member 17 by bearings (not shown in the drawing) so that it can rotate around the rotation axis AX in the above-described configuration. On the inner peripheral edge of the lower cup 32, as described above, the cup-side magnets are arranged radially around the rotation axis AX and at equal angular intervals. The arrangement of two adjacent cup-side magnets is the same as that of the spin chuck-side magnets. That is, on one side, the outer and inner sides are arranged so that they are the north pole and south pole, respectively, and on the other side, the outer and inner sides are arranged so that they are the south pole and north pole, respectively.

[0039] In the power transmission unit 27 configured in this way, when the annular member 27a rotates together with the rotating shaft 22 by the motor 23, the lower cup 32 rotates in the same direction as the annular member 27a while maintaining an air gap (the gap between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32) due to the magnetic force between the spin chuck-side magnet and the cup-side magnet. As a result, the rotating cup portion 31 rotates around the rotation axis AX. In other words, the rotating cup portion 31 rotates in the same direction as the substrate W and in sync with it.

[0040] The splash prevention mechanism 3 includes a rotating cup portion 31 that can rotate around the rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer circumference of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21, and a fixed cup portion 34 that is fixedly provided to surround the rotating cup portion 31. The rotating cup portion 31 is provided so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis AX while surrounding the outer circumference of the rotating substrate W, by connecting the upper cup 33 to the lower cup 32.

[0041] Figure 5 shows the dimensional relationship between the substrate held by the spin chuck and the rotating cup portion. Figure 6 shows a part of the rotating cup portion and the fixed cup portion. The lower cup 32 has an annular shape. Its outer diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and in a plan view from vertically above, the lower cup 32 is rotatably positioned around the rotation axis AX, protruding radially from the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21. In this protruding region, that is, the upper peripheral edge of the lower cup 32, engaging pins (not shown) and flat lower magnets (not shown) are alternately attached vertically upward along the circumferential direction.

[0042] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5, the upper cup 33 has a lower annular portion 331, an upper annular portion 332, and an inclined portion 333 connecting them. The outer diameter D331 of the lower annular portion 331 is the same as the outer diameter D32 of the lower cup 32, and the lower annular portion 331 is located vertically above the peripheral edge 321 of the lower cup 32. On the lower surface of the lower annular portion 331, in the region corresponding to vertically above the engagement pin, a recess opening downward is provided so as to be able to fit with the tip of the engagement pin. Also, the upper magnet is attached in the region corresponding to vertically above the lower magnet. Therefore, with the recess and the upper magnet facing the engagement pin and the lower magnet, respectively, the upper cup 33 can engage with and disengage from the lower cup 32.

[0043] The upper cup 33 is vertically movable by the lifting mechanism 7. When the upper cup 33 is moved upward by the lifting mechanism 7, a transport space for loading and unloading the substrate W is formed vertically between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32. On the other hand, when the upper cup 33 is moved downward by the lifting mechanism 7, the recess fits over the tip of the engagement pin, and the upper cup 33 is positioned horizontally relative to the lower cup 32. Also, the upper magnet approaches the lower magnet, and the attractive force generated between them connects the positioned upper cup 33 and lower cup 32 to each other. As a result, as shown in the partially enlarged view of Figure 4 and Figure 6, the upper cup 33 and lower cup 32 are vertically integrated while forming a horizontally extending gap GPc. The rotating cup portion 31 is then rotatable around the rotation axis AX while maintaining the gap GPc.

[0044] In the rotating cup portion 31, as shown in Figure 5, the outer diameter D332 of the upper annular portion 332 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter D331 of the lower annular portion 331. Comparing the inner diameters d331 and d332 of the lower annular portion 331 and the upper annular portion 332, the lower annular portion 331 is larger than the upper annular portion 332, and in a plan view from vertically above, the inner surface of the upper annular portion 332 is located inside the inner surface of the lower annular portion 331. The inner surfaces of the upper annular portion 332 and the lower annular portion 331 are connected by the inclined portion 333 around the entire circumference of the upper cup 33. For this reason, the inner surface of the inclined portion 333, that is, the surface surrounding the substrate W, is an inclined surface 334. In other words, as shown in Figure 6, the inclined portion 333 surrounds the outer circumference of the rotating substrate W and is capable of collecting droplets scattered from the substrate W, and the space enclosed by the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32 functions as a collection space SPc.

[0045] Furthermore, the inclined portion 333 facing the collection space SPc is inclined upward from the lower annular portion 331 toward the periphery of the substrate W. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, droplets collected in the inclined portion 333 flow along the inclined surface 334 toward the lower end of the upper cup 33, i.e., the lower annular portion 331, and can then be discharged to the outside of the rotating cup portion 31 through the gap GPc.

[0046] The fixed cup portion 34 is provided so as to surround the rotating cup portion 31 and forms a discharge space SPe. The fixed cup portion 34 has a liquid receiving portion 341 and an exhaust portion 342 provided inside the liquid receiving portion 341. The liquid receiving portion 341 has a cup structure that opens so as to face the opening of the gap GPc on the opposite side of the substrate (the left-hand side opening in Figure 6). In other words, the internal space of the liquid receiving portion 341 functions as a discharge space SPe and is in communication with the collection space SPc via the gap GPc. Therefore, the droplets collected by the rotating cup portion 31 are guided to the discharge space SPe along with the gaseous components via the gap GPc. The droplets are then collected at the bottom of the liquid receiving portion 341 and discharged from the fixed cup portion 34.

[0047] Meanwhile, the gaseous components are collected in the exhaust section 342. This exhaust section 342 is separated from the liquid receiving section 341 via a partition wall 343. A gas guide section 344 is positioned above the partition wall 343. The gas guide section 344 extends from directly above the partition wall 343 into the discharge space SPe and the exhaust section 342, respectively, covering the partition wall 343 from above and forming a labyrinthine flow path for the gaseous components. Therefore, the gaseous components of the fluid flowing into the liquid receiving section 341 are collected in the exhaust section 342 via the above flow path. This exhaust section 342 is connected to an exhaust unit 38. As a result, the exhaust unit 38 operates in response to commands from the control unit 10, adjusting the pressure in the fixed cup section 34, and efficiently exhausting the gaseous components in the exhaust section 342. Furthermore, the pressure and flow rate of the discharge space SPe are adjusted by precise control of the exhaust unit 38. For example, the pressure in the discharge space SPe becomes lower than the pressure in the collection space SPc. As a result, droplets in the collection space SPc are efficiently drawn into the discharge space SPe, and the movement of droplets from the collection space SPc can be promoted.

[0048] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the top surface protection heating mechanism. Figure 8 is an exploded assembly view of the top surface protection heating mechanism shown in Figure 7. The top surface protection heating mechanism 4 is positioned above the top surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21. More specifically, the top surface protection heating mechanism 4 includes a base block 41, a first underblock 42 and a second underblock 43 positioned vertically below the base block 41, a peripheral heating heater 44 positioned inside the first underblock 42, and a central heating heater 45 positioned inside the second underblock 43. The base block 41, the first underblock 42, the second underblock 43, the peripheral heating heater 44, and the central heating heater 45 are each configured as follows, and when combined, they constitute the shielding plate structure 40.

[0049] As shown in Figure 8, the base block 41 has a generally disc-like shape. An input port 411 for introducing nitrogen gas to be supplied to the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is attached to the center of the upper surface of the base block 41. As shown in Figure 2, the input port 411 is connected to a heating gas supply unit 47 via piping 46. The heating gas supply unit 47 heats ambient temperature nitrogen gas supplied from the factory where the substrate processing system 100 is installed using a heater 471 and pumps it to the base block 41 at a flow rate and timing corresponding to the heating gas supply command from the control unit 10.

[0050] As shown in Figure 7, the upper end of the input port 411 is open in the base block 41, and this opening 412 corresponds to an example of the "first opening" of the present invention. In addition, an opening 413, which is wider than the opening 412, is provided in the center of the lower surface of the base block 41. This opening 413 corresponds to an example of the "second opening" of the present invention. Furthermore, a funnel-shaped space 414 is formed on the lower surface side of the base block 41. The inner diameter of this funnel-shaped space 414 expands downward from the opening 412 and connects to the opening 413.

[0051] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the first underblock 42 has a flanged annular member 421 and an annular member 422. An annular-shaped peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular members 421 and 422 and is built into the first underblock 42. The annular member 421 has a diameter slightly shorter than the substrate W. Also, as shown in Figure 8, a notch 425 is provided on the peripheral edge of the first underblock 42. This is provided to prevent interference with the processing liquid discharge nozzle included in the processing mechanism 5. The notch 425 opens radially outward.

[0052] In the annular member 421, a through-hole identical in shape to the opening 413 is provided in the central part of the region surrounded by the flange portion, and this central part has a hollow shape. Similarly, the annular member 422 and the peripheral heating heater 44 also have an annular shape with a through-hole identical in shape to the opening 413, just like the central part of the annular member 421. The peripheral heating heater 44 and the annular member 422 are stacked on the upper surface of the annular member 421 in this order, while aligning the through-holes. In the stacked body thus constructed (= first under block 42 + peripheral heating heater 44), the annular peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular member 421 and the annular member 422 and is built into the first under block 42. Furthermore, as shown in the left-hand view of Figure 7, a through-hole 423 is formed in the central part of the stacked body, and the space within the through-hole 423 corresponds to an example of the "through-space" of the present invention. Furthermore, the opening 424 above the through-hole 423 corresponds to the "third opening" of the present invention. The laminate is then tightly fitted to the base block 41 such that the opening 424 coincides with the opening 413 of the base block 41 and the upper surface of the first under-block 42 coincides with the lower surface of the base block 41, and the first under-block 42 and the peripheral heating heater 44 are fixed to the base block 41 by fastening members 415 such as bolts. As a result, the funnel-shaped space 414 and the through-hole space are connected and integrated. This creates a space (= funnel-shaped space 414 + through-hole space) into which the second under-block 43, which will be described next, can be loosely inserted.

[0053] The second underblock 43 has a disc member 431, an intermediate member 432, and a frustoconical member 433. The disc member 431 has an outer diameter slightly narrower than the inner diameter of the through hole 423 and the same thickness, i.e., vertical height, as the annular member 421. The intermediate member 432 has a disc portion identical in shape to the disc member 431 and a frustoconical portion extending vertically upward from the disc portion. The central heating heater 45 is sandwiched between the disc member 431 and the intermediate member 432, thereby incorporating the central heating heater 45 into the second underblock 43. The central heating heater 45 has the same shape and thickness as the disc member 431. The central heating element 45, intermediate member 432, and frustoconical member 433 are stacked in this order on the upper surface of the disc member 431, while aligning the rotational symmetry axes of the disc member 431, central heating element 45, intermediate member 432, and frustoconical member 433. The lower surface of the stacked body thus formed (= second underblock 43 + central heating element 45) (i.e., the lower surface of the disc member 431) is loosely inserted into the space composed of the funnel-shaped space 414 and the through space so that it coincides with the lower surface of the first underblock 42 in the vertical direction. Then, while in this loosely inserted state, the second underblock 43 and the central heating element 45 are fixed to the base block 41 by fastening members 416 such as bolts. As a result, in the shielding plate structure 40, a gap region 403 is formed between the base block 41 and the first underblock 42 and the second underblock 43 as a gas supply path. Furthermore, an annular outlet 401 is formed between the lower surface of the first underblock 42 and the lower surface of the second underblock 43. As a result, when heating gas is introduced into the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 through the opening 412, the heating gas is guided to the annular outlet 401 through the gap region 403. Then, it is uniformly supplied from the annular outlet 401 to the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W.

[0054] Furthermore, the top surface protection heating mechanism 4 is provided with a power supply member 441 to drive the peripheral heating heater 44. As shown in Figure 7, the power supply member 441 is inserted through through holes (not shown) provided in the base block 41 and the annular member 422 and connected to the peripheral heating heater 44. Therefore, when power to operate the peripheral heating heater 44 is supplied from the heater drive unit 402 to the peripheral heating heater 44 via the power supply member 441, heat is released from the peripheral heating heater 44. This heat is supplied to the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W via the annular member 421 and also heats the flowing heating gas in the gap region 403 toward the annular outlet 401. As a result, the peripheral portion Ws of the substrate W is warmed and the peripheral temperature rises.

[0055] In addition to the peripheral heating heater 44, a power supply member 451 is provided to drive the central heating heater 45. As shown in Figure 7, the power supply member 451 is inserted through holes (not shown) provided in the base block 41, the frustoconical member 433, and the intermediate member 432, and is connected to the central heating heater 45. Therefore, when power to operate the central heating heater 45 is supplied from the heater drive unit 402 to the central heating heater 45 via the power supply member 451, heat is released from the central heating heater 45. This heat is supplied to the center of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W via the annular member 421, and also heats the heating gas directed toward the annular outlet 401 in the gap region 403. This increases the temperature of the heating gas supplied near the peripheral edge of the substrate W, thereby raising the peripheral temperature of the substrate W. In addition, the center of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is warmed via the disc member 431, reducing the temperature difference with the peripheral edge Ws. In other words, the in-plane temperature of the substrate W can be made uniform. This suppresses warping of the substrate W and stabilizes the application position of the processing liquid. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the relationship (D43 > D21) is established between the resin spin chuck 21 and the second underblock. That is, in the horizontal plane, the upper surface of the spin chuck 21 is narrower than the lower surface of the second underblock 43 and is located vertically below the lower surface of the second underblock 43. Therefore, the spin chuck 21 is less affected by the heat from the heating gas supplied to the vicinity of the periphery from the annular outlet 401 and the heat from the periphery heating heater 44, preventing deterioration and shape changes of the spin chuck 21 and stabilizing the beveling process.

[0056] Furthermore, the heater drive unit 402 can switch between supplying power to the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45, supplying power to the peripheral heating heater 44 only, and stopping power supply to both. Moreover, when supplying power to both the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45, the amount of power supplied to the peripheral heating heater 44 and the amount of power supplied to the central heating heater 45 can be controlled individually. This power control makes it possible to adjust the heat output of the peripheral heating heater 44 and the heat output of the central heating heater 45 independently of each other. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to finely control the temperature of the substrate W. In particular, it is preferable to control the heat output of the peripheral heating heater 44 to be greater than that of the central heating heater 45.

[0057] If the heater 471 is placed in the internal space 12 of the chamber 11, the heat radiated from the heater 471 may adversely affect the substrate processing unit SP, particularly the processing mechanism 5 and the substrate observation mechanism 9. Therefore, in this embodiment, the heating gas supply unit 47 having the heater 471 is placed outside the chamber 11, as shown in Figure 4. In addition, in this embodiment, a ribbon heater 48 is attached to a part of the piping 46. The ribbon heater 48 generates heat in response to a heating command from the control unit 10 to heat the nitrogen gas flowing through the piping 46.

[0058] The nitrogen gas thus heated, i.e., the heated gas, not only has the function of heating the peripheral Ws of the substrate W as described above, but also has the function of suppressing the ambient atmosphere surrounding the substrate W from entering the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. In other words, it is possible to effectively prevent droplets contained in the ambient atmosphere from being trapped in the space SPa sandwiched between the substrate W and the barrier plate structure 40.

[0059] As shown in Figure 2, the barrier plate structure 40 configured as described above is supported by a support member 404. The upper end of this support member 404 is fixed to a beam member 49 that extends along the first virtual horizontal line VL1. This beam member 49 is connected to a lifting mechanism 7 attached to the upper surface of the base member 17 and is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 7 in response to a command from the control unit 10. For example, in Figure 2, the beam member 49 is positioned downward, so that the barrier plate structure 40 (Figure 7), which is connected to the beam member 49 via the support member 404, is in the processing position. On the other hand, when the lifting mechanism 7 raises the beam member 49 in response to a lifting command from the control unit 10, the beam member 49, the support member 404, and the barrier plate structure 40 rise together, and the upper cup 33 also rises in conjunction, separating from the lower cup 32. This widens the space between the spin chuck 21 and the upper cup 33 and barrier plate structure 40, making it possible to load and unload the substrate W into and out of the spin chuck 21.

[0060] The processing mechanism 5 includes a processing liquid discharge nozzle 51F (Figure 4) located on the upper side of the substrate W, a processing liquid discharge nozzle 51B (Figure 2) located on the lower side of the substrate W, and a processing liquid supply unit 52 that supplies processing liquid to the processing liquid discharge nozzles 51F and 51B. Hereafter, in order to distinguish between the upper processing liquid discharge nozzle 51F and the lower processing liquid discharge nozzle 51B, they will be referred to as "upper nozzle 51F" and "lower nozzle 51B," respectively. Also, although two processing liquid supply units 52 are shown in Figure 2, they are identical.

[0061] In this embodiment, three upper nozzles 51F are provided, and a processing liquid supply unit 52 is connected to them. The processing liquid supply unit 52 is configured to supply chemical solutions such as SC1 and DHF, or functional water (such as CO2 water) as processing liquids, and SC1, DHF, and functional water can be discharged independently from the three upper nozzles 51F.

[0062] Each top nozzle 51F is provided with a discharge port (not shown) on the underside of its tip for discharging processing liquid. As shown in the enlarged view in Figure 4, the lower parts of multiple top nozzles 51F (three in this embodiment) are positioned in the notch 425 of the first underblock 42 (see Figure 8), with each discharge port facing the peripheral edge of the top surface Wf of the substrate W. The upper part of each top nozzle 51F is mounted to the nozzle holder 53 so as to be movable in the radial direction D1 (a direction in which the nozzle discharge elevation angle is tilted by approximately 45° and the rotation angle by approximately 65° with respect to the first virtual horizontal line VL1). This nozzle holder 53 is connected to the nozzle moving part 54.

[0063] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the nozzle moving section. As shown in Figure 9, the nozzle moving section 54 is attached to the upper end of the lifter 713a of the lifting section 713, which will be described later, while holding the nozzle head 56 (= upper nozzle 51F + nozzle holder 53). Therefore, when the lifter 713a extends or retracts vertically in response to a lifting command from the control unit 10, the nozzle moving section 54 and the nozzle head 56 move vertically in the Z direction accordingly.

[0064] Furthermore, in the nozzle moving section 54, a base member 541 is fixed to the upper end of the lifter 713a. A linear actuator 542 is attached to this base member 541. The linear actuator 542 has a motor (hereinafter referred to as the "nozzle drive motor") 543 that functions as a drive source for nozzle movement in the radial direction X, and a motion conversion mechanism 545 that converts the rotational motion of a rotating body such as a ball screw connected to the rotation axis of the nozzle drive motor 543 into linear motion to move the slider 544 back and forth in the radial direction D1. In addition, the motion conversion mechanism 545 uses a guide such as an LM guide (registered trademark) to stabilize the movement of the slider 544 in the radial direction D1.

[0065] A head support member 547 is connected to a slider 544, which is driven to reciprocate in the radial direction X, via a connecting member 546. This head support member 547 has a rod shape that extends in the radial direction X. The (+D1) end of the head support member 547 is fixed to the slider 544. On the other hand, the (-D1) end of the head support member 547 extends horizontally toward the spin chuck 21, and a nozzle head 56 is attached to its tip. Therefore, when the nozzle drive motor 543 rotates in response to a nozzle movement command from the control unit 10, the slider 544, head support member 547, and nozzle head 56 move together in the (+D1) or (-D1) direction, and by a distance corresponding to the amount of rotation. As a result, the upper nozzle 51F mounted on the nozzle head 56 is positioned in the radial direction D1. For example, as shown in Figure 9, when the top nozzle 51F is positioned at a preset home position, a spring member 548 provided in the motion conversion mechanism 545 is compressed by the slider 544, applying a biasing force to the slider 544 in the (-X) direction. This allows control of the backlash included in the motion conversion mechanism 545. In other words, since the motion conversion mechanism 545 has mechanical parts such as guides, it is practically difficult to eliminate the backlash along the radial direction D1, and if this is not given sufficient consideration, the positioning accuracy of the top nozzle 51F in the radial direction D1 will decrease. Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing the spring member 548, when the top nozzle 51F is stationary at the home position, the backlash is always biased towards the (-D1) direction. This provides the following effects. In response to a nozzle movement command from the control unit 10, the nozzle movement unit 54 drives the three top nozzles 51F together in direction D1. This nozzle movement command includes information about the nozzle movement distance. Based on this information, when the top nozzle 51F is moved by the nozzle movement distance specified in the radial direction D1, the top nozzle 51F is precisely positioned at the beveling position.

[0066] The discharge port 511 of the top nozzle 51F, positioned at the beveling position, is directed toward the peripheral edge of the top surface Wf of the substrate W. Then, in response to a supply command from the control unit 10, the processing liquid supply unit 52 supplies the processing liquid corresponding to the supply command from among three types of processing liquids to the top nozzle 51F for that processing liquid, and the processing liquid is supplied from the top nozzle 51F to a preset position from the end face of the substrate W.

[0067] Furthermore, the lower sealing cup member 61 of the atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is detachably fixed to some of the components of the nozzle moving section 54. In other words, when beveling is performed, the upper nozzle 51F and nozzle holder 53 are integrated with the lower sealing cup member 61 via the nozzle moving section 54 and are raised and lowered vertically in the Z direction by the lifting mechanism 7. On the other hand, when calibration is performed, the lower sealing cup member 61 is removed, and the upper nozzle 51F and nozzle holder 53 are reciprocated radially in the D1 direction by the nozzle moving section 54 and raised and lowered vertically in the Z direction by the lifting mechanism 7.

[0068] In this embodiment, a lower nozzle 51B and a nozzle support 57 are provided below the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 in order to discharge the processing liquid toward the peripheral edge of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W. The nozzle support 57 has a thin-walled cylindrical portion 571 extending in the vertical direction and a flange portion 572 having an annular shape that is folded radially outward at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 571. The cylindrical portion 571 has a shape that allows it to be freely inserted into the air gap formed between the annular member 27a and the lower cup 32. As shown in Figure 2, the nozzle support 57 is fixedly positioned such that the cylindrical portion 571 is freely inserted into the air gap and the flange portion 572 is positioned between the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 and the lower cup 32. Three lower nozzles 51B are attached to the upper peripheral edge of the flange portion 572. Each lower nozzle 51B has a discharge port (not shown) that opens toward the peripheral edge of the lower surface Wb of the substrate W, and is capable of discharging the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 52 via the piping 58.

[0069] The processing liquid discharged from the upper nozzle 51F and lower nozzle 51B performs beveling on the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Furthermore, a flange portion 572 extends to the vicinity of the peripheral edge Ws on the lower side of the substrate W. Therefore, nitrogen gas supplied to the lower side via the piping 28 flows along the flange portion 572 into the collection space SPc. As a result, backflow of droplets from the collection space SPc back onto the substrate W is effectively suppressed.

[0070] The atmosphere separation mechanism 6 includes a lower sealed cup member 61 and an upper sealed cup member 62. Both the lower sealed cup member 61 and the upper sealed cup member 62 have a cylindrical shape with openings at the top and bottom. Their inner diameters are larger than the outer diameter of the rotating cup portion 31, and the atmosphere separation mechanism 6 is positioned to completely surround the spin chuck 21, the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21, the rotating cup portion 31, and the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 from above. More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the upper sealed cup member 62 is fixedly positioned directly below the punching plate 14 such that its upper opening covers the opening 11f1 in the ceiling wall 11f from below. Therefore, the downflow of clean air introduced into the chamber 11 is divided into air that passes inside the upper sealed cup member 62 and air that passes outside the upper sealed cup member 62.

[0071] Furthermore, the lower end of the upper sealing cup member 62 has a flange portion 621 that is folded inward into an annular shape. An O-ring 63 is attached to the upper surface of this flange portion 621. Inside the upper sealing cup member 62, the lower sealing cup member 61 is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0072] The upper end of the lower sealing cup member 61 has a flange portion 611 that is folded outward and has an annular shape. This flange portion 611 overlaps with the flange portion 621 when viewed from a vertically upward plane. Therefore, when the lower sealing cup member 61 descends, as shown in the partially enlarged view in Figure 4, the flange portion 611 of the lower sealing cup member 61 is locked to the flange portion 621 of the upper sealing cup member 62 via the O-ring 63. This positions the lower sealing cup member 61 at its lower limit. At this lower limit, the upper sealing cup member 62 and the lower sealing cup member 61 are connected in the vertical direction, and the downflow introduced into the upper sealing cup member 62 is guided toward the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21.

[0073] The lower end of the lower sealing cup member 61 has a flange portion 612 that is folded outward into an annular shape. In a plan view from vertically above, this flange portion 612 overlaps with the upper end of the fixed cup portion 34 (the upper end of the liquid receiving portion 341). Therefore, at the lower limit position, as shown in the partially enlarged view in Figure 3, the flange portion 612 of the lower sealing cup member 61 is locked to the fixed cup portion 34 via the O-ring 64. As a result, the lower sealing cup member 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are connected in the vertical direction, and a sealed space 12a is formed by the upper sealing cup member 62, the lower sealing cup member 61, and the fixed cup portion 34. Beveling of the substrate W can be performed within this sealed space 12a. In other words, by positioning the lower sealing cup member 61 at the lower limit position, the sealed space 12a is separated from the outer space 12b (atmosphere separation). Therefore, beveling can be performed stably without being affected by the outside atmosphere. Furthermore, although a processing liquid is used for beveling, it is possible to reliably prevent the processing liquid from leaking from the sealed space 12a to the outer space 12b. Therefore, the degree of freedom in selecting and designing the components to be placed in the outer space 12b is increased.

[0074] The lower sealing cup member 61 is configured to be movable vertically upward. Furthermore, as described above, the nozzle head 56 (= upper nozzle 51F + nozzle holder 53) is fixed to the middle portion of the lower sealing cup member 61 in the vertical direction via the head support member 547 of the nozzle movement unit 54. In addition, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 is fixed to the middle portion of the lower sealing cup member 61 via the beam member 49. In other words, as shown in Figure 4, the lower sealing cup member 61 is connected to one end of the beam member 49, the other end of the beam member 49, and the head support member 547 at three different locations in the circumferential direction. The lifting mechanism 7 raises and lowers one end of the beam member 49, the other end of the beam member 49, and the head support member 547, and the lower sealing cup member 61 moves up and down accordingly.

[0075] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, multiple (four) projections 613 are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the lower sealing cup member 61, facing inward as engaging portions that can engage with the upper cup 33. Each projection 613 extends to the space below the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33. Furthermore, each projection 613 is attached so as to move downward away from the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33 when the lower sealing cup member 61 is positioned at its lower limit. Then, as the lower sealing cup member 61 rises, each projection 613 can engage with the upper annular portion 332 from below. Even after this engagement, the lower sealing cup member 61 can rise further to detach the upper cup 33 from the lower cup 32.

[0076] In this embodiment, the lower sealing cup member 61 begins to rise together with the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 and nozzle head 56 by the lifting mechanism 7, and then the upper cup 33 also rises together. As a result, the upper cup 33, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 and nozzle head 56 move upward away from the spin chuck 21. The movement of the lower sealing cup member 61 to the retracted position creates a transport space for the hand of the substrate transport robot 111 to access the spin chuck 21. Loading of the substrate W into the spin chuck 21 and unloading of the substrate W from the spin chuck 21 can then be performed through this transport space. Thus, in this embodiment, access to the substrate W into the spin chuck 21 is possible with minimal upward movement of the lower sealing cup member 61 by the lifting mechanism 7.

[0077] The lifting mechanism 7 has two lifting drive units 71 and 72. In the lifting drive unit 71, a first lifting motor (not shown) is attached to the first lifting mounting portion 173 (Figure 3) of the base member 17. The first lifting motor operates in response to a drive command from the control unit 10 and generates rotational force. Two lifting units 712 and 713 are connected to this first lifting motor. The lifting units 712 and 713 simultaneously receive the rotational force from the first lifting motor. The lifting unit 712 raises and lowers the support member 491 that supports one end of the beam member 49 in the vertical direction Z according to the amount of rotation of the first lifting motor. The lifting unit 713 raises and lowers the head support member 547 that supports the nozzle head 56 in the vertical direction Z according to the amount of rotation of the first lifting motor.

[0078] In the lifting drive unit 72, a second lifting motor (not shown) is attached to the second lifting mounting portion 174 (Figure 3) of the base member 17. The lifting unit 722 is connected to the second lifting motor. The second lifting motor operates in response to a drive command from the control unit 10, generating rotational force which is supplied to the lifting unit 722. The lifting unit 722 raises and lowers the support member 492 that supports the other end of the beam member 49 in the vertical direction according to the amount of rotation of the second lifting motor.

[0079] The lifting and lowering drive units 71 and 72 synchronously move the support members 491, 492, and 54, which are fixed to the side surface of the lower sealing cup member 61 at three different locations in the circumferential direction, in the vertical direction. Therefore, the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the nozzle head 56, and the lower sealing cup member 61 can be raised and lowered stably. In addition, the upper cup 33 can be raised and lowered stably in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the lower sealing cup member 61.

[0080] The centering mechanism 8 performs the centering process while the suction by the pump 26 is stopped (i.e., while the substrate W is able to move horizontally on the upper surface of the spin base 21). This centering process eliminates the eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis AX, so that the center of the substrate W coincides with the rotation axis AX. As shown in Figure 4, the centering mechanism 8 has a single contact portion 81 positioned on the transport opening 11b1 side, a multi-contact portion 82 positioned on the maintenance opening 11d1 side, and a centering drive unit 83 that moves the single contact portion 81 and the multi-contact portion 82 in the contact movement direction D2, which is inclined at approximately 40° with respect to the first virtual horizontal line VL1, with respect to the rotation axis AX.

[0081] The single contact portion 81 has a shape that extends parallel to the contact movement direction D2, and its tip on the spin chuck 21 side is finished to be able to contact the end face of the substrate W on the spin chuck 21. On the other hand, the multi-contact portion 82 has a roughly Y-shape when viewed from above vertically, and each tip of the bifurcated portion on the spin chuck 21 side is finished to be able to contact the end face of the substrate W on the spin chuck 21. These single contact portion 81 and multi-contact portion 82 are movable in the contact movement direction D2.

[0082] The centering drive unit 83 includes a single-movement unit 831 for moving the single-contact portion 81 in the contact movement direction D2, and a multi-movement unit 832 for moving the multi-contact portion 82 in the contact movement direction D2. The single-movement unit 831 is attached to the single-movement mounting portion 175 (Figure 3) of the base member 17, and the multi-movement unit 832 is attached to the multi-movement mounting portion 176 (Figure 3) of the base member 17. When the centering process of the substrate W is not being performed, the centering drive unit 83 positions the single-contact portion 81 and the multi-contact portion 82 away from the spin chuck 21, as shown in Figure 4. As a result, the single-contact portion 81 and the multi-contact portion 82 are separated from the transport path TP, effectively preventing them from interfering with the substrate W being transported into and out of the chamber 11.

[0083] On the other hand, when performing the centering process of the substrate W, in response to the centering command from the control unit 10, the single moving unit 831 moves the single contact unit 81 toward the rotation axis AX, and the multi-moving unit 832 moves the multi-contact unit 82 toward the rotation axis AX. As a result, the center of the substrate W coincides with the rotation axis AX.

[0084] The substrate observation mechanism 9 comprises a light source unit 91, an imaging unit 92, an observation head 93, and an observation head drive unit 94. The light source unit 91 and the imaging unit 92 are arranged side by side at the optical component mounting position 177 (Figure 3) of the base member 17. The light source unit 91 irradiates illumination light toward the observation position in response to illumination commands from the control unit 10. This observation position corresponds to the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W and corresponds to the position where the observation head 93 is positioned (not shown).

[0085] The observation head 93 is capable of reciprocating between an observation position and a position separated from the observation position radially outward from the substrate W. An observation head drive unit 94 is connected to the observation head 93. The observation head drive unit 94 is attached to the base member 17 at the head drive position 178 (Figure 3) of the base member 17. Then, in response to a head movement command from the control unit 10, the observation head drive unit 94 reciprocates the observation head 93 in a head movement direction D3 that is inclined at approximately 10° with respect to the first virtual horizontal line VL1. More specifically, when the substrate W is not being observed, the observation head drive unit 94 moves the observation head 93 to a retracted position for positioning. As a result, the observation head 93 is separated from the transport path TP, effectively preventing the observation head 93 from interfering with the substrate W being transported into and out of the chamber 11. On the other hand, when the substrate W is being observed, the observation head drive unit 94 moves the observation head 93 to the observation position in response to a substrate observation command from the control unit 10.

[0086] When the observation head 93 configured in this way is positioned at the observation position, and the light source unit 91 is turned on in response to a lighting command from the control unit 10 while in the positioning state, illumination light is shone onto the illumination area of ​​the observation head 93. As a result, the peripheral Ws of the substrate W and its adjacent areas are illuminated by the diffuse illumination light from the observation head 93. In addition, the reflected light reflected from the peripheral Ws and its adjacent areas is guided to the imaging unit 92 via the observation head 93.

[0087] The imaging unit 92 has an observation lens system composed of an object-side telecentric lens and a CMOS camera. Therefore, of the reflected light guided from the observation head 93, only the light rays parallel to the optical axis of the observation lens system are incident on the sensor surface of the CMOS camera, and an image of the peripheral Ws and adjacent regions of the substrate W is formed on the sensor surface. In this way, the imaging unit 92 images the peripheral Ws and adjacent regions of the substrate W and acquires top, side, and bottom images of the substrate W. The imaging unit 92 then transmits the image data showing these images to the control unit 10.

[0088] The control unit 10 includes an arithmetic processing unit 10A, a storage unit 10B, a reading unit 10C, an image processing unit 10D, a drive control unit 10E, a communication unit 10F, and an exhaust control unit 10G. The storage unit 10B is composed of a hard disk drive or the like and stores a program for executing bevel processing by the substrate processing device 1. This program is stored, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium RM (e.g., an optical disk, magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, etc.), read from the recording medium RM by the reading unit 10C, and stored in the storage unit 10B. Furthermore, the provision of this program is not limited to the recording medium RM; for example, the program may be provided via a telecommunications line. The image processing unit 10D performs various processing on the image captured by the substrate observation mechanism 9. The drive control unit 10E controls each drive unit of the substrate processing device 1. The communication unit 10F communicates with a control unit that integrates and controls each part of the substrate processing system 100. The exhaust control unit 10G controls the exhaust unit 38.

[0089] Furthermore, the control unit 10 is connected to a display unit 10H (for example, a display) that shows various information and an input unit 10J (for example, a keyboard and mouse) that receives input from the operator.

[0090] The arithmetic processing unit 10A uses a CPU (= Central Processing Unit) and RAM (= Random The system consists of a computer with Access Memory, etc., and controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the program stored in the memory unit 10B, and performs bevel processing. The bevel processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to Figure 10.

[0091] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a beveling process performed as an example of substrate processing operation by the substrate processing apparatus shown in Figure 2. When the substrate processing apparatus 1 bevels the substrate W, the calculation processing unit 10A uses the lifting drive units 71 and 72 to raise the lower sealing cup member 61, nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 404, and barrier plate structure 40 together. During the rise of the lower sealing cup member 61, the projection 613 engages with the upper annular portion 332 of the upper cup 33, and thereafter the upper cup 33 rises together with the lower sealing cup member 61, nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 404, and barrier plate structure 40 and is positioned in the retracted position. This creates a transport space above the spin chuck 21 that is sufficient for the hand (not shown) of the substrate transport robot 111 to enter. Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 10A moves the single-movement unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 to a retracted position away from the spin chuck 21 using the centering drive unit 83, and moves the observation head 93 to a standby position away from the spin chuck 21 using the observation head drive unit 94. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, among the components arranged around the spin chuck 21, the nozzle head 56, light source unit 91, imaging unit 92, motor 23, and multi-contact unit 82 are located on the maintenance opening 11d1 side (lower side in the figure) of the first virtual horizontal line VL1. In addition, the single-movement unit 831 and the observation head 93 are located on the transport opening 11b1 side of the first virtual horizontal line VL1, but are outside the movement area of ​​the substrate W along the transport path TP. In this embodiment, because such a layout structure is adopted, it is possible to effectively prevent the components arranged around the spin chuck 21 from interfering with the substrate W when the substrate W is loaded into or out of the chamber 11.

[0092] Once the completion of the transport space and prevention of interference with the substrate W are confirmed, the arithmetic processing unit 10A requests the substrate transport robot 111 to load the substrate W via the communication unit 10F, and waits for the unprocessed substrate W to be transported to the substrate processing device 1 along the transport path TP shown in Figure 4 and placed on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21. Then, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 21 (step S1). At this point, the pump 26 is stopped, and the substrate W is able to move horizontally on the upper surface of the spin chuck 21.

[0093] Once the loading of the substrate W is complete, the substrate transport robot 111 moves away from the substrate processing device 1 along the transport path TP. Subsequently, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 83 so that the single-movement unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 are close to the substrate W on the spin chuck 21. This eliminates the eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the spin chuck 21, and the center of the substrate W coincides with the center of the spin chuck 21 (step S2). Once the centering process is complete, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the centering drive unit 83 so that the single-movement unit 831 and the multi-contact unit 82 are separated from the substrate W, and also operates the pump 26 to apply negative pressure to the spin chuck 21. As a result, the spin chuck 21 attracts and holds the substrate W from below.

[0094] Next, the arithmetic processing unit 10A issues a downward command to the lifting drive units 71 and 72. In response, the lifting drive units 71 and 72 lower the lower sealing cup member 61, nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 404, and barrier plate structure 40 together. During this downward movement, the upper cup 33, which is supported from below by the projection 613 of the lower sealing cup member 61, connects to the lower cup 32. This forms the rotating cup section 31 (= the connection between the upper cup 33 and the lower cup 32).

[0095] After the rotation cup portion 31 is formed, the lower sealing cup member 61, nozzle head 56, beam member 49, support member 404, and barrier plate structure 40 move further down as a single unit, and the flange portions 611 and 612 of the lower sealing cup member 61 are locked to the flange portion 621 and fixed cup portion 34 of the upper sealing cup member 62, respectively. This positions the lower sealing cup member 61 at its lower limit position (position in Figure 2) (step S3). After the locking, as shown in the partially enlarged view of Figure 4, the flange portion 621 of the upper sealing cup member 62 and the flange portion 611 of the lower sealing cup member 61 are in close contact via the O-ring 63, and the flange portion 612 and fixed cup portion 34 of the lower sealing cup member 61 are also in close contact via the O-ring 63. As a result, as shown in Figure 2, the lower sealing cup member 61 and the fixed cup portion 34 are connected in the vertical direction, and a sealed space 12a is formed by the upper sealing cup member 62, the lower sealing cup member 61 and the fixed cup portion 34, and the sealed space 12a is separated from the outside atmosphere (outer space 12b) (atmosphere separation).

[0096] In this atmosphere separation state, the lower surface of the shielding plate structure 40 covers the surface area of ​​the upper surface Wf of the substrate W from above, excluding the peripheral edge Ws. The upper nozzle 51F is positioned within the notch 425 of the shielding plate structure 40 with its discharge port 511 facing the peripheral edge of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Once the preparation for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W is complete, the calculation processing unit 10A gives a rotation command to the motor 23, and the spin chuck 21 and rotating cup section 31 that hold the substrate W start to rotate (step S4). The rotation speed of the substrate W and the rotating cup section 31 is set to, for example, 1800 revolutions per minute. The calculation processing unit 10A also drives and controls the heater drive unit 402 to raise the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 to the desired temperature.

[0097] Next, the arithmetic processing unit 10A issues a heating gas supply command to the heating gas supply unit 47. As a result, nitrogen gas heated by the heater 471, i.e., the heating gas, is pumped from the heating gas supply unit 47 towards the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4 (step S5). This heating gas is heated by the ribbon heater 48 as it passes through the piping 46. This prevents the heating gas from dropping in temperature during gas supply via the piping 46 while it is supplied to the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4. In the upper surface protection heating mechanism 4, the heating gas flowing through the gap region 403 is heated by the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45. The heated gas is then discharged toward the space SPa (see Figure 6) sandwiched between the substrate W and the barrier plate structure 40 near the peripheral edge of the substrate W. This concentrates the heating of the peripheral edge Ws of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Heating of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W is also performed by the peripheral heating heater 44. Therefore, over time, the temperature of the peripheral Ws of the substrate W rises and reaches a temperature suitable for beveling, for example, 90°C. In addition, the temperature of areas other than the peripheral Ws also rises to approximately the same temperature due to the heat from the central heating heater 45. In other words, in this embodiment, the in-plane temperature of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W is approximately uniform. Therefore, warping of the substrate W can be effectively suppressed.

[0098] Subsequently, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the processing liquid supply unit 52 to supply processing liquid to the upper nozzle 51F and the lower nozzle 51B. That is, a stream of processing liquid is discharged from the upper nozzle 51F so as to hit the upper peripheral edge of the substrate W, and a stream of processing liquid is discharged from the lower nozzle 51B so as to hit the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W. This performs beveling on the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W (step S6). Then, when the arithmetic processing unit 10A detects the elapsed processing time required for the beveling of the substrate W, it issues a supply stop command to the processing liquid supply unit 52 and stops the discharge of processing liquid.

[0099] Subsequently, the arithmetic processing unit 10A issues a command to stop supplying the heating gas to the heating gas supply unit 47, stopping the supply of heating gas from the heating gas supply unit 47 to the shut-off plate structure 40 (step S7). The arithmetic processing unit 10A also issues a command to stop rotation to the motor 23, stopping the rotation of the spin chuck 21 and the rotating cup section 31 (step S8).

[0100] In the next step S9, the arithmetic processing unit 10A observes the peripheral Ws of the substrate W to inspect the results of the beveling process. More specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 10A positions the upper cup 33 in a retracted position, similar to when the substrate W is loaded, to form a transport space. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 94 to bring the observation head 93 close to the substrate W. The arithmetic processing unit 10A illuminates the peripheral Ws of the substrate W via the observation head 93 by turning on the light source unit 91. The imaging unit 92 receives the reflected light reflected from the peripheral Ws and adjacent areas and images the peripheral Ws and adjacent areas. In other words, while the substrate W is rotating around the rotation axis AX, the imaging unit 92 acquires multiple images of the peripheral Ws, and from these images, it acquires a peripheral image of the peripheral Ws along the rotation direction of the substrate W. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 10A controls the observation head drive unit 94 to retract the observation head 93 from the substrate W. In parallel with this, the arithmetic processing unit 10A checks whether the beveling process has been performed well, based on the captured peripheral Ws and adjacent region images, i.e., the peripheral image. In this embodiment, as an example of this check, the processing width processed by the processing solution from the edge face of the substrate W toward the center of the substrate W is checked from the peripheral image (post-processing check).

[0101] After inspection, the arithmetic processing unit 10A requests the substrate transport robot 111 to unload the substrate W via the communication unit 10F, and the processed substrate W is discharged from the substrate processing device 1 (step S10). These steps are repeated.

[0102] In the embodiments described above, the heating gas corresponds to an example of the "gas" of the present invention. Furthermore, the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 correspond to examples of the "peripheral heating section" and the "central heating section" of the present invention, respectively.

[0103] As described above, in this embodiment, the annular outlet 401 is formed near the peripheral edge of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, and the heated gas is directly supplied from the annular outlet 401 to the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Therefore, compared to the proposed technology in which the heated gas supplied to the center of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W flows along the upper surface Wf of the substrate W to the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W, the temperature of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W can be raised more efficiently. Consequently, the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W can be heated with less heated gas. As a result, the amount of heated gas used can be reduced, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0104] Furthermore, a peripheral heating heater 44 is provided in the first underblock 42 as a heating means for further heating the heating gas flowing through the gap region 403. In other words, the heating gas is further heated just before it is supplied from the annular outlet 401. As a result, high-temperature heating gas is supplied from the annular outlet 401 to the peripheral edge Ws of the upper surface Wf of the substrate W. Moreover, this peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W is heated not only by the heating gas but also by the peripheral heating heater 44. Therefore, compared to the proposed technology, the temperature of the peripheral edge Ws of the substrate W can be raised or lowered to a temperature suitable for substrate processing in a short time.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a central heating heater 45 is provided in addition to the peripheral heating heater 44. This allows for a uniform in-plane temperature on the upper surface Wf of the substrate W, effectively suppressing warping of the substrate W. It can also appropriately address cases where warping has already occurred in the substrate W. By individually adjusting the heater output of the peripheral heating heater 44 and the central heating heater 45 for a warped substrate W, a temperature difference is created between the center and the periphery of the substrate W. This temperature difference can be used to individually control the amount of thermal expansion in each part. In other words, it is possible to reduce the warping of the substrate W by adjusting the heater output.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the gap region 403 is composed of an inclined portion sandwiched between the base block 41 and the second under block 43, and a vertical portion sandwiched between the first under block 42 and the second under block 43. In other words, the flow path of the heated gas is gradually changed from the inclined portion to the vertical portion. Therefore, pressure loss of the heated gas at the connection point between the inclined portion and the vertical portion is suppressed, and the temperature drop of the heated gas can be reduced.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a heater 471 for obtaining heating gas to heat the substrate W is attached to the outer wall (side wall 11e) of the chamber 11. In other words, the heater 471 is located outside the chamber 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the heat generated by the heater 471 from affecting the various mechanisms arranged in the internal space 12 of the chamber 11. In particular, since the light source unit 91 and the imaging unit 92 are susceptible to heat, in this embodiment, the light source unit 91 and the imaging unit 92 are positioned at a distance from the mounting location of the heater 471. Therefore, by adopting the above layout structure, the light source unit 91 and the imaging unit 92 are less susceptible to the heat generated by the heater 471. As a result, a decrease in observation accuracy due to the effects of temperature changes is prevented, and the peripheral portion of the substrate can be observed with high precision. Also, regarding the heat influence from the heater 471, the same applies to the processing liquid discharge nozzles 51F and 51B, so the processing liquid discharge nozzles 51F and 51B are positioned at a distance from the mounting location of the heater 471. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the light source unit 91, imaging unit 92, and processing liquid discharge nozzles 51F and 51B are arranged on the opposite side of the heater 471, with the second virtual horizontal line VL2 in between, in a plan view from above the chamber 11. By adopting this arrangement, the distance from the heater 471 to the light source unit 91, imaging unit 92, and processing liquid discharge nozzles 51F and 51B is increased, thereby reliably suppressing the thermal influence from the heater 471.

[0108] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made to those described above without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having a rotating cup portion 31. In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a raised platform structure in which a substrate processing portion SP is installed on the upper surface of a base member 17. In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus 1 having an atmosphere separation mechanism 6, a centering mechanism 8, and a substrate observation mechanism 9. However, the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that does not have these configurations, that is, a substrate processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of a substrate W and processes the peripheral edge.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the peripheral heating heater 44 is sandwiched between the annular member 421 and the annular member 422, but the position of the peripheral heating heater 44 in the first underblock 42 is not limited to this. Also, the central heating heater 45 is sandwiched between the disc member 431 and the intermediate member 432, but the position of the central heating heater 45 in the second underblock 43 is not limited to this.

[0110] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first underblock 42 is composed of two members (= annular member 421 + annular member 422), but it may be composed of a single member or three or more members. The second underblock 43 is composed of three members (= disc member 431 + intermediate member 432 + frustocone member 433), but it may be composed of a single member, two or four or more members.

[0111] Furthermore, while the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs beveling as an example of "substrate processing," the present invention can be applied to any substrate processing apparatus that performs substrate processing on a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of a rotating substrate. [Industrial applicability]

[0112] This invention can be applied to all substrate processing apparatuses that process the peripheral edges of a substrate with a processing solution. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0113] 1…Substrate processing equipment 2A...Board holding part 2B... Rotation mechanism 4…Top surface protection heating mechanism 5…Processing mechanism 40… Barrier plate structure 41…Base block 42…1st Underblock 43…2nd Underblock 44… Peripheral heating heater (peripheral heating section) 45…Central heating element (central heating section) 401... Ring-shaped air outlet 403... Gap area 414... Funnel-shaped space AX... Rotation axis Wf…(Top surface of the circuit board) Ws… (Circuit board) edge Z...Vertical direction

Claims

1. A substrate holding part is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending vertically while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal position, A rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion around the rotation axis, A processing mechanism that applies substrate processing to the peripheral edge of the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part which is rotated by the aforementioned rotation mechanism, The system includes an upper surface protection heating mechanism that heats the substrate while covering the upper surface of the substrate held in the substrate holding portion, The aforementioned upper surface protection heating mechanism is A base block having a first opening in the center of the upper surface for introducing gas to be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, and a second opening wider than the first opening in the center of the lower surface, and a funnel-shaped space formed where the inner diameter expands downward from the first opening and connects to the second opening, A third opening having the same shape as the second opening is provided in the center of the upper surface, and a hollow shape is formed in which a through space is formed extending from the third opening to the center of the lower surface, and the first under block is connected to the base block with the third opening aligned with the second opening and the lower surface of the peripheral edge facing the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, The peripheral heating section provided in the first underblock, The system comprises a second underblock connected to the base block, with its lower surface facing the central part of the upper surface of the substrate, and loosely inserted into the through-space and the funnel-shaped space. An annular air outlet formed between the lower surface of the first underblock and the lower surface of the second underblock near the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is connected to the first opening via the base block and the gap region between the first underblock and the second underblock. A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the peripheral heating section heats the gas flowing through the gap region and also heats the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate.

2. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate holding portion is a resin spin chuck that holds the substrate by adsorption from its upper surface to the central part of the lower surface of the substrate, in a substrate processing apparatus.

3. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, A substrate processing apparatus in which, in a horizontal plane, the upper surface of the spin chuck is narrower than the lower surface of the second underblock and is located vertically below the lower surface of the second underblock.

4. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A substrate processing apparatus comprising a central heating unit provided in the second underblock, which heats the gas flowing through the gap region and heats the central part of the substrate.

5. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, A substrate processing apparatus in which the amount of heat generated by the peripheral heating section and the amount of heat generated by the central heating section can be adjusted independently of each other.

6. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, A substrate processing apparatus wherein the amount of heat generated by the peripheral heating portion is greater than the amount of heat generated by the central heating portion.

Images