Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus (2) is provided with: a substrate holding unit (11) that holds and rotates a substrate (W); an inert gas nozzle (14) that faces the inside of the substrate holding unit (11); an inert gas supply line (41) that is connected to the inert gas nozzle (14) and supplies an inert gas to the inert gas nozzle (14); an inert gas saturated water nozzle (15) that faces the inside of the substrate holding unit (11); and an inert gas saturated water supply line (48) that is connected to the inert gas saturated water nozzle (15) and supplies an inert gas saturated water, in which the inert gas is saturated, to the inert gas saturated water nozzle (15).

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing substrates such as wafers, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning or drying a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry.

[0002] The manufacturing process of semiconductor devices typically involves chemical mechanical polishing of wafers using a slurry. This process involves supplying slurry onto a polishing pad while rotating a polishing table that holds the polishing pad, and then pressing the wafer against the polishing pad with a polishing head, thereby polishing the wafer surface through the chemical action of the slurry and the mechanical action of the polishing pad.

[0003] The metal that makes up the wiring material is exposed on the surface of the polished wafer. Immediately after chemical mechanical polishing, slurry is present on the surface of the wafer, and the chemical action of this slurry can cause etching of the metal surface of the wafer. Therefore, the polished wafer is transferred to a cleaning device, where the wafer is cleaned with a cleaning solution. The cleaned wafer is then transferred to a drying device, where the wafer is dried.

[0004] Post-processing, such as cleaning and drying, of wafers is performed in a processing chamber. Air is present in the processing chamber. The oxygen contained in the air in the processing chamber may come into contact with the metal exposed on the wafer surface and corrode the metal. Therefore, the processing chamber is typically filled with an inert gas to remove oxygen from the processing chamber.

[0005] JP 2009-238798 A JP 10-22187 A JP 2023-23230 A

[0006] However, this method requires a large amount of inert gas to fill the processing chamber, which increases manufacturing costs. A solution has been proposed: placing a plate above the wafer and supplying the inert gas only to the space between the wafer and the plate. However, the cleaning apparatus used after chemical mechanical polishing is configured to bring a scrubbing tool into contact with the surface of the wafer, and therefore, a plate cannot be placed above the wafer.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can reduce the amount of inert gas used without placing a plate above a substrate such as a wafer.

[0008] In one aspect, a substrate processing apparatus for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry is provided, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate; an inert gas nozzle facing inward of the substrate holding unit; an inert gas supply line connected to the inert gas nozzle and supplying inert gas to the inert gas nozzle; an inert gas saturated water nozzle facing inward of the substrate holding unit; an inert gas saturated water supply line connected to the inert gas saturated water nozzle and supplying inert gas saturated water to the inert gas saturated water nozzle; a processing chamber that accommodates the substrate holding unit, the inert gas nozzle, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle; and a saturated water generating device connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line and generating the inert gas saturated water.

[0009] In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a fine bubble generator connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line and configured to generate fine inert gas bubbles in the inert gas saturated water. In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a peripheral wall surrounding the substrate holder. In one aspect, the inert gas nozzles are a plurality of inert gas nozzles arranged along the upper edge of the peripheral wall. In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a partition wall dividing the internal space of the processing chamber into an upper space and a lower space, the partition wall being disposed outside the peripheral wall, and the inert gas nozzle and the inert gas saturated water nozzle being disposed within the upper space. In one aspect, the substrate holder includes a chuck for holding the substrate, the chuck being positioned higher than the partition wall. In one aspect, the inert gas saturated water nozzle is located at a height of 60 mm or less above the surface of the substrate when held by the substrate holder. In one aspect, the inert gas nozzle is located at a height of 60 mm or less above the surface of the substrate when held by the substrate holder.

[0010] In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a nozzle moving device configured to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle between a first position above the substrate holding part and a second position outside the substrate holding part. In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate cleaning apparatus that cleans the substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished with a slurry. In one aspect, the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate drying apparatus that dries a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished with a slurry and then cleaned in a substrate cleaning apparatus.

[0011] In one aspect, a substrate processing apparatus for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry is provided, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate; an inert gas saturated water nozzle facing inward from the substrate holding unit; an inert gas saturated water supply line connected to the inert gas saturated water nozzle and supplying inert gas saturated water to the inert gas saturated water nozzle; a fine bubble generator connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line and forming fine bubbles of inert gas in the inert gas saturated water; and a saturated water generating device connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line and generating the inert gas saturated water.

[0012] In one aspect, a substrate processing method is provided for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, the method comprising: rotating the substrate using a substrate holder; supplying an inert gas from an inert gas nozzle to a surface of the substrate; and supplying inert gas-saturated water saturated with inert gas from an inert gas-saturated water nozzle to the surface of the substrate; the substrate holder, the inert gas nozzle, and the inert gas-saturated water nozzle are disposed within a processing chamber.

[0013] In one aspect, the substrate processing method further includes forming fine bubbles of inert gas in the inert gas-saturated water saturated with the inert gas, and supplying the inert gas-saturated water from the inert gas-saturated water nozzle to the surface of the substrate includes supplying the inert gas-saturated water containing the fine bubbles to the surface of the substrate from the inert gas-saturated water nozzle. In one aspect, the substrate is rotated inside a peripheral wall surrounding the substrate holder. In one aspect, supplying the inert gas from the inert gas nozzle to the surface of the substrate includes supplying the inert gas to the surface of the substrate from multiple inert gas nozzles arranged along the upper edge of the peripheral wall. In one aspect, the internal space of the processing chamber is divided into an upper space and a lower space by a partition wall, the partition wall is located outside the peripheral wall, and the inert gas nozzle and the inert gas-saturated water nozzle are located in the upper space. In one aspect, the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder is located higher than the partition wall. In one embodiment, the inert gas saturated water nozzle is located at a height of 60 mm or less from the surface of the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder, and in one embodiment, the inert gas nozzle is located at a height of 60 mm or less from the surface of the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder.

[0014] In one aspect, the substrate processing method further includes moving the inert gas saturated water nozzle to a position above the substrate held by the substrate holder before supplying the inert gas saturated water to the substrate from the inert gas saturated water nozzle. In one aspect, the substrate processing method further includes moving the inert gas saturated water nozzle above the substrate held by the substrate holder while supplying the inert gas saturated water to the substrate from the inert gas saturated water nozzle. In one aspect, the substrate processing method is a substrate cleaning method for cleaning the substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry. In one aspect, the substrate processing method is a substrate drying method for drying a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry and then cleaned in a substrate cleaning apparatus.

[0015] In one aspect, a substrate processing method is provided for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, the method comprising forming fine bubbles of inert gas in inert gas saturated water saturated with the inert gas, supplying the inert gas to the surface of the substrate from an inert gas nozzle while rotating the substrate using a substrate holder, and supplying the inert gas saturated water containing the fine bubbles to the surface of the substrate from an inert gas saturated water nozzle.

[0016] The surface of the substrate is covered with a double inert gas barrier consisting of a film of inert gas-saturated water and a local inert gas atmosphere. This double inert gas barrier prevents oxygen in the ambient atmosphere from reaching the surface of the substrate, preventing metal corrosion caused by oxygen. In particular, because the film of inert gas-saturated water and the inert gas atmosphere are formed locally on the surface of the substrate, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal of the substrate can be reduced.

[0017] 7A is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a processing system that polishes, cleans, and dries a substrate. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of an arrangement of an inert gas nozzle, an inert gas saturated water nozzle, and a chemical solution nozzle. FIG. 7C is a top view showing an example of an arrangement of an inert gas nozzle, an inert gas saturated water nozzle, and a chemical solution nozzle. FIG. 7C is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 7D is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 7E is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate vertically. 16 and 17. FIG. 17 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 18 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 19 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 21 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 22 is a side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 23 is a side view of an embodiment in which the peripheral wall shown in FIG. 8 is combined with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 24 is a side view of an embodiment in which the arrangement of multiple inert gas nozzles described with reference to FIG. 9 is applied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 25 is a side view of an embodiment in which the peripheral wall shown in FIG. 8 and the partition wall shown in FIG. 10 are combined with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 26 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 27 is a side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 28 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 29 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a substrate drying apparatus which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 29 is a perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of a substrate drying apparatus which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 30 is a graph showing experimental results of measuring the oxygen concentration in pure water and the oxygen concentration in inert gas saturated water.1 is a graph showing the results of an experiment measuring the amount of corrosion of copper present on the surface of a cleaned substrate.

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a processing system for polishing, cleaning, and drying a substrate. The processing system includes a CMP apparatus 1 that chemically and mechanically polishes a substrate W using a slurry, a substrate cleaning apparatus 2 that cleans the substrate W polished by the CMP apparatus 1, and a substrate drying apparatus 3 that dries the substrate W cleaned by the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. In one example, the substrate W is a wafer having metal wiring formed on its surface.

[0019] The CMP apparatus 1 has a known configuration. In one example, the CMP apparatus 1 includes a polishing table 6 that holds a polishing pad 5, a slurry supply nozzle 7 that supplies slurry onto the polishing pad 5, and a polishing head 8 that presses the substrate W against the polishing pad 5. Chemical mechanical polishing of the substrate W using the slurry is performed as follows: While rotating the polishing pad 5 and the polishing table 6, the slurry is supplied onto the polishing pad 5 from the slurry supply nozzle 7. While rotating the substrate W, the polishing head 8 presses the substrate W against the polishing pad 5 in the presence of the slurry. The substrate W is polished by a combination of the chemical action of the slurry and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the slurry and the polishing pad 5.

[0020] The substrate W polished by the CMP apparatus 1 is transported by a transport device (not shown) to the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus that post-processes the substrate W that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry. The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 is configured to clean the substrate W that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating one embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus 2, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a side view schematically illustrating the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 shown in FIG. The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes a substrate holder 11 that horizontally holds and rotates a substrate W, an inert gas nozzle 14 that supplies an inert gas to the surface of the substrate W, an inert gas-saturated water nozzle 15 that supplies inert gas-saturated water to the surface of the substrate W, a chemical nozzle 16 that supplies a chemical to the surface of the substrate W, cylindrical roll sponges (scrubbing tools) 18 and 19 that contact the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, and cleaning tool rotation devices 22 and 23 that rotate the roll sponges 18 and 19. Roll brushes may be used as scrubbing tools instead of the roll sponges 18 and 19. In this embodiment, the chemical supplied from the chemical nozzle 16 is diluted with inert gas-saturated water. In one embodiment, depending on the surface condition of the substrate, the chemical supplied from the chemical nozzle 16 may be diluted with pure water.

[0022] Although not shown, the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes a rinse nozzle that supplies a rinse liquid (e.g., pure water or inert gas saturated water) to the underside of the substrate W, and a chemical liquid nozzle that supplies a chemical liquid to the underside of the substrate W. The roll sponges 18 and 19 are each supported by a cleaning tool moving device (not shown), and the cleaning tool moving device allows the roll sponges 18 and 19 to contact the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W and to be separated from the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W.

[0023] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes a processing chamber 27. The substrate holder 11, the inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, the chemical solution nozzle 16, the roll sponges (scrubbing tools) 18 and 19, and the cleaning tool rotation devices 22 and 23 are disposed within the processing chamber 27. The processing chamber 27 has an inlet opening 31 and an outlet opening 32 for the substrate W. The inlet opening 31 and the outlet opening 32 are closed by an inlet shutter 33 and an outlet shutter 34. An exhaust port 37 is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber 27. The exhaust port 37 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) so that gas is exhausted from the processing chamber 27 at a predetermined flow rate.

[0024] The inert gas nozzle 14 is configured to form a jet of inert gas. Examples of the inert gas nozzle 14 include a fan-shaped nozzle that forms a fan-shaped jet of inert gas, or a linear nozzle that forms a cylindrical jet of inert gas. Examples of the inert gas include nitrogen gas, argon gas, and helium gas. The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes an inert gas supply line 41 that is connected to the inert gas nozzle 14 and supplies the inert gas to the inert gas nozzle 14. The inert gas supply line 41 is connected to an inert gas supply source 42. The inert gas supply source 42 may be a gas cylinder filled with inert gas or an inert gas supply port installed in a factory as a utility facility.

[0025] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes an inert gas valve 43 disposed on the inert gas supply line 41. The inert gas valve 43 is a flow rate control valve that can adjust the flow rate of the inert gas flowing through the inert gas supply line 41. The inert gas valve 43 is an actuator-driven valve (e.g., an electric valve). The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes an operation control unit 46. The inert gas valve 43 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 46, and the operation of the inert gas valve 43 is controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0026] The operation control unit 46 is composed of at least one computer. The operation control unit 46 includes a storage device 46a in which a program is stored and an arithmetic unit 46b that executes calculations according to instructions included in the program. The storage device 46a includes a main storage device such as a random access memory (RAM) and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Examples of the arithmetic unit 46b include a CPU (central processing unit) and a GPU (graphics processing unit). However, the specific configuration of the operation control unit 46 is not limited to these examples.

[0027] The overall operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 is controlled by the operation control unit 46. More specifically, the components of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2, including the substrate holder 11, the cleaning tool rotation devices 22 and 23, the cleaning tool moving device, etc., are controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0028] The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is configured to form a jet of inert gas saturated water. Inert gas saturated water is a liquid in which an inert gas is dissolved in a saturated state in pure water. Examples of the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 include a fan-shaped nozzle that forms a fan-shaped jet of inert gas saturated water gas, and a straight nozzle that forms a cylindrical jet of inert gas saturated water gas. The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes an inert gas saturated water supply line 48 connected to the inert gas nozzle 14 and that supplies inert gas saturated water to the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and a saturated water generator 49 that generates inert gas saturated water. The saturated water generator 49 is connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line 48.

[0029] The configuration of the saturated water generator 49 is not particularly limited as long as it can generate inert gas-saturated water in which the inert gas is saturated and dissolved in pure water. For example, the saturated water generator 49 may be a swirling liquid flow type that supplies inert gas to pure water held in a tank and forms a high-speed swirling flow of pure water to dissolve the inert gas in the pure water, a micropore type that disperses the inert gas into the pure water through micropores, a cavitation type that uses an ejector or Venturi tube to generate fine inert gas bubbles in the pure water and dissolve the inert gas in the pure water, a pressure dissolution type that pressurizes a mixture of inert gas and pure water and then reduces the pressure to generate fine inert gas bubbles and dissolve the inert gas in the pure water, a cooling dissolution type that cools a mixture of inert gas and pure water and then heats it to generate fine inert gas bubbles and dissolve the inert gas in the pure water, or a porous membrane type that extrudes pressurized inert gas through a porous membrane such as a hollow fiber membrane into the pure water to dissolve the inert gas in the pure water.

[0030] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes an inert gas saturated water valve 50 disposed on the inert gas saturated water supply line 48. The inert gas saturated water valve 50 is a flow rate control valve that can adjust the flow rate of the inert gas saturated water flowing through the inert gas saturated water supply line 48. The inert gas saturated water valve 50 is an actuator-driven valve (e.g., an electric valve). The inert gas saturated water valve 50 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 46, and the operation of the inert gas saturated water valve 50 is controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0031] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes a chemical solution supply line 53 connected to the chemical solution nozzle 16 to supply the chemical solution to the chemical solution nozzle 16, a chemical solution supply source 54 connected to the chemical solution supply line 53, and a chemical solution valve 55 disposed on the chemical solution supply line 53. The chemical solution valve 55 is a flow rate control valve that can adjust the flow rate of the chemical solution flowing through the chemical solution supply line 53. The chemical solution valve 55 is an actuator-driven valve (e.g., an electric valve). The chemical solution valve 55 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 46, and the operation of the chemical solution valve 55 is controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0032] The arrangement of the inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the arrangement is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0033] The substrate holder 11 of this embodiment includes a plurality of holding rollers 12 as chucks that hold and rotate the substrate W. These holding rollers 12 are configured to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W. At least one of the plurality of holding rollers 12 is connected to a chuck rotation device (not shown) and is rotated by the chuck rotation device. With the plurality of holding rollers 12 in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W, at least one holding roller 12 rotates about its axis, thereby rotating the substrate W. The chuck rotation device is electrically connected to an operation controller 46, and the operation of the chuck rotation device is controlled by the operation controller 46.

[0034] In this embodiment, the inert gas nozzle 14 and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 are disposed outside the holding rollers 12 of the substrate holding unit 11 and face the inside of the substrate holding unit 11. The inert gas nozzle 14 and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 can supply the inert gas and the inert gas saturated water from the outside of the substrate holding unit 11 toward the inside of the substrate holding unit 11 (i.e., to the top surface of the substrate W).

[0035] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes an oxygen concentration measuring device 59 disposed in the processing chamber 27. The oxygen concentration measuring device 59 is disposed near the exhaust port 37. The oxygen concentration measuring device 59 is connected to the operation control unit 46, and the measured value of the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 27 is transmitted to the operation control unit 46.

[0036] One embodiment of cleaning a substrate W is as follows. The substrate W is held by the holding rollers 12 of the substrate holder 11 with the surface polished by the CMP apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 ) facing upward. Furthermore, the substrate W is rotated by the rotation of the holding rollers 12. An inert gas and inert-gas-saturated water are supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate W from the inert gas nozzle 14 and the inert-gas-saturated water nozzle 15. A film of inert-gas-saturated water is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W, and the film of inert-gas-saturated water is further covered with an inert gas atmosphere. In this state, a chemical solution is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. Furthermore, while roll sponges 18 and 19, which are scrubbing cleaning tools, rotate, the roll sponges 18 and 19 are brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W by a cleaning tool moving device (not shown). The upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W are scrubbed by the roll sponges 18 and 19 in the presence of the chemical solution.

[0037] While the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W are being scrubbed with the roll sponges 18, 19, a chemical solution, an inert gas, and inert-gas-saturated water are supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W. Cleaning debris such as slurry is removed from the upper surface of the substrate W by the flow of the inert-gas-saturated water. After a preset time has elapsed, the supply of the chemical solution to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W is stopped. The roll sponges 18, 19 are moved away from the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W by the cleaning tool moving device. The supply of the inert gas and the inert-gas-saturated water to the upper surface of the substrate W continues, and the chemical solution is removed from the upper surface of the substrate W. A rinse liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W, and the chemical solution is removed from the lower surface of the substrate W.

[0038] In one embodiment, after stopping the supply of chemical liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, inert gas and inert gas saturated water may be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W while the roll sponges 18, 19 are brought into sliding contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, and a rinse liquid may be supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W.

[0039] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 4 , as a result of chemical mechanical polishing using the CMP apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 ), metal (e.g., copper) 200 is exposed on the upper surface of the substrate W. This metal 200 is covered with a film 201 of inert-gas-saturated water, which is further covered with an inert-gas atmosphere 202. In this way, the upper surface of the substrate W is covered with a double inert gas barrier consisting of the film 201 of inert-gas-saturated water and the local inert-gas atmosphere 202. This double inert gas barrier prevents oxygen in the ambient air from reaching the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby preventing oxygen-induced corrosion of the metal 200. In particular, because the film 201 of inert-gas-saturated water and the inert-gas atmosphere 202 are formed locally on the upper surface of the substrate W, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal 200 of the substrate W can be reduced. The chemical liquid, inert gas, and inert gas saturated water supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W are at a temperature lower than room temperature in order to suppress corrosion of the metal 200 exposed on the surface of the substrate W.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the height and angle of the inert gas nozzle 14 and the inert-gas-saturated water nozzle 15. In one embodiment, the height H1 of the inert gas nozzle 14 is 60 mm or less from the top surface of the substrate W when held by the substrate holder 11. The inert gas discharged from the inert gas nozzle 14 positioned close to the substrate W comes into contact with air in an extremely short time and is unlikely to entrain air. Similarly, in one embodiment, the height H2 of the inert-gas-saturated water nozzle 15 is 60 mm or less from the top surface of the substrate W when held by the substrate holder 11. The inert-gas-saturated water discharged from the inert-gas-saturated water nozzle 15 positioned close to the substrate W comes into contact with air in an extremely short time, and oxygen in the air is unlikely to dissolve in the inert-gas-saturated water. As a result, oxygen-induced corrosion of metal exposed on the surface of the substrate W can be prevented.

[0041] If the angle of the inert gas nozzle 14 with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W is large, the jet of inert gas may destroy the film of inert gas saturated water on the surface of the substrate W, exposing the substrate W to the surrounding air. Therefore, in one embodiment, the angle θ1 of the inert gas nozzle 14 is 30 degrees or less with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W when held by the substrate holder 11. The inert gas nozzle 14 positioned at an acute angle can prevent the jet of inert gas from destroying the film of inert gas saturated water formed on the upper surface of the substrate W. Similarly, in one embodiment, the angle θ2 of the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is 30 degrees or less with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W when held by the substrate holder 11. The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 positioned at an acute angle can form a film of inert gas saturated water of uniform thickness on the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. Furthermore, a strong flow of inert gas saturated water can be formed on the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby removing cleaning debris such as slurry and particles from the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0042] The height H1 of the inert gas nozzle 14 may be the same as, smaller than, or larger than the height H2 of the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15. The angle θ1 of the inert gas nozzle 14 may be the same as, smaller than, or larger than the angle θ2 of the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15.

[0043] 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of loading and unloading a substrate W into and from the processing chamber 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes an inlet slit nozzle 71 and an outlet slit nozzle 72 disposed in the processing chamber 27. The inlet slit nozzle 71 has a slit (opening) facing the inlet opening 31 and is configured to form an inert gas curtain covering the inlet opening 31 in the processing chamber 27. The outlet slit nozzle 72 has a slit (opening) facing the outlet opening 32 and is configured to form an inert gas curtain covering the outlet opening 32 in the processing chamber 27. The inert gas that forms the inert gas curtain is, for example, nitrogen gas.

[0044] The operations of steps 1 to 4 described below are performed in accordance with commands issued by the operation control unit 46 shown in Fig. 2. During the loading, cleaning, and unloading of the substrate W, gases including inert gas and air are exhausted from the processing chamber 27 through the exhaust port 37.

[0045] In step 1, inert gas is emitted from the inlet slit nozzle 71 toward the inlet opening 31, forming an inert gas curtain covering the inlet opening 31. The exit shutter 34 is closed. Then, the inlet shutter 33 opens, and the substrate W to be cleaned is loaded into the processing chamber 27 through the inlet opening 31 by a transfer device (not shown). The inert gas curtain can prevent ambient air from entering the processing chamber 27 through the inlet opening 31. The inert gas curtain also contributes to reducing the concentration of oxygen in the processing chamber 27.

[0046] In step 2, the entrance shutter 33 is closed. The substrate W is held by the holding rollers 12 of the substrate holder 11. Furthermore, the substrate W is rotated by the holding rollers 12, and an inert gas, inert gas saturated water, and chemical solution are supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from an inert gas nozzle 14, an inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and a chemical solution nozzle 16. The chemical solution is also supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W from a chemical solution nozzle (not shown). Roll sponges 18 and 19, which are scrubbing tools, come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W while rotating, and scrub the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W.

[0047] In step 3, the supply of the inert gas, the inert gas-saturated water, and the chemical solution to the substrate W is stopped, and the rotation of the substrate W is also stopped. The roll sponges 18 and 19 are moved away from the top and bottom surfaces of the substrate W. The inert gas is emitted from the outlet slit nozzle 72 toward the outlet opening 32, forming an inert gas curtain covering the outlet opening 32. The inert gas curtain also contributes to reducing the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 27. In step 4, the exit shutter 34 is opened, and the cleaned substrate W is unloaded from the processing chamber 27 through the outlet opening 32 by a transport device (not shown). The inert gas curtain prevents ambient air from entering the processing chamber 27 through the outlet opening 32.

[0048] 2 may issue a command to the inert gas valve 43 and / or the inert gas saturated water valve 50 to increase the flow rate of the inert gas and / or the inert gas saturated water. If the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 27 measured by the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 is higher than a preset upper limit, the operation control unit 46 may issue an alarm signal.

[0049] In one embodiment, a chemical liquid may not be used to clean the substrate W. In such a case, the chemical liquid nozzle 16 may not be provided.

[0050] 7A to 7C are top views showing examples of the arrangement of the inert gas nozzles 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzles 15, and the chemical nozzles 16. In the example shown in FIG. 7A , when viewed from above, two inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged on both sides of a roll sponge (scrubbing tool) 18, and two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 are arranged on both sides of the roll sponge 18. The two chemical nozzles 16 are also arranged on both sides of the roll sponge 18 when viewed from above. The inert gas nozzles 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzles 15, and the chemical nozzles 16 are arranged to discharge the inert gas, the inert gas saturated water, and the chemical solution in the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18 at an angle nearly parallel to the rotation axis of the roll sponge 18. The inert gas saturated water flows along both sides of the roll sponge 18, thereby facilitating the discharge of cleaning debris (such as slurry and particles) from the substrate W.

[0051] 7B , when viewed from above, two inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged on both sides of the roll sponge 18, and two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 are arranged on one side of the roll sponge 18. When viewed from above, two chemical solution nozzles 16 are arranged on one side of the roll sponge 18. The two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 and the two chemical solution nozzles 16 are arranged on the same side of the roll sponge 18. The two inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged to emit inert gas in the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18 at an angle nearly parallel to the rotation axis of the roll sponge 18. One of the two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 is a straight nozzle that forms a cylindrical jet of inert gas saturated water, and is arranged to emit inert gas saturated water toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. The other inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is a fan-shaped nozzle that forms a fan-shaped jet of inert gas saturated water, and is arranged to emit inert gas saturated water toward the upper surface of the substrate W from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18. One of the two chemical solution nozzles 16 is a straight nozzle that forms a cylindrical jet of chemical solution and is arranged to spray the chemical solution toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. The other chemical solution nozzle 16 is a fan-shaped nozzle that forms a fan-shaped jet of chemical solution and is arranged to spray the chemical solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18. The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 consisting of a straight nozzle, the chemical solution nozzle 16 consisting of a straight nozzle, the chemical solution nozzle 16 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle are aligned along the rotation direction of the substrate W. That is, the two chemical solution nozzles 16 are arranged between the two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 7C, when viewed from above, two inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged on both sides of the roll sponge 18, and two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 are arranged on one side of the roll sponge 18. When viewed from above, two chemical solution nozzles 16 are arranged on one side of the roll sponge 18. The two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 and the two chemical solution nozzles 16 are arranged on the same side of the roll sponge 18. The two inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged to emit inert gas in the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18 at an angle nearly parallel to the rotation axis of the roll sponge 18. The two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 are fan-shaped nozzles that form fan-shaped jets of inert gas saturated water, and are arranged to emit the inert gas saturated water toward the top surface of the substrate W from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18. The two chemical solution nozzles 16 are fan-shaped nozzles that form fan-shaped jets of chemical solution, and are arranged to emit the chemical solution toward the top surface of the substrate W from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18. The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle, the chemical liquid nozzle 16 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle, the chemical liquid nozzle 16 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 consisting of a fan-shaped nozzle are aligned along the rotation direction of the substrate W. That is, the two chemical liquid nozzles 16 are disposed between the two inert gas saturated water nozzles 15.

[0053] 7A to 7C , the inert gas nozzle 14 is disposed facing the side of the roll sponge (scrubbing tool) 18 at an angle nearly parallel to the rotation axis of the roll sponge 18. This is for the following reason: when the roll sponge 18 rotates above the upper surface of the substrate W, the surrounding air is easily drawn into the rotating roll sponge 18 and attracted to the substrate W. Therefore, in order to reduce the oxygen concentration around the roll sponge 18, the inert gas nozzle 14 supplies inert gas along the longitudinal direction of the roll sponge 18 to the side of the roll sponge 18 (more specifically, to the contact area between the roll sponge 18 and the substrate W). The flow of inert gas flowing along the side of the roll sponge 18 can remove the air present around the roll sponge 18 and reduce the oxygen concentration around the roll sponge 18.

[0054] The arrangements of the inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0055] Figure 8 is a side view schematically illustrating another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 2 to 7, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes a peripheral wall 74 that surrounds the substrate holder 11. The peripheral wall 74 has a cylindrical shape with an open top and is fixed to the processing chamber 27 by a support member (not shown). The peripheral wall 74 is a stationary member that does not rotate. Figure 8 shows a cross section of the peripheral wall 74.

[0056] The upper end of the peripheral wall 74 is located higher than the holding roller (chuck) 12 of the substrate holder 11, and the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 is located lower than the lower ends of the entrance opening 31 and the exit opening 32. In this embodiment, the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 is spaced apart from the bottom of the processing chamber 27. In one embodiment, the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 may contact the bottom of the processing chamber 27.

[0057] The holding rollers (chucks) 12 of the substrate holding unit 11 are located within the peripheral wall 74. Therefore, the substrate W held by the holding rollers 12 of the substrate holding unit 11 is also located within and surrounded by the peripheral wall 74. The inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical solution nozzle 16 are arranged outside the peripheral wall 74 and are configured to supply the inert gas, the inert gas saturated water, and the chemical solution from outside the peripheral wall 74 to the top surface of the substrate W within the peripheral wall 74. In one embodiment, at least the outlets of the inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical solution nozzle 16 may be located inside the peripheral wall 74.

[0058] The exhaust port 37 is located inside the peripheral wall 74. The peripheral wall 74 surrounds the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. The inert gas fills the space inside the peripheral wall 74, and an inert gas atmosphere is formed around the substrate W. Since the inert gas only needs to fill the space inside the peripheral wall 74 to remove air from around the substrate W, the amount of inert gas used can be significantly reduced.

[0059] 9 is a top view showing one embodiment of the arrangement of the inert gas nozzles 14. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, multiple inert gas nozzles 14 are arranged along the upper end of a peripheral wall 74. The inert gas nozzles 14 may be fixed to the peripheral wall 74 or may be fixed to the processing chamber 27. The inert gas nozzles 14 are directed toward the center of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. The number of inert gas nozzles 14 is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. Two, three, or four inert gas nozzles 14 may be arranged along the upper part of the peripheral wall 74. The outlet at the tip of each inert gas nozzle 14 may be located inside the peripheral wall 74.

[0060] 10 is a side view schematically illustrating yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

[0061] 10 , the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes a partition wall 78 that divides the interior space of the processing chamber 27 into an upper space 76 and a lower space 77. The partition wall 78 is disposed outside the peripheral wall 74 and is held by a support member (not shown) fixed to the processing chamber 27. The partition wall 78 has a through hole 78a at its center, and the peripheral wall 74 is disposed within the through hole 78a. That is, the inner edge of the partition wall 78 has a shape that follows the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 74, and the outer edge of the partition wall 78 has a shape that follows the inner surface of the processing chamber 27. The partition wall 78 is disposed along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 74. The upper space 76 and the lower space 77 separated by the partition wall 78 are in communication with each other through the inner space of the peripheral wall 74.

[0062] The inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical solution nozzle 16 are arranged in the upper space 76. The holding rollers (chucks) 12 of the substrate holder 11 are positioned higher than the partition wall 78. Therefore, the substrate W held by the holding rollers 12 is also positioned higher than the partition wall 78 and is located in the upper space 76. The inert gas supplied from the inert gas nozzle 14 forms an inert gas atmosphere around the substrate W. Since there is no need to supply inert gas to the lower space 77, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal of the substrate W can be reduced.

[0063] The partition wall 78 is located higher than the lower ends of the inlet opening 31 and the outlet opening 32. When the inlet shutter 33 and the outlet shutter 34 are open, the partition wall 78 located in this position can guide the air flowing in through the inlet opening 31 and the outlet opening 32 to the lower space 77. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the upper space 76 can be maintained low.

[0064] 2 to 10 are configured to hold the substrate W horizontally using the substrate holder 11, but the configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 is not limited to these embodiments. In one embodiment, the substrate holder 11 may be configured to hold the substrate W at an angle greater than 0 and less than 90° with respect to the horizontal plane. For example, as in the multiple examples shown in FIG. 11 , the substrate holder 11 may be configured to hold the substrate W vertically. The arrangement of the inert gas nozzles 14 and the inert gas saturated water nozzles 15 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 11 .

[0065] 12 is a perspective view schematically illustrating yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. For simplicity of the drawing, the processing chamber 27 and the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 are not shown in FIG. 12.

[0066] 12, the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes a fine bubble generator 61 connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line 48. The fine bubble generator 61 is configured to form fine inert gas bubbles in the inert gas saturated water flowing through the inert gas saturated water supply line 48. More specifically, the fine bubble generator 61 is configured to form fine inert gas bubbles in the inert gas saturated water by vigorously mixing the inert gas saturated water with the inert gas. The specific configuration of the fine bubble generator 61 is not particularly limited, and commercially available fine bubble generators such as Venturi and loop flow types can be used.

[0067] The fine bubble generator 61 is connected to the inert gas supply source 42. More specifically, the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 further includes an inert gas supply line 62 branching off from the inert gas supply line 41, and an inert gas valve 64 attached to the inert gas supply line 62. The inert gas supply line 62 branches off from the inert gas supply line 41 at a position between the inert gas supply line 41 and the inert gas supply source 42, and extends to the fine bubble generator 61. The flow rate of the inert gas sent to the fine bubble generator 61 is adjusted by the inert gas valve 64. In one embodiment, the inert gas supply line 62 may be connected to an inert gas supply source separate from the inert gas supply source 42.

[0068] The inert gas flows from the inert gas supply source 42 through the inert gas supply line 41 and the inert gas valve 43 to the inert gas nozzle 14, and also flows from the inert gas supply source 42 through the inert gas supply line 62 and the inert gas valve 64 to the fine bubble generator 61. The fine bubble generator 61 forms fine bubbles of the inert gas in the inert gas saturated water.

[0069] Inert gas saturated water containing fine bubbles of inert gas is supplied from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 to the upper surface of the substrate W. The fine bubbles supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W rise in the inert gas saturated water due to their buoyancy, lifting particles (abrasive grains of the slurry and polishing debris) present on the upper surface of the substrate W. As a result, the fine bubbles in the inert gas saturated water can efficiently remove particles from the substrate W. Furthermore, the fine bubbles rising in the inert gas saturated water can prevent particles from re-adhering to the substrate W.

[0070] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 12.

[0071] Figure 13 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figure 12, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, the inert gas nozzle 14 is not provided, and the inert gas supply line 41 is connected to the fine bubble generator 61. That is, the inert gas supply line 41 extends from the inert gas supply source 42 to the fine bubble generator 61. In this embodiment, the inert gas supply line 62 and the inert gas valve 64 shown in Figure 12 are also not provided.

[0072] Inert gas flows from an inert gas supply source 42 through an inert gas supply line 41 and an inert gas valve 43 to a fine bubble generator 61. The fine bubble generator 61 forms fine bubbles of inert gas in the inert gas saturated water flowing through an inert gas saturated water supply line 48. The inert gas saturated water containing fine bubbles of inert gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from an inert gas saturated water nozzle 15. The flow rate of the inert gas sent to the fine bubble generator 61 is adjusted by an inert gas valve 43. This embodiment, which does not have an inert gas nozzle 14, is suitable for cleaning a substrate W having a surface without exposed metal.

[0073] The arrangement of the peripheral wall 74, the partition wall 78, the substrate holder 11, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

[0074] 14 is a perspective view schematically illustrating yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. For simplicity of the drawing, the processing chamber 27 and the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 are not shown in FIG. 14.

[0075] 14 , the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 includes a nozzle moving device 80 configured to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 between a first position P1 above the substrate holding unit 11 and a second position P2 outside the substrate holding unit 11. In this embodiment, the first position P1 is a supply position where the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 supplies inert gas saturated water to the center of the substrate W, and the second position P2 is a retracted position where the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is located outside the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 11. At the first position P1, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is located above the substrate W, and at the second position P2, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is located outside the substrate W.

[0076] The nozzle movement device 80 includes a nozzle arm 81 that holds the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and an arm actuator 82 that moves the nozzle arm 81. The arm actuator 82 is connected to the nozzle arm 81 via a support 83. One end of the support 83 is connected to the nozzle arm 81, and the other end of the support 83 is connected to the arm actuator 82. The arm actuator 82 moves the nozzle arm 81 and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 above the substrate W by rotating the support 83. In another embodiment, the arm actuator 82 may be configured to move the nozzle arm 81 translationally.

[0077] The inert gas saturated water supply line 48 extends inside the nozzle arm 81 and is connected to the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 fixed to the tip of the nozzle arm 81. The arm actuator 82 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 46, and the operation of the arm actuator 82, i.e., the operation of the nozzle moving device 80, is controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0078] After the substrate W is rotated by the substrate holder 11 and before cleaning of the substrate W begins, the operation control unit 46 issues a command to the arm actuator 82 of the nozzle moving device 80 to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 from the second position P2 to the first position P1. The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 shown in FIG. 14 is at the first position P1. The operation control unit 46 opens the inert gas saturated water valve 50 to supply inert gas saturated water from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 to the center of the substrate W. The inert gas saturated water is supplied onto the rotating substrate W and spreads over the upper surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. The operation control unit 46 opens the inert gas valve 43 to supply inert gas from the inert gas nozzle 14 to the upper surface of the substrate W. The supply of inert gas saturated water and the supply of inert gas may be started simultaneously. The supply of inert gas may be started before the supply of inert gas saturated water is started.

[0079] After the supply of the inert gas and the inert gas saturated water is started, cleaning of the substrate W is started using the roll sponges (scrubbing tools) 18, 19. The cleaning of the substrate W is performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and therefore a duplicated description thereof will be omitted. After cleaning of the substrate W is completed, the operation control unit 46 issues a command to the arm actuator 82 of the nozzle moving device 80 to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0080] The inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 moved to the first position P1 by the nozzle moving device 80 can approach the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. This shortens the time that the inert-gas saturated water discharged from the inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 comes into contact with air, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen in the air that dissolves in the inert-gas saturated water.

[0081] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 14.

[0082] Figure 15 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2, and Figure 16 is a side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 shown in Figure 15. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 2 to 7, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. For simplicity of the drawing, the processing chamber 27 and the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 are not shown in Figure 15.

[0083] 15 and 16 includes a pen sponge 90 as a scrubbing tool. The pen sponge 90 is rotatably held on a swing arm 91. The pen sponge 90 is connected to a cleaning tool rotation device (not shown) that rotates the pen sponge 90 about its axis, and the cleaning tool rotation device is disposed within the swing arm 91.

[0084] The substrate holder 11 is provided with a plurality of chucks 94 (four in FIG. 15 ) that hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and is configured to hold the substrate W horizontally using these chucks 94. The chucks 94 are connected to a chuck rotation device 95, and the substrate W held by the chucks 94 is rotated about its axis by the chuck rotation device 95. The substrate holder 11 is configured to rotate the substrate W at a higher speed than in the above embodiment that uses holding rollers 12.

[0085] The swing arm 91 is disposed above the substrate holder 11 and the substrate W. The pen sponge 90 is disposed at one end of the swing arm 91, and the other end of the swing arm 91 is connected to a pivot 96. An arm rotation device 97 that rotates the swing arm 91 is connected to the pivot 96. The arm rotation device 97 moves the swing arm 91 and the pen sponge 90 in a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate W by rotating the pivot 96 by a predetermined angle. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 15 , the swing arm 91 rotates, and the pen sponge 90 moves radially outward of the substrate W. In this embodiment, a cleaning tool moving device that moves the pen sponge 90, which is a scrubbing tool, in the radial direction of the substrate W is composed of the swing arm 91, the pivot 96, and the arm rotation device 97. In one embodiment, the cleaning tool moving device may be configured to translate the swing arm 91.

[0086] The substrate W is cleaned as follows. The substrate W is held by the chuck 94 of the substrate holder 11 with the surface polished by the CMP apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 ) facing upward. The substrate holder 11 rotates the substrate W about its axis. Next, an inert gas, an inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and a chemical solution nozzle 16 supply an inert gas, an inert gas saturated water, and a chemical solution to the upper surface of the substrate W. In this state, the pen sponge 90 rotates about its vertical axis, sliding against the surface of the substrate W and further moves in the radial direction of the substrate W. The rotating pen sponge 90 slides against the surface of the substrate W in the presence of the chemical solution, thereby scrubbing the substrate W. After scrubbing, the supply of the chemical solution is stopped, while the supply of the inert gas and the inert gas saturated water continues. The chemical solution and cleaning debris (e.g., slurry) are washed away from the upper surface of the substrate W by the inert gas saturated water.

[0087] The upper surface of the substrate W is covered by a double inert gas barrier consisting of a film of inert gas saturated water and a local inert gas atmosphere. This double inert gas barrier prevents oxygen in the ambient atmosphere from reaching the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby preventing oxygen-induced metal corrosion. In particular, because the film of inert gas saturated water and the inert gas atmosphere are formed locally on the upper surface of the substrate W, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal of the substrate W can be reduced.

[0088] 17 is a side view showing an embodiment in which the peripheral wall 74 shown in FIG. 8 is combined with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper end of the peripheral wall 74 is located higher than the chuck 94 of the substrate holder 11, and the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 is located lower than the lower ends of the inlet opening 31 and the outlet opening 32. In this embodiment, the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 contacts the bottom of the processing chamber 27. In one embodiment, the lower end of the peripheral wall 74 may be spaced apart from the bottom of the processing chamber 27.

[0089] The chuck 94 of the substrate holder 11 is located within the peripheral wall 74. Therefore, the substrate W held by the chuck 94 of the substrate holder 11 is also located within and surrounded by the peripheral wall 74. The inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 are arranged outside the peripheral wall 74 and are configured to supply the inert gas, the inert gas saturated water, and the chemical liquid from outside the peripheral wall 74 to the substrate W within the peripheral wall 74. In one embodiment, at least the outlets of the inert gas nozzle 14, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 may be located inside the peripheral wall 74.

[0090] The exhaust port 37 is located inside the peripheral wall 74. The peripheral wall 74 surrounds the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. The inert gas fills the space inside the peripheral wall 74, and an inert gas atmosphere is formed around the substrate W. Since the inert gas only needs to fill the space inside the peripheral wall 74 to remove air from around the substrate W, the amount of inert gas used can be significantly reduced.

[0091] 18 is a side view of an embodiment in which the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14 described with reference to FIG. 9 is applied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 17. Inert gas is emitted from the multiple inert gas nozzles 14 toward the substrate W. The substrate holder 11 is configured to rotate the substrate W at high speed, and as the substrate W rotates, a downward flow of inert gas is generated within the peripheral wall 74. The downward flow of inert gas collides with the upper surface of the substrate W and flows outward over the upper surface of the substrate W while spreading over the upper surface. This flow of inert gas functions as a barrier against air.

[0092] Fig. 19 is a side view showing an embodiment in which the peripheral wall 74 shown in Fig. 8 and the partition wall 78 shown in Fig. 10 are combined with the embodiments shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The description of the partition wall 78 in the embodiment with reference to Fig. 10 also applies to the embodiment of Fig. 19. The arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14 described with reference to Fig. 9 can also be applied to the embodiment of Fig. 19.

[0093] FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically illustrating yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2, and FIG. 21 is a side view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 20. The configuration and operation of this embodiment not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 , and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 20 and 21 , the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 are fixed to a swing arm 91. More specifically, a nozzle holding member 99 is fixed to the swing arm 91, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 are held by the nozzle holding member 99. In FIG. 20 , the nozzle holding member 99 is depicted by a dotted line.

[0094] The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical solution nozzle 16 move together with the pen sponge 90 in the radial direction of the substrate W. The swing arm 91, the pivot shaft 96, and the arm rotation device 97 not only function as a cleaning tool moving device that moves the pen sponge 90, but also function as a nozzle moving device that moves the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 above the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. In one embodiment, the cleaning tool moving device and the nozzle moving device may be configured to move the swing arm 91 translationally.

[0095] The swing arm 91, pivot shaft 96, and arm rotation device 97 serving as the nozzle moving device are configured to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical liquid nozzle 16 from a first position P1 above the substrate holding part 11 to a second position P2 outside the substrate holding part 11. In this embodiment, the first position P1 is the position where the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 starts to supply inert gas saturated water to the center of the substrate W, and the second position P2 is the position where the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is outside the substrate W.

[0096] One embodiment of cleaning the substrate W is as follows. First, inert gas is supplied from the inert gas nozzle 14 to the upper surface of the substrate W. When the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical solution nozzle 16 are at the first position P1, the supply of the inert gas saturated water and the chemical solution begins. Next, the pen sponge 90 is rotated and brought into sliding contact with the upper surface of the substrate W. The arm rotation device 97 moves the swing arm 91, so that the pen sponge 90, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, and the chemical solution nozzle 16 held by the swing arm 91 move outward in the radial direction of the substrate W. That is, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical solution nozzle 16 move above the substrate W while supplying the inert gas saturated water and the chemical solution to the upper surface of the substrate W. At the same time, the rotating pen sponge 90 moves outward over the upper surface of the substrate W, scrubbing the upper surface of the substrate W in the presence of the inert gas saturated water and the chemical solution.

[0097] When the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical solution nozzle 16 reach a second position P2 outside the substrate W, the emission of the inert gas saturated water and the chemical solution from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the chemical solution nozzle 16 is stopped. Furthermore, when the pen sponge 90 is positioned at the peripheral edge of the substrate W, the movement of the swing arm 91 is stopped. Thereafter, the emission of the inert gas from the inert gas nozzle 14 is stopped.

[0098] The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 fixed to the movable swing arm 91 can approach the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. Therefore, the time during which the inert gas saturated water discharged from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 comes into contact with air can be shortened, and the amount of oxygen in the air that dissolves in the inert gas saturated water can be reduced.

[0099] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 20 and 21.

[0100] Figure 22 is a perspective view schematically showing yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 15 and 16, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. In Figure 22, the processing chamber 27 and the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 are not shown in order to simplify the drawing.

[0101] The substrate cleaning apparatus 2 of this embodiment does not have a chemical liquid nozzle 16 or a scrub cleaning tool, but instead has a two-fluid jet nozzle 101. The two-fluid jet nozzle 101 is fixed to the tip of a swing arm 91. The arm rotation device 97 rotates the pivot shaft 96 by a predetermined angle, thereby moving the swing arm 91 within a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate W. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in Figure 22, the swing arm 91 pivots, and the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 moves radially outward from the substrate W.

[0102] The two-fluid jet nozzle 101 is connected to the inert gas supply line 41 and the inert gas saturated water supply line 48. The inert gas and the inert gas saturated water are supplied to the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 through the inert gas supply line 41 and the inert gas saturated water supply line 48, and are mixed within the two-fluid jet nozzle 101. The mixed fluid of the inert gas and the inert gas saturated water forms a high-speed two-fluid jet, which collides with the upper surface of the substrate W. The two-fluid jet can remove slurry and particles on the substrate W by using minute droplets and impact energy.

[0103] In this embodiment, the inert gas nozzle and the inert gas saturated water nozzle are configured as a two-fluid jet nozzle 101 that forms a two-fluid jet consisting of a mixed fluid of an inert gas and inert gas saturated water.

[0104] The swing arm 91, the pivot shaft 96, and the arm rotation device 97 serving as the nozzle movement device are configured to move the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 from a first position P1 above the substrate holding unit 11 to a second position P2 outside the substrate holding unit 11. In one embodiment, the nozzle movement device may be configured to translate the swing arm 91. As shown in Figure 22, in this embodiment, the first position P1 is a position at which the supply of a mixed fluid of an inert gas and inert-gas-saturated water from the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 to the center of the substrate W begins, and the second position P2 is a position at which the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 is located outside the substrate W.

[0105] One embodiment of cleaning the substrate W is as follows. When the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 is at a first position P1, emission of a two-fluid jet flow from the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 begins. The arm rotation device 97 moves the swing arm 91, causing the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 held by the swing arm 91 to move outward in the radial direction of the substrate W. In other words, while moving above the substrate W, the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 supplies a two-fluid jet flow consisting of an inert gas and inert-gas-saturated water to the top surface of the substrate W. When the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 reaches a second position P2 outside the substrate W, emission of the two-fluid jet flow from the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 is stopped.

[0106] The two-fluid jet nozzle 101 fixed to the movable swing arm 91 can approach the upper surface of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 11. Therefore, the time during which the inert-gas saturated water discharged from the two-fluid jet nozzle 101 comes into contact with air can be shortened, and the amount of oxygen in the air that dissolves in the inert-gas saturated water can be reduced.

[0107] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 22.

[0108] Figure 23 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a substrate drying apparatus 3, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The configuration and operation of this embodiment, which are not specifically described, are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 2 to 6, and therefore, redundant description thereof will be omitted. In particular, the same components as those in the embodiment described with reference to Figures 2 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

[0109] The substrate drying apparatus 3 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus that post-treats a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry. More specifically, the substrate drying apparatus 3 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus that dries a substrate W that has been chemically mechanically polished by the CMP apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 and then cleaned by the substrate cleaning apparatus 2. The substrate drying apparatus 3 includes a substrate holder 111 that holds and rotates the substrate W, an inert gas nozzle 14 that supplies an inert gas to the upper surface of the substrate W, and an inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 that supplies inert gas saturated water to the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0110] The substrate holder 111 is provided with a plurality of chucks 112 (four in FIG. 23 ) that hold the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and horizontally holds the substrate W by these chucks 112. The chucks 112 are connected to a chuck rotation device 115, and the substrate W held by the chucks 112 is rotated at high speed around its axis by the chuck rotation device 115.

[0111] One embodiment of drying the substrate W is as follows. The substrate W is held by the chuck 112 of the substrate holder 111 with the surface polished by the CMP apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 ) facing upward. The substrate holder 111 rotates the substrate W around its axis. Next, an inert gas and inert gas saturated water are supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from the inert gas nozzle 14 and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15. After a preset time has elapsed, the supply of inert gas saturated water to the substrate W from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is stopped. The rotation of the substrate W and the supply of inert gas continue. The inert gas saturated water is removed from the substrate W by centrifugal force. Thereafter, the rotation of the substrate W and the supply of inert gas are stopped.

[0112] The upper surface of the substrate W is covered by a double inert gas barrier consisting of a film of inert gas saturated water and a local inert gas atmosphere. This double inert gas barrier prevents oxygen in the ambient atmosphere from reaching the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby preventing oxygen-induced metal corrosion. In particular, because the film of inert gas saturated water and the inert gas atmosphere are formed locally on the upper surface of the substrate W, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal of the substrate W can be reduced.

[0113] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 23.

[0114] Figure 24 is a perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of a substrate drying apparatus 3, which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The configuration and operation of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figure 23, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted. For simplicity of the drawing, the processing chamber 27 and the oxygen concentration measuring device 59 are not shown in Figure 24.

[0115] The substrate drying apparatus 3 of this embodiment moves the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 in the radial direction of the substrate W, and discharges the inert gas saturated water and IPA vapor (isopropyl alcohol and N２ The dryer is an IPA type dryer that dries the substrate W by supplying a mixture of the IPA and a gas onto the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0116] The substrate drying apparatus 3 includes a substrate holder 111 that holds and rotates the substrate W, an inert gas nozzle 14 that supplies an inert gas to the upper surface of the substrate W, an IPA nozzle 120 that supplies IPA vapor to the upper surface of the substrate W, an inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 that supplies inert gas saturated water to the upper surface of the substrate W, and a nozzle arm 122 that holds the IPA nozzle 120 and the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15. The configuration and operation of the substrate holder 111 are the same as those in the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

[0117] The substrate drying apparatus 3 includes an IPA supply line 130 that supplies IPA vapor to the IPA nozzle 120, an IPA supply source 131 connected to the IPA supply line 130, and an IPA valve 132 provided on the IPA supply line 130. One end of the IPA supply line 130 is connected to the IPA nozzle 120, and the other end of the IPA supply line 130 is connected to the IPA supply source 131. The IPA valve 132 is an actuator-driven valve (e.g., an electric valve). The IPA valve 132 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 46, and the operation of the IPA valve 132 is controlled by the operation control unit 46.

[0118] The IPA nozzle 120 and the inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 are configured to be movable in the radial direction of the substrate W. A nozzle arm 122 is disposed above the substrate W. The inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 are disposed adjacent to each other at one end of the nozzle arm 122, and a pivot shaft 123 is connected to the other end of the nozzle arm 122. An arm rotation device 125 that rotates the nozzle arm 122 is connected to the pivot shaft 123. The arm rotation device 125 moves the nozzle arm 122 in a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate W by rotating the pivot shaft 123 by a predetermined angle. Therefore, movement of the nozzle arm 122 moves the inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 fixed thereto outward in the radial direction of the substrate W. In one embodiment, the nozzle movement device that moves the inert-gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 in the radial direction of the substrate W may be configured to translate the nozzle arm 122.

[0119] One embodiment of drying the substrate W is as follows: The substrate W is held by the chuck 112 of the substrate holder 111 with the surface polished by the CMP apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1) facing upward. The substrate holder 111 rotates the substrate W about its axis. Next, an inert gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from the inert gas nozzle 14.

[0120] The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 are moved to a first position P1 above the center of the substrate W. Then, while supplying IPA vapor from the IPA nozzle 120 and inert gas saturated water from the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 toward the surface of the substrate W, the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 and the IPA nozzle 120 are moved outward in the radial direction of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 24 . The inert gas saturated water nozzle 15 is positioned in front of the IPA nozzle 120 in the direction of movement of the nozzles 15 and 120. Therefore, the IPA nozzle 120 moves following the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15, tracing the same trajectory as the inert gas saturated water nozzle 15. The substrate holder 111 rotates the substrate W at an even higher speed to shake off the inert gas saturated water adhering to the substrate W. Thereafter, the supply of inert gas to the substrate W from the inert gas nozzle 14 is stopped.

[0121] The upper surface of the substrate W is covered by a double inert gas barrier consisting of a film of inert gas saturated water and a local inert gas atmosphere. This double inert gas barrier prevents oxygen in the ambient atmosphere from reaching the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby preventing oxygen-induced metal corrosion. In particular, because the film of inert gas saturated water and the inert gas atmosphere are formed locally on the upper surface of the substrate W, the amount of inert gas required to prevent corrosion of the metal of the substrate W can be reduced.

[0122] The peripheral wall 74, the arrangement of the multiple inert gas nozzles 14, the partition wall 78, and the arrangement of the substrate holder 11 and the nozzles 14, 15 described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 24.

[0123] The embodiment including the fine bubble generator 61 described with reference to Figures 12 and 13 can be appropriately applied to the embodiments described with reference to Figures 14 to 24.

[0124] 25 is a graph showing the results of an experiment measuring the oxygen concentration in pure water and the oxygen concentration in inert gas saturated water. The experiment was conducted as follows: A nozzle was inserted into a container, and pure water was poured into the container from the nozzle until it overflowed from the container. While the pure water was overflowing from the container, the amount of oxygen in the pure water held in the container was measured. It is believed that some of the oxygen in the pure water was dissolved in the pure water through the interface between the pure water held in the container and the air.

[0125] Under the same conditions, inert gas saturated water was poured into the container, and the amount of oxygen in the inert gas saturated water held in the container was measured. The vertical axis of Figure 25 represents the relative value of the amount of dissolved oxygen. As can be seen from Figure 25, the amount of oxygen in the inert gas saturated water is significantly lower than the amount of oxygen in pure water.

[0126] Fig. 26 is a graph showing the experimental results of measuring the amount of copper corrosion present on the surface of a cleaned substrate. The conventional cleaning in Fig. 26 is a conventional substrate cleaning method in which a chemically mechanically polished substrate is cleaned using a chemical solution and pure water. The cleaning using inert gas saturated water and an inert gas in Fig. 26 is a substrate cleaning method in accordance with the method described with reference to Fig. 2, more specifically, a substrate cleaning method in which a chemically mechanically polished substrate is cleaned using a combination of a chemical solution, inert gas saturated water, and an inert gas.

[0127] The vertical axis of Fig. 26 represents the relative amount of corrosion. The amount of corrosion is a value calculated based on the thickness of the copper film on the substrate. Specifically, the thinner the copper film, the greater the amount of corrosion. As can be seen from Fig. 26, the substrate cleaning method using a combination of inert gas saturated water and inert gas can reduce the amount of copper corrosion compared to the conventional substrate cleaning method using pure water.

[0128] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments would be obvious to a person skilled in the art, and the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope in accordance with the technical concept defined by the claims.

[0129] The present invention is applicable to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing substrates such as wafers, and in particular to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning or drying a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry.

[0130] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 CMP apparatus 2 Substrate cleaning apparatus 3 Substrate drying apparatus 5 Polishing pad 6 Polishing table 7 Slurry supply nozzle 8 Polishing head 11 Substrate holder 12 Holding roller 14 Inert gas nozzle 15 Inert gas saturated water nozzle 16 Chemical nozzle 18, 19 Roll sponge (scrub cleaning tool) 22, 23 Cleaning tool rotation device 27 Processing chamber 31 Inlet opening 32 Outlet opening 33 Inlet shutter 34 Outlet shutter 37 Exhaust port 41 Inert gas supply line 42 Inert gas supply source 43 Inert gas valve 46 Operation control unit 48 Inert gas saturated water supply line 49 Saturated water generator 50 Inert gas saturated water valve 53 Chemical supply line 54 Chemical supply source 55 Chemical valve 59 Oxygen concentration measuring device 61 Fine bubble generator 62 Inert gas supply line 64 Inert gas valve 71 Inlet slit nozzle 72 Outlet slit nozzle 74 Peripheral wall 76 Upper space 77 Lower space 78 Partition wall 80 Nozzle moving device 81 Nozzle arm 82 Arm actuator 83 Support 90 Pen sponge 91 Swing arm 94 Chuck 95 Chuck rotation device 96 Swivel shaft 97 Arm rotation device 99 Nozzle holding member 101 Two-fluid jet nozzle 111 Substrate holding part 112 Chuck 115 Chuck rotation device 120 IPA nozzle 122 Nozzle arm 123 Swivel shaft 125 Arm rotation device 130 IPA supply line 131 IPA supply source 132 IPA valve 200 Metal 201 Inert gas saturated water film 202 Inert gas atmosphere

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate; an inert gas nozzle facing inward of the substrate holding unit; an inert gas supply line connected to the inert gas nozzle and supplying inert gas to the inert gas nozzle; an inert gas saturated water nozzle facing inward of the substrate holding unit; an inert gas saturated water supply line connected to the inert gas saturated water nozzle and supplying inert gas saturated water saturated with inert gas to the inert gas saturated water nozzle; a processing chamber that accommodates the substrate holding unit, the inert gas nozzle, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle; and a saturated water generating device connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line and generating the inert gas saturated water.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fine bubble generator connected to the inert gas saturated water supply line for forming fine bubbles of the inert gas in the inert gas saturated water.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a peripheral wall surrounding said substrate holding portion.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inert gas nozzle comprises a plurality of inert gas nozzles arranged along an upper end of the peripheral wall.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a partition wall dividing the internal space of the processing chamber into an upper space and a lower space, the partition wall being disposed outside the peripheral wall, and the inert gas nozzle and the inert gas saturated water nozzle being disposed within the upper space.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the substrate holder includes a chuck for holding the substrate, the chuck being located higher than the partition wall.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inert gas saturated water nozzle is located at a height of within 60 mm from the surface of said substrate when held by said substrate holder.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas nozzle is located at a height of 60 mm or less from the surface of the substrate when held by the substrate holder.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle movement device configured to move the inert gas saturated water nozzle between a first position above the substrate holder and a second position outside the substrate holder.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate cleaning apparatus that cleans the substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a substrate drying apparatus that dries a substrate that has been chemically and mechanically polished with a slurry and then cleaned in a substrate cleaning apparatus.

12. A substrate processing apparatus for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, comprising: a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate; an inert-gas saturated water nozzle facing inwardly of the substrate holding unit; an inert-gas saturated water supply line connected to the inert-gas saturated water nozzle and supplying inert-gas saturated water saturated with inert gas to the inert-gas saturated water nozzle; a fine bubble generator connected to the inert-gas saturated water supply line and forming fine bubbles of inert gas in the inert-gas saturated water; and a saturated water generating device connected to the inert-gas saturated water supply line and generating the inert-gas saturated water.

13. A substrate processing method for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, comprising: supplying an inert gas from an inert gas nozzle to a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate by a substrate holding part; and supplying inert gas-saturated water, which is saturated with inert gas, from an inert gas saturated water nozzle to the surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate holding part, the inert gas nozzle, and the inert gas saturated water nozzle are disposed within a processing chamber.

14. The substrate processing method of claim 13, further comprising forming fine bubbles of inert gas in the inert gas saturated water saturated with the inert gas, and supplying the inert gas saturated water from the inert gas saturated water nozzle to the surface of the substrate comprises supplying the inert gas saturated water containing the fine bubbles from the inert gas saturated water nozzle to the surface of the substrate.

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein the substrate is rotated inside a peripheral wall that surrounds the substrate holder.

16. The substrate processing method of claim 15, wherein supplying the inert gas from the inert gas nozzle to the surface of the substrate comprises supplying the inert gas to the surface of the substrate from a plurality of inert gas nozzles arranged along an upper end of the peripheral wall.

17. A substrate processing method as described in claim 15, wherein the internal space of the processing chamber is divided into an upper space and a lower space by a partition wall, the partition wall is disposed outside the peripheral wall, and the inert gas nozzle and the inert gas saturated water nozzle are disposed within the upper space.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder is positioned higher than the partition wall.

19. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein the inert gas saturated water nozzle is located at a height within 60 mm of the surface of the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder.

20. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein the inert gas nozzle is located at a height within 60 mm of the surface of the substrate being rotated by the substrate holder.

21. The substrate processing method of claim 13, further comprising moving the inert gas saturated water nozzle to a position above the substrate held by the substrate holder before supplying the inert gas saturated water from the inert gas saturated water nozzle to the substrate.

22. The substrate processing method of claim 13, further comprising moving the inert gas saturated water nozzle above the substrate held by the substrate holder while supplying the inert gas saturated water from the inert gas saturated water nozzle to the substrate.

23. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein the substrate processing method is a substrate cleaning method for cleaning the substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry.

24. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein the substrate processing method is a substrate drying method for drying a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished with a slurry and then cleaned in a substrate cleaning apparatus.

25. A substrate processing method for performing post-processing of a substrate that has been chemically mechanically polished using a slurry, comprising: forming fine bubbles of inert gas in inert gas saturated water in which the inert gas is saturated; supplying the inert gas from an inert gas nozzle to a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate using a substrate holding unit; and supplying the inert gas saturated water containing the fine bubbles to the surface of the substrate from an inert gas saturated water nozzle.

Images