Substrate treatment device

Abstract

In the present invention, a slit-like discharge port is formed in a substrate-facing surface that is positioned at the lower end of a nozzle block. During a process for coating a substrate, in a state in which the upper surface of the substrate and the substrate-facing surface face each other, the nozzle block moves in a space above the substrate in one direction while discharging a treatment liquid from the discharge port. In the outer edge of the substrate, a portion that is positioned closest to the nozzle block when the nozzle block moves away from the substrate is defined as a first portion. Provided in the vicinity of the first portion of the substrate is a gap formation member that forms a gap (fluid passage) between the gap formation member and the first portion of the substrate. A substrate treatment device includes a suction device for sucking an atmosphere in the space (upper space) above the substrate into a space (lower space) below the substrate through the gap.

Description

Substrate Processing Equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that forms a film of a processing liquid on the upper surface of a substrate.

[0002] Substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform various processes on substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal display devices or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, and substrates for solar cells.

[0003] As an example of a substrate processing apparatus, Patent Document 1 describes a rotary substrate processing apparatus that forms a resist film on a substrate. In this substrate processing apparatus, a resist liquid is supplied to the center of a substrate that is held in a horizontal position and rotates. The supplied resist liquid spreads toward the peripheral edge of the substrate, forming a film of the resist liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate. The substrate with the resist liquid film formed thereon is then subjected to a predetermined process, such as a drying process. As a result, a resist film is formed on the upper surface of the substrate.

[0004] As described above, the method of forming a film of processing liquid (resist liquid) on the upper surface of a rotating substrate by supplying the processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate is called spin coating. In spin coating, the processing liquid is spread over the entire upper surface of the rotating substrate using centrifugal force, so some of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate is scattered outside the substrate. Therefore, spin coating has limitations on the efficiency of processing liquid utilization.

[0005] In addition to the spin coating method described above, there is also a method called capillary coating, which uses a nozzle with a slit-shaped outlet (hereinafter referred to as a slit nozzle) to form a gap between the slit nozzle and the substrate, and the processing liquid is drawn onto the substrate from the slit-shaped outlet by utilizing capillary action that occurs when the processing liquid fills the gap (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0006] In the capillary coating method, the processing liquid is drawn onto the substrate from the discharge port under the condition that capillary action occurs, and therefore the capillary coating method has a higher utilization efficiency of the processing liquid than the spin coating method.

[0007] JP 2019-046850 A JP 2017-148769 A

[0008] However, in the capillary coating method, the processing liquid drawn from the slit nozzle is directly applied to each portion of the substrate, making it difficult to control the film thickness when the positional relationship between the slit nozzle and the substrate changes significantly. For example, when the processing liquid is applied to the substrate and the slit nozzle is removed from the substrate, the processing liquid film formed on the substrate is likely to accumulate in the area where the slit nozzle is removed. Therefore, the thickness of the processing liquid film formed in the area where the slit nozzle is removed tends to be larger than the thickness of the other areas.

[0009] Therefore, the variation in thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate by capillary coating is greater than the variation in thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate by spin coating.

[0010] The slit nozzle has a storage space formed therein that stores the treatment liquid and is connected to the discharge port. To reduce variations in the thickness of the coating film, it is conceivable to adjust the pressure in the storage space and thereby adjust the amount of treatment liquid discharged from the slit nozzle. However, this type of control requires complex setup work and is difficult to achieve in practice.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing variations in the thickness of a film of a processing liquid formed on a substrate.

[0012] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate, a nozzle having a substrate-facing surface formed with a slit-shaped discharge port extending in a first direction parallel to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and discharging a processing liquid from the discharge port, a relative movement unit that supports the substrate holding unit and the nozzle and is configured to be able to move at least one of the substrate holding unit and the nozzle, and a relative movement unit that moves in a second direction parallel to the substrate and intersecting the first direction in a space above the substrate while discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate, with the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit facing the substrate-facing surface. a flow path forming member that is disposed in a virtual plane including the lower surface of the substrate so as to face a first part of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, and that forms a fluid path between the first part of the outer edge of the substrate and the first part, connecting a space above the substrate and a space below the substrate; and a suction device that sucks the atmosphere of the space above the substrate held by the substrate holding part through the fluid path, wherein the first part of the outer edge of the substrate is a part of the outer edge of the substrate that is located closest to the nozzle when the nozzle moves away from the substrate by the relative movement control.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce variations in the thickness of the film of the processing liquid formed on the substrate.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a nozzle block of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the nozzle block of FIG. 1 cut along an imaginary plane in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a gap forming member of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the gap forming member of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a side view of the gap forming member of FIG. 1 as viewed in the Y direction. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the dimensions and positional relationship of the nozzle block and the gap forming member. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the function of the gap forming member and substrate suction drive unit of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a schematic external perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the gap forming member of FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the gap forming member of FIG. 10. FIG. 13 is a side view of the gap forming member of FIG. 10 as viewed in the Y direction. FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of an example of a coating apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 15 is a plan view of an example of a gap forming member according to another embodiment.

[0015] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the term "substrate" refers to a substrate for a flat panel display (FPD) used in a liquid crystal display device or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, a semiconductor substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, a ceramic substrate, a solar cell substrate, or the like.

[0016] 1. First Embodiment <1> Schematic Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the exterior of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a coating apparatus 100, a control unit 110, and a processing liquid supply system 170, and is housed in a housing (not shown). In Fig. 1 and certain subsequent figures, arrows indicating mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions are used to clarify the positional relationships. The X and Y directions are orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the up-down direction (vertical direction).

[0017] The coating apparatus 100 is configured to be capable of performing a coating process for forming a film of a processing liquid on a substrate W, and includes two stage supports 120, a stage device 130, two nozzle supports 140, a nozzle block 150, and a gap forming member 180. In this embodiment, the processing liquid used in the coating apparatus 100 is a coating liquid for a resist film (resist liquid) or a coating liquid for an anti-reflection film (anti-reflection liquid).

[0018] The substrate W to be subjected to coating processing by the coating apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment has a rectangular shape in a plan view. That is, in this embodiment, the outer edge of the substrate W has four sides, including two sides facing each other and two other sides facing each other.

[0019] Each of the two stage supports 120 of the coating apparatus 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in one direction, and is provided on the bottom surface of a housing (not shown) so as to extend along the X direction. The two stage supports 120 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. A guide rail 121 extending along the longitudinal direction of the stage support 120 is provided on the upper surface of each stage support 120. In the following description, the direction from one end ta of the stage support 120 to the other end tb thereof will be referred to as the front of the coating apparatus 100, and the direction from the other end tb of the stage support 120 to one end ta will be referred to as the rear of the coating apparatus 100.

[0020] The stage device 130 is located between the two stage supports 120 in the Y direction and is supported by the two stage supports 120. The stage device 130 includes a plate member 131, a suction chuck 132, a plurality of (three in this example) support pins 133, a pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134, a substrate suction drive unit 135, and a fluid suction drive unit 136.

[0021] The plate member 131 is formed of, for example, a rectangular flat plate-like member, and constitutes the upper surface portion of the stage device 130. A disk-shaped suction chuck 132 is provided in the center of the plate member 131 so as to protrude upward from the plate member 131 by a predetermined distance (height). The suction chuck 132 has an upper surface formed so that a substrate W can be placed thereon. Note that the suction chuck 132 does not have to have a disk shape. The suction chuck 132 may have an elliptical shape in a plan view, or a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0022] A plurality of pin insertion holes (not shown) are formed in a plurality of portions of the plate member 131 that surround the suction chuck 132 in a plan view, so as to penetrate the plate member 131 in the Z direction.

[0023] The pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134 and the substrate suction drive unit 135 are provided below the plate member 131. The multiple support pins 133 are supported by the pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134 so as to extend in the Z direction and overlap with the multiple pin insertion holes in a plan view. The pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134 moves the multiple support pins 133 in the Z direction based on the control of the control unit 110. As a result, the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 move through the multiple pin insertion holes between a pin-up position above the suction chuck 132 and a pin-down position below the plate member 131.

[0024] When a substrate W is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 1, the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 are held in the pin up position. In this state, an unprocessed substrate W is placed on the multiple support pins 133. Thereafter, the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 are lowered to the pin down position, whereby the substrate W is placed on the suction chuck 132. On the other hand, when a substrate W is unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 1, the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 are raised from the pin down position to the pin up position, whereby the substrate W on the suction chuck 132 is supported on the multiple support pins 133. With the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 in the pin up position, the processed substrate W supported on the multiple support pins 133 is received by a transport device (not shown). Furthermore, when a substrate W is subjected to a coating process in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the upper ends of the multiple support pins 133 are held in the pin down position.

[0025] A plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed in the upper surface of the suction chuck 132. The plurality of suction holes are connected to exhaust equipment in the factory through a substrate suction drive unit 135 and an air intake system (not shown). The substrate suction drive unit 135 switches the air intake path formed between the plurality of suction holes and the air intake system between an open state and a closed state under the control of the control unit 110. With this configuration, the substrate suction drive unit 135 opens the air intake path when a substrate W is placed on the suction chuck 132. This allows the substrate W to be suction-held on the suction chuck 132. Furthermore, the substrate suction drive unit 135 closes the air intake path when the substrate W is suction-held on the suction chuck 132. This allows the substrate W to be released from the suction chuck 132.

[0026] In this embodiment, during the coating process, the substrate W is sucked and held on the suction chuck 132 at a predetermined position in a predetermined attitude. Specifically, the substrate W is sucked and held on the suction chuck 132 so that, for example, in a plan view, the center of the substrate W overlaps the center of the suction chuck 132. Furthermore, the substrate W is sucked and held on the suction chuck 132 in a state in which two opposing sides of the outer edge of the substrate W are parallel to the Y direction and the other two opposing sides are parallel to the X direction.

[0027] In the following description, the frontmost portion of the outer edge of the substrate W that is sucked and held by the suction chuck 132 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 will be referred to as the front end portion of the substrate W. Also, the rearmost portion of the outer edge of the substrate W that is sucked and held by the suction chuck 132 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 will be referred to as the rear end portion of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the front end portion of the substrate W is the side that is the frontmost (in front of the coating apparatus 100) of the four sides of the outer edge of the substrate W. Also, the rear end portion of the substrate W is the side that is the rearmost (in rear of the coating apparatus 100) of the four sides of the outer edge of the substrate W.

[0028] The gap forming member 180 is positioned near the front end of the substrate W while the substrate W is held by suction on the suction chuck 132. The gap forming member 180 is also provided so that a gap is formed between a part of the gap forming member 180 and the front end of the substrate W in a plan view. The fluid suction drive unit 136, like the pin lifting drive unit 134 and the substrate suction drive unit 135, is provided below the plate member 131. The fluid suction drive unit 136 is connected to the gap forming member 180 via piping PI1 ( FIG. 4 ), which will be described later, and sucks the atmosphere above the substrate W into the space below the substrate W through the gap while the substrate W is held by suction on the suction chuck 132. Details of the gap forming member 180 and the fluid suction drive unit 136 will be described later.

[0029] Two nozzle supports 140 are provided on the upper surfaces of the two stage supports 120, respectively. The two nozzle supports 140 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. Each of the two nozzle supports 140 is movable in the X direction (the front-to-rear direction of the coating apparatus 100) along a guide rail 121 of the stage support 120 on which the nozzle support 140 is provided.

[0030] The nozzle block 150 is made of metal or resin, has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in one direction, and is located between the two nozzle supports 140 in the Y direction. Both ends of the nozzle block 150 are supported by the two nozzle supports 140, respectively. An X-direction drive unit 141 and a Z-direction drive unit 142 are built into at least one of the two nozzle supports 140.

[0031] The nozzle block 150 is connected to a pipe 171 that constitutes a part of a processing liquid supply system 170. A discharge port 15a (FIG. 3) that discharges the processing liquid onto the substrate W is formed at the lower end of the nozzle block 150. The nozzle block 150 will be described in detail later.

[0032] The X-direction driving unit 141 includes an actuator such as a motor, and moves the nozzle support 140 in the X direction on the guide rails 121 of the stage support 120. The Z-direction driving unit 142 includes an actuator such as a motor, and moves the nozzle block 150 supported by the nozzle support 140 in the Z direction.

[0033] The processing liquid supply system 170 includes a liquid supply device 172 in addition to the above-described piping 171. The processing liquid supply system 170 further includes fluid-related devices (not shown) including a processing liquid supply source, one or more pipes, joints, valves, etc. The liquid supply device 172 is, for example, a pump, and supplies processing liquid from a processing liquid supply source (not shown) to the nozzle block 150 through the piping 171. The control unit 110 controls the operation of each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control unit 110 will be described in detail later.

[0034] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, during coating processing of the substrate W, the nozzle block 150 is brought close to the upper surface of the substrate W while the substrate W is held by suction by the suction chuck 132. In this state, the nozzle block 150 moves in the X direction from rear to front in the space above the substrate W. At this time, the position in the Z direction (height position) of the nozzle block 150 is adjusted so that, by capillary action, the processing liquid in the nozzle block 150 is drawn (discharged) from the discharge port 15a ( FIG. 3 ) into the gap between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W. This method of supplying the coating liquid from the nozzle discharge port onto the substrate W using capillary action is called a capillary coating method.

[0035] <2> Details of Nozzle Block 150 FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the nozzle block 150 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the nozzle block 150 of FIG. 1 taken along imaginary plane VS1 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle block 150 has a front surface 13 and a rear surface 14 extending in the Y direction. The front surface 13 is a rectangular flat surface facing the front of the coating apparatus 100, and the rear surface 14 is a rectangular flat surface facing the rear of the coating apparatus 100. The nozzle block 150 also has an upper end surface 12 connecting the upper ends of the front surface 13 and the rear surface 14. The nozzle block 150 also has a substrate-facing surface 10, a front inclined surface 11a, and a rear inclined surface 11b.

[0036] 3, when viewing the nozzle block 150 in the Y direction, the front inclined surface 11a extends rearward and diagonally downward from the lower end of the front surface 13. On the other hand, when viewing the nozzle block 150 in the Y direction, the rear inclined surface 11b extends frontward and diagonally downward from the lower end of the rear surface 14. The substrate-facing surface 10 is the lower end surface of the nozzle block 150, and connects the lower end of the front inclined surface 11a and the lower end of the rear inclined surface 11b so as to be parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0037] A slit-shaped discharge port 15a is formed in the substrate-facing surface 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the discharge port 15a extends parallel to the Y direction from near one end of the nozzle block 150 to near the other end. The discharge port 15a has a constant width in the X direction.

[0038] 3, the portion of the substrate facing surface 10 that extends from the discharge port 15a toward the front of the coating device 100 is referred to as the leading portion 10a. Also, the portion of the substrate facing surface 10 that extends from the discharge port 15a toward the rear of the coating device 100 is referred to as the following portion 10b.

[0039] A liquid discharge flow path 15b and a reservoir 15c are formed inside the nozzle block 150. The reservoir 15c is formed so as to be able to store a certain amount of the treatment liquid supplied through the piping 171 in Fig. 1. A liquid discharge flow path 15b is formed from the reservoir 15c to the discharge port 15a. As a result, the internal space of the reservoir 15c communicates with the space below the nozzle block 150 (the external space of the nozzle block 150) through the liquid discharge flow path 15b and the discharge port 15a.

[0040] <3> Details of the gap forming member 180 and the fluid suction drive unit 136 Fig. 4 is an external perspective view of the gap forming member 180 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the gap forming member 180 in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is one side view of the gap forming member 180 in Fig. 1 as viewed in the Y direction. In Figs. 4 to 6, the state of the substrate W suction-held by the suction chuck 132 in Fig. 1 during coating processing of the substrate W is indicated by a dashed line.

[0041] 4, the gap forming member 180 according to this embodiment is a box-shaped member that is open upward and extends in one direction. Specifically, the gap forming member 180 has a first wall portion 181, a second wall portion 182, a third wall portion 183, a fourth wall portion 184, a bottom portion 185, and a fluid outlet pipe 187.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, the bottom surface portion 185 has a rectangular shape extending in the Y direction in a plan view. The gap forming member 180 is placed on the plate member 131 in Figure 1 so that two opposing short sides of the bottom surface portion 185 are parallel to the X direction and two opposing long sides of the bottom surface portion 185 are parallel to the Y direction. In this state, one long side of the bottom surface portion 185 does not overlap the substrate W in a plan view, and the other long side of the bottom surface portion 185 overlaps part of the substrate W in a plan view. Each long side of the bottom surface portion 185 is longer than the width of the substrate W in the Y direction. Therefore, the other long side of the bottom surface portion 185 crosses part of the substrate W in the Y direction in a plan view.

[0043] A through-hole 186 is formed in the center of the bottom surface portion 185. As shown in Fig. 6, one end of a fluid discharge pipe 187 is connected to the portion of the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 185 where the through-hole 186 is formed. The other end of the fluid discharge pipe 187 is connected to the fluid suction drive unit 136 via a pipe PI1.

[0044] The first wall portion 181 is formed to extend upward from one long side of the bottom surface portion 185. The second wall portion 182 is formed to extend upward from the other long side of the bottom surface portion 185. As shown in FIG. 4 , the third wall portion 183 is formed to extend upward from one short side of the bottom surface portion 185 and to connect one end of the first wall portion 181 and one end of the second wall portion 182. The fourth wall portion 184 is formed to extend upward from the other short side of the bottom surface portion 185 and to connect the other end of the first wall portion 181 and the other end of the second wall portion 182.

[0045] In the gap forming member 180 according to this embodiment, the positions (height positions) of the upper ends of the first wall portion 181, the third wall portion 183, and the fourth wall portion 184 in the Z direction are formed to be equal to one another. On the other hand, the height position of the upper end of the second wall portion 182 is formed to be lower than the height positions of the upper ends of the other wall portions (181, 183, 184). The distance in the Z direction between the upper end of the second wall portion 182 and the upper ends of the other wall portions (181, 183, 184) is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the substrate W, for example.

[0046] In the coating apparatus 100, the gap forming member 180 is fixed on the plate member 131 so that the upper end of the first wall portion 181 is held at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate W that is held by suction by the suction chuck 132. The gap forming member 180 is also fixed on the plate member 131 so that a gap GA of a certain width is formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181.

[0047] 6, during coating processing of the substrate W, a space surrounded by a portion of the substrate W and four wall portions (181, 182, 183, 184) is formed inside the gap forming member 180. In the following description, the space surrounded by the portion of the substrate W and the four wall portions (181, 182, 183, 184) is referred to as a lower space LS. On the other hand, the space above the substrate W when the lower space LS is formed is referred to as an upper space US.

[0048] As described above, a gap GA is formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181. The gap GA functions as a fluid passage that allows gas, liquid, etc. to circulate between the lower space LS inside the gap forming member 180 and the upper space US above the substrate W.

[0049] Gap forming member 180 is connected to exhaust equipment of the factory through fluid outlet pipe 187, piping PI1, fluid suction drive unit 136, and an intake system (not shown). Based on the control of control unit 110, fluid suction drive unit 136 switches the intake path formed between through hole 186 and the intake system between a connected state and a blocked state.

[0050] Here, the fluid suction drive unit 136 keeps the suction path in a communicating state at least during coating processing of the substrate W. As a result, the atmosphere in the lower space LS is forcibly sucked into the fluid outlet pipe 187 and led to an exhaust facility or the like. In this case, as the pressure in the lower space LS decreases, the atmosphere in the upper space US is led into the lower space LS through the gap GA between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181.

[0051] Therefore, during coating processing of the substrate W, as will be described later, part of the processing liquid applied from the nozzle block 150 to the vicinity of the front end We of the substrate W enters the lower space LS through the gap GA together with the atmosphere in the upper space US. The processing liquid entering the lower space LS is received by the bottom surface portion 185 of the gap forming member 180. The processing liquid received by the bottom surface portion 185 is guided from the through hole 186 through the fluid outlet pipe 187 to the pipe PI1.

[0052] The pipe PI1 is provided with a gas-liquid separator 139 for separating the liquid (processing liquid) from the gas, which is drawn into the fluid outlet pipe 187 from the lower space LS. The processing liquid separated in the gas-liquid separator 139 is sent to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (for example, to a drainage facility not shown) through another pipe PI2.

[0053] <4> Dimensions and positional relationship between nozzle block 150 and gap forming member 180 Figure 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the dimensions and positional relationship between nozzle block 150 and gap forming member 180. In Figure 7, in addition to the vertical cross-sectional view of nozzle block 150 in Figure 3, a vertical cross-sectional view of the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity during coating processing, and a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the gap forming member 180 are shown.

[0054] 7, in this embodiment, the gap forming member 180 is provided so that the first wall portion 181 faces the front end portion We of the substrate W within an imaginary plane VS2 that includes the lower surface of the substrate W. This forms a gap GA between the front end portion We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181, as described above.

[0055] In this embodiment, as described above, the height position of the upper end of the first wall portion 181 is held at the same height position as the upper surface of the substrate W held by suction on the suction chuck 132. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the length La of the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 in the X direction is greater than the length Lb of the gap GA in the X direction. The length La is set to, for example, 0.8 mm or more and 3 mm or less. The length Lb is set to, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less.

[0056] <5> Functions of the gap forming member 180 and the substrate suction drive unit 135 The gap forming member 180 and the substrate suction drive unit 135 are provided to prevent the formation of pools of processing liquid at the front end We of the substrate W and its surrounding area when the nozzle block 150 moves away from the substrate W in the final stage of the coating process.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the gap forming member 180 and the substrate suction drive unit 135 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 8, the change in the state of the processing liquid in the final stage of the coating process is shown in chronological order using four vertical cross-sectional views.

[0058] 8 corresponds to a portion of a vertical cross-sectional view of the coating apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 cut along a vertical plane extending in the X direction through the center of the substrate W. In addition, in each vertical cross-sectional view, to make it easier to understand the changes in the state of the treatment liquid, hatching indicating the cross sections of the nozzle block 150, gap forming member 180, and substrate W is omitted, and a dot pattern is applied only to the treatment liquid. In addition, the dimensions of the gap between the substrate facing surface 10 of the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W are shown exaggerated.

[0059] During the coating process on the substrate W, the nozzle block 150 moves at a constant speed in the X direction from a position behind the substrate W to a position in front of the substrate W. This causes the processing liquid to be spread over the top surface of the substrate W from the rear end of the substrate W to the front end We.

[0060] 8 shows the state of the processing liquid when the substrate facing surface 10 of the nozzle block 150 is positioned rearward of the front end We of the substrate W. In this state, capillary force is generated in the gap between the substrate facing surface 10 and the substrate W. As a result, the processing liquid in the storage section 15c is drawn onto the substrate W through the ejection liquid flow path 15b and the ejection port 15a. The drawn processing liquid also fills the gap between the entire substrate facing surface 10 and the substrate W.

[0061] 1 sucks the atmosphere in the lower space LS while the substrate W is held by suction by the suction chuck 132. As a result, the atmosphere in the upper space US flows into the lower space LS through the gap GA between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181, as shown by the thick dotted arrow in the cross-sectional view in the first row from the top of FIG.

[0062] 8 shows the state of the processing liquid when the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 is positioned above the gap GA between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181. In this case, as the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 moves forward of the front end We, the meniscus of the processing liquid formed between the leading portion 10a and the front end We of the substrate W becomes larger, and the capillary force generated in the gap between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W becomes smaller. As a result, a portion of the processing liquid drawn out from the nozzle block 150 is held between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W without coming into contact with the first wall portion 181.

[0063] As described above, the length La (FIG. 7) of the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 in the X direction is greater than the length Lb (FIG. 7) of the gap GA in the X direction. As a result, the leading portion 10a covers the entire gap GA from above when the nozzle block 150 moves. Also, as described above, the height position of the upper end of the first wall portion 181 is maintained at the same height position as the top surface of the substrate W.

[0064] 8, the path of the gas (the atmosphere in the upper space US) flowing from the upper space US to the lower space LS is limited to the narrow space, where no processing liquid is present, between the leading portion 10a and the first wall portion 181. This makes it difficult for the gas to flow into the gap GA between the substrate W and the first wall portion 181, and the pressure in the gap GA and the lower space LS decreases.

[0065] 8 shows the state of the processing liquid when the trailing portion 10b of the nozzle block 150 is positioned above the gap GA between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181. In this case, as the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 moves forward of the front end We, the contact area of ​​the processing liquid at the trailing portion 10b becomes smaller. Furthermore, the processing liquid adhering to the trailing portion 10b is separated from the processing liquid inside the nozzle block 150 (the processing liquid inside the outlet 15a). In this state, a liquid column of the processing liquid is formed between part of the trailing portion 10b and part of the rear inclined surface 11b and the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity.

[0066] As described above, when the leading portion 10a passes above the gap GA, the pressure within the gap GA is maintained at a reduced level, and therefore a relatively large force acts on the liquid column between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W, drawing it into the gap GA, as shown by the outline arrow in the cross-sectional view third from the top in Figure 8.

[0067] 8 shows the state of the processing liquid when the entire nozzle block 150 is positioned slightly forward of the front end We of the substrate W. In this state, most of the liquid column between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W, together with the gas flowing along the thick dotted arrow, is drawn into the gap GA and flows into the lower space LS. This prevents pools of processing liquid, as indicated by the dotted lines, from forming at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity. Furthermore, this also prevents pools of processing liquid, as indicated by the dotted lines, from forming at the trailing portion 10b and rear inclined surface 11b of the nozzle block 150.

[0068] <6> Control System of Substrate Processing Apparatus 1 Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of Figure 1. As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 110. The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device. The RAM is used as a working area for the CPU. The ROM stores a system program. The storage device stores a coating processing program for performing a coating process on a substrate W.

[0069] 9, the control unit 110 includes a nozzle movement control unit 111, a discharge control unit 112, a stage control unit 113, and a condition setting unit 115 as functional units for controlling the operation of each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The functional units of the control unit 110 are realized by a CPU executing a coating processing program stored in a storage device on a RAM. Some or all of the functional units of the control unit 110 may be realized by hardware such as electronic circuits.

[0070] One or more predetermined processing conditions are stored in the condition setting unit 115. In the present embodiment, the one or more processing conditions include the "movement speed of the nozzle block," the "movement direction of the nozzle block," and the "gap distance between the nozzle block and the substrate."

[0071] The "movement speed of the nozzle block" is the movement speed at which the nozzle block 150 moves in the front-to-rear direction of the coating apparatus 100 relative to the substrate W during the coating process. This movement speed is set to, for example, 0.02 m / sec. The "movement direction of the nozzle block" is the direction in which the nozzle block 150 moves relative to the substrate processing apparatus 1 during the coating process, and in this embodiment, is the direction from the rear of the coating apparatus 100 to the front of the coating apparatus 100.

[0072] The "gap distance between the nozzle block and the substrate" is the gap distance in the Z direction that should be adjusted during the coating process between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W. This gap is set to, for example, 60 μm.

[0073] The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes an operation unit 290. The operation unit 290 includes, for example, a keyboard and a pointing device, and is configured to be operable by a user. The user can input one or more processing conditions for the coating processing of the substrate W by operating the operation unit 290. When the processing conditions are input, the condition setting unit 115 updates the processing conditions previously stored with the input processing conditions.

[0074] The nozzle movement control unit 111 controls the X-direction driving unit 141 and the Z-direction driving unit 142 based on the various processing conditions set by the condition setting unit 115 during coating processing of the substrate W. For example, the nozzle movement control unit 111 controls the Z-direction driving unit 142 so that a gap of a set distance is formed between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W during coating processing of the substrate W. Furthermore, the nozzle movement control unit 111 controls the X-direction driving unit 141 so that the nozzle block 150 moves in a set movement direction at a set movement speed during coating processing of the substrate W.

[0075] The discharge control unit 112 controls the processing liquid supply system 170 so that the processing liquid is supplied to the nozzle block 150 during coating processing of the substrate W. The stage control unit 113 controls the pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134 and the substrate suction drive unit 135. As a result, the pin lifting / lowering drive unit 134 moves the plurality of support pins 133 up and down, for example, when the substrate W is loaded into and unloaded from the coating apparatus 100. The substrate suction drive unit 135 sucks and holds the substrate W on the suction chuck 132. In addition, the substrate suction drive unit 135 releases the substrate W sucked and held on the suction chuck 132.

[0076] Furthermore, the stage control unit 113 controls the fluid suction drive unit 136. As a result, the fluid suction drive unit 136 sucks the atmosphere in the upper space US into the lower space LS through the gap GA during coating processing of the substrate W.

[0077] <7> Effects (a) In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the processing liquid is efficiently supplied from the nozzle block 150 to the upper surface of the substrate W by the capillary coating method during the coating process of the substrate W. Therefore, wasteful consumption of the processing liquid is suppressed compared to the spin coating method.

[0078] Here, during coating processing of the substrate W, after a film of the processing liquid is formed over the entire upper surface of the substrate W, the nozzle block 150 continues to move forward of the coating apparatus 100. As a result, the nozzle block 150 gradually moves away from the substrate W. At this time, an excessive amount of processing liquid is likely to remain as a puddle at the front end We of the substrate W.

[0079] Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a gap forming member 180 and a fluid suction drive unit 136. During coating processing of the substrate W, a gap GA is formed between the first wall portion 181 of the gap forming member 180 and the front end portion We of the substrate W suction-held by the suction chuck 132. The fluid suction drive unit 136 sucks the atmosphere in the upper space US into the lower space LS through the gap GA.

[0080] In this case, when the nozzle block 150 moves away from the substrate W, most of the liquid column of the processing liquid connecting the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W is sucked into the lower space LS together with the atmosphere in the upper space US through the gap GA. As a result, the excess processing liquid is drawn into the lower space LS without remaining on the surfaces of the substrate W and the nozzle block 150. This prevents liquid from puddling at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity.

[0081] As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the thickness of the film of the processing liquid formed on the substrate W.

[0082] (b) As described above, the gap forming member 180 is provided so that the upper end of the first wall portion 181 is positioned at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate W suction-held by the suction chuck 132. In this case, a gap GA, i.e., a fluid passage, is formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181 so as to pass through at least the distance from the height position of the lower surface of the substrate W to the height position of the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0083] Therefore, excess processing liquid present at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity is more likely to be drawn into the lower space LS through the gap GA, thereby further suppressing the occurrence of liquid pooling at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity.

[0084] (c) As described above, the length La ( FIG. 7 ) of the leading portion 10 a of the nozzle block 150 in the X direction is greater than the length Lb ( FIG. 7 ) of the gap GA in the X direction. Therefore, when the leading portion 10 a is positioned above the gap GA, the pressure in the gap GA and the lower space LS is likely to decrease. Therefore, after the leading portion 10 a passes above the gap GA, when the trailing portion 10 b passes above the gap GA, most of the liquid column of the processing liquid connecting the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W is likely to be drawn into the gap GA. Therefore, excess processing liquid can be efficiently removed.

[0085] (d) In the gap forming member 180, the liquid (processing liquid) guided into the lower space LS through the gap GA is received by the bottom surface portion 185. The received liquid is guided to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 through the through-hole 186 in the bottom surface portion 185, the fluid outlet pipe 187, the piping PI1, the gas-liquid separator 139, and the piping PI2. This prevents a decrease in the cleanliness of the substrate processing apparatus 1 due to the presence of unnecessary liquid within the substrate processing apparatus 1. Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the occurrence of processing defects of substrates W due to the scattering of unnecessary liquid is prevented.

[0086] 2. Second Embodiment A substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described, focusing on differences from the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the exterior of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate W to be coated by the coating apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment has a circular shape in plan view except for the portion where the notch is formed. Therefore, the coating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a gap forming member 190 corresponding to the circular substrate W, instead of the gap forming member 180 in FIG. 1 corresponding to the rectangular substrate W. In the following description, the substrate W having a circular shape except for the portion where the notch is formed, as described above, will be referred to as a circular substrate.

[0087] The gap forming member 190 is provided along the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W when the substrate W is held by suction by the suction chuck 132. The gap forming member 190 is also provided so that a gap is formed between a part of the gap forming member 190 and the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W in a plan view.

[0088] Fig. 11 is an external perspective view of the gap forming member 190 of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the gap forming member 190 of Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is one side view of the gap forming member 190 of Fig. 10 as viewed in the Y direction. In Figs. 11 to 13, the state of the substrate W suction-held by the suction chuck 132 of Fig. 10 during coating processing of the substrate W is shown by a dashed line.

[0089] 11 , the gap forming member 190 according to this embodiment is a box-shaped member that is open upward and extends in a semicircular arc shape in a horizontal plane. Specifically, the gap forming member 190 has a first wall portion 191, a second wall portion 192, a third wall portion 193, a fourth wall portion 194, a bottom portion 195, and a fluid outlet pipe 197.

[0090] 12, the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 195 has two semicircular arcs that are different in size and arranged parallel to each other in a plan view. The outer edge of the bottom surface portion 195 also has two straight lines connecting both ends of the two semicircular arcs. The gap forming member 190 is disposed on the plate member 131 in FIG. 10 so that the two semicircular arcs bulge toward the front of the coating device 100, and so that the smaller and larger semicircular arcs are aligned in this order from rear to front.

[0091] In the following description, the larger semicircular arc of the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 195 is referred to as the first semicircular arc, and the smaller semicircular arc of the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 195 is referred to as the second semicircular arc. Furthermore, one straight line connecting one end of the first semicircular arc and one end of the second semicircular arc is referred to as the first side, and the other straight line connecting the other end of the first semicircular arc and the other end of the second semicircular arc is referred to as the second side.

[0092] When the gap forming member 190 is placed on the plate member 131, the first semicircular arc of the bottom surface portion 195 does not overlap the substrate W in a planar view, and the second semicircular arc of the bottom surface portion 195 overlaps a portion of the substrate W in a planar view.

[0093] A through-hole 196 is formed in the center of the bottom surface portion 195. As shown in Fig. 13, one end of a fluid outlet pipe 197 is connected to the portion of the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 195 where the through-hole 196 is formed. The other end of the fluid outlet pipe 197 is connected to the fluid suction drive unit 136 via a pipe PI1, as in the first embodiment. A gas-liquid separator 139 is provided in the pipe PI1. A pipe PI2 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 139.

[0094] The first wall portion 191 is formed to extend upward from a first semicircular arc of the bottom surface portion 195. The second wall portion 192 is formed to extend upward from a second semicircular arc of the bottom surface portion 195. As shown in FIG. 11 , the third wall portion 193 is formed to extend upward from the first side and connect one end of the first wall portion 191 to one end of the second wall portion 192. The fourth wall portion 194 is formed to extend upward from the second side and connect the other end of the first wall portion 191 to the other end of the second wall portion 192.

[0095] In the gap forming member 190 according to this embodiment, the positions (height positions) of the upper ends of the second wall portion 192, the third wall portion 193, and the fourth wall portion 194 in the Z direction are formed to be equal to one another. On the other hand, the height position of the upper end of the first wall portion 191 is formed to be higher than the height positions of the upper ends of the other wall portions (192, 193, 194). The distance in the Z direction between the upper end of the first wall portion 191 and the upper ends of the other wall portions (192, 193, 194) is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the substrate W, for example.

[0096] In the coating apparatus 100, the gap forming member 190 is fixed on the plate member 131 so that the upper end of the first wall portion 191 is held at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate W held by suction by the suction chuck 132. The gap forming member 190 is also fixed on the plate member 131 so that a gap GA of a certain width is formed between the first wall portion 191 and a front half portion including the front end portion We of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the front end portion We of the substrate W is one point on the outer circumferential edge portion of the substrate W.

[0097] 13, during coating processing of the substrate W, a lower space LS surrounded by a part of the substrate W and four wall portions (191, 192, 193, 194) is formed inside the gap forming member 190. In this embodiment, as in the example of the first embodiment, the space above the substrate W when the lower space LS is formed is called an upper space US.

[0098] 12 , a gap GA is formed between the first wall 191 and the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W, including the front end We. The gap GA functions as a fluid passage that allows gas, liquid, etc. to circulate between the lower space LS inside the gap forming member 180 and the upper space US above the substrate W.

[0099] 10 sucks the atmosphere in the lower space LS during coating processing of the substrate W. In this case, as the pressure in the lower space LS decreases, the atmosphere in the upper space US flows into the lower space LS through the gap GA between the first wall portion 191 and the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W.

[0100] Furthermore, when the nozzle block 150 moves away from the substrate W in the final stage of the coating process on the substrate W, excess processing liquid adhering to the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W flows into the lower space LS through the gap GA. This prevents liquid from pooling at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity. As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the thickness of the processing liquid film formed on the substrate W.

[0101] In a vertical plane extending in the X direction passing through the front end We of the substrate W, the length La of the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 in the X direction is preferably greater than the length Lb of the gap GA in the X direction, as in the example of Fig. 7 according to the first embodiment. In this case, after the leading portion 10a passes over the gap GA, when the trailing portion 10b passes over the gap GA, most of the liquid column of the processing liquid connecting the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W is likely to be drawn into the gap GA. Therefore, excess processing liquid can be efficiently removed.

[0102] 3. Other Embodiments (a) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the gap forming member 180 is provided on the plate member 131 separately from the suction chuck 132. Also in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the gap forming member 190 is provided on the plate member 131 separately from the suction chuck 132. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0103] FIG. 14 is an external perspective view showing an example of a coating apparatus according to another embodiment. The coating apparatus 100 of FIG. 14 has the same configuration as the coating apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the gap forming member 180 is connected to the suction chuck 132 via a connecting member 189. That is, in the coating apparatus 100 of FIG. 14, the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming member 180 are integrally provided. In this case, the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming member 180 are held in a constant positional relationship. That is, the positional relationship between the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming member 180 is unlikely to change. Therefore, by holding the substrate W in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the suction chuck 132, a gap GA of a predetermined size can be accurately formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the gap forming member 180.

[0104] 10 according to the second embodiment, the gap forming member 190 may be connected to the suction chuck 132 via a connecting member 189, as in the example of Fig. 14. In this case, the positional relationship between the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming member 190 is fixed, so that a gap GA of a predetermined size can be accurately formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the gap forming member 180.

[0105] (b) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the gap forming member 190 forms a semicircular arc gap GA along the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0106] When the substrate W to be processed is a circular substrate, the gap forming member 190 may be configured to form an arc-shaped gap GA along an area smaller than the front half of the outer edge of the substrate W.

[0107] Figure 15 is a plan view showing an example of a gap forming member 190 according to another embodiment. In the example of Figure 15, the gap forming member 190 is configured to form a gap GA within a specific range RW in the Y direction that includes the front end We of the substrate W and is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W. Even in this case, excess processing liquid generated at the front end We of the substrate W and its vicinity during coating processing of the substrate W flows into the space LS below the substrate W through the gap GA. This allows the gap forming member 190 to be made more compact.

[0108] The preferred size of the specific range RW in Figure 15 can be determined experimentally or by simulation depending on the size of the substrate W, the type of processing liquid, the density of the processing liquid, the viscosity of the processing liquid, and the temperature of the processing liquid, etc.

[0109] (c) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first and second embodiments, the fluid suction drive unit 136 is provided as part of the stage device 130, but the present invention is not limited to this. The fluid suction drive unit 136 may be provided separately from the other components of the stage device 130. In other words, the fluid suction drive unit 136 may be provided separately at a position spaced apart from the coating apparatus 100.

[0110] (d) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first and second embodiments, a film of processing liquid is formed on the substrate W by moving the nozzle block 150 back and forth relative to the substrate W on the fixed suction chuck 132, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0111] The coating apparatus 100 may be configured such that a component including the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming members 180, 190 is movable in the forward and backward directions. In this case, the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming members 180, 190 may move in the forward and backward directions relative to the fixed nozzle block 150, thereby forming a film of the processing liquid on the substrate W suction-held by the suction chuck 132. Alternatively, the nozzle block 150 may move forward (or backward) while the suction chuck 132 and the gap forming members 180, 190 move backward (or forward), thereby forming a film of the processing liquid on the substrate W.

[0112] (e) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first and second embodiments, processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle block 150 onto the substrate W by utilizing capillary action occurring in the gap between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0113] For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured to supply the processing liquid onto the substrate W from the outlets 15a of the nozzle block 150 without utilizing the occurrence of capillary action. In this case, when the processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle block 150 to the substrate W, the distance between the nozzle block 150 and the substrate W can be increased to a degree that does not cause capillary action.

[0114] As described above, when capillary action is not utilized, the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle block 150 to the substrate W is performed by adjusting (increasing) the pressure in the reservoir 15c of the nozzle block 150. Therefore, when the substrate W to be processed is a circular substrate, it is preferable to adjust the opening area of ​​the slit-shaped discharge port 15a to match the width of the substrate W while the nozzle block 150 is moving relative to the substrate W. In this way, the portion of the slit-shaped discharge port 15a that does not face the substrate W is appropriately blocked. This prevents the processing liquid from being discharged into an area where no substrate W is present, thereby preventing unnecessary consumption of the processing liquid.

[0115] (f) In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the gap forming member 180 forms the gap GA so as to be adjacent to the entire front end We of the substrate W, i.e., the entire one side of the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the front end We of the substrate W has a relatively wide area, the gap forming member 180 may be configured to form the gap GA so as to be adjacent to only a portion of the front end We of the substrate W.

[0116] (g) The gap forming member 180 according to the first embodiment is fixed onto the plate member 131 so that the upper end of the first wall portion 181 is held at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate W held by suction on the suction chuck 132. Furthermore, the gap forming member 190 according to the second embodiment is fixed onto the plate member 131 so that the upper end of the first wall portion 191 is held at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate W held by suction on the suction chuck 132. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0117] The gap forming members 180, 190 may be fixed on the plate member 131 so that the upper ends of the first wall portions 181, 191 are higher than the height position of the lower surface of the substrate W and lower than the height position of the substrate facing surface 10 of the nozzle block 150. In these cases, a gap GA is formed between the first wall portions 181, 191 and the front end portion We of the substrate W.

[0118] (h) In the first embodiment, the gap GA formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall 181 has a constant width. In the second embodiment, the gap GA formed between the front half of the substrate W, including the front end We, and the first wall 191 also has a constant width. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0119] The gap GA formed between the front end We of the substrate W and the first wall portions 181, 191 may have different widths in multiple portions.

[0120] 4. Correspondence between each element of the claims and each part of the embodiment Examples of correspondence between each element of the claims and each element of the embodiment are described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Various other elements having the configuration or function described in the claims can also be used as each element of the claims.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus, the suction chuck 132 and the substrate suction drive unit 135 are examples of a substrate holding unit, the Y direction is an example of a first direction, the discharge port 15a is an example of a discharge port, the substrate facing surface 10 is an example of a substrate facing surface, and the nozzle block 150 is an example of a nozzle.

[0122] In addition, the two guide rails 121, the two nozzle supports 140, the X-direction drive unit 141 and the Z-direction drive unit 142 are examples of relative movement units, the direction in the X direction from the rear to the front of the coating device 100 is an example of a second direction, and the control unit 110 is an example of a control unit.

[0123] Furthermore, the virtual surface VS2 is an example of a virtual surface, the front end We of the substrate W is an example of a first part of the outer edge of the substrate, the upper space US is an example of a space above the substrate W, the lower space LS is an example of a space below the substrate W, the gap GA between the outer edge of the substrate W and the first wall portion 181 is an example of a fluid passage, and the gap forming members 180, 190 are examples of flow path forming members.

[0124] Furthermore, the fluid suction drive unit 136 is an example of an intake device, the upper end of the first wall portions 181, 191 is an example of an upper end of a flow path forming member, the leading portion 10a of the substrate facing surface 10 is an example of a leading portion, the following portion 10b of the substrate facing surface 10 is an example of a following portion, the length La of the leading portion 10a of the nozzle block 150 in the X direction is an example of the length of the leading portion in the second direction, and the length Lb of the gap GA in the X direction is an example of the length of the fluid passage in the second direction.

[0125] Furthermore, the first wall portions 181, 191 are examples of wall portions, the bottom surface portions 185, 195 are examples of receiving portions, and the through holes 186, 196 and the fluid outlet pipes 187, 197 are examples of guide portions.

[0126] 5. Summary of Embodiments (Item 1) A substrate processing apparatus according to item 1 includes: a substrate holding part that holds a substrate; a nozzle having a substrate-facing surface with a slit-shaped discharge port formed therein that extends in a first direction parallel to the substrate held by the substrate holding part, and that discharges a processing liquid from the discharge port; a relative movement part that supports the substrate holding part and the nozzle and is configured to be able to move at least one of the substrate holding part and the nozzle; a control part that performs relative movement control to control the relative movement part so that, with an upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part and the substrate-facing surface facing each other, the nozzle moves through a space above the substrate in a second direction that is parallel to the substrate and intersects with the first direction while discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate; a flow path forming member that is provided in an imaginary plane including the lower surface of the substrate so as to face a first part of an outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, and that forms a fluid path between the first part of the outer edge of the substrate and the first part of the substrate, communicating the space above the substrate and the space below the substrate; a suction device that sucks the atmosphere in the space above the substrate held by the substrate holding part through the fluid passage, and the first part of the outer edge of the substrate is the part of the outer edge of the substrate that is located closest to the nozzle when the nozzle moves away from the substrate due to the relative movement control.

[0127] In the substrate processing apparatus, during the relative movement control, with the upper surface of the substrate and the substrate-facing surface facing each other, the nozzle moves in the second direction in the space above the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the slit-shaped discharge port onto the substrate. This allows the processing liquid to be efficiently supplied to the upper surface of the substrate. Therefore, wasteful consumption of the processing liquid is suppressed compared to the spin coating method.

[0128] As described above, the nozzle moving in the second direction spreads the treatment liquid over the entire upper surface of the substrate. When the nozzle outlet passes over the substrate in the second direction, the nozzle moves away from the substrate, thereby breaking up the liquid column of treatment liquid connecting the nozzle and the substrate. At this time, an excess amount of treatment liquid is likely to remain as a puddle at the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate and its vicinity.

[0129] According to the above configuration, the atmosphere in the space above the substrate held by the substrate holder is sucked into the space below the substrate through the fluid passage formed between a portion of the outer edge of the substrate and the flow path forming member. In this case, when the liquid column of the processing liquid connecting the nozzle and the substrate is broken, the excess processing liquid is drawn into the space below the substrate without remaining on the surface of the nozzle or on the substrate. This prevents liquid pooling at and near the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate.

[0130] As a result, it is possible to reduce variations in the thickness of the film of the processing liquid formed on the substrate.

[0131] (2) In the substrate processing apparatus described in 1, the flow path forming member may be arranged so that the upper end of the flow path forming member is positioned at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part.

[0132] In this case, the fluid passage is formed to pass at least between the height of the lower surface of the substrate and the height of the upper surface of the substrate. Therefore, the processing liquid applied to the upper surface of the substrate and present near the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate is easily drawn into the space below the substrate. This further reduces the occurrence of liquid pools at the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate and its vicinity.

[0133] (Clause 3) In the substrate processing apparatus described in clause 1 or clause 2, the substrate facing surface is a flat surface parallel to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion, and includes a leading portion extending from the discharge port in the second direction as viewed in the first direction, and a trailing portion extending from the discharge port in a third direction opposite to the second direction as viewed in the first direction, and the length of the leading portion in the second direction may be greater than the length of the fluid passage in the second direction.

[0134] In this case, during relative movement control, just before the nozzle outlet passes over the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate, the leading portion of the substrate-facing surface covers the entire fluid passage from above. In this case, compared to when the space above the fluid passage is open, it is more difficult for the atmosphere in the space above the substrate to flow into the fluid passage. This reduces the pressure inside the fluid passage. In this state, when the trailing portion of the substrate-facing surface passes over the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate, most of the liquid column of the processing liquid connecting the trailing portion and the substrate is likely to be drawn into the fluid passage, which is maintained at a low pressure. Therefore, excess processing liquid can be efficiently removed.

[0135] (4) In the substrate processing apparatus described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, the flow path forming member may have a wall portion that faces the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion in the second direction and forms the fluid passage, a receiving portion that is located below the fluid passage and receives liquid that has been sucked through the fluid passage, and a guide portion that guides the liquid received by the receiving portion to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0136] In this case, the liquid sucked through the fluid passage is received by the receiving portion and guided to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus by the guide portion. This prevents a decrease in the cleanliness of the substrate processing apparatus due to the presence of unnecessary liquid inside the substrate processing apparatus. Also, the occurrence of substrate processing defects due to the scattering of unnecessary liquid in the substrate processing apparatus is prevented.

[0137] (Item 5) In the substrate processing apparatus described in any one of Items 1 to 4, the substrate holding section and the flow path forming member may be integrally provided.

[0138] In this case, the substrate holder and the flow path forming member are held in a constant positional relationship. That is, the positional relationship between the substrate holder and the flow path forming member is unlikely to fluctuate. Therefore, by holding the substrate in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the substrate holder, a fluid passage of a pre-designed size is formed between the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate and the flow path forming member.

[0139] (Item 6) In the substrate processing apparatus described in any one of Items 1 to 5, the substrate is a substrate having a rectangular outer edge consisting of four sides, the substrate holding part holds the substrate in a state in which two of the four sides that face each other are parallel to the first direction and the other two of the four sides that face each other are parallel to the second direction, and the first part of the outer edge of the substrate may be the side of the two sides of the substrate that is located forward in the second direction.

[0140] In this case, the thickness of the film of the processing liquid is prevented from increasing locally on the four sides of the substrate and in the vicinity thereof.

[0141] (Clause 7) In the substrate processing apparatus described in any one of clauses 1 to 5, the substrate is a substrate that includes a cutout portion and has a circular outer edge excluding the cutout portion, and the flow path forming member is arranged to face a predetermined target portion of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, including the first portion, and may form the fluid passage between the flow path forming member and the target portion of the outer edge of the substrate.

[0142] In this case, the thickness of the film of the processing liquid is prevented from increasing locally at the outer peripheral edge of the substrate and in the vicinity thereof.

[0143] The substrate processing apparatus according to the above embodiment can reduce wasteful consumption of the processing liquid, eliminating the need to generate a large amount of the processing liquid, thereby contributing to reducing pollution of the global environment caused by the processing liquid.

Claims

a nozzle having a substrate-facing surface with a slit-shaped outlet formed therein that extends in a first direction parallel to the substrate held by the substrate holding part, and that ejects a processing liquid from the outlet; a relative movement part that supports the substrate holding part and the nozzle and is configured to be able to move at least one of the substrate holding part and the nozzle; a control part that performs relative movement control to control the relative movement part so that, with the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part and the substrate-facing surface facing each other, the nozzle moves through a space above the substrate in a second direction that is parallel to the substrate and intersects the first direction while ejecting the processing liquid onto the substrate; a flow path forming member that is arranged to face a first part of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding part within an imaginary plane that includes the lower surface of the substrate, and that forms a fluid path between the first part of the outer edge of the substrate and the first part of the substrate, communicating the space above the substrate with the space below the substrate; and a suction device that sucks the atmosphere of the space above the substrate held by the substrate holding part through the fluid path, a first portion of the outer edge of the substrate that is located closest to the nozzle when the nozzle moves away from the substrate by the relative movement control; 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow path forming member is provided so that an upper end of the flow path forming member is positioned at the same height as the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part.

3. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate facing surface is a flat surface parallel to the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion, and includes a leading portion extending from the discharge port in the second direction as viewed in the first direction, and a trailing portion extending from the discharge port in a third direction opposite to the second direction as viewed in the first direction, and the length of the leading portion in the second direction is greater than the length of the fluid passage in the second direction.

4. A substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flow path forming member has: a wall portion that faces the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion in the second direction and forms the fluid passage; a receiving portion that is located below the fluid passage and receives liquid that has been sucked through the fluid passage; and a guide portion that guides the liquid received by the receiving portion to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrate holding section and the flow path forming member are integrally provided.

6. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the substrate has a rectangular outer edge consisting of four sides, the substrate holding part holds the substrate in a state in which two of the four sides that face each other are parallel to the first direction and the other two of the four sides that face each other are parallel to the second direction, and the first part of the outer edge of the substrate is the side of the two sides of the substrate that is located forward in the second direction.

7. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the substrate includes a cutout portion and has a circular outer edge excluding the cutout portion, and the flow path forming member is arranged to face a predetermined target portion including the first portion of the outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding part, and forms the fluid passage between the flow path forming member and the target portion of the outer edge of the substrate.

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