# US 10,121,648 B2 · Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,121,648 B2 - Document ID: US10121648B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/854,428 - Filed: 2015-09-15 - Published: 2016-03-31 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-30 - Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Applicants: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Masahiro Kimura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121648B2 ## CPC - H10P 70/50: {characterised by the part to be cleaned} - H10P 50/00: Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A maximum height, that corresponds to a width of a pattern formed on a front surface of a substrate to be processed, is searched among a plurality of maximum heights each being a maximum value of a height of a pattern having a particular width when pattern collapse does not occur. Thereafter, it is determined that whether or not a height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height. In a case where the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, a hydrophobizing agent is supplied to the substrate such that a hydrophobized region is formed on a whole tip-side region in a lateral surface of the pattern, and a non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of a root-side region in the lateral surface of the pattern. Thereafter the substrate is dried. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing method comprising: an information receiving step of receiving a width and a height of a pattern formed on a front surface of a substrate; a maximum height searching step of searching for a maximum height, that corresponds to the received width of the pattern formed on the front surface of the substrate to be processed, among a plurality of maximum heights each being a maximum value of a height of a pattern having a particular width when pattern collapse does not occur; a height comparing step of determining whether or not the received height of the pattern formed on the front surface of the substrate is greater than the maximum height found in the maximum height searching step; a hydrophobizing step of supplying, in a case where the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, a hydrophobizing agent to the substrate such that a hydrophobized region is formed on a whole tip-side region that is a region other than a root-side region from a root of the pattern to the maximum height in a lateral surface of the pattern, and a non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of the root-side region in the lateral surface of the pattern; a pre-drying rinsing step of replacing the hydrophobizing agent held by the substrate with a solvent lower in surface tension than water by supplying the solvent to the substrate, after the hydrophobizing step; and a drying step of drying the substrate by removing the solvent held by the substrate, after the pre-drying rinsing step. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a heating step of heating the solvent held by the substrate while discharging the solvent toward the substrate in the pre-drying rinsing step. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobizing step includes a step of making, in a case where the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, at least one of a supply flow rate and a supply time of the hydrophobizing agent to be supplied to the substrate smaller than a supply flow rate and a supply time of the hydrophobizing agent at which the hydrophobized region is formed on the whole region of the lateral surface of the pattern. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobizing step includes a step of supplying, in a case where the pattern is a laminated film and the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, the substrate with a hydrophobizing agent that hydrophobizes at least one film constituting the tip-side region in the lateral surface of the pattern. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a non-contacting step of maintaining a state where water does not contact the substrate during a period from an end of the hydrophobizing step to an end of the drying step. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing method further includes a recipe changing step of changing, in a case where the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, a recipe for processing conditions for the substrate based on the maximum height searched in the maximum height searching step such that the hydrophobized region is formed on the whole tip-side region and the non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of the root-side region, and the hydrophobizing step is a step of supplying, in a case where the height of the pattern is greater than the maximum height, the hydrophobizing agent to the substrate in accordance with the processing conditions changed in the recipe changing step. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The substrate processing method according to claim 6, wherein said information receiving step, and maximum height searching step said height comparing step are carried out by a controller, and wherein said recipe is stored in a storage in said controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein said recipe changing step is carried out by said controller. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein said information receiving step, said maximum height searching step and said height comparing step are carried out by a controller. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The substrate processing method according to claim 9, wherein said received width and height are supplied respectively to a maximum height searching portion and a height comparing portion in said controller. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein said maximum height searching portion provides a maximum height to said height comparing portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein said maximum height searching portion exchanges width and height information with a table stored in a storage in said controller. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein said maximum height searching portion exchanges width and height information with a table stored in a storage in said controller. ### Claim 14 A substrate processing method comprising: an information receiving step of receiving a width and a height of a pattern formed on a front surface of a substrate; an identifying step of identifying a pattern height with which pattern collapse does not occur in the received width of the pattern formed on the front surface of the substrate to be processed; a hydrophobizing step of supplying a hydrophobizing agent to the substrate such that a hydrophobized region is formed on a whole tip-side region that is a region other than a root-side region from a root of the pattern to the pattern height in a lateral surface of the pattern and a non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of the root-side region in the lateral surface of the pattern; a pre-drying rinsing step of replacing the hydrophobizing agent held by the substrate with a solvent lower in surface tension than water by supplying the solvent to the substrate, after the hydrophobizing step; and a drying step of drying the substrate by removing the solvent held by the substrate, after the pre-drying rinsing step. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein the pattern is a laminated pattern including an upper layer film, an intermediate layer film, and a lower layer film, the identifying step of identifying the pattern height is a step of identifying a height of the intermediate layer film as the pattern height, and the hydrophobizing step is a step of supplying the hydrophobizing agent to the substrate such that the hydrophobized region is formed on lateral surfaces of the upper layer film and the intermediate layer film, and the non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of a lateral surface of the lower layer film. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein the substrate processing method further includes a recipe changing step of changing a recipe for processing conditions for the substrate based on the pattern height identified in the identifying step such that the hydrophobized region is formed on the whole tip-side region and the non-hydrophobized region remains on at least a portion of the root-side region, and the hydrophobizing step is a step of supplying the hydrophobizing agent to the substrate in accordance with the processing conditions changed in the recipe changing step. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein said information receiving step, and maximum height searching step said height comparing step are carried out by a controller, and wherein said recipe is stored in a storage in said controller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein said recipe changing step is carried out by said controller.