Heat treatment apparatus, heat treatment method, and storage medium

A method for performing a heat treatment on a coating film formed on a substrate using a heat treatment apparatus that includes a placing table provided within a processing container, a heater that heats the substrate, a top plate having a bottom surface facing an upper surface of the placing table with a gap between the placing table and the top plate, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of outer circumferential exhaust ports opened circumferentially along and radially within an edge portion of the bottom surface of the top plate and a central exhaust port opened in a central portion at the bottom surface of the top plate such that a center of the central exhaust port coincides with a center of the substrate placed on the placing table;
• providing a cylindrical shutter to surround the placing table and configured to block an entire circumference of the gap to form a processing space in the processing container,
• providing a gas supply port at equal intervals over an entire circumference of an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shutter and configured to supply gas into the processing space of the processing container, wherein the gas supply port is opened at a position lower than the substrate;
• placing the substrate on the placing table provided in the processing container, and heating the substrate;
• exhausting an inside of the processing container at least from the outer circumferential exhaust port, while introducing gas from the gas supply port, into the processing space of the processing container, until a setting time point when a setting time has elapsed from a heating start time of the substrate or a setting time point when a temperature of the substrate exceeds a setting temperature;
• and
• exhausting the inside of the processing container at least from the central exhaust port, while introducing gas from the gas supply port into the processing space of the processing container, after the setting time point.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing therein a computer program that causes a computer to perform a method for performing a heat treatment on a substrate using a heat treatment apparatus that includes a placing table provided within a processing container, a heater that heats the substrate, a top plate having a bottom surface facing an upper surface of the placing table with a gap between the top plate and the placing table, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of outer circumferential exhaust ports opened circumferentially along and radially within an edge portion of the bottom surface of the top plate and a central exhaust port opened in a central portion at the bottom surface of the top plate such that a center of the central exhaust port coincides with a center of the substrate placed on the placing table;
• providing a cylindrical shutter to surround the placing table and configured to block an entire circumference of the gap to form a processing space in the processing container;
• providing a gas supply port at equal intervals over an entire circumference of an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shutter and configured to supply gas into the processing space of the processing container, wherein the gas supply port is opened at a position lower than the substrate;
• placing the substrate on the placing table provided in the processing container, and heating the substrate;
• exhausting an inside of the processing container at least from the outer circumferential exhaust port, while introducing gas from the gas supply port, into the processing space of the processing container, until a setting time point when a setting time has elapsed from a heating start time of the substrate or a setting time point when a temperature of the substrate exceeds a setting temperature;
• and
• exhausting the inside of the processing container at least from the central exhaust port, while introducing gas from the gas supply port into the processing space of the processing container, after the setting time point.