# US 10,770,316 B2 · Substrate liquid processing apparatus, substrate liquid processing method and recording medium

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- Number: US 10,770,316 B2
- Document ID: US10770316B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/777,941
- Filed: 2016-11-17
- Published: 2018-11-22
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-24
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Kazuki Kosai; Yoshihiro Kai; Gentaro Goshi; Hiroshi Komiya; Seiya Fujimoto; Takahisa Otsuka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770316B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0424: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles}
- B08B 3/024: {Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned}
- B08B 3/041: {Cleaning travelling work}
- B08B 3/08: the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect
- H10P 50/642: {Chemical etching}
- H10P 50/644: {Anisotropic liquid etching (H10P50/61 takes precedence)}
- H10P 50/667: {by liquid etching only}
- H10P 70/20: {Cleaning during device manufacture}
- H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles}
- H10P 72/0448: {Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like}
- H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring}
- H10P 72/7618: {characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit 31 configured to hold a substrate W; an outer nozzle 45 configured to discharge a processing liquid toward a surface of the substrate from a position at an outside of an outer edge of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit such that at least a central portion of the surface of the substrate is covered with a liquid film of the discharged processing liquid; and an actuator 46 (90) configured to change a height position or a discharge angle of the outer nozzle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A substrate liquid processing method, comprising:
discharging a processing liquid toward a surface of a substrate from an outer nozzle provided at a position at an outside of an outer edge of the substrate; and
adjusting a height position or a discharge angle of the outer nozzle by using an actuator such that the processing liquid discharged from the outer nozzle arrives at a target arrival position on the substrate,
wherein, after a central portion of the surface of the substrate is covered with the processing liquid discharged from the outer nozzle, a discharge flow rate of the processing liquid is reduced and the height position of the outer nozzle is raised, and
wherein the substrate liquid processing method is performed while rotating the substrate,
when the processing liquid is being discharged from the outer nozzle to arrive at a center of the substrate, the processing liquid is discharged downwards from a movable nozzle provided at a nozzle arm such that the processing liquid arrives at a preset position, and
the preset position is near the center of the substrate, and is located, when viewed from directly above the substrate being rotated, within a fourth quadrant of an XY orthogonal coordinate system in which a straight line including a flight trajectory of the processing liquid is defined as an Y-axis, a flight direction of the processing liquid is defined as a positive Y-axis direction, a straight line including a second vector obtained by rotating a first vector, which is started from a rotation center of the substrate and faces toward the positive Y-axis direction, by 90 degrees in a rotational direction of the substrate with respect to the rotation center of the substrate is defined as an X-axis, and a direction of the second vector is defined as a positive X-axis direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The substrate liquid processing method of claim 1,
wherein the height position of the outer nozzle is adjusted by the actuator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The substrate liquid processing method of claim 2,
wherein the height position of the outer nozzle is adjusted based on a previously obtained relationship in which a flow rate of the processing liquid discharged from the outer nozzle, the height position of the outer nozzle and the arrival position of the processing liquid onto the substrate are related.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a substrate liquid processing apparatus to perform a substrate liquid processing method as claimed in claim 1.