# US 12,014,938 B2 · Apparatus and method for processing substrate

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- Number: US 12,014,938 B2
- Document ID: US12014938B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/955,206
- Filed: 2022-09-28
- Published: 2023-01-19
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-30
- Assignees: Semes Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Semes Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yong Hee Lee; Young Hun Lee; Jinwoo Jung; Eui Sang Lim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12014938B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles}
- H10P 70/15: {by wet cleaning only (H10P70/52 takes precedence)}
- H10P 70/20: {Cleaning during device manufacture}
- H10P 70/80: {Cleaning only by supercritical fluids}
- H10P 72/0406: {for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like}
- H10P 72/0408: {for drying}
- H10P 72/0448: {Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like}
- H10P 72/0464: {characterised by the construction of the transfer chamber}
- H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices}
- H10P 72/7602: {the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance}
- H10P 72/7614: {characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions}
- 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 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Disclosed is a method for processing a substrate, comprising a liquid processing step of performing liquid processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto the substrate in a liquid processing chamber, a transfer step of transferring the substrate from the liquid processing chamber to a drying chamber, and a drying step of drying the substrate in the drying chamber. In the drying step, the substrate is dried while an edge region of the substrate other than a central region of the substrate is supported by a support unit, and in the liquid processing step, the liquid processing is performed on the substrate such that a height of the processing liquid remaining on the edge region of the substrate is greater than a height of the processing liquid remaining on the central region of the substrate when the liquid processing is completed in the liquid processing chamber.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for processing a substrate, the method comprising:
a liquid processing step for performing liquid processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto the substrate;
a drying step for drying the substrate after the liquid processing step; and
a transfer step for transferring the substrate from a liquid processing chamber to a drying chamber after the liquid processing step,
wherein the liquid processing step is performed in the liquid processing chamber and the drying step is performed in the drying chamber,
wherein the liquid processing step comprises:
a liquid supply step for supplying the processing liquid toward the substrate; and
a liquid level adjustment step for rotating the substrate after the liquid supply step,
wherein the substrate is rotated at a first speed in the liquid supply step and at a second speed in the liquid level adjustment step, and the second speed is different from the first speed,
wherein the liquid supply step comprises:
a first supply step for rotating the substrate and supplying the processing liquid toward a central region of the substrate; and
a second supply step for rotating the substrate and supplying the processing liquid onto an edge region of the substrate after the first supply step,
wherein the first supply step, the processing liquid is supplied by a nozzle from above the central region of the substrate, and
wherein the second supply step, the processing liquid is supplied by the nozzle from above the edge region of the substrate,
wherein the substrate is transferred from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber, such that in the transfer step, a height of the processing liquid on two edge regions of the substrate are both higher than a height of the processing liquid on the central region of the substrate, wherein the two edge regions are on opposite sides of the central region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein the substrate is transferred from the liquid processing chamber to the drying chamber right after the liquid level adjustment step.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the processing liquid comprises an organic solvent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein in the drying step, the substrate is dried using a supercritical fluid.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein in the drying step, the substrate is dried while the edge region of the substrate excluding the central region of the substrate is supported by a support unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first supply step, the processing liquid is supplied at a first flow rate, and wherein the second supply step, the processing liquid is supplied at a second flow rate, wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein supplying the process liquid is stopped in the liquid level adjustment step.