Substrate liquid processing apparatus and substrate liquid processing method

A substrate liquid processing apparatus, comprising:

• a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate;
• a plating liquid supply configured to supply a plating liquid to an upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
• a cover body that is raised or lowered by a cylinder, the cover body configured to cover the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;
• a gas supply nozzle having a gas supply opening through which an inert gas is discharged;
• a controller configured to control the cylinder and the gas supply nozzle;
• a cup disposed around the substrate holder and configured to receive the plating liquid scattered from the substrate;
• and
• an atmosphere blocking cover provided on an outer periphery side of the cup in order to suppress diffusion of an atmosphere around the substrate into a chamber, wherein the atmosphere blocking cover is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to extend higher than the cup in a vertical direction, and has an open upper end,
• wherein an opening direction of the gas supply opening is directed to a direction other than the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder,
• wherein the cover body has a ceiling member extended horizontally, and a sidewall member extended downward from the ceiling member, the cover body forming an open space between the ceiling member, the sidewall and the substrate held by the substrate holder, the open space facing the upper surface of the substrate,
• wherein the controller is further configured to control the cylinder to lower the cover body from an upper position to a lower position, and at the lower position, the cover body covers the upper surface of the substrate and blocks a space around the substrate,
• wherein, when the cover body is at the lower position, the controller is further configured to control the gas supply nozzle to discharge the inert gas at a second flow rate that suppresses turbulence in the plating liquid on the substrate,
• wherein while the cover body is located higher than the cup, creating a vertical gap between the cover body and the cup that permits a gas from outside of the cup to flow into the open space, the controller is further configured to control the gas supply nozzle to discharge the inert gas from the gas supply opening of the gas supply nozzle to the open space at a first flow rate, such that the inert gas is gathered in the open space while the cover body does not block the space around the substrate before the cover body is located at the lower position,
• wherein the controller is further configured to control the plating liquid supply, the cylinder, and the gas supply nozzle, thereby executing;
• (a) discharging the plating liquid to the upper surface of the substrate from the plating liquid supply, while the cover body is located higher than the cup;
• (b) after (a), while the cover body is located higher than the cup, discharging the inert gas from the gas supply opening of the gas supply nozzle into the open space at the first flow rate;
• and
• (c) after (b), lowering the cover body to the lower position, and when the cover body is located at the lower position, discharging the inert gas at the second flow rate lower than the first flow rate to suppress the turbulence in the plating liquid on the substrate.