Thermal treatment apparatus, thermal treatment method, and storage medium

A thermal treatment method for thermally treating a substrate on which a coating film of a resist has been formed and the coating film has been subjected to an exposure treatment, the thermal treatment method comprising:

• mounting the substrate on a hot plate configured to support and heat the substrate;
• and
• thermally treating the substrate on the hot plate,
• the thermally treating comprising:
• (A) discharging a treatment gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from a ceiling of a chamber which houses the hot plate facing the substrate on the hot plate and forming thereunder a treatment space in which the thermal treatment is performed;
• (B) supplying gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from a lateral side of the substrate on the hot plate and a lower portion of the treatment space;
• (C) exhausting the treatment space in the chamber from a position close to a center of the substrate on the hot plate in top view on the ceiling;
• and
• (D) exhausting the treatment space from a side closer to a peripheral edge portion of the substrate on the hot plate than in the (C) in top view on the ceiling, wherein
• during the thermal treatment, the (A) is continuously performed and the (B) and the (D) are continuously performed to form a rising flow around the substrate on the hot plate, and the exhaust in the (C) is enhanced, after a start of the thermal treatment, for a predetermined period, the predetermined period being 1/20 to ½ of a total duration of the thermal treatment,
• in the (B), a straightening member causes gas rising along a gas flow path provided in a manner to surround a side surface of the hot plate, to go toward the substrate on the hot plate.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program running on a computer of a controller configured to control a thermal treatment apparatus in order to cause the thermal treatment apparatus to execute a thermal treatment method for thermally treating a substrate on which a coating film of a resist has been formed and the coating film has been subjected to an exposure treatment, the thermal treatment method comprising:

• mounting the substrate on a hot plate configured to support and heat the substrate;
• and
• thermally treating the substrate on the hot plate,
• the thermally treating comprising:
• (A) discharging a treatment gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from a ceiling of a chamber which houses the hot plate facing the substrate on the hot plate and forming thereunder a treatment space in which the thermal treatment is performed;
• (B) supplying gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from a lateral side of the substrate on the hot plate and a lower portion of the treatment space;
• (C) exhausting the treatment space in the chamber from a position close to a center of the substrate on the hot plate in top view on the ceiling;
• and
• (D) exhausting the treatment space from a side closer to a peripheral edge portion of the substrate on the hot plate than in the (C) in top view on the ceiling, wherein
• during the thermal treatment, the (A) is continuously performed and the (B) and the (D) are continuously performed to form a rising flow around the substrate on the hot plate, and the exhaust in the (C) is enhanced, after a start of the thermal treatment, for a predetermined period, the predetermined period being 1/20 to ½ of a total duration of the thermal treatment,
• in the (B), a straightening member is provided that causes gas rising along a gas flow path provided in a manner to surround a side surface of the hot plate, to go toward the substrate on the hot plate.