Coating device and coating film forming method

A coating process apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate to be processed, comprising:

• a holding mechanism which holds the substrate to be processed in an approximately horizontal posture;
• a coating liquid supply mechanism supplying a predetermined coating liquid to a top surface of the substrate to be processed held by the holding mechanism;
• a rotation mechanism rotating the substrate to be processed held by the holding mechanism;
• and
• a process container accommodating the holding mechanism and capable of exhausting an atmosphere around the substrate to be processed from a bottom, wherein
• the process container includes:
• a first cup having an outer circumferential wall surrounding an outside of the substrate to be processed, and
• an airflow control member having a cross section of an approximately rectangular shape defined by an upper ring portion having a vertical cross section of an approximately triangular shape and protruding upward, and a lower ring portion having a cross section of an approximately triangular shape and protruding downward, and provided close to a periphery of the substrate to be processed in the first cup so as to surround an outer circumference of the substrate to be processed, wherein
• an exhaust passage substantially exhausting an atmosphere around the substrate to be processed is provided between the airflow control member and the outer circumferential wall of the first cup, and wherein
• a space between an apex of the upper ring portion and an upper end of the outer circumferential wall defines an atmosphere extraction port for the exhaust passage.

A coating process apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate to be processed, comprising:

• a holding mechanism which holds the substrate to be processed in an approximately horizontal posture;
• a coating liquid supply mechanism which supplies a predetermined amount of a coating liquid to a top surface of the substrate to be processed held by the holding mechanism;
• a rotation mechanism which rotates the substrate held by the holding mechanism;
• and
• a process container which accommodates the holding mechanism and capable of exhausting an atmosphere around the substrate from a bottom, wherein
• the process container includes:
• a first cup having an outer circumferential wall surrounding an outside of the substrate to be processed;
• and
• an airflow control member including an upper ring portion having a vertical cross section of an approximately triangular shape and protruding upward, and a lower ring portion including a first inclined portion inclined outward and downward from an inner apex of the upper ring portion by a predetermined length, a horizontal portion horizontally extending outward from a lower end of the first inclined portion, and a second inclined portion inclined outward and downward from the horizontal portion, and provided close to a periphery of the substrate to be processed in the first cup so as to surround an outer circumference of the substrate to be processed,
• an exhaust passage substantially exhausting an atmosphere around the substrate to be processed is provided between the airflow control member and the outer circumferential wall of the first cup, and
• a space between an apex of the upper ring portion and an upper end of the outer circumferential wall defines an atmosphere extraction port for the exhaust passage.

A coating film forming method comprising the steps of:

• holding a substrate to be processed in an approximately horizontal posture;
• adjusting positions of an airflow control member of an approximately ring shape and the substrate relatively to each other in such a manner that the airflow control member is arranged close to a periphery of the substrate to be processed and surrounds the periphery of the substrate to be processed, the airflow control member having a vertical cross section which gradually becomes thicker upward from an inside toward an outside;
• and
• forming a coating film on the substrate to be processed by supplying a predetermined coating liquid to a top surface of the substrate to be processed and rotating the substrate to be processed so as to spread the coating liquid over the entire substrate to be processed.