Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method
AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
InventorKatsuhiko Miya
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A proximity member moves in a moving direction (−X) in a condition that an opposed surface of the proximity member is disposed in the vicinity of a substrate surface and that a liquid-tight layer is formed between the opposed surface and the substrate surface, and nitrogen gas is discharged toward an upstream-side interface of the liquid-tight layer from the upstream side (+X) to the proximity member in the moving direction. Thus discharged nitrogen gas is blown selectively and in concentration against an exposed interface portion, a rinsing liquid forming the exposed interface portion is blown away from the substrate surface and the liquid-tight layer, and a substrate surface region which corresponds to the exposed interface portion is dried.
Claims13
A substrate processing apparatus which dries a surface of a substrate which is wet with a liquid, comprising:
- a proximity member which includes an opposed surface disposed facing the surface of the substrate but away from the surface of the substrate and which is structured to move freely and relatively to the substrate in a predetermined moving direction in a condition that a space between the opposed surface and the surface of the substrate is filled with said liquid to form a liquid-tight layer;
- a driver which moves said proximity member relatively to the substrate in the moving direction;
- and
- a gas discharger which discharges a drying gas which dries the surface of the substrate, wherein
- said proximity member further includes a guide surface which is connected with an upstream side portion, which is located on the upstream side in the moving direction among side portions defining the opposed surface, and which extends from the position of connection with the upstream side portion in a direction away from the surface of the substrate overlooking the upstream side in the moving direction, and
- said gas discharger, in the moving direction, is disposed on the upstream side relative to said proximity member and discharges said drying gas toward an upstream-side interface of the liquid-tight layer.
A substrate processing method of drying a surface of a substrate which is wet with a liquid, comprising the steps of:
- arranging a proximity member which includes an opposed surface which faces the surface of the substrate and a guide surface to a position at which the opposed surface is away from the surface of the substrate, the guide surface being connected with an upstream side portion which is located on an upstream side in a predetermined moving direction among side portions defining the opposed surface and extending from the position of connection with the upstream side portion in a direction away from the surface of the substrate overlooking the upstream side in the moving direction;
- forming a liquid-tight layer by filling up a space between the opposed surface and the surface of the substrate with the liquid;
- moving said proximity member in the moving direction relative to the substrate while maintaining the condition that the liquid-tight layer is formed;
- and
- discharging a drying gas to dry the surface of the substrate toward an upstream-side interface of the liquid-tight layer from the upstream side relative to said proximity member in the moving direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.