# US 2012/0073609 A1 · Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate treatment method

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- Number: US 2012/0073609 A1
- Document ID: US20120073609A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/237,408
- Filed: 2011-09-20
- Published: 2012-03-29
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-29
- Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koji HASHIMOTO; Kazuki Nakamura; Takahiro Yamaguchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120073609A1

## CPC

- H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a nozzle having an opposing surface to be opposed to and spaced from a front surface of a substrate rotated by a substrate rotating unit, the nozzle further having an outlet port provided in the opposing surface to be opposed to a rotation center of the substrate; a second liquid supply control unit which controls the second liquid supplying unit to fill a space defined between the front surface and the opposing surface with the second liquid in a liquid filled state, and then stop supplying the second liquid to form a liquid puddle in the space; and a first liquid supply control unit which controls a first liquid supplying unit to spout a first liquid from the outlet port after the formation of the liquid puddle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A substrate treatment apparatus for treating a substrate with a treatment liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a substrate rotating unit which horizontally holds and rotates the substrate;
a nozzle having an opposing surface to be brought into spaced opposed relation to a region of a front surface of the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating unit, the region of the front surface of the substrate being defined within a peripheral edge of the substrate and containing a rotation center of the substrate, the nozzle further having an outlet port provided in the opposing surface to be brought into opposed relation to the rotation center;
a first liquid supplying unit which supplies a first liquid as the treatment liquid to the outlet port;
a second liquid supplying unit which supplies a second liquid between the front surface of the substrate and the opposing surface;
a second liquid supply control unit which controls the second liquid supplying unit to fill a space defined between the region and the opposing surface with the second liquid in a liquid filled state, and then stop supplying the second liquid to form a liquid puddle in the space; and
a first liquid supply control unit which controls the first liquid supplying unit to spout the first liquid from the outlet port after the formation of the liquid puddle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opposing surface includes a flat surface parallel to the front surface of the substrate held by the substrate rotating unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opposing surface includes a curved surface which becomes closer to the front surface of the substrate in a direction away from the outlet port.

### Claim 4

A substrate treatment method comprising:
an opposing surface positioning step of positioning an opposing surface of a nozzle formed with an outlet port in opposed spaced relation to a front surface of a substrate horizontally held;
a rotating step of rotating the substrate about a vertical axis;
a liquid puddle forming step of supplying a liquid between the front surface of the substrate and the opposing surface to fill a space defined between the opposing surface and a region of the front surface of the substrate opposed to the opposing surface with the liquid in a liquid filled state, and then stop supplying the liquid to form a liquid puddle in the space; and
a treatment liquid spouting step of spouting a treatment liquid from the outlet port, the treatment liquid spouting step being performed in parallel to the rotating step after the liquid puddle forming step.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The substrate treatment method according to claim 4,
wherein the liquid puddle forming step includes a water puddle forming step of supplying water between the front surface of the substrate and the opposing surface to form a water puddle in the space,
wherein the treatment liquid spouting step includes a chemical liquid spouting step of spouting a chemical liquid from the outlet port.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The substrate treatment method according to claim 5, further comprising:
a water spouting step of spouting water from the outlet port, the water spouting step being performed in parallel to the rotating step after the water puddle forming step before the chemical liquid spouting step;
wherein the spouting of the chemical liquid in the chemical liquid spouting step follows the spouting of the water in the water spouting step.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The substrate treatment method according to claim 4,
wherein the treatment liquid spouting step includes a chemical liquid spouting step of spouting a chemical liquid from the outlet port,
wherein the liquid puddle forming step includes a chemical liquid puddle forming step of supplying the same chemical liquid as that spouted in the chemical liquid spouting step between the front surface of the substrate and the opposing surface to form a liquid puddle of the chemical liquid in the space.