# US 2018/0021804 A1 · Coating treatment method, computer storage medium, and coating treatment apparatus

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- Number: US 2018/0021804 A1
- Document ID: US20180021804A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/549,435
- Filed: 2016-02-04
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-03
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Takafumi HASHIMOTO; Shinichi HATAKEYAMA; Naoki SHIBATA; Kousuke YOSHIHARA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180021804A1

## CPC

- B05D 1/005: {Spin coating}
- B05C 11/08: Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting
- B05D 3/104: {Pretreatment of other substrates}
- G03F 7/091: {characterised by antireflection means or light filtering or absorbing means, e.g. anti-halation, contrast enhancement}
- G03F 7/162: {Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner}
- G03F 7/2028: {of an edge bead on wafers}
- H10P 72/0448: {Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like}
- H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring}
- H10P 76/00: Manufacture or treatment of masks on semiconductor bodies, e.g. by lithography or photolithography
- B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02)
- B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08)
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A coating treatment method of applying a coating solution onto a substrate, includes: a solvent liquid film formation step of forming a first liquid film of a solvent at a middle portion of the substrate and forming a ring-shaped second liquid film having a film thickness larger than a film thickness of the first liquid film of the solvent at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate; a coating solution supply step of supplying the coating solution to a center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; and a coating solution diffusion step of diffusing the coating solution on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed while supplying the coating solution.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A coating treatment method of applying a coating solution onto a substrate, comprising:
a solvent liquid film formation step of forming a first liquid film of a solvent at a middle portion of the substrate and forming a ring-shaped second liquid film having a film thickness larger than a film thickness of the first liquid film of the solvent at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate;
a coating solution supply step of supplying the coating solution to a center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; and
a coating solution diffusion step of diffusing the coating solution on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed while supplying the coating solution.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The coating treatment method according to claim 1,
wherein in the solvent liquid film formation step,
the first liquid film is formed by supplying the solvent to the middle portion of the substrate and thereafter rotating the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed to shake off the solvent, and
then the second liquid film is formed by supplying the solvent from a solvent supply nozzle located at the outer peripheral portion of the substrate with the substrate being rotated.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The coating treatment method according to claim 2,
wherein in the formation of the first liquid film, a dry gas is sprayed to the middle portion of the substrate while the substrate is being rotated at the predetermined rotation speed to shake off the solvent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The coating treatment method according to claim 3,
wherein the dry gas is heated to equal to or higher than a volatilization temperature of the solvent.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The coating treatment method according to claim 1,
wherein in the solvent liquid film formation step,
the first liquid film is formed by supplying at least either vapor or mist of the solvent to the middle portion of the substrate, and
the second liquid film is formed by supplying the solvent from a solvent supply nozzle located at the outer peripheral portion of the substrate with the substrate being rotated.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The coating treatment method according to claim 1,
wherein in the solvent liquid film formation step,
the first liquid film is formed by bringing a template having the solvent in a film thickness smaller than the film thickness of the second liquid film applied on a front surface thereof into contact with a front surface of the middle portion of the substrate, and
the second liquid film is formed by supplying the solvent from a solvent supply nozzle located at the outer peripheral portion of the substrate with the substrate being rotated.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The coating treatment method according to claim 2,
wherein in the solvent liquid film formation step, the solvent is supplied from the solvent supply nozzle at a position separated from a center of the substrate by 30 mm to 100 mm in a radial direction.

### Claim 8

A coating treatment method of applying a coating solution onto a substrate, comprising:
a solvent liquid film formation step of forming a liquid film of a solvent at a middle portion of the substrate and forming a ring-shaped liquid film at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate by forming a liquid film of the solvent by supplying the solvent to the middle portion of the substrate and thereafter rotating the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed to shake off the solvent, and then spraying a dry gas to a position deviated from the middle portion of the substrate with the substrate being rotated to remove the solvent at the position deviated from the middle portion of the substrate;
a coating solution supply step of supplying the coating solution to a center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; and
a coating solution diffusion step of diffusing the coating solution on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed while supplying the coating solution.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The coating treatment method according to claim 1,
wherein a film thickness of the first liquid film is more than 0 mm and less than 2 mm.

### Claim 10

A computer-readable storage medium storing a program running on a computer of a control unit controlling a coating treatment apparatus to cause the coating treatment apparatus to execute a coating treatment method of applying a coating solution onto a substrate,
coating treatment method comprising:
a solvent liquid film formation step of forming a first liquid film of a solvent at a middle portion of the substrate and forming a ring-shaped second liquid film having a film thickness larger than a film thickness of the first liquid film of the solvent at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate;
a coating solution supply step of supplying the coating solution to a center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; and
a coating solution diffusion step of diffusing the coating solution on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed while supplying the coating solution.

### Claim 11

A coating treatment apparatus for applying a coating solution onto a substrate, comprising:
a substrate holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate;
a coating solution supply nozzle that supplies the coating solution onto the substrate;
a solvent supply nozzle that supplies a solvent onto the substrate;
a first moving mechanism that moves the coating solution supply nozzle;
a second moving mechanism that moves the solvent supply nozzle; and
a control unit configured to control the substrate holding unit, the coating solution supply nozzle, the solvent supply nozzle, the first moving mechanism, and the second moving mechanism so as to:
form a first liquid film of the solvent at a middle portion of the substrate and form a ring-shaped second liquid film having a film thickness larger than a film thickness of the first liquid film of the solvent at an outer peripheral portion of the substrate;
supply the coating solution to a center portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed; and
diffuse the coating solution on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed while supplying the coating solution.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:
a dry gas nozzle that sprays a dry gas onto the substrate; and
a third moving mechanism that moves the dry gas nozzle.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:
another solvent supply nozzle that supplies vapor or mist of the solvent; and
another moving mechanism that moves the another solvent supply nozzle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:
a template having the solvent in a film thickness smaller than the film thickness of the second liquid film applied on a front surface thereof and, in such a state, brought into contact with a front surface of the middle portion of the substrate to form the first liquid film at the middle portion of the substrate; and
a template moving mechanism that moves the template.