Developing treatment apparatus and developing treatment method

A substrate developing treatment apparatus, comprising:

• a substrate transfer unit into/from which a substrate is transferred from/to the outside of a treatment container and a developing treatment unit in which development of the substrate is performed, said substrate transfer unit and said developing treatment unit being arranged side by side in said treatment container;
• a carrier mechanism provided in said treatment container for carrying the substrate while grasping an outside surface of the substrate from both sides, between said substrate transfer unit and said developing treatment unit;
• and
• a developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution onto the substrate, a cleaning solution supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution onto the substrate, and a gas blow nozzle for blowing a gas to the substrate, said developing solution supply nozzle, said cleaning solution supply nozzle, and said gas blow nozzle being provided between said substrate transfer unit and said developing treatment unit and above a carriage path along which the substrate is carried by said carrier mechanism.

A developing treatment method of performing developing treatment for a substrate using a developing treatment apparatus, the developing treatment apparatus comprising:

• a substrate transfer unit into/from which a substrate is transferred from/to the outside of a treatment container and a developing treatment unit in which development of the substrate is performed, the substrate transfer unit and the developing treatment unit being arranged side by side in the treatment container;
• a carrier mechanism provided in the treatment container for carrying the substrate while grasping an outside surface of the substrate from both sides, between the substrate transfer unit and the developing treatment unit;
• and
• a developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution onto the substrate, a cleaning solution supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution onto the substrate, and a gas blow nozzle for blowing a gas to the substrate, the developing solution supply nozzle, the cleaning solution supply nozzle, and the gas blow nozzle being provided between the substrate transfer unit and the developing treatment unit and above a carriage path along which the substrate is carried by the carrier mechanism, said method comprising the steps of:
• grasping the outside surface of the substrate in the substrate transfer unit by the carrier mechanism;
• carrying the substrate in the substrate transfer unit by the carrier mechanism to the developing treatment unit while discharging the developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle to form a liquid film of the developing solution on the substrate;
• performing static development for the substrate in the developing treatment unit;
• reciprocating the substrate by the carrier mechanism between the developing treatment unit and the substrate transfer unit while discharging the cleaning solution from the cleaning solution supply nozzle to form a liquid film of the cleaning solution on the substrate;
• and
• carrying the substrate in the developing treatment unit by the carrier mechanism to the substrate transfer unit while blowing the gas from the gas blow nozzle to remove the cleaning solution on the substrate.

A developing treatment apparatus including a developing solution supply nozzle disposed above a substrate in which said developing solution supply nozzle and the substrate are relatively horizontally moved while said developing solution supply nozzle is discharging a developing solution to supply the developing solution to the substrate, said apparatus comprising:

• a substrate carrier mechanism for carrying the substrate in a horizontal direction to pass the substrate under a discharge port of said developing solution supply nozzle, said substrate carrier mechanism carries the substrate while grasping an outside surface of the substrate from both sides;
• and
• a mesh plate capable of lying between said developing solution supply nozzle and the substrate and allowing the developing solution to pass therethrough,
• wherein said mesh plate is capable of approaching the substrate such that said mesh plate comes into contact with the developing solution supplied on the substrate, and
• wherein at least a surface of said mesh plate on the substrate side has been subjected to hydrophilic treatment.