Abstract: In the present invention, in a rinse treatment method of cleaning a substrate after an exposed pattern thereon has been subjected to developing treatment, the following steps are performed such as supplying pure water onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the pure water; supplying a first rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a predetermined concentration onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the first rinse solution; and supplying a second rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a concentration lower than that of the first rinse solution onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the second rinse solution. According to the present invention, in the rinse treatment of the substrate after developing treatment, it is possible to dry the substrate without causing pattern collapse to restrain variation in pattern line width, and to reduce the remaining precipitation-based defects to increase the productivity.

Abstract: In a developing method for performing developing treatment of a substrate by supplying a developing solution onto a resist film formed on a surface of the substrate, the present invention controls a zeta potential of the surface of the substrate at a predetermined potential in the same polarity as that of a zeta potential of insoluble substances floating in the developing solution, thereby preventing or reducing the adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate. This remedies the occurrence of development defects. The adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate can also be prevented or inhibited by supplying an acid liquid to a liquid on the substrate, or controlling a pH value of the liquid on the substrate to control an absolute value of the zeta potential of the insoluble substances.

Abstract: In a developing method for performing developing treatment of a substrate by supplying a developing solution onto a resist film formed on a surface of the substrate, the present invention controls a zeta potential of the surface of the substrate at a predetermined potential in the same polarity as that of a zeta potential of insoluble substances floating in the developing solution, thereby preventing or reducing the adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate. This remedies the occurrence of development defects. The adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate can also be prevented or inhibited by supplying an acid liquid to a liquid on the substrate, or controlling a pH value of the liquid on the substrate to control an absolute value of the zeta potential of the insoluble substances.

Abstract: The wafer coated with the resist is deliberately placed in the vapor before being transferred to an aligner that exposes the resist on the wafer, the vapor, for example, the moisture, uniformly adheres onto the resist on the wafer. As a result, the substrate can uniformly be exposed in the following exposing process, and the uniformity of the line width and the like can be improved.

Abstract: A coating and developing treatment system for performing coating and developing treatment. A coating treatment unit is configured to form a resist film on a substrate. A developing treatment unit is configured to develop the substrate. A heating/cooling unit includes a heat plate configured to continuously heat and a cooling plate configured to continuously cool in one casing the substrate on which the resist film has been formed by the coating treatment unit. A gas nozzle is configured to supply a treatment gas to the resist film formed on the substrate to form a protective film on a surface of the resist film. The gas nozzle is disposed on a cooling plate side in the heating/cooling unit. The gas nozzle is configured to move to a position above the substrate on the cooling plate during cooling at the cooling plate, to supply the treatment gas.

Abstract: A system for performing a coating and developing treatment for a substrate. The system includes a processing zone having a coating treatment unit, a developing treatment unit, and a heat treatment unit. An interface section carries the substrate between the processing zone and an aligner not included in the system for performing an exposure processing for the substrate. A unit measures the density of impurities at least inside the processing zone or the interface section, and a reduced-pressure impurity removing unit has a chamber which can be closed airtightly for reducing the pressure inside the chamber to a predetermined pressure before the substrate undergoes the exposure processing to remove the impurities adhering to the coating layer on the substrate inside the chamber for a predetermined time. A reduced-pressure control unit controls at least the predetermined pressure or predetermined time based on the value measured by the density measuring unit.

Abstract: The wafer coated with the resist is deliberately placed in the vapor before being transferred to an aligner that exposes the resist on the wafer, the vapor, for example, the moisture, uniformly adheres onto the resist on the wafer. As a result, the substrate can uniformly be exposed in the following exposing process, and the uniformity of the line width and the like can be improved.

Abstract: In a coating and developing treatment for a substrate, the present invention comprises the steps of: supplying a coating solution to the substrate to form a coating layer on the substrate; performing a developing treatment for the substrate in the processing zone after it undergoes an exposure processing by an aligner not included in the system; and carrying the substrate into the chamber after the step of forming the coating layer and before the exposure processing and thereafter reducing the pressure inside the airtightly closed chamber to a predetermined pressure to remove impurities adhering to the substrate inside the chamber from the substrate for a predetermined time, wherein the predetermined pressure and the predetermined time are adjusted based on the density of the impurities measured inside the processing zone.

Abstract: On top of respective areas divided by partition plates, that is, a cassette station, a processing station, and an interface section in a coating and developing processing system, gas supply sections for supplying an inert gas into the respective areas are provided. Exhaust pipes for exhausting atmospheres in the respective areas are provided at the bottom of the respective areas. The atmospheres in the respective areas are maintained in a clean condition by supplying the inert gas not containing impurities such as oxygen and fine particles from the respective gas supply sections into the respective areas and exhausting the atmospheres in the respective areas from the exhaust pipes.

Abstract: A spin chuck on which a wafer is mounted is divided into a plurality of regions concentrically in a radial direction, and different temperatures are set for each of the regions so that the temperature gradually increases from the outer periphery to the center. The wafer is placed on this spin chuck, and a processing solution is applied to the wafer and spread over the wafer by centrifugal force, whereby the vaporization of a solvent of the processing solution which is spread on the outer periphery of the wafer is suppressed, and hence the timing of drying of the processing solution within the surface of the wafer can be made uniform. Consequently, a coating film with a uniform thickness within the wafer surface can be obtained.

Abstract: A controller controls the temperature of a hot plate and the degree of vacuum in a tightly closed space to a temperature and a pressure at levels at which a thinner contained in a resist applied to a wafer volatilizes and an acid generator, a quencher, and a polymer chain protecting group practically remain in the resist, for example, during heat processing. More specifically, the controller controls the temperature of the hot plate and the degree of vacuum in the tightly closed space to bring the temperature of the hot plate to about 40° C., and the degree of vacuum in the tightly closed space to approximately 5 Torr. Thereby, the heat processing can be performed for the wafer so that the acid generator is uniformly dispersed in the resist, or the quencher is uniformly formed on the front face of the resist without breakage of the polymer chain protecting group.

Abstract: On top of respective areas divided by partition plates, that is, a cassette station, a processing station, and an interface section in a coating and developing processing system, gas supply sections for supplying an inert gas into the respective areas are provided. Exhaust pipes for exhausting atmospheres in the respective areas are provided at the bottom of the respective areas. The atmospheres in the respective areas are maintained in a clean condition by supplying the inert gas not containing impurities such as oxygen and fine particles from the respective gas supply sections into the respective areas and exhausting the atmospheres in the respective areas from the exhaust pipes.

Abstract: In a coating apparatus for supplying a mixed solution of a resist solution and a thinner onto a wafer from a nozzle, the nozzle is connected to a mixed solution supply pipe, and the resist solution and the thinner are supplied to the mixed solution supply pipe from a resist solution supply pipe and a thinner supply pipe respectively through a junction pipe. The diameter of the junction pipe is set smaller than those of other supply pipes, whereby the resist solution and the thinner can be mixed efficiently in the junction pipe, and as a result the wafer is coated with the mixed solution so that a uniform film thickness can be obtained within the surface of the wafer.

Abstract: A closed container composed of a lid body and a lower container are provided in a cover body, and a supply pipe for nitrogen gas is connected to the cover body. A light source unit including UV lamps in the lid body is provided to face a mounting table in the closed container, and a gas supply path for HMDS gas is provided on the outer side from the light source unit. The inside of the cover body is first brought to a nitrogen atmosphere, a wafer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays with the lid body of the closed container opened to perform cleaning. Subsequently, the lid body is closed and the HMDS gas is introduced into the closed container to perform hydrophobic processing for the wafer. This removes deposits such as organic substances adhering to the wafer W through the irradiation with the ultraviolet rays, thereby improving coating properties of a resist solution.

Abstract: A HMDS gas is supplied to a surface of a wafer W to perform a hydrophobic process, thereafter the wafer W is contained in an airtight container on a cassette stage, and is transferred to an analyzer provided at an external portion of a resist pattern forming apparatus. The analyzer performs mass spectrometry of the quantity of an ionic species such as CH9Si+, C3H9Si+, C3H9Osi− and the like on the surface of the wafer W using an analyzing section, for example, TOF-SIMS, whereby measuring a HMDS quantity (hexamethyldisilazane) on the surface of the wafer W. This method makes it possible to measure the HMDS quantity on the surface of the wafer W and to evaluate a hydrophobic process state with high reliability.

Abstract: In a developing method for performing developing treatment of a substrate by supplying a developing solution onto a resist film formed on a surface of the substrate, the present invention controls a zeta potential of the surface of the substrate at a predetermined potential in the same polarity as that of a zeta potential of insoluble substances floating in the developing solution, thereby preventing or reducing the adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate. This remedies the occurrence of development defects. The adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate can also be prevented or inhibited by supplying an acid liquid to a liquid on the substrate, or controlling a pH value of the liquid on the substrate to control an absolute value of the zeta potential of the insoluble substances.

Abstract: The present invention is a system for performing coating and developing treatment for a substrate, which comprises a treatment section having a coating treatment unit for forming a coating film on the substrate, a developing treatment unit for developing the substrate, a thermal treatment unit for performing thermal treatment for the substrate, and a first carrier unit for carrying the substrate into/out of these coating treatment unit, developing treatment unit, and thermal treatment unit. The system of the present invention further comprises an interface section having a second carrier unit for carrying the substrate through a route at least between the treatment section and an exposure processing unit provided outside the system for performing exposure processing for the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for performing coating and developing treatment for a substrate, which comprises the steps of: supplying a coating solution to the substrate to form a coating film on the substrate; performing heat treatment for the substrate on which the coating film is formed; cooling the substrate after the heat treatment; performing exposure processing for the coating film formed on the substrate; and developing the substrate after the exposure processing, and further comprises the step of supplying a treatment gas to form a treatment film on a surface of the coating film after the step of forming the coating film and before the step of performing the; exposure processing for the substrate.

Abstract: The wafer coated with the resist is deliberately placed in the vapor before being transferred to an aligner that exposes the resist on the wafer, the vapor, for example, the moisture, uniformly adheres onto the resist on the wafer. As a result, the substrate can uniformly be exposed in the following exposing process, and the uniformity of the line width and the like can be improved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for performing coating and developing treatment for a substrate, which comprises the steps of: supplying a coating solution to the substrate to form a coating film on the substrate; performing heat treatment for the substrate on which the coating film is formed; cooling the substrate after the heat treatment; performing exposure processing for the coating film formed on the substrate; and developing the substrate after the exposure processing, and further comprises the step of supplying a treatment gas to form a treatment film on a surface of the coating film after the step of forming the coating film and before the step of performing the exposure processing for the substrate.