Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method comprises cleaning a semiconductor substrate with a chemical solution, rinsing the semiconductor substrate with pure water after the cleaning, changing a liquid covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate from the pure water to alcohol by supplying the alcohol to the surface after the rinsing, guiding the semiconductor substrate having the surface wetted with the alcohol into a chamber, discharging oxygen from the chamber by supplying an inert gas into the chamber, putting the alcohol into a supercritical state by increasing temperature in the chamber to a critical temperature of the alcohol or higher after the discharge of the oxygen, and discharging the alcohol from the chamber by lowering pressure in the chamber and changing the alcohol from the supercritical state to a gaseous state. The chamber contains SUS. An inner wall face of the chamber is subjected to electrolytic polishing.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method for a semiconductor substrate, comprises introducing the semiconductor substrate into a chamber in a state, a surface of the semiconductor substrate being wet with alcohol, substituting the alcohol on the semiconductor substrate with a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide by impregnating the semiconductor substrate to the supercritical fluid in the chamber, and discharging the supercritical fluid and the alcohol from the chamber and reducing a pressure inside the chamber. The method further comprises performing a baking treatment by supplying an oxygen gas or an ozone gas to the chamber after the reduction of the pressure inside the chamber.

Abstract: The invention is a coating apparatus including: a substrate-holding part that holds a substrate horizontally; a chemical nozzle that supplies a chemical to a central portion of the substrate horizontally held by the substrate-holding part; a rotation mechanism that causes the substrate-holding part to rotate to thereby spread out the chemical on a surface of the substrate by centrifugal force, for coating the whole surface with the chemical; a gas-flow-forming unit that forms a down flow of an atmospheric gas on the surface of the substrate horizontally held by the substrate-holding part; a gas-discharging unit that discharges an atmosphere around the substrate; and a gas nozzle that supplies a laminar-flow-forming gas to the surface of the substrate, the laminar-flow-forming gas having a coefficient of kinematic viscosity larger than that of the atmospheric gas; wherein the atmospheric gas or the laminar-flow-forming gas are supplied to the central portion of the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermal processing apparatus and method that can acquire a high throughput and reduce the occupation area of the thermal processing apparatus. A wafer is heated by an LED module that irradiates infrared light corresponding to the absorption wavelength of the wafer, and therefore, the wafer can be rapidly heated. Since an LED is used as a heat source and a temperature rise of LED is small, a cooling process after the heating process can be performed in the same process area as the heating process area. As a result, an installation area of the thermal processing apparatus can be reduced. Since the time for moving between a heating process area and a cooling process area can be saved, a time required for a series of processes including the heating process and the subsequent cooling process can be shortened, thereby improving a throughput.

Abstract: A substrate processing method and apparatus which can remove an anti-drying liquid, which has entered a three-dimensional pattern with recessed portions formed in a substrate, in a relatively short time. The substrate processing method includes the steps of: carrying a substrate, having a three-dimensional pattern formed in a surface, into a processing container, said pattern being covered with an anti-drying liquid that has entered the recessed portions of the pattern; heating the substrate and supplying a pressurizing gas or a fluid in a high-pressure state into the processing container, thereby forming a high-pressure atmosphere in the processing container before the anti-drying liquid vaporizes to such an extent as to cause pattern collapse and bringing the anti-drying liquid into a high-pressure state while keeping the liquid in the recessed portions of the pattern; and thereafter discharging a fluid in a high-pressure state or a gaseous state from the processing container.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method comprises cleaning a semiconductor substrate with a chemical solution, rinsing the semiconductor substrate with pure water after the cleaning, changing a liquid covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate from the pure water to alcohol by supplying the alcohol to the surface after the rinsing, guiding the semiconductor substrate having the surface wetted with the alcohol into a chamber, discharging oxygen from the chamber by supplying an inert gas into the chamber, putting the alcohol into a supercritical state by increasing temperature in the chamber to a critical temperature of the alcohol or higher after the discharge of the oxygen, and discharging the alcohol from the chamber by lowering pressure in the chamber and changing the alcohol from the supercritical state to a gaseous state. The chamber contains SUS. An inner wall face of the chamber is subjected to electrolytic polishing.

Abstract: A developing treatment method includes: a treatment solution supplying step of supplying a treatment solution made by diluting a hydrophobizing agent hydrophobizing a resist pattern with hydrofluoroether onto a substrate on which a rinse solution has been supplied after development of the resist pattern; a hydrophobic treatment stabilizing step of stabilizing a hydrophobic treatment of the resist pattern with the supply of the treatment solution stopped and rotation of the substrate almost stopped; and a treatment solution removing step of removing the treatment solution from a top of the substrate on which the treatment solution has been supplied. The hydrophobizing agent is trimethylsilyldimethyl-amine.

Abstract: A cap metal forming method capable of obtaining a uniform film thickness on the entire surface of a substrate is provided. The method for forming a cap metal on a copper wiring formed on a processing target surface of a substrate includes: holding the substrate so as to be rotatable; rotating the substrate in a processing target surface direction of the substrate; locating an end portion of an agitation member so as to face the processing target surface of a periphery portion of the substrate with a preset gap maintained therebetween; supplying a plating processing solution onto the processing target surface; and stopping the supply of the plating processing solution and moving the agitation member such that the end portion of the agitation member is separated away from the processing target surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus including a processing vessel in which a target substrate W is processed by using a high-pressure fluid in a supercritical state or a subcritical state, and pipes that are divided into a first pipe member and a second pipe member in a flowing direction of the fluid and circulate the fluid are connected to processing vessel. A connecting/disconnecting mechanism moves at least one of first and second pipe members between a connection position and a separation position of first pipe member and the second pipe member, and opening/closing valves are installed in each of first and second pipe members and are closed at the time of separating pipe members.

Abstract: The pattern forming method includes forming a catalyst film on a base layer having an uneven surface, wherein the catalyst layer is formed along the uneven surface of the base layer; forming a coating film by coating a fluid material on the catalyst film; forming an insoluble layer which is insoluble in a solvent in the coating film by reacting the coating film along the catalyst film; and maintaining the insoluble layer by removing an unreacted portion of the coating film by using the solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed is a patterning method including: forming a first film on a substrate; forming a multi-layered film including a resist film on the first film; forming a patterned resist film having a preset pattern by patterning the resist film by photolithography; forming a silicon oxide film different from the first film on the patterned resist film and the first film by alternately supplying a first gas containing organic silicon and a second gas containing an activated oxygen species to the substrate; etching the silicon oxide film to thereby form a sidewall spacer on a sidewall of the patterned resist film; removing the patterned resist film; and processing the first film by using the sidewall spacer as a mask.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes applying electroless plating of CoWB onto a Cu interconnection line formed on a wafer W, and then performing a post-cleaning process by use of a cleaning liquid on the target substrate or wafer before a by-product is precipitated on the surface of the CoWB film formed by the electroless plating to cover the Cu interconnection line.

Abstract: A CoWB film is formed as a cap metal on a Cu interconnection line formed on a substrate or wafer W, by repeating a plating step and a post-cleaning step a plurality of times. The plating step is arranged to apply electroless plating containing CoWB onto the Cu interconnection line. The post-cleaning step is arranged to clean the wafer W by use of a cleaning liquid, after the plating step.

Abstract: A plated film having a uniform film thickness is formed on a surface of a substrate. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a holding mechanism for holding a substrate rotatably; a nozzle for supplying a processing solution for performing a plating process on a processing target surface of the substrate; a substrate rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate held by the holding mechanism in a direction along the processing target surface; a nozzle driving mechanism for moving the nozzle in a direction along the processing target surface at a position facing the processing target surface of the substrate held by the holding mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the supply of the processing solution by the nozzle and the movement of the nozzle by the nozzle driving mechanism.

Abstract: There is provided a micro pattern forming method including forming a thin film on a substrate; forming a film serving as a mask when processing the thin film; processing the film serving as a mask into a pattern including lines having a preset pitch; trimming the pattern including the lines; and forming an oxide film on the pattern including the lines and on the thin film by alternately supplying a source gas and an activated oxygen species. Here, the process of trimming the pattern and the process of forming an oxide film are consecutively performed in a film forming apparatus configured to form the oxide film.

Abstract: Disclosed is a supercritical processing apparatus and a supercritical processing method for suppressing the pattern collapse or the injection of material constituting a processing liquid into a substrate. A processing chamber receives a substrate subjected to a processing with supercritical fluid, and a liquid supply unit supplies a processing liquid including a fluorine compound to the processing chamber. A liquid discharge unit discharges the supercritical fluid from the processing chamber, a pyrolysis ingredient removing unit removes an ingredient facilitating the pyrolysis of a liquid from the processing chamber or from the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit, and a to heating unit heats the processing liquid including a fluorine compound of hydrofluoro ether or hydrofluoro carbon.

Abstract: A plated film having a uniform film thickness is formed on a surface of a substrate. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a holding mechanism for holding a substrate rotatably; a nozzle for supplying a processing solution for performing a plating process on a processing target surface of the substrate; a substrate rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate held by the holding mechanism in a direction along the processing target surface; a nozzle driving mechanism for moving the nozzle in a direction along the processing target surface at a position facing the processing target surface of the substrate held by the holding mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the supply of the processing solution by the nozzle and the movement of the nozzle by the nozzle driving mechanism.

Abstract: Disclosed is a patterning method including: forming a first film on a substrate; forming a first resist film on the first film; processing the first resist film into a first resist pattern having a preset pitch by photolithography; forming a silicon oxide film on the first resist pattern and the first film by alternately supplying a first gas containing organic silicon and a second gas containing an activated oxygen species to the substrate; forming a second resist film on the silicon oxide film; processing the second resist film into a second resist pattern having a preset pitch by the photolithography; and processing the first film by using the first resist pattern and the second resist pattern as a mask.

Abstract: To improve the etch resistance of a resist pattern corresponding to an exposure light source with a short wavelength. After a resist film on a substrate is exposed to light and developed to form a resist pattern, a treatment step of supplying a fluorine-based liquid to the surface of the resist pattern is performed. Thereafter, an etching treatment of a base film using the resist pattern as a mask is performed. This increases the density of fluorine molecules on the surface of the resist pattern before the etching treatment to improve the etch resistance of the resist pattern.

Abstract: A substrate treatment method which includes a developing step of developing a resist film on a substrate to form a resist pattern on the substrate, and thereafter includes an etching step of etching a base film using the resist pattern as a mask. The substrate treatment method, between the developing step and the etching step, supplies a fluorine-based liquid to the resist pattern to form a protection film with a high fluorine density on a surface of the resist pattern.