Abstract: A substrate holding unit of a liquid processing apparatus holds a circular substrate horizontally and rotates the substrate about a vertical axis, and a chemical liquid nozzle supplies a chemical liquid to the peripheral edge of the substrate while the substrate is being rotated in order to remove a film of the peripheral edge. An image capture unit captures an image of the peripheral edge, and a determination unit calculates an actually removed value for a removed width of the film based on a result of the image capturing and determines whether the removed width is suitable or not.

Abstract: A rising characteristic of a temperature is improved, and high-accuracy temperature control is enabled. A temperature sensor according to the present invention includes a temperature detecting element, a heat receiving body to which the temperature detecting element is fixed and that is heated by receiving surrounding heat, a heat receiving body supporting mechanism supporting the heat receiving body at a predetermined position, and a protective tube adjusting the heat receiving body in a predetermined direction and at a predetermined position and holding the heat receiving body therein. In the temperature sensor, the heat receiving body is in a flat plate shape, the temperature detecting element is fixed to the heat receiving body, and the heat receiving body supporting mechanism includes a plurality of connecting narrow tubes connected to one another and a connecting wire passing through the respective connecting narrow tubes to connect and support all the connecting narrow tubes.

Abstract: A method of forming a pattern including applying a resist composition to a substrate to form a resist film, and then subjecting the resist film to exposure and development, thereby forming a first pattern containing a resist film; forming a SiO2 film on the surface of the first pattern and the substrate; subjecting the SiO2 to etching such that the SiO2 film remains only on a side wall portion of the first pattern; and removing the first pattern, thereby forming a second pattern containing the SiO2 film. Thr resist composition contains a base component that exhibits changed solubility in a developing solution under action of an acid, and an acid generator component that generates acid upon exposure, the base component containing a resin component containing a structural unit having an acid decomposable group which exhibits increased polarity by the action of acid and has no polycyclic group.

Abstract: A processing gas diffusing and supplying unit is provided in a substrate processing unit including a processing chamber for accommodating a substrate. The processing gas diffusing and supplying unit comprises a main body; a plate supported by the main body and having a plurality of gas supply holes; a partition wall; an internal space having a first and a second space partitioned by the partition wall; a first and a second opening respectively communicating with the first and the second space while facing the plate, first and a second space being connected to a first and a second processing gas introducing pipe of the processing chamber, respectively; and a first and a second shielding portion respectively installed in the first and the second space and having a surface facing the first and the second opening.

Abstract: A plasma tuning rod system is provided with one or more microwave cavities configured to couple electromagnetic (EM) energy in a desired EM wave mode to a plasma by generating resonant microwave energy in one or more plasma tuning rods within and/or adjacent to the plasma. One or more microwave cavity assemblies can be coupled to a process chamber, and can comprise one or more tuning spaces/cavities. Each tuning space/cavity can have one or more plasma tuning rods coupled thereto. The plasma tuning rods can be configured to couple the EM energy from the resonant cavities to the process space within the process chamber and thereby create uniform plasma within the process space.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus to transfer a circular substrate provided with a cutout at an edge portion thereof, includes: a sensor part including three light source parts applying light to positions different from one another at the edge portion, and three light receiving parts paired with the light source parts; and a drive part for moving the substrate holding part, wherein the three light source parts apply light to the light receiving parts so that whether or not a detection range of the sensor part overlaps with the cutout of the substrate is determined on the basis of an amount of received light by each light receiving part, and when it is determined that there is an overlap at any position, positions of the edge portion of the substrate are further detected with the position of the substrate displaced with respect to the sensor part.

Abstract: Provided are a method of manufacturing a capacitor capable of achieving a high dielectric constant property and a low leakage current, a capacitor, and a method of forming a dielectric film used in the capacitor. The capacitor is fabricated by forming a lower electrode layer on a substrate; forming a first TiO2 film having an interface control function on the lower electrode layer; forming a ZrO2-based film on the first TiO2 film; performing an annealing process for crystallizing ZrO2 in the ZrO2-based film, after forming the ZrO2-based film; forming a second TiO2 film which serves as a capacity film on the ZrO2-based film; and forming an upper electrode layer on the second TiO2 film.

Abstract: Provided is a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus which improves a controllability of the RF bias function and reliably prevents unwanted resonance from being generated on a RF transmission line between a counter electrode and ground potential to enhance reliability of the plasma process. In the capacitive coupled type plasma processing apparatus, three kinds of RF powers from a first, second and third RF power supplies (35, 36, 38) are superimposed and applied to susceptor (lower electrode) (16). In such a three-frequency superimposing and applying application scheme, the frequency-impedance characteristic around upper electrode (48) is considered to prevent a serial resonance from occurring on an RF transmission line around upper electrode (48) in consideration of all the low order frequencies of the IMD relevant to and affecting the plasma process.

Abstract: There is provided a technique which can prevent poor processing of successive substrates in the event of a failure of a module or a transport mechanism for transporting a substrate between modules. A substrate processing apparatus includes: a plurality of modules from which a substrate holder of a substrate transport mechanism receives a substrate; a sensor section for detecting a displacement of the holding position of a substrate, held by the substrate holder, from a reference position preset in the substrate holder; and a storage section for storing the displacement, detected when the substrate holder receives a substrate from each of the modules, in a chronological manner for each module. A failure of one of the modules or the substrate transport mechanism is estimated based on the chronological data on the displacement for each module, stored in the storage section. This enables an early detection of a failure or abnormality.

Abstract: The heat treatment apparatus that increases a temperature of a processing object and performs a heat treatment in a constant temperature, the heat treatment apparatus includes: a processing chamber which accommodates the processing object; a heating unit which heats the processing object accommodated in the processing chamber; a memory unit which stores two or more temperature control models that are previously created, a temperature controller which controls a temperature of the heating unit; and an apparatus controller which controls the temperature controller and the memory unit, wherein the apparatus controller selects a temperature control model among the two or more temperature control models according to desired heat treatment conditions, and wherein the temperature controller reads out the selected temperature control model from the memory unit to control the heating unit.

Abstract: A substrate treatment apparatus configured such that substrates in a same lot are distributed by a delivery mechanism into a plurality of unit blocks, each unit block including a solution treatment module, an ultraviolet irradiation module, and a substrate carrying mechanism, the apparatus includes: an illuminance detection part that detects an illuminance of a light source of the ultraviolet irradiation module; and a control part that controls, when an illuminance detection value of the ultraviolet irradiation module in one unit block among the plurality of unit blocks becomes a set value or less, the delivery mechanism to stop delivery of a substrate to the one unit block and deliver subsequent substrates to another unit block, and the ultraviolet irradiation module to perform irradiation on substrates which have already been delivered to the one unit block with an irradiation time adjusted to a length according to the illuminance detection value.

Abstract: When a substrate is transferred by a holding arm to a multiple tier wafer boat, contact between the holding arm and the substrate is prevented. When the wafer boat is not subjected to a thermal effect, a normal height position of a ring member is obtained by relatively elevating and lowering a transfer base member with respect to the wafer boat. Before a wafer, which is not yet thermally processed, is transferred to the wafer boat, a height position of the corresponding ring member is obtained. By comparing a difference between the normal height position of the ring member and the height position of the ring member before the wafer is transported, with a threshold value, whether to transfer the wafer by the wafer transfer mechanism to the wafer boat can be judged.

Abstract: A disclosed film deposition apparatus has a separation area arranged between a first process area and a second area as viewed from a wafer that is rotated by a turntable, and a modification area arranged between the second process area and the first process area as viewed from the wafer that is rotated by the turntable where a modification process is performed on a reaction product formed on the wafer by a plasma generating unit. Further, a protruding portion is arranged at a casing that surrounds the modification area, and the atmospheric pressure of the modification area is arranged to be higher than the atmospheric pressure of the areas adjacent to the modification area.

Abstract: An antenna unit for inductively coupled plasma includes an antenna configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma used in processing a substrate within a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, wherein the antenna includes planar sections which are formed to face the substrate and generate an induction electric field that contributes to generate the inductively coupled plasma, wherein a plurality of antenna segments having planar portions which form a portion of the planar sections are arranged to constitute the planar sections, wherein the antenna segments are constituted by winding an antenna line in a direction intersecting with the substrate in a longitudinal and spiral pattern.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a control unit performing loading substrates into a second unit block when a trouble occurs in a module of a first unit block; determining whether it is before a leading substrate of a next lot of the lot where a standby substrate positioned in upper stream side than the troubled module belongs is loaded into the module in the uppermost stage of the second unit block; loading the standby substrate into the module in the uppermost stage of the second unit block when determined it is before the loading of the leading substrate and loading the standby substrate into the module in the uppermost stage of the second unit block after a rearmost substrate of the next lot is loaded into the module in the uppermost stage of the second unit block when determined otherwise; and performing a series of processing on the standby substrate.

Abstract: An etching method of etching a periodic pattern formed by self-assembling a first polymer and a second polymer of a block copolymer that is capable of being self-assembled, the etching method includes supplying a high frequency power which is set such that a great amount of ion energy is distributed within a range smaller than ion energy distribution at which an etching yield of the first polymer is generated and larger than or equal to ion energy distribution at which an etching yield of the second polymer is generated, and supplying a predetermined gas, generating plasma from the supplied gas by the high frequency power, and etching the periodic pattern on a processing target object by using the generated plasma.

Abstract: A microwave emitting device emits a microwave generated by a microwave generation unit into a chamber in a plasma processing apparatus for performing plasma processing by generating a surface wave plasma in the chamber. The device includes: a transmission line having a tubular outer conductor and an inner conductor disposed in the outer conductor to transmit the microwave; an antenna to emit the microwave transmitted through the microwave transmission line into the chamber through slots; a dielectric member to transmit the microwave emitted from the antenna to generate a surface wave; and a DC voltage application member to apply a positive DC voltage to a plasma generation region where a surface wave plasma is generated by the surface wave.

Abstract: A method of developing a substrate including rotating the substrate and supplying a developing liquid from a discharge port of a developer nozzle onto the surface of the substrate, while moving the developer nozzle, disposed above the substrate, from a central portion towards a peripheral portion of the substrate, and supplying a first rinse liquid from a discharge port of a first rinse nozzle onto the surface of the substrate, while moving the first rinse nozzle, disposed above the substrate, from the central portion towards the peripheral portion of the substrate. The supplying of the developing liquid and the first rinse liquid are performed concurrently, with the first rinse nozzle being maintained nearer to a center of the substrate than the developer nozzle.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus is provided with a replacement time detecting unit, which detects the status of residual charges which attract a semiconductor wafer and detects a time when an electrostatic chuck is to be replaced, at a time when a direct voltage application from a direct current source is stopped and the semiconductor wafer is brought up from the electrostatic chuck.

Abstract: A particle reducing method includes a step of supplying a first gas to a vacuum chamber in which a susceptor, formed by an insulating object and the surface of which is provided with a substrate mounting portion, is rotatably provided; a step of generating plasma from the first gas by supplying high frequency waves to a plasma generating device provided for the vacuum chamber; and a step of exposing the substrate mounting portion, on which a substrate is not mounted, to the plasma while rotating the susceptor.