Abstract: An end of polishing of a wafer is determined for each of wafers at a high accuracy. A wafer processing method includes: a first process of acquiring an initial state of a processing target surface of a wafer; a second process of forming a coating film on the wafer after the first process; a third process of polishing the processing target surface of the wafer by a polishing member based on initial polishing conditions in a state where the polishing member is in contact with the processing target surface of the wafer; a fourth process of acquiring a processed state of the processing target surface of the wafer after the third process; and a fifth process of determining an end of polishing, an insufficiency in polishing, or an excess in polishing based on the initial state and the processed state.

Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus for performing liquid processing with respect to a substrate using processing fluid, includes: a plurality of substrate holding units arranged side by side in a left-right direction; a nozzle configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate held in each of the substrate holding units; and a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the nozzle forward and backward in a front-rear direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the substrate holding units between a supplying position in which the processing fluid is supplied to a region including a central portion of the substrate and a waiting position which is defined at a rear side of a row of the substrate holding units opposite to a front side of the row of the substrate holding units at which the substrate is loaded and unloaded.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that hold a substrate horizontally; a developer nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate to form a liquid puddle; a turning flow generation mechanism including a rotary member that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the substrate while the rotary member is being in contact with the liquid puddle thereby to generate a turning flow in the liquid puddle of the developer formed on the substrate; and a moving mechanism for moving the turning flow generation mechanism along a surface of the substrate. The line-width uniformity of a pattern can be improved by forming turning flows in a desired region of the substrate and stirring the developer.

Abstract: An end of polishing of a wafer is determined for each of wafers at a high accuracy. A wafer processing method includes: a first process of acquiring an initial state of a processing target surface of a wafer; a second process of forming a coating film on the wafer after the first process; a third process of polishing the processing target surface of the wafer by a polishing member based on initial polishing conditions in a state where the polishing member is in contact with the processing target surface of the wafer; a fourth process of acquiring a processed state of the processing target surface of the wafer after the third process; and a fifth process of determining an end of polishing, an insufficiency in polishing, or an excess in polishing based on the initial state and the processed state.

Abstract: A developing apparatus including a horizontal substrate holder, a rotating mechanism to rotate the substrate holder, a developer nozzle to supply a developer onto a part of the substrate to form a liquid puddle, a moving mechanism to move the developer nozzle in a radial direction of the rotating substrate, a contact part that moves with the developer nozzle and has a surface opposed to the substrate, which is smaller than the surface of the substrate, and a control unit to output a control signal such that a supply position of the developer on the substrate is moved in the radial direction of the substrate so that the liquid puddle is spread out on a whole surface of the substrate while the contact part is in contact with the liquid puddle.

Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus for performing liquid processing with respect to a substrate using processing fluid, includes: a plurality of substrate holding units arranged side by side in a left-right direction; a nozzle configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate held in each of the substrate holding units; and a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the nozzle forward and backward in a front-rear direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the substrate holding units between a supplying position in which the processing fluid is supplied to a region including a central portion of the substrate and a waiting position which is defined at a rear side of a row of the substrate holding units opposite to a front side of the row of the substrate holding units at which the substrate is loaded and unloaded.

Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus for performing liquid processing with respect to a substrate using processing fluid, includes: a plurality of substrate holding units arranged side by side in a left-right direction; a nozzle configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate held in each of the substrate holding units; and a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the nozzle forward and backward in a front-rear direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the substrate holding units between a supplying position in which the processing fluid is supplied to a region including a central portion of the substrate and a waiting position which is defined at a rear side of a row of the substrate holding units opposite to a front side of the row of the substrate holding units at which the substrate is loaded and unloaded.

Abstract: There are provided first and second cleaning members which are configured to clean a central zone in a rear surface of a wafer when the wafer held by an absorption pad is horizontally held, and configured to clean a peripheral zone in the rear surface of the wafer when the wafer is held by the spin chuck. Due to the provision of the first and second cleaning members, detergency can be improved as compared with a case in which only one cleaning member is used. The first and second cleaning members are configured to be horizontally turned by a common turning shaft. When the central zone in the rear surface of the wafer is cleaned, the turning shaft is located to be overlapped with the wafer. Since the turning shaft is located by using the moving area of the wafer, a size of an apparatus can be reduced.

Abstract: A developing apparatus including a horizontal substrate holder, a rotating mechanism to rotate the substrate holder, a developer nozzle to supply a developer onto a part of the substrate to form a liquid puddle, a moving mechanism to move the developer nozzle in a radial direction of the rotating substrate, a contact part that moves with the developer nozzle and has a surface opposed to the substrate, which is smaller than the surface of the substrate, and a control unit to output a control signal such that a supply position of the developer on the substrate is moved in the radial direction of the substrate so that the liquid puddle is spread out on a whole surface of the substrate while the contact part is in contact with the liquid puddle.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that hold a substrate horizontally; a developer nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate to form a liquid puddle; a turning flow generation mechanism including a rotary member that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the substrate while the rotary member is being in contact with the liquid puddle thereby to generate a turning flow in the liquid puddle of the developer formed on the substrate; and a moving mechanism for moving the turning flow generation mechanism along a surface of the substrate. The line-width uniformity of a pattern can be improved by forming turning flows in a desired region of the substrate and stirring the developer.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that hold a substrate horizontally; a developer nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate to form a liquid puddle; a turning flow generation mechanism including a rotary member that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the substrate while the rotary member is being in contact with the liquid puddle thereby to generate a turning flow in the liquid puddle of the developer formed on the substrate; and a moving mechanism for moving the turning flow generation mechanism along a surface of the substrate. The line-width uniformity of a pattern can be improved by forming turning flows in a desired region of the substrate and stirring the developer.

Abstract: A developing method includes: horizontally holding an exposed substrate by a substrate holder; forming a liquid puddle on a part of the substrate, by supplying a developer from a developer nozzle; rotating the substrate; spreading the liquid puddle on a whole surface of the substrate, by moving the developer nozzle such that a supply position of the developer on the rotating substrate is moved in a radial direction of the substrate; bringing, simultaneously with the spreading of the liquid puddle on the whole surface of the substrate, a contact part into contact with the liquid puddle, the contact part being configured to be moved together with the developer nozzle and having a surface opposed to the substrate which is smaller than the surface of the substrate. According to this method, an amount of liquid falling down to the outside of the substrate can be inhibited. In addition, since the rotating speed of the substrate can be decreased, spattering of the developer can be inhibited.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technique for preventing a water-repellent protective film formed on a resist film from peeling off during immersion exposure. A resist film is formed on the front surface of a substrate and then the peripheral edge portion of the resist film is removed. Before forming a water-repellent protective film onto the resist film, an adhesion-improving fluid, preferably hexamethyldisilazane gas, for improving the adhesion of the water-repellent protective film, is supplied to the region from which the resist film is removed.

Abstract: A developing method includes: horizontally holding an exposed substrate by a substrate holder; forming a liquid puddle on a part of the substrate, by supplying a developer from a developer nozzle; rotating the substrate; spreading the liquid puddle on a whole surface of the substrate, by moving the developer nozzle such that a supply position of the developer on the rotating substrate is moved in a radial direction of the substrate; bringing, simultaneously with the spreading of the liquid puddle on the whole surface of the substrate, a contact part into contact with the liquid puddle, the contact part being configured to be moved together with the developer nozzle and having a surface opposed to the substrate which is smaller than the surface of the substrate. According to this method, an amount of liquid falling down to the outside of the substrate can be inhibited. In addition, since the rotating speed of the substrate can be decreased, spattering of the developer can be inhibited.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a substrate holder that hold a substrate horizontally; a developer nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate to form a liquid puddle; a turning flow generation mechanism including a rotary member that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the substrate while the rotary member is being in contact with the liquid puddle thereby to generate a turning flow in the liquid puddle of the developer formed on the substrate; and a moving mechanism for moving the turning flow generation mechanism along a surface of the substrate. The line-width uniformity of a pattern can be improved by forming turning flows in a desired region of the substrate and stirring the developer.

Abstract: There are provided first and second cleaning members which are configured to clean a central zone in a rear surface of a wafer when the wafer held by an absorption pad is horizontally held, and configured to clean a peripheral zone in the rear surface of the wafer when the wafer is held by the spin chuck. Due to the provision of the first and second cleaning members, detergency can be improved as compared with a case in which only one cleaning member is used. The first and second cleaning members are configured to be horizontally turned by a common turning shaft. When the central zone in the rear surface of the wafer is cleaned, the turning shaft is located to be overlapped with the wafer. Since the turning shaft is located by using the moving area of the wafer, a size of an apparatus can be reduced.

Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus for performing liquid processing with respect to a substrate using processing fluid, includes: a plurality of substrate holding units arranged side by side in a left-right direction; a nozzle configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate held in each of the substrate holding units; and a nozzle moving mechanism configured to move the nozzle forward and backward in a front-rear direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the substrate holding units between a supplying position in which the processing fluid is supplied to a region including a central portion of the substrate and a waiting position which is defined at a rear side of a row of the substrate holding units opposite to a front side of the row of the substrate holding units at which the substrate is loaded and unloaded.

Abstract: A coating and developing apparatus has: a treatment block-including a water repellent module performing water repellent treatment on a substrate, a coating module, and a developing module; a substrate side-surface portion water repellent module for performing water repellent treatment on a side surface of a substrate; and a control unit controlling operations of the modules to execute steps of performing water repellent treatment at least on a side surface portion of a substrate and performing a first resist coating on an entire surface of the substrate; performing a first development after a first liquid-immersion exposure is performed; performing a second resist coating on the entire surface, and performing a second development after a second liquid-immersion exposure is performed, and further to execute a step of performing water repellent treatment on the side surface portion of the substrate after the first development and before the second exposure is performed.

Abstract: In the coating treatment apparatus, in a first treatment chamber, the front and rear surfaces of the substrate held by a transfer arm are inverted by a turning mechanism, and a coating solution is applied from a coating nozzle to the rear surface of the substrate. The substrate is transferred into a second treatment chamber, in which the coating solution on the rear surface is heated by a heating unit to cure, thereby forming a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate. The formation of the coating film by the coating treatment apparatus is performed before exposure processing, whereby the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technique for preventing a water-repellent protective film formed on a resist film from peeling off during immersion exposure. A resist film is formed on the front surface of a substrate and then the peripheral edge portion of the resist film is removed. Before forming a water-repellent protective film onto the resist film, an adhesion-improving fluid, preferably hexamethyldisilazane gas, for improving the adhesion of the water-repellent protective film, is supplied to the region from which the resist film is removed.