Abstract: The temperature of a developing solution is varied depending on the type of resist or the resist pattern. The developing solution is applied while scanning a developer nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port that has a length matching the width of the effective area of the substrate. After leaving the substrate with the developing solution being coated thereon for a predetermined period of time, a diluent is supplied while scanning a diluent nozzle, thereby substantially stopping the development reaction and causing the dissolved resist components to diffuse. A desired amount of resist can be quickly dissolved through the control of the developing solution temperature, while the development can be stopped before the dissolved resist components exhibit adverse effect through the supply of the diluent a predetermined timing, whereby achieving a pattern having a uniform line width and improved throughput.

Abstract: A developer nozzle is moved from a periphery of a wafer toward the central portion while an exposed substrate held at a spin chuck is being rotated about a vertical axis and while a developing solution is being discharged from the developer nozzle, and this way the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the wafer, the developer nozzle having a slit-like ejection port whose longitudinal direction is oriented to the direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the wafer. The movement speed of the nozzle is higher than a case where a nozzle with a small-diameter circular nozzle is used, and this enables a development time to be reduced. Further, the thickness of a developing solution on a substrate can be reduced, so that the developing solution can be saved.

Abstract: A developer nozzle is moved from a periphery of a wafer toward the central portion while an exposed substrate held at a spin chuck is being rotated about a vertical axis and while a developing solution is being discharged from the developer nozzle, and this way the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the wafer, the developer nozzle having a slit-like ejection port whose longitudinal direction is oriented to the direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the wafer. The movement speed of the nozzle is higher than a case where a nozzle with a small-diameter circular nozzle is used, and this enables a development time to be reduced. Further, the thickness of a developing solution on a substrate can be reduced, so that the developing solution can be saved.

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: A resist film formed on a substrate is coated with a water-repellent protective film and the substrate is subjected to a developing process after the substrate has been processed by an immersion exposure process. The protective film is removed from the substrate after the resist film has been processed by the immersion exposure process, the substrate is processed by a heating process, and then the substrate is subjected to a developing process. The surface of the substrate is cleaned with a cleaning liquid before the protective film is removed and after the substrate has been processed by the immersion exposure process or the surface of the substrate is cleaned with a cleaning liquid after removing the protective film and before the substrate is subjected to the heating process.

Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus for immersion light exposure, for forming a coating film including a resist film or a resist film and an additional film on a substrate to be fed to an immersion light exposure apparatus configured to perform a light exposure process through a liquid, includes: one or more coating units configured to apply the resist film or the resist film and the additional film onto the substrate; one or more thermally processing units configured to perform a thermal process necessary for forming the coating film on the substrate; a checking unit configured to check a state of the coating film at an edge portion of the substrate before the immersion light exposure; and a control section configured to use a check result obtained by the checking unit to make a judgment of whether or not the state of the coating film at the edge portion of the substrate is within an acceptable range, and to permit transfer of the substrate to the light exposure apparatus when the state of the coating film is w

Abstract: Accurate coating and developing having high intrasurface uniformity is achieved by suppressing the influence of components of a resist that may be eluted while a substrate coated with the resist is processed by immersion exposure. A coating unit coats a surface of a substrate with a resist. then, a first cleaning means including a cleaning nozzle cleans the substrate and then the substrate is subjected to an exposure process. Since only a small amount of components of the resist dissolves in a transparent liquid layer formed on the substrate for exposure, an exposure process can form lines in accurate line-widths. Consequently, a resist pattern of lines having accurate line-widths having high intrasurface uniformity can be formed on the substrate by developing the exposed resist.

Abstract: A heat processing device that bakes a substrate having a resist coating film containing a volatile substance, includes a hot plate 2, a hot plate temperature control unit 3, a box member 1a, 5, 32 that defines a heat space 30 and a fluid space 31, air supply unit 18, 18A and suction unit 10, 10A that create an air current flowing in a horizontal direction in the fluid space 31, and a controller 22, 22A that controls the hot plate temperature control unit 3, the air supply unit 18, 18A, suction unit 10, 10A and the gas temperature control unit 19 so that a relationship of TF<TH?TS?TP is satisfied where TP represents a temperature of the hot plate, TS represents an upper surface temperature of the substrate W, TH represents a temperature of the heat space and TF represents a temperature of the fluid space.

Abstract: A developer nozzle is moved from a periphery of a wafer toward the central portion while an exposed substrate held at a spin chuck is being rotated about a vertical axis and while a developing solution is being discharged from the developer nozzle, and this way the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the wafer, the developer nozzle having a slit-like ejection port whose longitudinal direction is oriented to the direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the wafer. The movement speed of the nozzle is higher than a case where a nozzle with a small-diameter circular nozzle is used, and this enables a development time to be reduced. Further, the thickness of a developing solution on a substrate can be reduced, so that the developing solution can be saved.

Abstract: A resist film is formed on a surface of a wafer. Then, a liquid layer used for irradiating the resist film with exposure light rays is formed from a liquid between an optical component facing the resist film and the surface of the wafer. The liquid is capable of transmitting the exposure light rays and has a function of cleaning a surface of the wafer and a surface of the optical component. Then, the resist film is irradiated with the exposure light rays projected from the optical component and transmitted through the liquid layer, to perform light exposure with a predetermined pattern on the resist film. Then, development is performed on the wafer after the light exposure, to form a predetermined pattern on the wafer.

Abstract: According to the present invention, during the photolithography processing of a substrate, exposure processing is performed immediately after removal of a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate, and a coating film is formed on the rear surface of the substrate immediately after the exposure processing. Thereafter, etching treatment and so on are performed, and a series of these treatment and processing steps are performed a predetermined number of times. The coating film has been formed on the rear surface of the substrate at the time for the etching treatment, so that even if the coating film gets minute scratches, the rear surface of the substrate itself is protected by the coating film and thus never scratched. Further, since the coating film on the rear surface of the substrate is removed immediately before the exposure processing, the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.

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: In the present invention, a plurality of rounds of patterning are performed on a substrate. In a patterning system, the substrate on which a first round of patterning has been performed is transferred to a planarizing film forming unit, where a planarizing film is formed above the substrate. The substrate is then transferred to the patterning system and subjected to a second round of patterning. The time from the completion of the forming processing of the planarizing film to the start of the second round of patterning is managed to be constant among the substrates. According to the present invention, in the pattern forming processing of performing a plurality of rounds of patterning, a pattern with a desired dimension can be stably formed above the substrate.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for immersion light exposure includes a cleaning apparatus main body including a mechanism configured to perform a cleaning process on the substrate, and a control section configured to control respective components of the cleaning apparatus main body. The control section is arranged to fabricate a new process recipe in response to input of a surface state of a film formed on a substrate, such that the new process recipe contains hardware conditions and/or process conditions corresponding to the surface state, with reference to relationships stored therein between parameter values representing a surface state of a film formed on a substrate and hardware conditions and/or process conditions for performing suitable cleaning for the parameter values; and to control the cleaning apparatus main body to perform a cleaning process in accordance with the new process recipe.

Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus includes a process section including one or more coating units and one or more thermally processing units; a pre-coating cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning on a back surface and an edge portion of a substrate; and a pre-coating check unit configured to check a state of a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate. A control section is configured to realize a sequence of cleaning the substrate by the pre-coating cleaning unit, checking the substrate by the pre-coating check unit, making a judgment based on a check result thus obtained of whether or not a state of particles on a back surface and an edge portion of the substrate is within an acceptable range, and permitting transfer of the substrate into the process section where the state of particles is within the acceptable range.

Abstract: An exposure and developing method includes a step of exposing a resist film having a protective surface on a surface thereof in the state that a liquid layer transparent to light is formed on the resist film, and developing the resist film after the exposure, wherein there is further provided a cleaning step for cleaning the surface of the resist film before the developing step with a cleaning liquid that contains a solvent of the protective film.

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: The temperature of a developing solution is varied depending on the type of resist or the resist pattern. The developing solution is applied while scanning a developer nozzle having a slit-shaped ejection port that has a length matching the width of the effective area of the substrate. After leaving the substrate with the developing solution being coated thereon for a predetermined period of time, a diluent is supplied while scanning a diluent nozzle, thereby substantially stopping the development reaction and causing the dissolved resist components to diffuse. A desired amount of resist can be quickly dissolved through the control of the developing solution temperature, while the development can be stopped before the dissolved resist components exhibit adverse effect through the supply of the diluent a predetermined timing, whereby achieving a pattern having a uniform line width and improved throughput.

Abstract: A resist film formed on a substrate is coated with a water-repellent protective film and the substrate is subjected to a developing process after the substrate has been processed by an immersion exposure process. The protective film is removed from the substrate after the resist film has been processed by the immersion exposure process, the substrate is processed by a heating process, and then the substrate is subjected to a developing process. The surface of the substrate is cleaned with a cleaning liquid before the protective film is removed and after the substrate has been processed by the immersion exposure process or the surface of the substrate is cleaned with a cleaning liquid after removing the protective film and before the substrate is subjected to the heating process.

Abstract: Accurate coating and developing having high intrasurface uniformity is achieved by suppressing the influence of components of a resist that may be eluted while a substrate coated with the resist is processed by immersion exposure. A coating unit coats a surface of a substrate with a resist. then, a first cleaning means including a cleaning nozzle cleans the substrate and then the substrate is subjected to an exposure process. Since only a small amount of components of the resist dissolves in a transparent liquid layer formed on the substrate for exposure, an exposure process can form lines in accurate line-widths. Consequently, a resist pattern of lines having accurate line-widths having high intrasurface uniformity can be formed on the substrate by developing the exposed resist.