Abstract: An etching control system includes a prediction device and an etching control device. The prediction device includes an updating unit configured to update, to optimize a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, a parameter of the model; a calculator configured to calculate the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount by using the model whose parameter has been updated by the updating unit; and a provider configured to provide the process parameter calculated by the calculator. The etching control device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire the process parameter; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles by using the process parameter acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: An etching control system includes a prediction device and an etching control device. The prediction device includes a calculator configured to calculate, by using a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount. The etching control device includes an updating unit configured to update a process recipe, which is information including a discharge time, a discharge position, and a moving speed of each of the multiple nozzles, based on the process parameter; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles according to the process recipe updated by the updating unit.

Abstract: An etching control device includes an updating unit configured to update, to optimize a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, a parameter of the model; a calculator configured to calculate the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount by using the model whose parameter has been updated by the updating unit; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles by using the process parameter.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes performing a liquid processing, detecting a temperature, generating temperature distribution information and determining whether a result of the liquid processing is good or bad. The liquid processing is performed on a substrate by using a processing unit. A temperature of a central portion of the substrate and a temperature of an edge portion of the substrate in the liquid processing are detected by using multiple sensors provided in the processing unit. The temperature distribution information indicating an in-surface temperature distribution of the substrate in the liquid processing is generated based on one or more parameter values defining a processing condition for the liquid processing and the temperature of the central portion of the substrate and the temperature of the edge portion of the substrate. Whether the result of the liquid processing is good or bad is determined based on the temperature distribution information.

Abstract: A method of processing a plurality of substrates includes immersing the plurality of substrates into a bath solution contained in a bath chamber; generating gas bubbles in the bath solution; projecting light from a light source toward the bath chamber; generating light sensor data by capturing light emanating off the bath chamber after interacting with the gas bubbles with a light sensor; and converting the light sensor data into a metric for the bath solution.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes an inspection substrate including a base and an imaging unit disposed at the base; a holder configured to hold a substrate or the inspection substrate; a driving unit configured to rotate the holder; a processing liquid supply configured to supply a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holder; a cup member configured to surround the holder; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: adjusting a position of the imaging unit with respect to the cup member to a predetermined first imaging position in a state that the inspection substrate is held by the holder; and imaging, after the adjusting of the position of the imaging unit to the first imaging position, an imaging target that is located in a space closer to the cup member than to an outer periphery of the base at the first imaging position.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes an inspection substrate including a base and an imaging unit disposed at the base; a holder configured to hold a substrate or the inspection substrate; a driving unit configured to rotate the holder; a processing liquid supply having a nozzle configured to discharge a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holder; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: adjusting a position of the imaging unit with respect to the nozzle to a predetermined first imaging position by controlling the driving unit to rotate the holder in a state that the inspection substrate is held by the holder; and imaging, after the adjusting of the position of the imaging unit to the first imaging position, the nozzle at the first imaging position by controlling the imaging unit.

Abstract: A method of processing a plurality of substrates includes immersing the plurality of substrates into a bath solution contained in a bath chamber; generating gas bubbles in the bath solution; projecting light from a light source toward the bath chamber; generating light sensor data by capturing light emanating off the bath chamber after interacting with the gas bubbles with a light sensor; and converting the light sensor data into a metric for the bath solution.

Abstract: An exemplary method of monitoring a bath process includes processing a first wafer by submerging the first wafer within a bath solution; capturing a video of the bath solution containing the first wafer during a first time interval; analyzing the video based on intensity of light captured in a frame of the video; and based on analyzing the video, determining a first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval.

Abstract: A method of processing a plurality of substrates includes immersing the plurality of substrates into a bath solution contained in a bath chamber; generating gas bubbles in the bath solution; projecting light from a light source toward the bath chamber; generating light sensor data by capturing light emanating off the bath chamber after interacting with the gas bubbles with a light sensor; and converting the light sensor data into a metric for the bath solution.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes performing a liquid processing, detecting a temperature, generating temperature distribution information and determining whether a result of the liquid processing is good or bad. The liquid processing is performed on a substrate by using a processing unit. A temperature of a central portion of the substrate and a temperature of an edge portion of the substrate in the liquid processing are detected by using multiple sensors provided in the processing unit. The temperature distribution information indicating an in-surface temperature distribution of the substrate in the liquid processing is generated based on one or more parameter values defining a processing condition for the liquid processing and the temperature of the central portion of the substrate and the temperature of the edge portion of the substrate. Whether the result of the liquid processing is good or bad is determined based on the temperature distribution information.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of cleaning a substrate processing apparatus in which a substrate having a surface wet by a liquid is brought into contact with a supercritical fluid so as to perform a drying process of drying the substrate. The method includes a cleaning gas filling process and an exhausting process. The cleaning gas filling process fills a cleaning gas containing isopropyl alcohol in the substrate processing apparatus. The exhausting process exhausts the cleaning gas from an inside of the substrate processing apparatus after the cleaning gas filling process.

Abstract: A method of drying a substrate after processing the substrate with a processing liquid (e.g., DIW) includes drying the substrate by moving, after forming a liquid film by supplying a first drying liquid (e.g., IPA) having higher volatility than the processing liquid onto the substrate W, a supply position P1 of the first drying liquid such that a distance R1 from a rotation center O of the substrate to the supply position P1 of the first drying liquid is gradually increased, while rotating the substrate, to expand a dry region DC in a concentric shape. The drying of the substrate comprises supplying a second drying liquid onto the substrate while supplying the first drying liquid. A distance R2 from the rotation center to a supply position P2 of the second drying liquid is larger than the distance R1 from the rotation center to the supply position P1.

Abstract: An alkaline wet solution for protecting features on a patterned substrate and a substrate processing method using the alkaline wet solution are described. The method includes providing a patterned substrate containing a low-k material, a metal oxide feature, and an etch residue, performing a treatment process that exposes the patterned substrate to an alkaline wet solution that forms a protective coating on the metal oxide feature, the alkaline wet solution containing a mixture of 1) water, 2) ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary organic ammonium hydroxide, or a quaternary organic phosphonium hydroxide, and 3) dissolved silica, and performing a wet cleaning process that removes the etch residue but not the metal oxide feature that is protected by the protective coating. The patterned substrate can further include a metallization layer and the alkaline wet solution can further contain 4) an inhibitor that protects the metallization layer from etching by the alkaline wet solution.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding device, a rotation mechanism, a drying liquid supply nozzle, a movement mechanism, a flow rate control mechanism, and a control device including circuitry which controls one or more of the rotation mechanism, movement mechanism and flow rate control mechanism such that the drying liquid forms a drying liquid flow line having distance (L) equal to or less than preset upper limit distance (M), where when a liquid contact point is position at which the drying liquid discharged from the nozzle reaches the substrate, the flow line is formed when the liquid contact point is moved from a center portion of the substrate toward a peripheral edge portion of the substrate, and the distance (L) of the flow line is measured from center of the liquid contact point to an edge of the flow line on a rotation center side of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment to the present disclosure includes: a main body which has therein a processing space capable of accommodating the substrate; a holding unit which holds the substrate in the main body; a supply unit which is provided at a side of the substrate held by the holding unit and supplies the processing fluid into the processing space; a discharge unit which discharges the processing fluid from an inside of the processing space; and a flow path limiting unit which limits a lower end of a flow path at an upstream side which is formed while the processing fluid flows from the supply unit to the discharge unit. Further, an upper end of the flow path limiting unit is disposed at a position higher than the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding unit.

Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus in which a drying process of drying a substrate using a processing fluid in a supercritical state is performed. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing container in which the drying process is performed; a discharge valve provided in a discharge flow path that discharges the processing fluid from the processing container; and a controller configured to control the discharge valve. When the inside of the processing container is decompressed from a first pressure at which the processing fluid is in the supercritical state to an atmospheric pressure, through a second pressure than the first pressure and a third pressure lower than the second pressure, the controller controls a valve opening degree of the discharge valve so that the decompression rate is equal from the second pressure to the third pressure.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a drying processing unit 17, a drain line L2, an acquisition device 75 and a determination unit 19C. The drying processing unit 17 is configured to perform, by bringing a supercritical fluid into contact with a substrate having a surface wet by a liquid to replace the liquid with the supercritical fluid, a drying processing on the substrate. The drain line L2 is provided in the drying processing unit 17, and configured to drain the fluid from the drying processing unit 17. The acquisition device 75 is provided on the drain line L2, and configured to acquire optical information upon the fluid drained from the drying processing unit 17. The determination unit 19C is configured to detect presence or absence of the liquid within the drying processing unit 17 based on the optical information acquired by the acquisition device 75.

Abstract: During at least part of a time period for a pressure increasing step of increasing a pressure inside a processing container from a pressure lower than a critical pressure of a processing fluid to a pressure higher than the critical pressure, pressure increasing is performed by supplying the processing fluid into the processing container from a fluid supply source while discharging the processing fluid from the processing container at a controlled discharge flow rate. Particles attached to the surfaces of members inside the processing container travel upward by the supply of the processing fluid into the processing container from the fluid supply source. The particles are discharged along with the processing fluid from the processing container.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus performs: a pressure raising process of raising a pressure within the processing container to a processing pressure higher than a critical pressure of the processing fluid, after the substrate is accommodated in the processing container; and a circulation process of supplying the processing fluid to the processing container and discharging the processing fluid from the processing container while keeping a pressure at which the processing fluid is maintained in the supercritical state, within the processing container. In the pressure raising process, the supply of the processing fluid from the second fluid supply unit is stopped and the processing fluid is supplied from the first fluid supply unit into the processing container until at least the pressure within the processing container reaches the critical pressure. In the circulation process, the processing fluid is supplied into the processing container from the second fluid supply unit.