Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a substrate treatment method includes bringing a first metallic film on a substrate into contact with a first liquid, mixing a second liquid into the first liquid, and bringing the first metallic film or a second metallic film different from the first metallic film into contact with a liquid in which the first liquid and the second liquid are mixed together to etch the first or second metallic film. The first liquid includes an oxidizing agent, a complexing agent, and water (H2O) of a first content rate to etch the first metallic film. The second liquid includes water (H2O) at a second content rate higher than the first content rate after the etching has started.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical circuit including a transparent plate, which is light-transmittable, and a light shielding plate, which is adhered to the transparent plate with an adhesive and has an opening through which incident light passes, and in which the aspect facing to the opening has, on the side opposite to the transparent plate, projections in an overhang shape toward the center of the opening.

Abstract: A method for adjusting a chemical liquid supply device of supplying a chemical liquid through a nozzle for removing a coating film on a peripheral portion of a substrate having the coating film formed on a surface thereof and horizontally held by a holding table is provided. The method includes discharging the chemical liquid from the nozzle, performing, by an image pickup part, continuous image pickup on a region including a leading end of the nozzle and a region in which the chemical liquid discharged from the leading end forms a liquid stream in the air, acquiring area change data representing a temporal change in area of the chemical liquid in an image pickup region based on an image pickup result obtained by the image pickup part, and adjusting a supply control device installed in a chemical liquid supply path connected to the nozzle based on the area change data.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method for a semiconductor substrate includes introducing a semiconductor substrate formed with a metal film into a chamber, the surface of the substrate being wet with alcohol, supplying a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide into the chamber, setting a temperature inside the chamber to a predetermined temperature, to replace the alcohol on the semiconductor substrate with the supercritical fluid, and discharging the supercritical fluid and the alcohol from the chamber while keeping the temperature inside the chamber at the predetermined temperature, to lower a pressure inside the chamber. The predetermined temperature is not lower than 75° C. but lower than a critical temperature of the alcohol.

Abstract: An edge exposure apparatus includes: an imaging unit that images a front surface of a substrate; a substrate holding unit; an exposure unit that exposes an edge portion of the substrate held on the substrate holding unit; a first moving mechanism that moves and rotates the substrate holding unit; a second moving mechanism that moves the exposure unit; and a control unit that controls the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism, wherein the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism are controlled so as to acquire array information of shots of a pattern on the substrate from a substrate image of a substrate, which has already been subjected to pattern exposure, imaged by the imaging unit, and expose the edge portion of the substrate, based on the acquired array information.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a coating and developing apparatus includes a processing block having two early-stage coating unit blocks, two later-stage coating unit blocks and two developing unit blocks, each unit blocks being vertically stacked on each other, The apparatus has at least two operation modes M1 and M2 adapted for abnormality. In mode M1 the processing module that processed the abnormal substrate in the developing unit blocks is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the processing module or modules, of the same type as the identified processing module, other than the identified processing module. In mode M2, the developing unit block that processed the abnormal substrate is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the developing unit block other than the identified developing unit block.

Abstract: A variable lead end mill has a plurality of peripheral cutting edges with different helix angles, the variable lead end mill having a flute bottom diameter of a plurality of helix flutes making up rake faces of the plurality of the peripheral cutting edges, the flute bottom diameter increasing in an axial direction from a tool tip toward a shank.

Abstract: A potential trouble can be in advance suppressed by analyzing a defect of a wafer. A defect analyzing apparatus of analyzing a defect of a substrate includes an imaging unit configured to image target substrates; a defect feature value extracting unit configured to extract a defect feature value in a surface of the substrate based on the substrate image; a defect feature value accumulating unit configured to calculate an accumulated defect feature value with respect to the substrates to create an accumulation data AH; a defect determination unit configured to determine whether the accumulated defect feature value exceeds a preset critical value; and an output display unit configured to output a determination result from the defect determination unit.

Abstract: One side surface of a diffraction grating is securely held by a holder, and further, the holder is securely supported on a substrate by a supporter in such a manner that the diffraction grating held by the holder is not brought into contact with the substrate. In this manner, the diffraction grating is fixed only onto one side surface to the supporter via the holder, and further, the diffraction grating is not brought into contact with the substrate. Therefore, the lower portion of the supporter is displaced by heat generated in the substrate, however, the displacement of the supporter cannot adversely influence directly on the diffraction grating since the holder is interposed between the displaced portion and the diffraction grating.

Abstract: A plurality of driving force transmitting members, a piston, a spring and a gas generator are inserted into the pipe from the end of the pipe where the gas generator is mounted. The gas generator is press-fitted in the pipe while the flat faces thereof are deformed by a pair of protrusions of the pipe. Accordingly, the gas generator is temporarily held by the protrusions of the pipe. Then, one end of the pipe is firmly pressed and the gas generator is mounted in the pipe.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus of treating a surface of a semiconductor substrate comprises a substrate holding and rotating unit, first to fourth supplying units, and a removing unit. A substrate holding and rotating unit holds a semiconductor substrate, having a convex pattern formed on its surface, and rotates the semiconductor substrate. A first supplying unit supplies a chemical onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate in order to clean the semiconductor substrate. A second supplying unit supplies pure water to the surface of the semiconductor substrate in order to rinse the semiconductor substrate. A third supplying unit supplies a water repellent agent to the surface of the semiconductor substrate in order to form a water repellent protective film onto the surface of the convex pattern. A fourth supplying unit supplies alcohol, which is diluted with pure water, or acid water to the surface of the semiconductor substrate in order to rinse the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A method of setting an exposure apparatus to expose exposure sectors defined on a resist film formed on a surface of a substrate with proper values of an exposure amount and a focus value for forming a pattern having a predetermined dimension includes exposing and developing an exposure sector defined on a reference substrate by a first exposure apparatus having a first state, and imaging the same. The method exposes and develops exposure sectors defined on an inspection substrate by a second exposure apparatus having a second state where at least one of the exposure amount and the focus value is unknown, and forms and images a pattern on the inspection substrate. The method determines the proper values for the exposure amount and the focus value for the second state based on luminance of the exposure sector of reference data and luminances of the exposure sectors of inspection data.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a surface treatment apparatus for a semiconductor substrate includes a holding unit, a first supply unit, a second supply unit, a third supply unit, a drying treatment unit, and a removal unit. The holding unit holds a semiconductor substrate with a surface having a convex pattern formed thereon. The first supply unit supplies a chemical solution to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, to perform cleaning and oxidation. The second supply unit supplies pure water to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, to rinse the semiconductor substrate. The third supply unit supplies a water repelling agent to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, to form a water repellent protective film on the surface of the convex pattern. The drying treatment unit dries the semiconductor substrate. The removal unit removes the water repellent protective film while making the convex pattern remain.

Abstract: Provided is an optical module capable of inhibiting both the displacement of an optical axis caused by thermal changes and property degradation in an optical functional circuit. The optical module includes: a planar lightwave circuit including a waveguide-type optical functional circuit and a waveguide region where only an optical waveguide is formed in contact with a side, wherein an emission end face where output light is emitted from the optical functional circuit, or an entrance end face where input light is entered to the optical functional circuit is formed in contact with the side; a fixing mount employed to hold the planar lightwave circuit only in the portion where the waveguide area is located; and an auxiliary mount employed to hold the planar lightwave circuit in contact with a side that is opposite the side where the emission end face or the entrance end face.

Abstract: A plasma processing method in which performing a plasma etching on metal layers formed on a substrate is conducted to form a pattern having the metal layers in a stacked structure, and then a deposit containing a metal that forms the metal layers and being deposited on a sidewall portion of the pattern is removed, the method includes: forming a protective layer by forming an oxide or chloride of the metal on sidewall portions of the metal layers; removing the deposit by applying a plasma of a gas containing fluorine atoms; and reducing the oxide or chloride of the metal by applying a plasma containing hydrogen after forming the protective layer and removing the deposit.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, provided is a method for cleaning an imprinting mask including a template having an uneven pattern, a base layer disposed on the template, and a sacrificial film disposed on the base layer. In the method for cleaning the imprinting mask, the sacrificial film is removed, and a contaminant adhered on the sacrificial film is removed from the template pattern.

Abstract: In the present invention, a planar distribution of pixel values in a picked-up substrate image is decomposed into a plurality of pixel value distribution components through use of a Zernike polynomial for each of substrate images; Zernike coefficients of the pixel value distribution components decomposed through use of the Zernike polynomial are calculated; a median value and values deviated from the median value by a predetermined value or more are extracted for every Zernike coefficients having a same couple of degrees from the calculated Zernike coefficients; substrate images having the extracted values are specified; and a substrate image being a defect inspection reference is created by combining the specified substrate images.

Abstract: A deposit removal method for removing deposits deposited on the surface of a pattern formed on a substrate by etching, includes an oxygen plasma treatment process for exposing the substrate to oxygen plasma while heating the substrate and a cycle treatment process for, after the oxygen plasma treatment process, repeating multiple cycles of a first period and a second period. In the first period, the substrate is exposed to a mixture of hydrogen fluoride gas and alcohol gas inside a processing chamber and the partial pressure of the alcohol gas is set to the first partial pressure. In the second period, the partial pressure of the alcohol gas is set to the second partial pressure lower than the first partial pressure by exhausting the inside of the processing chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical circuit including a transparent plate, which is light-transmittable, and a light shielding plate, which is adhered to the transparent plate with an adhesive and has an opening through which incident light passes, and in which the aspect facing to the opening has, on the side opposite to the transparent plate, projections in an overhang shape toward the center of the opening.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a coating and developing apparatus includes a processing block having two early-stage coating unit blocks, two later-stage coating unit blocks and two developing unit blocks, each unit blocks being vertically stacked on each other, The apparatus has at least two operation modes M1 and M2 adapted for abnormality. In mode M1 the processing module that processed the abnormal substrate in the developing unit blocks is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the processing module or modules, of the same type as the identified processing module, other than the identified processing module. In mode M2, the developing unit block that processed the abnormal substrate is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the developing unit block other than the identified developing unit block.