Abstract: A liquid processing method includes: a substrate processing process for allowing a processing liquid to flow through a flow path connecting a reservoir and a processing liquid supply, and be discharged to a substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate; a stay process for filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path; a flow-through process for allowing the staying liquid to flow through the flow path; a signal acquisition process for irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid; and a response process for estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a nozzle that ejects a processing liquid to a periphery of a substrate; a processing liquid supply path that allows the processing liquid to flow between a supply source of the processing liquid and the nozzle; an image capturing unit that captures an image of the periphery of the substrate; an observation unit that is installed in the processing liquid supply path and observes a flowing state of the processing liquid in the processing liquid supply path; and an analysis unit that specifies an abnormality factor related to a supply of the processing liquid to the substrate based on the image captured by the image capturing unit and an observation result obtained by the observation unit.

Abstract: A substrate treatment method includes: developing a substrate which has a coating film of an inorganic resist formed on a base film thereon and has been subjected to an exposure treatment, with a developing solution to form a pattern of the inorganic resist; supplying an embedding solution to the developed substrate to fill a space between adjacent protrusions of the pattern; drying the filled embedding solution to form an embedded film on the substrate; and reducing a thickness of the embedded film by an ultraviolet ray.

Abstract: A method includes forming a liquid puddle of a mixed solution of the diluting liquid and the processing liquid; rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed which allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an inner side than an edge of the liquid contact surface to stay between the liquid contact surface and the surface of the substrate and allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an outer side than the edge of the liquid contact surface to be diffused toward an edge of the substrate; rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed smaller than the first rotation speed after the substrate is rotated at the first rotation speed; and moving the nozzle toward the edge of the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the discharge hole in a state that the substrate is rotated at the second rotation speed.

Abstract: A method includes forming a liquid puddle of a mixed solution of the diluting liquid and the processing liquid; rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed which allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an inner side than an edge of the liquid contact surface to stay between the liquid contact surface and the surface of the substrate and allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an outer side than the edge of the liquid contact surface to be diffused toward an edge of the substrate; rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed smaller than the first rotation speed after the substrate is rotated at the first rotation speed; and moving the nozzle toward the edge of the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the discharge hole in a state that the substrate is rotated at the second rotation speed.

Abstract: Provided is a development processing apparatus including a rotary holding unit configured to hold and rotate a wafer, a developer supply unit including a nozzle having a liquid contact surface facing a surface of the wafer and an ejection port opening to the liquid contact surface, and a controller. The controller is configured to: while the wafer rotates, execute a control of causing a developer to be ejected from the ejection port and moving the nozzle from an circumference side to a rotation center side of the wafer; after execution of the control, execute a control of moving the nozzle from the rotation center side to the outer circumference side of the wafer; and during execution of the control, execute a control of gradually reducing the rotation speed of the wafer as the center of the liquid contact surface approaches the outer circumference.

Abstract: Provided is a development processing apparatus including a rotary holding unit configured to hold and rotate a wafer, a developer supply unit including a nozzle having a liquid contact surface facing a surface of the wafer and an ejection port opening to the liquid contact surface, and a controller. The controller is configured to: while the wafer rotates, execute a control of causing a developer to be ejected from the ejection port and moving the nozzle from an circumference side to a rotation center side of the wafer; after execution of the control, execute a control of moving the nozzle from the rotation center side to the outer circumference side of the wafer; and during execution of the control, execute a control of gradually reducing the rotation speed of the wafer as the center of the liquid contact surface approaches the outer circumference.

Abstract: A development method includes: a development step of supplying a developing solution to a surface of a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device after undergoing formation of a resist film and exposure, to perform development; a first rotation step of, after the development step, increasing revolution speed of the substrate to rotate the substrate in a first rotational direction around a central axis so as to spin off and remove part of the developing solution from the substrate; and a second rotation step of, after the first rotation step, rotating the substrate in a second rotational direction reverse to the first rotational direction so as to spin off and remove the developing solution remaining on the substrate from the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes steps of: supplying a developer onto a substrate surface from a discharge port while the substrate is rotated at a first rotation speed and a liquid contact surface faces the surface, and moving the nozzle while the liquid contact surface contacts with the developer so that a liquid film of the developer is formed on the surface; rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed slower than the first rotation speed, after the liquid film is formed, in a state where supply of the developer is stopped; rotating the substrate at a third rotation speed faster than the first rotation speed, after the substrate is rotated at the second rotation speed; and reducing rotation speed of the substrate to the second rotation speed or less, after the substrate is rotated at the third rotation speed, so that the liquid film is held on the surface.

Abstract: A developing method includes: horizontally holding a substrate; disposing an opposing surface of a developer nozzle that faces a portion of a surface of the substrate, above one of central and peripheral portions of the surface; discharging a developer to form a liquid collection portion of the developer; spreading the liquid collection portion by moving the developer nozzle toward the other of the central and peripheral portions with the opposing surface brought into contact with the liquid collection portion; lifting the developer nozzle relative to the surface while stopping the discharge of the developer, and pulling up a portion of the liquid collection portion; stopping the lifting, and forming a pillar of the developer having a tapered upper end which is brought into contact with the opposing surface; and applying a shearing force to the pillar to shear the tapered upper end and separating the pillar from the opposing surface.

Abstract: A developing method includes: horizontally holding a substrate; disposing an opposing surface of a developer nozzle that faces a portion of a surface of the substrate, above one of central and peripheral portions of the surface; discharging a developer to form a liquid collection portion of the developer; spreading the liquid collection portion by moving the developer nozzle toward the other of the central and peripheral portions with the opposing surface brought into contact with the liquid collection portion; lifting the developer nozzle relative to the surface while stopping the discharge of the developer, and pulling up a portion of the liquid collection portion; stopping the lifting, and forming a pillar of the developer having a tapered upper end which is brought into contact with the opposing surface; and applying a shearing force to the pillar to shear the tapered upper end and separating the pillar from the opposing surface.

Abstract: A controller performs a control to contact, after forming a liquid puddle of a rinse liquid on a surface of a wafer, a liquid contact surface of a nozzle of a developing liquid supply unit with the liquid puddle and to form a liquid puddle of a diluted developing liquid by discharging a developing liquid from the nozzle; a control to rotate the wafer at a first rotation speed which allows the diluted developing liquid inside an edge of the liquid contact surface to stay between the liquid contact surface and the surface and allows the diluted developing liquid outside the edge of the liquid contact surface to be diffused toward an edge of the wafer; and a control to move the nozzle toward the edge of the wafer while rotating the wafer at a second rotation speed smaller than the first rotation speed and discharging the developing liquid.

Abstract: A development method includes: a development step of supplying a developing solution to a surface of a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device after undergoing formation of a resist film and exposure, to perform development; a first rotation step of, after the development step, increasing revolution speed of the substrate to rotate the substrate in a first rotational direction around a central axis so as to spin off and remove part of the developing solution from the substrate; and a second rotation step of, after the first rotation step, rotating the substrate in a second rotational direction reverse to the first rotational direction so as to spin off and remove the developing solution remaining on the substrate from the substrate.

Abstract: A developing method includes: forming a puddle of a developer on a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit by a first developer nozzle; subsequently spreading the puddle of the developer over the whole substrate surface, by moving the first developer nozzle discharging the developer from a central or peripheral part to the peripheral or central part of the rotating substrate, with a contacting part of the first developer nozzle contacting with the puddle; supplying the developer from a second developer nozzle onto the rotating substrate, thereby to uniformize, in the substrate plane, distribution of a degree of progress of development by the developer spreading step; and removing the developer between the developer spreading step and the developer supplying step to remove the developer on the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes steps of: supplying a developer onto a substrate surface from a discharge port while the substrate is rotated at a first rotation speed and a liquid contact surface faces the surface, and moving the nozzle while the liquid contact surface contacts with the developer so that a liquid film of the developer is formed on the surface; rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed slower than the first rotation speed, after the liquid film is formed, in a state where supply of the developer is stopped; rotating the substrate at a third rotation speed faster than the first rotation speed, after the substrate is rotated at the second rotation speed; and reducing rotation speed of the substrate to the second rotation speed or less, after the substrate is rotated at the third rotation speed, so that the liquid film is held on the surface.

Abstract: A developing method includes: forming a puddle of a developer on a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit by a first developer nozzle; subsequently spreading the puddle of the developer over the whole substrate surface, by moving the first developer nozzle discharging the developer from a central or peripheral part to the peripheral or central part of the rotating substrate, with a contacting part of the first developer nozzle contacting with the puddle; supplying the developer from a second developer nozzle onto the rotating substrate, thereby to uniformize, in the substrate plane, distribution of a degree of progress of development by the developer spreading step; and removing the developer between the developer spreading step and the developer supplying step to remove the developer on the substrate.

Abstract: In the present invention, in a rinse treatment method of cleaning a substrate after an exposed pattern thereon has been subjected to developing treatment, the following steps are performed such as supplying pure water onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the pure water; supplying a first rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a predetermined concentration onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the first rinse solution; and supplying a second rinse solution composed of a surfactant with a concentration lower than that of the first rinse solution onto the substrate to clean the substrate with the second rinse solution. According to the present invention, in the rinse treatment of the substrate after developing treatment, it is possible to dry the substrate without causing pattern collapse to restrain variation in pattern line width, and to reduce the remaining precipitation-based defects to increase the productivity.

Abstract: A rinsing process is performed by supplying a rinsing-liquid onto a substrate with a light-exposed pattern formed thereon and treated by a developing process. The rinsing liquid contains a polyethylene glycol family surfactant or an acetylene glycol family surfactant in a critical micelle concentration or less. Preferably, the surfactant includes a hydrophobic group having a carbon number of larger than 11 and having no double bond or triple bond therein.

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: A rinsing process is performed by supplying a rinsing liquid onto a substrate with a light-exposed pattern formed thereon and treated by a developing process. The rinsing liquid contains a polyethylene glycol family surfactant or an acetylene glycol family surfactant in a critical micelle concentration or less. Preferably, the surfactant includes a hydrophobic group having a carbon number of larger than 11 and having no double bond or triple bond therein.