Abstract: There are provided a substrate coating method and a substrate coating apparatus to achieve the uniformity of a coating-liquid film and the improvement of the yield by inhibiting the bubbles generated during the application of a coating liquid. Also, there are provided a substrate coating method and a substrate coating apparatus to achieve the effective availability of the coating liquid and the uniformity of the coating-liquid film. According to one example, a substrate coating method includes forming a liquid pool of deionized water by rotating the substrate at low speed of a first rotation speed and supplying deionized water to the center of the substrate, mixing the water-soluble coating liquid with the deionized water by supplying the coating liquid to the center of the substrate in a state where the substrate is rotated at the first rotation speed, and forming the coating-liquid film by rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed.

Abstract: In a coating step, a substrate is rotated at a high speed, and in that state a resist solution is discharged from a first nozzle to a central portion of the substrate to apply the resist solution over the substrate. Subsequently, in a flattening step, the rotation of the substrate is decelerated and the substrate is rotated at a low speed to flatten the resist solution on the substrate. In this event, the discharge of the resist solution by the first nozzle in the coating step is performed until a middle of the flattening step, and when the discharge of the resist solution is finished in the flattening step, the first nozzle is moved to move a discharge position of the resist solution from the central portion of the substrate. According to the present invention, the resist solution can be applied uniformly within the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is a coating treatment method of applying a coating solution containing an organic solvent onto a substrate, the method including: a first step of supplying a treatment solution having a first surface tension to a central portion of the substrate; a second step of supplying a solvent for the coating solution to a central portion of the treatment solution supplied in the first step, the solvent having a second surface tension lower than the first surface tension; and a third step of supplying the coating solution to a central portion of the solvent supplied in the second step while rotating the substrate to diffuse the treatment solution and the solvent on the substrate to thereby diffuse the coating solution on an entire surface of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is a coating treatment method of applying a water-soluble coating solution onto a substrate, including: a first step of supplying pure water to a central portion of the substrate in a manner that the pure water does not diffuse over an entire surface of the substrate; a second step of subsequently supplying the water-soluble coating solution to a central portion of the pure water on the substrate to form a mixed layer of the coating solution and the pure water, under the coating solution; and a third step of subsequently diffusing the mixed layer over the substrate to diffuse the coating solution over the entire surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In the present invention, a substrate is adjusted in temperature such that its contact portion held on a substrate holding unit and its outer peripheral portion outside the contact portion are at different temperatures. The temperature of the contact portion is adjusted such that the contact portion and the substrate holding unit are at the same temperature when the substrate is held on the substrate holding unit. The temperature-adjusted substrate is then held and rotated by the substrate holding unit, and a coating solution is applied onto the rotating substrate to form a coating film with a uniform film thickness, so that even if the number of times of coating treatment for substrates increases, the film thickness of the coating film to be formed on the substrate can be made uniform.

Abstract: The present invention is a hardening processing apparatus for heating a substrate coated with a coating solution to harden the coating film on the substrate, which includes a first processing chamber for mounting the substrate coated with the coating solution on a heating plate and heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature on a one-by-one basis; a first irradiation unit provided in the first processing chamber, for irradiating the substrate mounted on the heating plate with ultraviolet light; and a second processing chamber connected in a communicating manner to the first processing chamber, for mounting the substrate coated with the coating solution on a temperature adjusting plate and adjusting the substrate to a temperature lower than a processing temperature of hardening processing on a one-by-one basis, in which the substrate is heated by the heating plate while being irradiated with the ultraviolet light by the first irradiation unit so that the coating film on the substrate is hardened.

Abstract: The present invention includes: a first step of discharging a coating solution from a nozzle to a center portion of the substrate to apply the coating solution on a surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate; a second step of decelerating, after the first step, the rotation of the substrate and continuously rotating the substrate; and a third step of accelerating, after the second step, the rotation of the substrate to dry the coating solution on the substrate, wherein: the substrate is rotated at a fixed speed of a first speed immediately before the first step; and in the first step, the rotation of the substrate which is at the first speed before start of the first step is gradually accelerated after the start of the first step so as to make the speed continuously change, and the acceleration of the rotation of the substrate is gradually decreased so as to make the speed of the rotation of the substrate converge in a second speed higher than the first speed at end of the first step.

Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of solvent supply nozzles for solvents having different solubility parameters are provided in a coating treatment apparatus. For a solvent supply nozzle for use at the time of edge rinse, a solvent supply nozzle is selected that discharges a removal solvent having a solubility parameter different by a set value or more from that of a coating solvent contained in a coating solution. During coating treatment, the coating solution is discharged from a coating solution supply nozzle onto the central portion of a rotated substrate to form a solution film having a predetermined film thickness. Immediately after the formation, edge rinse is started with the coating solution on the substrate not dry yet, in which the removal solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate from the selected solvent supply nozzle.

Abstract: A laser irradiation unit for applying a laser light is provided in a resist coating unit. At the time of resist coating treatment, the resist solution is discharged onto a central portion of the rotated wafer from a resist solution supply nozzle to form a resist film on the wafer. Thereafter, the laser irradiation unit moves to an outer peripheral portion of the wafer and applies the laser light onto the resist film on the outer peripheral portion to dry the resist film on the outer peripheral portion. After the resist film on the outer peripheral portion dries, the application of laser light is continued, and the solvent supply nozzle moves to a position above the edge portion of the wafer and supplies the solvent to the resist film on the edge portion of the wafer. The supply of the solvent dissolves and removes the resist film on the edge portion of the wafer.

Abstract: The present invention supplies a solvent to the front surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate. Subsequently, the substrate is acceleratingly rotated to a first number of rotations, and a resist solution is supplied to a central portion of the substrate during the accelerating rotation and the rotation at the first number of rotations. Thereafter, the substrate is deceleratingly rotated to a second number of rotations, and after the number of rotations of the substrate reaches the second number of rotations, the resist solution is discharged to the substrate. The substrate is then acceleratingly rotated to a third number of rotations higher than the second number of rotations so that the substrate is rotated at the third number of rotations. According to the present invention, in application of the resist solution by spin coating, the consumption of the resist solution can be suppressed, and a high in-plane uniformity can be obtained for the film thickness of the resist film.

Abstract: The present invention wets the front surface of a substrate with a solvent in advance, then accelerates the substrate to a first number of rotations lower than a range of the numbers of rotations where a turbulence occurs on the front surface of the substrate, and starts supply of a resist solution to the central portion of the substrate during the acceleration to thereby apply the resist solution while spreading the resist solution outward on the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is decelerated to a second number of rotations to adjust the distribution of the film thickness of the resist solution within a plane, and accelerated to a third number of rotations lower than the first number of rotations and higher than the second number of rotations to shake off the remaining resist solution.

Abstract: A resist coating method supplies a resist solution to substantially the center of a target substrate to be processed while rotating the target substrate at a first rotational speed, then decelerates the rotation of the substrate to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, or until rotational halt, makes the deceleration smaller in the deceleration step as the rotational speed becomes closer to the second rotational speed or the rotational halt, and accelerates the rotation of the substrate to a third rotational speed higher than the second rotational speed to spin off a residue of the resist solution.

Abstract: A resist coating method supplies a resist solution to substantially the center of a target substrate to be processed while rotating the target substrate at a first rotational speed, then reduces a rotational speed of the target substrate to a second rotational speed lower than the first rotational speed, reduces the rotational speed of the target substrate to a third rotational speed lower than the second rotational speed or until rotational halt to adjust the film thickness of the resist solution, and accelerates the rotation of the target substrate to a fourth rotational speed higher than the third rotational speed to spin off a residue of the resist solution.

Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of solvent supply nozzles for solvents having different solubility parameters are provided in a coating treatment apparatus. For a solvent supply nozzle for use at the time of edge rinse, a solvent supply nozzle is selected that discharges a removal solvent having a solubility parameter different by a set value or more from that of a coating solvent contained in a coating solution. During coating treatment, the coating solution is discharged from a coating solution supply nozzle onto the central portion of a rotated substrate to form a solution film having a predetermined film thickness. Immediately after the formation, edge rinse is started with the coating solution on the substrate not dry yet, in which the removal solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate from the selected solvent supply nozzle.

Abstract: The present invention is a hardening processing apparatus for heating a substrate coated with a coating solution to harden the coating film on the substrate, which includes a first processing chamber for mounting the substrate coated with the coating solution on a heating plate and heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature on a one-by-one basis; a first irradiation unit provided in the first processing chamber, for irradiating the substrate mounted on the heating plate with ultraviolet light; and a second processing chamber connected in a communicating manner to the first processing chamber, for mounting the substrate coated with the coating solution on a temperature adjusting plate and adjusting the substrate to a temperature lower than a processing temperature of hardening processing on a one-by-one basis, in which the substrate is heated by the heating plate while being irradiated with the ultraviolet light by the first irradiation unit so that the coating film on the substrate is hardened.