Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus comprises: a liquid film former which forms a liquid film by supplying a liquid on an upper surface of the substrate W held horizontally; a cooling gas discharge nozzle which discharges cooling gas of a temperature lower than a freezing point of the liquid forming the liquid film to the liquid film; a thawing liquid discharge nozzle which discharges a thawing liquid to a frozen film formed by freezing the liquid film; a thawing liquid supplier which supplies the heated thawing liquid to the thawing liquid discharge nozzle via a pipe; and a receiver which receives the cooling gas and the thawing liquid respectively discharged from the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing liquid discharge nozzle at the respective retracted position and guides the cooling gas and the thawing liquid to a common flow passage.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate holder which holds a substrate in a horizontal posture;   a liquid film former which forms a liquid film by supplying a liquid on an upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;   a cooling gas discharge nozzle which moves between a facing position facing the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder and a retracted position laterally retracted from the upper surface of the substrate and discharges cooling gas of a temperature lower than a freezing point of the liquid forming the liquid film to the liquid film;   a thawing liquid discharge nozzle which moves between a facing position facing the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder and a retracted position laterally retracted from the upper surface of the substrate and discharges a thawing liquid to a frozen film formed by freezing the liquid film;   a thawing liquid supplier which supplies the thawing liquid which is heated to the thawing liquid discharge nozzle via a pipe; and   a receiver which receives the cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas discharge nozzle at the retracted position of the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing liquid discharged from the thawing liquid discharge nozzle at the retracted position of the thawing liquid discharge nozzle and guides the cooling gas and the thawing liquid to a common flow passage.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the thawing liquid discharge nozzle moves to the facing position and discharges the thawing liquid to the substrate after discharging the thawing liquid in the pipe to the receiver at the retracted position. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling gas discharge nozzle discharges the cooling gas at a predetermined flow rate to the receiver at the retracted position. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising a nozzle holder which holds and integrally moves the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing liquid discharge nozzle. 
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the receiver includes a fluid receiver including an opening communicating with the flow passage on an upper surface and guides a fluid flowing into the opening to the flow passage; and   the retracted position of the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the retracted position of the thawing liquid discharge nozzle are both located above the opening.   
     
     
         6 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate holder which holds a substrate in a horizontal posture;   a cold liquid discharge nozzle which discharges a cold liquid, which is a cooled liquid, supplied from a cold liquid supplier via a pipe from a discharge port;   a switcher which switches a discharged state of the cold liquid from the discharge port between a preliminary discharged state where the cold liquid is discharged from the discharge port without being supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holder and a liquid film forming state where the cold liquid is discharged from the discharge port to the substrate held by the substrate holder to form a liquid film of the cold liquid on the substrate;   a cooling gas discharge nozzle which discharges cooling gas of a temperature lower than a freezing point of the cold liquid toward the liquid film; and   a remover which removes a frozen film formed by freezing the liquid film from the substrate.   
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein a flow rate of the cold liquid discharged from the discharge port in the preliminary discharged state is lower than a flow rate of the cold liquid discharged from the discharge port in the liquid film forming state. 
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising a driver which moves the cooling gas discharge nozzle between a facing position facing an upper surface of the substrate and a retracted position above and laterally retracted from the substrate, wherein:
 the driver locates the cooling gas discharge nozzle at the facing position when the discharge of the cold liquid from the discharge port in the liquid film forming state is finished.   
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the cooling gas discharge nozzle discharges the cooling gas while moving from the retracted position to the facing position. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the cold liquid discharge nozzle is located at a position above and laterally deviated from the substrate while the cooling gas discharge nozzle discharges the cooling gas toward the liquid film on the substrate. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the cold liquid discharge nozzle is fixed at a position above and laterally deviated from the substrate held by the substrate holder. 
     
     
         12 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising a liquid scattering preventing member which houses the substrate held by the substrate holder in an internal space by surrounding around the substrate and is formed with an opening communicating with the internal space and located above the substrate, wherein:
 the cold liquid discharge nozzle is fixed at a position above and laterally deviated from the opening.   
     
     
         13 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a receiving member which is provided below the cold liquid discharge nozzle and receives the cold liquid discharged from the discharge port in the preliminary discharged state; and   a drainer which drains the cold liquid received by the receiving member from the receiving member.   
     
     
         14 . A substrate processing method, comprising:
 a holding step of holding a substrate in a horizontal posture;   a liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film by supplying a liquid to an upper surface of the substrate;   a freezing step of freezing the liquid film by discharging cooling gas of a temperature lower than a freezing point of the liquid forming the liquid film to the liquid film by a cooling gas discharge nozzle facing the upper surface of the substrate; and   a thawing step of discharging a heated thawing liquid supplied from a thawing liquid supplier via a pipe by a thawing liquid discharge nozzle facing the upper surface of the substrate and thawing a frozen film formed by freezing the liquid film,   wherein:   prior to the freezing step, the cooling gas in the pipe is discharged by the cooling gas discharge nozzle located at a retracted position laterally retracted from the upper surface of the substrate;   prior to the thawing step, the thawing liquid in the pipe is discharged by the thawing liquid discharge nozzle located at a retracted position laterally retracted from the upper surface of the substrate; and   the cooling gas discharged from the cooling gas discharge nozzle at the retracted position of the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing liquid discharged from the thawing liquid discharge nozzle at the retracted position of the thawing liquid discharge nozzle flow into a common flow passage.   
     
     
         15 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 14 , wherein the thawing step is executed after all the thawing liquid in the pipe between the thawing liquid supplier and the thawing liquid discharge nozzle is discharged by the thawing liquid discharge nozzle located at the retracted position. 
     
     
         16 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 14 , wherein the cooling gas is discharged by the cooling gas discharge nozzle located at the retracted position during the execution of the liquid film forming step. 
     
     
         17 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 14 , wherein:
 the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing liquid discharge nozzle are integrally moved relative to the substrate; and   after a predetermined amount of the thawing liquid is discharged by the thawing liquid discharge nozzle at the retracted position, the freezing step is performed by the cooling gas discharge nozzle at the facing position of the cooling gas discharge nozzle and the thawing step is further performed by the thawing liquid discharge nozzle at the facing position of the thawing liquid discharge nozzle.   
     
     
         18 . A substrate processing method, comprising:
 a holding step of holding a substrate in a horizontal posture;   a preliminary discharging step of discharging a cold liquid, which is a cooled liquid, supplied from a cold liquid supplier via a pipe from a discharge port of a cold liquid discharge nozzle without being supplied to the substrate;   a liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film of the cold liquid on the substrate by discharging the cold liquid onto the substrate from the discharge port after the preliminary discharging step;   a freezing step of freezing the liquid film to form a frozen film by discharging cooling gas of a temperature lower than a freezing point of the cold liquid to the liquid film by a cooling gas discharge nozzle; and   a removing step of removing the frozen film from the substrate.   
     
     
         19 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 18 , further comprising a wet processing step of applying a wet process to the substrate using a processing liquid, the wet processing step being performed before the liquid film forming step, wherein:
 the preliminary discharging step is performed in parallel during the execution of the wet processing step.   
     
     
         20 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 18 , wherein a continuous transition is made from the preliminary discharging step to the liquid film forming step by increasing a flow rate of the cold liquid to be discharged while maintaining the discharge of the cold liquid from the discharge port.