Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

In parallel with a substrate heating step, a liquid surface sensor is used to monitor the raising of an IPA liquid film. An organic solvent removing step is started in response to the raising of the IPA liquid film over the upper surface of the substrate. At the end of the organic solvent removing step, a visual sensor is used to determine whether or not IPA droplets remain on the upper surface of the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a processing liquid supplying unit arranged to supply processing liquid onto an upper surface of a substrate that is held horizontally;   a substrate heating unit arranged to heat the substrate to heat the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate;   a processing liquid removing unit arranged to remove the processing liquid from the upper surface of the substrate;   a processing liquid condition detecting unit arranged to detect a condition of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate; and   a controller arranged to control at least one of the processing liquid supplying unit, the substrate heating unit, and the processing liquid removing unit based on a detection result from the processing liquid condition detecting unit.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid condition detecting unit includes a liquid surface detecting unit arranged to detect a liquid surface of a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the liquid surface detecting unit is arranged to detect the liquid surface of the liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with a supply of the processing liquid by the processing liquid supplying unit, and wherein   the controller is arranged to stop the supply of the processing liquid by the processing liquid supplying unit based on a detection result from the liquid surface detecting unit.   
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the liquid surface detecting unit is arranged to detect the liquid surface of the liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with a heating of the processing liquid by the substrate heating unit, and wherein   the controller is arranged to stop the heating of the processing liquid by the substrate heating unit based on a detection result from the liquid surface detecting unit.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting unit includes an in-plane condition detecting unit arranged to detect an in-plane condition of the processing liquid that represents a distribution of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate, in parallel with a heating of the substrate by the substrate heating unit, and wherein   the controller is arranged to determine whether or not a form of the liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate is abnormal based on a detection result from the in-plane condition detecting unit.   
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting unit includes an in-plane condition detecting unit arranged to detect an in-plane condition of the processing liquid that represents a distribution of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with the removal of the processing liquid by the processing liquid removing unit, and wherein   the controller is arranged to determine whether or not droplets of the processing liquid remain on the upper surface of the substrate based on a detection result from the in-plane condition detecting unit.   
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the substrate heating unit includes a plurality of heaters arranged to heat an entire upper surface of the substrate, and wherein   the controller includes an information receiving section arranged to receive substrate information including the surface condition of the substrate and a temperature setting section arranged to set a temperature for each of the plurality of heaters based on the substrate information received by the information receiving section, the controller arranged to perform a uniform heating step of uniformly heating the substrate at a temperature equal to or higher than a boiling point of the processing liquid, with the entire upper surface of the substrate being covered with the liquid film of the processing liquid, to vaporize the processing liquid and form a gaseous phase of the processing liquid between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate, and wherein   the processing liquid removing unit is arranged to move the liquid film of the processing liquid with respect to the substrate, with the gaseous phase existing between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate, to remove the liquid film of the processing liquid from the substrate.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim  7 , wherein the substrate information includes at least one of a shape, size, and material of a pattern. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid removing unit includes a guiding member including an outward guiding surface arranged to come into contact with a peripheral portion of the liquid film of the processing liquid on the substrate with a gaseous phase of the processing liquid existing between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate, the guiding member arranged to guide the processing liquid from the upper surface of the substrate to around the substrate through contact between the outward guiding surface and the liquid film of the processing liquid. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid removing unit includes a gas discharging unit arranged to discharge gas toward the upper surface of the substrate, with a gaseous phase of the processing liquid being formed between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate, to forma dried region from which the processing liquid is removed in a region of the upper surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim  7 , wherein the controller is arranged to further perform a temperature difference generating step of, after the uniform heating step, forming a low-temperature region with a temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the processing liquid and a high-temperature region with a temperature higher than that of the low-temperature region in the upper surface of the substrate with the gaseous phase being formed between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         12 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid removing unit includes an attitude changing unit arranged to tilt the substrate while keeping constant a relative attitude between the substrate heating unit and the substrate. 
     
     
         13 . A substrate processing method of drying an upper surface of a substrate that is held horizontally, the substrate processing method comprising:
 a processing liquid supplying step of supplying processing liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate;   a substrate heating step of heating the substrate to heat the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate;   a processing liquid removing step of removing the processing liquid from the upper surface of the substrate;   a processing liquid condition detecting step of detecting a condition of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with at least one of the processing liquid supplying step, the substrate heating step, and the processing liquid removing step; and   a controlling step of controlling at least one of the processing liquid supplying step, the substrate heating step, and the processing liquid removing step based on a detection result in the processing liquid condition detecting step.   
     
     
         14 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting step detects a level of a liquid surface of a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with the processing liquid supplying step, and wherein   the controlling step stops a supply of the processing liquid in the processing liquid supplying step based on the level of the liquid surface of the liquid film detected in the processing liquid condition detecting step.   
     
     
         15 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting step detects a level of a liquid surface of a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with the substrate heating step, and wherein   the controlling step stops a heating of the processing liquid in the substrate heating step based on the level of the liquid surface of the liquid film detected in the processing liquid condition detecting step.   
     
     
         16 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting step detects a form of a liquid film of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with the substrate heating step, and wherein   the controlling step determines whether or not the form of the liquid film of the processing liquid is abnormal based on the form of the liquid film detected in the processing liquid condition detecting step.   
     
     
         17 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the processing liquid condition detecting step detects a condition of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate in parallel with the processing liquid removing step, and wherein   the controlling step determines whether or not droplets of the processing liquid remain on the upper surface of the substrate based on the condition of the processing liquid detected in the processing liquid condition detecting step.   
     
     
         18 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 13 , wherein the substrate heating step causes the upper surface of the substrate to reach a temperature equal to or higher than a boiling point of the processing liquid, with the upper surface of the substrate being covered with a liquid film of the processing liquid, to form a gaseous phase of the processing liquid across the upper surface of the substrate between the liquid film of the processing liquid and the upper surface of the substrate and raise the film of the processing liquid over the substrate.