Substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of holding a substrate horizontally, a liquid droplet discharging step wherein liquid droplets of an organic solvent, formed by mixing the organic solvent and a gas, are discharged from a double-fluid nozzle toward a predetermined discharge region within an upper surface of the substrate, and a liquid film forming step, executed before the liquid droplet discharging step, of supplying the organic solvent to the double fluid nozzle without supplying the gas, so as to discharge the organic solvent in a continuous stream mode from the double-fluid nozzle to form a liquid film of the organic solvent covering the discharge region on the upper surface of the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing method comprising:
 a substrate holding step of holding a substrate horizontally;   a liquid droplet discharging step wherein liquid droplets of an organic solvent, the liquid droplets being formed by mixing the organic solvent and a gas, are discharged from a double-fluid nozzle toward a predetermined discharge region within an upper surface of the substrate, while a first guard faces a peripheral end surface of the substrate;   a liquid film forming step, executed before the liquid droplet discharging step, of supplying the organic solvent onto the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the organic solvent covering the discharge region on the upper surface of the substrate;   a drying step of rotating the substrate around the rotational axis, without supplying the organic solvent to the upper surface of the substrate, to dry the upper surface of the substrate; and   a facing guard changing step of changing the guard facing the peripheral end surface of the substrate from the first guard to a second guard, differing from the first guard, after the liquid droplet discharging step is ended and before the drying step is executed.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a first rotating step of rotating the substrate around the rotational axis in parallel with the liquid droplet discharging step. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 2 , further comprising: a post-supplying step of supplying the organic solvent to the upper surface of the substrate after the liquid droplet discharging step. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 3 , further comprising: a second rotating step, executed in parallel with the post-supplying step, of rotating the substrate around the rotational axis at a higher speed than that in the first rotating step. 
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 3 , wherein in the post-supplying step, the organic solvent is supplied to the double-fluid nozzle without supplying the gas, so as to discharge the organic solvent in a continuous stream mode from the double-fluid nozzle. 
     
     
         6 . The substrate treatment method according to  claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle moving step of moving the double fluid nozzle;
 wherein the liquid droplet discharging step starts discharging of droplets of the organic solvent to a discharge region of the organic solvent on the upper surface of the substrate at the end of the liquid film forming step.   
     
     
         7 . The treatment method according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the discharge region includes a peripheral edge on the upper surface of the substrate; and   the liquid droplet discharging step starts discharging of droplets of the organic solvent to the peripheral edge on the upper surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a first preliminary preparation step of preparing a silicon substrate, having SiO2 disposed at the upper surface, as the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a second preliminary preparation step of preparing a semiconductor substrate, including an insulating film constituted of a low dielectric constant material of lower relative dielectric constant than SiO2 and a copper wiring disposed on the insulating film, as the substrate. 
     
     
         10 . A substrate processing method comprising: a substrate holding step of holding a substrate horizontally;
 a liquid droplet discharging step wherein liquid droplets of an organic solvent, the liquid droplets being formed by mixing the organic solvent and a gas, are discharged from a double-fluid nozzle toward a predetermined discharge region within an upper surface of the substrate;   a liquid film forming step, executed before the liquid droplet discharging step, of supplying the organic solvent onto the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the organic solvent covering the discharge region on the upper surface of the substrate;   a discharge region moving step of moving the position of the discharge region within the upper surface of the substrate; and   an additional organic solvent supplying step of supplying, in parallel to the discharge region moving step, the organic solvent to a rearward position with respect to a direction of progress of the discharge region; and   wherein the organic solvent is not supplied to a forward position with respect to the direction of progress of the discharge region in the additional organic solvent supplying step.   
     
     
         11 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 10 , further comprising: a first rotating step of rotating the substrate around the rotational axis in parallel with the liquid droplet discharging step. 
     
     
         12 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 11 , further comprising: a post-supplying step of supplying the organic solvent to the upper surface of the substrate after the liquid droplet discharging step. 
     
     
         13 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 12 , further comprising: a second rotating step, executed in parallel with the post-supplying step, of rotating the substrate around the rotational axis at a higher speed than that in the first rotating step. 
     
     
         14 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 12 , wherein in the post-supplying step, the organic solvent is supplied to the double-fluid nozzle without supplying the gas, so as to discharge the organic solvent in a continuous stream mode from the double-fluid nozzle. 
     
     
         15 . The substrate treatment method according to  claim 10 , further comprising a nozzle moving step of moving the double fluid nozzle;
 wherein the liquid droplet discharging step starts discharging of droplets of the organic solvent to a discharge region of the organic solvent on the upper surface of the substrate at the end of the liquid film forming step.   
     
     
         16 . The treatment method according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein the discharge region includes a peripheral edge on the upper surface of the substrate; and   the liquid droplet discharging step starts discharging of droplets of the organic solvent to the peripheral edge on the upper surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         17 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 10 , further comprising: a first preliminary preparation step of preparing a silicon substrate, having SiO2 disposed at the upper surface, as the substrate. 
     
     
         18 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 10 , further comprising: a second preliminary preparation step of preparing a semiconductor substrate, including an insulating film constituted of a low dielectric constant material of lower relative dielectric constant than SiO2 and a copper wiring disposed on the insulating film, as the substrate.