Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a spin base rotatable in a horizontal plane about a centered rotary axis; a holder to hold a substrate above the spin base; a lower surface processing unit to discharge a processing liquid toward a lower surface of the substrate held by the holder. The holder includes: a plurality of first abutting members that abut the substrate from a position obliquely below said substrate and that hold the substrate in a horizontal posture in a position spaced from an upper surface of said spin base; a plurality of second abutting members that abut the substrate from a position lateral to said substrate and that hold said substrate in a horizontal posture in a position spaced from the upper surface of said spin base. A switching mechanism switches between a first holding condition state where the first abutting members hold the substrate and a second holding condition state where the second abutting members hold the substrate; wherein, in the second holding condition state, the first abutting members are spaced from the substrate, and in the first holding condition state, an upper surface of the substrate is in a position above an upper end surface of each of the first and second abutting members are spaced from the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a substrate holder to hold a substrate in a horizontal posture, said substrate holder rotating said substrate about a vertical rotary axis passing through the center of a plane of said substrate; and   a processing head for peripheral area to process a front surface peripheral area of said substrate held by said substrate holder, wherein   said processing head for peripheral area including:
 a processing liquid nozzle to discharge a processing liquid toward said front surface peripheral area; and 
 a suction tube associated with said processing liquid nozzle to suck said residual processing liquid on said front surface peripheral area. 
   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein said processing head for peripheral area includes a support part that supports said processing liquid nozzle and said suction tube integrally.   
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein, in said processing liquid head for peripheral area, said suction tube is placed close to said processing liquid nozzle and downstream of a rotative direction of said substrate relative to said processing liquid nozzle.   
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein, in said processing liquid head for peripheral area, said suction tube is placed close to said processing liquid nozzle and upstream of a rotative direction of said substrate relative to said processing liquid nozzle.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein said suction tube has an open suction port formed at the tip of said suction tube, and   wherein while said suction tube is placed in a position that makes said open suction port face said front surface peripheral area, an end of said suction port on the part of the center of said substrate is closer to the end face of said substrate than an inner edge position of a target processing region, said target processing region being a region in said front surface peripheral area to be acted on by said processing liquid discharged from said processing liquid nozzle.   
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein said suction tube has an open suction port formed at the tip of said suction tube, and   wherein while said suction tube is placed in a position that makes said open suction port face said front surface peripheral area, an end of said suction port on the part of the end face of said substrate is closer to the inside than the end surface of said substrate.   
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein said processing liquid nozzle discharges said processing liquid toward a first position on said substrate, and   said suction tube sucks said processing liquid from a second position closer to the end face of said substrate than said first position.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein said processing head for peripheral area includes a gas nozzle that discharges gas toward said front surface peripheral area.   
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 a controller to control said processing head for peripheral area, wherein   said controller causes a processing liquid to be discharged from said processing liquid nozzle toward the front surface peripheral area of said substrate rotated, and makes said sucking tube suck said residual processing liquid on said front surface peripheral area.   
     
     
         10 . A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:
 a) rotating a substrate about a vertical rotary axis passing through the center of a plane of said substrate while holding said substrate in a horizontal posture;   b) discharging a processing liquid toward a front surface peripheral area of said substrate rotated; and   c) sucking said residual processing liquid on said front surface peripheral area in parallel with said step b).