Substrate processing apparatus

摘要

Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus capable of drying a substrate to be processed while suppressing the pattern collapse or the occurrence of contamination. A substrate is held in a liquid bath while being immersed in a liquid, and the liquid bath is disposed in a processing space of a processing vessel. A processing of drying the substrate is performed by replacing the liquid in the liquid bath with a supercritical-state fluid. A predetermined mechanism moves liquid bath between a processing location in the processing case and a stand-by location outside the processing case. A heater installed in the processing case changes the fluid to a supercritical state or maintains the supercritical state while cooling mechanisms cool down the liquid bath moved to the stand-by location outside the processing vessel.

主权项

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a liquid bath configured to hold and immerse a substrate to be processed in a liquid; a processing vessel configured to dispose the liquid bath in an internal processing space, replace the liquid in the liquid bath with a supercritical-state fluid, and depressurize the processing space such that the supercritical-state fluid is changed to a gaseous state, thereby drying the substrate; a fluid supplying unit configured to supply the fluid in a liquid state or a supercritical state to the processing vessel; a moving mechanism configured to move the liquid bath between a processing location within the processing vessel and a stand-by location outside the processing vessel where the substrate is exchanged; a heating mechanism configured to heat the processing space in order to change the fluid supplied to the processing vessel to the supercritical state or maintain the supercritical state; and a cooling mechanism provided at the stand-by location outside the processing vessel and configured to cool down the liquid bath moved to the stand-by location while the processing vessel is being heated independently from the liquid bath, wherein the cooling mechanism is provided in a location to face the outer surface of the liquid bath at the stand-by location outside the processing vessel such that the liquid bath is cooled at the stand-by location either with or without the substrate being disposed in the liquid bath.