JP7499653B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing apparatus.

Patent document 1 discloses a processing method characterized by providing a temperature distribution to the object to be processed when the object is coated with a processing liquid.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-36597

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress film thickness variations between substrates.

A substrate processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes performing liquid processing using a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit supplying processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is held at the processing position, and holding the substrate such that a coating of processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the processing liquid is supplied, and performing a temperature control process prior to the liquid processing, which adjusts the temperature of a member of the liquid processing unit that affects the temperature of the substrate when the liquid processing is performed.

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing method, a storage medium, and a substrate processing apparatus that can suppress film thickness variations between substrates.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an example of a coating and developing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the liquid processing unit. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the control device. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a substrate processing method. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the liquid treatment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process. FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of the measurement results of the film thickness fluctuation according to the comparative example. FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of a measurement result of the film thickness variation according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a liquid processing unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of a substrate processing method. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process. Fig. 13A is a graph showing an example of a measurement result of a film thickness variation according to a comparative example, Fig. 13B and Fig. 13C are graphs showing an example of a measurement result of a film thickness variation according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a liquid processing unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of a substrate processing method. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process. FIG. 17 is a graph showing an example of a temperature change of the inner cup. FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing an example of a substrate processing method. Fig. 19A is a graph showing an example of a measurement result of a film thickness variation according to a comparative example, and Fig. 19B is a graph showing an example of a measurement result of a film thickness variation according to a third embodiment.

Various exemplary embodiments are described below.

A substrate processing method according to one exemplary embodiment includes performing liquid processing using a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit supplying processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit holding the substrate at the processing position, and holding the substrate such that a coating of processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the processing liquid is supplied, and performing a temperature control process prior to the liquid processing to adjust the temperature of a member of the liquid processing unit that affects the temperature of the substrate when the liquid processing is performed.

In liquid processing using a processing liquid, as a coating is formed after the processing liquid is supplied, some of the liquid contained in the processing liquid evaporates, and the heat of vaporization can cause a drop in the temperature around the processing position. Therefore, if the liquid processing is performed repeatedly, the temperature conditions around the processing position may vary from liquid processing to liquid processing, causing a risk of variation in the thickness of the coating. In contrast, in the above-mentioned substrate processing method, liquid processing can be performed under conditions in which the temperature variation around the processing position is reduced by a temperature control process that adjusts the temperature of components that affect the temperature of the substrate. This makes it possible to suppress film thickness variation between substrates.

The processing conditions in the temperature control process may be set according to the start timing of the liquid processing. The temperature around the processing position may vary depending on the start timing of the liquid processing. Therefore, by setting the processing conditions in the temperature control process according to the start timing of the liquid processing, it is possible to appropriately adjust the ambient temperature around the processing position at the start of the liquid processing.

The member may include a holding part that supports the back surface of the substrate so as to hold the substrate at the processing position. The temperature adjustment process may include cooling the holding part by supplying a first fluid to the holding part. In this case, the holding part that affects the temperature of the substrate is cooled before the liquid processing is performed, and the degree to which the ambient temperature of the processing position decreases as the liquid processing is performed is reduced. This reduces the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing, making it possible to suppress film thickness variations between substrates.

Supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate may include supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the holder supporting the substrate by a rotating holder connected to the holder. Supplying the first fluid to the holder may include supplying the first fluid to a center portion of the holder. The center portion of the holder is located near a drive portion for rotating the holder, and the heat capacity of the center portion tends to be greater than other portions. Therefore, by cooling the center portion of the holder, it is possible to increase the degree of temperature control by the temperature control process.

The above member may include an inner cup arranged in a state close to the outer periphery of the back surface of the substrate in a container surrounding the substrate held at the processing position. The temperature adjustment process may include cooling the inner cup by supplying a second fluid to the inner cup. In this case, the inner cup, which affects the temperature of the substrate, is cooled before the liquid processing is performed, and the degree to which the ambient temperature of the processing position decreases with the execution of the liquid processing is reduced. Therefore, the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced, making it possible to suppress film thickness variation between substrates.

Cooling the inner cup by supplying the second fluid to the inner cup may include supplying a solvent to the inner cup and, after supplying the solvent, maintaining a state in which no solvent is supplied to the inner cup. In this case, the cooling of the inner cup proceeds due to the heat of vaporization of the solvent after it is supplied to the inner cup, so that it is possible to cool the inner cup while minimizing the amount of solvent used.

The substrate processing method may start the liquid processing within a predetermined time after the inner cup is cooled to the target temperature by supplying the second fluid to the inner cup. In this case, it is possible to start the liquid processing when the ambient temperature of the processing position has dropped.

The substrate processing method may further include removing the substrate from the processing position after the liquid processing, and supplying a second fluid to the inner cup during the period from when the supply of the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate is completed until when removal of the substrate from the processing position is started. In this case, it is possible to suppress the variation in the temperature of the inner cup after the liquid processing for each liquid processing.

The member may include a holder that supports the back surface of the substrate so as to hold the substrate at the processing position. Supplying the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate may include supplying the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate while rotating the holder that is supporting the substrate. The temperature adjustment process may include increasing the temperature of the holder by rotating the holder when the holder is not supporting the substrate. In this case, the temperature of the holder that affects the temperature of the substrate increases before the liquid processing is performed, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the ambient temperature of the processing position as the liquid processing is performed. Therefore, the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced, making it possible to suppress film thickness variations between substrates.

The storage medium according to one exemplary embodiment is a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing an apparatus to execute the above-described substrate processing method.

A substrate processing apparatus according to one exemplary embodiment includes a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, and a control unit that controls the liquid processing unit. The control unit causes the liquid processing unit to perform liquid processing including supplying processing liquid to the surface of the substrate held at the processing position and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the processing liquid is supplied. The control unit causes the liquid processing unit to perform a temperature adjustment process prior to the liquid processing, which adjusts the temperature of components of the liquid processing unit that affect the temperature of the substrate when the liquid processing is performed. In this substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to suppress film thickness variations between substrates, similar to the substrate processing method described above.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the description, identical elements or elements having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[First embodiment]
First, as an example of a system including a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The substrate processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that forms a photosensitive film on a workpiece W, exposes the photosensitive film, and develops the photosensitive film. The workpiece W to be processed is, for example, a substrate, or a substrate on which a film or circuit or the like has been formed by performing a predetermined process. The substrate included in the workpiece W is, for example, a wafer containing silicon. The workpiece W (substrate) may be formed in a circular shape. The workpiece W to be processed may be a glass substrate, a mask substrate, an FPD (Flat Panel Display), or the like, or may be an intermediate body obtained by performing a predetermined process on such a substrate. The photosensitive film is, for example, a resist film.

The substrate processing system 1 includes a coating/developing device 2 and an exposure device 3. The coating/developing device 2 applies resist (chemical solution) to the surface of the workpiece W to form a resist film before the exposure process by the exposure device 3, and develops the resist film after the exposure process. The exposure device 3 is a device that exposes the resist film (photosensitive coating) formed on the workpiece W (substrate). Specifically, the exposure device 3 irradiates the exposure target portion of the resist film with energy rays by a method such as immersion exposure.

The configuration of the coating/developing apparatus 2 will be described below as an example of a substrate processing apparatus. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the coating/developing apparatus 2 includes a carrier block 4, a processing block 5, an interface block 6, and a control device 100 (control unit).

The carrier block 4 introduces the workpiece W into the coating/developing device 2 and removes the workpiece W from the coating/developing device 2. For example, the carrier block 4 can support multiple carriers C for the workpiece W and has a built-in transport device A1 including a transfer arm. The carrier C accommodates, for example, multiple circular workpieces W. The transport device A1 removes the workpiece W from the carrier C and passes it to the processing block 5, and receives the workpiece W from the processing block 5 and returns it to the carrier C. The processing block 5 has processing modules 11, 12, 13, and 14.

The processing module 11 incorporates a liquid processing unit U1, a heat processing unit U2, and a transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to these units. The processing module 11 forms an underlayer film on the surface of the workpiece W using the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2. The liquid processing unit U1 applies a processing liquid for forming the underlayer film onto the workpiece W. The heat processing unit U2 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the underlayer film.

The processing module 12 incorporates a liquid processing unit U1, a heat processing unit U2, and a transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to these units. The processing module 12 forms a resist film on the underlayer film using the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2. The liquid processing unit U1 applies a processing liquid for forming a resist film onto the underlayer film, thereby forming a coating of the processing liquid on the surface of the workpiece W. The heat processing unit U2 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the resist film.

The processing module 13 incorporates a liquid processing unit U1, a heat processing unit U2, and a transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to these units. The processing module 13 forms an upper layer film on the resist film using the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2. The liquid processing unit U1 applies a processing liquid for forming the upper layer film onto the resist film. The heat processing unit U2 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the upper layer film.

The processing module 14 incorporates a liquid processing unit U1, a heat processing unit U2, and a transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to these units. The processing module 14 uses the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2 to perform development processing of the resist film that has been subjected to exposure processing and heat processing associated with the development processing. The liquid processing unit U1 applies a developer to the surface of the exposed workpiece W, and then washes it away with a rinsing liquid to perform development processing of the resist film. The heat processing unit U2 performs various heat processing associated with the development processing. Specific examples of heat processing include a pre-development heat treatment (PEB: Post Exposure Bake) and a post-development heat treatment (PB: Post Bake).

A shelf unit U8 is provided on the carrier block 4 side within the processing block 5. The shelf unit U8 is divided into multiple cells arranged in the vertical direction. A transport device A7 including a lifting arm is provided near the shelf unit U8. The transport device A7 raises and lowers the workpiece W between the cells of the shelf unit U8.

A shelf unit U9 is provided on the interface block 6 side of the processing block 5. The shelf unit U9 is divided into multiple cells arranged vertically.

The interface block 6 transfers the workpiece W to and from the exposure device 3. For example, the interface block 6 has a built-in transport device A8 including a transfer arm, and is connected to the exposure device 3. The transport device A8 transfers the workpiece W placed on the shelf unit U9 to the exposure device 3. The transport device A8 receives the workpiece W from the exposure device 3 and returns it to the shelf unit U9.

The control device 100 controls the coating/developing device 2 to perform the coating/developing process, for example, in the following procedure. First, the control device 100 controls the transport device A1 to transport the workpiece W in the carrier C to the shelf unit U8, and then controls the transport device A7 to place the workpiece W in the cell for the processing module 11.

The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W from the shelf unit U8 to the liquid treatment unit U1 and heat treatment unit U2 in the processing module 11. The control device 100 also controls the liquid treatment unit U1 and heat treatment unit U2 to form an underlayer film on the surface of the workpiece W. The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to return the workpiece W with the underlayer film formed thereon to the shelf unit U8, and controls the transport device A7 to place the workpiece W in a cell for the processing module 12.

The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W from the shelf unit U8 to the liquid processing unit U1 and heat processing unit U2 in the processing module 12. The control device 100 also controls the liquid processing unit U1 and heat processing unit U2 to form a resist film on the surface of the workpiece W. The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to return the workpiece W to the shelf unit U8, and controls the transport device A7 to place the workpiece W in a cell for the processing module 13.

The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W from the shelf unit U8 to each unit in the processing module 13. The control device 100 also controls the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2 to form an upper layer film on the resist film of the workpiece W. The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W to the shelf unit U9.

The control device 100 then controls the transport device A8 to send the workpiece W from the shelf unit U9 to the exposure device 3. The control device 100 then controls the transport device A8 to receive the workpiece W that has been subjected to the exposure process from the exposure device 3 and place it in a cell for the processing module 14 in the shelf unit U9.

The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W from the shelf unit U9 to each unit in the processing module 14, and controls the liquid processing unit U1 and the heat processing unit U2 to perform development processing of the resist film on the workpiece W. The control device 100 then controls the transport device A3 to return the workpiece W to the shelf unit U8, and controls the transport device A7 and the transport device A1 to return the workpiece W into the carrier C. This completes the coating and developing processing for one workpiece W. The control device 100 also causes the coating and developing device 2 to perform the coating and developing processing for each of the multiple workpieces W in the same manner as described above.

The specific configuration of the substrate processing apparatus is not limited to the configuration of the coating/developing apparatus 2 exemplified above. The substrate processing apparatus may be any type as long as it includes a liquid processing unit that forms a coating of the processing liquid and a control device that can control the liquid processing unit.

(Liquid processing unit)
Next, an example of the liquid processing unit U1 of the processing module 12 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3. The liquid processing unit U1 holds the workpiece W at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W held at the processing position, thereby performing liquid processing on the workpiece W. By performing liquid processing on the workpiece W, a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W. The processing position is a position where the workpiece W to be processed is held during the execution of liquid processing by the liquid processing unit U1. As shown in Fig. 3, the liquid processing unit U1 has, for example, a spinning holder 30 and a processing liquid supplying part 40.

The rotating holding unit 30 holds the workpiece W at the processing position and then rotates the workpiece W. The rotating holding unit 30 has, for example, a holding unit 32 and a rotation drive unit 34. The holding unit 32 supports the back surface of the workpiece W so as to hold the workpiece W at the processing position. The holding unit 32 supports the back surface Wb of the workpiece W with the front surface Wa of the workpiece W facing upward, and may hold the workpiece W (back surface Wb) by, for example, vacuum suction or the like. The holding unit 32 may support the center of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W. The holding unit 32 has, for example, a mounting unit 33 including a surface (hereinafter referred to as the "mounting surface 33a") on which the center of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W is placed, and a shaft 36 that supports the mounting unit 33. The area of the mounting surface 33a is smaller than the area of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W. In one example, the mounting surface 33a is formed in a circular shape, and the radius of the mounting surface 33a is about 1/3 to 1/2 of the radius of the workpiece W. As described above, the holding part 32 (mounting surface 33a) is in contact with the back surface Wb of the workpiece W, so the temperature of the holding part 32 affects the temperature of the workpiece W when liquid processing is performed. In other words, the holding part 32 is a member that affects the temperature of the workpiece W when liquid processing is performed (hereinafter referred to as the "temperature-influencing member").

The rotation drive unit 34 is connected to the holding unit 32. For example, the rotation drive unit 34 is connected to the mounting unit 33 via a shaft 36. The rotation drive unit 34 rotates the shaft 36 (holding unit 32) around the vertical axis Ax by a power source such as an electric motor. This causes the workpiece W to rotate around the axis Ax. The holding unit 32 may hold the workpiece W so that the center of the workpiece W approximately coincides with the axis Ax (center of rotation).

The processing liquid supply unit 40 supplies processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W held in the holding unit 32. The processing liquid is a solution (resist liquid) for forming a resist film. The processing liquid supply unit 40 has, for example, a nozzle 42, a tank 44, a valve 46, and a nozzle drive unit 48.

The nozzle 42 ejects the processing liquid from above the processing position toward the surface Wa of the workpiece W held in the holding unit 32. The nozzle 42 is connected to the tank 44 via a pipeline 49. The tank 44 contains the processing liquid and supplies the processing liquid toward the nozzle 42. The valve 46 is provided in the pipeline 49. The valve 46 is, for example, an air operation valve, and adjusts the opening degree in the pipeline 49. By controlling the valve 46, it is possible to switch between a state in which the processing liquid is ejected from the nozzle 42 and a state in which the processing liquid is not ejected from the nozzle 42. The nozzle drive unit 48 adjusts the position of the nozzle 42. The nozzle drive unit 48 moves the nozzle 42 along the surface Wa of the workpiece W by a power source such as a motor.

(Control device)
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 100 has a memory unit 102 and a control unit 104 as functional components. The memory unit 102 stores a program for operating each part of the coating/developing device 2 including the liquid processing unit U1. The memory unit 102 also stores various data (e.g., information related to an instruction signal for operating the liquid processing unit U1) and information from sensors and the like provided in each part. The memory unit 102 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, an optical recording disk, a magnetic recording disk, or a magneto-optical recording disk. The program may also be included in an external storage device separate from the memory unit 102, or in an intangible medium such as a propagated signal. The program may be installed in the memory unit 102 from these other media, and the program may be stored in the memory unit 102.

The control unit 104 controls the operation of each part of the coating/developing apparatus 2 based on the program read from the memory unit 102. The control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U1 to perform liquid processing on the workpiece W. This liquid processing includes supplying the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W held at the processing position by the holding unit 32, and holding the workpiece W in the holding unit 32 so that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W after the supply of the processing liquid. For example, when supplying the processing liquid to the surface Wa, the control unit 104 supplies the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W by the processing liquid supply unit 40 while rotating the holding unit 32 supporting the workpiece W by the rotation drive unit 34. When forming a coating of the processing liquid, the control unit 104 rotates the holding unit 32 (workpiece W) by the rotation drive unit 34 while stopping the supply of the processing liquid.

The control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U1 to perform a temperature control process prior to the liquid processing, which adjusts the temperature of a temperature-affecting member that affects the temperature of the workpiece W when the liquid processing is performed. When performing the temperature control process, the control unit 104 increases the temperature of the holding unit 32, for example, by rotating the holding unit 32 in a state in which the holding unit 32 is not supporting the workpiece W. In this case, the temperature of the holding unit 32 after the temperature control process is performed is higher than the temperature of the holding unit 32 when the temperature control process is not performed. In one example, when performing the above liquid processing on each of multiple workpieces W, the control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U1 to perform a temperature control process between one liquid processing and the liquid processing next to the one liquid processing.

The control device 100 is composed of one or more control computers. For example, the control device 100 has a circuit 120 shown in FIG. 4. The circuit 120 has one or more processors 122, a memory 124, a storage 126, an input/output port 128, and a timer 132. The storage 126 has a computer-readable storage medium, such as a hard disk. The storage medium stores a program for causing the control device 100 to execute a substrate processing method, which will be described later. The storage medium may be a removable medium, such as a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. The memory 124 temporarily stores the program loaded from the storage medium of the storage 126 and the results of calculations performed by the processor 122.

The processor 122 executes the above program in cooperation with the memory 124. The input/output port 128 inputs and outputs electrical signals between the rotating holder 30 and the processing liquid supply unit 40, etc., in accordance with instructions from the processor 122. The timer 132 measures the elapsed time, for example, by counting a reference pulse at a constant period. The hardware configuration of the control device 100 may be configured with a dedicated logic circuit or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that integrates the dedicated logic circuit.

(Substrate Processing Method)
5 to 7, a series of processes including liquid processing and temperature control processing performed in the liquid processing unit U1 of the processing module 12 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing a series of processes performed in sequence on a plurality of workpieces W in one liquid processing unit U1.

The control unit 104 of the control device 100 first controls the transport device A3 and the liquid processing unit U1 to transport the workpiece W to be processed into the liquid processing unit U1 (step S01). For example, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid processing unit U1 to place the workpiece W to be processed on the holding unit 32 of the rotating holding unit 30, and causes the holding unit 32 to hold the workpiece W at the above-mentioned processing position. This completes the transport of the workpiece W to the processing position in the liquid processing unit U1. The temperature of the workpiece W to be processed may be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature by a temperature adjustment unit provided in the coating/developing device 2 before (just before) being transported into the liquid processing unit U1.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U1 to perform liquid processing on the workpiece W held at the processing position by the holding unit 32 (step S02). At the start of liquid processing on the first workpiece W, the temperature inside the liquid processing unit U1 (the temperature around the processing position) may be adjusted to approach the set temperature. Specific examples of liquid processing will be described later. Note that, during liquid processing, temperature adjustment may be continued so that the temperature inside the liquid processing unit U1 does not deviate (excessively) from the set temperature.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid processing unit U1 to transport the workpiece W after the liquid processing from the liquid processing unit U1 (step S03). For example, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U1 and the transport device A3 to release the suction of the workpiece W by the holding unit 32, and then transfer the workpiece W after the liquid processing from the holding unit 32 to the transport device A3. This completes the transport of the workpiece W from the processing position in the liquid processing unit U1.

Next, the control unit 104 judges whether the processing of the predetermined set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S04). If it is judged in step S04 that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has not been completed (step S04: NO), the control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U1 to execute the above-mentioned temperature adjustment process (step S05). For example, the control unit 104 rotates the holding unit 32, which is not holding a workpiece W, by the rotation drive unit 34 so as to increase the temperature of the holding unit 32. In one example, the control unit 104 rotates the holding unit 32 by the rotation drive unit 34 so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature. A specific example of the temperature adjustment process will be described later. After the end of step S05, the control unit 104 executes the processes of steps S01 to S04 again.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S04 that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S04: YES), the control unit 104 ends the series of processes. In the series of processes described above, the processes of steps S01 to S05 are repeated until the processing of the set number of workpieces W has been completed. In this case, the temperature adjustment process of step S05 is performed after the liquid processing is performed on one workpiece W and before the liquid processing is performed on the subsequent workpiece W to be processed after the one workpiece W. In this example, the temperature adjustment process of step S05 is not performed before the liquid processing is performed on the first workpiece W, but the control unit 104 may cause the liquid processing unit U1 to perform the temperature adjustment process of step S05 before the liquid processing is performed on the first workpiece W. Note that the control unit 104 may end the series of processes described above after performing the liquid processing on the last workpiece W and then having the liquid processing unit U1 perform the temperature adjustment process of step S05.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the liquid treatment in step S02. In the liquid treatment in step S02, first, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to start rotating the holding unit 32 holding the workpiece W brought into the treatment position (step S11). For example, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to rotate the workpiece W around the axis Ax at a predetermined first rotation speed.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the processing liquid supply unit 40 to start supplying the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W (step S12). For example, the control unit 104 controls the nozzle drive unit 48 to position the nozzle 42 of the processing liquid supply unit 40 at a position opposite the center of the workpiece W, and then switches the valve 46 from a closed state to an open state. This causes the processing liquid to start being ejected from the nozzle 42 toward the center (center of rotation) of the workpiece W being rotated by the rotating holder 30.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined supply time has elapsed since the start of supply of the treatment liquid (step S13). This supply period and the first rotation speed are stored in the memory unit 102, and are set to a degree that allows the treatment liquid to be spread over the surface Wa of the workpiece W. Next, the control unit 104 controls the treatment liquid supply unit 40 to stop supplying the treatment liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W (step S14). For example, the control unit 104 stops the discharge of the treatment liquid from the nozzle 42 by switching the valve 46 from an open state to a closed state.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the rotation holding unit 30 to adjust the rotation speed of the workpiece W (step S15). For example, the control unit 104 controls the rotation holding unit 30 to decelerate the rotation of the workpiece W from the first rotation speed to a second rotation speed. The second rotation speed is predetermined to a value lower than the first rotation speed.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined drying time has elapsed after the rotation of the workpiece W is adjusted to the second rotation speed in step S15 (step S16). This drying time and the second rotation speed are stored in the memory unit 102 and are set to a degree that a coating (coating film) of the processing liquid is formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W. Next, the control unit 104 controls the rotation holding unit 30 to stop the rotation of the workpiece W (step S17). With the above, the liquid processing for one workpiece W is completed. In this liquid processing, the control unit 104 continues the rotation of the workpiece W at the second rotation speed by the rotation holding unit 30 for the drying time, so that the workpiece W is held so that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W. The liquid (solvent) contained in the processing liquid supplied to the surface Wa of the workpiece W evaporates, forming a coating of the processing liquid. The heat of vaporization accompanying the evaporation of the solvent in the processing liquid may cause the temperature around the processing position (the temperature of the temperature-affecting members such as the holding unit 32) to drop below the above-mentioned set temperature. For this reason, the temperature adjustment process is carried out in step S05.

Figure 7 is a flow chart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process of step S05. In the temperature adjustment process of step S05, first, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to start rotating the holding unit 32 when the holding unit 32 is not holding the workpiece W (step S21). For example, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to rotate the holding unit 32 at a third rotation speed.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until the idling time has elapsed from the start of rotation of the workpiece W at the third rotation speed (step S22). Next, the control unit 104 controls the rotating and holding unit 30 to stop the rotation of the holding unit 32 (step S23). This ends one temperature adjustment process. The idling time and the third rotation speed may be predetermined or may be stored in the memory unit 102. In this case, the idling time and the third rotation speed may be set so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature (approaches the target range). The third rotation speed may be higher than the second rotation speed in forming the coating of the treatment liquid, and may be higher than the first rotation speed in supplying (discharging) the treatment liquid.

The control unit 104 may set the processing conditions in the temperature control process according to the start timing of the liquid processing performed next to the temperature control process. The processing conditions include the above-mentioned idling time and the third rotation speed, and the processing conditions specify the operation of the liquid processing unit U1 when the temperature control process is performed. In other words, the control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U1 to perform the temperature control process according to the processing conditions. The memory unit 102 may store information that associates the idling time and the third rotation speed with the rising temperature of the holding unit 32, and the target temperature of the holding unit 32. The control unit 104 may set the processing conditions so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature according to the time (hereinafter referred to as the "processing waiting time") between the start timing of the temperature control process and the start timing of the liquid processing performed next to the temperature control process (the timing of carrying in the work W to be subjected to the next liquid processing). In this case, the control unit 104 may determine the idling time according to the processing waiting time and then determine the third rotation speed. The third rotation speed may be determined to be a value greater than the second rotation speed in forming a coating of the treatment liquid, or may be determined to be a value greater than the first rotation speed in supplying (discharging) the treatment liquid. The control unit 104 may obtain information regarding the start timing of the next liquid treatment (the timing of carrying in the next workpiece W) before the start of the temperature adjustment process, depending on the situation before the liquid treatment of the workpiece W to be treated.

The procedure for the series of processes including the liquid processing and temperature control processing described above is one example and can be modified as appropriate. For example, some of the steps (processing) described above may be omitted, or each step may be performed in a different order. Any two or more of the steps described above may be combined, or some of the steps may be modified or deleted. Alternatively, other steps may be performed in addition to the steps described above. In the above example, the temperature control processing of step S05 is performed for each liquid processing of one workpiece W, but one temperature control processing may be performed for each multiple liquid processing of multiple workpieces W.

(Effects of the First Embodiment)
The substrate processing method according to the first embodiment described above includes performing liquid processing using a liquid processing unit U1 that holds the workpiece W at a predetermined processing position and supplies processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W, the liquid processing including supplying processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W held at the processing position and holding the workpiece W such that a coating of processing liquid is formed on the surface Wa of the workpiece W after the supply of the processing liquid, and performing a temperature control process prior to the liquid processing, which adjusts the temperature of a temperature-affecting member of the liquid processing unit U1 that affects the temperature of the workpiece W when the liquid processing is performed.

In liquid processing using a processing liquid, as a coating is formed after the processing liquid is supplied, some of the liquid contained in the processing liquid evaporates, and the heat of vaporization can cause a drop in the temperature around the processing position. Therefore, if the liquid processing is performed repeatedly, the temperature conditions around the processing position may vary from liquid processing to liquid processing, which may cause variations in the thickness of the coating. In contrast, in the above-mentioned substrate processing method, the liquid processing can be performed under conditions where the temperature variation around the processing position is reduced by a temperature control process that adjusts the temperature of the members that affect the temperature of the workpiece W. Therefore, it is possible to suppress film thickness variations between workpieces W.

In the above substrate processing method, the processing conditions for the temperature control process are set according to the start timing of the liquid processing. The temperature around the processing position may vary depending on the start timing of the liquid processing. Therefore, by setting the processing conditions for the temperature control process according to the start timing of the liquid processing, it is possible to appropriately adjust the ambient temperature around the processing position at the start of the liquid processing.

An example of a temperature-affecting member is a holding part 32 that supports the back surface Wb of the workpiece W so as to hold the workpiece W at the processing position. In the above substrate processing method, supplying the processing liquid to the front surface Wa of the workpiece W includes supplying the processing liquid to the front surface Wa of the workpiece W while rotating the holding part 32 in a state in which the holding part 32 supports the workpiece W. The temperature control process includes increasing the temperature of the holding part 32 by rotating the holding part 32 in a state in which the holding part 32 does not support the workpiece W. In this case, the temperature of the holding part 32, which affects the temperature of the workpiece W, increases before performing the liquid processing, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the ambient temperature of the processing position accompanying the execution of the liquid processing. Therefore, the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced, making it possible to suppress film thickness variations between the workpieces W.

Here, the effect of the substrate processing method according to the first embodiment will be further described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 shows the measurement result of the thickness (film thickness) of the coating according to the comparative example when the temperature adjustment process of step S05 was not performed. In the measurement of the film thickness according to the comparative example, the above-mentioned liquid processing is performed continuously on five workpieces W, and the film thickness of the central part of the coating of the processing liquid on the surface Wa of the workpieces W is measured. The central part of the coating to be measured for the film thickness corresponds to the part where the workpiece W contacts the holding part 32 (mounting surface 33a), and the film thickness is measured at multiple points in the central part of the coating, and the average value is calculated as the film thickness of the central part. In Fig. 8, the vertical axis indicates the measured film thickness at the central part of the coating, and the "Wafer No." on the horizontal axis indicates which workpiece W is the workpiece W among the five workpieces that have been subjected to the liquid processing in order. In Fig. 8, the circles indicate the measured film thickness (average value), and the dashed line indicates an approximation line calculated based on the measured film thickness.

From the measurement results in FIG. 8, it can be seen that the film thickness in the center becomes smaller as the number of liquid treatments increases. This variation (decrease) in film thickness is thought to be due to the decrease in the temperature around the treatment position due to the heat of vaporization when the solvent in the treatment liquid evaporates during the liquid treatment. In one liquid treatment, when the workpiece W is rotated to form a coating after the supply of the treatment liquid, the solvent in the treatment liquid evaporates in the first stage of the coating formation period, so that the temperature around the treatment position drops below the above-mentioned set temperature. Then, in the second stage of the coating formation period, the solvent hardly evaporates, and the temperature around the treatment position gradually rises toward the set temperature. After the liquid treatment is completed (after the treatment liquid is supplied), the workpiece W may be removed and the next liquid treatment may be performed before the temperature around the treatment position rises to the set temperature. In this case, the temperature around the treatment position in the next liquid treatment is lower than the temperature around the treatment position in the previous liquid treatment, and the thickness of the coating formed may vary. In contrast, in the substrate processing method according to the first embodiment, the temperature of the holding part 32 is increased before liquid processing, which prevents the temperature from decreasing around the processing position, thereby suppressing the variation in film thickness between the workpieces W.

The degree of film thickness variation between the workpieces W can be expressed by the slope of the approximation line in the measurement results shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 shows the measurement results of film thickness variation when the temperature control process of step S05 is performed before the liquid processing of each of the second to fifth workpieces W out of the five workpieces W. In FIG. 9, the vertical axis shows the slope of the approximation line (change in film thickness for each workpiece W) based on the measurement results of the film thickness at the center of the coating for the five workpieces W, and the horizontal axis shows the rotation time of the holding part 32 when the workpiece W is not being held. In the measurement of film thickness variation in FIG. 9, the rotation speed and rotation time are each changed in three stages. In FIG. 9, "ω1", "ω2", and "ω3" indicate the rotation speed (rpm), with ω3, ω2, and ω1 being larger in value. The rotation time is changed in three stages: Rt1 (seconds), 2×Rt1 (seconds), and 3×Rt1 (seconds). The measured value Ft0 when the rotation time is zero indicates the measurement result of the film thickness variation (slope of the approximate line) in the above-mentioned comparative example. Note that the measurement results in Figure 9 do not include the measurement results when the rotation time is 2 x Rt1 (seconds) and the rotation speed is ω2.

9 show approximate straight lines calculated based on multiple measured values of the film thickness variation for each rotation speed. From the measurement results in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the film thickness variation is reduced when the temperature control process in step S05 is performed, compared to the measured value Ft0 indicating the film thickness variation in the comparative example. In addition, in the range of change in rotation time in the measurement results in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the value of the film thickness variation is reduced more as the rotation time increases, regardless of the rotation speed. Furthermore, by comparing the approximate straight lines for each rotation speed, it can be seen that in the range of change in rotation speed in the measurement results in FIG. 9, the slope (absolute value) of the approximate straight line is larger as the rotation speed increases, and the value of the film thickness variation is reduced more as the rotation time increases. As described above, it can be seen that the film thickness variation in the center between the workpieces W is suppressed by increasing the temperature of the holding part 32 (the temperature around the processing position) by rotating the holding part 32 during multiple consecutive liquid treatments.

[Second embodiment]
In the temperature control process according to the first embodiment described above, the temperature is controlled so that the temperature of the holding part 32 increases, but the temperature control process may be performed so that the temperature of the holding part 32 decreases in order to reduce the variation in the film thickness for each liquid treatment of the workpiece W. The coating/developing apparatus 2 (processing module 12) of the substrate processing system according to the second embodiment includes a liquid processing unit U10 instead of the liquid processing unit U1. FIG. 10 shows the liquid processing unit U10 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the liquid processing unit U10 has, for example, a rotating holding part 30A, a processing liquid supply part 40, a solvent supply part 50, and a gas supply part 60.

The rotating holder 30A differs from the rotating holder 30 in that it further includes an umbrella portion 38. The umbrella portion 38 prevents liquid from flowing along the bottom surface of the mounting portion 33 of the holder 32 and the side surface of the shaft 36 to the rotating drive portion 34. The umbrella portion 38 is formed in a ring shape surrounding the periphery of the shaft 36 and includes an inclined surface that slopes vertically downward as it moves outward from the axis Ax. The outer edge of the inclined surface is located outside the rotating drive portion 34. This prevents liquid from flowing along the bottom surface of the mounting portion 33, the side surface of the shaft 36, and the inclined surface of the umbrella portion 38 and into the motor of the rotating drive portion 34.

The liquid processing unit U10 according to the second embodiment cools the holding part 32 by supplying a fluid to the holding part 32 using the solvent supply part 50 and the gas supply part 60. The fluid (hereinafter referred to as the "first fluid") supplied to the holding part 32 may be either a solvent (liquid) or a gas, and may be any type of solvent or gas as long as it is capable of cooling the holding part 32.

The solvent supply unit 50 supplies a solvent capable of cooling the holding unit 32 (hereinafter referred to as "cooling solvent") to the holding unit 32. The cooling solvent includes, for example, thinner. The solvent supply unit 50 may supply the cooling solvent to the center of the holding unit 32. The center of the holding unit 32 is a portion located in the center with respect to the axis Ax. For example, the center of the holding unit 32 corresponds to the shaft 36 and a central portion of the mounting unit 33 having a radius approximately twice the radius of the shaft 36. The solvent supply unit 50 includes, for example, a nozzle 52, a tank 54, and a valve 56.

The nozzle 52 is disposed below the holding portion 32 and discharges the cooling solvent toward the holding portion 32 (e.g., the bottom surface of the placement portion 33). The nozzle 52 may be disposed so that the cooling solvent is supplied to the holding portion 32 without hitting the back surface Wb of the workpiece W held in the holding portion 32. The nozzle 52 may be disposed so that the cooling solvent is discharged toward the center of the holding portion 32. For example, the discharge direction of the cooling solvent from the nozzle 52 intersects with the axis Ax inside the holding portion 32. The nozzle 52 is connected to the tank 54 via a pipe 58. The tank 54 contains the cooling solvent and supplies the cooling solvent toward the nozzle 52. The valve 56 is provided in the pipe 58. The valve 56 is, for example, an air operation valve, and adjusts the opening degree in the pipe 58. By controlling the valve 56, it is possible to switch between a state in which the cooling solvent is discharged from the nozzle 52 and a state in which the cooling solvent is not discharged from the nozzle 52.

The gas supply unit 60 supplies a gas capable of cooling the holding unit 32 (hereinafter referred to as "cooling gas") to the holding unit 32. The cooling gas includes, for example, nitrogen gas. The gas supply unit 60 may supply the cooling gas to the above-mentioned center portion of the holding unit 32. The gas supply unit 60 includes, for example, a nozzle 62, a gas source 64, and a valve 66.

The nozzle 62 is disposed below the holding portion 32 and discharges cooling gas toward the holding portion 32 (e.g., the bottom surface of the holding portion 32). The nozzle 62 may be disposed so that the cooling gas is discharged toward the center of the holding portion 32. For example, the discharge direction of the cooling gas from the nozzle 62 intersects with the axis Ax inside the holding portion 32. The nozzle 62 is connected to the gas source 64 via a pipe 68. The gas source 64 supplies cooling gas toward the nozzle 62. The valve 66 is provided in the pipe 68. The valve 66 is, for example, an air operation valve, and adjusts the opening degree in the pipe 68. By controlling the pipe 68, it is possible to switch between a state in which the cooling gas is discharged from the nozzle 62 and a state in which the cooling gas is not discharged from the nozzle 62.

The liquid treatment unit U10 is also controlled by the control device 100, similar to the liquid treatment unit U1 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 104 of the control device 100 causes the liquid treatment unit U10 to perform a temperature adjustment process to adjust the temperature of the holding unit 32, which affects the temperature of the workpiece W when the liquid treatment is performed. When performing the temperature adjustment process, the control unit 104 lowers the temperature of the holding unit 32 (cools the holding unit 32) by, for example, supplying a first fluid (cooling solvent and cooling gas) to the holding unit 32 by the solvent supply unit 50 and the gas supply unit 60. In this case, the temperature of the holding unit 32 after performing the temperature adjustment process is lower than the temperature of the holding unit 32 when the temperature adjustment process is not performed. In one example, when performing the above liquid treatment on each of the multiple workpieces W, the control unit 104 causes the liquid treatment unit U10 to perform one temperature adjustment process before performing multiple liquid treatments on the multiple workpieces W.

Next, with reference to Figures 11 and 12, an example of a series of processes including liquid processing and temperature adjustment processes performed in the liquid processing unit U10 according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 11 is a flow chart showing a series of processes performed sequentially on multiple workpieces W in one liquid processing unit U10. Before this series of processes is performed, the temperature inside the liquid processing unit U10 (the temperature around the processing position) may be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature.

The control unit 104 of the control device 100 first causes the liquid processing unit U10 to execute a temperature adjustment process for cooling the holding unit 32 (step S31). For example, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U10 to cool the holding unit 32 by supplying a first fluid to the holding unit 32. In one example, the control unit 104 supplies a cooling solvent and a cooling gas to the holding unit 32 by the solvent supply unit 50 and the gas supply unit 60 so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature. The target temperature for the holding unit 32 is preset to a value lower than the above-mentioned set temperature. A specific example of the temperature adjustment process of step S31 will be described later.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid processing unit U10 to transport the first workpiece W to be processed into the liquid processing unit U10 (step S32). For example, step S32 is performed in the same manner as step S01 shown in FIG. 5. The temperature of the workpiece W to be processed may be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature by a temperature adjustment unit provided in the coating/developing device 2 before being transported into the liquid processing unit U10.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid treatment unit U10 to perform liquid treatment on the workpiece W held at the treatment position by the holding unit 32 (step S33). For example, step S32 is performed in the same manner as step S02 shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid processing unit U10 to transport the workpieces W after the liquid processing from the liquid processing unit U10 (step S34). For example, step S34 is performed in the same manner as step S03 shown in FIG. 5. Next, the control unit 104 determines whether the processing of a predetermined set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S35). If it is determined in step S35 that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has not been completed (step S35: NO), the control unit 104 repeats the processing of steps S32 to S35.

On the other hand, in step S35, if it is determined that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S35: YES), the control unit 104 ends the series of processes including the liquid processing and temperature control processing for the set number of workpieces W. As described above, unlike the first embodiment, the temperature control processing (cooling of the holding unit 32) in step S31 is performed before the liquid processing is performed on the multiple workpieces W.

Figure 12 is a flow chart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process of step S31. In the temperature adjustment process of step S31, first, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to start rotating the holding unit 32 when the workpiece W is not being held (step S41). For example, the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to rotate the holding unit 32 at a predetermined fourth rotation speed. The fourth rotation speed may be approximately the same as the first rotation speed during the supply (discharge) of the processing liquid included in the liquid processing of step S33, or may be lower than the first rotation speed. The fourth rotation speed may be approximately the same as the second rotation speed during the film formation of the processing liquid included in the liquid processing of step S33, or may be lower than the second rotation speed.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U10 to start supplying the first fluid to the holding unit 32 (step S42). For example, the control unit 104 causes the solvent supply unit 50 to start discharging the cooling solvent contained in the first fluid toward the holding unit 32, and causes the gas supply unit 60 to start discharging the cooling gas contained in the first fluid toward the holding unit 32. In one example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 56 of the solvent supply unit 50 from a closed state to an open state, and switches the valve 66 of the gas supply unit 60 from a closed state to an open state, thereby causing the solvent supply unit 50 and the gas supply unit 60 to start discharging the cooling solvent and the cooling gas, respectively.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined supply time has elapsed since the start of the supply of the first fluid (step S43). The supply time is set to a time during which the cooling of the holding unit 32 progresses due to the supply of the first fluid, and is set to, for example, several seconds or several tens of seconds.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U10 to stop the supply of the first fluid to the holding unit 32 (step S44). For example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 56 from an open state to a closed state and switches the valve 66 from an open state to a closed state, thereby causing the solvent supply unit 50 and the gas supply unit 60 to stop discharging the cooling solvent and the cooling gas, respectively. In the above supply of the first fluid to the holding unit 32, the cooling solvent from the nozzle 52 of the solvent supply unit 50 may be discharged toward the center of the holding unit 32, and the cooling gas from the nozzle 62 of the gas supply unit 60 may be discharged toward the center of the holding unit 32.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined cooling time has elapsed since the supply of the first fluid was stopped (step S45). The cooling time is set so that the cooling solvent supplied to the holding unit 32 is sufficiently evaporated (dried), and is set to, for example, several seconds or several tens of seconds. This cooling time may be equal to or shorter than the supply time in step S43, or may be longer than that supply time. During the cooling period from the stop of the supply of the first fluid to the elapse of the cooling time, the cooling of the holding unit 32 is further progressed by the heat of vaporization associated with the evaporation of the cooling solvent.

Next, the control unit 104 determines whether the first fluid has been supplied a predetermined number of times (step S46). If it is determined in step S46 that the supply has not been completed the set number of times (step S46: NO), the control unit 104 repeats steps S42 to S46. This set number indicates the number of times to repeat the cooling process, which includes the supply of the first fluid and the cooling period after the supply, and is set to a degree that cools the temperature of the holding unit 32 to the target temperature. The cooling process may be performed multiple times, or may be performed once (step S46 may be omitted).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S46 that the set number of supply cycles has been completed (step S46: YES), the control unit 104 controls the rotating holding unit 30 to stop the rotation of the holding unit 32 (step S47). This completes the temperature control process of step S31, which cools the holding unit 32. As described above, the processing conditions for the temperature control process of step S31 may be determined in advance. The processing conditions for the temperature control process include the supply time for supplying the first fluid, the cooling time to wait after supplying the first fluid, the set number of times described above, and the start timing of the temperature control process.

Unlike the above example, the control unit 104 may set at least a part of the processing conditions in the temperature control process of step S31 according to the start timing of the first liquid process of step S32 that is performed after the temperature control process. For example, the control unit 104 may determine the start timing of the temperature control process or at least a part of the processing conditions other than the start timing according to the start timing of the first liquid process of step S32. In one example, the control unit 104 may determine the start timing of the temperature control process of step S32 according to the start timing of the first liquid process of step S32 so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature (so that it is included in the target range). The control unit 104 may obtain information regarding the start timing of the liquid process of the first workpiece W (the timing of carrying in the workpiece W) before the start of the temperature control process, according to the situation before the liquid process of the first workpiece W, etc.

Alternatively, when the start timing of the temperature adjustment process has already been determined, the control unit 104 may determine the supply conditions (supply time, cooling time, set number of times, etc.) related to the supply of the first fluid among the processing conditions so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature. In this case, the control unit 104 may set the processing conditions so that the temperature of the holding unit 32 approaches the target temperature according to the time between the start timing of the temperature adjustment process and the start timing of the first liquid processing performed after the temperature adjustment process (the timing of carrying in the first workpiece W). The target temperature of the holding unit 32 may be preset to a value lower than the set temperature of the workpiece W before processing (the set temperature in the liquid processing unit U10).

In the above example, a single temperature control process is performed to cool the holding section 32 before multiple liquid treatments, but a temperature control process for cooling the holding section 32 may be performed before each liquid treatment. Either a cooling solvent or a cooling gas may be supplied to the holding section 32. In this case, the liquid treatment unit U10 does not need to have either the solvent supply section 50 or the gas supply section 60. In the above example, a cooling solvent or the like is supplied to the shaft 36 of the holding section 32 and the central part of the mounting section 33, but a cooling solvent or the like may be supplied to either the shaft 36 or the central part of the mounting section 33 as the central part of the holding section 32.

(Effects of the Second Embodiment)
In the substrate processing method performed in the liquid processing unit U10 according to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the liquid processing can be performed in a state in which the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced by the temperature control processing, and therefore it is possible to suppress the film thickness variation between the workpieces W.

The temperature-affecting member includes a holding part 32 that supports the back surface Wb of the workpiece W so as to hold the workpiece W at the processing position. In the substrate processing method according to the second embodiment, the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the holding part 32 by supplying a first fluid to the holding part 32. In this case, the holding part 32 that affects the temperature of the workpiece W is cooled before the liquid processing is performed, and the degree to which the ambient temperature of the processing position decreases as the liquid processing is performed is reduced. Therefore, the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced, making it possible to suppress film thickness variation between the workpieces W.

In the substrate processing method according to the second embodiment, supplying the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W includes supplying the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W while rotating the holding part 32 supporting the workpiece W by the rotation drive part 34 connected to the holding part 32. Supplying the first fluid to the holding part 32 includes supplying the first fluid to the center of the holding part 32. The center of the holding part 32 is located near the rotation drive part 34 for rotating the holding part 32, and the heat capacity of the center tends to be greater than other parts. Therefore, by cooling the center of the holding part 32, it is possible to increase the degree of temperature adjustment by the temperature adjustment process.

Here, the effect of the substrate processing method according to the second embodiment will be further described with reference to Figs. 13(a) to 13(c). Figs. 13(a) to 13(c) show the measurement results of the coating at the center of the coating on the surface Wa of the workpiece W. The film thickness measurements shown in Figs. 13(a) to 13(c) are performed in the same manner as the film thickness measurement shown in Fig. 8, except for the method of performing the temperature control process. Fig. 13(a) shows the film thickness measurement results of a comparative example in which the temperature control process of step S31 was not performed. Fig. 13(b) shows the film thickness measurement results when the temperature control process of step S31 shown in Fig. 11 was performed and the set number of times in step S46 shown in Fig. 12 was 1. Fig. 13(c) shows the film thickness measurement results when the temperature control process of step S31 was performed and the set number of times in step S46 was 5.

The slope (absolute value) of the approximate line showing the degree of film thickness variation in the measurement results in FIG. 13(b) is reduced to about 2/3 of the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line in the measurement results for the comparative example in FIG. 13(a). The slope (absolute value) of the approximate line in the measurement results in FIG. 13(c) is reduced to about 1/4 of the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line in the measurement results for the comparative example in FIG. 13(a). As described above, from the measurement results in FIG. 13(a) to FIG. 13(c), it can be seen that film thickness variation is suppressed by performing the temperature adjustment process of step S31. It can also be seen that film thickness variation is further suppressed by increasing the number of times the supply of the first fluid and waiting for cooling are repeated.

[Third embodiment]
In the temperature control process according to the first and second embodiments described above, the temperature of the holding part 32 (temperature-affecting member) in contact with the workpiece W is adjusted, but in order to reduce the variation in film thickness for each liquid treatment of the workpiece W, a temperature control process may be performed on a temperature-affecting member disposed in close proximity to the workpiece W. The coating/developing apparatus 2 (processing module 12) of the substrate processing system according to the third embodiment includes a liquid processing unit U20 instead of the liquid processing unit U1. FIG. 14 shows the liquid processing unit U20 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the liquid processing unit U20 has, for example, a rotating holding part 30, a processing liquid supply part 40, and a storage part 70.

The storage section 70 surrounds the workpiece W held at the processing position by the holding section 32. The storage section 70 is provided around the rotating holding section 30. The storage section 70 functions as a liquid collection container that receives a portion of the liquid (such as the processing liquid that is spilled out of the workpiece W) supplied to the workpiece W during liquid processing of the workpiece W. The storage section 70 includes, for example, a bottom wall 72, an outer peripheral wall 74, an inner peripheral wall 76, partition walls 78, 80, an inner cup 82, a drain pipe 84, and an exhaust pipe 86.

The bottom wall 72 is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the periphery of the rotating holding part 30. The outer peripheral wall 74 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the inner peripheral wall 76 and the inner cup 82. The outer peripheral wall 74 extends vertically upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 72. The outer peripheral wall 74 is located outside the periphery of the workpiece W held in the holding part 32. Therefore, the outer peripheral wall 74 prevents the scattering of the processing liquid shaken off from the workpiece W rotated by the rotating holding part 30.

The inner peripheral wall 76 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the rotary holding portion 30. The inner peripheral wall 76 extends vertically upward from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall 72. The inner peripheral wall 76 is located inside the peripheral edge of the workpiece W held by the holding portion 32. The upper end 76a of the inner peripheral wall 76 is closed by a partition wall 78. A through hole is provided in the center of the partition wall 78, and the shaft 36 is inserted through the through hole.

The partition wall 80 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The partition wall 80 is located between the outer peripheral wall 74 and the inner peripheral wall 76, and extends vertically upward from the bottom wall 72. In this manner, the partition wall 80 surrounds the inner peripheral wall 76. The upper end of the partition wall 80 is spaced apart from the inner cup 82 located above the partition wall 80.

The inner cup 82 is formed in a cylindrical (ring-like) shape. The inner cup 82 is attached to the upper end 76a of the inner peripheral wall 76 so as to protrude outward beyond the partition wall 78. The upper surface of the inner cup 82 is formed in an umbrella shape (mountain-like) that protrudes upward. The upper surface of the inner cup 82 includes an inclined surface S that inclines downward as it moves outward in the radial direction of the axis Ax of the rotating holding part 30. The inclined surface S faces the outer periphery of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W held by the holding part 32 in the vertical direction. When the surface Wa of the workpiece W is viewed from the direction along the axis Ax, the outer periphery of the workpiece W overlaps at least a part of the inclined surface S. When the surface Wa of the workpiece W is viewed from the direction along the axis Ax, the central region of the workpiece W does not overlap the inner cup 82, and the outer periphery of the workpiece W (the region other than the central region) overlaps the inner cup 82.

The inner cup 82 is arranged in close proximity to the workpiece W held at the processing position by the holding unit 32. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the inner cup 82 may be arranged in close proximity to the outer periphery of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W held at the processing position by the holding unit 32. In this case, the distance between the inner cup 82 and the central region of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W is greater than the distance between the inner cup 82 and the outer periphery of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W. The upper surface of the inner cup 82 is close enough to the workpiece W at the processing position to affect the temperature of the workpiece W. For example, the distance (shortest distance) between the inner cup 82 and the workpiece W at the processing position is about several mm. As described above, the inner cup 82 is a temperature-affecting member that affects the temperature of the workpiece W when liquid processing is performed.

The drain pipe 84 is connected to a liquid drain hole 72a formed between the outer peripheral wall 74 and the partition wall 80 of the bottom wall 72. The liquid that is shaken off and falls from the surface Wa of the workpiece W flows through a path CH between the outer peripheral wall 74 or the bottom wall 186 described below and the inclined surface S of the inner cup 82, is guided between the outer peripheral wall 74 and the partition wall 80, and is discharged outside the storage section 70 through the liquid drain hole 72a and the drain pipe 84.

The exhaust pipe 86 is connected to a gas exhaust hole 72b formed in the bottom wall 72 between the inner wall 76 and the partition wall 80. The inside of the storage section 70 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 86, generating a down blow that flows around the periphery of the workpiece W. This down blow flows through the path CH, passes between the upper end of the partition wall 80 and the inner cup 82, and is guided to the space between the inner wall 76 and the partition wall 80, and is exhausted outside the storage section 70 through the gas exhaust hole 72b and the exhaust pipe 86.

The liquid processing unit U20 cools the inner cup 82 by supplying a fluid to the inner cup 82 of the storage section 70. The fluid supplied to the inner cup 82 (hereinafter referred to as the "second fluid") may be either a solvent or a gas, and may be any type of solvent or gas as long as it is capable of cooling the inner cup 82. For example, the liquid processing unit U20 further includes a solvent supply section 90.

The solvent supply unit 90 supplies a solvent capable of cooling the inner cup 82 (hereinafter referred to as "cooling solvent") to the inner cup 82. The cooling solvent supplied by the solvent supply unit 90 includes, for example, thinner. The solvent supply unit 90 may supply the cooling solvent to the inclined surface S of the inner cup 82. The solvent supply unit 90 includes, for example, a discharge member 180, a tank 92, and a valve 94.

The discharge member 180 discharges the cooling solvent toward the inner cup 82. Details of the discharge member 180 will be described later. The discharge member 180 is connected to the tank 92 via a pipeline 96. The tank 92 stores the cooling solvent and supplies the cooling solvent to the discharge member 180. A valve 94 is provided in the pipeline 96. The valve 94 is, for example, an air-operated valve, and adjusts the opening degree in the pipeline 96. By controlling the valve 94, it is possible to switch between a state in which the cooling solvent is discharged from the discharge member 180 and a state in which the cooling solvent is not discharged from the discharge member 180.

The discharge member 180 is located above the storage section 70 (outer peripheral wall 74). The discharge member 180 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the workpiece W held in the holding section 32. The discharge member 180 may be formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape or in a substantially C-shape (arc shape). In this way, the discharge member 180 may surround the entire periphery of the workpiece W held in the holding section 32, or may partially surround the periphery of the workpiece W held in the holding section 32. The discharge member 180 includes, for example, an outer peripheral wall 182, an inner peripheral wall 184, a bottom wall 186, and a top wall 188.

The outer peripheral wall 182 is formed so as to surround the inner peripheral wall 184, the bottom wall 186, and the top wall 188. The outer peripheral wall 182 may be formed in a cylindrical shape extending along the vertical direction. The lower end of the outer peripheral wall 182 is connected to the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 74. The outer peripheral wall 182 may be integrally formed with the outer peripheral wall 74 (part of the storage section 70), or may be separate from the outer peripheral wall 74 (part of the storage section 70). The inner peripheral wall 184 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the workpiece W held in the holding section 32. The inner peripheral wall 184 may be formed in a cylindrical shape extending along the vertical direction.

The bottom wall 186 is formed to connect the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184. The bottom wall 186 may be inclined upward from the outer peripheral wall 182 toward the inner peripheral wall 184. The bottom wall 186 may be formed in an annular (ring-like) shape. The bottom wall 186 may be integrally formed with the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184, or may be separate from the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184.

The top wall 188 is formed to connect the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184. The top wall 188 is located above the bottom wall 186. The top wall 188 may be formed in an annular (ring-like) shape. The top wall 188 may be integrally formed with the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184, or may be separate from the outer peripheral wall 182 and the inner peripheral wall 184.

The space defined by the outer peripheral wall 182, inner peripheral wall 184, bottom wall 186, and top wall 188 functions as a storage chamber V capable of storing a cooling solvent therein. When the entire discharge member 180 is formed in a circular ring shape, the storage chamber V also has a circular ring shape. The outer peripheral wall 182 is formed with an introduction hole 192 penetrating the outer peripheral wall 182 so as to connect the storage chamber V to the space outside the discharge member 180. The cooling solvent supplied from the tank 92 is introduced into the storage chamber V through the introduction hole 192. The introduction hole 192 may be formed to extend along the horizontal direction.

The bottom wall 186 is formed with a plurality of drip holes 194 so as to communicate the space (path CH) between the discharge member 180 and the workpiece W with the storage chamber V. The drip holes 194 may extend vertically through the bottom wall 186. The drip holes 194 are located, for example, vertically above the inclined surface S of the inner cup 82. The drip holes 194 are arranged in a circumferential direction centered on the axis Ax. The drip holes 194 may be arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The cooling solvent that flows into the storage chamber V through the introduction hole 192 is dripped downward through the drip holes 194. As a result, the cooling solvent is discharged onto the inclined surface S of the inner cup 82.

The liquid treatment unit U20 is also controlled by the control device 100, similar to the liquid treatment unit U1 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 104 of the control device 100 causes the liquid treatment unit U20 to perform a temperature adjustment process to adjust the temperature of the inner cup 82, which affects the temperature of the workpiece W when the liquid treatment is performed. When performing the temperature adjustment process, the control unit 104 lowers the temperature of the inner cup 82, for example, by supplying a second fluid (cooling solvent) to the inner cup 82 by the solvent supply unit 90. In this case, the temperature of the inner cup 82 after the temperature adjustment process is performed is lower than the temperature of the inner cup 82 when the temperature adjustment process is not performed. In one example, when performing the above liquid treatment on each of the multiple workpieces W, the control unit 104 causes the liquid treatment unit U20 to perform a temperature adjustment process before performing multiple liquid treatments on the multiple workpieces W. Alternatively, the control unit 104 may cause the liquid treatment unit U20 to perform a temperature adjustment process periodically.

Next, an example of a series of processes including liquid processing and temperature adjustment processes performed in the liquid processing unit U20 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 17. Figure 15 is a flow chart showing a series of processes performed sequentially on multiple workpieces W in one liquid processing unit U20. Before this series of processes is performed, the temperature inside the liquid processing unit U20 may be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature.

The control unit 104 of the control device 100 first obtains the timing at which the first workpiece W to be processed is brought into the liquid processing unit U20 (step S51). The control unit 104 determines the timing at which the workpiece W is brought into the liquid processing unit U20, for example, depending on the state of the workpiece W to be processed before liquid processing and the operating state of the transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to the liquid processing unit U20. Once the timing at which the workpiece W is brought into the liquid processing unit U20 is determined, the start timing of the liquid processing that is performed after the workpiece W is brought into the liquid processing unit U20 is determined.

The control unit 104 then waits until the cooling start timing arrives (step S52). The cooling start timing is set, for example, according to the timing of loading the workpiece W so that the temperature of the inner cup 82 becomes the target temperature when the workpiece W is loaded into the liquid processing unit U20. In one example, the cooling start timing is set a predetermined time before the timing of loading the workpiece W into the liquid processing unit U20. In this case, liquid processing by the liquid processing unit U20 starts within a predetermined time after the inner cup 82 is cooled to the target temperature by supplying the second fluid (cooling solvent) to the inner cup 82. The cooling start timing will be described later.

Next, the control unit 104 causes the liquid treatment unit U20 to execute a temperature adjustment process to cool the inner cup 82 (step S53). For example, the control unit 104 controls the liquid treatment unit U20 to cool the inner cup 82 by supplying a second fluid to the inner cup 82. In one example, the control unit 104 supplies a cooling solvent to the inner cup 82 by the solvent supply unit 90 so that the temperature of the inner cup 82 approaches the target temperature. A specific example of the temperature adjustment process of step S53 will be described later.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until the loading timing arrives (step S54). Before the loading timing, the temperature of the workpiece W to be treated may be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature. Next, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid treatment unit U20 to load the workpiece W into the liquid treatment unit U20 (step S55). For example, step S55 is performed in the same manner as step S01 shown in FIG. 5.

Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid treatment unit U20 to perform liquid treatment on the workpiece W held at the treatment position by the holding unit 32 (step S56). For example, step S56 is performed in the same manner as step S02 shown in Figures 5 and 6. Next, the control unit 104 controls the transport device A3 and the liquid treatment unit U20 to transport the workpiece W after liquid treatment from the liquid treatment unit U20 (step S57). For example, step S57 is performed in the same manner as step S03 shown in Figure 5.

Next, the control unit 104 determines whether the processing of the predetermined set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S58). If it is determined in step S58 that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has not been completed (step S58: NO), the control unit 104 repeats the processing of steps S54 to S58. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S58 that the processing of the set number of workpieces W has been completed (step S58: YES), the control unit 104 ends the series of processes including the liquid processing and temperature control processing for the set number of workpieces W. As described above, unlike the first embodiment, the temperature control processing of step S53 (cooling of the inner cup 82) is performed before the series of processes for the multiple workpieces W is executed.

Figure 16 is a flow chart showing an example of the temperature adjustment process of step S53. In the temperature adjustment process of step S53, first, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U20 to start supplying the second fluid to the inner cup 82 (step S61). For example, the control unit 104 causes the solvent supply unit 90 to start discharging the cooling solvent contained in the second fluid toward the inner cup 82. In one example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 94 of the solvent supply unit 90 from a closed state to an open state, thereby causing the solvent supply unit 90 to start discharging the cooling solvent from the multiple drip holes 194.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined supply time has elapsed since the start of the supply of the second fluid (step S62). The supply time is set to a degree that the amount of the second fluid required to cool the inner cup 82 is supplied by the supply of the second fluid, and is set to, for example, several seconds or several tens of seconds. Next, the control unit 104 controls the solvent supply unit 90 to stop the supply of the second fluid to the inner cup 82 (step S63). For example, the control unit 104 switches the valve 94 from an open state to a closed state, thereby causing the solvent supply unit 90 to stop discharging the cooling solvent. The above supply of the cooling solvent is performed in a state in which the holding unit 32 is not holding the workpiece W. Therefore, the supply of the cooling solvent to the inner cup 82 is prevented from directly affecting the temperature of the workpiece W.

Next, the control unit 104 waits until a predetermined cooling time has elapsed since the supply of the second fluid was stopped (step S64). This maintains a state in which the second fluid is not supplied to the inner cup 82 for the cooling time. The cooling time is set to a time sufficient for the cooling solvent supplied to the inner cup 82 to evaporate (dry), and is set to several seconds or several tens of seconds, for example. This cooling time may be equal to or shorter than the supply time in step S62, or may be longer than that supply time. During the period from the stop of the supply of the second fluid to the elapse of the cooling time, the cooling of the inner cup 82 is further promoted by the heat of vaporization associated with the evaporation of the cooling solvent.

Next, the control unit 104 determines whether the supply of the second fluid a predetermined number of times has been completed (step S65). If it is determined in step S65 that the supply of the second fluid a predetermined number of times has not been completed (step S65: NO), the control unit 104 repeats steps S61 to S65. This set number of times indicates the number of times to repeat the cooling process including the supply of the second fluid and the cooling after the supply. For example, the set number of times is set to a degree that the temperature of the inner cup 82 is cooled to the target temperature. In the temperature adjustment process of step S53, the cooling process may be performed multiple times, or one time (step S65 may be omitted). As described above, the processing conditions of the temperature adjustment process of step S53 may be predetermined. The processing conditions of the temperature adjustment process include the supply time for supplying the second fluid, the cooling time for waiting after the supply of the second fluid, the set number of times described above, and the start timing of the temperature adjustment process.

The control unit 104 may set at least a part of the processing conditions in the temperature control process of step S53 according to the timing of loading the first work W (the timing of starting the first liquid process) performed after the temperature control process. For example, the control unit 104 may determine the supply time of step S62, the cooling time of step S64, and the set number of times of step S65 so that the temperature of the inner cup 82 approaches the target temperature (so that it is included in the target range) according to the timing of starting the first liquid process of step S56 shown in FIG. 15. The control unit 104 may set the start timing of the temperature control process of step S53, i.e., the start timing of the cooling in the above-mentioned step S52, according to the timing of loading the first work W (the timing of starting the first liquid process).

Now, referring to FIG. 17, an example of a method for setting the cooling start timing will be described. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the change in temperature of the inner cup 82 over time with the supply of cooling solvent from the solvent supply unit 90. The horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the temperature of the inner cup. In the graph of the change in temperature over time shown in FIG. 17, the supply of cooling solvent by the solvent supply unit 90 is stopped at time t1. Until time t1, the temperature of the inner cup 82 is approximately equal to the set temperature Ts in the liquid treatment unit U20. After time t1, the temperature of the inner cup 82 gradually decreases due to the heat of vaporization of the cooling solvent. Then, at time t2, the temperature of the inner cup 82 falls below the target temperature Ta. After that, the temperature of the inner cup 82 decreases to the lowest temperature and then gradually increases. After the temperature of the inner cup 82 exceeds the target temperature Ta at time t3, it further increases.

In the change in temperature of the inner cup 82 over time shown in FIG. 17, the time from time t1 to time t2 is the temperature drop time from the completion of the supply of the cooling solvent to the target temperature Ta. The time from time t2 to time t3 is the state maintenance time during which the temperature of the inner cup 82 is maintained below the target temperature Ta. The memory unit 102 may store these temperature drop times and state maintenance times. The control unit 104 may determine the cooling start timing so that the timing of carrying in the work W (the start timing of the liquid treatment) is included in the state maintenance time. In one example, the control unit 104 may determine the cooling start timing so that the time from the stop of the supply of the cooling solvent in the last step S63 to the timing of carrying in the work W is longer than the temperature drop time and shorter than the total time of the temperature drop time and the state maintenance time. In this case, the control unit 104 starts the liquid treatment in step S56 within a predetermined time (within the state maintenance time) after the inner cup 82 is cooled to the target temperature Ta. The control unit 104 may determine the supply time in step S62, the cooling time in step S64, and the set number of times together with the cooling start timing, and these processing conditions (supply time, cooling time, and set number of times) may be determined in advance.

In the above example, one temperature control process is performed to cool the inner cup 82 before multiple liquid processes, but a temperature control process for cooling the inner cup 82 may be performed before each liquid process. In the temperature control process for cooling the inner cup 82, a cooling gas (second fluid) may be supplied to the inner cup 82 in addition to or instead of the cooling solvent. In this case, the liquid processing unit U20 may further have a gas supply unit that supplies cooling gas to the inner cup 82. This gas supply unit may supply cooling gas to the inner cup 82 through the discharge member 180 (storage chamber V). The cooling gas discharged from the discharge member 180 (storage chamber V) is guided to the exhaust pipe 86 through the path CH, thereby cooling the inner cup 82. Note that the cooling gas may be supplied to the inner cup 82 from another nozzle instead of the discharge member 180.

The control unit 104 may cause the liquid processing unit U20 to execute a series of processes including liquid processing and temperature control processing so that the temperature control processing is performed periodically (e.g., at a predetermined cycle). FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing another example of a series of processes including liquid processing and temperature control processing performed in the liquid processing unit U20 according to the third embodiment.

The control unit 104 first causes the liquid processing unit U20 to perform a temperature adjustment process to cool the inner cup 82 (step S81). The temperature adjustment process in step S81 is performed, for example, in the same manner as step S53 shown in Figures 15 and 16. Next, the control unit 104 determines whether or not to perform liquid processing in the liquid processing unit U20 (step S82). For example, the control unit 104 determines whether or not to perform liquid processing depending on the state of the workpiece W to be processed before liquid processing and the operating state of the transport device A3 that transports the workpiece W to the liquid processing unit U20.

If it is determined in step S82 that liquid processing is to be performed (step S82: YES), the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U20 and the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W to be processed into the liquid processing unit U20 (step S83), similar to step S55 shown in FIG. 15. Next, the control unit 104 causes the liquid processing unit U20 to perform liquid processing on the workpiece W to be processed (step S84), similar to step S56 shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. Next, the control unit 104 controls the liquid processing unit U20 and the transport device A3 to transport the workpiece W to be processed out of the liquid processing unit U20, similar to step S57 shown in FIG. 15 (step S85).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that liquid processing will not be performed (step S82: NO), the control unit 104 does not perform steps S83 to S85. If it is determined in step S82 that liquid processing will not be performed, or after step S85 is completed, the control unit 104 determines whether it is time to start cooling (step S86). For example, the control unit 104 determines whether a predetermined waiting time has elapsed from the reference time. For example, the reference time is set to the end time of the temperature adjustment process after the temperature adjustment process is performed, and if liquid processing is performed after the temperature adjustment process, the reference time is set (updated) to the end time of the liquid processing. If the waiting time has elapsed, the control unit 104 determines that it is time to start cooling, and if the waiting time has not elapsed, it determines that it is not time to start cooling.

If it is determined in step S86 that it is not the timing to start cooling, the process returns to step S82. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S86 that it is the timing to start cooling, the reference time is reset and the process returns to step S81 (the temperature adjustment process is executed again). By performing the above series of processes, if liquid processing is not performed before the waiting time has elapsed after the temperature adjustment process is performed, the temperature adjustment process of step S81 is executed again. Also, if the next liquid processing is not performed before the waiting time has elapsed after the liquid processing is performed after the temperature adjustment process, the temperature adjustment process of step S81 is executed again. Note that the control unit 104 may cause the liquid processing unit U20 to continue performing the temperature adjustment process at a predetermined cycle (after a certain period of time has elapsed since the end of the previous temperature adjustment process) regardless of whether or not liquid processing is performed.

In addition to the temperature control process for cooling the inner cup 82, the control unit 104 may supply a second fluid (e.g., a cooling solvent) to the inner cup 82 by the solvent supply unit 90 between the completion of the supply of the treatment liquid in the liquid treatment and the start of the removal of the workpiece W from the treatment position. In this case, the control unit 104 may control the solvent supply unit 90 to supply the cooling solvent to the inner cup 82 when the workpiece W is being rotated to form a coating of the treatment liquid after the supply of the treatment liquid. The control unit 104 may control the solvent supply unit 90 to supply the cooling solvent to the inner cup 82 while waiting for the start of the removal of the workpiece W that has been subjected to the liquid treatment after the coating of the treatment liquid is formed (after the rotation of the workpiece W is stopped).

(Effects of the Third Embodiment)
In the substrate processing method performed in the liquid processing unit U20 according to the third embodiment, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the liquid processing can be performed in a state in which the temperature variation around the processing position is reduced by the temperature control process, thereby making it possible to suppress the film thickness variation between the workpieces W.

The temperature-affecting member includes an inner cup 82 arranged in close proximity to the outer periphery of the back surface Wb of the workpiece W in the accommodation section 70 surrounding the workpiece W held at the processing position. In the substrate processing method according to the third embodiment, the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the inner cup 82 by supplying a second fluid to the inner cup 82. In this case, the inner cup 82, which affects the temperature of the workpiece W, is cooled before the liquid processing is performed, and the degree to which the ambient temperature of the processing position decreases with the execution of the liquid processing is reduced. Therefore, the temperature variation around the processing position for each liquid processing is reduced, making it possible to suppress film thickness variation between the workpieces W.

In the substrate processing method according to the third embodiment, cooling the inner cup 82 by supplying the second fluid to the inner cup 82 includes supplying a solvent to the inner cup 82 and maintaining a state in which no solvent is supplied to the inner cup 82 after the solvent is supplied. In this case, the inner cup 82 is cooled by the heat of vaporization of the solvent after it is supplied to the inner cup 82, so that it is possible to cool the inner cup 82 while minimizing the amount of solvent used.

In the substrate processing method according to the third embodiment, liquid processing is started within a predetermined time after the inner cup 82 is cooled to the target temperature Ta by supplying the second fluid to the inner cup 82. In this case, liquid processing can be started when the ambient temperature of the processing position has dropped to the same level as the target temperature Ta.

The substrate processing method according to the third embodiment may further include removing the workpiece W from the processing position after the liquid processing, and supplying a second fluid to the inner cup 82 during the period from when the supply of the processing liquid to the surface Wa of the workpiece W is completed until when removal of the workpiece W from the processing position begins. In this case, it is possible to suppress the variation in temperature of the inner cup 82 after the liquid processing for each liquid processing.

Here, the effect of the substrate processing method according to the third embodiment will be further described with reference to Figs. 19(a) and 19(b). Figs. 19(a) and 19(b) show the results of measuring the film thickness at the center and outer periphery of the coating on the surface Wa of the workpiece W. The film thickness measurement at the center in Figs. 19(a) and 19(b) is performed in the same manner as the film thickness measurement shown in Fig. 8, except for the method of performing the temperature control process. The outer periphery of the coating, which is one of the targets of film thickness measurement, corresponds to the part of the workpiece W that faces the inner cup 82, and corresponds to the area between approximately half the radius of the workpiece W and the outer edge. The film thicknesses at multiple locations in the outer periphery are measured, and the average value is calculated as the film thickness at the outer periphery. Figs. 19(a) and 19(b) show the results of measuring the film thickness for the first, third, and fifth workpieces W, and an approximation line based on the film thickness measurement results. Fig. 19(a) shows the results of measuring the film thickness for a comparative example in which the temperature control process of step S53 was not performed. FIG. 19(b) shows the film thickness measurement results when the series of processes shown in FIG. 15 is performed.

When comparing the measurement results of the central parts of the coating, the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line showing the degree of film thickness variation in the central part in the measurement result of FIG. 19(b) is slightly lower than the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line showing the degree of film thickness variation in the central part in the measurement result of FIG. 19(a). When comparing the measurement results of the peripheral parts of the coating, the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line showing the degree of film thickness variation in the peripheral part in the measurement result of FIG. 19(b) is reduced to about 1/3 of the slope (absolute value) of the approximate line showing the degree of film thickness variation in the peripheral part in the measurement result of FIG. 19(a). As described above, from the measurement results of FIG. 19(a) and FIG. 19(b), it can be seen that the film thickness variation in the peripheral part is suppressed by performing the temperature adjustment process of step S53.

[Modification]
The disclosure in this specification should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. Various omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. may be made to the above examples (first to third embodiments) without departing from the scope and gist of the claims.

The control unit 104 may control the liquid processing unit U1 to perform both the temperature control process for cooling the holding unit 32 in the second embodiment and the temperature control process for cooling the inner cup 82 in the third embodiment before liquid processing. Instead of cooling the inner cup 82, the control unit 104 may cause the liquid processing unit U1 to perform a temperature control process for increasing the temperature of the inner cup 82. In this case, the control unit 104 may cause the liquid processing unit U1 to perform both a temperature control process for increasing the temperature of the holding unit 32 by rotating the holding unit 32 and a temperature control process for increasing the temperature of the inner cup 82.

The temperature-affecting member may be a member other than the holding portion 32 and the inner cup 82, so long as it is a member that is in contact with or in close proximity to the workpiece W and affects the temperature of the workpiece W when liquid processing is performed. In the above example, a liquid processing for forming a coating of a resist liquid is illustrated, but any temperature adjustment process may be performed before a liquid processing for forming a coating of a processing liquid other than a resist liquid (e.g., a coating of a processing liquid for forming an underlayer film or an upper layer film).

2...coating/developing device, 30...rotating holder, 32...holder, 40...treatment liquid supply section, 50...solvent supply section, 60...gas supply section, 70...container, 82...inner cup, 90...solvent supply section, 100...control device, U1...liquid treatment unit, W...workpiece, Wa...front surface, Wb...back surface.

Claims (11)

performing liquid processing, the liquid processing comprising: using a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position; and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process, prior to the liquid treatment, to adjust a temperature of a member of the liquid treatment unit that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid treatment ;
the member includes an inner cup disposed in a state adjacent to an outer periphery of a rear surface of the substrate in a container portion surrounding the substrate held at the processing position,
the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the inner cup by supplying a fluid to the inner cup;
A substrate processing method in which cooling the inner cup by supplying the fluid to the inner cup includes supplying a solvent to the inner cup as the fluid, and maintaining a state in which the solvent is not supplied to the inner cup after the solvent is supplied . performing liquid processing, the liquid processing comprising: using a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position; and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process, prior to the liquid processing, for adjusting a temperature of a member of the liquid processing unit that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid processing,
the member includes an inner cup disposed in a state adjacent to an outer periphery of a rear surface of the substrate in a container portion surrounding the substrate held at the processing position,
the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the inner cup by supplying a fluid to the inner cup;
removing the substrate from the processing position after the liquid processing;
The substrate processing method further comprises supplying the fluid to the inner cup during a period from when supply of the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate is completed until unloading of the substrate from the processing position is started. 3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein processing conditions in the temperature adjustment process are set according to a start timing of the liquid processing. the member includes a holder that supports a back surface of the substrate to hold the substrate at the processing position;
The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the holding unit by supplying another fluid to the holding unit. supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate includes supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the holder supporting the substrate by a rotation drive unit connected to the holder;
The substrate processing method according to claim 4 , wherein supplying the other fluid to the holding part includes supplying the other fluid to a central part of the holding part. 6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid processing is started within a predetermined time after the inner cup is cooled to a target temperature by supplying the fluid to the inner cup. performing liquid processing, the liquid processing comprising: using a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate, the liquid processing unit supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position; and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process, prior to the liquid treatment, to adjust a temperature of a member of the liquid treatment unit that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid treatment;
the member includes a holder that supports a back surface of the substrate to hold the substrate at the processing position;
supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate includes supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the holder supporting the substrate;
The temperature adjustment process includes increasing a temperature of the holder by rotating the holder while the holder is not supporting the substrate . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an apparatus to execute the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate;
a control unit for controlling the liquid processing unit;
The control unit
causing the liquid processing unit to perform a liquid processing including supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process in the liquid processing unit to adjust a temperature of a member that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid processing ;
the member includes an inner cup disposed in a state adjacent to an outer periphery of a rear surface of the substrate in a container portion surrounding the substrate held at the processing position,
the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the inner cup by supplying a fluid to the inner cup;
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein cooling the inner cup by supplying the fluid to the inner cup includes supplying a solvent as the fluid to the inner cup, and maintaining a state in which the solvent is not supplied to the inner cup after the solvent is supplied . a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate;
a control unit for controlling the liquid processing unit;
The control unit
causing the liquid processing unit to perform a liquid processing including supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process in the liquid processing unit to adjust a temperature of a member that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid processing;
the member includes an inner cup disposed in a state adjacent to an outer periphery of a rear surface of the substrate in a container portion surrounding the substrate held at the processing position,
the temperature adjustment process includes cooling the inner cup by supplying a fluid to the inner cup;
The control unit
removing the substrate from the processing position after the liquid processing;
The substrate processing apparatus further causes the liquid processing unit to supply the fluid to the inner cup during a period between the completion of supply of the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate and the start of unloading the substrate from the processing position. a liquid processing unit that holds a substrate at a predetermined processing position and supplies a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate;
a control unit for controlling the liquid processing unit;
The control unit
causing the liquid processing unit to perform a liquid processing including supplying the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held at the processing position and holding the substrate such that a coating of the processing liquid is formed on the surface of the substrate after the supply of the processing liquid;
performing a temperature adjustment process in the liquid processing unit to adjust a temperature of a member that affects a temperature of the substrate during the liquid processing;
the member includes a holder that supports a back surface of the substrate to hold the substrate at the processing position;
the liquid processing unit supplies the processing liquid to a surface of the substrate while rotating the holder supporting the substrate;
The temperature adjustment process includes increasing a temperature of the holder by rotating the holder in a state where the holder is not supporting the substrate.

Images