SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

• Main Authors: MARUMOTO HIROSHI, TSUKANO KENTO, EGASHIRA KEISUKE, GOSHI GENTARO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 27.09.2018
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce time required for whole drying treatment in a drying method using treatment fluid in a supercritical state.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment which performs drying treatment for dehydrating a substrate by using treatment fluid in a supercritical state and comprises: a treatment container where the drying treatment is performed; an exhaust valve provided in an exhaust flow path to exhaust the treatment fluid from the treatment container; and a control part for controlling the exhaust valve. When a pressure in the treatment container is reduced from a first pressure where the treatment fluid is in the supercritical state to an atmosphere pressure through a second pressure lower than the first pressure and through a third pressure lower than the second pressure, the control part controls a valve aperture size of the exhaust valve so as to make a pressure reduction speed from the second pressure to the third pressure constant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7A 【課題】超臨界状態の処理流体を用いた乾燥方法において、乾燥処理全体に要する時間を短くすること。【解決手段】実施形態に係る基板処理装置は、超臨界状態の処理流体を用いて、基板を乾燥させる乾燥処理が行われる基板処理装置であって、乾燥処理が行われる処理容器と、処理容器内から処理流体を排出する排出流路に設けられる排出バルブと、排出バルブを制御する制御部と、を備える。そして、制御部は、処理流体が超臨界状態である第１圧力から、第１圧力より低い第２圧力と、第２圧力より低い第３圧力とを経て、大気圧まで処理容器内を減圧する場合において、第２圧力から第３圧力まで等しい減圧速度となるように排出バルブの弁開度を制御する。【選択図】図７Ａ