Substrate drying apparatus, substrate drying method and control program

Abstract

A substrate drying apparatus includes a drying gas nozzle configured so that, assuming that a surface WA of the substrate W is a projection plane, regarding the drying gas flow Gf in the nozzle moving direction Dr, a collision position Gfw with the substrate W is located downstream of a projected discharge position Gfv′, the projected discharge position Gfv′ being a discharge position from the drying gas nozzle projected on the projection plane. In a three-dimensional space, the drying gas flow Gf is inclined, such that an angle α formed by an axis Ga of the drying gas flow Gf and a vertical line Wp of the substrate W is in a range from a half contact angle θ/2 to an angle determined by deducting the half contact angle θ/2 from 90°, the half contact angle θ/2 being a half of the contact angle θ.

1 . A substrate drying apparatus comprising:
 a rotation mechanism for rotating a substrate in a horizontal plane, the substrate having a surface whose contact angle to rinse agent is 90° or less;   a rinse agent nozzle for supplying a rinse agent flow on the surface of the rotating substrate, the rinse agent flow being a flow of the rinse agent;   a rinse agent nozzle moving mechanism for moving the rinse agent nozzle in a nozzle moving direction extending from a side of a rotation center toward a side of an outer periphery of the rotating substrate;   a drying gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas flow on a downstream side in a substrate rotation direction and on the side of the rotation center of the substrate with respect to a position of the rotating substrate at which the rinse agent flow is supplied, the drying gas flow containing a substance reducing surface tension of the rinse agent, the substrate rotation direction in which the rinse agent flows when the substrate is rotating; and   a drying gas nozzle moving mechanism for moving the drying gas nozzle in the nozzle moving direction,   wherein the drying gas nozzle is provided such that, assuming that a surface of the substrate is a projection plane, regarding the drying gas flow in the nozzle moving direction, a collision position with the substrate is located downstream of a projected discharge position, the projected discharge position being a discharge position from the drying gas nozzle projected on the projection plane, and in a three-dimensional space, the drying gas flow is inclined, such that an angle formed by an axis of the drying gas flow and a vertical line of the substrate is in a range from a half contact angle to an angle determined by deducting the half contact angle from 90°, the half contact angle being a half of the contact angle.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate drying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the drying gas is supplied more on the downstream side than on the upstream side in the substrate rotation direction with a boundary of a virtual line extending in the nozzle moving direction in a range in which drying gas supplied from the drying gas nozzle substantially acts on a rinse agent collision range in which the rinse agent flow collides with the substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate drying apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the drying gas nozzle is provided such that, regarding the drying gas flow in the substrate rotation direction, the collision position with the substrate is located downstream of the projected discharge position. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate drying apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising an additional drying gas nozzle for supplying an additional drying gas flow to the rotating substrate, the additional drying gas nozzle being different from the drying gas nozzle and being provided such that, regarding the additional drying gas flow in the substrate rotation direction, a collision position with the substrate is located downstream of an additional projected discharge position, the additional projected discharge position being an additional discharge position from the additional drying gas nozzle projected on the projection plane. 
     
     
         5 . A substrate drying apparatus comprising:
 a rotation mechanism for rotating a substrate in a horizontal plane;   a rinse agent nozzle for supplying a rinse agent flow to the rotating substrate;   a rinse agent nozzle moving mechanism for moving the rinse agent nozzle in a nozzle moving direction extending from a side of a rotation center toward a side of an outer periphery of the rotating substrate;   a drying gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas flow on a downstream side in a substrate rotation direction and on the side of the rotation center of the substrate with respect to a position of the rotating substrate at which the rinse agent flow is supplied, the drying gas flow containing a substance reducing surface tension of the rinse agent, the substrate rotation direction in which the rinse agent flows when the substrate is rotating; and   a drying gas nozzle moving mechanism for moving the drying gas nozzle in the nozzle moving direction,   wherein the drying gas nozzle is provided such that, assuming that a surface of the substrate is a projection plane, regarding the drying gas flow in the nozzle moving direction and the substrate rotation direction, a collision position with the substrate is located downstream of a projected discharge position, the projected discharge position being a discharge position from the drying gas nozzle projected on the projection plane, and in this state, an angle formed by an axis of the drying gas flow and the nozzle moving direction is a predetermined turning angle, and in a three-dimensional space, the drying gas flow is inclined, such that an angle formed by an axis of the drying gas flow and a vertical line of the substrate is at a predetermined inclined angle.   
     
     
         6 . A substrate drying method of supplying a substrate rotating in a horizontal plane with a rinse agent flow and a drying gas flow while the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow are moved from the center side toward an outer periphery side of the rotating substrate, the drying gas flow being able to contain IPA, comprising the steps of:
 a center area drying step of drying a center area of the substrate, the center area being a range where a rotation center of the substrate exists in a collision range of the drying gas flow with the substrate; and   an outer periphery area drying step of drying an outer periphery area existing outside of the center area of the substrate,   wherein an IPA concentration of the IPA contained in the drying gas flow is maintained at less than 2 mol % during the center area drying step, and the IPA concentration is adjusted higher in the outer periphery area drying step than in the center area drying step.   
     
     
         7 . A substrate drying method of supplying a substrate rotating in a horizontal plane with a rinse agent flow and a drying gas flow while the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow are moved from the center side toward an outer periphery side of the rotating substrate, the drying gas flow being able to contain IPA, comprising the steps of:
 a center area drying step of drying a center area of the substrate, the center area being a range where a rotation center of the substrate exists in a collision range of the drying gas flow with the substrate; and   an outer periphery area drying step of drying an outer periphery area existing outside of the center area of the substrate,   wherein an IPA concentration of the IPA contained in the drying gas flow is maintained at a concentration substantially preventing a Marangoni effect during the center area drying step, and the IPA concentration is adjusted to a concentration generating a Marangoni effect during the outer periphery drying step.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 6 , wherein the concentration of the IPA contained in the drying gas flow is adjusted gradually higher when the concentration increases from one in the center area drying step to one in the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 6 , wherein a moving speed of the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow is maintained constant in a step of drying a substrate from its rotation center to its outer peripheral end including the center area drying step and the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 6 , wherein a moving speed of the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow is increased during the center area drying step or immediately after the center area drying step is terminated. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 6 , wherein a rotating speed of the substrate is not decreased in a step of drying a substrate from its rotation center to its outer peripheral end including the center area drying step and the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         12 . A control program that is installed in a computer connected to a substrate drying apparatus, the computer controlling the substrate drying apparatus, wherein the control program controls the substrate drying apparatus which executes the substrate drying method according to  claim 6 . 
     
     
         13 . A substrate drying apparatus comprising:
 a rinse agent nozzle for discharging rinse agent to be supplied to a substrate;   a rinse agent nozzle moving mechanism for moving the rinse agent nozzle;   a drying gas nozzle for discharging a drying gas flow to be supplied to the substrate;   a drying gas nozzle moving mechanism for moving the drying gas nozzle;   a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate in a horizontal plane; and   a controller having a computer, the control program according to  claim 12  being installed in the computer.   
     
     
         14 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 7 , wherein the concentration of the IPA contained in the drying gas flow is adjusted gradually higher when the concentration increases from one in the center area drying step to one in the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         15 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 7 , wherein a moving speed of the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow is maintained constant in a step of drying a substrate from its rotation center to its outer peripheral end including the center area drying step and the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         16 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 7 , wherein a moving speed of the rinse agent flow and the drying gas flow is increased during the center area drying step or immediately after the center area drying step is terminated. 
     
     
         17 . The substrate drying method according to  claim 7 , wherein a rotating speed of the substrate is not decreased in a step of drying a substrate from its rotation center to its outer peripheral end including the center area drying step and the outer periphery area drying step. 
     
     
         18 . A control program that is installed in a computer connected to a substrate drying apparatus, the computer controlling the substrate drying apparatus, wherein the control program controls the substrate drying apparatus which executes the substrate drying method according to  claim 7 . 
     
     
         19 . A substrate drying apparatus comprising:
 a rinse agent nozzle for discharging rinse agent to be supplied to a substrate;   a rinse agent nozzle moving mechanism for moving the rinse agent nozzle;   a drying gas nozzle for discharging a drying gas flow to be supplied to the substrate;   a drying gas nozzle moving mechanism for moving the drying gas nozzle;   a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate in a horizontal plane; and   a controller having a computer, the control program according to  claim 18  being installed in the computer.