A wafer processing method is provided. The method includes preparing a wafer having a notch portion at one side thereof, aligning the wafer by analyzing image information of the notch portion captured by a vision camera, and processing the notch portion using a notch wheel so that a certain region of the notch portion has a preset thickness.

A substrate processing method includes a first processing liquid supplying step of supplying a first processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate, a holding layer forming step of solidifying or curing the first processing liquid to form a particle holding layer on the upper surface of the substrate, a holding layer removing step of peeling and removing the particle holding layer from the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film forming step of forming, after removing the particle holding layer from the substrate, a liquid film of the second processing liquid, a solidifying step of cooling the liquid film to a temperature not more than a melting point of the sublimable substance to make the liquid film solidify on the substrate and form a solid film, and a sublimating step of sublimating and thereby removing the solid film from the substrate.

There is provided a wet etching method including an etchant supply step of supplying an etchant from an etchant supply nozzle to a to-be-etched surface of a workpiece, an etching step of etching the to-be-etched surface with the etchant remaining on the to-be-etched surface, and an etchant removal step of, after performing the etching step, removing the etchant, which still remains on the resulting etched surface, from the etched surface. The etchant supply step, the etching step, and the etchant removal step are repeated a plurality of times in this order.

A substrate processing apparatus with efficient drying includes a chamber body having an upper opening, a chamber cover having a lower opening, and a shield plate disposed in a cover internal space of the chamber cover. With the upper opening of the chamber body covered by the chamber cover, a chamber is formed. In the cover internal space, a scanning nozzle for discharging a processing liquid toward a substrate is disposed and an inert gas is supplied and a gas is exhausted from the inside. When the processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate, the discharge part is disposed at a discharge position, and when the discharge part is dried while no processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate, the discharge part is disposed at a waiting position and the lower opening is closed by the shield plate.

A substrate processing method includes a vapor atmosphere filling step of filling surroundings of a liquid film of a processing liquid with a vapor atmosphere containing a vapor of a low surface tension liquid that has a lower surface tension than the processing liquid, a dry region forming step of forming a dry region in the liquid film of the processing liquid by partially excluding the processing liquid while spraying a gas containing the vapor of the low surface tension liquid onto the liquid film of the processing liquid in parallel with the vapor atmosphere filling step, and a dry region expanding step of expanding the dry region toward an outer periphery of a substrate while rotating the substrate in parallel with the vapor atmosphere filling step.

A substrate processing device includes a processing tank, a substrate holding unit, a fluid supply unit, and a control unit. The processing tank stores a processing liquid for processing a substrate. The substrate holding unit holds the substrate in the processing liquid in the processing tank. The fluid supply unit supplies a fluid to the processing tank. The control unit controls the fluid supply unit. The control unit controls the fluid supply unit such that the fluid supply unit changes supply of the fluid during a period from a start of supply of the fluid to the processing tank storing the processing liquid in which the substrate is immersed to an end of supply of the fluid to the processing tank storing the processing liquid in which the substrate is immersed.

The present invention relates to a method for treating the surface of a wafer with multiple liquids, comprising rotating the surface of the wafer and discharging different liquid streams onto the rotating surface in a sequence from separate outlets, wherein the discharge of liquid streams which are contiguous in the sequence overlaps during a transition phase, and wherein during the transition phase the liquid streams merge after exiting said outlets to form a merged liquid stream before impacting the rotating surface. The invention also provides a liquid dispensing device incorporating a housing holding two or more liquid delivery tubes, wherein the tubes' outlets are inwardly angled towards one another, such that in use liquid streams delivered from the outlets of the two or more liquid delivery tubes merge to form a merged liquid stream.

A system for controlling damages in cleaning a semiconductor wafer comprising features of patterned structures, the system comprising: a wafer holder for temporary restraining a semiconductor wafer during a cleaning process; an inlet for delivering a cleaning liquid over a surface of the semiconductor wafer; a sonic generator configured to alternately operate at a first frequency and a first power level for a first predetermined period of time and at a second frequency and a second power level for a second predetermined period of time, to impart sonic energy to the cleaning liquid, the first predetermined period of time and the second predetermined period of time consecutively following one another; and a controller programmed to provide the cleaning parameters, wherein at least one of the cleaning parameters is determined such that a percentage of damaged features as a result of the imparting sonic energy is lower than a predetermined threshold.

A substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a step of holding a substrate by a substrate holding unit (31) which is rotatable, a step of arranging a top plate portion (41) above the substrate, a step of supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, and a step of supplying a rinsing liquid (Lr) between the substrate and the top plate portion (41) to wash the substrate and the top plate portion (41) with the rinsing liquid (Lr).

An alkaline etchant containing a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, water, and an inhibitory substance for inhibiting contact between hydroxide ions generated from the quaternary ammonium hydroxide and objects P1 to P3 to be etched is prepared. The prepared etchant is supplied to a substrate in which the polysilicon-containing objects P1 to P3 to be etched and objects O1 to O3 not to be etched, which are different from the objects P1 to P3 to be etched, are exposed, thereby etching the objects P1 to P3 to be etched while preventing the objects O1 to O3 not to be etched from being etched.