In a method of coating a photoresist, the photoresist may be provided to an upper surface of a rotating wafer. A hovering solution may be injected to an edge portion of the photoresist under a condition that the hovering solution may be hovered with respect to the edge portion of the photoresist with an air layer being interposed between the hovering solution and the edge portion of the photoresist to limit and/or prevent a bead of the photoresist from being formed on an edge portion of the upper surface of the wafer. Thus, the photoresist having a uniform thickness may be coated on the upper surface of the wafer to improve a yield of a semiconductor device by increasing an effective area of the edge portion of the wafer.

The present disclosure provides a chemical supply system, including a chamber, a tubing extending into the chamber, an interlock apparatus, including a fixture for fastening the tubing, and means for determining whether the tubing is fastened by the fixture.

A technique for obtaining good film quality in forming a silicon-oxide-containing insulating film as a coating film on a substrate. A coating liquid containing polysilazane is applied to a wafer, a solvent in the coating liquid is volatilized, and then the coating film is irradiated with ultraviolet rays under a nitrogen atmosphere before performing a curing process. Thus, dangling bonds are likely to be formed at hydrolyzed portions in polysilazane. Since dangling bonds are formed in advance at portions in silicon to be hydrolyzed, productivity of hydroxyl groups is enhanced. That is, since an energy required for hydrolysis is reduced, the number of the portions remaining without being hydrolyzed is reduced even when the curing process is performed at a low temperature. Therefore, dehydration synthesis occurs efficiently, which increases a crosslinking rate and makes it possible to form a dense (good film quality) insulating film.

A unit for supplying a substrate-treating liquid is provided with a first reservoir and a second reservoir between which a differential pressure is constantly maintained to establish a flow rate, along with a substrate-treating apparatus having the unit for supplying the substrate-treating liquid. The unit for supplying the substrate-treating liquid includes a supply reservoir module and a buffer reservoir module. The supply reservoir module includes a first reservoir for supplying the substrate-treating liquid to an inkjet head unit for jetting the substrate-treating liquid onto a substrate, and a second reservoir for recovering the substrate-treating liquid that remains unused in the inkjet head unit. The buffer reservoir module is configured to provide the substrate-treating liquid to the first reservoir. Differential pressure is constantly maintained between the first reservoir and the second reservoir.

A mist generating apparatus sprays a surface of an object (P) to be treated with a carrier gas (CGS) of mist (Mst) of a solution containing fine particles or molecules of a material substance, so that a layer of the material substance is deposited on the surface of the object (P) to be treated. The mist generating device includes a mist generator (14) for atomizing the solution to feed the carrier gas (CGS) containing the mist (Mst), and an ultraviolet irradiator (20B) for applying ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 400 nm or lower to the mist (Mst) floating in the carrier gas (CGS) in a flow path extending from the mist generator (14) until the carrier gas (CGS) is sprayed on the surface of the object (P) to be treated.

A method of coating a structure is disclosed. Method steps include providing a structure having a first portion of a first material having a first surface and providing a second portion of a second material having a second surface, wherein a mask is provided over the first surface. Another step includes exposing the mask and the second surface to a solution comprising a polymer and a solvent, wherein the solution dewets from the mask and the polymer collects onto the second surface to form a polymer coating over the second surface without forming a polymer coating on the first surface.

Provided is a pump for supplying a liquid, the pump including: a flexible tube body including a pump chamber; first flange provided at one end of the tube body and including an inlet communicating with the pump chamber; a second flange provided at the other end of the tube body and including an outlet communicating with the pump chamber; and driving unit for transmitting rotational force to the tube body to twist the tube body.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a nozzle for discharging a processing solution, a processing solution supply part for supplying the processing solution to the nozzle and a controller. The processing solution supply part includes a tank, a first conduit for guiding the processing solution from the tank to the nozzle, a pump installed in the first conduit, and a filter having first and second spaces, and a filtering member for separating between the first space and the second space. The controller performs a first control process of controlling the processing solution supply part to flow the processing solution from the first space to the second space through the filtering member by the pump, and after the first control process, a second control process of controlling the processing solution supply part to flow the processing solution from the second space to the first space through the filtering member by the pump.

A wafer processing method includes: providing a wafer, wherein the wafer has a first position and a second position, and the first position faces the second position in a reference direction; coating a photoresist liquid on the wafer; and performing a heating process to heat the wafer coated with the photoresist liquid to form a photoresist layer on the wafer, wherein during the heating process, a temperature of the wafer gradually increases in the reference direction, so that a thickness of the photoresist layer gradually decreases in the reference direction.

Systems and methods are described for integrated decomposition and scanning of a semiconducting wafer, where a single chamber is utilized for decomposition and scanning of the wafer of interest.