In a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate being rotated, to thereby process the substrate, an upper support body which is a placement member is separably placed on a lower support body for supporting the substrate. The upper support body is moved up and down by an up-and-down moving part. The upper support body includes a first contact part outside an outer periphery of the substrate in a radial direction. When a second contact part of the up-and-down moving part goes up, the second contact part comes into contact with the first contact part, to thereby move the upper support body up. When the second contact part goes down, the upper support body is placed on the lower support body and the second contact part is separated from the first contact part, and in this state, the lower support body is rotatable.

Cleaning systems and methods for semiconductor fabrication use rotatable and translatable chuck assemblies that incorporate a compact drive system to cause chuck rotation. The system uses an offset drive gear that drives a ring gear. This reduces components whose friction or lubricants might generate undue contamination. The low friction chuck functionality of the present invention is useful in any fabrication tool in which a workpiece is supported on a rotating support during a treatment. The chuck is particularly useful in cryogenic cleaning treatments.

Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a chamber body defining a transfer region. The systems may include a lid plate seated on the chamber body. The lid plate may define a plurality of apertures. The systems may include a plurality of lid stacks. The systems may include a plurality of substrate supports. The systems may include a plurality of peripheral valves. Each peripheral valve may be disposed in one of the processing regions. Each peripheral valve may include a bottom plate coupled with the chamber body. The peripheral valve may include a bellow. The bellow may be coupled with the bottom plate. The peripheral valve may include a sealing ring having a body defining a central aperture. A bottom surface of the body may be coupled with the bellow. The body may define a recess having a diameter greater than that of a support plate of a substrate support.

Provided is a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for semiconductor wafers that can hinder a mist of a cleaning solution from being adhered to a surface of a semiconductor wafer during cleaning of the semiconductor wafer. In a cleaning apparatus 1 for a semiconductor wafer, a spin cup 20 has an annular side wall portion 21; an inclined portion 22 that is inclined toward the rotating table 13; and an annular bent portion 23. The height position h.sub.21 of the upper end portion 21c of the side wall portion 21 is set at a position lower than the height position h.sub.14a of the upper end portion 14a of the wafer retainer portion 14, and the inclination angle θ.sub.22 of the inclined portion to a horizontal plane and the width w of the inclined portion satisfy a formula (A):

θ.sub.22(°)≥−0.65×w (mm)+72.9°  (A)

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate support configured to support and rotate a substrate, at least one first lower cleaning nozzle configured to spray a first cleaning liquid on a lower surface of the substrate, at least one second lower cleaning nozzle configured to spray a second cleaning liquid on the lower surface of the substrate, a bowl assembly disposed around the substrate support, the bowl assembly including a cup body providing an annular shaped accommodating space and inner and outer collection portions sequentially arranged in a radial direction in a lower portion of the cup body, an annular shaped discharge guide plate disposed in the receiving space of the bowl assembly under the substrate and extending outwardly from a circumference of the substrate, and a discharge separation plate provided within the receiving space of the bowl assembly to be movable upward and downward.

An apparatus for processing a wafer comprises: a rotatable chuck adapted to receive a wafer; a heating assembly comprising an array of heating elements arranged to heat a wafer received by the rotatable chuck; an image sensor arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation from a surface of the wafer; and a controller configured to control supply of power to the array of heating elements based on a measurement output of the image sensor.

The present disclosure describes an apparatus for processing one or more objects. The apparatus includes a carrier configured to hold the one or more objects, a tank filled with a processing agent and configured to receive the carrier, and a spinning portion configured to contact the one or more objects and to spin the one or more objects to disturb a flow field of the processing agent.

A module for operating a carrier of one or more substrates to be treated in a vacuum deposition method includes a frame provided with a plate receiving, on a first side, an electronic assembly comprising radio transmitter/receiver electronics, a processor card, motor controller electronics and a battery for supplying power to the module. The processor card has a program memory with a program for controlling the motor controller electronics according to data received from a remote apparatus provided with a radio transmitting/receiving device for communicating with the module's radio transmitter/receiver electronics and, on a second side, a device for operating the carrier, which device is provided with a first motor for rotating the carrier about a first axis parallel to the plate and with a second motor for rotating the carrier about a second axis perpendicular to the plate.

A method of cleaning blind spots around a substrate supporting apparatus by controlling a position of the substrate supporting apparatus includes moving the substrate supporting apparatus relative to a ring and supplying a cleaning gas to an upper space of the substrate supporting apparatus.

A substrate processing apparatus comprises a holder configured to hold a substrate; a processing liquid supply configured to supply a processing liquid onto the substrate held by the holder; and a resistance value varying mechanism configured to vary an electrical resistance of the holder in contact with the substrate.