A method for processing a substrate includes: loading a substrate in a processing space of a vessel; drying the substrate using a supercritical fluid of a first temperature in the processing space, and thermally decomposing a contamination source disposed in the processing space by transferring heat to the processing space by using a non-reactive fluid of a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing chamber incorporating a small thermal mass which enable efficient temperature cycling for supercritical drying processes. The chamber generally includes a body, a liner, and an insulation element which enables the liner to exhibit a small thermal mass relative to the body. The chamber is also configured with suitable apparatus for generating and/or maintaining supercritical fluid within a processing volume of the chamber.

A substrate processing apparatus performs: a pressure raising process of raising a pressure within the processing container to a processing pressure higher than a critical pressure of the processing fluid, after the substrate is accommodated in the processing container; and a circulation process of supplying the processing fluid to the processing container and discharging the processing fluid from the processing container while keeping a pressure at which the processing fluid is maintained in the supercritical state, within the processing container. In the pressure raising process, the supply of the processing fluid from the second fluid supply unit is stopped and the processing fluid is supplied from the first fluid supply unit into the processing container until at least the pressure within the processing container reaches the critical pressure. In the circulation process, the processing fluid is supplied into the processing container from the second fluid supply unit.

In a substrate processing method according to this invention, a decompression process after processing a substrate using a fluid in a supercritical state in a chamber is divided into two stages. In the first decompress step, an internal space of the chamber is decompressed to a pressure lower than the critical pressure and higher than an atmospheric pressure while keeping the temperature of the internal space equal to or higher than a critical temperature of the processing fluid. In the second decompression step, the processing fluid is discharged at a discharge rate higher than in the first decompression step, thereby the internal space is decompressed. At this time, the discharge rate is so controlled that the temperature of the internal space when the pressure of the internal space is reduced to the atmospheric pressure becomes a predetermined target temperature.

A liquid film of a processing liquid containing at least one of sulfuric acid, a sulfate, peroxosulfuric acid, and a peroxosulfate, or a processing liquid containing hydrogen peroxide is formed on a substrate. A plasma is radiated to the liquid film. Thereby, a substrate processing method in which substrate processing using an oxidizing power of the processing liquid can be efficiently performed is provided.

A substrate processing method in accordance with the present invention includes forming a liquid film on an upper surface of a substrate by a wet processing apparatus; carrying the substrate having the liquid film formed thereon into a chamber of a supercritical processing apparatus by a conveyor device; and processing a substrate by a processing fluid in a supercritical state in the chamber by the supercritical processing apparatus. The method further includes blowing a gas toward a lower surface of the substrate supported in a horizontal posture by a gas discharger for at least a part of a period after the formation of the liquid film on the substrate during which the substrate is outside the chamber.

This invention relates a processing chamber cleaning method for a supercritical processing apparatus for accommodating a supporting member supporting a substrate into a processing space of a processing chamber and processing the substrate by a processing fluid in a supercritical state in the processing space. The processing chamber cleaning method includes supporting a flat dish-like container storing a cleaning liquid on the supporting member and accommodating the supporting member into the processing space, filling the processing space with the processing fluid in the supercritical state and discharging the processing fluid. It is capable of effectively cleaning the inside of even a supercritical processing chamber including a processing space having a narrow opening and a large depth.

A substrate processing method according to this invention includes supporting a substrate having a liquid film on an upper surface substantially in a horizontal posture by placing the substrate on a flat plate-like support tray, accommodating the support tray into an internal space of a chamber and sealing the internal space, introducing a gas which is pressurized toward a gap space between a lower surface of the support tray and a bottom surface of the internal space, and processing the substrate by a supercritical processing fluid by introducing the supercritical processing fluid into the internal space. This makes it possible to shorten a time required to remove a liquid adhering to the lower surface of a substrate being carried into a chamber.

A substrate processing apparatus including a processing container including a processing space, a substrate support extending in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the second direction, and configured to support a substrate in the processing container, a fluid supply device configured to supply a processing fluid in a supercritical state to the processing space through a container supply pipe, and a shower head assembly configured to diffuse the processing fluid supplied from the fluid supply device into the processing space. The shower head assembly includes a first shower head having a first diameter, and a second shower head arranged between the first shower head and the substrate and having a second diameter. The processing container is separated from the shower head assembly in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, such that a flow path is formed between the processing container and the shower head assembly.

Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus including: a container body configured to accommodate a substrate and perform a processing on the substrate using a high-pressure processing fluid; a conveyance port configured to carry the substrate into and out of the container body; an opening formed in the container body at a position different from the conveyance port; and a cover member configured to close the opening.