A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate processing unit and a controller. The substrate processing unit is configured to perform an etching processing on one or more substrates each having a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film on a surface thereof with a processing liquid containing a phosphoric acid aqueous solution and a silicic acid compound. The controller is configured to control individual components of the substrate processing apparatus. The controller includes a concentration control unit configured to control a phosphoric acid concentration of the processing liquid such that etching selectivity of the silicon nitride film with respect to the silicon oxide film falls within a given range from a beginning of the etching processing to an end thereof.

A wet etching system includes a process tank having an inclined tank floor. A drain port is provided at the lower-most location of the inclined tank floor and one or more outlet ports are provided on the inclined tank floor at a location higher than the drain port. The drain port is configured to drain etchant from the tank through a debris-removal system, and the outlet ports are configured to drain the etchant from the tank through a recirculation system.

A substrate processing method includes: receiving, by a transfer arm, a substrate from a batch processing section in which a plurality of substrates is collectively processed in a state where each of the plurality of substrates stands upright; disposing the substrate on a disposing unit including a pin, a first liquid film being formed on an upper surface of the substrate from a process in the batch processing section; supplying a pure water toward the upper surface of the substrate, thereby forming a second liquid film of the pure water on the upper surface of the substrate; stop supplying the pure water and maintaining the second liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate for a predetermined time, and transporting the substrate to a single wafer processing section in which the plurality of substrates are processed one by one in a horizontal state.

A substrate processing method includes: transferring, by a first transfer arm, a wafer lot including a plurality of substrates to a processing bath in which the plurality of substrates in the wafer lot are immersed and processed collectively; receiving, by a second transfer arm, the wafer lot from the first transfer arm, and immersing the wafer lot in an immersion bath in which the plurality of substrates in the wafer lot are immersed collectively; and transferring, by a third transfer arm, the plurality of substrates in the wafer lot to a delivery table one by one. The immersion bath is disposed outside a movement range of the first transfer arm such that the first transfer arm is operated independently from the third transfer arm.

The present invention relates to an etching device and an etching method thereof, the etching device comprising: an etchant supply unit for supplying an etchant to an etching chamber; a rinsing liquid supply unit for supplying a rinsing liquid to the etching chamber, a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the etching chamber, and a first pressurization maintaining unit for maintaining at least one of the etching chamber and the etchant supply unit in a pressurized atmosphere.

Substrates are immersed in a treatment fluid stored in a treatment chamber, and subjected to a surface treatment. A first lid and a second lid cover an upper opening of the treatment chamber. The first lid and the second lid each include sloped surfaces. At least a part of the first lid and the second lid is immersed in the treatment fluid. During the treatment on the substrates, a plurality of bubble supply pipes eject bubbles into the treatment fluid. The sloped surfaces formed on the first lid and the second lid guide the bubbles reaching an interface between the treatment fluid, the first lid, and the second lid diagonally upward. Thus, the bubbles are smoothly released outside the treatment chamber. This can eliminate retention of the bubbles, avoid contacts between the bubbles and the substrates, and suppress a decrease in the treatment uniformity.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing tank storing an etching liquid; a substrate holder configured to immerse a substrate in the etching liquid; an etching liquid supply unit configured to supply the etching liquid into the processing tank, and including a first discharge hole in which a direction in which the etching liquid is discharged is directed to an upper portion of the substrate, and a second discharge hole disposed below the first discharge hole; an air bubble supply unit configured to supply air bubbles to the etching liquid from below the substrate; and a controller, wherein the controller controls the etching liquid supply unit to adjust a discharge amount of the etching liquid from the first discharge hole to be larger than a discharge amount of the etching liquid from the second discharge hole in a whole or part of a period of etching the substrate.

A system is provided. The system includes a semiconductor fabrication station and a rescue system. The semiconductor fabrication station includes a tank to hold a liquid. The semiconductor fabrication station is configured to perform a semiconductor fabrication process on a semiconductor wafer disposed in the tank. The rescue system is configured to monitor a signal line indicative of a state of the semiconductor fabrication station. The rescue system is configured to open a drain valve of the tank to drain the liquid from the tank in response to the signal line indicating a potential fabrication station error.

A method and a system for substrate etching are disclosed, as well as a substrate holder. A substrate blank is arranged in the substrate holder and a substrate blank surface is treated with an etching medium. Prior to treatment with the etching medium, the substrate blank is irradiated with laser radiation along an outer contour of a target substrate, and therefore during treatment with the etching medium, the target substrate is separated from the substrate blank.

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a step (immersing step) of immersing a substrate array that is a horizontal arrangement of vertically oriented substrates in sulfuric acid, a step (elevating step) of elevating an entirety of the substrate array from the sulfuric acid, and a step (mist supplying step) of supplying mist of hydrogen peroxide solution to the substrate array having been elevated. With this configuration, only the liquid sulfuric acid film attached to the surface of the substrate is turned into SPM. In this manner, much less hydrogen peroxide solution is consumed, as compared with that in a conventional method.