A substrate processing method includes immersing a substrate in an alkaline processing liquid and etching, by the processing liquid, a polysilicon layer filled in a recess portion of columnar shape extending substantially perpendicular to a principal surface of the substrate, and in etching the polysilicon layer, bubbles generated inside the recess portion are removed.

An etching method includes a first etching step, a processing step, and a second etching step. The first etching step is performed to etch a substrate on which a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film are formed with an etching liquid. The processing step is performed to process a pattern in the silicon oxide film on the substrate with a pattern shape processing liquid after the first etching step. The second etching step is performed to etch the substrate with the etching liquid after the processing step.

Provided is a method of processing a substrate. The method includes supplying a treatment liquid containing oxygen atoms to a rotating substrate, and emitting, by a light source module, light to the substrate in a state where a liquid film formed by the supplied treatment liquid is in contact with the light source module to remove an organic material on the substrate.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a first chamber, a substrate loader under a first pressure and including a load port configured to load a substrate, a processing chamber inside the first chamber and including a processing bath in which a processing liquid for processing the substrate is provided and a bath cover configured to cover the processing bath, a processing liquid supplier configured to supply the processing liquid to the processing chamber, a first gas supply device configured to cause an internal pressure of the first chamber to be at a second pressure higher than the first pressure by supplying gas into the first chamber, and a second gas supply device configured to cause an internal pressure of the processing chamber to be at a third pressure higher than the first pressure by supplying gas into the processing chamber.

An apparatus for treating wafers includes a basin, a hole plate, a filling pipe and guiding elements. The basin serves to receive a treatment liquid and the wafers to be treated. The hole plate separates the basin in an upper and lower areas, wherein the hole plate comprises holes that fluidically connect the lower area and the upper area. The upper area comprises a receiving area for one or several wafer carriers in which wafers are arranged side-by-side with a gap in between. The filling pipe is disposed in the lower area of the basin and comprises filling pipe openings along its longitudinal direction. The guide elements are disposed in the upper area of the basin, in addition to the outer walls of the basin, and laterally limit the receiving area of at least one wafer carrier to concentrate a flow of the treatment liquid on the receiving area.

An apparatus for treating wafers with the treatment liquid comprises a basin, a hole plate, a filling pipe and separating elements. The basin serves to receive the treatment liquid and the wafers to be treated. The hole plate separates the basin in an upper area and a lower area, wherein the hole plate comprises holes that fluidically connect the lower area and the upper area. The filling pipe is disposed in the lower area of the basin and comprises filling pipe openings along its longitudinal direction. The separating elements are disposed in the lower area of the basin between at least some filling pipe openings and extend in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the filling pipe in order to at least reduce flows of the treatment liquid in longitudinal direction of the filling pipe between the at least some of the filling pipe openings.

In a substrate processing apparatus, an orientation converting area is provided between a transfer block and a batch processing area; a single-wafer transporting area is positioned adjacently to the transfer block and the orientation converting area; and the single-wafer processing area is positioned adjacently to the single-wafer transporting area. A center robot in the single-wafer transporting area transports the substrate from the second orientation converting mechanism in the orientation converting area, to the single-wafer processing chambers in the single-wafer processing area, and to the buffering unit. The center robot includes a horizontally movable hand that holds a substrate in a horizontal orientation, and a lifting stage that raises and lowers the hand, and the lifting stage has a fixed position in the horizontal direction.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a plurality of roller pairs configured to place a plurality of substrates, respectively, wherein the substrates are arranged side by side in a horizontal direction with a predetermined interval, and rotate the plurality of substrates, respectively, in a circumferential direction; a first, second, and third circulation groove that are disposed along outer peripheral portions of each of the plurality of substrates; a chemical solution supplier configured to supply a chemical solution to the outer peripheral portions of the plurality of substrates through the first circulation groove; a rinse solution supplier configured to supply a rinse solution to the outer peripheral portions of the plurality of substrates through the second circulation groove; and a fluid supplier configured to supply a fluid for drying the rinse solution to the outer peripheral portions of the plurality of substrates through the third circulation groove.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus in which throughput is improved by increasing the number of disposed single wafer type chambers while suppressing the size of the apparatus. According to the present invention, the single wafer type chambers can be stacked in a vertical direction, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which more single wafer type chambers are mounted even in the same floor area as that of a conventional apparatus. Further, when a mechanism for carrying a substrate W into a single wafer type chamber (drying chamber) and a mechanism for carrying the substrate W out of the drying chamber are provided independently, the substrate can be smoothly transferred around the drying chamber. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus 1 having a small size and a high throughput.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus with improved throughput by reconsidering a configuration of an apparatus including a batch type module and a single wafer type module. In a single wafer processing region according to single wafer processing of a processing block of the present invention, a buffer unit to and from which both a first transfer mechanism and a center robot can hand over and receive a substrate(s) is provided. Therefore, the first transfer mechanism can collectively hand over and receive processed substrates and unprocessed substrates via the buffer unit. Therefore, a potential of the first transfer mechanism is drawn out, and the substrate processing apparatus having a high throughput can be provided.