A method includes: supplying a processing liquid to a center position of a substrate surface; shifting a supply position of the processing liquid from the center position to a first eccentric position; holding the supply position of the processing liquid at the first eccentric position and supplying a substitute liquid to a second eccentric position; shifting the supply position of the processing liquid in a direction away from the center position, and shifting a supply position of the substitute liquid to the center position; and supplying the processing liquid to the first eccentric position at a first flow rate, and reducing the flow rate of the processing liquid to a second flow rate after the supply position of the processing liquid starts to be shifted from the first eccentric position in the direction and until the supply position of the substitute liquid reaches the center position.

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.

A fluid supply device and a wafer cleaning apparatus using the same are proposed. The fluid supply device is improved to minimize occurrence of particles generated in an operational process in order to reduce contamination of a wafer. The fluid supply device includes a supply tube connected to a supply tank storing a liquid chemical and a supply valve, a drain tube connected to the supply tube by a branch tube and a drain valve, a fluid tank, a provision tube connected to the supply tube via the branch tube to provide the liquid chemical into the fluid tank, a supply valve, a tank drain tube connected to the fluid tank to drain a liquid chemical in the fluid tank, and a tank drain valve, and a controller configured to control opening and closing of each of the valves and supply of the liquid chemical supplying through the supply tube.

A substrate holding device includes a porous component, a supporting component, a rotation driver, and a holding driver. The porous component includes an adsorbing surface that adsorbs a film of a framed substrate. The supporting component surrounds the porous component and supports a frame of the framed substrate. The rotation driver rotates the supporting component and the porous component in unison. The holding driver includes at least one magnet disposed opposite to the frame with respect to the supporting component and separated from the supporting component, the holding driver compressively holding the frame against the supporting component by a magnetic force of the magnet.

A liquid processing method includes: a substrate processing process for allowing a processing liquid to flow through a flow path connecting a reservoir and a processing liquid supply, and be discharged to a substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate; a stay process for filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path; a flow-through process for allowing the staying liquid to flow through the flow path; a signal acquisition process for irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid; and a response process for estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation.

A wafer transfer method for forming a second work unit by transferring a wafer of a first work unit including a first ring frame, a first adhesive tape, and the wafer to a second adhesive tape includes sandwiching a claw body between the first ring frame and a second ring frame, affixing the second adhesive tape to a surface of the wafer which surface is not affixed to the first adhesive tape, holding the wafer by the second ring frame via the second adhesive tape, and peeling off the first adhesive tape from the wafer.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding section that holds a substrate, a processing tank that stores a processing liquid allowing the substrate held by the substrate holding section to be immersed in, and a plurality of bubble generating pipes that each supply a gas to the processing liquid to generate bubbles in the processing liquid. Of the plurality of bubble generating pipes, a flow rate of a gas supplied to an outer bubble generating pipe located below an outer region of the substrate immersed in the processing liquid differs from a flow rate of a gas supplied to an inner bubble generating pipe located below a central region of the substrate.

Provided is a support unit for supporting a substrate, the support unit including: a heating member configured to transmit thermal energy to a supported substrate; a reflective plate disposed under the heating member and configured to reflect thermal energy generated by the heating member to the substrate; a cooling plate disposed under the reflective plate and formed with a cooling flow path in which a cooling fluid flows; and a gas supply line configured to supply gas to a space between the reflective plate and the cooling plate.

A treatment device and a method treat semiconductor objects with an aqueous treatment fluid. The treatment device has a treatment chamber and a supply device for supplying the treatment chamber with the aqueous treatment fluid. The supply device includes a chemical supply unit with at least two chemical containers and a water supply unit. At least one water line of the water supply unit and at least two chemical transport lines of the chemical supply unit are directly or indirectly connected with a single treatment fluid feed line. The single treatment fluid feed line is line-connected with the distribution device arranged in the treatment chamber.

Methods and apparatuses for processing semiconductor substrates in an integration scheme to form chamferless vias are provided herein. Methods include bifurcating etching of dielectric by depositing a conformal removable sealant layer having properties for selective removal relative to dielectric material without damaging dielectric material. Some methods include forming an ashable conformal sealant layer. Methods also include forming hard masks including a Group IV metal and removing conformal removable sealant layers and hard masks in one operation using same etching chemistries.