Patent ID: 11972958
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a processing tub configured to perform an etching processing therein by immersing multiple substrates in a processing liquid;
a first discharge opening group and a second discharge opening group disposed under the multiple substrates within the processing tub, and configured to discharge the processing liquid into the processing tub;
a first adjusting device configured to change a flow rate of the processing liquid discharged from the first discharge opening group;
a second adjusting device configured to change a flow rate of the processing liquid discharged from the second discharge opening group;
a controller configured to control the first adjusting device and the second adjusting device to perform, during the etching processing, a flow rate adjusting processing of increasing and decreasing the flow rate of the processing liquid discharged from the first discharge opening group and the flow rate of the processing liquid discharged from the second discharge opening group to different values;
an overflow tub configured to store therein the processing liquid overflown from the processing tub; and
a circulation path configured to connect the overflow tub with the first discharge opening group and the second discharge opening group,
wherein the circulation path comprises:
a drain path connected to the overflow tub;
a supply path branched off from the drain path and connected to the first discharge opening group and the second discharge opening group; and
a bypass path branched off from the supply path and connected to the overflow tub,

wherein the first adjusting device and the second adjusting device are provided in the bypass path,
wherein the controller is configured to control the first and second adjusting devices to change the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing in the bypass path.