Patent ID: 8387630
Filing Date: 2013-03-05
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A protective film removing device that pours a remover through a remover pouring nozzle onto a surface of a substrate horizontally held by a substrate holding device to remove a water-repellent protective film formed on a surface of a resist film formed on the substrate before subjecting the resist film to immersion exposure by dissolving the water-repellent protective film in the remover after immersion exposure, said protective film removing device comprising: a recovery line communicating with an atmosphere surrounding the substrate to recover a mixed chemical solution containing the remover, and a chemical solution containing the remover and the water-repellent protective film dissolved in the remover; an intermediate tank connected to an outlet end of the recovery line; a volatilization preventing liquid storing device connected to the intermediate tank to provide a volatilization preventing liquid having a specific gravity smaller than that of the mixed chemical solution in the intermediate tank; a transfer line having an inlet end connected to a lower portion of the intermediate tank and provided with a valve, the lower portion being positioned to communicate with the mixed chemical solution contained in the intermediate tank; a recovery tank connected to an outlet end of the transfer line; a liquid quantity monitoring device configured to monitor a quantity of a liquid contained in the intermediate tank; a controller configured to direct the volatilization preventing liquid storing device to provide the volatilization preventing liquid in the intermediate tank prior to the mixed chemical solution being provided in the intermediate tank via the recovery line based on a signal provided by the liquid quantity monitoring device, the controller further configured to open the valve of the transfer line to transfer the liquid contained in the intermediate tank to the recovery tank when the quantity of the liquid contained in the intermediate tank reaches a predetermined quantity on the basis of a signal provided by the liquid quantity monitoring device; and a remover pouring nozzle supply device configured to supply the volatilization preventing liquid to the remover pouring nozzle.