JP2000235949A - Coating/developing equipment and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coating/developing equipment in which a wafer is prevented from being artificially contaminated at extraction of a substrate from a processing line, and inspecting it. SOLUTION: Coating/developing equipment 1 provided with a development processing unit for subjecting development processing to a wafer W is provided with an inspection device 48 for detecting a defect generated in the wafer W. The carrying of the wafer W between the development processing unit and the inspection device 48 is conducted by a main carrying device 13. The inspection device 48 transmits the inspected result to a controller 49 as a detection signal, and the controller 49 which receives the detection signal controls the exposure conditions of an aligner 4 based on the presence or absence of the defect, or controls inspection frequency by adjusting a frequency adjusting mechanism 50. Since the carrying of the wafer W is conducted between the development processing unit and the inspection device 48 is conducted by the main carrying device 13, the wafer W can be prevented from being contaminated by man-made means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating and developing apparatus provided with an inspection device for inspecting a substrate, and a coating and developing method using the coating and developing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process,
For example, a photolithography process for forming a resist film on a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”) or the like is performed. This photolithography process includes a resist coating process in which a resist solution is applied to the wafer and processing, an exposure process in which the wafer after resist coating is exposed,
It consists of various processing steps such as heating processing for heating the wafer and development processing for developing the wafer after the exposure processing.
These various processing steps are performed in a coating and developing processing apparatus.

Conventionally, for example, the thickness of a resist film and the line width formed in a pattern are formed to a predetermined thickness and a predetermined line width on a wafer after completion of a resist coating process and a developing process. A wafer inspection process is performed to check whether or not the wafer has been inspected. The wafer inspection process is performed by an inspection device installed independently of the coating and developing processing device. Specifically, an operator extracts a wafer from the wafer after completion of the resist coating process or the developing process, for example, at regular time intervals or every predetermined number of wafers, takes the extracted wafer to an inspection device, and takes the wafer. Inspect the surface.

[0004]

However, since the operator himself takes the wafer extracted from the resist coating device, the development processing device and the like into the inspection device for inspection, the operator holds the wafer with the inspection device. There is a possibility that the wafers may be artificially contaminated for some time or when the wafers are loaded into the apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel coating and developing apparatus and a coating and developing method which can prevent artificial contamination of a substrate.

[0006]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating and developing apparatus including a plurality of processing units for individually performing processing required for coating and developing processing on a substrate. An inspection apparatus for inspecting a substrate which has been processed in a specific processing unit and detecting the presence / absence of a defect in the substrate; loading / unloading the substrate to / from each processing unit; And a transfer device for transferring the substrate between the unit and the inspection device.
A coating and developing apparatus is provided.

[0007] In the coating and developing apparatus according to the first aspect, the transfer apparatus can transfer the substrate processed by a specific processing unit such as a resist coating apparatus to an inspection apparatus. Therefore, since the substrate is transported from the processing unit to the inspection device by the transport device instead of the operator, the substrate is not artificially contaminated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating and developing apparatus including a plurality of processing units for individually performing processing necessary for coating and developing processing on a substrate, wherein the processing is completed in a specific processing unit. An inspection device for inspecting a substrate and detecting the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate, a transport device for loading / unloading the substrate to / from each processing unit, and an inspection device for inspecting the substrate which has been processed by the specific processing unit A coating / developing apparatus is provided, which is provided with another transport apparatus for transporting the apparatus to the apparatus.

In the coating and developing apparatus according to the second aspect, the substrate can be transported to the inspection apparatus by another transporting apparatus other than the transporting apparatus. Therefore, even when the inspection device is installed outside the coating and developing processing device, the substrate can be transported between the processing unit and the inspection device by the transport device as in the case of the first aspect. Is not artificially contaminated. Here, other transfer devices include not only transfer arms but also transfer robots and the like.

In this case, as described in claim 3, it is more preferable to provide a substrate container into which the substrate in which the defect has been detected by the inspection device is carried. That is, in the coating and developing apparatus according to the third aspect, the substrate in which the defect has been detected by the inspection apparatus is stored in the substrate housing, so that it can be removed from the processing line of the coating and developing apparatus.
Therefore, the coating and developing process is not performed on the defective substrate, and the defective substrate can be concentrated at a predetermined location. Therefore, subsequent handling of the substrate on which the defect has been detected is facilitated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating and developing apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect, when a defect is detected by the inspection apparatus, a resist formed on the substrate by the coating processing. It is characterized by including a control device for controlling exposure conditions of an exposure device for exposing a film.

In the coating and developing apparatus according to the present invention, when a defect such as a positional shift of a pattern formed on the substrate after the developing processing is detected by the inspection apparatus, the control apparatus may be used. Can transmit a signal for correcting the exposure condition to the exposure apparatus. Therefore, it becomes possible to expose the resist film under suitable exposure conditions according to this signal.

Here, the exposure condition may be, for example,
As described in. It is at least one of a focal length, an exposure amount, or an exposure time.

In a case where the coating and developing processing in the coating and developing apparatus described in each of the above claims involves a resist liquid coating processing, the peeling for peeling off the resist of the substrate on which a defect has been detected by the inspection apparatus is provided. If equipped with the device,
Even a substrate for which a defect has been detected by the inspection device can be subjected to reprocessing.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the coating and developing apparatus according to the first aspect, the frequency of adjusting the frequency of inspection by the inspection apparatus according to the frequency of occurrence of defects detected by the inspection apparatus. It is characterized by having an adjusting mechanism.

According to the coating and developing apparatus according to the present invention, for example, when the inspection apparatus inspects a substrate extracted from the processing unit of the coating and developing apparatus at regular intervals, the inspection apparatus detects a defect. When the frequency of detection is high, it is possible to perform the coating and developing process on the substrate in a state where the frequency adjustment mechanism is adjusted to increase the number of inspections of the inspection apparatus, that is, the inspection frequency is increased. Conversely, when the frequency of detection of defects by the inspection device is low, the frequency adjustment mechanism is adjusted to reduce the number of inspections of the inspection device, that is, the inspection frequency is reduced, and the coating and developing process on the substrate is It can be performed. Therefore, efficient inspection can be performed.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of applying and developing a substrate using the coating and developing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the resist formed on the substrate by the coating process is provided. Using a peeling device to peel off the film,
A step of detecting the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate by an inspection device, a step of removing the resist film of the substrate on which the defect has been detected by the peeling device, and a step of applying and developing the substrate from which the resist film has been removed. And a reprocessing step in a processing apparatus.

According to the coating and developing method of the present invention, the resist film is peeled off by the peeling device on the substrate on which the defect is detected by the inspection device. Next, the substrate from which the resist film has been removed is reprocessed by a coating and developing apparatus, whereby the substrate on which a defect is detected by the inspection apparatus can be reused.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating and developing apparatus for applying a resist solution onto a substrate and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, comprising: A coating and developing treatment apparatus is provided. Here, the processing unit includes a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a development processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, and a presence / absence of a defect on the substrate. An inspection device for detecting, and a first transport device capable of transporting a substrate to the coating processing unit, the development processing unit, and the inspection device are provided. The storage unit is a storage unit that is disposed adjacent to the processing unit and individually stores a substrate before and after processing in the processing unit and a substrate in which a defect is detected by the inspection device. A storage unit in which a body is disposed; and a second transfer device capable of transferring a substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit.

In this coating and developing apparatus, for example, an unprocessed substrate and an unprocessed substrate are individually stored in a storage unit, for example, a storage unit called a cassette or a carrier, and a storage unit for storing a substrate in which a defect is detected. Is disposed in the storage section, so that it is not necessary to collect the board in which the defect is detected in a specially-specified space. In addition, the defective substrate can be carried into a predetermined storage body by the second physical transport device.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating and developing apparatus for applying a resist solution on a substrate and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, comprising: A coating and developing treatment apparatus is provided. That is, the processing unit includes a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a developing processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, the coating processing unit and the developing processing unit. And a first transfer device capable of transferring a substrate to the first transfer device. The accommodation unit is disposed adjacent to the processing unit, and includes an inspection device that detects presence / absence of a defect occurring in the substrate, a substrate before and after processing in the processing unit, and the inspection device. The storage unit includes a storage unit in which storage units for individually storing the substrates in which the defects are detected are arranged, and a second transfer device that can transfer the substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit.

In the coating and developing apparatus according to the tenth aspect,
The inspection device is arranged on the housing part side. Therefore, it is possible to quickly transport the defective substrate to a predetermined storage body by the second transport device and concentrate the defective substrate from the point of detecting the defect.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating and developing apparatus for applying a resist solution onto a substrate and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, comprising: A coating and developing treatment apparatus is provided. That is, the processing unit includes a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a developing processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, and a heating unit for heating at least the substrate. A processing unit and a multi-stage processing unit group in which inspection devices for detecting the presence or absence of a defect generated in the substrate are arranged in multiple stages, and a substrate can be transported between the coating processing unit, the development processing unit, and the multi-stage processing unit group. First
The storage unit is disposed adjacent to the processing unit, and before and after processing in the processing unit, the substrate is processed, and a defect is detected by the inspection device. A storage section in which storage bodies for individually storing the substrates are arranged, and a second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the processing section and the storage section are provided.

In the coating and developing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect,
In the processing section, an inspection device is incorporated in a multi-stage processing unit group having a multi-stage heating processing unit and a heating processing unit for performing a heat treatment of a substrate, thereby saving floor occupation area.

In this case, it is more preferable that the substrate can be transferred between the inspection device and the second transfer device.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the apparatus is disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus for exposing a resist formed on a substrate, applies a resist liquid on the substrate, and develops the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus. A coating / developing apparatus having the following processing unit and interface unit is provided. That is, the processing unit includes a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a developing processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, and a delivery unit for delivering the substrate. Unit and
A first transfer device that can transfer the substrate to the coating processing unit, the development processing unit, and the transfer unit; and an interface unit is provided between the processing unit and the exposure device. A storage section for temporarily storing a substrate to be carried in and out of the exposure apparatus, an inspection apparatus for detecting the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate, a delivery unit of the exposure apparatus, the processing section, the storage section, A second transport device capable of transporting the substrate to and from the inspection device.

According to the coating and developing apparatus having such a configuration,
Since the inspection device is disposed in the interface portion disposed between the processing unit and the exposure device, it is possible to quickly perform, for example, a defect inspection of the substrate after exposure.

In this case, a first temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere of the processing section and a second temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere of the interface section are provided. Then, temperature adjustment suitable for each environment can be performed, and the reliability of the coating and developing process can be improved as a whole. In particular, since the resist is sensitive to a change in temperature, the improvement of the yield can be expected if each temperature control device is provided as described above.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the coating and developing apparatus is disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus for exposing a resist formed on the substrate, applies a resist solution on the substrate, and exposes the substrate on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus. The coating / developing apparatus for developing a resist includes a processing section, a housing section, an interface section, and an inspection apparatus for detecting presence / absence of a defect generated in a substrate. And (a) a processing unit for applying a resist solution onto the substrate, a developing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, and a processing unit for transferring the substrate. And a first transfer device capable of transferring the substrate to the coating processing unit, the developing processing unit, and the transfer unit; and a peeling-off method for peeling a resist of the substrate in which a defect is detected by the inspection device. Device. And (b) a storage unit disposed adjacent to the processing unit, and a storage unit configured to individually store substrates before and after processing in the processing unit, and A second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit.
Further, (c) an interface section is disposed between the processing section and the exposure apparatus, and a storage section for temporarily storing a substrate to be carried in and out of the exposure apparatus, and a transfer unit for the exposure apparatus and the processing section. And a third transport device capable of transporting the substrate to and from the storage unit, wherein the substrate in which the defect is detected by the inspection device can be loaded by the third transport device, and the defect is detected. A defective substrate storage unit for storing a defective substrate. Further, the coating and developing apparatus has a transfer means for transferring the substrate from the defective substrate storage section to the peeling device.

According to the coating and developing apparatus of the present invention, the defective substrates for which defects have been detected by the inspection device are once collected in the defective substrate storage section by the third transfer device.
Thereafter, at an appropriate time, the sheet is conveyed to the peeling device of the processing section by the conveying means. Therefore, as in the case of each of the above-described coating and developing apparatuses, artificial contamination is avoided. Further, since the arrangement of the inspection device is arbitrary, the degree of freedom in design is high.

The transfer means may be a transfer robot for transferring a substrate from the defective substrate storage section to the peeling device. In this case, a predetermined number of transfer robots may be stored in the defective substrate storage section. It is more efficient to transport at the stage where the pieces are gathered. Furthermore, if the stripping device itself is a batch type chemical solution cleaning device as described in claim 17, the stripping process can be performed efficiently by performing the stripping process at the predetermined number at a time. It is.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. 1 to 3 show the appearance of a coating and developing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a rear view.

As shown in FIG.
For example, a cassette station 2 capable of functioning as an accommodating portion for carrying in / out 25 wafers W into / from the coating / developing apparatus 1 in cassette units and carrying in / out wafers W into / from the cassette C. A processing station 3 as a processing section in which various processing units for performing a predetermined processing in a single-wafer manner in a coating and developing process are arranged in multiple stages, and an exposure apparatus 4 provided adjacent to the processing station 3. It has a configuration in which an interface unit 5 for transferring wafers W between them is integrally connected.

In the cassette station 2, for example, four cassettes C are arranged in a row in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at the position of the positioning projection 7 on the cassette mounting table 6 with the entrance of the wafer W facing the processing station 3. It can be freely mounted on.
In the present embodiment, a cassette C containing unprocessed wafers W is placed on a cassette mounting table 6 serving as a storage unit.
A cassette CD for accommodating a wafer W in which a defect has been detected by an inspection device 48 to be described later is placed. A wafer carrier 8 movable in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers W accommodated in the cassette C is movable along the transfer path 9. The cassette C and the cassette CD can be selectively accessed.

The wafer transfer body 8 is configured to freely be rotated in the (rotation direction around the Z axis) theta direction, in the processing station 3 side as described below the third processing unit group G ₃ of the multi-tiered units It is configured to be able to access the alignment device 32 and the extension device 33 belonging to the section.

In the processing station 3, a main carrier 13 having three sets of tweezers 10, 11, and 12 for holding a wafer W is disposed at the center.
Various processing units are arranged in multiple stages around 3 to constitute a processing apparatus group. In the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, four processing unit groups _{G 1,} G _2, G 3, _{G 4} are possible arrangement, the first and second processing unit groups _G 1, _{G 2} is the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 , The third processing unit group G ₃ is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2, and the fourth processing unit group G ₄ is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 5. . This main carrier 13 is
It is possible to transfer the wafer W to various processing units mounted in the processing device groups G ₁ , G ₂ , G ₃ , G ₄ .

[0037] In the first processing unit group G ₁ as shown in FIG. 2, two spinner-type processing units, for example the wafer W
And a developing unit 16 for supplying a developing solution to the wafer W are arranged in two stages from the bottom. In the second processing unit group G _2, and the resist film peeling unit 17 for peeling the resist film formed on the wafer W, a developing unit 18 are two-tiered from the bottom in order.

As shown in the third processing unit group G ₃ in FIG. 3, the cooling unit 30 carries out the oven-type processing units, for example, a cooling process by placing the mounting table of the wafer W is subjected to predetermined processing, the resist and the wafer An adhesion unit 31 for improving the fixability with W, an alignment unit 32 for positioning the wafer W, an extension unit 33 for holding the wafer W on standby, pre-baking units 34 and 35 for performing a heating process before the exposure process, and Post baking unit 3 that performs heat treatment after development
6, 37, etc. are stacked in, for example, eight stages from the bottom.

[0039] In the fourth processing unit group G _4, post carried out, for example, cooling unit 40, an extension and cooling unit 41 causes the wafer W to cool was placed, an extension unit 42, cooling unit 43, the heat treatment after the exposure processing Exposure baking units 44 and 45, post baking unit 4
6, 47 and the like are stacked in, for example, eight stages from the bottom.

On the back side of the processing station 3, an inspection device 48 for inspecting the wafer W in a single wafer manner is provided.
The inspection device 48 is configured to detect, for example, the presence or absence of a defect that has occurred in the wafers W extracted at regular intervals from the wafers W after the development processing. Have been done.

That is, a defocus inspection for detecting a positional shift of the pattern caused by the exposure device 4, an application unevenness detection inspection for detecting application unevenness of the resist solution, a development defect detection inspection for detecting a failure in the development processing, and a wafer W inspection. Scratch detection inspection to detect minute scratches on the surface, particle detection inspection to detect particles attached to wafer W, comet to detect comet generated by bubbles or foreign matter in resist liquid on the surface of wafer W after resist application Detection inspection, splashback detection inspection for detecting a splashback in which the solvent of the resist solution leached from the surface of the wafer W adheres to the wafer W, common defect for detecting a common defect appearing in the same shape and in the same place on the surface of the wafer W Scum detection inspection to detect resist residue remaining on wafer W after development processing By holding (clamping) the wafer edge before stroke photolithography process, clamp ring test to detect the scar remaining in the wafer edge,
A total of 12 types of inspections, namely, NO RESIST, NO DEVELOP inspection for detecting that resist coating processing and development processing are not performed, and line width measurement inspection for measuring the line width of a resist film formed on the wafer W are included in one unit. Inspection device 4
8 is performed.

In addition to the above-described 12 kinds of inspections, when the overlay accuracy between the wafer W exposed by the exposure apparatus 4 and the photomask is compared with a standard value and inspected, the overlay inspection is performed by For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the inspection is performed by a dedicated inspection device 48 'separately provided from the inspection device 48. Further, these series of inspections are divided into a macro inspection and a micro inspection. The macro inspection can detect a defect of, for example, 20 μm or more, and the micro inspection can detect a defect of, for example, 0.1 μm or more.

The presence or absence of a defect detected by the inspection devices 48, 48 'is transmitted to the control device 49 as a detection signal. Here, of the series of inspections, the defocus inspection is to detect a defocus in the exposure device 4 by comparing with a correct pattern registered in advance, for example. The line width measurement inspection is to detect whether the exposure amount and the exposure time in the exposure device 4 are appropriate, for example, by comparing with a registered correct pattern. In the overlay inspection, for example, a positional deviation of an exposure position in the exposure device 4 is detected by comparing a pattern of a specific portion, which can be compared with a pattern of a lower layer, with a correct pattern registered in advance.

When a defect is detected by the defocus inspection, the overlay inspection, and the line width measurement inspection in the series of inspections described above, the exposure condition of the exposure device 4 is suitably changed. ing. In particular, when a pattern displacement is detected by the defocus inspection,
The focusing performed by the exposure device 4 is suitably adjusted.

On the front side of the interface section 5, for example, a stationary buffer cassette BR and a general pickup cassette CR are arranged in two stages from the bottom, in order from the bottom.
A peripheral exposure device 51 is provided on the back side of the interface unit 5. At the center of the interface unit 5, a wafer carrier 52 is provided which is sandwiched between the cassettes BR and CR and the peripheral exposure device 51. The wafer transfer body 52 is moved in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG.
The movement in the Z direction (vertical direction) and the rotation in the θ direction (rotation direction about the Z axis) are freely formed, and both cassettes BR, CR, exposure device 4, peripheral exposure device 51,
The extension cooling unit 41 and the extension unit 42 can be accessed.

The coating and developing apparatus 1 is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in the cassette station 2, the wafer carrier 8 extracts one unprocessed wafer W from the cassette C mounted on the cassette mounting table 6 (step S501). The wafer W withdrawn is by the wafer transfer body 8 is conveyed to the alignment unit 32 included in the third processing unit group G ₃ in the processing station 3 side. The wafer W for which alignment has been completed is sequentially transferred to the adhesion unit 31 and the cooling unit 30 and subjected to a predetermined process, and then transferred to the resist coating unit 15 to be subjected to a predetermined resist coating process. (Step S502).

The wafer W after the resist coating process is completed
After being sequentially transported to the pre-baking unit 33, the extension cooling unit 41, and the peripheral exposure device 51 and subjected to a predetermined process, the exposure process is performed by the exposure device 4 (step S503). The wafer W after the exposure processing is
It is sequentially conveyed to the extension unit 42 and the post-exposure baking unit 44, and each of these units performs predetermined processing. Next, the wafer W
Are subjected to development processing by the development processing unit 16 (step S504), and are sequentially conveyed to the post-baking unit 46, the cooling unit 30, and the extension unit 33 to be subjected to predetermined processing (step S5).
05), the wafer W is taken out of the extension unit 33 by the wafer carrier 8 and stored in the cassette C for storing the processed wafer W (step S506). Thus, a series of coating and developing processes on the wafer W is completed.

In the coating / developing apparatus 1, the wafers W which have been subjected to the development processing in the development processing unit 16 are extracted one by one by the main transfer unit 13 for every predetermined number of processed sheets (step S507). The extracted wafer W is transferred to the inspection device 48 and inspected (Step S508).

That is, the inspection wafer W extracted from the development processing unit 16 is transferred to the inspection device 48 by the main transfer device 13, and the inspection device 48 performs the above-described series of inspections. Then, the presence or absence of a defect on the inspection wafer W is transmitted to the control device 49 as a detection signal.

If no defect is detected on the inspection wafer W (step S509), a predetermined process is continuously performed on the inspection wafer W (step S505). That is, the inspection wafer W is supplied to the inspection device 48.
Post-baking unit 36 which is taken out of the main transfer device 13 by the tweezers 11 and performs the next processing step
Transported to

On the other hand, if a defect is detected in the inspection wafer W (step S509), the wafer W is taken out of the inspection device 48 by the tweezers 11 of the main transfer device 13, and then is removed from the second processing device. It is transported to the resist film peeling unit 17 belonging to the group G _2. Then, the resist film having a defect is removed by the resist film removing unit 17 (step S510). The wafer W from which the resist film has been stripped is placed on the tweezers 11 of the main carrier 13.
And is transported to the extension unit 33 and waits there. Next, the wafer W is taken out by the wafer carrier 8, and then stored in a cassette CD dedicated to storing the wafer W in which a defect is detected (step S511).

In this manner, since the wafer W having the defect detected by the inspection device 48 is stored in the cassette CD, the wafer W having the defect is not subjected to the coating and developing process after the developing process. The detected wafer W is removed from the processing line of the coating and developing apparatus 1. Then, for example, when 25 wafers W are stored in the cassette CD,
The above-described series of coating and developing processes are applied to the wafer W stored in the cassette CD from the beginning (step S).
501). That is, it is reprocessed.

When a defect is detected in the inspection wafer W by the defocus inspection, the line width measurement inspection, and the overlay inspection, the control device 49 which has received the detection signal of the inspection device 48, The exposure condition of the exposure device 4 is modified. In particular, when a pattern misalignment is detected by the defocus inspection, the focusing performed by the exposure device 4 is suitably adjusted. When a pattern displacement is detected by the defocus inspection, the focusing performed by the exposure device 4 is adjusted appropriately. By correcting the exposure conditions, the wafers to be coated and developed after the wafer W are subjected to exposure processing under suitable exposure conditions.

Further, when the frequency at which the defect is detected by the inspection device 48 is high, the control device 49 adjusts the frequency adjustment mechanism 50 so that the defect detection inspection is performed densely. As a result, the inspection frequency of the wafer W in the inspection device 48 is increased, the wafer W having a defect can be found in advance, and a decrease in the yield can be prevented.
Conversely, when the frequency of detecting a defect in the inspection device 48 is low, the frequency of the inspection of the wafer W in the inspection device 48 is reduced by adjusting the frequency adjustment mechanism 50. Thereby, the number of times of inspection of the wafer W which does not require the inspection in the inspection device 48 can be reduced. Thus, the frequency adjusting mechanism 50
By adjusting, efficient inspection becomes possible.

As described above, in the present embodiment, first, when the wafer W is transferred from the development processing unit 16 to the inspection device 48, the transfer of the wafer W is performed by the main transfer device 13. The artificial contamination of the wafer W can be prevented.

The wafer W for which a defect has been detected by the inspection device 48 is transported from the inspection device 48 to the resist film peeling unit 17 by the main transport device 13 and, after the resist film is peeled, is stored in a cassette CD and reprocessed. Is done. Therefore, the wafer W in which the defect is detected can be removed from the processing line of the coating and developing processing apparatus 1. Further, since the wafer W in which the defect is detected is stored in the cassette CD,
The wafers W can be concentrated at one place, and it is possible to efficiently deal with the wafer W having a defect thereafter. In addition, the wafer W can be reused in order to reprocess the wafer W after removing the resist film having a defect.

Also, a defocus inspection, a line width measurement inspection,
When a defect is detected by the overlay inspection, the exposure condition of the exposure processing 4 can be controlled by the control device 49. Therefore, the wafer W in which these defects are detected
Thereafter, the wafer W to be coated and developed can be subjected to exposure processing under suitable exposure conditions.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the inspection device 48 is arranged on the back side of the processing station 3. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. Inspection device 48 at the position of the two-dot chain line A
May be arranged, the wafer W to be inspected is transferred to the extension unit 33 by the main transfer device 13, and then the wafer W is transferred to the inspection device 48 by the wafer transfer body 8. Further, the inspection device 48 may be arranged at the position of the two-dot chain line B. In these cases, the wafer W
Since the wafer W is not conveyed artificially, it is possible to prevent artificial contamination of the wafer W.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, a cassette 55 is disposed in front of the interface section 5 and a resist film removing unit 56 is disposed adjacent to the front of the cassette station 2. , Cassette 55
W between the resist and the resist film removing unit 56
May be performed by the transfer robot 57.

According to this configuration, the wafer W whose defect has been detected by the inspection device 48 is transferred to the extension unit 42 by the main transfer device 13. Next, the wafer W is taken out of the extension unit 42 by the wafer carrier 52 and then stored in the cassette 55. Then, the wafer W stored in the cassette 55
Is the resist film removing unit 5 by the transfer robot 57.
6 and the resist film is removed. Next, the wafer W from which the resist film has been removed is taken out by the wafer carrier 8 and stored in the cassette CD on the cassette mounting table 6. Then, the wafer W stored in the cassette CD is reprocessed.

As described above, by disposing the resist film removing unit 56 as a so-called “external” on the front side of the cassette station 2, for example, a batch type chemical cleaning apparatus can be used as the resist film removing unit 56. Can be. Therefore, it is possible to remove more resist films on the wafer W at one time than in the case where the resist film is removed by the resist film removing unit 17 as in the above embodiment.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the inspection device 48 is provided in the coating / developing processing device 1 so as to be built in or adjacent to the coating / development processing device 1. it may be incorporated into the group _G 1 ~G _5. In the present invention, the inspection device 48 is a coating and developing treatment device 1.
It is also possible to propose another embodiment arranged at a place apart from the above.

FIG. 7 shows a coating / developing apparatus 60 having such a configuration. An inspection apparatus 61 arranged outside the coating / developing apparatus 60 and a maximum of four cassettes 62, 6
A cassette mounting table 66 on which 3, 64, 65 can be mounted, and a transfer robot 67 that can transfer the wafer W between the wafer transfer body 8 and the inspection device 61 are provided.

According to this configuration, first, the inspection wafers W having undergone the development process are taken out of the development processing unit 16 by the main carrier unit 13 every fixed number of wafers, and then carried to the extension unit 33. Next, the wafer W is taken out of the extension unit 33 by the wafer transfer body 8 and then transferred to the transfer robot 67. Then, the wafer W transferred to the transfer robot 67 is then transferred to the inspection device 61 and subjected to a predetermined inspection.

Here, the wafer W from which no defect is detected by the inspection device 61 is taken out of the inspection device 61 by the transfer robot 67 and then transferred to the wafer transfer body 8. Then, the wafer W transferred to the wafer transfer body 8
Is transported to the post-baking unit 37 by the main transport unit 13 after being transported to the extension unit 33, and is subjected to a series of coating and developing processes after the developing process.

On the other hand, the wafer W for which a defect has been detected by the inspection device 61 is taken out of the inspection device 61 by the transfer robot 67 and then transferred to the wafer transfer body 8 from the transfer robot 67. Then, the wafer W transferred to the wafer carrier 8 is carried into the extension unit 33, and then carried by the main carrier 13 to the resist film peeling unit 17, where the resist film is peeled. Next, the wafer W from which the resist film has been peeled off is transferred to the main carrier 1
After being transferred from the resist film stripping unit 17 to the extension unit 33 by 3, it is taken out by the wafer transfer body 8 and stored in the cassette 62. Thus, for example, after 25 wafers W are stored in the cassette 62, these wafers W are reprocessed.

As described above, in the other embodiment, the transfer robot 67 moves the wafer W between the coating and developing apparatus 1 and the inspection apparatus 61 arranged at a distance from the coating and developing apparatus 1. Conveyed by Therefore,
As in the case of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the wafer W from being artificially contaminated while the wafer W is being transferred to the inspection device 61.

The inspection device 48 includes a third processing device group G in the processing station 3 as shown in FIG.
₃ , for example, may be arranged at the lowest stage. This inspection device 48
The wafer W can be carried in and out of the wafer carrier 8 as well as the main carrier 13. According to such a configuration, as compared with the configuration shown in FIG. 1, a space dedicated to the inspection device 48 becomes available, and a multi-stage processing device group can be further arranged in this space. Further, it becomes possible to directly take out the wafer in which the defect is detected to the outside by the wafer transfer body 8 using the technique.

The inspection device 48 may be arranged on the buffer cassette BR in the interface section 5 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. Above the cassette station 2, the processing station 3 and the interface section 5, separate air supply sections 92, 93 and 95 are arranged.

Each of the air supply units 92, 93, and 95 supplies clean air whose temperature has been adjusted downward. Particularly, the air supply unit 95 in the interface unit 5 requires the most accurate temperature adjustment. Exposure equipment 4
The temperature of the interface section 5 adjacent to the section is controlled, and the temperature control is performed more strictly than other sections. Therefore, by arranging the inspection device 48 in the interface unit 5, a predetermined inspection can be performed in an appropriate environment where the temperature is accurately adjusted, and the reliability of the inspection can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the wafer W extracted from the developing unit 16 is inspected has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. Wafer W extracted from 18
Of course, it is also applicable to the inspection of Further, it is also possible to provide a plurality of inspection devices 48 in the coating and developing treatment device 1 and a plurality of inspection devices 61 in the coating and developing treatment device 60, respectively, so that a series of inspections are shared.

In the above-described embodiment, the wafers W extracted from the development processing unit 16 at regular intervals are used as inspection wafers W.
For example, a wafer W extracted for each lot flowing through the processing lines of the coating and developing processing apparatuses 1 and 60 or a wafer W extracted at regular intervals may be used as a wafer W for inspection.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the substrate to be used has been described as a wafer W.
The present invention can be applied to the case where other substrates such as a substrate and a CD substrate are used.

[0074]

According to the invention as set forth in claims 1 to 17,
Since the transfer of the substrate from the specific processing unit to the inspection apparatus is performed in a so-called inline manner by the transfer device or another transfer device, it is possible to prevent the artificial contamination of the substrate during the transfer.

In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate in which the defect has been detected is stored in the substrate storage body.
The defective substrate can be removed from the processing line of the coating and developing processing apparatus. In addition, since substrates having a plurality of defects are collected in the substrate housing, subsequent processing and handling of the substrates having these defects are facilitated.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the exposure condition of the exposure process can be adjusted by the control device, the exposure process on the substrate is performed under a suitable exposure condition after the defect is detected. Can be. In the case of claim 6, it is easy to reuse the substrate in which the defect is found.

In particular, according to the present invention, the number of times of inspection of the substrate by the inspection apparatus can be adjusted by the frequency adjusting mechanism, so that an efficient inspection according to the frequency of occurrence of defects can be performed. it can.

In particular, according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a substrate in which a defect is detected by an inspection device can be effectively reused.

According to the ninth aspect, it is not necessary to collect the substrate in which the defect has been detected in a special space, and the defective substrate can be carried into a predetermined storage body by the second physical transport device. According to the coating and developing apparatus of the tenth aspect, it is possible to quickly store a substrate in which a defect is found in a predetermined storage body. In the case of claim 11,
Furthermore, the floor occupied area can be saved. In the case of the twelfth aspect, the substrate can be smoothly transferred. In the case of the thirteenth aspect, it is possible to quickly perform the defect inspection after the exposure. In the case of claim 14, the yield can be improved in terms of temperature. In the case of the fifteenth aspect, reuse of the substrate, processing without the coating and developing processing apparatus, smooth transport of the defective substrate, and improvement in design flexibility can be achieved. In the case of the sixteenth aspect, the defective substrate is transferred by the transfer robot outside the apparatus, so that the processing and transfer in the apparatus are not affected. In the case of the seventeenth aspect, efficient peeling processing can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of a coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a multistage inspection apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the appearance of the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1 including an external resist film removing unit.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a coating and developing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of a coating and developing apparatus according to another embodiment in which the inspection apparatus has a multi-stage configuration with a heat processing unit.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a coating and developing apparatus according to another embodiment in which the inspection apparatus is arranged on a buffer cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 coating / development processing device 8 wafer transfer body 13 main transfer device 16, 18 development processing unit 17 resist film peeling unit 48, 48 ′ inspection device 49 control device 50 frequency adjustment mechanism 56 resist film removal unit C cassette W wafer

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) H01L 21/30 569C

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A coating and developing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing units for individually performing processing required for coating and developing processing on a substrate, wherein a specific processing unit inspects the processed substrate, An inspection device for detecting the presence or absence of a defect occurring in the substrate; and a transfer device for transferring the substrate into and out of each processing unit and transferring the substrate between the specific processing unit and the inspection device. Characteristic coating and developing equipment. 2. A coating and developing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing units for individually performing processing required for coating and developing processing on a substrate, wherein the processing unit inspects the substrate which has been processed by a specific processing unit. An inspection device for detecting the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate, a transport device for loading and unloading the substrate to and from each processing unit, A coating and developing apparatus comprising: 3. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate container into which a substrate having a defect detected by said inspection apparatus is carried. 4. A control device for controlling exposure conditions of an exposure device for exposing a resist film formed on a substrate by a coating process when a defect is detected by the inspection device. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3. 5. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the exposure condition is at least one of a focal length, an exposure amount, and an exposure time in the exposure apparatus. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said coating and developing process involves a resist liquid coating process, and further comprises a peeling device for peeling a resist on a substrate on which a defect has been detected by an inspection device. Or the coating and developing treatment apparatus according to any one of the above items 5. 7. A frequency adjusting mechanism for adjusting the frequency of inspection by an inspection apparatus according to the frequency of occurrence of defects detected by the inspection apparatus.
7. The coating and developing apparatus according to any one of 3, 4, 5, and 6. 8. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
A method for applying and developing a substrate using the coating and developing apparatus according to any one of the above, wherein a peeling apparatus for peeling a resist film formed on the substrate by the coating processing is used, and the substrate is inspected by an inspection apparatus. Detecting the presence / absence of a defect in the substrate, thereafter, removing the resist film of the substrate on which the defect has been detected by the above-described peeling device, and then reprocessing the substrate from which the resist film has been removed in the coating and developing device. A coating and developing treatment method. 9. A coating and developing apparatus for applying a resist solution onto a substrate and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, comprising a processing section and a storage section described below. Coating and developing equipment. Processing unit: a coating processing unit for applying a resist solution on the substrate, a development processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, and an inspection device for detecting the presence or absence of defects on the substrate And a first transport device capable of transporting the substrate to the coating processing unit, the developing processing unit, and the inspection device. Storage unit: A storage unit that is disposed adjacent to the processing unit and individually stores a substrate before and after processing in the processing unit and a substrate in which a defect is detected by the inspection device. And a second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit. 10. A coating and developing apparatus for applying a resist solution onto a substrate and developing a resist on the substrate exposed by an exposure apparatus, comprising a processing unit and a storage unit described below. Coating and developing equipment. Processing unit: a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on a substrate, a developing processing unit for developing a resist on the substrate exposed by an exposure device, and a processing unit for the coating processing unit and the developing processing unit. A first transfer device that can transfer the substrate. Housing unit: an inspection device arranged adjacent to the processing unit to detect the presence or absence of a defect on a substrate; a substrate before and after processing in the processing unit; The apparatus includes a storage unit in which storage units for individually storing the detected substrates are arranged, and a second transfer device that can transfer the substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit. 11. A coating and developing treatment apparatus for applying a resist solution onto a substrate and developing a resist on the substrate exposed by an exposure device, comprising a processing unit and a storage unit described below. Coating and developing equipment. Processing unit: a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a developing processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, a heating processing unit for heating at least the substrate, and A first stage capable of transporting a substrate between a multi-stage processing unit group in which inspection devices for detecting the presence or absence of a defect generated on the substrate are arranged in multiple stages, and the coating processing unit, the development processing unit, and the multi-stage processing unit group; And a transfer device. Storage unit: A storage unit that is disposed adjacent to the processing unit and individually stores a substrate before and after processing in the processing unit and a substrate in which a defect is detected by the inspection device. And a second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the processing unit and the storage unit. 12. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a substrate can be transferred between said inspection apparatus and said second transfer apparatus. 13. A coating and developing apparatus disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus for exposing a resist formed on a substrate, applying a resist liquid on the substrate, and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus. , Characterized by having the following processing unit and interface unit:
Coating and development processing equipment. Processing unit: a coating processing unit for coating a resist solution on the substrate, a development processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure device, a delivery unit for delivering the substrate, A first transport device capable of transporting the substrate to the coating processing unit, the developing processing unit, and the transfer unit; An interface unit: a storage unit that is disposed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus and temporarily stores a substrate that is carried in and out of the exposure apparatus; an inspection device that detects whether a defect has occurred in the substrate; An exposure device, a transfer unit of the processing unit, a second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the storage unit and the inspection device. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing section, and a second temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere in the interface section. 14. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 13. 15. A coating and developing apparatus disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus for exposing a resist formed on a substrate, applying a resist liquid on the substrate, and developing the resist on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus. In the following processing section,
An inspection device for detecting the presence or absence of a defect generated in the housing, the interface, and the substrate; (a) a processing unit: an application processing unit for applying a resist liquid onto the substrate; A development processing unit for developing the resist on the substrate,
A delivery unit for delivering the substrate, a first transport device capable of transporting the substrate to the coating processing unit, the development processing unit, and the delivery unit, and a substrate having a defect detected by the inspection device And a stripping device for stripping the resist. (B) storage section: a storage section which is disposed adjacent to the processing section and in which storage bodies for individually storing substrates before and after processing in the processing section are respectively disposed; A second transfer device capable of transferring the substrate between the unit and the storage unit. (C) an interface unit: a storage unit that is disposed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus and temporarily stores a substrate that is carried in and out of the exposure apparatus, the exposure apparatus, a transfer unit of the processing unit, and the storage. A third transport device capable of transporting the substrate to and from the unit, wherein the substrate in which the defect is detected by the inspection device can be carried in by the third transport device, and the substrate in which the defect is detected is transferred to the third transport device. It has a defective substrate storage section for storing. The coating and developing apparatus further includes a transfer unit that transfers the substrate from the defective substrate storage unit to the peeling device. 16. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the transfer unit is a transfer robot that transfers the substrate from the defective substrate storage unit to the peeling device. 17. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said stripping apparatus is a batch type chemical cleaning apparatus.