JP2001279477A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus which can shorten the measuring time of the characteristic of the treatment solution and reduce the consumption of the treatment solution. SOLUTION: This substrate treatment apparatus comprises a substrate treatment vessel 10 for treating a substrate B, a specific resistance of the solution measuring instrument 82, a cell having an internal space where a sensor is installed to measure the characteristic values of the solution in the cell. The characteristic value of the treatment solution is measured by feeding of the solution in the vessel 10 into the cell, the prescribed treatment is performed to the substrate B based on the result of measurement of the specific resistance measured by instrument 82. A judgment unit 19 is provided, which judges whether or not the treatment solution has the desired characteristic value by comparing the steepness of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor with that of the treatment solution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for treating a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate) with a processing liquid. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing, and more particularly to a technique for measuring characteristics of a processing liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a process of manufacturing various substrates, various processing solutions such as a solution in which pure water and a chemical solution are mixed so as to have a target concentration, and a rinsing solution composed only of pure water, have been used. 2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus that immerses a substrate and performs various processes on the substrate surface is widely used. In such a substrate processing apparatus, for example, a substrate is immersed in a processing tank supplied with a solution in which pure water and a chemical solution are mixed so as to have a target concentration, and the substrate surface is subjected to a chemical solution treatment. . When the chemical processing is completed, only the pure water, which is a rinse liquid, is supplied to the processing tank so that the chemical is discharged from the processing tank, and the inside of the processing tank is replaced with the pure water from the processing tank, and the substrate surface is removed. A rinsing process is performed to wash out the chemical solution adhering to the device.

If the chemical solution remains on the surface of the substrate, the chemical solution process may proceed more than necessary or particles may be generated. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm whether the rinsing process has been performed sufficiently before rinsing. Processing needs to be terminated. For this reason, a measuring section of a specific resistance measuring device as a detecting means for detecting the degree of mixing of the chemical solution in the rinsing liquid is provided in the discharge path of the rinsing liquid discharged from the processing tank, and the rinsing after the rinsing processing is performed. When the specific resistance of the liquid becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the rinsing process has been completed. That is, when the rinsing treatment is not sufficiently performed, the specific resistance is lowered by the chemical mixed in the rinsing liquid, but when the rinsing treatment is sufficiently performed and the chemical liquid is hardly mixed into the rinsing liquid, the specific resistance is reduced. Since the specific resistance increases, it is determined that the rinsing process has been completed when the specific resistance reaches a predetermined value.

A specific resistance measuring device includes a cell having an internal space, and a measuring unit for measuring a specific resistance value of a rinsing liquid in the cell, and introduces a rinsing liquid used in a processing tank into the cell to originally supply the cell. It is configured to measure the specific resistance value of the rinsing liquid sent by displacing the solution existing in the rinsing liquid. In order to reduce the corrosion of the measuring section due to the chemical solution, the rinsing process is performed for a predetermined time, and after the chemical solution concentration of the solution from the processing tank becomes very low, that is, after the rinsing solution has almost become a rinsing solution, Is introduced into the cell, and the measurement unit measures the specific resistance value.

[0005]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. That is, after the substrate is immersed in a processing tank to which a solution of a mixture of pure water and a chemical solution is supplied so as to have a target concentration and the surface of the substrate is subjected to the chemical processing, the processing tank is replaced with the pure water. To rinse off the chemical solution on the substrate surface
As shown in FIG. 6, a predetermined time T (for example, about 10 minutes)
After the application, the specific resistance value of the solution in the processing tank is measured by a specific resistance measuring device while the rinsing process is continued. The specific resistance value of the solution in the processing tank increases to a predetermined value B (for example, 16
[MΩcm]) (time t3), it is determined that the rinsing process has been completed.

However, since pure water is stored in the cell of the specific resistance measuring instrument, carbon dioxide and the like contained in the air are dissolved therein, and the specific resistance of the pure water in the cell is reduced. Will be lowered. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the time when the introduction of the rinsing liquid from the processing tank into the cell is started and the measurement unit starts measuring the specific resistance value (time t)
1) starts from a place where the specific resistance is low for the above-mentioned reason, and it takes several minutes for the inside of the cell to be replaced with a rinsing liquid (pure water having a high specific resistance) from the processing tank. Since the specific resistance does not reach the predetermined value B and remains low, there is a problem that it takes a considerable time to recover the specific resistance. In spite of the fact that the processing tank is actually completely replaced with pure water, the specific resistance has not reached the predetermined value B for several minutes at the beginning of the measurement by the measuring unit, so that the rinsing process is not performed. The rinsing process is determined to be complete, and the rinsing process is continued. The rinsing process cannot be completed until the measuring unit detects that the specific resistance has reached the predetermined value B, and the throughput is deteriorated due to an increase in the processing time. However, there is a problem that the rinsing liquid is wastefully consumed, which is a major factor in lowering the apparatus running cost, that is, the so-called COO (cost of ownership).

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing the time for measuring the characteristics of a processing solution and reducing the consumption of the processing solution. I do.

[0008]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes processing means for processing a substrate with a processing liquid, and measuring means for measuring a characteristic value of the processing liquid, wherein the measuring means has a cell having an internal space. And a sensor for measuring a characteristic value of the processing liquid in the cell, and the processing liquid used for the processing means is guided into the cell, replaced with the solution originally in the cell, and sent. In a substrate processing apparatus that measures a characteristic value of a processing liquid and performs predetermined processing on the substrate based on a measurement result by the measurement unit, a processing liquid with a processing liquid based on a steep rise of a detection signal of the sensor is used. It is characterized in that it is provided with a judging means for judging whether or not the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value by comparing with the steepness.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 is
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit compares the slope of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor with a slope of the reference processing liquid so that the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not it has a value.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 is
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a value of the detection signal in the middle of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor and a predetermined time after the start of the rise, with the processing liquid serving as a reference. 3. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value by comparing with a value of the detection signal when a predetermined time has elapsed.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 is
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit includes a processing tank that stores the processing liquid, and the processing tank is configured to supply the processing liquid. 5. Is gradually discharged, the inside of the tank is replaced with a processing solution, and the substrate is immersed in the processing solution to perform a predetermined process.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 is
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing tank quickly discharges the solution originally in the processing tank while supplying the processing liquid to the substrate in a shower shape, or stops the rapid discharge to discharge the processing liquid. By storing, the inside of the processing tank is replaced with the processing liquid,
The present invention is characterized in that the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid to perform a predetermined processing.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 is
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid is pure water, and the sensor includes:
It is characterized by measuring the specific resistance of pure water.

[0014]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. Depending on the magnitude of the characteristic value of the processing solution to be measured,
The steepness of the rise of the detection signal from the sensor that measures the characteristic value changes. Therefore, the determination means determines whether the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value by comparing the steepness of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor with that of the reference processing liquid. Therefore, the characteristic value of the introduced processing liquid is immediately determined only by detecting the steepness of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor. The consumption is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the judging means compares the slope of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor with that of the reference processing liquid to determine whether the introduced processing liquid is a desired one. It is determined whether or not it has a characteristic value. Therefore, the characteristic value of the introduced processing liquid is immediately determined only by detecting only the rising slope of the detection signal of the sensor, so that the time for measuring the characteristic of the processing liquid is reduced, and the consumption of the processing liquid is reduced. The amount is reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the determination means determines the value of the detection signal in the middle of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the rise of the detection signal as a reference. Then, it is determined whether or not the introduced processing solution has a desired characteristic value. Therefore, only by detecting the value of the detection signal in the middle of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor, the characteristic value of the introduced processing liquid is immediately determined,
The time for measuring the characteristics of the processing liquid is reduced, and the consumption of the processing liquid is reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the processing solution is supplied to the processing tank, the original solution is gradually discharged, and the inside of the processing tank is replaced with the processing liquid. The substrate is immersed in a processing solution to perform a predetermined process. Even in such a processing tank, since the characteristic value of the processing liquid introduced from the processing tank is immediately determined, the time for measuring the characteristic value of the processing liquid is shortened, and the consumption of the processing liquid is reduced. You.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing tank supplies the processing liquid to the substrate in a shower state and rapidly discharges the solution originally in the processing tank, thereby processing the processing tank. Then, the substrate is immersed in the processing solution to perform a predetermined process. Even in such a processing tank, since the characteristic value of the processing liquid introduced from the processing tank is immediately determined, the time for measuring the characteristic value of the processing liquid is shortened, and the consumption of the processing liquid is reduced. You.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is cleaned by the pure water supplied to the processing tank.
The sensor measures a specific resistance value of pure water introduced from the processing tank. The determination means compares the steepness of the rise of the specific resistance value signal detected by the sensor with that of the pure water as a reference to determine whether the pure water introduced from the processing tank has a desired specific resistance value. Determine whether Therefore, the specific resistance value of the introduced pure water is immediately determined only by detecting the steepness of the rise of the specific resistance value signal detected by the sensor. And the consumption of pure water is reduced.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This substrate processing equipment
Various processing liquids such as a solution in which pure water and a chemical solution are mixed to have a target concentration, and a rinsing liquid composed only of pure water are stored, and a substrate B such as a semiconductor wafer is stored in the stored processing liquid. A substrate processing tank 10 for performing a surface treatment such as a chemical treatment or a rinsing treatment on the substrate B, a chemical supply unit 12 for supplying a desired chemical into the substrate processing tank 10, Pure water supply unit 14 for supplying pure water as a rinsing liquid to the chemical liquid or pure water supply unit 1 from chemical liquid supply unit 12
The processing liquid discharge unit 16 discharges a chemical solution or pure water overflowing from the upper opening of the substrate processing tank 10 by the supply of pure water from 4, and a control unit 18 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus.

The substrate processing tank 10 is made of quartz glass or the like and has a substantially V shape in a side view and a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and a carrier (not shown) in which a substrate B is housed is held by a transfer robot. A processing liquid supply pipe 20 which also serves as a supply path for a chemical solution and pure water is connected to the bottom thereof. In the processing liquid supply pipe 20, an introduction valve connecting pipe 22, a static mixer 24, and a supply / drainage switching valve 26 are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side. In addition, the introduction valve connecting pipe 22 includes the chemical solution supply unit 1.
The chemical liquid introduction valves 28 and 30 for introducing the chemical liquid from 2 are connected. The above-described substrate processing tank 10 corresponds to a processing unit in the present invention.

The introduction valve connecting pipe 22 is connected to the chemical introduction valve 2.
Each of the chemicals from the chemical supply unit 12 is individually introduced via the liquid crystal units 8 and 30. In addition, the static mixer 24
Is for mixing a chemical solution from the chemical solution supply unit 12 and pure water from the pure water supply unit 14 to generate a chemical solution having a predetermined concentration. Further, the supply / drainage switching valve 26 supplies a chemical solution or pure water into the substrate processing tank 10, or supplies a chemical solution or pure water in the substrate processing tank 10 via a drain pipe 74 and a drain 76 described below. Is discharged outside the apparatus.

The chemical solution supply section 12 includes a plurality of types of chemical solutions Q _A ,
Chemical solution containers 38 and 40 for storing Q _B and each chemical solution introduction valve 2
Chemical solution supply pipes 48 and 50 communicating between the chemical solution containers 8 and 30 and the chemical solution containers 38 and 40, respectively, and the chemical solution supply pipes 48 and 50
Switching valves 481 and 501 for opening and closing the respective pumps, pumps 482 and 502 for pumping the chemicals Q _A and Q _B to the processing liquid supply pipe 20 side, respectively, and pumps for each pump 48
Chemical liquid supply amount measuring devices 483 and 503 provided on the upstream side of the pumps 482 and 502, and the chemical liquid filters 484 and 50 provided on the downstream side of the pumps 482 and 502, respectively.
4 is provided.

The pure water supply section 14 is a pure water supply pipe 58 for pumping pure water W from the pure water supply source 52 to the processing liquid supply pipe 20 side.
And a pure water heating unit 60, a pure water opening / closing valve 62, a pressure regulating regulator 64, a pure water pressure measuring device 66, and a pure water filter 68 which are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the pure water supply pipe 58. Have. The pressure adjustment regulator 64 controls the flow rate of pure water pumped through the pure water supply pipe 58 by air pressure control.

The processing liquid discharge unit 16 is disposed on the outer periphery of the upper part of the substrate processing tank 10 and receives a chemical solution or pure water overflowing from the upper opening of the substrate processing tank 10.
And a drain pipe 74 having one end connected to a discharge port 72 formed at the bottom of the drain tank 70, and a drain 76 connected to the other end of the drain pipe 74. The drainage path is constituted by the drainage tank 70, the drainage pipe 74, and the drainage drain 76.

The substrate processing tank 1 in the drainage tank 70
On the outer periphery of the upper part of the substrate processing tank 10, a passage member 78 into which pure water after the rinsing process discharged from the discharge hole 11 flows into a position corresponding to the discharge hole 11 formed at the upper end of the substrate processing tank 10.
Is attached via a rubber packing 80. The passage member 78 is formed of a resin or the like having excellent chemical resistance, and has a rectangular parallelepiped passage forming member 781 through which pure water after rinsing in the substrate processing bath 10 flows. An actuator 782 for controlling the flow of pure water is provided. A specific resistance measuring device 82 for measuring the specific resistance in pure water is attached to the passage forming member 781. The actuator 782 is made of a solenoid or the like. Driving means 782a to be described later is provided.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the passage member 78.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the passage member 78 shown in FIG. 2 with a part cut away, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the passage member 78 shown in FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view of the passage member 78 shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line BB. In these figures,
An XYZ rectangular coordinate system for clarifying directions is also shown.

That is, the first passage 7 formed in the front-rear direction (X direction) is formed in the passage forming member 781.
An introduction passage 783 is formed which includes a second passage 783b formed in the left-right direction (Y direction), and a third passage 783c formed in the up-down direction (Z direction).

One end of the first passage 783a is opened at the front surface (+ X direction) of the passage forming member 781, and this opening portion is connected to an inlet 783d of pure water facing the discharge hole 11 of the substrate processing tank 10. Constitute. The passage member 78 is attached to the substrate processing tank 10 such that the inflow port 783d faces the discharge hole 11 of the substrate processing tank 10. Also,
In the first passage 783a, a drain hole 783e having a smaller diameter than that of the first passage 783a is formed so as to communicate with the upper surface (+ Z direction) of the passage forming member 781.

One end of the second passage 783b is the first passage 783b.
The other end of the passage 783a communicates with the other end, and the other end is opened on the left side surface (+ Y direction) of the passage forming member 781, and this opening constitutes an insertion port 783f of the resistivity measuring instrument 82. Note that the specific resistance measuring device 82 is provided with the insertion port 783f.
And is attached to the passage member 78 so that the measuring section 821 at the tip thereof is exposed in the second passage 783b.

The third passage 783c has one end connected to the second passage 783c.
And the other end thereof is connected to a passage forming member 781b.
, And the opening portion constitutes an outlet 783 g of pure water. Therefore, the passage member 78
The rinsed pure water that has flowed in from the inflow port 783d on the front surface passes through the introduction passage 783 composed of the first, second, and third passages 783a, 783b, and 783c, and flows out from the outlet 783g on the upper surface. That is, the measuring unit 821 of the specific resistance measuring device 82 measures the specific resistance of the pure water flowing in the introduction passage 783.

The above-described resistivity measuring device 82 and the passage forming member 781 correspond to the measuring means in the present invention, the passage forming member 781 corresponds to the cell in the present invention, and the measuring section 821 corresponds to the sensor in the present invention. Is equivalent to

Further, the first passage 783a and the second passage 7
A valve that advances and retreats in the front-rear direction (X direction) through a shaft 782b inserted into a shaft insertion hole 783i of the passage member 78 by a driving means 782a provided in the actuator portion 782 at a joint portion with the actuator 83b. Opening / closing member 7 composed of body, etc.
82c is provided. And this opening / closing member 782
When c moves forward (in the + X direction), the first passage 78
3a and the second passage 783b are shut off, and the inlet 7
The pure water after the rinsing treatment that has flowed in through the 83d flows out of the outlet 783
The first passage 783a and the second passage 783 are prevented from flowing toward the g side while moving rearward (-X direction).
b is opened, so that the rinsed pure water that has flowed in through the inflow port 783d flows toward the outflow port 783g.

The reason why the opening / closing member 782c is provided is that the measuring portion 821 of the resistivity measuring device 82 generally has no chemical resistance, and the concentration of the processing solution is sufficiently reduced so as not to damage the measuring portion 821. This is because the processing liquid is taken in after being sufficiently replaced with pure water. The specific resistance value measured by the specific resistance measuring device 82 is output to the control unit 18 and used for determining the degree of replacement with pure water.

On the upper surface (+ Z direction) of the passage forming member 781, a partition plate 784 extending at both ends in the left-right direction (Y direction) is located at a position forward (+ X direction) from the drain hole 783e and the outlet 783g. At the drain hole 7
The pure water that has flowed out from the outlet 83e and the outlet 783g is blocked by the partition plate 784 so as not to flow into the substrate processing bath 10.

Returning to FIG. 1, although not shown, the control unit 18 includes a CPU (central processing unit) for performing predetermined arithmetic processing and a ROM in which a predetermined processing program is stored.
(Read only memory) and RAM for storing processing data
(Random access memory), and controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the predetermined processing program. Further, the control unit 18 compares the steepness of the rise of the detection signal from the measuring unit 821 of the resistivity measuring device 82 with that of the reference pure water, so that the introduced rinsing liquid has a desired characteristic value. A determination unit 19 for determining whether or not the user has it is provided. The determination unit 19 determines that the CP
It can be realized by including the above-described determination function in the predetermined processing program using U, ROM, and RAM.

That is, the control unit 18 is connected to the chemical liquid supply amount measuring devices 483 and 503, the pure water pressure measuring device 66, and the specific resistance measuring device 82, from which predetermined output signals are input. ing. The control unit 18 includes a supply / drainage switching valve 26, chemical introduction valves 28 and 30, and a chemical switching valve 4.
81, 501, the pressure pumps 482, 502, the pure water heating unit 60, the pure water opening / closing valve 62, the pressure regulating regulator 64, and the driving means 782a of the actuator unit 782 are connected, and their operations are controlled based on the output signals. It has become so.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described. (1) Preliminary preparation for acquiring in advance a specific resistance recovery curve of only pure water as a reference. First, when a start switch (not shown) is turned on, the pure water opening / closing valve 62 is opened, and the pure water W supplied from the pure water supply source 52 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the pure water heating unit 60 to perform processing. The liquid is supplied into the substrate processing tank 10 through the liquid supply pipe 20. At this time, the chemical solution introduction valves 28 and 30 are closed, and only pure water is continuously supplied into the substrate processing tank 10. And the substrate processing tank 1
Pure water overflowing from the upper opening of the drain tank 70
And is discharged from the apparatus through a drain 72 and a drain 76 from the outlet 72.

The control unit 18 includes an opening / closing member 782 shown in FIG.
driving means 782 to move c backward (−X direction).
a to drive the first passage 783a and the second passage 783a.
b, the pure water flowing from the inflow port 783d is allowed to flow to the outflow port 783g, and the specific resistance measuring device 82 is instructed to start measuring the specific resistance. As shown in FIG. 6, the measuring unit 821 of the specific resistance measuring device 82 measures the specific resistance of the pure water flowing into the second passage 783b every minute unit time (for example, 0.1 second). Iki, measurement unit 821
Is sent to the control unit 18, and a resistivity recovery curve (shown by a two-dot chain line) of pure water alone obtained from the measurement result is stored and acquired in the RAM of the control unit 18. Note that, as described above, the passage forming member 7 of the resistivity measuring device 82
Due to the configuration in which pure water is stored in 81, the reason that carbon dioxide or the like contained in the air is dissolved therein and the specific resistance of pure water in the passage forming member 781 is reduced. Therefore, the specific resistance recovery curve of pure water only has a characteristic having a rising as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The determination unit 19 of the control unit 18 calculates and stores, for example, a slope of the rising as a steepness of the rising of the specific resistance recovery curve of only the pure water as the reference. Thus, the advance preparation is completed.

(2) When the above-mentioned advance preparation is completed, the apparatus is put into a normal use state, and the substrate B is subjected to a desired chemical treatment. Specifically, when the above-mentioned preliminary preparation is completed, the substrate B is carried into the substrate processing tank 10 in which pure water overflows from the upper opening. After that, 1 is fed into the substrate processing tank 10.
The chemical solution introduction valves 28 and 30 corresponding to the chemical solutions Q _A and Q _B are opened, and the one pressure pump 482 and 502 corresponding to the one chemical solution Q _A and Q _B are driven to perform a predetermined chemical solution (stock solution). Is connected via the introduction valve connecting pipe 22 to the static mixer 2
4 The chemical solution supplied to the static mixer 24 is mixed with the pure water supplied from the pure water supply unit 14 in the static mixer 24 to form a chemical solution having a predetermined concentration, and then supplied to the substrate processing tank 10. Is done.

Then, by continuing this operation, the pure water in the substrate processing tank 10 is replaced with a chemical, whereby the surface of the substrate B is subjected to the chemical processing. At this time, since the first chemical solution introduction valves 28 and 30 are open, it is determined that the chemical solution processing is to be performed. The flow is controlled to be smaller than the flow rate and is supplied to the static mixer 24. When it is determined that the process is a chemical solution process, the opening / closing member 782c of the passage member 78 is provided.
Is moved forward (in the + X direction) by the driving means 782a to shut off the introduction passage 783, so that the chemical solution in the substrate processing tank 10 does not flow downstream of the opening / closing member 782c of the introduction passage 783. It has become.

As a result, the measuring section 82 of the resistivity measuring instrument 82
Since 1 is not immersed in the chemical, corrosion of the electrodes and the like of the measuring section 821 due to the chemical is suppressed. Note that the chemical solution flows into the introduction passage 783 up to just before the opening / closing member 782 c, but the passage member 78 passes through the drain hole 783 e.
Will be discharged to the outside.

(3) The chemical treatment for the substrate B is completed and a rinsing treatment is performed. Specifically, when the chemical solution processing for the substrate B is completed after a certain period of time, the opened one chemical solution introduction valve 28, 30 is closed, and the driving of the corresponding one pressure feed pump 482, 502 is stopped. . At this time,
Since all of the chemical solution introduction valves 28 and 30 are closed, it is determined that the rinsing process is to be performed. And is fed into the substrate processing tank 10.

When only pure water is supplied into the substrate processing tank 10, the chemical in the substrate processing tank 10 overflows from the upper opening and is discharged into the drainage tank 70, so that the inside of the substrate processing tank 10 is discharged. Is replaced with pure water. Drainage tank 7
The chemical discharged into the chamber 0 is discharged from the discharge port 72 to the outside of the apparatus through a drain pipe 74 and a drain 76. As described above, by replacing the inside of the substrate processing tank 10 with the pure water, the surface of the substrate B is subjected to a rinsing process of washing out the chemical solution.

(4) The resistivity of the pure water after the rinsing treatment from the substrate treatment tank 10 is measured, and the quality of the rinsing treatment for the substrate B is judged from the steepness of the rise of the detection signal. Specifically, after performing the rinsing process for a predetermined time, the opening / closing member 782c of the passage member 78 is moved rearward (−X direction) by the driving means 782a to open the introduction passage 783. Pure water after the rinsing process in the substrate processing tank 10 is supplied to the inflow port 7 of the passage member 78 through the outlet port 11.
83d, flows into the introduction passage 783, and flows out of the outlet 783.
g, the specific resistance of the pure water flowing through the introduction passage 783 while flowing out of the passage member 78 is measured by the measuring unit 821 of the specific resistance measuring device 82.

The determination section 19 of the control section 18 includes a measurement section 821
The rise of the detection signal (shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) is determined by the steepness of the rise (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6) in pure water, which is the reference obtained in the above-mentioned advance preparation. By comparison, it is determined whether or not the rinsed pure water introduced into the introduction passage 783 from the substrate processing tank 10 has a desired characteristic value, thereby determining whether the rinse treatment on the substrate B is good or not. Note that the specific resistance measurement by the measurement unit 821
Just a short time from the start of measurement (for example, 15 to 30 seconds)
It has become.

More specifically, the rinsing-treated pure water introduced from the substrate processing tank 10 into the introduction passage 783 is measured by the measuring unit 8.
The rise of the detection signal at the time of measurement in FIG.
(Shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) is equal to or greater than the slope of the rise in pure water (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6), which is the reference obtained in advance preparation described above. The determination unit 19 determines that the pure water after the rinsing process has a desired characteristic value, that is, that the inside of the substrate processing bath 10 has been sufficiently replaced with pure water, and the rinsing process for the substrate B is performed well. Then, the rinsing process ends. In this embodiment, the rinsing process ends at time t2.

The characteristic value of the pure water after the rinsing process from the substrate processing bath 10 may change due to the influence of the surrounding environment and the like. The slope of the rise of the detection signal (shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) is the slope of the rise of the detection signal of pure water alone (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6), which is the reference obtained in the above-mentioned advance preparation. , Sometimes slightly.

On the other hand, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 6, the rising slope of the detection signal when the rinsed pure water is measured is the reference obtained in the above-mentioned advance preparation. When the inclination is lower than the rising slope of pure water, the determination unit 19 determines that the pure water after the rinsing processing does not have a desired characteristic value, and the rinsing processing for the substrate B is insufficient and the rinsing processing is not completed. Is determined to be defective. In such a case, the rinsing process is not completed satisfactorily even if the rinsing process is further continued. An alarm or the like is issued as if there is any abnormality, and the rinsing process is abnormally terminated.

When the quality of the rinsing process is determined as described above, an operation according to the above-described predetermined processing program is performed, such as performing the next chemical solution processing on the substrate B or dispensing the substrate B to the next process. .

Therefore, the measurement of the specific resistance by the measuring section 821 takes only a short time (for example, 15 seconds to 3 seconds) from the start of the measurement.
0 seconds) is sufficient, and only the steepness of the rise of the detection signal from the measuring unit 821 is detected.
Since the characteristic value of the pure water introduced into the introduction passage 783 from 0 is immediately determined, the time for measuring the characteristic of the pure water can be reduced and the consumption of the pure water can be reduced as compared with the above-described conventional example. .

Specifically, in the above-described conventional example, the specific resistance is lowered because carbon dioxide gas or the like in the air dissolves into the pure water stored in the introduction passage 783.
As shown in FIG. 6, since the specific resistance does not reach the predetermined value B (for example, 16 [MΩcm], etc.) for a few minutes at the beginning of the measurement, the substrate processing tank 10 is actually completely replaced with pure water. However, the measuring unit 821 has a problem that the rinsing process is continued until the specific resistance reaches the predetermined value B (time t3 [minutes]), and the rinsing liquid is wastefully consumed. These problems have been improved as follows.

As shown in FIG. 6, the measurement of the specific resistance by the measuring unit 821 takes only a short time (for example, 15 minutes) from the start of the measurement.
Seconds to 30 seconds) is sufficient (this time is referred to as t2 [minutes]), and only the steepness of the rise of the detection signal from the measuring unit 821 is detected, and the introduction passage 783 from the substrate processing bath 10 is detected. Since the characteristic value of the pure water introduced into the sample is immediately determined, the time for measuring the characteristic of the pure water can be reduced to about several seconds (time t2 [minute]) as compared with the conventional example described above.
Overflow rinse flow rate per unit time (hereinafter referred to as O
Abbreviated as R flow rate. ) Is X [liter / minute], the consumption of pure water can be reduced to (t3−t2) × X [liter]. The processing time for the rinsing process can be reduced to t2 [minutes], the throughput can be improved, and the device running cost, so-called COO, can be improved.

More specifically, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7A, after the rinsing process is performed for a predetermined time (uniformly for 10 minutes), the rinsing process is continued and the pure The slope of the specific resistance of water is measured. In the above-mentioned conventional example, the rinsing process took 14 minutes since the termination of the rinsing process was determined when the specific resistance reached a predetermined value.
In the present embodiment, the rinsing process can be reduced to about 10.5 minutes because only the slope of the specific resistance needs to be measured.

Note that the above-mentioned rinsing time before measurement, which is uniformly set to 10 minutes, is determined by empirical rules in order to secure the certainty of the completion of washing, and therefore includes a considerable margin, and Pure water may be consumed.

Therefore, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, the above-described predetermined time of the rinsing process is shortened, and the slope of the specific resistance of the pure water after the rinsing process at that time is measured. As shown, the optimum pre-measurement rinsing time (7 minutes) can be determined. Therefore, from the time when the rinsing process is performed for 7 minutes, the end of the rinsing process can be determined by measuring the slope of the specific resistance of the pure water after the rinsing process while continuing the rinsing process (0.5 minutes), The rinsing process can be reduced to about 7.5 minutes. As shown in FIG. 8, the pure water consumption in the above-described conventional example is the washing time 14 [min] × OR flow rate 20
[Liter / minute] = 280 [liter], but the pure water consumption in the present embodiment is calculated as follows: the washing time 7.5 [minute] × OR
The flow rate is 20 [liter / min] = 150 [liter], and the reduction can be 130 [liter].

The present invention can be modified as follows. (1) In the above-described embodiment, the substrate processing tank 10 is of the overflow rinse type. However, while the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate B in a shower state, the solution originally in the substrate processing tank 10 is rapidly discharged, A quick dump rinse (hereinafter referred to as QDR) that replaces the inside of the substrate processing tank 10 with the processing liquid by stopping the drainage and storing the processing liquid one or more times.
Abbreviated. ) Type. QDR below
The case will be described.

More specifically, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7B, after the rinsing process is performed for a predetermined time (uniformly 10 minutes), the rinsing process is continued and the pure The slope of the specific resistance of water is measured. In the above-described conventional example, the rinsing process is determined to be completed when the specific resistance reaches a predetermined value (for example, 16 [MΩcm]). Therefore, the rinsing process takes 11 minutes.
In this case, the rinsing process can be shortened to about 10.5 minutes only by measuring the slope of the specific resistance.

The rinsing time before measurement, which is uniformly set to 10 minutes, is determined by an empirical rule in order to ensure the absolute certainty of the completion of washing, and therefore includes a considerable margin. However, excessive pure water may be consumed.

Therefore, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the above-mentioned predetermined time of the rinsing process is shortened, and the slope of the specific resistance of the pure water after the rinsing process at that time is measured. As shown, the optimal pre-measurement rinsing time (3.5 minutes) can be determined. Therefore, the rinsing process is performed in 3.
From the time when the rinsing treatment was continued for 5 minutes, the slope of the specific resistance of the pure water after the rinsing treatment was measured (0.5.
), The end of the rinsing process can be determined, and the rinsing process can be reduced to about 4 minutes. As shown in FIG. 8, the pure water consumption in the above-described conventional example is 254 since the shower time is 11 [minutes] and the shower flow rate is 14 [liter / minute].
[Liter], but the pure water consumption in this example is
Shower flow rate 14 [liter / minute] with 4 minutes of washing time
It is 87 [liters]
[Liters] can be reduced.

(2) In the embodiment described above, the judgment unit 19
Is comparing the slope of the rise of the detection signal from the measurement unit 821 with that of the processing liquid as a reference.
During the rise of the detection signal from 1 and when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the rise (for example, up to about 1 minute)
Even if it is determined whether the introduced processing solution has a desired characteristic value, by comparing the value of the detection signal at that with the reference processing solution,
Similar effects can be obtained.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the measuring unit 821 for measuring the specific resistance of the processing liquid is exemplified as a sensor for measuring the characteristic value of the processing liquid. Similar effects can be obtained even when the characteristics are measured.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the quality of the rinsing process is immediately determined from the steepness of the rising edge of the sensor detection signal. It is also possible to estimate the characteristic value of the processing liquid or to estimate the time until the characteristic value of the processing liquid reaches a predetermined value.

[0064]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the steepness of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor is compared with the steepness of the reference processing liquid to thereby introduce the detection signal. A determination means is provided for determining whether or not the processed processing solution has a desired characteristic value. Therefore, only by detecting the steepness of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor, the characteristic of the introduced processing solution can be determined. The value can be determined immediately, the time for measuring the characteristics of the processing solution can be reduced, and the consumption of the processing solution can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the slope of the rising edge of the detection signal of the sensor is compared with the slope of the reference processing liquid so that the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value. Since it is provided with a determination means for determining whether or not the processing liquid has a characteristic value, the characteristic value of the introduced processing liquid can be immediately determined only by detecting the rising slope of the detection signal of the sensor. The time for measuring the characteristics of the liquid can be reduced, and the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the value of the detection signal in the middle of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor and at the elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the rise is determined by the predetermined processing liquid as a reference. A determination means is provided for determining whether or not the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value by comparing the value of the detection signal with the lapse of time. By simply detecting the value of the signal, the characteristic value of the introduced processing liquid can be immediately determined, so that the time for measuring the characteristic of the processing liquid can be reduced, and the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the processing means includes a processing tank for storing the processing liquid, and the processing tank gradually supplies the solution originally supplied with the processing liquid. Even in the case of a processing tank where the inside of the tank is discharged and replaced with the processing liquid, the characteristic value of the processing liquid introduced from the processing tank can be immediately determined, and the characteristic value of the processing liquid is measured. And the consumption of the processing solution can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, while the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate in a shower form, the solution originally in the processing tank is rapidly discharged, or the processing liquid is stopped by stopping the rapid discharge. Even in the case of a processing tank that rapidly replaces the processing liquid in the processing tank by storing, the characteristic value of the processing liquid introduced from the processing tank can be immediately determined, and the characteristic value of the processing liquid is measured. The time can be reduced, and the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the substrate is washed with pure water supplied to the processing tank, and the sensor measures a specific resistance value of the pure water introduced from the processing tank. The determination means compares the steepness of the rise of the specific resistance value signal detected by the sensor with that of the pure water as a reference to determine whether the pure water introduced from the processing tank has a desired specific resistance value. Has been determined. Therefore, the specific resistance value of the introduced pure water can be immediately determined only by detecting the steepness of the rising of the specific resistance value signal detected by the sensor, and the specific resistance value of the pure water is measured. The time can be reduced, and the consumption of pure water can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a passage member provided in a substrate processing tank of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of the passage member shown in FIG. 2 with a part cut away.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the passage member shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the passage member shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing a specific resistance recovery curve according to an example.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram showing a washing time during OR and QDR processing according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating pure water consumption during OR and QDR processing according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Substrate processing tank 12 ... Chemical liquid supply part 14 ... Pure water supply part 16 ... Processing liquid discharge part 18 ... Control part 19 ... Judgment part 78 ... Passage member 82 ... Resistivity measuring device 781 ... Passage forming member 782 ... Actuator part 783 … Introductory passage 821… Measurement part B… Substrate W… Pure water

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/304 648 H01L 21/304 648H 21/306 21/306 A (72) Inventor Hiroaki Uchida Kamigyo, Kyoto Honkawa-dori Terunouchi-ku 4-chome Tenjin Kitamachi 1-1-1 Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mari Araki 4-chome Tenjin Kita-machi 1-chome Tenjo Kitamachi 1-Central Japan F term in the screen manufacturing company (reference) 2G060 AA05 AE17 AF07 EA06 EB09 4K053 PA17 QA06 RA07 SA04 TA18 YA03 ZA10 5F043 AA01 BB27 DD23 DD24 DD26 EE22 EE23 EE25 EE32 EE40 GG10

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A processing unit for processing a substrate with a processing liquid, and a measuring unit for measuring a characteristic value of the processing liquid, wherein the measuring unit includes a cell having an internal space, and a processing liquid in the cell. And a sensor for measuring the characteristic value of the processing liquid. The processing liquid used in the processing means is introduced into the cell, and replaced with the solution originally in the cell, and the characteristic value of the sent processing liquid is measured. In a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on the substrate based on the measurement result of the measurement unit, the steepness of a rising edge of a detection signal of the sensor is compared with a steepness of a reference processing solution, thereby introducing A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether a processed liquid has a desired characteristic value. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit compares the slope of a rising edge of a detection signal of the sensor with a slope of a reference processing liquid, thereby introducing the processing. A substrate processing apparatus for determining whether a liquid has a desired characteristic value. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit uses a value of the detection signal in the middle of the rise of the detection signal of the sensor and a predetermined time after the start of the rise as a reference. A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that it is determined whether or not the introduced processing liquid has a desired characteristic value by comparing with a value of a detection signal of the processing liquid when the predetermined time has elapsed. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit includes a processing tank for storing a processing liquid, and the processing tank is supplied with the processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the original solution is gradually discharged, the inside of the tank is replaced with a processing liquid, and the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid to perform a predetermined processing. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing tank rapidly discharges a solution originally in the processing tank while supplying the processing liquid to the substrate in a shower shape, or performs a rapid discharge. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the processing liquid is stopped and the processing liquid is stored in the processing tank to replace the processing tank, and the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid to perform predetermined processing. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid is pure water, and the sensor measures a specific resistance of the pure water. Substrate processing equipment.