JP2003174000A - Processing method and processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing method and a processing device capable of appropriately processing a substrate with ultraviolet rays, while extending a lifetime of an ultraviolet lamp. <P>SOLUTION: Immediately after an excimer UV lamp is lit on, a power to be supplied to the excimer UV lamp is adjusted and maintained to a minimum power necessary for maintaining the lighting. The illumination of the excimer UV lamp is lowered by using for a long time, and when coming to the minimum illumination (illumination limit N) necessary for a processing of a substrate, the power to be supplied to the excimer UV lamp is again increased. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, various microfabrications are performed on the premise that the surface of a substrate (eg, semiconductor wafer, LCD substrate, etc.) is in a clean state. Therefore, the surface of the substrate is cleaned prior to each processing or during each processing. For example, in the photolithography process, the upper surface of the substrate is cleaned prior to the resist coating processing.

Conventionally, when cleaning an organic substance on the surface of a substrate, an ultraviolet cleaning process has been performed in which the substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to oxidize and vaporize the organic substance on the substrate. Such an ultraviolet cleaning process is performed by turning on an ultraviolet lamp by supplying power and irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light having a predetermined illuminance.

Turning on and off of the ultraviolet lamp is usually carried out by adjusting the amount of electric power supplied. Further, the illuminance of ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp is also controlled by the amount of electric power supplied. And when starting to turn on the ultraviolet lamp,
Since it requires the most power, more power is supplied to the UV lamp at this time. After that, electric power is supplied to the ultraviolet lamp so that the illuminance of the ultraviolet light becomes constant, for example.

[0005]

By the way, the life of the ultraviolet lamp becomes shorter as it is used with larger power and strong illuminance. When the life is shortened, it takes time for replacement each time and it is necessary to stop the processing of the substrate, so that the throughput is lowered. Further, since the ultraviolet lamp is expensive, if it needs to be replaced frequently, the running cost becomes high. On the other hand, in order for the organic matter on the substrate to be oxidized by ultraviolet rays, it is sufficient if the illuminance is above a certain level. That is, if the illuminance is above a certain limit, the UV irradiation cleaning is performed. From this point of view, it is desirable to suppress the electric power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp as much as possible and perform the processing with the illuminance lowered.

However, if the power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp is easily lowered, the ultraviolet lamp may be turned off or the lighting of the ultraviolet may become unstable. In such a case, the substrate is not appropriately processed, which is not preferable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of appropriately performing processing of irradiating a substrate with ultraviolet rays while extending the life of the ultraviolet lamp. The purpose is to provide and.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a treatment method of turning on an ultraviolet lamp by supplying electric power and irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays to treat the substrate. There is provided a processing method characterized in that the electric power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp is adjusted to the minimum electric power required for maintaining the lighting and capable of realizing the illuminance of ultraviolet rays necessary for processing the substrate.

According to the present invention, after the start of lighting of the ultraviolet lamp, the substrate can be processed and the electric power is adjusted to the minimum power necessary for maintaining the lighting, so that the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp can be suppressed to the minimum necessary. The burden on the UV lamp is reduced.
In this case, the deterioration rate of the ultraviolet lamp becomes slower, so that the life of the ultraviolet lamp can be extended. Further, since the ultraviolet lamp is kept on, the substrate is properly processed.
Furthermore, since the power consumption is reduced, the cost can be reduced.

When the ultraviolet lamp is used for a long time, the luminous efficiency is lowered and the illuminance of ultraviolet rays is lowered even if the same electric power is applied. As in the present invention, when the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp decreases and the illuminance applied to the substrate decreases to the minimum illuminance required for processing the substrate, the power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp may be increased. Good. In this case, since the power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp, which has been reduced, is increased, the illuminance above the minimum necessary for processing the substrate can be maintained. Therefore,
Substrate processing can continue.

According to the invention of claim 3, claim 1 or 2
A substrate processing apparatus for performing the processing method according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet lamp emits ultraviolet light, an electric power supply unit for supplying electric power to the ultraviolet lamp, and electric power for controlling the electric power supplied by the electric power supply unit. A control unit; an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp; and a storage unit that stores the correlation between the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor and the irradiation illuminance that is actually applied to the substrate. The power control unit can calculate the irradiation illuminance on the substrate from the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor based on the correlation of the storage unit, and can control the power supply of the power supply unit based on the calculated irradiation illuminance. A processing device is provided.

According to the present invention, since the processing method according to the above-mentioned claim 1 or 2 can be carried out, the power supply to the ultraviolet lamp after lighting can be suppressed to the necessary minimum. As a result, the deterioration of the ultraviolet lamp is suppressed and the life of the ultraviolet lamp can be extended. On the other hand, since the lighting of the ultraviolet lamp is maintained, the substrate can be appropriately processed. Further, the illuminance sensor can detect, for example, that the luminous efficiency of the ultraviolet lamp has dropped and the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp has reached the minimum illuminance necessary for processing the substrate. This makes it possible to increase the power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp by using the detection as a trigger and maintain the minimum illuminance necessary for processing the substrate. As a result, the processing of the substrate can be continued. Further, the power control unit controls the supplied power based on the actual irradiation illuminance on the substrate, based on the correlation between the illuminance by the illuminance sensor stored in the storage unit and the irradiation illuminance actually irradiated on the substrate. Therefore, the illuminance on the substrate can be controlled more accurately.

The ultraviolet ray from the ultraviolet lamp is applied to the substrate in a predetermined direction, and the ultraviolet lamp has a reflecting mirror for reflecting the ultraviolet ray emitted in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction. The irradiation sensor may be attached to the surface of the reflecting mirror. According to the present invention, since the irradiation sensor does not block the ultraviolet light directly radiated from the ultraviolet lamp onto the substrate, the substrate is appropriately irradiated with the ultraviolet light. Further, since the illuminance sensor is provided on the reflecting mirror that appropriately reflects the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp, the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp can be detected appropriately and accurately.

The processing apparatus may be provided with a plurality of the ultraviolet lamps, and the illuminance sensor may be provided for each of the ultraviolet lamps. As a result, the illuminance can be detected for each ultraviolet lamp and the supply power can be controlled for each ultraviolet lamp. Therefore, the illuminance of the ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate can be controlled more strictly, and the substrate is appropriately processed.

Further, in the processing apparatus, a plurality of the ultraviolet lamps are provided, and the illuminance sensor is provided in the ultraviolet lamp having the lowest illuminance when the same power is applied among the plurality of ultraviolet lamps. Good. With this processing device, the power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp can be controlled based on the ultraviolet lamp having the lowest luminous efficiency. Therefore, the illuminance of the ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate can be reliably maintained above a certain level.

The plurality of ultraviolet lamps may be arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the ultraviolet lamp having the lowest illuminance may be arranged at the center of the plurality of ultraviolet lamps.
By doing so, the left and right ultraviolet lamps supplement the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamps with low illuminance, and the unevenness of the illuminance is eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate the substrate with ultraviolet light without any spots.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit according to the present embodiment.
It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure. Coating and developing processor 1
Is a series of processes in the photolithography process of the LCD manufacturing process.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 is located at the end of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, for example, and a cassette station 2 for loading and unloading a plurality of substrates G in units of a cassette. , A processing station 3 in which various processing units for performing a predetermined processing in a single-wafer process are arranged in a photolithography process, and a processing station 3 and an exposure device (not shown) which are provided adjacent to the coating and developing processing apparatus 1. It has a configuration in which it is integrally connected to an interface section 4 for transferring the substrate G between them.

In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a line in a Y direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined position on a cassette placing table 5 which is a placing portion. A substrate carrier 7 that is movable in the substrate arranging direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the substrates G accommodated in the cassette C is movably provided along a carrier path 8. As a result, the substrate carrier 7 can selectively access each cassette C.

In the processing station 3, for example, a cleaning process section 10, a coating process section 11 and a developing process section 12 are provided in a line in order from the cassette station 2 side. Between the cleaning process unit 10 and the coating process unit 11 and between the coating process unit 11 and the developing process unit 12, the substrate relay unit 13 and the processing liquid supply unit 1 are provided, respectively.
4 and space 15 are provided.

The cleaning process section 10 has, for example, two scrubber cleaning units 20, an ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21, a heating unit 22 and a cooling unit 23 according to the present embodiment, which are vertically arranged in two stages.

The coating process unit 11 includes a resist coating unit 30, a reduced pressure drying unit 31, an edge remover unit 32, and an upper / lower two-stage adhesion / cooling unit 3.
3 has an upper and lower two-stage heating / cooling unit 34 and a heating unit 35.

The developing process section 12 has three developing units 40, two upper and lower two-stage heating / cooling units 41 and a heating unit 42.

Conveying paths 50, 51, 52 are provided in the longitudinal direction (X direction) at the center of each process section 10, 11, 12, and the main conveying devices are provided in the respective conveying paths 50, 51, 52. 53, 54 and 55 are provided respectively. The main transfer devices 53 to 55 can access the processing units in the process units 10 to 12, and can carry in and out the substrate G to and from the processing units and transfer the substrate G between the processing units. .

The interface section 4 includes an extension section 60 and a buffer stage 6 on the processing station 3 side.
1 and. Further, the interface unit 4 has a transport device 62 on the opposite side of the processing station 3 (negative side in the X direction) and on the exposure device side (not shown). The transfer device 62 can transfer the substrate G of the processing station 3 into the exposure device, and can transfer the substrate G after the exposure processing to the processing station 3.

Next, the structure of the above-mentioned ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21 will be described. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the outline of the configuration of the ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21.

The ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21 includes three cylindrical ultraviolet lamps such as an excimer UV lamp 7.
It has a lamp chamber 73 for accommodating 0, 71, 72 and a cleaning processing chamber 74 provided below and adjacent to the lamp chamber 73. On the lower surface of the lamp chamber 73, the quartz glass window 7
5 is attached to the excimer UV lamp 70 to 7
Ultraviolet rays emitted downward from 2, which is a predetermined direction, pass through the quartz glass window 75 and are irradiated into the cleaning processing chamber 74.

Excimer UV lamp 70 in the lamp chamber 73
The 72 are arranged, for example, side by side in the horizontal direction. Each of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 has a lamp power supply 76, 77, 78 as a power supply unit, and is turned on by the power supplied from the lamp power supply 76 to 78. The power supply of each of the lamp power supplies 76 to 78 is controlled by the power controller 79. The electric power control unit 79 uses the excimer UV lamp 7
The supplied power can be adjusted within a power variable range of 0 to 72, for example, within a range of 0 to 100 kW. This power adjustment can be performed by a power adjustment program set in the power control unit 79, for example.

Above the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72, concave reflecting mirrors 80, 81, 82 having an arcuate cross section are arranged, respectively. Excimer UV lamp 70 to 7
The ultraviolet rays radiated upward from 2 are reflected by the concave reflecting mirrors 80-
It is reflected by 82 and is irradiated to the cleaning processing chamber 74 side.

Illuminance sensors 83, 84 and 85 for detecting the illuminance of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 are attached to the surfaces of the concave reflecting mirrors 80 to 82, respectively. The detection results of the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 can be output to the power control unit 79, for example.

The power control section 79 is provided with a storage section 86 composed of, for example, a RAM. Correlation data is stored in the storage unit 86 as a correlation between the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 and the illuminance of ultraviolet rays that are actually applied to the substrate G on the stage 90 in the cleaning processing chamber 74, which will be described later. Has been done. The power control unit 79 controls each illuminance sensor 8
From the detected illuminances from 3 to 85, the actual irradiation illuminance on the substrate G can be calculated from the correlation data, and the supplied power can be adjusted based on the calculated irradiation illuminance. The correlation data is stored for each of the illuminance sensors 83 to 85, for example. Moreover, as the correlation data, for example, data obtained in advance by experiments or the like is used.

In order for the organic matter on the substrate G to oxidize, vaporize, etc., a minimum illuminance of ultraviolet rays (illuminance limit N) is required. In the power control unit 79, the illuminance limit N can be set,
For example, when the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G reaches the illuminance limit N, an alarm is raised by a warning unit (not shown).

The lamp chamber 73 has a cooling jacket (not shown) for cooling the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72, a gas supply mechanism (not shown) for filling the lamp chamber 73 with an inert gas or nitrogen gas, and the like. May be provided.

On the other hand, the cleaning processing chamber 74 is provided with a stage 90 on which the substrate G is placed horizontally. Stage 9
0 is provided with, for example, a suction port (not shown),
The substrate G is adsorbed on the stage 90 by this suction port. The stage 90 is provided on the stage drive unit 91. The stage drive unit 91 can be horizontally moved along a guide 93 provided in the Y direction by using a ball screw 92. That is, the substrate G on the stage 90 can pass below the quartz glass window 75 where ultraviolet rays are radiated by the stage driving unit 91, and the substrate G can be uniformly radiated with ultraviolet rays.

The stage 90 includes a stage drive unit 9
Can be moved up and down by 1. A support pin 94 that horizontally supports the substrate G penetrates the stage 90 in the vertical direction.
The support pin 94 does not move up and down together with the stage 90, but is fixed to, for example, the stage drive unit 91. By this,
When the stage 90 is lowered, the support pins 94 project from the stage 90 as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the substrate G is transferred between the main transfer device 53 and the stage 90, an arm (not shown) of the main transfer device 53.
Since it can enter between the substrate G and the stage 90, the substrate G can be transferred appropriately.

A transfer port 95 for the substrate G is provided on the side wall of the cleaning processing chamber 74 on the transfer path 50 side (the Y direction negative direction side). The transfer port 95 is provided with a shutter 96 that opens and closes the transfer port 95. Therefore, the cleaning process of the substrate G can be performed in the closed space, and the transfer port 95 can be opened only when the substrate G is loaded and unloaded. The horizontal movement and vertical movement of the stage 90 and the opening and closing of the shutter 96 are controlled by a unit controller (not shown).

Next, the operation of the ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21 configured as described above will be described with reference to the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1.
The process of the photolithography process performed in 1. will be described.

First, one unprocessed substrate G is taken out from the cassette C by the substrate carrier 7 and the processing station 3
It is delivered to the main transfer device 53 of the cleaning process unit 10. The substrate G transferred to the cleaning process unit 10 is first transferred to the ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21.

The substrate G which has been dry-cleaned by ultraviolet irradiation in the ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit 21 is transferred to the scrubber cleaning unit 20 and subjected to scrubbing cleaning processing. The scrubbed and cleaned substrate G is transferred to the heating unit 22, subjected to dehydration processing, and then transferred to the cooling unit 23 to be cooled to a predetermined temperature. The substrate G that has been cooled is transferred from the cleaning process unit 10 to the substrate relay unit 1
3 is conveyed to the coating process unit 11.

The substrate G transported to the coating process section 11
Is first transported to the adhesion / cooling unit 33 by the main transport device 54, subjected to hydrophobic treatment, and then cooled. Next, the substrate G is a resist coating unit 30.
Of the resist film on the substrate G, the resist film is formed on the substrate G, and then transferred to the reduced pressure drying unit 31, the resist film is dried, and further transferred to the edge remover unit 32, and the resist on the outer peripheral portion of the substrate G is transferred. The film is removed. The substrate G, which has been subjected to the removal processing of the film on the outer peripheral portion, is transported to the heating / cooling unit 34, subjected to prebaking processing, and then subjected to cooling processing.

After that, the substrate G is transferred to the extension section 60 of the interface section 4 by the main transfer device 54 and the main transfer device 55, and transferred to the exposure device (not shown) by the transfer device 62. In the exposure device, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed on the resist film on the substrate G. The exposed substrate G is returned to the developing process unit 12 via the interface unit 4 and is conveyed to the developing unit 40 by the main conveyance device 55. In the developing unit 40, development processing is performed. Substrate G for which development processing has been completed
Is transported to the heating / cooling unit 41, subjected to post-baking processing, and then cooled. The substrate G that has been cooled is transported to the cassette station 2 by the main transport devices 55, 54, and 53 and returned to the cassette C by the substrate transport body 7, and a series of photolithography steps is completed.

Next, the UV cleaning process in the UV irradiation / cooling unit 21 will be described in detail.

In order to stabilize the emission state of ultraviolet rays, for example, the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 are turned on when the coating and developing apparatus 1 is started up. At this time, the lamp power supply 76
As shown in FIG. 3, the supplied powers of to 78 are adjusted to the power required at the start of lighting (lighting start power H), for example, 100 kW (100% of maximum output) (T1 in FIG. 3). In addition,
The illuminance of ultraviolet light at the start of lighting is, for example, 50 mW / c
become m ^2.

When the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 are turned on, the power supplied by the lamp power sources 76 to 78 is the minimum electric power required to maintain the lighting (lighting maintenance power M), for example, 70 kW (70% of the maximum output). ) (Fig. 3
T2). As a result, the illuminance of ultraviolet rays is, for example, 35 mW.
/ Cm ² and then maintained. The illuminance of ultraviolet rays at the time of the lighting maintaining power M is higher than the illuminance limit N required for cleaning the substrate G, for example, 20 mW / cm ² .

When the series of photolithography steps described above are started and the substrate G is transferred into the cleaning processing chamber 74 by the main transfer device 53, for example, the illuminance sensor 83
~ 85 are activated, and the illuminance of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 starts to be output to the power control unit 79. Cleaning treatment room 74
The substrate G carried in is transferred from the main carrier device 53 to the support pins 94, and then the stage 90 rises and the substrate G is placed on the stage 90. Then substrate G
Moves in the Y direction by the stage drive unit 91. At this time, the substrate G passes below the quartz glass window 75, and the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 generate, for example, 35 mW / c.
The substrate G is irradiated with ultraviolet rays of m ² . As a result, unnecessary organic substances on the substrate G are oxidized and vaporized, and the substrate G is cleaned.

When the entire surface of the substrate G is irradiated with a predetermined amount of ultraviolet rays and the cleaning of the substrate G with ultraviolet rays is completed, the stage 90 is returned to the transfer port 95 side, and the main transfer device 53 is moved in the same manner as when the transfer is carried in.
The substrate G is transferred to the cleaning processing chamber 74. In this way, a series of ultraviolet cleaning processing is completed. Then, when the processing of one substrate G is completed, the next substrate G is carried into the cleaning processing chamber 74, and the same ultraviolet cleaning processing is performed. In this way, new substrates G are successively transported and a series of ultraviolet cleaning treatments are continuously performed. During this time, the ultraviolet lamps 70 to 73 are constantly lit.

Thus, the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 are
When the substrate G is processed for a long time in a state in which is turned on, the illuminance of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 on the substrate G gradually decreases as shown in FIG. 3 even if the supplied power is kept constant. To go. This is because the electrode material of the excimer UV lamp deteriorates over time. Then, when it is recognized that the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G reaches the illuminance limit N based on the illuminance detected by any of the illuminance sensors 83 to 85, an alarm is issued (T3 in FIG. 3). Next, the power control unit 79 causes the excimer U that has reached the illuminance limit N.
The power supplied to the V lamp is increased from 70 kW,
The irradiation illuminance on the substrate is adjusted so as not to fall below the illuminance limit N. This adjustment is performed, for example, by increasing the power supplied to the excimer UV lamp at a constant slope. As a result, the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G is maintained at least at the illuminance limit N, and the ultraviolet cleaning process can be continued. At this time, the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 may continue to monitor so that the illuminance of irradiating the substrate G does not fall below the illuminance limit N.

Then, when the maximum output of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 reaches 100 kW and at least one of the excimer UV lamps cannot maintain the illuminance limit N even with the maximum output, for example, the power control unit. Another alarm linked with 79 is transmitted, and at this time, the processing of the substrate G is stopped (T4 in FIG. 3).

According to the above embodiment, the power control unit 7
9, excimer UV lamps 70-72 after starting lighting
The minimum required lighting maintenance power M to maintain lighting
As a result, the deterioration of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 is delayed, and the life of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 can be extended. In addition, this also reduces the power consumption of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72.

After the processing is started, the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 monitor the illuminances of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72. Therefore, the luminous efficiency of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 decreases and the illuminance of the substrate G is reduced. It can be detected that the illuminance limit N has been reached. Then, after that, the power supply that has been suppressed is increased by the power control unit 79, so that the excimer UV
The illuminance on the substrate G by the lamps 70 to 72 is maintained at the illuminance limit N or higher, and the ultraviolet cleaning process can be continued.

The illuminance sensors 83 to 85 are replaced by concave reflecting mirrors 80 to
Since it was attached to 82, excimer UV lamps 70-72
The individual illuminance of can be accurately detected. In addition, the illuminance sensor 8
Since Nos. 3 to 85 are arranged on the opposite side of the substrate G, the irradiation of ultraviolet rays to the lower substrate G is not hindered.

Correlation data between the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 and the actual illuminance applied to the substrate G is stored in advance in the storage unit 8.
6, the power control unit 79 can control the power supply based on the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G, so that the power supply can be adjusted more accurately and appropriately.

In the above embodiment, when the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G is maintained at the illuminance limit N, the excimer UV lamp 7 is used.
Although the power supplied to 0 to 72 is increased at a constant slope, it may be increased stepwise. In such a case, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Power supply is increased stepwise by a predetermined amount each time. Also by doing so, the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G is maintained, and the ultraviolet cleaning process can be continued. When the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G first reaches the illuminance limit N, the maximum allowable power (maximum output) of the excimer UV lamps 70 to 72 may be increased at once.

The operation start timings of the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 can be arbitrarily selected, and for example, a setting section (not shown) is set to start the operation when the accumulated use time of the excimer UV lamp has exceeded a predetermined set time. May be.
The set time may be, for example, a predetermined ratio of the average life of the excimer UV lamp, for example, about 80% to 90%.

In the above embodiment, all excimers U are used.
Although the illuminance sensors 83 to 85 are provided for the V lamps 70 to 72, the illuminance sensor is used for the one having the lowest luminous efficiency among the plurality of excimer UV lamps, that is, the one having the weakest illuminance when the same power is applied. It may be provided.

Excimer UV lamps having low luminous efficiency are determined in advance by inspection or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, of the excimer UV lamps 100, 101, 102, the excimer UV lamp 101 having the lowest luminous efficiency is arranged in the central portion. Concave reflecting mirrors 103 to 105 are provided in each excimer UV lamp 100 to 102, and an illuminance sensor 106 is provided in the concave reflecting mirror 104 of the excimer UV lamp 101. The detection result of the illuminance sensor 106 can be output to the power control unit 107. Based on this detection result, the electric power control unit 107 controls the electric power supplied to the excimer UV lamps 100 to 102 as in the above-described embodiment. For example, when the illuminance of the excimer UV lamp 104 decreases and the illuminance sensor 106 detects the illuminance corresponding to the illuminance limit N, the power control unit 107 increases the power supplied to the excimer UV lamps 100 to 102. After that, the illuminance sensor 106 continues to monitor the illuminance of the excimer UV sensor 101. The power control unit 107 controls the power supplied to the excimer UV lamps 100 to 102 so that the irradiation illuminance on the substrate G does not fall below the illuminance limit N based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 106.

According to this example, the excimer UV lamp 101 having a low luminous efficiency is provided with the illuminance sensor 106, and the illuminance limit N is maintained based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 106. Therefore, it is inevitable that another excimer is used. UV lamp 1
The illuminances of 00 and 102 are also maintained above the illuminance limit N. Therefore, the illuminances of all the excimer UV lamps 100 to 102 can be appropriately controlled only by providing the illuminance sensor at one place. Further, since the excimer lamp 101 having low luminous efficiency is arranged in the central portion, the left and right excimer UV lamps 100,
The illuminance of the excimer UV lamp 101 is compensated by 102, so that the substrate G can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays without spots.

The number of excimer UV lamps used in the above-described embodiment is three, but the number can be arbitrarily selected. Further, the ultraviolet lamp used in the above-mentioned embodiment is an excimer UV lamp, but it may be another ultraviolet lamp, for example, a mercury lamp, a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp or the like. Since an ultraviolet lamp such as an excimer UV lamp is immediately turned on and the illuminance is stable, the ultraviolet lamp may be turned on and off at the start and end of processing one substrate. In this case, for example, the support pin 9
4, the lighting signal may be transmitted to the ultraviolet lamp on the basis of the loading of the substrate G onto the substrate 4, the start of the rising of the stage 90, or the end of the rising of the stage 90, and the light may be turned off after a preset irradiation time has elapsed. Then, at the time of lighting, the power necessary for lighting (lighting start power H) is supplied, and after lighting, the minimum power necessary for maintaining lighting (lighting maintenance power M) or power for maintaining the illuminance limit N. It should be reduced to. By doing so, the life can be further extended. Also,
Instead of stopping the processing of the substrate G when the illuminance reaches the illuminance limit N, the supply power and the illuminance for the time after the time T3 are stored in advance, and the time before the time T4 when the illuminance reaches the illuminance limit N is actually stored. Alternatively, the time T4 may be predicted. In this case, when the next substrate cannot be processed within the estimated remaining time up to the time T4, an alarm may be issued when the processing of the current substrate G is completed and the processing of the next substrate may not be performed. . By doing so, the processing of the substrate G is not stopped during the processing, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is used in the apparatus for performing the ultraviolet cleaning treatment on the substrate G. However, the present invention is applicable to other processing apparatuses using an ultraviolet lamp, such as a peripheral exposure apparatus,
It can also be applied to an exposure device or the like. Further, although the embodiments described above are applied to the processing apparatus in which the photolithography process of the LCD manufacturing process is performed, the present invention is applied to substrates other than LCD substrates such as semiconductor wafers and photomasks. The present invention can also be applied to a processing device for a mask reticle substrate or the like.

[0060]

According to the present invention, since the life of the ultraviolet lamp is extended, it is not necessary to frequently replace the expensive ultraviolet lamp, and the running cost can be reduced. Also, because the processing of the substrate is not interrupted due to the replacement of the UV lamp,
Throughput can also be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a configuration of a coating and developing treatment apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an ultraviolet irradiation / cooling unit.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing changes over time in supplied power and illuminance.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing another control example of the power supply shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a lamp chamber when an irradiation sensor is provided at one place.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Coating and developing equipment 21 UV irradiation / cooling unit 70-72 excimer UV lamp 73 Lamp Room 74 Cleaning room 79 Power control unit 83-85 Illuminance sensor N illuminance limit G board

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A processing method for processing a substrate by illuminating an ultraviolet lamp by supplying electric power and irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light, wherein the illuminance of the ultraviolet light required for processing the substrate immediately after starting the lighting of the ultraviolet lamp. The processing method is characterized in that the electric power supplied to the ultraviolet lamp is adjusted to the minimum electric power required to realize the above and to maintain the lighting. 2. The power supply to the ultraviolet lamp is increased when the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp decreases and the illuminance applied to the substrate decreases to a minimum illuminance necessary for processing the substrate. The processing method according to claim 1. 3. A substrate processing apparatus for performing the processing method according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet lamp emits ultraviolet light, a power supply unit supplies power to the ultraviolet lamp, A power control unit that controls the power supply of the power supply unit, an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamp, and a correlation between the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor and the irradiation illuminance that is actually irradiated on the substrate are shown. And a storage unit that stores the storage unit, wherein the power control unit calculates the irradiation illuminance on the substrate from the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor based on the correlation of the storage unit, and based on the calculated irradiation illuminance. A processing device, wherein the power supplied by the power supply unit can be controlled. 4. The ultraviolet ray from the ultraviolet lamp is applied to a substrate in a predetermined direction, and the ultraviolet lamp is
A reflecting mirror is provided for reflecting the ultraviolet light emitted in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction in the predetermined direction, and the irradiation sensor is attached to a surface of the reflecting mirror. Item 5. The processing device according to item 3. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the ultraviolet lamps are provided, and the illuminance sensor is provided for each of the ultraviolet lamps. 6. The plurality of ultraviolet lamps are provided, and the illuminance sensor is provided in the ultraviolet lamp having the lowest illuminance when the same power is applied among the plurality of ultraviolet lamps. Item 5. The processing device according to item 3 or 4. 7. The plurality of ultraviolet lamps are arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, and the ultraviolet lamp having the lowest illuminance is
The processing device according to claim 6, wherein the processing device is arranged in the center of the plurality of ultraviolet lamps.