JP2003289030A - Substrate treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment device capable of early detecting a coating failure to a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: A coating unit 14 of a substrate treatment device is provided with a stage 3 having a holding face 30 on which a rectangular substrate 90 is almost horizontally mounted, a crosslinked structure 4 almost horizontally crosslinked above the holding face 30, and an image pickup part 23 for imaging the surface of the substrate 90. The crosslinked structure 4 is provided with a nozzle supporting part 40 on which a slit nozzle for discharging a resist is mounted. The surface of the substrate 90 is scanned by the slit nozzle while the resist is applied. When the application of resist is finished, the surface of the substrate 90 is imaged by the image pickup part 23, and image data are transferred to a deciding part 24. Image recognition is performed to the image data by the deciding part 24, and the coating condition of the substrate 90, that is, whether or not a coating failure such as fading is generated on the substrate 90 is decided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique in a substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a rectangular substrate by a slit nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a substrate processing apparatus for coating a surface of a rectangular substrate (glass rectangular substrate for liquid crystal, film liquid crystal flexible substrate, photomask substrate, color filter substrate, etc.) with a processing liquid such as photoresist, a slit shape There is known a technique (slit coat) for applying a treatment liquid by using a slit nozzle having a discharge part. In the slit coating, the processing liquid is applied on the substrate while the slit nozzle moves with respect to the substrate held horizontally.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, coating defects may occur due to streaky scratches as shown in FIG. This often occurs because the treatment liquid at the nozzle tip is dried while the slit nozzle is on standby, and the treatment liquid is not normally ejected from the nozzle when the ejection of the treatment liquid is started. Conventionally, such coating failure has been detected by providing an inspection step for inspecting a substrate after a series of processes in the substrate processing apparatus is completed.

[0004]

However, in the case of detecting a coating defect on a substrate in the inspection process after the completion of processing, there is a time lag from the occurrence of the cause of the coating defect to the detection of the coating defect. There is a problem that the treated substrate is likely to be wasted due to the same coating failure.

Further, there is a problem in that a substrate having a defective coating is conveyed to a post-process which is carried out up to the inspection process, resulting in wasteful processing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of early detecting coating defects and reducing waste caused by coating defects.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a coating unit for coating a surface of a rectangular substrate with a processing liquid while scanning the substrate in a predetermined direction; In a substrate processing apparatus, which comprises a transporting unit that transports a substrate coated with the processing liquid by a unit from the coating unit and transports the substrate to a next step along a predetermined transport path, from the coating unit to the next step. Based on the imaging output of the imaging means, which is provided in any of the sections up to the transfer position of the substrate and which captures a surface image of the substrate coated with the processing liquid,
It further comprises a determination unit that determines the coating state of the processing liquid on the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, a buffer for temporarily storing the substrate being processed is further provided, and a buffer is provided according to the determination result of the determination means. Then, the substrate being processed is stored in the buffer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the plurality of buffers are provided, and one of the plurality of buffers is selected in accordance with the processing status of the substrate being processed. Select a buffer to store the substrate being processed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the image pickup range of the image pickup means is a part of the surface of the substrate. The imaging range covers the entire range of the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the imaging range includes a scan coating start end of the processing liquid in the coating unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image pickup range includes the vicinity of the edge of the substrate.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the imaging range includes the central portion side of the substrate in addition to the vicinity of the end portion.

The invention according to claim 8 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the imaging means is arranged above the holding position of the substrate in the coating unit. ing.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding base for holding the rectangular substrate, and a bridge structure for holding a slit nozzle extending in a substantially horizontal direction and extending substantially horizontally above the holding base. A moving means for moving the crosslinked structure in a substantially horizontal direction along the surface of the substrate, while moving the crosslinked structure along the surface of the substrate, a predetermined treatment liquid is applied from the slit nozzle to the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus for forming a layer of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate by discharging the surface of the substrate, further comprising: an image pickup unit that is provided above the holding table and that captures a surface image on the substrate. The application status of the treatment liquid is determined based on the imaged output of the imager.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the image pickup range of the image pickup means is a part of the surface of the substrate, while the image pickup range is the The entire area of the substrate is covered in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the ninth or tenth aspect of the invention, the imaging range includes a start end of scanning coating of the processing liquid in the coating unit.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects,
The imaging range includes the vicinity of the edge of the substrate.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the imaging range includes the central portion side of the substrate in addition to the vicinity of the end portion.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects,
The substrate is a flat panel display substrate, and the treatment liquid is a resist liquid.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<1. Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a conceptual plan view showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided as a part of the substrate processing system SYS, and has a control unit 2 that controls each configuration in the apparatus, a loader 10 that takes in a substrate to be processed into the apparatus, a cleaning machine 11, and a predetermined substrate. The transfer robots 12 and 13 that transfer along the transfer path, the heat treatment unit HP that performs heat treatment on the substrate, the cooling unit CP that cools the substrate, and the buffers BF1 to B that temporarily store the substrate being processed.
F4, coating unit 1 for coating a resist on the surface of the substrate
4. Drying unit 15 for pre-drying resist (for example, blast drying, reduced pressure drying, etc.), Titler 16 for giving titles such as control numbers to substrates, developing machine 19, post-baking apparatus 20 for heat treatment, and apparatus An unloader 21 that carries the processed substrate out is provided.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is adjacent to an exposure apparatus (stepper) 17 that forms a circuit pattern or the like on a substrate by selective exposure. The substrate on which resist coating described later is completed is given to the stepper 17, and the substrate after the exposure by the stepper 17 is conveyed by the conveyor 18 so that the substrate is returned to the substrate processing apparatus 1 to be subjected to the development processing. Has become. Although not shown, the control unit 2 is connected to each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 so that signals can be transmitted and received.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, first, the loader 10 takes in the substrate to be processed and the cleaning machine 11 cleans the substrate to remove dirt and the like adhering to the surface of the substrate. Next, the transfer robot 12 heats the substrate to the heat treatment unit H.
Transport to P. In the heat treatment unit HP, the substrate is heated to evaporate and dry the cleaning liquid. Then, the heated substrate is conveyed to the cooling unit CP and cooled to a predetermined temperature. As described above, the pre-application process for applying the resist is completed.

The substrate for which the previous process has been completed is transferred to the transfer robot 1.
2 is conveyed to the coating unit 14 and the resist is coated.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the coating unit 14 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the coating unit 14 as seen from above. 4 and 5 are a front view and a side view of the coating unit 14.

The coating unit 14 functions as a holding table for mounting and holding the substrate 90 to be processed, and
The stage 3 is provided, which also functions as a base for each attached mechanism. The stage 3 is made of a rectangular parallelepiped integral stone, and its upper surface (holding surface 30) and side surfaces are processed into flat surfaces.

The upper surface of the stage 3 is a horizontal surface,
It is the holding surface 30 of the substrate 90. A large number of vacuum suction ports are distributed and formed on the holding surface 30, and the substrate 90 is held at a predetermined horizontal position by sucking the substrate 90 while the substrate processing apparatus 1 processes the substrate 90.

At both ends of the holding surface 30 sandwiching the mounting area of the substrate 90 (area where the substrate 90 is mounted),
A pair of traveling rails 31a extending parallel to the substantially horizontal direction is fixedly installed. The traveling rails 31a, together with the support blocks 31b fixed to both ends of the bridge structure 4, guide the movement of the bridge structure 4 (define the moving direction to a predetermined direction) and hold the bridge structure 4 above the holding surface 30. To support.

A bridge structure 4 is provided above the stage 3 so as to extend from both sides of the stage 3 substantially horizontally. The cross-linking structure 4 is mainly composed of a nozzle support part 40 made of carbon fiber resin as an aggregate and elevating mechanisms 43, 44 supporting both ends of the nozzle support part 40.

The nozzle support portion 40 includes a slit nozzle 4
1 and the gap sensor 42 are attached.

Slit nozzle 41 extending in the horizontal Y direction
Is connected to a discharge mechanism (not shown) including a pipe for supplying a chemical solution to the slit nozzle 41 and a resist pump. The slit nozzle 41 is supplied with a resist by a resist pump and scans the surface of the substrate 90 to discharge the resist onto a predetermined area (hereinafter referred to as “resist coating area”) of the surface of the substrate 90.

The gap sensor 42 is the slit nozzle 4
It is attached to the nozzle support 40 so as to be in the vicinity of 1, and the height difference (gap) between the object existing below (for example, the surface of the substrate 90 or the surface of the resist film) is measured.
Specifically, the gap sensor 42 includes a light source that emits laser light downward (toward the substrate) and a light receiving element that receives reflected light from below, and the distance from the reflected light to an object existing below. Is to detect.

As described above, by mounting the slit nozzle 41 and the gap sensor 42 on the nozzle support portion 40, their relative positional relationship is fixed. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 determines the surface of the substrate 90 and the slit nozzle 4 based on the measurement result of the gap sensor 42.
The distance from 1 can be detected. In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the two gap sensors 4 are provided.
However, the number of the gap sensors 42 is not limited to this, and more gap sensors 4 are provided.
2 may be provided. Although not shown, the coating unit 14 includes a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning nozzle that discharges a solvent for cleaning the slit nozzle 41, and the cleaning nozzle cleans the slit nozzle 41 as needed. .

The elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 are the slit nozzle 41.
It is divided into both sides and is connected to the slit nozzle 41 by the nozzle support portion 40. The elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 are also used for translationally elevating and lowering the slit nozzle 41 and adjusting the attitude of the slit nozzle 41 in the YZ plane.

At both ends of the bridge structure 4, a pair of AC coreless linear motors (hereinafter, simply referred to as “linear motors”) 50 separately arranged on both sides of the stage 3 are provided.
Each is fixed.

The pair of linear motors 50 each include a stator (stator) 50a and a mover 50b, and move the bridging structure 4 in the X-axis direction by electromagnetic interaction between the stator 50a and the mover 50b. Is a motor that generates the driving force of. Further, the moving amount and moving direction of each linear motor 50 can be controlled by a control signal from the control unit 2.

The pair of linear encoders 52 arranged on the left and right of the stage 3 are provided with a scale part and a detector (not shown), detect the relative positional relationship between the scale part and the detector, and transfer them to the controller 2. . Scale part is stage 3
The detector is fixed near each linear motor 50 fixed to the bridge structure 4. Therefore, the control unit 2
Can detect the position of each linear motor 50 based on the detection result from each linear encoder 52,
The position of each linear motor 50 can be controlled based on the detection result.

Further, the coating unit 14 includes an image pickup section 23.
An image recognition unit 22 including a determination unit 24 and a determination unit 24 is provided.

The image pickup section (two-dimensional CCD camera) 23 is mounted above the stage 3 and picks up a two-dimensional image of the surface of the substrate 90 after the treatment liquid is applied. The imaging unit 23 also transfers the captured image data to the determination unit 24.

The determination unit 24 is provided inside the stage 3 and performs image recognition processing on the image data (imaging output) transferred from the imaging unit 23 to apply the resist formed on the substrate 90. Determine the situation. Further, the determination result is transferred to the control unit 2 of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The coating unit 14 starts the resist coating process when the substrate 90 having undergone the pre-coating process is transported by the transport robot 12.

First, the stage 3 sucks and holds the substrate 90 at a predetermined position on the holding surface 30. Then, the elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 move the gap sensor 42 attached to the nozzle support portion 40 to a predetermined altitude (hereinafter, referred to as “measured altitude”). At this time, the control unit 2 gives a control signal to each of the lift mechanisms 43 and 44 based on the detection result of each rotary encoder 442 provided in each of the lift mechanisms 43 and 44, so that the gap sensor 42 is controlled. Control the position.

When the gap sensor 42 is set at the measurement altitude, the linear motor 50 moves the bridge structure 4 in the X direction to move the gap sensor 42 to a position above the resist coating area. At this time, the control unit 2
The position of the gap sensor 42 is controlled by giving a control signal to each linear motor 50 based on the detection result of the linear encoder 52.

Next, the gap sensor 42 starts measuring the gap with the resist coating area. When the measurement is started, the linear motor 50 moves the cross-linking structure 4 so that the gap sensor 42 scans the resist coating area and transfers the measurement result during the scanning to the control unit 2.

When the scanning by the gap sensor 42 is completed, the control unit 2 determines that the attitude of the slit nozzle 41 on the YZ plane is appropriate based on the measurement result from the gap sensor 42 (the slit nozzle 41 and the resist coating area). The position of the nozzle support portion 40 is calculated such that the distance of the nozzle support portion 40 becomes an appropriate distance for applying the resist. Hereinafter, referred to as “appropriate posture”), and based on the calculation result, each lifting mechanism 43, A control signal is given to 44. Based on the control signal, the respective lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 move the nozzle support portion 40 in the Z-axis direction and adjust the slit nozzle 41 to an appropriate posture. Furthermore, the linear motor 50
Moves the bridging structure 4 and moves the slit nozzle 41 to the discharge start position.

When the slit nozzle 41 moves to the discharge start position, the control section 2 gives a control signal to the linear motor 50 and the resist pump (not shown). Based on the control signal, the linear motor 50 moves the bridge structure 4 in the −X direction, so that the slit nozzle 41 scans the surface of the substrate 90, and the resist pump is operated during the scanning of the slit nozzle 41. As a result, the resist is sent to the slit nozzle 41, and the slit nozzle 41 discharges the resist to the resist application area. As a result, a resist layer is formed on the surface of the substrate 90.

When the slit nozzle 41 moves to the discharge end position, the control section 2 gives a control signal to the linear motor 50 and the resist pump. Based on the control signal, the resist pump is stopped to stop the discharge of the resist from the slit nozzle 41, and
The linear motor 50 moves the bridge structure 4 to the initial position.

When the resist coating process is completed, the image pickup section 23 picks up an image of the surface of the substrate 90 coated with the resist, and transfers it to the judgment section 24. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an imaging range 230 of the imaging unit 23 with respect to the substrate 90. Figure 6
As shown in, the imaging range 230 is set so as to include the end region of the substrate 90 and the end region of the resist coating region 231 (near the position where the resist coating is started).

This is because the coating failure due to the abrasion as shown in FIG. 8 mainly occurs at the start of the resist coating as described above, and therefore, in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate or the position where the resist coating is started. This is because it often occurs, and by selectively imaging and inspecting these areas, such coating failure can be efficiently detected.

Thus, while the imaging range 230 is a part of the surface of the substrate 90 in the scanning direction of the slit nozzle 41 (X-axis direction), the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the slit nozzle 41 (Y-axis direction). Since the entire area of the surface of the substrate 90 is covered, the data amount of the image can be reduced as compared with the case of capturing the image of the entire surface of the substrate, and therefore the image recognition processing can be speeded up. You can Further, the resolution of the image pickup unit 23 can be improved.

When the image pickup by the image pickup section 23 is completed, the decision section 24 performs an image recognition process on the image data, decides the application state of the resist solution on the substrate 90, and transfers the decision result to the control section 2. Such image processing and determination processing are
For example, taking advantage of the fact that the resist coating portion is relatively dark and the coating defect portion such as the coating scratching portion is relatively bright, the received light data of each pixel is binarized with a predetermined threshold brightness,
This can be performed by, for example, determining the extent of spread of a bright portion in the image with a pixel number threshold.

In this way, by determining the coating state of the resist liquid on the substrate 90 according to the image data of the image pickup section 23 provided in the coating unit 14, a series of processes in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is completed. As compared with the case where a separate inspection process is provided after that, the coating failure of the substrate 90 can be detected earlier.

As a result of the judgment by the judging section 24, when the coating defect of the substrate 90 is not detected (the inspection result is normal),
The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs a predetermined process on the substrate 90 as follows.

First, the stage 3 stops the adsorption of the substrate 90. Then, the transfer robot 12 holds the substrate 90 on the holding surface 3
It is picked up from 0, taken out from the coating unit 14, and conveyed to the drying unit 15. The drying unit 15 is, for example,
The resist applied to the substrate 90 is preliminarily dried by vacuum drying or the like.

Next, the heat treatment unit HP pre-bakes the substrate 90, and the cooling unit CP cools the pre-baked substrate 90 to a predetermined temperature. The pre-bake is a heat treatment performed after coating a resist on a substrate and then evaporating a residual solvent in the coating film and strengthening the adhesion between the coating film and the substrate. The transfer robot 12 also transfers the substrate 90 during this period.

The substrate 90 which has been cooled after pre-baking in the cooling unit CP is transferred to the titler 16 by the transfer robot 13 and given a management number, and then transferred to the stepper 17 for exposure processing. Further, while being conveyed by the conveyer 18, the development processing by the developing machine 19 and the post-baking processing by the post-baking device 20 are performed, and the paper is carried out of the device by the unloader 21.

On the other hand, when the determination section 24 detects a coating defect of the substrate 90 (the inspection result is abnormal), the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs the processing on the substrate 90 as follows. The substrate 90 in which the coating failure is detected is hereinafter referred to as a “defective substrate 91”.

First, like the normal substrate 90, the defective substrate 91 is subjected to the processes up to the cooling process after prebaking.

The defective substrate 91 for which the cooling process after the pre-baking is completed is carried to the buffer BF1 or BF2 by the carrying robot 13.

As described above, by not transporting the defective substrate 91 to the subsequent process such as the exposure process, but storing it in the buffer and separating the defective substrates 91, it is possible to reduce unnecessary processes for the substrates which need to be reprocessed. .

The controller 2 also controls the coating unit 14 so as to clean the slit nozzle 41 of the coating unit 14. First, the elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 and the linear motor 50 are controlled to move the slit nozzle 41 to the cleaning position corresponding to the cleaning mechanism. Next, while the cleaning nozzle discharges the medicine, the nozzle tip of the slit nozzle 41 is scanned to clean the slit nozzle 41.

As described above, when a coating failure is detected, the substrate is in a state where the coating failure occurs by automatically performing the cleaning process on the slit nozzle 41 which is the main cause of the coating failure. The processing device 1 can be efficiently restored. The method for cleaning the slit nozzle 41 is not limited to the method described above, and other configurations and methods may be used.

Further, the control unit 2 controls the transfer robot 12 so that the transfer unit 12 transfers to the buffer BF3 or BF4 until the coating unit 14 completes the cleaning process of the slit nozzle 41.

When the cleaning process of the slit nozzle 41 is completed, the transfer robot 12 transfers the substrate 90 stored in the buffers BF3 and BF4 to the coating unit 14,
The coating unit 14 restarts the resist coating process. The defective substrate 91 transported to the buffers BF1 and BF2 is transported to the resist stripping step to strip the incompletely applied resist and then reused.

As described above, by interrupting the transfer of the substrate to the coating unit 14 in the state where the coating defect still occurs, it is possible to further reduce the generation of the substrate having the coating defect, so that the wasteful processing is performed. Can be reduced. Further, when the coating failure is detected, the processing status of each of the stored substrates can be identified by storing the substrates in different buffers depending on whether or not the coating processing has been completed. Processing can be initiated appropriately for each of the substrates processed.

After the resist coating process is restarted, the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs a predetermined process as in the case where the inspection result is normal.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is the coating unit 1
By providing the image recognition unit 22 in 4 to inspect the coating defect, it is possible to detect the coating defect earlier than in the case where a separate inspection step is provided at the time when a series of processes is completed.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can prevent the defective substrate from being transferred to the subsequent process by storing the substrate in which the coating failure has occurred in the buffer, so that the wasteful processing can be reduced. You can

Further, by selecting the buffer for storing each substrate based on the processing state of the substrate at the time when the coating failure is detected, the processing can be appropriately restarted for the stored substrates. . If a defective coating is detected again after the process is restarted, an alarm may be given to the operator. In that case, the worker stops the loading of the substrate from the loader 10 and carries out the nozzle replacement work. Also, an automatic nozzle replacement function may be provided.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can reduce the data amount of the image data of the substrate surface by appropriately setting the image capturing range of the image capturing unit 23, and therefore can perform an efficient inspection. .

In this embodiment, the image pickup unit 2
In order for 3 to pick up an image, the surface of the substrate needs to be illuminated to such an extent that it can be picked up. However, when the coating liquid is a photosensitive material, this illumination is strong enough not to expose the photosensitive material. Or a wavelength that is not sensitive to light, and illumination is performed in that range.

<2. Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the imaging range of the imaging unit 23 is set as a range including the end region of the substrate and the end region of the resist coating region. However, coating by streaking is applied. Defects also occur due to "insufficient resist liquid" or "clogging of nozzles". If such a cause occurs,
It is conceivable that a blur occurs in the central area of the substrate. Therefore, the imaging range of the imaging unit 23 may be set so as to further include the central region of the substrate.

FIG. 7 shows an image pickup section 23 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, which is constructed according to such a principle.
It is a figure which shows the imaging range 232 in. Imaging range 23
2 includes a substrate 90 in addition to the imaging range 230 shown in FIG.
The area of the central part of is also included.

The image pickup section 23 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment picks up image data of the image pickup range 232 and transfers it to the judgment section 24. The determination unit 24 performs the image recognition process on the image data as in the first embodiment to determine the presence / absence of coating failure.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment can obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment, and can detect the coating defect in which the scrape is generated in the vicinity of the central portion of the substrate. It is possible to carry out an accurate inspection. Note that when imaging a plurality of partial regions on the surface of the substrate 90 as in the imaging unit 23 of the present embodiment, the imaging unit 23 can be moved relative to the substrate 90 for imaging. You may.

<3. Third Embodiment> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the gap sensor 42 fixed to the nozzle support portion 40 in the first embodiment is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle support portion 40, that is, the moving direction (scanning direction) of the nozzle support portion 40. In addition to being provided so as to be movable in the direction (Y-axis direction), a drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the gap sensor 42 is provided.

The gap sensor 42 is for measuring the gap with the lower object, and in the first embodiment, the slit nozzle 41 (FIG. 9) attached to the nozzle support portion 40 before the coating operation. (Not shown) and the resist coating area of the substrate 90 is measured, and coating is performed by controlling the elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 (not shown in FIG. 9) so that the spacing becomes an appropriate interval. Was there. In the third embodiment, after performing the same operation as in the first embodiment, further, during coating, that is, the nozzle support portion 40 moves in the −X direction, the coating liquid is applied from the slit nozzle 41. While discharging, the gap sensor 42 located on the rear side in the moving direction as viewed from the nozzle support portion 40 reciprocates in the Y direction and the −Y direction as shown by an arrow A in the drawing, and the measurement operation is performed. To do. That is, while the nozzle support portion 40 moves in the -X direction in FIG. 9 to perform coating, the substrate 9 is moved in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the nozzle support portion 40.
The measurement is performed for the full width of 0.

As a result, the result of the measurement is that the space where the coating liquid is applied on the surface of the substrate 90 is the distance to the upper surface of the coating film, and if there is the part where the coating liquid is not applied, that is the substrate measured previously. Distance to the top surface. Therefore, if the measurement result and the position information of the gap sensor 42 in the X direction at the time of measurement are combined, an image showing the distribution of the coating film on the surface of the substrate 90 (a pseudo image created from numerical values indicating intervals, "Pseudo image") is obtained, and the determination unit 24 performs image recognition processing on the pseudo image in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and determines whether or not there is an uncoated portion.

Also in this case, if there is an uncoated portion B which is not coated due to clogging or the like in a part in the width direction of the slit nozzle 41, the uncoated portion B is replaced with the gap sensor 42 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the determination unit 24 can reliably detect the presence of the uncoated portion B. Further, in this embodiment, the gap sensor 4 for detecting the gap between the substrate 90 and the slit nozzle 41.
2 is also used for capturing a surface image representing the uncoated portion B (acquiring a pseudo image), and it is not necessary to provide a dedicated sensor (for example, the image capturing unit 23 in the above embodiment).

Note that, like the gap sensor 42 in the present embodiment, it is also possible to separately provide an image pickup means dedicated to picking up a surface image showing the uncoated portion B while moving along the slit nozzle 41. Also in this embodiment, the light source for irradiating the laser light of the gap sensor 42 is
When the coating liquid is a photosensitive material, the laser light to be irradiated must have such intensity that the photosensitive material does not sensitize or have a wavelength that does not sensitize, and the light source is used in that range. It

<4. Modifications> The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the place where the image recognition unit 22 is provided is
It is not limited to the coating unit 14. For example, the image recognition unit 22 is independently provided at a predetermined position above the transfer path of the substrate 90 in the substrate processing apparatus 1, and the transfer robot 12 transfers the substrate 90 after resist coating to the position below the image recognition unit 22. You may do it. Further, when the transfer robot 12 takes out the substrate 90 from the coating unit 14, the transfer robot 12 may be temporarily stopped and an image may be picked up during the inspection. That is, in the section from the coating unit 14 to the delivery position of the substrate 90 to the next step (drying unit 15 in the example of FIG. 1), where is the image recognition unit 22.
May be provided.

The image pickup section 23 and the judgment section 24 of the image recognition section 22 do not necessarily have to be provided at the same place. For example, the imaging unit 23 may be provided in the coating unit 14 and the determination unit 24 may be provided in the control unit 2.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the image pickup range of the image pickup section 23 is limited to a range in which there is a high probability that a blur occurs, instead of the entire surface of the board. For the entire surface, the determination unit 24 may selectively perform the image recognition process only on a range having a high probability that a blur has occurred in the range captured by the image data.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs a series of processes (not only the coating process but also the coating process on the substrate).
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that independently performs only the coating process. In that case, since the substrate processing apparatus can perform the inspection, it is not necessary to separately provide an inspection step for the substrate that has been processed by the substrate processing apparatus.

[0087]

According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, a surface image of the substrate coated with the processing liquid is picked up in any of the sections from the coating unit to the substrate transfer position for the next step. By determining the coating state of the processing liquid on the substrate based on the image output of the image pickup unit, the coating defect on the substrate can be detected earlier than in the case where a separate inspection step is provided after the series of processes is completed. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the substrate being processed is stored in the buffer based on the determination result of the determining means, so that the process for the substrate can be interrupted when the coating failure is detected. Therefore, useless processing can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the buffer for storing the substrate being processed is selected from among a plurality of buffers according to the processing status of the substrate being processed, so that each stored substrate is processed. The situation can be identified.

According to the invention described in claims 4 and 10, the imaging range by the imaging means is a part of the surface of the substrate, while the imaging range covers the entire range of the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. By covering it, an efficient inspection can be performed.

According to the fifth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, since the image pickup range includes the start end of the scanning coating of the treatment liquid in the coating unit, it is possible to image the position where blur easily occurs, so that it is efficient. An inspection can be done.

According to the sixth and twelfth aspects of the present invention, since the image pickup range includes the vicinity of the end portion of the substrate, it is possible to take an image of a position where blurring is likely to occur, so that an efficient inspection can be performed. .

According to the seventh and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, the image pickup range includes the central portion side of the substrate in addition to the vicinity of the edge portion, so that blurring occurs only on the central portion side of the substrate. However, since the coating failure can be detected, the detection accuracy can be improved.

In the invention described in claim 8, the image pickup means is
By being arranged above the holding position of the substrate in the coating unit, it is possible to detect the coating failure early.

According to the invention described in claims 9 to 14, it is not necessary to provide a separate inspection step by judging the coating state of the processing liquid based on the image output of the image pickup means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a coating unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a coating unit.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a coating unit.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the coating unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image pickup range of an image pickup unit in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an imaging range of an imaging unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a substrate on which a coating failure due to streaky scrapes has occurred.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Substrate processing equipment 10 loader 11 washing machine 12, 13 Transfer robot 14 Coating unit 2 control unit 22 Image recognition unit 23 Imager 230,232 Imaging range 24 Judgment section 3 stages 4 crosslinked structure 41 slit nozzle 42 Gap sensor 50 AC coreless linear motor 90 substrates 91 bad board BF1, BF2, BF3, BF4 buffer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuo Kise             4-chome Tenjin, which runs up to Teranouchi, Horikawa-dori, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto             1 Kitamachi No. 1 Dai Nippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd.             Inside the company F term (reference) 2H025 AB08 AB14 AB20 DA19 DA20                       EA04                 4F041 AA02 AA05 AB01 BA05 BA22                       BA38 CA02 CA16 CA22                 4F042 AA06 AA10 AB00 BA08 BA12                       BA25 CB07 CB24 DH09                 5F046 JA21 JA22 JA27

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A coating unit that coats a processing liquid on the surface of the substrate while scanning a rectangular substrate in a predetermined direction; and a substrate on which the processing liquid is coated by the coating unit is carried out from the coating unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transfer unit configured to transfer the substrate to a next step along a predetermined transfer path, wherein the processing unit is provided in any of sections from the coating unit to a transfer position of the substrate to the next step. An image pickup unit for picking up a surface image of the substrate coated with the liquid, and a judgment unit for judging the coating state of the treatment liquid on the substrate based on the image pickup output of the image pickup unit. Substrate processing equipment. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer for temporarily storing the substrate being processed, wherein the substrate being processed is processed in accordance with a determination result of the determination means. A substrate processing apparatus which stores in the buffer. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of the buffers, wherein the substrate being processed is stored from among the plurality of buffers according to a processing status of the substrate being processed. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a buffer is selected. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging range of the imaging unit is a part of the surface of the substrate, and the imaging range is the predetermined direction. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that it covers the entire range of the substrate in a direction orthogonal to. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging range includes a scanning coating start end of the processing liquid in the coating unit. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging range includes the vicinity of the edge of the substrate. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the imaging range includes the central portion side of the substrate in addition to the vicinity of the end portion. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is arranged above the substrate holding position in the coating unit. Processing equipment. 9. A cross-linking structure that holds a rectangular substrate and a slit nozzle that extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and is bridged substantially horizontally above the holder, and the cross-linking structure is provided on the substrate. Moving means for moving in a substantially horizontal direction along the surface of, while moving the crosslinked structure along the surface of the substrate,
In a substrate processing apparatus for forming a layer of the processing liquid on the surface by discharging a predetermined processing liquid from the slit nozzle onto the surface of the substrate, the surface image on the substrate is provided above the holding table. A substrate processing apparatus, further comprising: an image pickup unit that picks up an image of the processing liquid, and determines the coating state of the processing liquid based on the image pickup output of the image pickup unit. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the imaging range of the imaging unit is a part of the surface of the substrate, and the imaging range is in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. Covers the whole area of the substrate. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the imaging range includes a scanning coating start end of the processing liquid in the coating unit. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the imaging range includes the vicinity of the edge of the substrate. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the imaging range includes a central portion side of the substrate in addition to the vicinity of the end portion. 14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flat panel display substrate, and the processing liquid is a resist liquid.