JP2006007075A - Chemical liquid supply and control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a chemical liquid supply and control apparatus that is capable of accurately supplying a predetermined amount of the chemical liquid. <P>SOLUTION: The chemical liquid supply and control apparatus is provided with a memory means 204 to memorize the set value of the amount of the chemical liquid supplied established in advance, a flow rate measuring means 202 to measure the flow rate of the chemical liquid by hours, a means 214 for obtaining the amount supplied to obtain the actual value supplied to a material 104 to be coated by integrating the flow rate of the chemical liquid, an evaluation means 216 to evaluate whether or not the amount of the chemical liquid supplied to the material to be coated 104 through a supply line L1 has reached the set value of the amount of the chemical liquid supplied based on the actual value and the set value of the amount of the chemical liquid supplied and a supply stopping means 218 to stop the supply of the chemical liquid through the supply line, when evaluated as that the amount of the chemical liquid supplied to the material to be coated through the supply line has reached the set value of the amount of the chemical liquid supplied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a chemical liquid supply management apparatus that manages the supply amount of a chemical liquid supplied via a supply line to an object to be coated in a spinner.

  Conventionally, processing processes using chemical solutions such as pure water, acids, alkalis, organic solvents, and photoresists have been frequently used in manufacturing processes for semiconductors, magnetic disks, and the like.

  For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, processing with an accuracy of, for example, 0.3 to 0.1 μm or less is performed by a photolithography method including pretreatment with these chemical solutions, resist film formation, etching, and the like. .

  In such a manufacturing process, a chemical solution is often applied to an object to be coated such as a substrate by a spin coating method using a spinner.

  Here, if the amount of the chemical solution supplied to the coating object in the spinner is too small than the predetermined amount, the treatment with the chemical solution is not sufficiently performed. On the other hand, if the amount of the chemical solution to be supplied is too large, Waste increases and costs increase. Therefore, it is required to supply an accurate amount of the chemical solution to the object to be coated.

Conventionally, a predetermined amount of a chemical solution is repeatedly supplied to an object to be coated by predetermining a time for opening a valve of the supply line.
JP-A-62-221463

  However, as a result of investigations by the present inventors, it has been found that the following problems occur.

  When supplying a chemical solution to an object to be applied to a spinner, not only the amount of the chemical solution but also the reduction of foreign matter in the chemical solution is required, and a normal supply line is provided with a filter for removing the foreign matter. ing.

  And as time elapses, that is, as the total amount of chemicals passing through the supply line increases, the pressure loss of the filter increases, and even if a metering pump is used, the flow rate fluctuates and the valve opening time is the same. The supply amount of chemicals will fluctuate.

  Since the way of changing the supply amount varies depending on the usage state of the supply line L1, etc., even if the change time is predicted and the valve opening time is set in advance, the supply amount is accurately controlled. It is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a chemical liquid supply management apparatus that can accurately supply a predetermined amount of chemical liquid.

  A chemical supply management device according to the present invention is a chemical supply management device that manages a supply amount of a chemical solution supplied to an object to be coated in a spinner via a supply line, and is configured to set a preset chemical supply amount. The storage means for storing the value, the flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the chemical liquid flowing through the supply line every time, and the flow rate of the chemical liquid obtained by the flow rate measurement means are integrated to be supplied to the object to be coated. Supply based on the supply amount acquisition means for acquiring the actual measurement value of the chemical supply amount, the actual measurement value of the chemical supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition means, and the set value of the chemical supply amount stored in the storage means Supply amount judgment means for judging whether or not the chemical supply amount supplied to the object to be coated via the line has reached the set value of the chemical supply amount, and the supply amount judgment means are connected via the supply line. Supply for coating Chemical liquid supply amount of the when it is determined to have reached the set value of the chemical liquid supply amount, and a, and supply stop means for stopping the supply of the chemical liquid through the supply line.

  According to the chemical solution supply management device of the present invention, the amount of the chemical solution supplied to the object to be coated in the spinner is accurately controlled to the set value of the predetermined supply amount, and the supply amount of the chemical solution is incomplete. The waste of the chemical solution due to the treatment and the excessive supply amount of the chemical solution is prevented, and the treatment by the low cost and high quality spinner is realized. Especially when there is a possibility that the flow rate of chemicals flowing through the supply line, that is, the volume or weight per unit time may fluctuate, such as when the supply line is equipped with a filter and the pressure loss of the supply line fluctuates with time. However, according to the present invention, since the flow rate is sequentially accumulated, the supply amount is managed with sufficiently high accuracy.

  Here, the storage unit stores a plurality of set values of the chemical solution supply amount, and the chemical solution supply management device further selects any of the plurality of set values of the chemical solution supply amount stored in the storage unit in response to an external signal. The supply amount determination means includes the above-described value based on the set value of the chemical supply amount selected by the selection means and the actual measurement value of the chemical supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition means. It is preferable to make a judgment.

  According to this, if a plurality of chemical liquid supply amounts are stored in the storage means in advance, the chemical liquid supply amount can be switched to a desired value in accordance with an instruction from the outside. Therefore, it is particularly suitable when it is necessary to change the supply amount of the chemical according to the content of the treatment.

  In addition, it further has a timer means for acquiring a discharge time from the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the application object via the supply line is started to the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the application object via the supply line is stopped. It is preferable.

  If the characteristics of the chemical liquid supplied via the supply line change significantly due to chemical deterioration or chemical replenishment mistakes, etc., the discharge time required to reach the set supply amount will vary greatly compared to before the change. It will be. Therefore, by acquiring such a discharge time, it is possible to easily find such a chemical change, a chemical replenishment error, or the like.

  For example, if a recording control means for recording the discharge time in the recording unit is further provided, manufacturing history management becomes easy, and the cause of the occurrence of defects becomes easy.

  Further, the storage means stores the allowable range of the discharge time in association with the set value of the chemical liquid supply amount, and the chemical liquid supply management apparatus further stores the discharge time acquired by the timer means and the storage means. A time determining means for determining whether the discharge time acquired by the timer means is within the allowable range of the discharge time based on the allowable range of the discharge time, and the discharge time acquired by the timer means by the time determining means It is preferable to further include a warning control means for generating a warning signal when it is determined that is outside the allowable range of the discharge time.

  As a result, a chemical change of the chemical solution or a sudden change in the properties of the chemical solution, such as when a different type of chemical solution is supplied, is automatically detected and warned, so that manufacturing defects are particularly reduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the chemical | medical solution supply management apparatus which can supply a predetermined quantity of chemical | medical solutions accurately is provided.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a semiconductor manufacturing system according to the present embodiment. The semiconductor manufacturing system of the present embodiment mainly includes a spinner 100 that supplies a chemical solution 102 to a substrate (object to be coated) 104 on a rotating table 106, a spinner controller 150 that controls the spinner 100, and a substrate 104. A chemical supply management apparatus 200 that manages the amount of chemical to be supplied to a predetermined amount is provided.

  The spinner 100 is a device that spin-coats (spin coats) a chemical solution 102 such as a photoresist onto a substrate 104. The spinner 100 fixes the substrate 104 on the upper surface and fixes the substrate 104 around the vertical axis, the chemical solution storage tank 108 for storing the chemical solution, and guides the chemical solution 102 from the chemical solution storage tank 108 to the substrate 104. A supply line L1, a pump 110 connected to the supply line L1 and supplying the chemical solution 102 from the chemical solution storage tank 108 to the substrate 104, a valve 112 connected to the supply line L1, and a filter 117 provided on the supply line L1. And mainly.

  The pump 110 is not particularly limited as long as it can supply a chemical solution. However, a metering pump such as a pulse pump, a helical pump, a bellows pump, and a diaphragm pump is preferable, and a pulse pump is particularly preferable because of high quantitativeness.

  Further, the valve 112 is not particularly limited, but is preferably one that can be switched between an opening operation and a closing operation with high responsiveness. In order to enable control by a spinner controller 150 described later, Pneumatically driven on / off valves are preferred.

  The chemical solution 102 used in the spinner 100 is not particularly limited. For example, in the case where a resist film is spin-coated, a photoresist is used. Specifically, examples of the positive photoresist include those having a naphthoquinone diazide-based photosensitizer and an alkali-soluble resin (novolak resin) as main components. Examples of the chemical solution 102 include a developing solution, a stripping solution, and a polishing solution in addition to the resist solution.

  The spinner controller 150 is a control device that controls the rotation of the table 106 of the spinner 100, and controls the driving / stopping of the pump 110 and the opening / closing of the valve 112. Specifically, the spinner controller 150 starts the supply of the chemical solution 102 and stops the supply of the chemical solution 102.

  Specifically, the operation of starting the supply of the chemical solution by the spinner controller 150 includes starting the pump 110, opening the valve 112, and further supplying a signal indicating the supply start to the chemical solution supply management device 200, and This includes transmitting a signal indicating the mode number (details will be described later) of the set supply amount to be supplied.

  The operation of stopping the supply of the chemical liquid by the spinner controller 150 specifically includes stopping the pump 110 and closing the valve 112 based on the supply stop signal received from the chemical supply management apparatus 200. .

  Then, the chemical | medical solution supply management apparatus 200 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. The chemical solution supply management apparatus 200 includes a flow meter (flow rate measuring unit) 202, a storage unit (storage unit) 204, an interface unit 206, a control unit 210, a recording unit 250, and an alarm unit 252. Yes.

  The flow meter 202 is connected to the supply line L1 of the spinner 100, measures the flow rate of the chemical solution flowing through the supply line L1, that is, the weight or volume of the chemical solution transferred per unit time, and controls the flow rate information. It transmits to 210 for every predetermined time. Such a flow meter 202 is not particularly limited, but an electromagnetic flow meter, an area flow meter, an ultrasonic flow meter, and the like are preferable from the viewpoint of a wide measurement range and high accuracy.

  As shown in FIG. 2, storage areas 204A, 204B, 204C, and 204D are set in the storage unit 204. A mode number is stored in the storage area 204A. The storage area 204B stores a preset supply amount that is set in advance in association with each mode number. The storage area 204C stores a first allowable range of discharge time that is set in advance for the set supply amount of each mode number. The storage area 204D stores a second allowable range of discharge time that is preset for the set supply amount of each mode number. The second allowable range is narrower than the first allowable range. As the storage unit 204, for example, a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, or the like can be employed.

  The interface unit 206 is a connection device that exchanges signals between the control unit 210 and the spinner controller 150. Specifically, the interface unit 206 receives a chemical solution supply start signal and a supply amount mode number from the spinner controller 150 and transmits them to the control unit 210. On the other hand, the interface unit 206 transmits a signal for stopping the supply of the chemical solution to the spinner controller 150 based on an instruction from the control unit 210.

  The control unit 210 performs the functions of a selection unit 212, a supply amount acquisition unit 214, a supply amount determination unit 216, a supply stop unit 218, a timer unit 220, a time determination unit 222, a warning control unit 224, and a recording control unit 226. Is. Such an apparatus can be realized by a computer that executes a predetermined program by a CPU.

  The selection unit 212 obtains the mode number from the interface unit 206 and accesses the storage areas 204A to 204D of the storage unit 204 to set the chemical supply amount corresponding to the mode number and the first allowable range. The second allowable range is selectively acquired.

  The supply amount acquisition unit 214 receives the flow rate of the chemical solution flowing through the supply line L1 from the flow meter 202 every predetermined time. Furthermore, when the supply amount acquisition unit 214 receives the chemical solution supply start signal from the interface unit 206, the supply amount acquisition unit 214 integrates the flow rate received from the flow meter 202, that is, integrates the flow rate with respect to time, and supply of the chemical solution through the supply line L1 The actual measurement value of the supply amount as the total supply amount actually supplied to the substrate 104 after the start is acquired. The actual measurement of the supply amount is repeated every predetermined time, for example, every time the supply amount acquisition unit 214 obtains a flow rate from the flow meter 202. Thereby, an actual measurement value of the supply amount of the chemical solution supplied to the substrate 104 is obtained over time.

  The supply amount determination unit 216 is actually supplied to the substrate 104 based on the set value of the chemical solution supply amount acquired by the selection unit 212 and the measured value of the supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition unit 214. It is determined whether the supplied amount has reached the set value of the supplied amount.

  Specifically, for example, if (measured value of supply amount−set value of supply amount) ≧ 0, it can be determined that the actual supply amount has reached the measured value of supply amount. Further, the supply amount determination unit 216 can make such a determination every time the supply amount acquisition unit 214 acquires an actual measurement value of the supply amount.

  The supply stop unit 218 stops the supply of the chemical solution to the spinner controller 150 via the interface unit 206 when the supply amount determination unit 216 determines that the actual supply amount has reached the set value of the supply amount. Send a signal.

  On the other hand, the timer means 220 calculates a discharge time from the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the substrate 104 via the supply line L1 is started to the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the substrate 104 via the supply line L1 is stopped. get. Specifically, for example, when it is started, it can be acquired as a point in time when the chemical solution supply management apparatus 200 receives a supply start signal from the spinner controller 150, and when it is stopped, the supply stop unit 218 sends it to the spinner controller 150. On the other hand, it may be when a supply stop signal is transmitted.

  The time determination unit 222 is based on the discharge time acquired by the timer unit 220 and the first allowable range acquired by the selection unit 212 and the second allowable range narrower than the first allowable range as follows. Make a good judgment. First, it is determined whether or not the discharge time is included in the second allowable range. If the discharge time is not included in the second allowable range, is this discharge time included in the first allowable range? Judge whether or not.

  Then, the warning control unit 224 gives a severe warning to the alarm unit 252 when the time determination unit 222 does not include the discharge time in either the first allowable range or the second allowable range, for example, , Flashing warning lights and generating alarm sounds. On the other hand, the warning control unit 224 includes the warning unit 252 when the time determination unit 222 includes the discharge time that is included in the wide first allowable range but is not included in the second allowable range that is narrower than the first allowable range. A light warning, for example, lighting of an indicator lamp or the like is performed. By setting the two ranges in this way, it is possible to flexibly cope with the degree of abnormality.

  The recording control unit 226 records the measured value of the supply amount and the discharge time together with the time in the recording unit 250. As the recording unit 250, an HD, a printer, or the like can be used.

  Next, the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Here, for simplicity, the substrate 104 is placed on the table 106, the table 106 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations, and the preparation before supplying the chemical solution is described. At this time, the storage unit 204 stores a set supply amount, a first allowable range, and a second allowable range for each mode number.

  First, in step S101, the spinner controller 150 transmits a chemical supply start signal and a set supply amount mode number to the chemical supply management apparatus 200, and drives the pump 110 and opens the valve 112.

  In response to this, the chemical supply management apparatus 200 receives a start signal and a mode number in step S201.

  Next, in step S <b> 203, the chemical supply management apparatus 200 activates the timer unit 220 to start measurement of the discharge time, and sets the supply amount set value, the first allowable range, the second based on the mode number. An allowable range is selected and acquired from the storage unit 204.

  Next, in step S <b> 205, the chemical solution supply management apparatus 200 integrates the flow rate data from the flow meter 202 to obtain an actual supply value.

  Next, in step S207, the chemical supply management apparatus 200 determines whether or not the actual supply amount has exceeded the supply amount set value based on the set value of the supply amount and the actually measured value of the supply amount.

  If it is determined that the actual supply amount does not exceed the set value of the supply amount, the process returns to step S205 again to acquire the actual supply amount.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the actual supply amount is equal to or greater than the set value of the supply amount, the process proceeds to step S209 to transmit a chemical supply stop signal to the spinner controller 150, while the time by the timer means 220 is reached. Stop the measurement and get the discharge time.

  Correspondingly, the spinner controller 150 receives this supply stop signal in step S103, stops the driving of the pump 110 and closes the valve 112 in step S105, and stops the supply of the chemical solution.

  Subsequently, in the chemical liquid supply management apparatus 200, in step S211, it is determined whether or not the discharge time is included in the second allowable range. It is determined whether or not the discharge time is included in the first allowable range.

  If the discharge time is included in the second allowable range, the process proceeds to step S217. On the other hand, when the discharge time is not included in the first allowable range and the second allowable range, the process proceeds to step S213 to cause the alarm unit 252 to issue a severe warning, and then proceeds to step S217. Further, if the discharge time is included in the first allowable range but not included in the second allowable range, the process proceeds to step S215 to cause the warning unit 252 to issue a slight warning, and then proceeds to step S217. Finally, in step S217, the measured value of the supply amount and the discharge time are recorded in the recording unit 250. This completes the series of processing.

  Thereafter, if necessary, the same processing can be repeated again according to an instruction from the spinner controller 150.

  According to the present invention, the flow rate of the chemical solution flowing through the supply line L1 is integrated to actually measure the supply amount, and the amount of the chemical solution actually supplied to the substrate 104 of the spinner 100 based on the actually measured value and the set value. Is accurately controlled to a predetermined set value. Therefore, incomplete processing due to the supply amount of the chemical solution being too small and waste of the chemical solution due to the supply amount of the chemical solution being too large are prevented, and processing with a spinner is realized at low cost and high quality.

  In particular, even when the pressure loss of the filter 117 increases with time, even when the flow rate of the chemical flowing through the supply line L1 changes even when the metering pump 110 is used, the supply amount of the chemical is sufficiently accurate. Managed.

  The storage unit 204 stores a plurality of set values of the chemical solution supply amount, and the selection unit 212 selects any of the plurality of set values of the chemical solution supply amount stored in the storage unit 204 in response to a signal from the spinner controller 150. The supply amount determination unit 216 determines the supply amount based on the set value of the chemical solution supply amount selected by the selection unit 212 and the measured value of the chemical solution supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition unit 214. Judgment is being made.

  Therefore, the supply amount of the chemical solution can be switched to a desired value in accordance with an instruction from the spinner controller 150. Therefore, it is particularly suitable when it is necessary to change the supply amount of the chemical according to the content of the treatment. The spinner controller 150 may directly transmit the supply amount set value to the storage unit 204.

  In addition, when the characteristics of the chemical liquid supplied through the supply line L1 greatly fluctuate due to chemical deterioration or chemical replenishment mistakes, etc., the discharge time required to reach the set supply amount is larger than before the fluctuation. Will change greatly. In this embodiment, the discharge time is acquired by the timer means 220.

  Therefore, based on this discharge time, it is possible to easily find out chemical alteration, chemical replenishment error, and the like. In addition, since the discharge time is recorded by the recording control means 226, manufacturing history management becomes easy, and the cause of the occurrence of defects can be easily pursued.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 204 further stores an allowable range of discharge time in association with the set value of the chemical solution supply amount, and the time determination unit 222 determines whether the discharge time is within the allowable range, The warning control unit 224 generates a warning signal when it is determined that the discharge time is outside the allowable range of the discharge time.

  As a result, a chemical change of the chemical solution or a sudden change in the properties of the chemical solution, such as when a different type of chemical solution is supplied, is automatically detected and warned, so that manufacturing defects are particularly reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the spinner controller 150 is provided separately from the chemical liquid supply management apparatus 200. However, the chemical liquid supply management apparatus 200 includes the function of the spinner controller 150, and the chemical liquid supply management apparatus 200 directly includes the spinner 100. The valve 112 and the pump 110 may be controlled.

  Subsequently, in the spinner 100 using the chemical solution supply management apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment, the measured value of the supply amount when the supply amount of the photoresist is repeatedly set at 10 mL is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows measured values of the photoresist supply amount when the photoresist is repeatedly supplied so that the valve opening time is 5 seconds without using the supply management device. As shown in FIG. 5, in the conventional control, a large supply amount error occurs. However, when the chemical solution supply management apparatus according to the present embodiment is used, the supply amount is managed with extremely high accuracy.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the memory content of the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is a graph which shows the measured value of the chemical | medical solution supply amount at the time of using a chemical | medical solution supply amount management apparatus. It is a graph which shows the measured value of the chemical | medical solution supply amount at the time of not using a chemical | medical solution supply amount management apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Spinner, 104 ... Board | substrate (to-be-coated object), 200 ... Chemical solution supply management apparatus, 202 ... Flowmeter (flow-rate measuring means), 204 ... Memory | storage means (memory | storage part), 212 ... Selection means, 214 ... Supply amount acquisition means 216... Supply amount judging means, 218... Supply stopping means, 220... Timer means, 226 .. Recording control means, 222 .. Time judging means, 224.

Claims (5)

A chemical supply management device that manages the supply amount of a chemical supplied through a supply line to an object to be coated in a spinner,
Storage means for storing a preset value of the chemical supply amount;
Flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the chemical flowing through the supply line every hour;
A supply amount acquiring means for acquiring an actual measurement value of the chemical liquid supply amount supplied to the coating object by integrating the flow rate of the chemical liquid obtained by the flow rate measuring means;
Based on the measured value of the chemical supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition means and the set value of the chemical supply amount stored in the storage means, the supply amount is supplied to the application object via the supply line. Supply amount determining means for determining whether or not the chemical solution supply amount has reached the set value of the chemical solution supply amount;
When the supply amount determination means determines that the chemical supply amount supplied to the object to be coated via the supply line has reached the set value of the chemical supply amount, the chemical solution via the supply line Supply stop means for stopping the supply of
A chemical supply management device. The storage means stores a plurality of set values of the chemical supply amount,
The chemical solution supply management device further includes:
In accordance with a signal from the outside, comprising a selection means for selecting any of a plurality of chemical solution supply amount set values stored in the storage means,
The supply amount determination unit performs the determination based on a set value of the chemical solution supply amount selected by the selection unit and an actual measurement value of the chemical solution supply amount acquired by the supply amount acquisition unit. The chemical solution supply management device described.   Timer means for obtaining a discharge time from the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the coated object via the supply line is started to the time when supply of the chemical liquid to the coated object via the supply line is stopped Furthermore, the chemical | medical solution supply management apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 provided.   The chemical supply management apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a recording control unit that records the ejection time in a recording unit. The storage means stores a permissible range of discharge time in association with the set value of the chemical supply amount,
The chemical solution supply management device further includes:
Based on the discharge time acquired by the timer means and the allowable discharge time range stored in the storage means, it is determined whether or not the discharge time acquired by the timer means is within the allowable discharge time range. Time judgment means to
5. The warning control means for generating a warning signal when the time determination means determines that the discharge time acquired by the timer means is outside the allowable range of the discharge time. The chemical solution supply management device described.

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