JP2007329165A - Liquid supply device and method of inspecting amount of liquid discharge thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inspect the amount of discharge of a treatment liquid by a simple method without putting an operator's arm into a device, and without adversely affecting the device and a product. <P>SOLUTION: There are provided: a vessel 37 that takes out a nozzle 17 from a nozzle standby means 33 for allowing the nozzle 17 from which the treatment liquid is discharged to stand by, moves the nozzle 17 to a prescribed position for supplying the treatment liquid in an object 10 to be treated that is rotated for drive, and stores the treatment liquid discharged from the nozzle 17 at the lower position of the nozzle 17 in the nozzle standby means 33 when the treatment liquid is supplied to the object 10 to be treated via the nozzle 17; a measuring means 41 for measuring the total weight of the vessel 37 containing the treatment liquid discharged into the vessel; and a control unit 43 for obtaining the discharge amount of the treatment liquid from the nozzle 17, based on a measurement result by the measuring means 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid supply apparatus suitable for use in a resist coating apparatus, a developing apparatus, and the like and a liquid discharge amount inspection method thereof.

  An apparatus using a spin coat method is known as an apparatus for applying a resist solution to a semiconductor wafer. In the spin coating method, after a resist solution is dropped onto the central portion of a semiconductor wafer by a nozzle of a liquid discharge device provided in the apparatus, the semiconductor wafer is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, and the centrifugal force at this time causes A resist thin film is formed. At this time, if the amount of the resist solution to be dropped is large, the consumption cost of the resist solution increases, and if it is small, coating unevenness occurs. Therefore, in the coating device, in order to control the film thickness of the resist thin film formed on the semiconductor wafer with high accuracy, the amount of the resist solution dripped onto the semiconductor wafer from the nozzle of the liquid ejection device is accurately controlled. There is a need to.

  Under such circumstances, in the resist coating apparatus, a resist liquid discharge amount inspection is performed as a maintenance operation of the liquid discharge apparatus. Conventionally, as a method of inspecting the discharge amount of a resist solution, for example, using a dummy dispense mode, an arm with a nozzle fixed to the tip is manually raised at a nozzle standby position, and under this nozzle, for example, A method of holding a graduated cylinder or the like by hand and dropping a resist solution is known (see Patent Document 1). As another method, there is a method in which a pipe (tube) for supplying a resist solution to the nozzle is removed and the amount of discharge is measured by directly receiving the resist solution discharged from the tube with a graduated cylinder or the like. There is also a method for inspecting a desired liquid supply amount by retracting the arm from the nozzle.

JP-A-4-236419

In the liquid discharge amount inspection method in the conventional liquid supply apparatus, the nozzle holding means not holding the nozzle is retracted from the nozzle standby means, and then the inspector manually takes out the nozzle on the nozzle standby means and removes it from the nozzle. The discharge amount was inspected by discharging the treatment liquid and receiving the discharged treatment liquid with a graduated cylinder or the like.
However, when checking the liquid discharge amount, the operator's arm must be put into the apparatus for measurement, and there is a concern about contact with parts in the apparatus and mixing of particles or the like. In particular, as the degree of integration of semiconductor devices has increased in recent years, the requirements for the accuracy of resist thin films have become stricter, so it is desirable to inspect the resist solution discharge rate as frequently as possible. Therefore, there has been a demand for an apparatus that can easily and inspect the liquid discharge amount that does not adversely affect the apparatus.
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and provides a liquid supply apparatus and a liquid discharge amount inspection method that can inspect the liquid supply amount only in the apparatus without putting an operator's arm in the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to inspect the discharge amount of the processing liquid by a simple method and without adversely affecting the apparatus and product, preventing the operator from touching the parts in the apparatus and mixing particles in the apparatus. For the purpose.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) The nozzle is taken out from the nozzle standby means where the nozzle to which the processing liquid is discharged waits, and is moved to a predetermined processing liquid supply position of the rotationally driven object to be processed, and the nozzle is placed on the object to be processed. A liquid supply device for supplying a processing liquid through
A container for storing a processing liquid discharged from the nozzle at a position below the nozzle of the nozzle standby unit;
Weighing means for weighing the total weight of the container containing the processing liquid discharged into the container;
A control unit for obtaining a discharge amount of the processing liquid from the nozzle based on a measurement result by the measurement unit;
A liquid supply apparatus comprising:

  According to this liquid supply apparatus, an apparatus for measuring the liquid supply amount is installed in the apparatus, and the discharge amount of the processing liquid is automatically obtained from the total weight of the container and the processing liquid. Thus, the liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting the operator's arm in the apparatus. In addition, the container that stores the treatment liquid for multiple times is weighed by the weighing means, and the total amount of the container and the treatment liquid that has newly ejected the treatment liquid is again weighed, so that the liquid supply amount at any discharge time is automatically It becomes possible to inspect. A predetermined amount of the discharge processing liquid can be stored in the container. Thereby, it is not necessary to remove the discharged processing liquid each time to keep the container empty, and it is possible to perform a less time-consuming inspection.

(2) A plurality of nozzles can stand by in the nozzle waiting means,
A plurality of the containers are arranged according to each of the nozzles,
The liquid supply apparatus according to (1), wherein the measuring means can measure the plurality of containers at once.

  According to this liquid supply apparatus, even when the processing liquid for any number of times is stored in an arbitrary container, all containers and all the processing liquids in that state are weighed, and a desired type of processing liquid is obtained. By measuring all the containers and all the processing liquids again after newly discharging, it is possible to automatically inspect the liquid supply amount at an arbitrary discharge time of the desired processing liquid.

(3) The control unit stores a prescribed weight value corresponding to the type of the processing liquid, compares the prescribed weight value with the measurement result, and the measurement result is compared with the prescribed weight value. The liquid supply device according to (1) or (2), wherein a warning signal is output when a predetermined range is exceeded.

  According to this liquid supply device, when the measured value exceeds a predetermined range with respect to the specified weight value, a warning signal is issued, so that the automatic stop of the processing liquid supply by the operator or the supply amount Adjustment is possible. As a result, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate amount of processing liquid from being supplied, and to prevent an increase in processing liquid cost due to consumption of unnecessary processing liquid, and uneven coating due to a shortage of processing liquid.

(4) The nozzle is taken out from the nozzle standby means on which the nozzle to which the processing liquid is discharged waits, and is moved to a predetermined processing liquid supply position of the rotationally driven object to be processed, and the nozzle is placed on the object to be processed. A liquid discharge amount inspection method of a liquid supply apparatus for supplying a processing liquid through
Measuring the first total weight of the nozzle waiting means with respect to the container disposed below the nozzle;
After discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the container once, weigh the second total weight of the container containing the processing liquid,
A liquid discharge amount inspection method for a liquid supply apparatus, comprising: subtracting the first total weight from the second total weight to calculate a single discharge amount of the processing liquid.

  According to the liquid discharge amount inspection method of the liquid supply apparatus, the weight of the discharged discharge processing liquid is automatically determined by determining the weight change from the total weight of the container and the processing liquid. Therefore, the liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting the operator's arm in the apparatus.

(5) A plurality of times of ejection from the nozzle,
The liquid according to (4), wherein a discharge amount per one time is calculated by dividing the discharge amount of the processing liquid obtained by subtracting the first total weight from the second total weight by the number of discharges. Liquid discharge amount inspection method for supply device.

  According to the liquid discharge amount inspection method of this liquid supply device, the discharge amount can be obtained by the average value of a plurality of discharge times, and the measurement can be performed with reduced variations due to the discharge error of the device.

  According to the liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, the total weight of the container that stores the processing liquid that is disposed below the nozzle of the nozzle standby unit and that is discharged from the nozzle and that contains the processing liquid that is discharged into the container is measured. Therefore, a device for measuring the liquid supply amount is installed in the apparatus, and the weight of the discharged processing liquid is calculated by calculating the weight change from the total weight of the container and the processing liquid. The liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting an operator's arm in the apparatus. As a result, it is possible to inspect the discharge amount of the processing liquid by a simple method and without adversely affecting the apparatus and the product by preventing the operator from contacting the parts in the apparatus and mixing particles in the apparatus. .

  According to the liquid discharge amount inspection method of the liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, the weight of the container disposed at the nozzle lower position of the nozzle standby means is measured by the weighing means, and after the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle to the container once, Weigh the total weight of the container containing the treatment liquid, calculate the weight change of the total weight, and automatically calculate the discharge treatment liquid weight once. The liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting an operator's arm in the apparatus. As a result, it is possible to inspect the discharge amount of the processing liquid by a simple method and without adversely affecting the apparatus and the product by preventing the operator from contacting the parts in the apparatus and mixing particles in the apparatus. .

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a liquid supply apparatus and a liquid discharge amount inspection method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 is a configuration diagram of a liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid supply apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment places and fixes a semiconductor wafer 10 as an object to be processed on a spin chuck 11 by vacuum suction or the like, and outputs the spin chuck 11 to the output of a motor 13. The shaft is fixed and driven to rotate.

  The motor 13 is composed of a high-performance motor excellent in acceleration, and is fixed at an appropriate position in the coating apparatus. Above the semiconductor wafer 10 supported by the spin chuck 11, a resist nozzle 17 for dropping a resist solution from a substantially central position of the semiconductor wafer 10 is held by a nozzle holding means (arm) 15. Is movable by a stage 19 as a moving mechanism. As shown in FIG. 2, the stage 19 includes a Y-direction drive unit 19a that moves the arm 15 in the Y-direction, and an X-direction drive unit 19b that moves the Y-direction drive unit 19a in the X-direction.

  For example, four resist nozzles 17 (see FIG. 2) are provided so that the resist nozzles 17 can be selectively used depending on the name of the resist solution dropped on the semiconductor wafer 10 placed on the spin chuck. Each resist nozzle 17 constitutes a nozzle block 23 together with a pin 21 held by a chuck (not shown) of the arm 15. The arm 15 is moved up and down to hold the pin 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the resist solution supply system to the resist nozzle 17 includes a resist solution container 25 and a pipe 27 extending from the resist solution container 25 to the resist nozzle 17. The pipe 27 is provided with a liquid supply pump 29, and the liquid supply pump 29 is driven and controlled by a control unit described later. The supply system may be provided with an opening / closing valve, such as a suck back valve. The suck back valve is a valve for drawing back the resist solution exposed by the surface tension at the tip of the resist nozzle 17 into the resist nozzle 17 after discharging the resist solution from the resist nozzle 17, and prevents the resist solution from solidifying. be able to.

  At the standby position of the resist nozzle 17, a nozzle standby block 33, which is a nozzle standby means, is provided with four nozzle insertion portions 31 for inserting and supporting the tip portions of the resist nozzles 17 in a row. The liquid supply apparatus 100 can supply the resist solution via the resist nozzle 17 by automatically holding the resist nozzle 17 that has been waiting in the nozzle waiting block 33 by the operation of the arm 15 and moving it to the processing liquid supply position. And The four nozzle insertion portions 31 formed in the nozzle standby block 33 are hollow, and are formed in a sealed state with the tip portion of the resist nozzle 17 inserted. Each of the four resist nozzles 17 is connected to the resist solution container 25 by a pipe 27 (see FIG. 1). Note that the inside of the cavity may be an atmosphere of a resist solution solvent to prevent the resist solution from solidifying at the tip of the resist nozzle 17.

  Next to the nozzle insertion portion 31, pin positioning holes 35 for receiving the lower ends of the pins 21 are formed (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 3, a container 37 is disposed immediately below the nozzle of the nozzle insertion portion 31, and the container 37 stores a resist liquid 39 that is a processing liquid discharged from the resist nozzle 17. The container 37 has a volume capable of storing the resist liquid 39 discharged from the resist nozzle 17 a plurality of times. In the liquid supply apparatus 100, the resist solution 39 is discharged from the resist nozzle 17 that is waiting to the nozzle waiting block 33 by the control unit 43 in the liquid discharge amount inspection mode.

  A piezoelectric sensor (load cell) 41 serving as a weighing unit is provided at the bottom of the nozzle insertion portion 31, and the piezoelectric sensor 41 converts a pressure, which is a mechanical quantity, into an electrical quantity and sends it to the control section 43. The piezoelectric sensor 41 can measure the weight of the container 37 and the total weight of the container / processing liquid including the resist liquid 39 discharged into the container 37.

  A plurality of resist nozzles 17 can stand by in the nozzle standby block 33, and a plurality of containers 37 are arranged according to the respective resist nozzles 17. In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric sensor 41 can measure a plurality of containers 37 collectively. As a result, the piezoelectric sensor 41 has a simple structure and an inexpensive apparatus configuration. Note that a piezoelectric sensor may be arranged in each container 37.

  The operation of each component described above is controlled by the control unit 43. In the liquid supply apparatus 100, the resist is applied to the semiconductor wafer 10 as described below under the control of the control unit 43.

  First, the semiconductor wafer 10 is inserted and mounted on the spin chuck 11 in a state where each resist nozzle 17 is inserted into the nozzle insertion portion 31 of the nozzle standby block 33, that is, in a state where the resist nozzle 17 is in the standby position. Fix it.

  When the operator operates a switch on an operation panel (not shown) of the liquid supply device to instruct the selected resist nozzle 17 and then instructs the start of application, these instructions are sent to the control unit 43. The control unit 43 moves the arm 15 according to the content of the input instruction, and causes the arm 15 to grip the selected registration nozzle 17.

  Next, the control unit 43 raises the arm 15, further drives the stage 19, and moves the arm 15 onto the semiconductor wafer 10 placed on the stage 19 while holding the resist nozzle 17. Let

  At this position, a predetermined amount of resist solution 39 is supplied, for example, dropped onto the semiconductor wafer 10 through the resist nozzle 17 by the liquid supply pump 29 controlled by the control unit 43.

  Under the control of the control unit 43, the motor 13 is driven to rotate the spin chuck 11, and the resist solution 39 is uniformly coated on the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer 10 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation.

  When the application is completed, the controller 43 drives the stage 19 to return the arm 15 to the standby position until the transfer is completed because it is necessary to replace the wafer with the next wafer.

  The arm 15 is lowered, the tip of the resist nozzle 17 is inserted into the nozzle insertion portion 31 of the nozzle standby block 33, set in a solvent atmosphere, the holding of the resist nozzle 17 by the arm 15 is released, and the process ends. Needless to say, the above-described debating application operation is merely an example, and various modifications may be made.

Next, the liquid discharge amount inspection method for the liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the liquid discharge amount inspection method according to the present invention.
First, an operator operates a liquid discharge amount inspection mode switch on an operation panel (not shown) to move the resist nozzle 17 to the nozzle standby block 33, and each resist nozzle 17 is inserted into the nozzle insertion portion 31. A state, that is, a state at a standby position (s1).

Then, the control unit 43, the weight _{W 1} of the vessel 37 before being discharged of the resist solution 39 is measured by the piezoelectric sensor 41 (s2).
The resist liquid 39 is discharged once from the resist nozzle 17 to the container 37 in a predetermined amount (s3).
After discharging the resist solution 39, again to measure the weight of the container 37, measuring the total weight W ₂ of the container (and the treatment liquid) including the resist solution 39 (s4).
Next, a weight change (W ₂ −W ₁ ) is obtained by subtracting the weight W _{1 of the} container 37 from the total weight W ₂ , and a single discharge processing liquid weight is automatically calculated by the control unit 43 (s 5). In the present embodiment, an example of managing liquid amount by weight, not limited to this, the correction coefficient for converting the liquid volume from the weight value to the subtraction value of the weight (W 2 _{-W 1)} May be managed by the liquid volume.

  The control unit 43 stores a prescribed weight value corresponding to the type of the resist solution 39, compares the prescribed weight value with the measured value (s6), and the measured value is predetermined with respect to the prescribed weight value. Is connected to warning means 45 for outputting a warning signal when the range is exceeded. If it is determined that the measured value does not exceed the predetermined range with respect to the specified weight value (s7), the liquid discharge amount inspection is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the measured value exceeds a predetermined range with respect to the prescribed weight value, a warning signal is issued from the warning means 45 (s8), so that the processing liquid automatic supply is stopped by the operator or the supply amount Can be adjusted. As a result, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate amount of the resist solution 39 from being supplied, and to prevent an increase in the resist solution cost due to consumption of the unnecessary resist solution 39 and uneven coating due to a shortage of the resist solution 39. .

  In this way, a device for measuring the liquid supply amount is installed in the device, and the weight of the resist solution discharged once is automatically reduced by subtracting the weight of the container 37 from the total weight of the container and the processing liquid. Is required. Thus, the liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting the operator's arm in the apparatus.

  In addition, the container 37 in which the resist liquid 39 for a plurality of times is stored is weighed by the piezoelectric sensor 41, and the total weight of the container / processing liquid from which the resist liquid 39 has been newly discharged is again weighed. The supply amount can also be automatically inspected. That is, a predetermined amount of the discharged resist solution 39 can be stored in the container 37. Thus, it is not necessary to remove the discharged resist solution 39 each time to keep the container 37 empty, and it is possible to perform a less time-consuming inspection.

  Further, in the liquid discharge amount inspection method of the liquid supply device, the discharge amount per discharge is obtained by dividing the total discharge weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the container 37 from the total weight after the discharge is performed a plurality of times by the number of discharges. May be calculated. With such a method, a discharge amount can be obtained with an average value of a plurality of discharge times, and measurement with reduced variations due to discharge errors of the apparatus can be performed.

  Therefore, according to the liquid supply apparatus 100, the container 37 that is disposed immediately below the nozzles of the nozzle standby block 33 and stores the resist liquid 39 discharged from the resist nozzle 17, the weight of the container 37, and the container 37 discharged into the container 37. Since the piezoelectric sensor 41 for measuring the total weight of the container and the processing liquid including the resist liquid 39 is provided, an apparatus for measuring the liquid supply amount is installed in the apparatus, and the total weight of the container and the processing liquid is determined. By subtracting the weight of the container 37, the discharged processing liquid weight can be automatically obtained, and the liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting an operator's arm in the apparatus. As a result, it is possible to inspect the discharge amount of the resist liquid 39 by a simple method and without adversely affecting the apparatus and the product, preventing the operator from touching the parts in the apparatus and mixing particles in the apparatus. it can.

  Further, even when the resist solution 39 is stored in an arbitrary number of times in an arbitrary container 37, all containers and all processing liquids in that state are weighed, and a desired type of resist solution 39 is newly discharged. After that, by measuring all the containers and all the processing liquids again, it becomes possible to automatically inspect the liquid supply amount at an arbitrary discharge time of the desired resist liquid 39.

  Furthermore, according to the liquid discharge amount inspection method, the weight of the container 37 disposed immediately below the nozzles of the nozzle standby block 33 is measured by the piezoelectric sensor 41 and the processing liquid is discharged from the resist nozzle 17 to the container 37 once. Since the total weight of the container (and processing liquid) containing the resist liquid 39 is measured and the weight of the discharged processing liquid is automatically calculated from the change in weight, the discharged discharging liquid weight is automatically calculated. The liquid supply amount can be inspected only in the apparatus without putting an operator's arm in the apparatus. As a result, it is possible to inspect the discharge amount of the resist liquid 39 by a simple method and without adversely affecting the apparatus and the product, preventing the operator from touching the parts in the apparatus and mixing particles in the apparatus. it can.

It is a block diagram of the liquid supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the liquid supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is a flowchart showing the procedure of the liquid discharge amount inspection method which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)
15 Arm (nozzle holding means)
17 resist nozzle 33 nozzle standby block (nozzle standby means)
37 container 39 resist solution (treatment solution)
41 Piezoelectric sensor (measuring means)
43 Control Unit 100 Liquid Supply Device

Claims (5)

The nozzle is taken out from the nozzle standby means on which the nozzle to which the processing liquid is discharged waits, and is moved to a predetermined processing liquid supply position of the rotationally driven object to be processed, and the processing object is processed through the nozzle. A liquid supply device for supplying liquid,
A container for storing a processing liquid discharged from the nozzle at a position below the nozzle of the nozzle standby unit;
Weighing means for weighing the total weight of the container containing the processing liquid discharged into the container;
A control unit for obtaining a discharge amount of the processing liquid from the nozzle based on a measurement result by the measurement unit;
A liquid supply apparatus comprising: A plurality of nozzles can wait in the nozzle waiting means,
A plurality of the containers are arranged according to each of the nozzles,
The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit is capable of measuring the plurality of containers at once.   The control unit stores a prescribed weight value corresponding to the type of the treatment liquid, compares the prescribed weight value with the measurement result, and the measurement result is a predetermined value with respect to the prescribed weight value. 3. The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a warning signal is output when the range is exceeded. The nozzle is taken out from the nozzle standby means on which the nozzle to which the processing liquid is discharged waits, and is moved to a predetermined processing liquid supply position of the rotationally driven object to be processed, and the processing object is processed through the nozzle. A liquid discharge amount inspection method for a liquid supply apparatus for supplying liquid,
Measuring the first total weight of the nozzle waiting means with respect to the container disposed below the nozzle;
After discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the container once, weigh the second total weight of the container containing the processing liquid,
A liquid discharge amount inspection method for a liquid supply apparatus, comprising: subtracting the first total weight from the second total weight to calculate a single discharge amount of the processing liquid. The nozzle is discharged a plurality of times,
5. The liquid supply according to claim 4, wherein a discharge amount per one time is calculated by dividing a discharge amount of the processing liquid obtained by subtracting the first total weight from the second total weight by the number of discharges. Liquid discharge amount inspection method for the apparatus.

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