JP2008070279A - Irregularity inspection device and method, and film forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and properly judge the causal relation of a film forming process with film thickness irregularity when the flaw of the film thickness irregularity is detected. <P>SOLUTION: In the inspection part 200 of this irregularity inspection device, streak irregularity, partial irregularity and spot irregularity are detected in the target image acquired from a substrate and the film on the substrate is inspected by a film inspection part 213 on the basis of the evaluation score related to the film thickness irregularity of the film on the substrate calculated by an evaluation score acquiring part 211. Succeedingly, the average evaluation scores related to the films on a predetermined number of substrates before the substrate concerned by an average evaluation score acquiring part 214 and the separation degree showing the ratio of the evaluation score of the film on the substrate is calculated with respect to the average evaluation score by a process inspection part 215. Then, the film forming process is inspected by the film inspection part 215 on the basis of the evaluation score of the substrate and the separation degree. By this constitution, when the flaw related to the film thickness irregularity in one substrate is detected, the causal relation of the film forming process with the film thickness irregularity can be judged easily and properly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting film thickness unevenness of a film formed on a substrate.

  Conventionally, when inspecting a thin film such as a resist film formed on a main surface of a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) for a display device, the thin film is irradiated with light from a light source. The film thickness unevenness is detected using light interference in the reflected light or transmitted light from the thin film.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for irradiating a transparent film formed on a color filter substrate with monochromatic light and detecting film thickness unevenness of the transparent film using light interference in reflected light. . In Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, the accuracy of detection of spot defects and the like is improved by performing filter processing on an inspection image obtained by imaging a substrate surface for a liquid crystal display device to emphasize spot defects and point-like defects. Technology is disclosed. Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for improving the detection accuracy of streak defects.

Patent Document 5 discloses a technique for automatically determining whether or not the irregularity of light transmittance in a through hole plate such as a shadow mask is good. Patent Document 6 discloses a technique for automatically determining the quality of optical unevenness such as light transmittance unevenness in a shadow mask and density unevenness of a display device substrate. Patent Document 7 improves the accuracy of unevenness detection in the vicinity of the edge of each panel when performing unevenness inspection of resist applied to each panel on a large substrate on which a plurality of liquid crystal display panel panels are attached. Techniques to do this are disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 3631856 JP 2005-140655 A JP 2005-249415 A JP 2005-345290 A JP-A-9-68502 JP-A-10-197451 JP 2006-105884 A

  By the way, in such a non-uniformity inspection apparatus, it is possible to detect defects such as film thickness nonuniformity of each substrate, but the defect has occurred suddenly in the substrate to be inspected, or It cannot be determined whether or not it is continuously generated on a plurality of substrates due to an apparatus abnormality or the like in the film forming production line. If the defect in film thickness unevenness is due to an abnormality in the film formation process, even if the substrate in which the defect is detected is removed from the production line, the same defect occurs in a plurality of substrates following the substrate. End up.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to easily and appropriately determine the causal relationship between a film formation process and film thickness unevenness when a film thickness unevenness defect is detected. .

  The invention according to claim 1 is a non-uniformity inspection apparatus for inspecting film thickness nonuniformity of a film formed on a substrate, wherein the holding unit holds a substrate on which a light transmissive film is formed on a main surface. And a light emitting part that emits light toward the film, and the light from a specific wavelength band reflected by the film or transmitted through the film and receiving the light from the main surface. A sensor that outputs an intensity distribution of light in the wavelength band of the film, and an evaluation score of the film based on at least one of the magnitude, concentration range, and type of film thickness unevenness detected based on the output from the sensor A plurality of evaluation points sequentially obtained by the evaluation point obtaining unit with respect to films on a plurality of substrates, sequentially, a film inspection unit that inspects the film based on the evaluation points Relevant film thickness irregularities in the memorized evaluation point storage unit and at least the film inspection unit An average evaluation point obtaining unit for obtaining an average evaluation point that is an average of evaluation points of films on a predetermined number of substrates obtained continuously before the substrate on which the defect exists when it is determined that a defect exists; Prepare.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation score of the film on one substrate obtained by the evaluation score acquisition unit and the average evaluation score acquisition unit are obtained. The apparatus further includes a process inspection unit that detects an abnormality in the film forming process based on an average evaluation score relating to a film on a predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the nonuniformity inspection apparatus of Claim 2, Comprising: In the said process test | inspection part, the ratio with respect to the said average evaluation score of the said evaluation score is calculated | required, and the said evaluation score and the said ratio are made into Based on this, an abnormality in the film forming process is detected.

  Invention of Claim 4 is the nonuniformity inspection apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: Each time the said average evaluation score acquisition part calculates | requires the evaluation score of the film | membrane of each board | substrate, it is a predetermined number before each said board | substrate. An average evaluation point of the film on the substrate is obtained, and the evaluation point storage unit also stores the average evaluation point in association with the film of each substrate.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the evaluation points of the films of the plurality of substrates inspected continuously, and the films of the plurality of substrates, respectively. It further includes a display unit that displays the associated average evaluation point or the ratio of the evaluation point to the average evaluation point in a graph.

  Invention of Claim 6 is the nonuniformity inspection apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5, Comprising: In the said evaluation point acquisition part, the different evaluation coefficient is set with the kind of film thickness nonuniformity, The said The said evaluation point of a film | membrane is calculated | required based on the sum total of what multiplied the evaluation coefficient to the partial evaluation point of each film thickness nonuniformity.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the evaluation point acquisition unit forms a plurality of regions formed on a plurality of regions separated from each other on a single substrate. An evaluation score is obtained for each of the films, and the average evaluation point acquisition unit obtains an average evaluation of each of the plurality of regions from evaluation points of the plurality of films formed in regions corresponding to each other on the plurality of substrates. A point is required.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the one substrate is obtained by summing a plurality of evaluation points obtained for the one substrate by the evaluation point acquisition unit. A substrate evaluation point acquisition unit for obtaining the substrate evaluation point, a substrate inspection unit for inspecting the one substrate based on the substrate evaluation point, and determining that a defect relating to film thickness unevenness exists at least in the substrate inspection unit And an average substrate evaluation point obtaining unit that obtains an average substrate evaluation point that is an average of the substrate evaluation points of a predetermined number of substrates continuously obtained before the substrate on which the defect exists.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 8, which is obtained by the substrate evaluation point of one substrate obtained by the substrate evaluation point acquisition unit and the average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit. The apparatus further includes another process inspection unit that detects an abnormality in the film forming process based on an average substrate evaluation score relating to a predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit obtains a predetermined number of each of the substrates before each substrate every time a substrate evaluation point is obtained. The unevenness inspection apparatus further includes a substrate evaluation point storage unit that obtains an average substrate evaluation point related to the substrate and stores the average substrate evaluation point in association with each substrate.

  The invention described in claim 11 is a film forming system for forming a film on a substrate, wherein the film forming apparatus forms a light transmissive film on the main surface of the substrate, and any one of claims 1 to 10. And the unevenness inspection apparatus described in 1. above.

  The invention described in claim 12 is a non-uniformity inspection method for inspecting non-uniformity in film thickness of a film formed on a substrate, a) toward a light-transmitting film formed on the main surface of the substrate. A step of emitting light; and b) intensity of light in the specific wavelength band from the main surface by receiving light in the specific wavelength band reflected by the film or transmitted through the film. A step of outputting a distribution from a sensor; and c) a step of obtaining an evaluation point of the film based on at least one of the magnitude, concentration range, and type of film thickness unevenness detected based on the output from the sensor. And d) a step of inspecting the film based on the evaluation point, and e) at least in the d) step, when it is determined that a defect related to film thickness unevenness exists, before the substrate on which the defect exists Average of film evaluation points on a predetermined number of substrates obtained continuously And a step of obtaining a certain average evaluation points.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the unevenness inspection method according to claim 12, wherein the evaluation point of the film on one substrate obtained in step c) and the step e) are obtained. The method further includes a step of detecting an abnormality in the film forming process based on an average evaluation score relating to the film on the predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the method for inspecting unevenness according to claim 12, wherein each time an evaluation point of a film of each substrate is obtained in the step c), the evaluation is performed before the substrate in the step e). An average evaluation point relating to a film on a predetermined number of substrates is obtained, and the average evaluation point is stored in association with the film of each substrate.

  According to the present invention, when a defect related to film thickness unevenness is detected, a causal relationship between the film forming process and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined. In the inventions of claims 2, 9 and 13, an abnormality in the film forming process can be automatically detected. In the invention of claim 3, an abnormality in the film forming process can be easily detected. In the inventions of claims 4, 5, 10 and 14, the state of the film forming process can be easily grasped. In the inventions of claims 7 and 8, the causal relationship between the film forming step and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined for each region.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a film forming system including an unevenness inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A film forming system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a resist film for pattern formation (hereinafter simply referred to as “film”) on a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) used in a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. ).

  The film forming system 100 includes a cleaning device 41 that cleans a substrate, a film forming device 3 that is a coating device that forms a light transmissive film by applying a resist solution on one main surface of the substrate, and a film on the substrate. An exposure device 42 for exposing the substrate and a developing device 43 for developing the exposed substrate. The film forming system 100 also includes an unevenness inspection apparatus 1 that acquires an image of a film formed on a substrate and inspects the film thickness unevenness of the film on the substrate based on the image. In the film forming system 100, the substrate on which the film is formed by the film forming apparatus 3 is carried into the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, and the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 inspects the film thickness unevenness with respect to the film on the substrate.

  Here, the film thickness unevenness on the substrate is an area specified by local brightness variation in the film image acquired by the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 (however, the boundary of the area is usually unclear). ). Hereinafter, the film thickness unevenness having an area within a predetermined range (for example, in the case of a circular region, the diameter on the substrate is 1 mm or less, and an abnormal region in the image caused by noise) Larger than that) is called point unevenness (point defect). Spot unevenness usually occurs due to the presence of minute unnecessary objects on the substrate or unintentional dripping of droplets during the application of a resist solution, resulting in light and dark fluctuations compared to streaks unevenness and partial unevenness described later. Abrupt and large (ie, high contrast and relatively clear boundary of region).

  Of the film thickness unevenness having an area of a predetermined size or more, the ratio (α / β) of the length α in the longitudinal direction of the region to the width β in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is a predetermined value or more. A thing is called a stripe unevenness, and the remaining thing is called a partial unevenness. The partial unevenness usually occurs due to processing non-uniformity with respect to the substrate. Of course, as long as this condition is substantially satisfied, the definition of various irregularities may be changed as appropriate, and other conditions may be added.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the unevenness inspection apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 includes a stage 12 that is a holding unit that holds a substrate 9 on which a light transmissive film 92 is formed on a main surface 91 (hereinafter, referred to as an “upper surface 91”). A light emitting portion 13 that emits light toward the film 92 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 held by the stage 12, and light that is emitted from the light emitting portion 13 and reflected by the film 92 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. A light receiving unit 14 that receives light, a wavelength band switching mechanism 15 that is arranged between the substrate 9 and the light receiving unit 14 and switches the wavelength band of light received by the light receiving unit 14, the light emitting unit 13, the light receiving unit 14 and the stage 12 A moving mechanism 121 that moves relative to the wavelength band switching mechanism 15 and a computer 2 that serves as a control unit of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 are provided.

  The surface on the upper side of the stage 12 (that is, the (+ Z) side in FIG. 2) is preferably black matte. The moving mechanism 121 is configured such that a ball screw (not shown) is connected to the motor 1211, and the stage 12 moves along the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 along the guide 1212 as the motor 1211 rotates. Move in the direction (X direction).

  The light emitting unit 13 is a light source that emits white light (that is, light including light in all wavelengths in the visible region), a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the stage 12 and the halogen lamp 131 (that is, in FIG. 2). A cylindrical quartz rod 132 extending in the Y direction) and a cylindrical lens 133 extending in the direction parallel to the quartz rod 132 (Y direction) are provided.

  In the light emitting unit 13, a halogen lamp 131 is attached to the end of the quartz rod 132 on the (+ Y) side, and light incident on the quartz rod 132 from the halogen lamp 131 is linear light extending in the Y direction (that is, Light having a light beam cross section that is long in the Y direction), is emitted from the side surface of the quartz rod 132, and is guided to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 through the cylindrical lens 133. In other words, the quartz rod 132 and the cylindrical lens 133 are an optical system that converts the light from the halogen lamp 131 into linear light perpendicular to the moving direction of the stage 12 and guides it to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9.

  In FIG. 2, the optical path from the light emitting portion 13 to the substrate 9 is indicated by a one-dot chain line (the same applies to the optical path from the substrate 9 to the light receiving portion 14). A part of the light emitted from the light emitting part 13 is reflected on the (+ Z) side upper surface of the film 92 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. The film 92 has optical transparency with respect to the light from the light emitting part 13, and the light that has not been reflected by the upper surface of the film 92 out of the light from the light emitting part 13 passes through the film 92. Reflected by the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (that is, the lower surface of the film 92). In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, interference light (hereinafter simply referred to as “reflected light”) between the light reflected by the upper surface of the film 92 and the light reflected by the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is a wavelength band. The light enters the light receiving unit 14 via the switching mechanism 15.

  The wavelength band switching mechanism 15 is a disk-like shape that holds a plurality of optical filters (for example, interference filters having a half-value width of 10 nm) 151 and a plurality of optical filters 151 that selectively transmit a plurality of different narrow wavelength band lights. Filter wheel 152, and a filter rotation motor 153 that is attached to the center of the filter wheel 152 and rotates the filter wheel 152. The filter wheel 152 is arranged so that the normal direction thereof is parallel to the optical path from the substrate 9 to the light receiving unit 14.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the wavelength band switching mechanism 15 as viewed from the substrate 9 side along a direction perpendicular to the filter wheel 152. As shown in FIG. 3, the filter wheel 152 has six circular openings 1521 formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and five of the five openings 1521 have different transmission wavelength bands. 151 is attached.

  In the wavelength band switching mechanism 15 shown in FIG. 2, the filter wheel 152 is rotated by the filter rotation motor 153 controlled by the computer 2, and the film 92 of the film 92 to be inspected among the five optical filters 151 (see FIG. 3). Any one appropriate optical filter 151 is selected according to the thickness, refractive index, and the like, and is disposed on the optical path from the substrate 9 to the light receiving unit 14. Thereby, only the light of a specific wavelength band (hereinafter referred to as “selected wavelength band”) corresponding to the optical filter 151 disposed on the optical path among the reflected light from the substrate 9 is transmitted through the optical filter 151. Then, the light is guided to the light receiving unit 14.

  The light receiving unit 14 includes a line sensor 141 in which CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) as a plurality of light receiving elements are linearly arranged in the Y direction, and between the line sensor 141 and the optical filter 151 of the wavelength band switching mechanism 15. A lens 142 is provided that guides reflected light from the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 to the line sensor 141. The line sensor 141 receives light in a selected wavelength band transmitted through the optical filter 151 out of the linear light emitted from the light emitting unit 13 and reflected by the film 92 in the irradiation region on the substrate 9. The light intensity distribution (that is, the distribution in the Y direction of the output value from each CCD) is acquired. In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the intensity distribution of reflected light is repeatedly acquired by the line sensor 141 as the substrate 9 is moved in the X direction by the moving mechanism 121, whereby the two-dimensional film 92 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. An image is acquired.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the computer 2 has a general computer system configuration in which a CPU 21 that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM 22 that stores basic programs, and a RAM 23 that stores various information are connected to a bus line. The bus line further includes a fixed disk 24 that stores information, a display 25 that is a display unit that displays various information, a keyboard 26a and a mouse 26b that accept input from an operator (hereinafter collectively referred to as "input unit 26"). .), A reader 27 for reading information from a computer-readable recording medium 20 such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a communication unit 28 connected to other components of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1; As appropriate, they are connected via an interface (I / F).

  The computer 2 reads the program 241 from the recording medium 20 via the reading device 27 in advance and stores it in the fixed disk 24. Then, when the program 241 is copied to the RAM 23 and the CPU 21 executes arithmetic processing according to the program in the RAM 23 (that is, when the computer executes the program), the computer 2 inspects the film 92 on the substrate 9. Operates as an inspection unit.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration realized by the CPU 21, the ROM 22, the RAM 23, the fixed disk 24, and the like when the CPU 21 operates according to the program 241. The output reception unit 201, the target image generation unit 202, the unevenness detection unit 203, the data output unit 204, the evaluation point acquisition unit 211, the evaluation point storage unit 212, the film inspection unit 213, and the average evaluation point acquisition unit of the inspection unit 200 in FIG. 214 and the process inspection part 215 show the function implement | achieved by CPU21 grade | etc.,. Note that these functions may be realized by a dedicated electrical circuit, or a dedicated electrical circuit may be partially used.

  Next, the flow of inspection of the film 92 on the substrate 9 by the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 will be described. In the film forming system 100 shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of substrates 9 (for example, these substrates are supplied to the film forming system 100 in a state where they are accommodated in one cassette) are passed through the cleaning device 41 to form a film. The film 92 is supplied to the forming apparatus 3, and the film 92 is continuously formed on the upper surface 91 of each substrate 9 by the film forming apparatus 3. The plurality of substrates 9 are continuously carried into the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 and the film 92 is inspected. In the following description, it is assumed that the next substrate 9 is supplied to the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 in which a plurality of substrates 9 have already been inspected and the inspection results are accumulated.

  FIG. A thru | or FIG. C is a diagram showing a flow of inspection for one substrate 9 by the unevenness inspection apparatus 1. FIG. A thru | or FIG. As shown in C, when the film 92 on the substrate 9 is inspected by the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, first, the substrate 9 is held on the stage 12 positioned at the inspection start position indicated by the solid line in FIG. After that, the movement of the substrate 9 and the stage 12 in the (+ X) direction is started (step S11). Subsequently, linear light emitted from the light emitting portion 13 and incident on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 at a predetermined incident angle is converted into a linear irradiation region (hereinafter referred to as “linear irradiation region”) on the upper surface 91. The linear irradiation region moves relative to the substrate 9 (step S12).

  The light from the light emitting unit 13 is reflected by the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 and is transmitted through the optical filter 151 of the wavelength band switching mechanism 15 so that only light in the selected wavelength band is extracted and then guided to the light receiving unit 14. It is burned. In the light receiving unit 14, the light reflected on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is received by the line sensor 141 (step S 13), and the intensity distribution in the selected wavelength band of the reflected light from the linear irradiation region on the substrate 9 is acquired. (Step S14). The output from each CCD of the line sensor 141 is sent to the computer 2 while being converted into a value (pixel value) of, for example, 8 bits (of course, other than 8 bits) based on a predetermined conversion formula. 5 is received by the output receiving unit 201 of the inspection unit 200 shown in FIG. 5 (step S15).

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, whether or not the substrate 9 and the stage 12 have moved to the inspection end position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 is repeatedly confirmed by the computer 2 during the movement of the substrate 9 (step S16). ) If not moved to the inspection end position, the process returns to step S13 to receive the light in the selected wavelength band of the reflected light, obtain the intensity distribution of the light in the selected wavelength band in the linear irradiation region, and accept the output. The reception of input pixel values by the unit 201 (steps S13 to S15) is repeated. In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, while the stage 12 is moving in the (+ X) direction, the operations in steps S <b> 13 to S <b> 16 are repeated so that the intensity distribution of the reflected light from the linear irradiation region on the substrate 9 moves the stage 12. As a result, the intensity distribution in the selected wavelength band of the reflected light from the upper surface 91 is acquired for the entire substrate 9.

  When the substrate 9 and the stage 12 move to the inspection end position (step S16), the movement of the substrate 9 and the stage 12 by the moving mechanism 121 is stopped (step S17). In the output accepting unit 201 of the computer 2, the outputs from the line sensor 141 accumulated in the output accepting unit 201 are arranged in chronological order, and a two-dimensional image of the entire upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (before correction acquired by the line sensor 141). (Hereinafter referred to as “original image”) is generated (step S21).

  When the original image is generated, the target image generation unit 202 generates the first image with the S / N ratio improved by compressing the original image. Then, a low-pass filter process is performed on the first image, and a second image smoothed while suppressing the influence of high-frequency noise from the first image is generated. Further, high-pass filter processing is performed on the second image, and a third image is generated by removing low-frequency density fluctuations that hinder later-described contrast enhancement processing from the second image. That is, the third image is an image obtained by performing bandpass filter processing of a predetermined spatial frequency band on the first image. Thereafter, the target image generation unit 202 performs contrast enhancement processing on the third image, and generates an image (hereinafter referred to as “target image”) that is a target of the following processing in the inspection unit 200 (hereinafter, referred to as “target image”). Step S22).

  When the target image is generated, the non-uniformity detection unit 203 detects various non-uniform film thickness non-uniformities, partial non-uniformities, and spot non-uniformities of the film 92 on the substrate 9 (step S23). In the detection of film thickness unevenness by the unevenness detection unit 203, first, a binary image obtained by binarizing the target image with a predetermined threshold value close to the average density of the target image (that is, the average value of the pixel values) is generated. Then, a set of pixels (hereinafter referred to as “closed regions”) whose values are 1 (or 0) continuous to each other is specified, and the length of each closed region in the longitudinal direction and the width in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are determined. Those having a ratio larger than a predetermined value are detected as streaks. In detection of streak unevenness, a closed region having a predetermined area (that is, the number of pixels) or less is excluded from the detection target.

  Subsequently, the target image is binarized at a threshold that is farther from the average density of the target image than the threshold at the time of detecting the unevenness of the muscles, and a closed region in which the area is within a predetermined range is detected. Then, among the detected closed regions, closed regions other than those included in the closed region that has already been detected as streak unevenness are detected as point unevenness. Next, the target image is binarized again with a threshold value equal to the threshold value at the time of detection of streak unevenness, and a region that has not been detected as streak unevenness or point unevenness is detected as a partial unevenness among the closed regions having a predetermined area or more. Is done.

  When film thickness unevenness on the substrate 9 is detected based on the output from the line sensor 141, the evaluation score acquisition unit 211 of the inspection unit 200 sets partial evaluation points that are evaluation points for the film thickness unevenness. It is determined based on the size of the unevenness and the density range. Specifically, a range of values of a plurality of pixels included in each film thickness unevenness is obtained as a density range, and an average of absolute values of differences between the values of each pixel and the average density of the target image and the film thickness unevenness. Is obtained as a partial evaluation point of each film thickness unevenness (step S24).

  In the evaluation point acquisition unit 211, different evaluation coefficients are set depending on the types of film thickness unevenness (that is, streaky unevenness, point unevenness, and partial unevenness), and the partial evaluation points of each film thickness unevenness correspond to the types of film thickness unevenness. The sum of those multiplied by the evaluation coefficient is obtained as an evaluation score related to the film thickness unevenness of the film 92 (step S25). As described above, in the inspection unit 200, the evaluation point of the film 92 is obtained based on the magnitude of the film thickness unevenness, the concentration range, and the type of the film 92. The evaluation score of the film 92 is not necessarily obtained as the sum of the products of the partial evaluation score and the evaluation coefficient, but is the sum of the partial evaluation score of the film thickness unevenness and the evaluation coefficient according to the type of film thickness unevenness. It only has to be requested based on this.

  When the evaluation point of the film 92 on the substrate 9 is obtained, the evaluation point is stored in the evaluation point storage unit 212 of the inspection unit 200 (step S26), and the film inspection unit 213 determines the evaluation result of the substrate 9 based on the evaluation point. The upper film 92 is inspected (step S27). Specifically, when the evaluation point of the film 92 is compared with an evaluation point threshold value set in advance in the film inspection unit 213 and the evaluation point is larger than the evaluation point threshold value, the film 92 has a defect related to film thickness unevenness. Is present (that is, the film 92 is defective). If the evaluation score of the film 92 is equal to or less than the evaluation score threshold value, it is determined that the degree of film thickness unevenness of the film 92 is within the allowable range.

  Subsequently, the average evaluation score acquisition unit 214 continuously calculates a predetermined number of substrates before the substrate 9 accumulated in the evaluation score storage unit 212 (that is, evaluation points are continuously acquired before the substrate 9 by the evaluation score acquisition unit 211). The average number of evaluation points of the film 92 on the predetermined number of substrates thus obtained, which in this embodiment is 10 substrates continuously inspected including the substrate 9 (hereinafter, “ (Referred to as “average evaluation score”) (step S28). The obtained average evaluation score is stored in the evaluation score storage unit 212 in association with the film 92 of the substrate 9 (step S29).

  Next, the ratio of the evaluation points of the film 92 on the substrate 9 to the average evaluation points associated with the film 92 on the substrate 9 by the process inspection unit 215 (that is, a plurality of sheets inspected continuously before the substrate 9) This is a value indicating the degree of divergence of the evaluation score of the board 9 with respect to the evaluation score of the board, and hereinafter referred to as “degree of divergence”) (step S31).

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the evaluation score of the film 92 on the substrate 9 obtained by the evaluation score acquisition unit 211, the average evaluation score associated with the film 92 on the substrate 9 obtained by the average evaluation score acquisition unit 214, and The deviation degree of the evaluation point of the film 92 on the substrate 9 obtained by the process inspection unit 215 is sent to the data output unit 204 and displayed on the display 25 as a graph by the data output unit 204 (step S32).

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the evaluation points, average evaluation points, and divergence of the film on the substrate, and the horizontal axis is an identification number for identifying each of the plurality of substrates 9 inspected continuously. As shown in FIG. 7, in the display 25, the evaluation points of the films of the plurality of substrates inspected continuously before the substrate 9, the average evaluation points and the divergence degrees associated with the plurality of substrates, respectively. Are respectively displayed as a bar graph, a line graph indicated by a broken line, and a line graph indicated by a solid line.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the evaluation score of the film 92 on the substrate 9 is substantially equal to the evaluation score of the films of the plurality of substrates before that, in other words, the evaluation score of the film 92 on the substrate 9 is continuous. In the case where the evaluation point obtained is stable with almost no fluctuation, the value approaches “1”, and conversely, if the value is far from the evaluation points of the films of the plurality of previous substrates, “1”. Get away from. In the following description, it is assumed that the evaluation point is in the stable range when the deviation degree of the evaluation point of the film 92 is “1−m” or more and “1 + n” or less. Here, “m” and “n” are threshold values indicating the range of stability of evaluation points in a plurality of substrates obtained in succession, and both are set to “0.5” in the present embodiment. The That is, in this embodiment, when the degree of divergence is 0.5 or more and 1.5 or less, the evaluation point is regarded as being in the stable range.

  When the graph shown in FIG. 7 is displayed, the process inspecting unit 215 inspects the film forming process by the film forming apparatus 3 or the like based on the evaluation score and the divergence degree of the substrate 9, and an abnormality occurs in the film forming process. If so, the process abnormality is detected (step S33). Specifically, the evaluation score of the film 92 on the substrate 9 is larger than the above-described evaluation score threshold (that is, a defect related to film thickness unevenness in the film 92 on the substrate 9 by the inspection by the film inspection unit 213 in step S27). And the deviation of the evaluation points of the film 92 is in a stable range, the process inspection unit 215 has caused a (continuous) abnormality in the film formation process (that is, It is determined that a process failure has occurred.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the evaluation score is about 90 on the board with the identification number “21”, and is based on a preset evaluation score threshold (30 in the present embodiment). Therefore, the film inspection unit 213 determines that there is a defect related to film thickness unevenness in the film on the substrate. At this time, the degree of divergence is about 4 and does not exist in the stable region (0.5 or more and 1.5 or less), and therefore, it is not determined by the process inspection unit 215 that an abnormality has occurred in the film forming process. Similarly, it is determined that there is a defect related to the film thickness unevenness in the substrates having the identification numbers “22” to “25” illustrated in FIG. 7, but it is not determined that an abnormality has occurred in the film forming process. .

  In the present embodiment, in the substrate with the identification number “26” shown in FIG. 7, the evaluation point of the film is larger than the evaluation point threshold value, and the deviation degree of the evaluation point exists in the stable range. Therefore, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the film forming process. Then, a warning that an abnormality has been detected in the film forming process is notified to the operator of the film forming system 100 by the process inspection unit 215, and adjustment and maintenance of the film forming apparatus 3 and the like of the film forming system 100 are performed. .

  Adjustment or the like of the film forming system 100 may be performed with the film forming system 100 stopped immediately after detection of an abnormality in the film forming process, and a predetermined number of substrates (for example, a plurality of substrates housed in one cassette). It may be performed after the film formation for the film ends. In the present embodiment, after the film formation on the substrate with the identification number “40” shown in FIG. 7 is completed, the film formation system 100 is adjusted, and the film formed on the substrate with the identification number “41” or later is adjusted. The evaluation score is a normal range below the evaluation score threshold. At this time, the divergence degree of the evaluation points is smaller than the lower limit of the stable range in the substrates having the identification numbers “41” to “48”, and returns to the stable region in the substrate having the identification number “49”. In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the film formation process in the film formation system 100 is stably performed in the normal range because the evaluation point is equal to or lower than the evaluation point threshold value and the deviation degree of the evaluation point returns to the stable range. It is confirmed that

  As described above, in the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the evaluation points of the films on the plurality of substrates are sequentially obtained by the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 of the inspection unit 200, and the plurality of evaluation points are stored in the evaluation point storage unit 212. Stored sequentially. Each time the evaluation score of the film of each substrate is obtained, the average evaluation score acquisition unit 214 obtains the average evaluation score relating to the film on the predetermined number of substrates before each substrate, and the average evaluation score is determined for each substrate. The score is stored in the score storage unit 212 in association with the film, and the degree of divergence between the score is obtained based on the score and the average score. In the film inspection unit 213 of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the film is inspected based on the evaluation point of the film on the substrate, and a defect related to the film thickness unevenness is detected. Further, the process inspection unit 215 performs an inspection of the film formation process based on the degree of deviation between the evaluation point and the evaluation point, and detects an abnormality in the film formation process.

  Assuming that the film forming process is inspected only from the film evaluation points without using the degree of deviation of the film evaluation points, when the graph shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display, the film evaluation points are evaluated. Every time a substrate larger than the point threshold value (ie, a substrate having identification numbers “104”, “111”, “121”, “122”, etc.) appears, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the film forming process. . However, as shown in FIG. 8, the increase in evaluation points on the substrate does not appear continuously in the substrates subsequent to that substrate. There is a high possibility that it is due to a sudden abnormality and does not require adjustment or maintenance of the film formation process. Therefore, if the film forming process is inspected only from the film evaluation points, unnecessary adjustment of the film forming process is performed, and the productivity of the film forming system is reduced.

  On the other hand, in the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the film is inspected based on the evaluation point of the film on the substrate, and further, the inspection of the film forming process is performed based on the evaluation point of the film and the degree of deviation. Even if a defect related to film thickness unevenness is detected in one substrate, if the defect is not continuously detected in a film on a continuous substrate (see FIG. 8), this actually occurs. Abnormalities in the film forming process that are not performed are not erroneously detected. That is, the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 can easily and appropriately determine the causal relationship between the film formation process and the film thickness unevenness when a defect related to the film thickness unevenness is detected on one substrate. As described above, the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 that can easily and appropriately determine the causal relationship between the film formation step and the film thickness unevenness is particularly applicable to the film formation system 100 that continuously forms films on a plurality of substrates. Since the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 is provided in the film forming system 100, when an abnormality occurs in the film forming process, the abnormality can be quickly dealt with.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, an abnormality in the film formation process can be automatically detected by inspecting the film formation process by the process inspection unit 215. Furthermore, an abnormality in the film forming process can be easily detected by inspecting the film forming process based on the degree of deviation between the evaluation score of the film and the evaluation score.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, each time an evaluation score of a film on each substrate is obtained, an average evaluation point relating to a film on a predetermined number of substrates before each substrate, and an evaluation of the film on each substrate with respect to the average evaluation point The degree of divergence, which is the ratio of points, is obtained and stored in association with the film on each substrate. As a result, an operator or the like can easily obtain information related to the evaluation point, the average evaluation point, and the deviation degree, and can easily grasp the state of the film formation process. In addition, the evaluation points, average evaluation points, and divergence of each film on a plurality of substrates that have been inspected continuously are displayed on the display 25 as a graph, so that the state of the film formation process can be grasped more easily. can do.

  In the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the sum of the partial evaluation points of each film thickness unevenness multiplied by an evaluation coefficient that differs depending on the type of film thickness unevenness is obtained as the evaluation score of the film on the substrate. In the evaluation point acquisition unit 211, by appropriately setting the evaluation coefficient, the influence of the type of film thickness unevenness in the film quality determination can be appropriately reflected in the evaluation point.

  The inspection unit 200 of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 does not necessarily require the degree of divergence between the evaluation points of the film on the substrate. The evaluation point of the film on one substrate obtained by the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 and the average evaluation are obtained. Based on the average evaluation points relating to the films on the predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate obtained by the point acquisition unit 214, the process inspection unit 215 may detect an abnormality in the film forming process. In this case, in the process inspection unit 215, when the evaluation score of the film is larger than the evaluation score threshold value and the average evaluation score is larger than the average evaluation score threshold value (for example, “50”), the films on the plurality of substrates. It is determined that defects related to film thickness unevenness occur continuously. As described above, the process inspection unit 215 can automatically detect an abnormality in the film forming process even based on the evaluation score and the average evaluation score of the film. It should be noted that the abnormality detection of the film formation process based on the evaluation point of the film on the substrate and the degree of deviation between the evaluation points can be regarded as a kind of abnormality detection of the film formation process based on the evaluation point of the film and the average evaluation point. .

  In the inspection unit 200, it is not always necessary to obtain an average evaluation score for each film on a plurality of substrates to be inspected continuously, and at least one substrate has a film thickness unevenness in the film inspection unit 213. (I.e., when one of the conditions for detecting an abnormality in the film forming process in which the evaluation score of the film of the one substrate is larger than the evaluation score threshold is satisfied) An average evaluation score relating to a predetermined number of films on the substrate obtained continuously before the substrate having the defect may be obtained. Even in this case, when a defect in the film thickness unevenness is detected, the causal relationship between the film forming process and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined, and the abnormality in the film forming process can be quickly performed. Can respond.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, when it is not necessary for the operator of the film forming system 100 to grasp a time-series change in the state of the film forming process, the evaluation points of the film on each substrate, and the film The average evaluation score and the degree of divergence associated with are not necessarily displayed on the display 25. In this case, the data output unit 204 is omitted from the inspection unit 200.

  On the contrary, in the unevenness inspection apparatus 1, the process inspection unit 215 may be omitted from the inspection unit 200, and based on the graph of the evaluation point of the film on the substrate, the average evaluation point, and the divergence degree displayed on the display 25 ( Alternatively, based on the output of the evaluation score and the average evaluation score stored in the evaluation score storage unit 212, an operator or the like performs an inspection of the film formation process and detects an abnormality in the film formation process. In this case, the divergence degree is obtained by a divergence degree calculation unit provided in the inspection unit 200 in place of the process inspection unit 215.

  Next, an unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2, and the same reference numerals are given in the following description. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the inspection unit 200a realized by the computer 2 (see FIG. 2) of the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, in addition to the same configuration as the inspection unit 200 shown in FIG. 5, the inspection unit 200a has a substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 221, a substrate evaluation point storage unit 222, a substrate inspection unit 223, and an average substrate evaluation point acquisition. Unit 224 and another process inspection unit 225 (hereinafter, the process inspection unit 215 is referred to as a “first process inspection unit 215” to distinguish it from the process inspection unit 215, and the process inspection unit 225 is referred to as a “second process”. It is further called an inspection unit 225 ”.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view of the substrate 9a to be inspected by the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9a, a plurality (16 in this embodiment) of rectangular films 92a each corresponding to a display area on the panel of the display device are separated from each other. Are formed in a plurality of regions arranged vertically and horizontally. The substrate 9a is to be cut into gaps between the plurality of films 92a to form a plurality of panels (that is, multi-faced).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of the inspection flow for the substrate 9a by the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment. The flow of the inspection prior to step S41 shown in FIG. A thru | or FIG. Since it is almost the same as S11 to S33 shown in FIG. A thru | or FIG. A description will be given with reference to FIG.

  When the substrate 9a is inspected by the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, first, linear light is irradiated to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9a while the substrate 9a moves from the inspection start position to the inspection end position. After the light reflected on the upper surface 91 is received by the line sensor 141 (see FIG. 2) and the intensity distribution of the reflected light is acquired, the output from the line sensor 141 is sent to the computer 2 (see FIG. 2). And is received by the output receiving unit 201 of the inspection unit 200a shown in FIG. 9 (steps S11 to S17).

  In the inspection unit 200a, the output reception unit 201 generates an original image of the entire upper surface 91 of the substrate 9a, and the target image generation unit 202 performs the above-described predetermined processing on the original image to generate a target image (step S21). , S22). Subsequently, the unevenness detection unit 203 detects streak unevenness, partial unevenness, and point unevenness of the plurality of films 92a on the substrate 9a, and the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 sets evaluation points for each of the plurality of films 92a. It is obtained and stored in the evaluation score storage unit 212 (steps S23 to S26). In the film inspection unit 213, each film 92a on the substrate 9a is inspected based on the evaluation point of each film 92a (step S27).

  Next, a plurality of substrates (this embodiment) inspected before the substrate 9a by the average evaluation point acquisition unit 214 for each of the plurality of films 92a (a plurality of regions in which the film is formed) on the substrate 9a. Then, an average evaluation point is obtained from evaluation points of a plurality of films 92a formed in regions corresponding to each other on 10 substrates continuously inspected including the substrate 9a (step S28). The average evaluation score is stored in the evaluation score storage unit 212 in association with each film 92a on the substrate 9a (step S29).

  In the inspection unit 200a, the first process inspection unit 215 obtains a divergence degree that is a ratio of the evaluation score of each film 92a to the average evaluation score associated with each film 92a on the substrate 9a (step S31). Then, the evaluation score of each film 92a, and the average evaluation score and the degree of divergence associated with each film 92a are displayed in a graph on the display 25 (see FIG. 4) by the data output unit 204 (step S32). On the display 25, a graph of the same format as that of FIG. 7 relating to each film 92a is displayed by the number equal to the number of films 92a on one substrate 9a (16 in the present embodiment). Note that the 16 graphs may be displayed on the display 25 by only one or a plurality of graphs simultaneously by switching the screen.

  When the graph relating to each film 92a on the substrate 9a is displayed, the first process inspection unit 215 performs film forming apparatus 3 and the like based on the evaluation score and the degree of divergence of each film 92a on the substrate 9a (see FIG. 1). When the film forming process is inspected by the above process and an abnormality has occurred in the film forming process, the process abnormality is detected (step S33).

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the plurality of evaluation points obtained by the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 for the plurality of films 92a on one substrate 9a are the substrate evaluation point acquisition unit of the inspection unit 200a. By summing up by 221, a board evaluation point that is an evaluation point of the one board 9 a is obtained (step S 41).

  When the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a is obtained, the substrate evaluation point is stored in the substrate evaluation point storage unit 222 of the inspection unit 200a (step S42), and the substrate inspection unit 223 makes the substrate 9a based on the substrate evaluation point. Is inspected (step S43). Specifically, similarly to the inspection of the film 92a by the film inspection unit 213, the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a is compared with a substrate evaluation point threshold set in advance in the substrate inspection unit 223, and the substrate evaluation point is determined as the substrate evaluation. When it is larger than the point threshold value, it is determined that there is a defect related to film thickness unevenness in the substrate 9a (that is, the plurality of films 92a on the substrate 9a are defective as a whole). When the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a is equal to or less than the substrate evaluation point threshold value, it is determined that the degree of film thickness unevenness of the plurality of films 92a on the substrate 9a is within the allowable range as a whole.

  Subsequently, the average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 224 continuously inspects a predetermined number of substrates before the substrate 9a accumulated in the substrate evaluation point storage unit 222 (in this embodiment, including the substrate 9a). Further, the average value of the substrate evaluation points (hereinafter referred to as “average substrate evaluation points”) of 10 substrates is obtained (step S44). The obtained average substrate evaluation score is stored in the substrate evaluation score storage unit 222 in association with the substrate 9a (step S45).

  Next, the ratio of the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a to the average substrate evaluation point associated with the substrate 9a by the second process inspection unit 225 (that is, a plurality of substrates inspected continuously before the substrate 9a) This is a value indicating the degree of deviation of the evaluation point of the board 9a from the board evaluation point, and is hereinafter referred to as “substrate deviation degree”) (step S46).

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a obtained by the substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 221 and the average substrate evaluation associated with the substrate 9a obtained by the average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 224. The point and the substrate deviation degree of the substrate 9a obtained by the second process inspection unit 225 are sent to the data output unit 204, and the data output unit 204 displays the same format as the graph shown in FIG. 7 on the display 25 (see FIG. 4). (Step S47).

  When the graph is displayed, the second process inspection unit 225 inspects the film formation process by the film forming apparatus 3 or the like (see FIG. 1) based on the substrate evaluation point and the substrate divergence degree of the substrate 9a. If an abnormality has occurred in the process, the process abnormality is detected (step S48). Specifically, the substrate evaluation point of the substrate 9a is larger than the above-described substrate evaluation point threshold value (that is, it is determined by the inspection by the substrate inspection unit 223 in step S43 that the substrate 9a has a defect related to film thickness unevenness. ) And the substrate deviation degree of the substrate 9a is in a stable range, the second process inspection unit 225 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the film formation process (that is, a process failure has occurred). The

  As described above, in the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, a plurality of substrates are continuously inspected, and each of the plurality of films on each substrate is compared with the first embodiment. Similarly, the film thickness unevenness is inspected, and the film forming process is inspected based on the evaluation point and the divergence degree of each film. At this time, substrate evaluation points for a plurality of substrates are sequentially obtained and stored, and each time a substrate evaluation point for each substrate is obtained, an average substrate evaluation point for a predetermined number of substrates before each substrate, and an average substrate evaluation The board deviation degree, which is the ratio of the board evaluation points to the points, is obtained and stored in association with each board.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the film inspection unit 213 inspects the plurality of films 92a on the substrate 9a, and the substrate inspection unit 223 inspects the substrate 9a. In addition, the first process inspection unit 215 performs an inspection of the film formation process based on the evaluation points and the divergence degrees of the plurality of films 92a on the substrate 9a, and further, the second process inspection unit 225 further performs the substrate 9a. The film forming process is inspected based on the evaluation point and the substrate deviation degree.

  Thus, as in the first embodiment, when a defect related to film thickness unevenness is detected on one substrate, the causal relationship between the film forming process and film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined. The first process inspection unit 215 and the second process inspection unit 225 can automatically detect an abnormality in the film formation process.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, in particular, the film formation process is inspected based on the evaluation points of each film 92a on the substrate 9a, and further, based on the substrate evaluation points of the substrate 9a. Since the film formation process is inspected, the abnormality in the film formation process can be detected more reliably, and when an abnormality in the film formation process is detected, any film 92a on the substrate 9a is formed. It is possible to easily identify whether an abnormality has occurred at a location. In other words, the causal relationship between the film forming process and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined for each region.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus, every time a substrate evaluation point of each substrate is obtained, an average substrate evaluation point and a substrate deviation degree related to each substrate are obtained and stored in association with each substrate. The state of the forming process can be easily grasped. In addition, it is possible to more easily grasp the state of the film forming process by displaying the substrate evaluation points, the average substrate evaluation points, and the substrate divergence degrees of a plurality of substrates inspected continuously in a graph on the display 25. Can do.

  In the inspection unit 200a, the substrate deviation degree of the substrate does not necessarily have to be obtained. The substrate evaluation point of one substrate obtained by the substrate evaluation point obtaining unit 221 and the one obtained by the average substrate evaluation point obtaining unit 224. The second process inspection unit 225 may detect an abnormality in the film forming process based on an average substrate evaluation score relating to a predetermined number of substrates before the substrate. In this case, in the second process inspection unit 225, when the substrate evaluation point is larger than the substrate evaluation point threshold value and the average substrate evaluation point is larger than the average substrate evaluation point threshold value, the second process inspection unit 225 relates to film thickness unevenness in a plurality of substrates. It is determined that defects are continuously generated. As described above, the second process inspection unit 225 can automatically detect an abnormality in the film forming process even based on the substrate evaluation point and the average substrate evaluation point.

  In the inspection unit 200a, it is not always necessary to obtain an average substrate evaluation score for a plurality of substrates to be inspected continuously. At least one substrate has a defect related to film thickness unevenness in the substrate inspection unit 223. When it is determined that the defect exists (that is, when one of the abnormality detection conditions in the film forming process that the substrate evaluation point of the one substrate is larger than the substrate evaluation point threshold is satisfied), the defect exists. An average substrate evaluation score related to a predetermined number of substrates obtained continuously before the substrate may be obtained. Even in this case, when a defect in the film thickness unevenness is detected, the causal relationship between the film forming process and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined, and the abnormality in the film forming process can be quickly performed. Can respond. Furthermore, the inspection of the film forming process can be performed on the entire substrate.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, when it is not necessary for the operator of the film forming system 100 (see FIG. 1) to grasp the time-series change in the state of the film forming process, The board evaluation point, the average board evaluation point, and the board deviation degree of the board are not necessarily displayed on the display 25. In this case, display of board evaluation points and the like by the data output unit 204 of the inspection unit 200a is omitted.

  On the contrary, in the unevenness inspection apparatus, the second process inspection unit 225 is omitted from the inspection unit 200a, and based on the substrate evaluation points, average substrate evaluation points, and substrate deviation degree graphs displayed on the display 25 (or the substrate The film forming process may be inspected by an operator or the like (based on the output of the substrate evaluation points and the average substrate evaluation points stored in the evaluation point storage unit 222). In this case, the substrate deviation degree is obtained by a substrate deviation degree calculation unit provided in the inspection unit 200a instead of the second process inspection unit 225.

  Next, an unevenness inspection apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a front view showing the configuration of the unevenness inspection apparatus 1a. As shown in FIG. 12, in the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 a, the light emitting portion 13 that emits light toward the substrate 9 is the (−Z) side of the substrate 9 (that is, the upper surface 91 on which the film 92 of the substrate 9 is formed. On the opposite side). Moreover, the stage 12a has an opening corresponding to the substrate 9, and holds the substrate 9 having optical transparency from the periphery. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 2, and the same reference numerals are given in the following description.

  As in the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 13 includes a halogen lamp 131 that emits white light, a quartz rod 132 that extends in the Y direction in FIG. 12 perpendicular to the moving direction of the stage 12a, and a cylindrical lens 133. . In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1a, the linear light emitted from the light emitting unit 13 passes through the opening of the stage 12a, enters the substrate 9 from the (−Z) side, and passes through the substrate 9 and the film 92. Then, the light that has passed through the film 92 passes through the optical filter 151 of the wavelength band switching mechanism 15 and is converted into light in the selected wavelength band, and is then received by the line sensor 141 of the light receiving unit 14. The flow of film thickness unevenness inspection by the unevenness inspection apparatus 1a is the same as that in the first or second embodiment except that the inspection is performed based on an image acquired by transmitted light.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1a, as in the first and second embodiments, when a defect related to the film thickness unevenness is detected, the causal relationship between the film forming process and the film thickness unevenness can be easily and appropriately determined. If an abnormality occurs in the film forming process, the abnormality can be quickly dealt with.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

  In the evaluation point acquisition unit 211 of the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the above embodiment, the film evaluation point does not necessarily have to be obtained based on all of the film thickness unevenness size, concentration range, and type. You may obtain | require based on at least any one of the magnitude | size, density | concentration range, and kind (for example, only the magnitude | size and density range of film thickness nonuniformity) of a nonuniformity.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the film inspection by the film inspection unit 213 (step S27) is not necessarily performed before the average evaluation point acquisition by the average evaluation point acquisition unit 214 (step S28). For example, it may be performed approximately in parallel with the inspection of the film formation process by the process inspection unit 215 (step S33) (the same applies to the second and third embodiments).

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the substrate inspection by the substrate inspection unit 223 (step S43) is substantially parallel to the film formation process inspection by the second process inspection unit 225 (step S48). It may be done. Furthermore, the inspection of the film formation process by the first process inspection unit 215 (step S33) and the inspection of the film formation process by the second process inspection unit 225 (step S48) may be performed approximately in parallel.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus according to the above embodiment, the stage only needs to move relative to the light emitting unit 13 and the light receiving unit 14, the stage is fixed, and the light emitting unit 13 and the light receiving unit 14 are fixed to each other. It may be moved in the state where it is done.

  In the light emitting unit 13, a fiber array in which a plurality of optical fibers are linearly arranged is provided in place of the quartz rod 132, and light from the halogen lamp 131 is converted into linear light by passing through the fiber array. Also good. Further, instead of the halogen lamp 131 and the quartz rod 132, a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a straight line may be provided as a light source for emitting linear light.

  In the unevenness inspection apparatus, when light emitted from a light source such as a halogen lamp 131 includes light in a wavelength band that adversely affects a film formed on the substrate, a filter that does not transmit light in the wavelength band Etc. are provided on the optical path from the light source to the substrate. In addition, when the film on the substrate is transparent to infrared light, a light source that emits infrared light may be provided in the light emitting unit 13.

  From the viewpoint of simplifying the detection of film thickness unevenness by making the incident angle of light with respect to the substrate constant over the entire upper surface 91, the line sensor 141 that moves relative to the substrate causes a linear shape from the light emitting portion. It is preferable to receive reflected light (or linear light after passing through the film). However, when it is necessary to shorten the imaging time of the substrate, the two-dimensional CCD sensor is used instead of the line sensor 141. May be provided in the light receiving unit 14.

  The unevenness inspection apparatus according to the above-described embodiment may be used for detecting film thickness unevenness other than a resist film, for example, an insulating film or a conductive film formed on a substrate. It may be formed by a method other than the application of a liquid, for example, vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sputtering, or the like. In addition, the unevenness inspection apparatus may be used for inspection of film thickness unevenness of a film formed on another substrate such as a semiconductor substrate.

It is a figure showing composition of a film formation system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a front view of a nonuniformity inspection apparatus. It is a figure which shows a wavelength band switching mechanism. It is a figure which shows the structure of a computer. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure which a computer implement | achieves. It is a figure which shows the flow of the test | inspection with respect to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the flow of the test | inspection with respect to a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the flow of the test | inspection with respect to a board | substrate. It is a graph which shows the evaluation score of a film | membrane on a board | substrate, an average evaluation score, and a deviation degree. It is a graph which shows the evaluation score of a film | membrane on a board | substrate, an average evaluation score, and a deviation degree. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure which the computer of the nonuniformity inspection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment implement | achieves. It is a top view of a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows a part of flow of the test | inspection with respect to a board | substrate. It is a front view of the nonuniformity inspection apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a Unevenness inspection apparatus 3 Film forming apparatus 9, 9a Substrate 12, 12a Stage 13 Light emitting part 25 Display 91 Upper surface 92, 92a Film 100 Film forming system 141 Line sensor 211 Evaluation point acquisition part 212 Evaluation point storage part 213 Film inspection Unit 214 average evaluation point acquisition unit 215 (first) process inspection unit 221 substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 222 substrate evaluation point storage unit 223 substrate inspection unit 224 average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit 225 second process inspection unit S11 to S48 steps

Claims (14)

An unevenness inspection apparatus for inspecting film thickness unevenness of a film formed on a substrate,
A holding unit for holding a substrate on which a light-transmitting film is formed on the main surface;
A light emitting portion that emits light toward the film;
A sensor that receives light in a specific wavelength band after being reflected by the film or transmitted through the film and outputs an intensity distribution of the light in the specific wavelength band from the main surface;
An evaluation point obtaining unit for obtaining an evaluation point of the film based on at least one of the magnitude of the film thickness unevenness of the film, the concentration range and the type detected based on the output from the sensor;
A film inspection unit for inspecting the film based on the evaluation point;
An evaluation point storage unit for sequentially storing a plurality of evaluation points sequentially obtained by the evaluation point acquisition unit for films on a plurality of substrates;
It is an average of the evaluation points of the film on a predetermined number of substrates continuously obtained before the substrate on which the defect exists when it is determined that at least the defect relating to the film thickness unevenness exists in the film inspection unit. An average score obtaining unit for obtaining an average score,
A nonuniformity inspection apparatus comprising: The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
Based on the evaluation score of the film on one substrate determined by the evaluation score acquisition unit and the average evaluation score related to the film on a predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate determined by the average evaluation score acquisition unit An unevenness inspection apparatus, further comprising a process inspection unit that detects an abnormality in the film forming process. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 2,
The unevenness inspection apparatus characterized in that, in the process inspection unit, a ratio of the evaluation point to the average evaluation point is obtained, and an abnormality of the film forming step is detected based on the evaluation point and the ratio. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The average evaluation score acquisition unit obtains an average evaluation score of a film on a predetermined number of substrates before each of the substrates every time an evaluation score of the film of each substrate is obtained,
The unevenness inspection apparatus, wherein the evaluation point storage unit also stores the average evaluation point in association with the film of each substrate. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 4,
The graph shows the evaluation points of each film of a plurality of substrates inspected continuously, and the average evaluation points associated with the respective films of the plurality of substrates or the ratio of the evaluation points to the average evaluation points A non-uniformity inspection apparatus, further comprising a display unit for performing the above operation. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the evaluation point acquisition unit, different evaluation coefficients are set depending on the type of film thickness unevenness, and the evaluation score of the film is obtained based on the sum of the partial evaluation points of each film thickness unevenness multiplied by the evaluation coefficient. A non-uniformity inspection apparatus characterized by The unevenness inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
By the evaluation point acquisition unit, an evaluation score is obtained for each of a plurality of films formed in a plurality of regions spaced from each other on one substrate,
The unevenness inspection apparatus, wherein the average evaluation point acquisition unit obtains an average evaluation point of each of the plurality of regions from evaluation points of a plurality of films formed in regions corresponding to each other on the plurality of substrates. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 7,
A board evaluation point obtaining unit for obtaining a substrate evaluation point of the one substrate by totaling a plurality of evaluation points obtained for the one substrate by the evaluation point obtaining unit;
A substrate inspection unit that inspects the one substrate based on the substrate evaluation points;
An average substrate that is an average of substrate evaluation points of a predetermined number of substrates continuously obtained before the substrate in which the defect exists when it is determined that at least the substrate inspection unit has a defect related to film thickness unevenness An average board evaluation point obtaining unit for obtaining an evaluation point;
A non-uniformity inspection apparatus, further comprising: The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 8,
A film based on a substrate evaluation point of one substrate obtained by the substrate evaluation point obtaining unit and an average substrate evaluation point relating to a predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate obtained by the average substrate evaluation point obtaining unit. A non-uniformity inspection apparatus further comprising another process inspection unit for detecting an abnormality in a forming process. The unevenness inspection apparatus according to claim 8,
The average substrate evaluation point acquisition unit obtains an average substrate evaluation point relating to a predetermined number of substrates before each substrate each time a substrate evaluation point of each substrate is obtained,
The unevenness inspection apparatus further includes a substrate evaluation point storage unit that stores the average substrate evaluation point in association with each of the substrates. A film forming system for forming a film on a substrate,
A film forming apparatus for forming a light transmissive film on the main surface of the substrate;
The unevenness inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A film forming system comprising: An unevenness inspection method for inspecting film thickness unevenness of a film formed on a substrate,
a) emitting light toward a light transmissive film formed on the main surface of the substrate;
b) receiving light of a specific wavelength band reflected by the film or transmitted through the film and outputting the intensity distribution of the light of the specific wavelength band from the main surface from the sensor When,
c) obtaining an evaluation score of the film based on at least one of the magnitude, concentration range, and type of film thickness unevenness detected based on the output from the sensor;
d) inspecting the film based on the evaluation point;
e) At least in the step d), when it is determined that there is a defect related to film thickness unevenness, an average of the evaluation points of the film on the predetermined number of substrates continuously obtained before the substrate on which the defect exists Obtaining a certain average score,
An unevenness inspection method comprising: The unevenness inspection method according to claim 12,
Based on the evaluation point of the film on one substrate obtained in the step c) and the average evaluation point relating to the film on a predetermined number of substrates before the one substrate obtained in the step e). An unevenness inspection method, further comprising a step of detecting an abnormality in the film formation step. The unevenness inspection method according to claim 12,
Each time an evaluation score of a film on each substrate is obtained in the step c), an average evaluation score relating to a predetermined number of films on the substrate before each substrate is obtained in the step e), and the film of each substrate is obtained. The unevenness inspection method, wherein the average evaluation score is stored in association with the

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