JP2008168296A - Apparatus and method for forming thin film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for forming a thin film, in each of which the excellent thin film can be formed on a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: Film thickness information showing indirectly a state of a coating liquid applied onto the substrate is detected and the time to press a quartz substrate (a pressing member) to the applied coating liquid is decided according to the detected result. Since the time to press the quartz substrate to the substrate is decided on the basis of the detected film thickness information, the applied coating liquid can be flattened at the optimum timing. As a result, the excellent thin film can be formed on the substrate regardless of the peripheral environment of the substrate, the kind of the thin film or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus and method for forming a thin film on a substrate. The substrate includes various substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, and an optical disk substrate.

  In recent years, with an increase in the diameter of a wafer used for manufacturing an LSI and an increase in the area of a liquid crystal panel or the like, a thin film forming method suitable for the large area has become necessary. In addition, in the field of multilayer wiring technology in LSI manufacturing technology, it is necessary to planarize the surface of the insulating film with high accuracy in order to realize multilayer wiring. In addition to increasing the area, planarizing the surface in thin film formation The demand for technology is also increasing. Therefore, in order to satisfy these requirements, a thin film forming technique for forming a thin film on a substrate by a pressing method has been proposed.

  As this thin film forming apparatus, for example, an apparatus configured as follows has been conventionally known (see Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a sample stage with a built-in heater is provided in a thin film forming chamber formed in a processing container, and a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel, and the like to be thin film formed are provided. It is possible to hold the substrate. Further, in the thin film forming chamber, a transfer plate is disposed below the sample table so as to face the sample table, and the thin film formed on the sheet film (corresponding to the “base material” of the present invention) is placed on the sample table. The sheet film is held while facing the substrate. The transfer plate is also provided with a heater similarly to the sample stage, so that the sheet film held on the transfer plate can be heated. Then, by moving the sample stage holding the substrate and the transfer plate holding the sheet film close to each other, the substrate and the sheet film are pressed against each other to transfer the thin film on the sheet film to the substrate.

  Moreover, in the said apparatus, although the thin film is previously formed on the sheet film, there also exists an apparatus which forms a thin film as follows (refer patent document 2). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, a quartz substrate (corresponding to the “pressing member” of the present invention) that has been coated with a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material and polished to the coating liquid on the substrate is used. The quartz substrate is pressed flat against the coating solution on the substrate while being relatively close to each other.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-189565 (pages 4-5, FIG. 3) JP-A-10-135198 (page 3, FIG. 1)

  In the thin film forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, a thin film is formed in advance on a sheet film, and then the substrate and the sheet film are pressed against each other to transfer the thin film on the sheet film to the substrate. Here, when the state of the thin film formed on the sheet film was examined in detail, the solvent component in the thin film volatilized over time, and the fluidity and viscosity of the thin film changed. Therefore, in order to perform a good transfer process, it is very important that the thin film on the sheet film is in an appropriate state. However, the conventional apparatus has not sufficiently considered the timing for starting the transfer process. That is, the operation sequence from the formation of the thin film on the sheet film to the start of the transfer process has been fixed. Therefore, the transfer process may be executed even though the state of the thin film is not appropriate for the transfer process.

  This is not a problem peculiar to the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, and the same problem occurs in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2. That is, in this apparatus, after a coating solution is applied to the substrate in advance, the quartz substrate is brought close to the substrate and pressed against the coating solution on the substrate for flattening. Therefore, it is very important that the coating liquid on the substrate is in an appropriate state in order to execute a good planarization process. However, in this apparatus, sufficient consideration is not given to the timing of starting the flattening process, and the flattening process may be executed even though the state of the coating liquid is not appropriate for the flattening process. .

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the thin film formation apparatus and thin film formation method which can form a favorable thin film on a board | substrate.

  The present invention is a thin film forming apparatus and method for forming a thin film made of a predetermined thin film forming material on a substrate. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

  According to a first aspect of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a processing container having a thin film forming chamber therein, and a pressing member against a substrate coated with a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material in the thin film forming chamber. A pressing unit that presses the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate in a relatively close manner, a detection unit that detects a state of the coating liquid applied to the substrate, and a coating liquid that is applied by the pressing unit based on a detection result by the detection unit Control means for controlling the pressing timing of the pressing member, and the detecting means obtains film thickness information relating to the film thickness of the coating liquid formed on the substrate, and the control means changes the film thickness with respect to time based on the film thickness information. And the pressing timing is determined based on the change in the film thickness.

  The first aspect of the thin film forming method according to the present invention includes a first step of applying a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material to a substrate, and a first step of detecting that the coating liquid formed on the substrate has reached a predetermined state. Corresponding to the detection timing in the second step and a third step of pressing the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate, and the second step is formed on the substrate. The third step is a step of obtaining a change in film thickness with respect to time based on the film thickness information, and determining a pressing timing based on the change in film thickness. It is a feature.

  In addition, the second aspect of the thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention is a processing container having a thin film forming chamber therein, and is pressed against a substrate coated with a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material in the thin film forming chamber. A pressing unit that presses the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate with the member relatively approached, a detecting unit that detects a state of the coating liquid applied to the substrate, and an application by the pressing unit based on a detection result by the detecting unit Control means for controlling the pressing timing of the pressing member against the liquid, and the detecting means directly detects the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid formed on the substrate, or the physical quantity indicating the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid Is obtained by indirectly detecting the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid, and the control means determines the pressing timing based on the detection result of the detection means.

  Furthermore, a second aspect of the thin film forming method according to the present invention includes a first step of applying a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material to a substrate, and a first step of detecting that the coating liquid formed on the substrate has reached a predetermined state. Corresponding to the detection timing in the second step, and a third step of pressing the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate, and the second step is formed on the substrate A step of directly detecting the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid, or indirectly detecting the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid by obtaining a physical quantity indicative of the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid. Is characterized in that the pressing timing is determined based on the detection result obtained in the second step.

  According to the present invention, the state of the coating solution applied to the substrate (change in coating film thickness, fluidity or viscosity) is detected, and the pressing timing of the pressing member against the coating solution is controlled according to the detection result. Thus, the planarization process can be executed at an optimal timing, and a good thin film can be formed on the substrate regardless of the surrounding environment of the substrate and the type of thin film.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a thin film forming system equipped with an embodiment of a thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this thin film forming system, a coating unit 100 that forms a thin film by applying a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material on a sheet film corresponding to the “base material” of the present invention, and a sheet film on which the thin film is formed. Between a heat treatment unit 200 for performing heat treatment, a transfer unit (thin film forming apparatus) 300 for transferring a thin film formed on a sheet film (base material) to a substrate and forming a thin film on the substrate, and the units 100 to 300 The transport unit 400 that transports the sheet film and the substrate is provided in an environmental chamber 500 in which environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and pressure are maintained at predetermined values. Among these units, the coating unit 100, the heat treatment unit 200, and the transport unit 400 are frequently used in the related art, and thus description thereof is omitted here, and the configuration and operation of the transfer unit 300 will be mainly described.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a transfer unit as an embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention. The transfer unit 300 has a processing container 1 whose inside is a thin film forming chamber 11 in which transfer processing is performed as described later. An exhaust port 12 is provided at the bottom of the side surface of the processing container 1, and a pressure adjusting unit 2 that adjusts the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 is connected to the exhaust port 12.

  In this pressure adjusting unit 2, a vacuum pump 22 is communicated with the thin film forming chamber 11 through a butterfly valve 21, and in response to an operation signal from the control unit 3 that controls the entire apparatus with the butterfly valve 21 opened. When the vacuum pump 22 is activated, the inside of the thin film forming chamber 11 is evacuated and decompressed. Further, the pressure adjusting unit 2 is provided with a valve controller 23 for controlling the opening degree of the butterfly valve 21, and the valve controller 23 opens and closes the butterfly valve 21 according to the opening degree signal from the control unit 3. By adjusting the opening degree, the exhaust amount per unit time from the thin film forming chamber 11 can be adjusted, and the pressure (degree of vacuum) in the thin film forming chamber 11 can be controlled. In this embodiment, in order to accurately control the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11, a pressure gauge 31 for measuring the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 is provided, and the measurement result of the pressure gauge 31 is sent to the control unit 3. Output and feedback control based on the measurement result is executed.

  In addition, an inlet 13 is provided at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the processing container 1, and an atmospheric gas containing a solvent component in the thin film formed on the sheet film through the inlet 13 (for example, solvent component + nitrogen) Gas) is supplied into the thin film forming chamber 11. That is, the inlet 13 is connected to an atmospheric gas supply source (not shown) via the mass flow controller 14, and the mass flow controller 14 forms a thin film via the inlet 13 based on a gas supply signal given from the control unit 3. The inflow amount of the atmospheric gas supplied to the chamber 11 is controlled. In this embodiment, the atmospheric gas is supplied in order to satisfactorily perform the transfer process described later. However, the gas type supplied to the thin film forming chamber 11 is not limited to this, and the transfer process is not limited thereto. A suitable gas may be supplied.

  Thus, the first and second plates 4 and 5 are accommodated in the thin film forming chamber 11 which is the object of pressure adjustment, facing each other vertically. Among these plates, the first plate 4 can hold the substrate W, which is a thin film formation target, on the lower surface facing the second plate 5. Here, as the substrate W to be a thin film formation target, there is, for example, a semiconductor wafer formed in a disk shape, and a substrate having a structure in which an Al wiring is patterned as an electrode wiring on the semiconductor wafer. A case where a thin film (for example, an insulating film) to be described later is transferred to the patterning surface side of the substrate W will be described.

  A quartz plate 41 polished to ensure flatness is provided on the lower surface of the first plate 4, and a substrate W is mounted on the quartz plate 41. The reason why quartz is used as the plate material 41 in direct contact with the substrate W in this way is that the quartz does not contain a substance that contaminates the substrate W, that workability is good, and necessary flatness can be easily obtained. Because.

  The first plate 4 includes a heater 6 as a heating means. The heater 6 is controlled by a heater controller 61 based on a substrate temperature signal given from the control unit 3 and is controlled to be heated between 25 ° C. and 300 ° C., for example. The first plate 4 is suspended in the processing container 1 and is lifted and lowered by a weighted motor 71.

  The other plate, that is, the second plate 5 is disposed below the first plate 4 with the axis line aligned, and can hold the sheet film 8 on its upper surface. That is, the second plate 5 includes a plate body 51, a quartz stage 52 that can hold the sheet film 8 on the upper surface side of the plate body 51, and a heater 53 that heats the sheet film 8. ing. The sheet film 8 is formed in a circular shape larger than the substrate W, and a thin film is formed on the surface by the coating unit 100. Then, by controlling the heater 53 by the heater controller 54 based on the sheet temperature signal given from the control unit 3, the sheet film 8 on the quartz stage 52 is controlled to be heated between 25 ° C. and 300 ° C., for example. .

  Further, a film holding / tensioning portion 9 is disposed at the peripheral edge of the plate body 51, and holds the sheet film 8 placed on the quartz stage 52 at the time of transferring the thin film, and the timing described in detail later. Then, the sheet film 8 is tensioned.

  A film thickness detector 80 is disposed in the vicinity of the film holding / tensioning portion 9. As this film thickness detector 80, one having a conventionally known configuration, for example, one using a four-divided sensor, one using an astigmatism method, one using an optical interference method, or the like can be used. The film thickness information related to the film thickness of the thin film formed on the sheet film 8 can be detected in a non-contact manner. The film thickness information output from the film thickness detector 80 is sent to the control unit 3, and the control unit 3 receiving the information can determine the film thickness change rate of the thin film based on the film thickness information. The “thickness change rate of the thin film” will be described in detail later.

  Further, the second plate 5 is elastically supported on the support plate 72 by a plurality of compression coil springs 73 so that the load pressure becomes uniform when the substrate W and the sheet film 8 are pressed. ing. The support plate 72 is configured to be vertically movable by a support column 74 and to be lifted and lowered by a load motor 75. Thus, in this embodiment, the thin film formation procedure (transfer process) described below is performed by moving the two plates 4 and 5 up and down in opposite directions by the weight motors 71 and 75. , 75 function as the “pressing means” of the present invention.

  Next, a thin film forming procedure using the transfer unit (thin film forming apparatus) 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transfer unit shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, a thin film is formed in advance on the sheet film 8 by the coating unit 100, and the sheet film 8 is transported to the heat treatment unit 200 as necessary by the transport unit 400. And after heat-treating the sheet film 8 by the heat treatment unit 200 to dry the thin film to some extent, the conveyance unit 400 conveys the sheet film 8 to the transfer unit 300. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to perform heat treatment, the transport unit 400 transports the sheet film 8 from the coating unit 100 to the transfer unit 300. In order to form a desired thin film, it is necessary to accurately prepare the composition of the thin film formed on the sheet film 8 by the coating unit 100, and the composition management of the coating liquid in the coating unit 100 must be strictly performed. desirable.

  The sheet film 8 thus transported to the transfer unit 300 by the transport unit 400 is disposed above the stage 52 of the second plate 5 with the thin film facing upward, and its outer peripheral edge is the film holding / tensioning portion. 9 is held. At this stage, the tension of the sheet film 8 by the film holding / tensioning portion 9 is not performed. Further, the substrate W is mounted on the lower surface of the first plate 4 with the patterning surface (surface on which the electrode wiring is formed) facing downward. Further, the opening degree of the butterfly valve 21 is controlled in accordance with a signal given from the control unit 3 to the valve controller 23 to start pressure adjustment in the thin film formation chamber 11, and a signal given from the control unit 3 to the mass flow controller 14. Accordingly, the flow rate of the atmospheric gas supplied from the inlet 13 is maintained at a constant level, and the atmosphere of the thin film forming chamber 11 is adjusted. Thereby, preparation for the transfer process is completed (step S1).

Then, the control unit 3 controls each part of the apparatus according to a transfer program stored in advance in a memory (not shown) to execute the transfer process at an appropriate timing. First, every time the predetermined time Δt elapses (step S2), the film thickness information from the film thickness detector 80 is acquired (step S3), and the film thickness change rate of the thin film is calculated based on the film thickness information (step S3). S4). That is, when a thin film is formed on the sheet film 8, the solvent component in the thin film volatilizes over time, the fluidity and viscosity change, and the film thickness of the thin film decreases as the solvent component volatilizes as shown in FIG. To do. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change amount Δd of the film thickness when the predetermined time Δt has elapsed is obtained based on the film thickness information. More specifically, the following formula:
(Thickness change rate) = (Δd / Δt) × 100
Based on the above, the film thickness change rate of the thin film is calculated. As described above, since the change in film thickness is closely related to the change in the state of the thin film such as fluidity and viscosity, the film thickness change rate is adopted as an index value indicating the state of the thin film. The state of the thin film is indirectly detected based on the rate.

  In the next step S5, it is determined whether or not the film thickness change rate obtained in step S4 is an optimum value. This optimum value means a value corresponding to a thin film state suitable for the transfer process, and can be obtained in advance by experiments or computer simulations and stored in the memory of the control unit 3. Further, when a plurality of different types of thin films are selectively formed by one transfer unit 300, an optimum value corresponding to each thin film forming material may be obtained in advance and stored in a memory. The corresponding optimum value may be read from the memory and step S5 may be executed. By doing so, the versatility of the transfer unit 300 can be enhanced.

  While the film thickness change rate has not reached the optimum value in step S5, the process returns to step S2 and repeats steps S2 to S5. On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the film thickness change rate reaches the optimum value, that is, the thin film on the sheet film 8 is in a state suitable for the transfer process, the transfer process is immediately started (step S6). That is, the heater 6 is energized by a control signal from the heater controller 61 to heat the first plate 4 to about 200 ° C. and to heat the substrate W to a desired temperature. On the sheet film 8 side as well, the heater 53 is energized to heat the second plate 5 to about 100 ° C., and a signal is sent from the control unit 3 to the load motor 75 to move the plate 5 up and down. To start. As a result, the second plate 5 rises to the position of the sheet film 8 to bring the stage 52 into contact with the sheet film 8. As a result, the sheet film 8 is heated and stretched to generate wavy slack. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sheet film 8 is tensioned by the film holding / tensioning portion 9 to remove wavy slack due to thermal expansion.

  Further, along with the tension of the sheet film 8, the first plate 4 is lowered by driving the weighting motor 71 to press the substrate W against the sheet film 8 to start the transfer of the thin film to the substrate W. The pressure of the thin film forming chamber 11 is adjusted by controlling the opening of the valve 21. During the transfer, for example, the substrate W and the sheet film 8 are pressurized with a predetermined load for a certain time while the butterfly valve 21 is fully opened. In the meantime, the substrate W and the sheet film 8 are heated to a predetermined temperature.

  When a series of weighting operations are completed and the transfer process is completed, a signal is sent from the control unit 3 to the weighting motors 71 and 75 so that the weighting state becomes zero, and the first and second plates 4 and 5 are moved. Return to the original initial position. Moreover, after both plates 4 and 5 return to the initial position, the butterfly valve 21 is closed and the vacuum pump 22 is stopped. Further, when the atmosphere of the thin film forming chamber 11 is adjusted to the saturated vapor atmosphere of the solvent after the transfer process is completed, volatilization of the solvent component in the thin film transferred to the substrate W is suppressed, and the film thickness change of the thin film is suppressed. This is preferable. The entire thin film forming chamber 11 may be a saturated vapor atmosphere, but at least the space between the sheet film 8 and the substrate W may be a saturated vapor atmosphere. Moreover, it is desirable to set the gap between the sheet film 8 and the substrate W, which sets the space narrow, to about 0.1 to 3 mm, for example.

  Next, after the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 returns to the atmospheric pressure, a gas supply stop signal is issued from the control unit 3 to the mass flow controller 14. Thereby, the supply of the atmospheric gas to the thin film forming chamber 11 is stopped. Moreover, the board | substrate W in the state integrated with the sheet film 8 on both sides of the thin film is taken out from the thin film forming chamber 11, and the substrate W on which the thin film is formed is obtained by peeling the sheet film 8.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the film thickness information indirectly indicating the state of the thin film formed on the sheet film (base material) 8 is detected, and the thin film on the substrate W is detected according to the detection result. Since the pressing timing is determined, the transfer process can be executed at an optimal timing, and a good thin film can be formed on the substrate W regardless of the surrounding environment of the sheet film 8 and the type of thin film. . Further, since the state of the thin film is detected based on the film thickness information, the state of the thin film can be detected without directly touching the thin film on the sheet film 8, which is advantageous for automation of thin film formation.

  Moreover, since the inside of the thin film formation chamber 11 can be adjusted to the pressure suitable for thin film formation by the pressure adjustment part 2, the quality and processing speed of a thin film can be improved. The reason will be described.

  As is conventionally known, the change in film thickness with time (for example, the curve in FIG. 4) varies greatly depending on the ambient pressure. That is, as the pressure decreases, the rate of change in film thickness at the initial stage is large, and the solvent volatilization in the thin film proceeds rapidly at the initial stage. Therefore, if the above steps S2 to S5 are executed when the film thickness change rate is large, it is difficult to determine the optimum timing of the transfer process from the film thickness change rate, and the quality of the thin film transferred to the substrate W is degraded. May occur. In order to eliminate this, it is also conceivable to suppress the pressure drop in the thin film forming chamber 11 and reduce the film thickness change rate from the initial stage. However, in this case, it takes a long time to start the transfer process, resulting in a decrease in throughput.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 can be adjusted by the pressure adjusting unit 2, for example, the transfer timing is determined while changing the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 as shown in FIG. Can do. Here, after the butterfly valve 21 is fully opened at the initial stage (time t1 to t2) and the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 is rapidly decreased, the opening of the butterfly valve 21 is decreased and the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 is decreased. While suppressing the film thickness change rate, the above steps S2 to S5 are executed, and the optimum timing of the transfer process is determined from the film thickness change rate. When the optimum timing t3 is obtained, the butterfly valve 21 is fully opened again, and the transfer process is executed while the pressure in the thin film forming chamber 11 is rapidly reduced. By adjusting the pressure in this way, the time required for the initial stage (= t2-t1) can be shortened, and the optimum timing of the transfer process can be accurately determined from the film thickness change rate, so that the quality of the thin film Can be increased.

  Further, according to this embodiment, since the atmosphere in the thin film formation chamber 11 is adjusted by the mass flow controller 14, the quality of the thin film is adjusted by adjusting the atmosphere in the thin film formation chamber 11 to an atmosphere suitable for thin film formation. Can be increased. In particular, by supplying an atmospheric gas containing the same component as the solvent in the thin film to the thin film forming chamber 11 and adjusting the thin film forming chamber 11 to a saturated vapor atmosphere of the solvent, it is possible to prevent the thin film from drying unevenly. And the uniformity of the thin film can be improved. Thus, the “atmosphere adjusting means” of the present invention is constituted by the mass flow controller 14 and the atmospheric gas supply source.

  Further, the units 100 to 400 are accommodated in the environmental chamber 500, and the sheet film 8 on which the thin film is formed by the coating unit 100 is transported to the transfer unit 300 in the environmental chamber 500. The degree of drying of the thin film on the sheet film 8 until it is conveyed to the unit 300 can be accurately controlled. In addition, since the heat treatment unit 200 is provided, when the thin film is formed of a thin film forming material that is difficult to dry, the thin film is appropriately dried by passing through the heat treatment unit 200 from the coating unit 100. And excellent versatility can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer process is started immediately when the film thickness change rate reaches the optimum value, that is, when the thin film is in a state suitable for the transfer process (hereinafter referred to as “optimum state”). It is also possible to detect before the optimum state from the film thickness change rate and start the transfer process after a certain time. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in step S7, it is determined whether or not the film thickness change rate obtained in step S4 is a pre-optimal value. This pre-optimal value means a value corresponding to the state before the thin film is in the optimal state, and it is possible to predict the transition time from the detection to the optimal state. Therefore, the pre-optimal value and the transition time are obtained in advance and stored in the memory of the control unit 3. Then, while the film thickness change rate does not reach the pre-optimal value in step S7, the process returns to step S2 and repeats steps S2 to S4 and S7. On the other hand, when the film thickness change rate reaches the pre-optimal value, the transfer process is started after the transition time has elapsed (step S8) (step S6). Thus, also in this embodiment, the film thickness information indirectly indicating the state of the thin film formed on the sheet film (base material) 8 is detected, and the pressing timing of the thin film to the substrate W according to the detection result. Therefore, the transfer process can be executed at the optimum timing, and the same effect as the previous embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, when the pre-optimal value and the transition time are set, the arrangement position of the film thickness detector 80 is not limited to the vicinity of the sheet film 8, and can be set at an arbitrary position in the transfer unit 300 or outside the transfer unit 300. It can be arranged. In particular, outside the transfer unit 300, it can be disposed on the transport path of the sheet film 8 from the coating unit 100 to the transfer unit 300. For example, it may be provided in the coating unit 100 or the heat treatment unit 200. In this case, the time from when the film thickness detector 80 is conveyed to the transfer unit 300 and when the transfer unit 300 can start the transfer process is set. The pre-optimal value may be set in consideration of the transition time and the transition time. Further, a film thickness detector 80 may be provided in the transport unit 400, and the film thickness information may be obtained during the movement of the sheet film 8 or at a standby position. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the film thickness information is acquired using the single film thickness detector 80, you may make it provide a some film thickness detector.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the thin film formed on the sheet film 8 by the coating unit 100 is prevented from being exposed to the atmosphere by providing the environmental chamber 500, and on the sheet film 8 until it is transported to the transfer unit 300. Although the degree of drying of the thin film is accurately controlled, for example, the transport unit 400 may be provided with an atmospheric exposure prevention mechanism for preventing the thin film from being exposed to the atmosphere. As this atmospheric exposure prevention mechanism, for example, a box-shaped sheet storage portion is attached to a sheet holding means for holding the sheet film 8 and the sheet storage portion 8 is transported in a state where the sheet film 8 is stored in the sheet storage portion. Can be used. Thus, by isolating the sheet film 8 from the atmosphere, it is possible to prevent the thin film formed on the sheet film 8 from being exposed to the atmosphere. The configuration of the atmospheric exposure prevention mechanism is not limited to the box-shaped sheet storage unit, and any structure can be used as long as it can store the sheet film 8 and isolate the sheet film 8 from the atmosphere. You may employ | adopt the thing of a structure.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the pressing timing (transfer processing start timing) is determined based on the film thickness change rate, but the film thickness value of the thin film is obtained based on the film thickness information. As indicated by the one-dot chain line, the timing t0 at which the optimum value d0 is reached is set as the pressing timing (transfer processing start timing), or the transition time elapses from when the film thickness value reaches a pre-optimum value larger than the optimum value d0. The point of time may be set as the pressing timing (transfer processing start timing).

  In the above embodiment, the thin film state such as the fluidity and viscosity of the thin film is indexed based on the film thickness information, but the thin film state is indirectly detected based on other physical quantities, The viscosity may be detected directly, or the transfer processing start timing may be determined based on the result thus detected.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the sheet film 8 is used as a base material, you may use another base material, for example, an inflexible plate-shaped member (for example, a metal flat plate, a quartz plate, etc.).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the thin film formed on the sheet film 8 is transcribe | transferred to the board | substrate W and the thin film is formed on this board | substrate W, the application object of this invention is not limited to this. However, the present invention can also be applied to the device described in Patent Document 2. In this thin film forming apparatus, a coating liquid containing a thin film forming material is applied to a substrate, and a pressing member such as a quartz substrate that has been subjected to planar polishing is relatively brought close to the coating liquid on the substrate to apply the coating liquid on the substrate. A thin film is formed by pressing a pressing member to flatten the surface. Also in this thin film forming apparatus, it is very important to control the start timing of the flattening process in order to improve the quality of the thin film. Therefore, by applying the present invention, the start timing of the flattening process can be optimized and the quality of the thin film can be improved. That is, in the above embodiment, the film thickness information of the thin film on the sheet film is acquired. In this embodiment, the film thickness information of the coating liquid applied to the substrate is acquired, and the planarization process is performed based on the film thickness information. By determining the start timing, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. Here, an application example of the present invention to the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of another embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the substrate on which the coating liquid containing the thin film forming material is applied by the coating unit is transferred to the transfer unit (thin film forming apparatus), and the substrate is arranged with the thin film facing the quartz substrate (pressing member). Preparation for the flattening process is performed (step S11).

  Then, after the predetermined time elapses (step S12), the film thickness information from the film thickness detector is acquired (step S13), and the film thickness change rate of the coating solution is calculated based on the film thickness information (step S14). ). In addition, the film thickness change of the coating liquid is closely related to the change in the state of the coating liquid such as fluidity and viscosity, as in the above embodiment. In this embodiment, as an index value indicating the state of the coating liquid The film thickness change rate is adopted, and the state of the coating liquid is indirectly detected based on the film thickness change rate.

  In the next step S15, it is determined whether or not the film thickness change rate obtained in step S14 is an optimum value. The optimum value means a value corresponding to the coating liquid state suitable for the flattening process, and can be obtained in advance by experiments or computer simulations and stored in the memory of the control unit 3. In addition, when a plurality of different types of coating liquids are selectively formed by one transfer unit, an optimum value corresponding to each thin film forming material may be obtained in advance and stored in a memory. It is only necessary to read out the optimum value corresponding to 1 from the memory and execute step S15. By doing so, the versatility of the transfer unit can be enhanced.

  While the film thickness change rate has not reached the optimum value in step S15, the process returns to step S12 and the above steps S12 to S15 are repeated. On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the film thickness change rate reaches the optimum value, that is, the coating liquid on the substrate is in a state suitable for the flattening process, the flattening process is started immediately (step S16).

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the film thickness information indirectly indicating the state of the coating liquid applied on the substrate is detected, and the quartz substrate (pressing member) to the coating liquid is detected according to the detection result. Since the pressing timing is determined, the flattening process can be executed at the optimum timing, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, the fluidity and viscosity of the coating liquid applied to the substrate W are indexed based on the film thickness information, but the state of the coating liquid is indirectly detected based on other physical quantities, Alternatively, the fluidity and viscosity of the coating liquid may be directly detected, and the start timing of the flattening process may be determined based on the result thus detected.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the quartz substrate is used as a pressing member, a pressing member is not limited to this, What can contact | abut with the coating liquid on the board | substrate W and can planarize a coating liquid If so, it can be used in place of the quartz substrate.

It is a figure which shows the thin film formation system equipped with one Embodiment of the thin film formation apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the transfer unit which is one Embodiment of the thin film formation apparatus concerning this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transfer unit shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows a time-dependent change of the film thickness formed on the sheet film. 3 is a graph showing a pressure adjustment operation in the transfer unit shown in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of other embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus concerning this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of another embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing container 2 ... Pressure adjustment part 3 ... Control part 11 ... Thin film formation chamber 71,75 ... Weighting motor (pressing means)
80 ... Film thickness detector (detection means)
W ... Board

Claims (6)

In a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film made of a predetermined thin film forming material on a substrate,
A processing container whose inside is a thin film forming chamber;
In the thin film forming chamber, a pressing means that presses the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate coated with the coating liquid containing the thin film forming material;
Detection means for detecting the state of the coating liquid applied to the substrate;
Control means for controlling the pressing timing of the pressing member against the coating liquid by the pressing means based on the detection result by the detecting means,
The detection means obtains film thickness information relating to the film thickness of the coating solution formed on the substrate, and the control means obtains a change in film thickness with respect to time based on the film thickness information, and the press based on the film thickness change. A thin film forming apparatus characterized by determining timing.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a memory that stores an optimum value of a film thickness change rate corresponding to a plurality of types of coating liquids. In a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film made of a predetermined thin film forming material on a substrate,
A processing container whose inside is a thin film forming chamber;
In the thin film forming chamber, a pressing means that presses the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate coated with the coating liquid containing the thin film forming material;
Detection means for detecting the state of the coating liquid applied to the substrate;
Control means for controlling the pressing timing of the pressing member against the coating liquid by the pressing means based on the detection result by the detecting means,
The detecting means directly detects the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid formed on the substrate, or indirectly determines the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid by obtaining a physical quantity indicative of the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid. And the control means determines the pressing timing based on the detection result of the detection means.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a quartz substrate that has been subjected to planar polishing. In a thin film forming method for forming a thin film made of a predetermined thin film forming material on a substrate,
A first step of applying a coating liquid containing the thin film forming material to a substrate;
A second step of detecting that the coating liquid formed on the substrate has reached a predetermined state;
Corresponding to the detection timing in the second step, and a third step of pressing the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate,
The second step is a step of obtaining film thickness information relating to the film thickness of the coating solution formed on the substrate,
The third step is a method of forming a thin film characterized in that a change in film thickness with respect to time is obtained from the film thickness information, and the pressing timing is determined based on the change in film thickness. In a thin film forming method for forming a thin film made of a predetermined thin film forming material on a substrate,
A first step of applying a coating liquid containing the thin film forming material to a substrate;
A second step of detecting that the coating liquid formed on the substrate has reached a predetermined state;
Corresponding to the detection timing in the second step, and a third step of pressing the pressing member against the coating liquid on the substrate by relatively approaching the pressing member to the substrate,
In the second step, the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid formed on the substrate is directly detected, or the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid is determined by obtaining a physical quantity that indicates the fluidity or viscosity of the coating liquid. Is a process of detecting indirectly,
In the thin film forming method, the third step determines the pressing timing based on the detection result obtained in the second step.

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