JP2011003601A - Temperature increase control method for heating device for substrate treatment system, program, computer recording medium, and substrate treatment system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption at a peak when increasing a temperature of a heating device for a substrate treatment system.SOLUTION: A plurality of heat treatment units 40-43 of an application development processing system 1 for treating wafers are heated according to at least any one of a rule for heating the heat treatment units in a treatment order of the wafers set in a treatment recipe, a rule for heating the heat treatment units 40-43 vertically stacked and arranged in the ascending order, and a rule for heating them in the order from the heat treatment unit small in an established time from the heating start to the heating completion to the heat treatment unit large in the established time, or a rule obtained by combining two or more of them. The heating of the heat treatment units 40-43 are performed while transferring heat dissipated from one of the heat treatment units with the heating of the one heat treatment unit to the other heat treatment units.

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating control method for a heating device used in a substrate processing system for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a program, a computer recording medium, and a heating control device for the heating device used in the substrate processing system.

  In general, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a resist coating process for applying a resist solution on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer to form a resist film, an exposure process for exposing a predetermined pattern on the resist film, and an exposure process. Various processes such as a developing process for developing the resist film and a heating process for drying the wafer after the developing process are performed.

  A series of these processes is usually performed using a coating and developing processing system. The coating and developing processing system includes, for example, a cassette station for loading and unloading substrates in cassette units, a processing station in which a plurality of processing devices for performing various processing on the substrate are arranged, and an adjacent exposure device and processing station. It has an interface station for transferring substrates between them (Patent Document 1).

  For example, in a coating and developing treatment system as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of heating devices installed in a processing station are provided so that processing of a wafer carried into the coating and developing treatment system can be started immediately. Usually, the apparatus is on standby in a state where the temperature is raised to a predetermined temperature in advance. In such a case, when the coating and developing treatment system is started, the temperature of the heating device is increased all at once by, for example, an electric heater incorporated in the heating device.

JP 2006-287178 A

  By the way, in a state where the heating device is in a standby state in which the temperature is raised to a predetermined temperature, the electric power consumption of the electric heater is only the amount of heat that is dissipated from the heating device to the outside of the heating device. The power required is less than half of the power required to raise the temperature of the heating device, that is, the peak power. Therefore, comparing the power consumption during normal operation of the coating and developing treatment system with the power consumption during heating of the heating device, the power consumption during normal operation is less than half of the power consumption during heating of the heating device. .

  However, for electrical equipment installed above the electrical system of the coating and developing treatment system, such as electrical equipment such as a transformer and a circuit breaker, the power consumption during normal operation of the coating and developing treatment system is consumed when the heating device is heated. In spite of being less than half of the power, it is necessary to have a design that is resistant to the peak power consumption of the coating and developing treatment system. Therefore, an electric facility having an excessive capacity with respect to the power consumption during the normal operation of the coating and developing treatment system is installed, and the installation of the electric facility is excessively expensive.

  In addition, when the transformer is operated in a load region far below the rated point, the efficiency of the transformer deteriorates. For this reason, from the viewpoint of energy saving, it is desired to reduce the power consumption at the peak time and to make the capacity of the electrical equipment close to the power consumption during the normal operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to reduce power consumption at a peak when the temperature of a heating apparatus of a substrate processing system is raised.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a substrate processing system that includes a plurality of heating devices for heating a substrate and processes the substrates according to an order set in a predetermined processing recipe. The temperature of the heating device in the processing sequence of the substrate set in the predetermined processing recipe, arranged below the plurality of heating devices arranged in a vertical direction A rule for increasing the temperature in the order of the heating device arranged above from the heating device, a rule for increasing the temperature in the order of the heating device having a long establishment time from a heating device having a short establishment time from the start of temperature increase to the completion of the temperature increase,
The temperature of the plurality of heating devices is increased according to a rule that combines at least one of these or a combination of two or more, and the heat dissipated from the one heating device with the temperature increase of the one heating device The temperature of the plurality of heating devices is increased while being transmitted to the heating device.

  According to the present invention, when starting the substrate processing system, the temperature of the heating device is increased stepwise based on a predetermined rule, so that the peak value of power consumption at the time of starting the substrate processing system can be lowered. Therefore, the capacity of the electrical equipment installed above the electrical system of the coating and developing treatment system can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where the temperature of each heating device is increased all at once. Thereby, the expense required for installation of electrical equipment can be reduced. In addition, since the difference between the power consumption during the startup of the substrate processing system, that is, the peak time and the power consumption during normal operation is reduced, electrical equipment such as a transformer installed at the upper level of the substrate processing system is more than conventional. It can be operated at a point close to the rated point. For this reason, the efficiency at the time of operation | movement of an electrical installation can go up, and the energy loss in an electrical installation can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the temperature of the heating device is increased, the temperature of the heating device is increased in order to increase the temperature while transferring the heat dissipated from the heating device whose temperature has been increased or the heating device being heated to another heating device. Can be shortened.

  In the case of heating the heating device in the substrate processing order set in the predetermined processing recipe, before each heating device heats the substrate in accordance with the substrate processing order set in the processing recipe, You may control the timing which starts the temperature rising of each said heating apparatus so that the temperature rising of a heating apparatus is completed previously.

  The total amount of power consumed by the plurality of heating devices may be monitored, and the amount of power supplied to each heating device may be controlled so that the total amount of power consumption does not exceed a predetermined value. In such a case, the amount of power supplied to the heating device may be reduced in the reverse order to the processing order of the substrates set in the processing recipe.

  Each of the plurality of heating devices includes a heating plate for placing and heating a substrate, the heating plate is divided into a plurality of regions, and the temperature can be set for each of the regions. In addition, the heat treatment plate may be heated so that heat is transferred from the outside of the heating plate to the inside of the heating plate.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that operates on a computer of a control device that controls the substrate processing system in order to cause the substrate processing system to execute the temperature raising control method of the heating device.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a readable computer storage medium storing a program is provided.

  Furthermore, the present invention according to another aspect is a substrate processing system that includes a plurality of heating devices for heating a substrate and processes the substrates according to an order set in a predetermined processing recipe, and is set in the predetermined processing recipe. Rules for raising the temperature of the heating device in the order of processing of the substrates, among the plurality of heating devices arranged in the vertical direction, the heating temperature is increased in the order from the heating device arranged below to the heating device arranged above According to a rule that combines at least one of a rule that raises the temperature in the order of a heating device that has a long establishment time from a heating device that has a short establishment time from the start of temperature rise to the completion of temperature rise, or a combination of two or more. The plurality of heating devices includes a control device that raises the temperature of the plurality of heating devices, and the plurality of heating devices transfer heat dissipated from the one heating device to another heating device as the temperature of one heating device increases. It is characterized by being arranged such that.

  In the case where the temperature of the heating device is increased in the substrate processing order set in the predetermined processing recipe, the control device is configured to perform heating of the substrate in accordance with the substrate processing order set in the processing recipe. In addition, the temperature rise start time of each heating device may be further controlled so that the temperature raising of each heating device is completed in advance.

  The control device monitors the total amount of power consumed by the plurality of heating devices, and controls to reduce the amount of power supplied to each heating device so that the total amount of power consumption does not exceed a predetermined value. May be further performed. In such a case, control may be performed to reduce the amount of power supplied to the heating device in the reverse order to the processing order of the substrates set in the processing recipe.

  Each of the plurality of heating devices includes a heating plate for placing and heating the substrate, the heating plate is divided into a plurality of regions, and the temperature can be set for each of the regions. When the temperature of the plate is increased, the temperature of the heat treatment plate may be further controlled so that heat is transmitted in a direction from the outer peripheral portion of the heating plate toward the inside of the heating plate.

  According to the present invention, when the temperature of the heating device of the substrate processing system is raised, the power consumption at the peak time can be reduced.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the coating and developing treatment system concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the coating and developing treatment system concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the coating and developing treatment system concerning this Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of the heat processing unit. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of the heat processing unit. It is the flowchart which showed each process of wafer processing. It is a graph which shows the temperature fluctuation of the hot plate at the time of temperature rising. It is a graph which shows the fluctuation | variation of the electric power supply amount to the hot platen at the time of temperature rising. It is a graph which shows the timing of the start of a hot platen. It is a graph which shows the temperature fluctuation of the hot plate at the time of temperature rising. It is a graph which shows the fluctuation | variation of the electric power supply amount to the hot platen at the time of temperature rising. It is a top view which shows the structure of a hot platen. It is a graph which shows the temperature fluctuation of the hot plate at the time of temperature rising. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a heat processing unit, and the outline of preset temperature. It is a graph which shows the temperature fluctuation of the hot plate at the time of temperature rising.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 as a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment. 2 and 3 are side views showing an outline of the internal configuration of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment system 1 performs a predetermined processing in a single-wafer type in a photolithography process, for example, a cassette station 2 as a loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading a cassette C to / from the outside. A configuration in which a processing station 3 as a processing unit including a plurality of various processing units and an interface station 5 as a transfer unit that transfers the wafer W between the exposure apparatus 4 adjacent to the processing station 3 are integrally connected. have.

  The cassette station 2 is divided into, for example, a cassette carry-in / out unit 10 and a wafer transfer unit 11. For example, the cassette carry-in / out unit 10 is provided at the end of the coating and developing treatment system 1 on the Y direction negative direction (left direction in FIG. 1) side. The cassette loading / unloading unit 10 is provided with a cassette mounting table 12. A plurality, for example, four mounting plates 13 are provided on the cassette mounting table 12. The mounting plates 13 are arranged in a line in the horizontal X direction (up and down direction in FIG. 1). The cassettes C can be placed on these placing plates 13 when the cassettes C are carried in and out of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  The wafer transfer unit 11 is provided with a wafer transfer device 21 that is movable on a transfer path 20 extending in the X direction as shown in FIG. The wafer transfer device 21 is also movable in the vertical direction and the vertical axis (θ direction), and is provided between a cassette C on each mounting plate 13 and a delivery device for a third block G3 of the processing station 3 to be described later. Wafers W can be transferred between them.

  The processing station 3 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four blocks G1, G2, G3, and G4 having various units. For example, the first block G1 is provided on the front side of the processing station 3 (X direction negative direction side in FIG. 1), and the second side is provided on the back side of the processing station 3 (X direction positive direction side in FIG. 1). Block G2 is provided. Further, a third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 2 side (Y direction negative direction side in FIG. 1) of the processing station 3, and the processing station 3 interface station 5 side (Y direction positive direction side in FIG. 1). Is provided with a fourth block G4.

  For example, in the first block G1, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of liquid processing units, for example, a development processing unit 30 for developing the wafer W, an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as “lower antireflection”) under the resist film of the wafer W. A lower antireflection film forming unit 31 for forming a film ”, a resist coating unit 32 for applying a resist solution to the wafer W to form a resist film, and an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as“ upper reflection ”on the resist film of the wafer W). An upper antireflection film forming unit 33 for forming an “antireflection film” is stacked in four stages in order from the bottom.

  For example, each unit 30 to 33 of the first block G1 has a plurality of cups F that accommodate the wafer W in the horizontal direction during processing, and can process the plurality of wafers W in parallel.

  For example, the second block G2 is provided with a plurality of heat treatment units 40 to 43 as heating devices for performing heat treatment of the wafer W as shown in FIG. The heat treatment units 40 to 43 are provided by laminating the heat treatment units 40 to 43 in order from the bottom, and the heat dissipated from the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is configured to be transmitted to other heat treatment units. The heat treatment unit 40 is the same as the development processing unit 30, the heat treatment unit 41 is the lower antireflection film forming unit 31, the heat treatment unit 42 is the resist coating unit 32, and the heat treatment unit 43 is as high as the upper antireflection film forming unit 33. Is arranged.

  For example, in the third block G3, a plurality of delivery units 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 are provided in order from the bottom. The fourth block G4 is provided with a plurality of delivery units 60, 61, 62 in order from the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer region D is formed in a region surrounded by the first block G1 to the fourth block G4. In the wafer transfer area D, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, wafer transfer apparatuses 70, 71, 72, 73 are provided in order from the bottom. The wafer transfer devices 70, 71, 72, and 73 can transfer the wafer W to a predetermined unit having the same height of each of the blocks G1 to G4, for example.

  Further, in the wafer transfer region D, a shuttle transfer device 80 that transfers the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided.

  The shuttle conveyance device 80 is linearly movable in the Y direction of FIG. 3, for example. The shuttle transfer device 80 moves in the Y direction while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W between the transfer unit 52 of the third block G3 and the transfer unit 62 of the fourth block G4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer device 90 is provided on the positive side in the X direction of the third block G3. The wafer transfer device 90 has a transfer arm that is movable in the front-rear direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 90 moves up and down while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W to each delivery unit in the third block G3.

  The interface station 5 is provided with a wafer transfer device 100. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 has a transfer arm that is movable in the front-rear direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 can transfer the wafer W to the transfer units and the exposure apparatus 4 in the fourth block G4, for example, by supporting the wafer W on the transfer arm.

  Next, the configuration of the heat treatment unit 40 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the configuration of the heat treatment unit 40, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the heat treatment unit 40 includes a processing container 110 whose inside can be closed, and a wafer W loading / unloading port 111 is formed on a side surface of the processing container 110 facing the wafer transfer device 70. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat treatment unit 40 has a hot plate 112 for placing and heating the wafer W and a cooling plate 113 for placing and adjusting the temperature of the wafer W in the processing container 110. Both heat treatment and cooling treatment can be performed.

  The hot plate 112 has a thick and substantially disk shape. The heat plate 112 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking the wafer W, for example, is provided on the upper surface. By suction from this suction port, the wafer W can be sucked and held on the hot plate 112.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an electric heater 121 is provided inside the heat plate 112, and the amount of power supplied to the electric heater 121 is controlled by a control device 150 to be described later. Can be controlled to the set temperature.

  A plurality of through holes 122 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the hot plate 112. Elevating pins 123 are provided in the through holes 122. The elevating pin 123 can be moved up and down by an elevating drive mechanism 124 such as a cylinder. The elevating pins 123 are inserted through the through holes 122 and protrude from the upper surface of the hot plate 112 so that the elevating pins 123 can support and lift the wafer W.

  The heating plate 112 is provided with an annular holding member 125 that holds the outer peripheral portion of the heating plate 112. The holding member 125 is provided with a cylindrical support ring 126 that surrounds the outer periphery of the holding member 125 and accommodates the lifting pins 123.

  The cooling plate 113 has a substantially disk shape with a large thickness. The cooling plate 113 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking the wafer W, for example, is provided on the upper surface. The wafer W can be sucked and held on the cooling plate 113 by suction from the suction port.

  A cooling member (not shown) such as a Peltier element is built in the cooling plate 113, and the cooling plate 113 can be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature.

  Other configurations of the cooling plate 113 are the same as those of the hot plate 112. That is, the cooling plate 113 is formed with a plurality of through holes 131 penetrating in the vertical direction. Elevating pins 132 are provided in the through holes 131. The lift pins 132 can be moved up and down by a lift drive mechanism 133 such as a cylinder. The elevating pins 132 are inserted through the through holes 131 and protrude from the upper surface of the cooling plate 113, and can move up and down while supporting the wafer W.

  The cooling plate 113 is provided with an annular holding member 134 that holds the outer periphery of the cooling plate 113. The holding member 134 is provided with a cylindrical support ring 135 that surrounds the outer periphery of the holding member 134 and accommodates the lifting pins 132. In addition, about the structure of the heat processing units 41-43, since it is the same as the structure of the heat processing unit 40, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The coating and developing treatment system 1 has a control device 150 as shown in FIG. The control device 150 is a computer, for example, and has a program storage unit 151. The program storage unit 151 controls the operation of the drive system of each of the above-described processing units and transport devices, and performs predetermined actions of the coating and developing processing system 1, that is, the heat treatment of the wafer W, the coating of the resist solution, and the development. A so-called processing recipe, which is a program for realizing control of the transfer path of the wafer W, is stored. Process recipes are created for each process type. For example, an operator can select a process recipe, and the selected process recipe is read from the program storage unit 151 by the control device 150, and each wafer is read according to the read process recipe. Process W is executed.

  Further, the program storage unit 151 of the control device 150 has a temperature increase recipe that is a program that defines rules for controlling the temperature increase of the heat plate 112 of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 when the coating and developing treatment system 1 is started. Is also stored. The program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnetic optical desk (MO), or memory card. Or installed in the control device 150 from the storage medium.

In the processing recipe in the present embodiment, for example, steps are set in the order shown in the flowchart of FIG. In step S <b> 1 shown in FIG. 6, a lower antireflection film is formed by the lower antireflection film forming unit 31 and the heat treatment unit 41. In step S <b> 2, a coating film is formed by the resist coating unit 32 and the heat treatment unit 42.
In step S <b> 3, the upper reflection film is formed by the upper antireflection film forming unit 33 and the heat treatment unit 43. In step S4, the exposure apparatus 4 performs exposure. In step S <b> 5, development processing is performed by the development processing unit 30 and the heat treatment unit 40.

  Next, temperature control of the hot plate 112 by the control device 150 and a temperature increase recipe will be described. The set temperature of the hot plate 112 of each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is set to a different value depending on the purpose of the heat treatment. In the present embodiment, for example, the temperatures of the hot plates 112a to 112d of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 are set to Ta to Td, respectively.

  When the temperature of the heat plate 112a of the heat treatment unit 40 is raised to the set temperature Ta, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the temperature rise period Ha1 until the heat plate 112a reaches the set temperature Ta, as shown in FIG. The output of the power supply device (not shown) is controlled by the control device 150 so that the electric power Pa1 corresponding to the rated value of the electric heater 121 is supplied to the electric heater 121. In the heat insulation period Ha2 in which the temperature of the heat plate 112a reaches the set temperature Ta and the heat plate 112a is kept at the set temperature Ta, the control device 150 decreases the output of the power supply device and sets the heat plate 112a to the set temperature Ta. Control is performed to maintain, that is, to supply electric power Pa2 corresponding to the amount of heat dissipated from the heat plate 112 to the outside. The same applies to the hot plates 112b to 112d of the other heat treatment units 41 to 43.

  In the temperature rising recipe stored in the program storage unit 151, the order of temperature rising start of the hot plates 112a to 112d of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 and the timing of temperature rising start are set. In the temperature rising recipe in the present embodiment, the wafers W set in the processing recipe are processed in the order of processing, that is, the heat treatment unit 41 used in step S1, the heat treatment unit 42 used in step S2, and the heat treatment used in step S3. The order of temperature increase start is set so that the temperature increase starts in the order of the unit 43 and the heat treatment unit 40 used in step S5.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the temperature increase start timing in the temperature increase recipe is increased when the heat plate 112 b of the heat treatment unit 41 that starts the temperature increase first reaches the set temperature Tb after the temperature increase period Hb <b> 1 elapses. The temperature of the hot plate 112c set to be raised second in the recipe is set to start. In addition, the order of the temperature rising start of each of the hot plates 112a to 112d set in the temperature rising recipe and the timing of the temperature rising start can be arbitrarily changed by, for example, an operator.

  The coating and developing treatment system 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, wafer processing performed in the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

  In performing the substrate processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 by the coating and developing treatment system 1, first, the heating of the hot plates 112a to 112d of the respective heat treatment units 40 to 43 is started in accordance with the order set in the heating recipe. The

  When the heating of each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is started, as shown in FIG. 10, first, the heat plate 112b of the heat treatment unit 41 is heated to the set temperature Tb. At this time, the power supplied from the power supply device (not shown) to the electric heater 121 of the hot plate 112b is controlled by the control device 150, and in the temperature rising period Hb1 until the set temperature Tb is reached, FIG. As shown, electric power Pb1 corresponding to the rated value is supplied to the electric heater 121. When the temperature increase period Hb1 elapses and the temperature of the heat plate 112b reaches the set temperature Tb, the control device 150 reduces the power supplied to the heat plate 112b to Pb2, and increases the temperature of the heat plate 112c of the heat treatment unit 42. Start. At this time, the heat dissipated from the heat treatment unit 41 is transmitted to the heat treatment unit 42, so that the temperature of the heat plate 112c is increased by a predetermined temperature ΔTc compared to the initial state.

  When the heating of the hot plate 112c is started, similarly to the hot plate 112b, the electric power Pc1 corresponding to the rated value of the electric heater 121 is supplied until the set temperature Tc is reached, and the heating period Hc1 has elapsed. When the hot plate 112c reaches the set temperature Tc, the supply amount of electric power is reduced to the electric power Pc2 by the control device 150, and at the same time, electric power Pd1 is supplied to the hot plate 112d of the heat treatment unit 43, and the heating of the hot plate 112d is started. The While the temperature of the heat treatment units 41 and 42 is raised, the heat plate 112d is also in a state of being raised by a predetermined temperature due to the heat dissipated from the heat treatment units 41 and 42. When the temperature rising period Hd1 of the heat plate 112d elapses and the heat plate 112d reaches the set temperature Td, the supply amount of power is reduced to the power Pd2, and at the same time, the power Pa1 is supplied to the heat plate 112a of the heat treatment unit 40, Similarly, the heating of the hot plate 112a is started. At this time, the power consumption of the coating and developing treatment system 1 is the peak value Pm.

  When the temperature raising period Ha1 of the hot plate 112a elapses and the hot plate 112a reaches the set temperature Ta, the supply amount of electric power is reduced to Pa2 by the control device 150.

  When the heating of all the hot plates 112a to 112d of each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is completed, the processing of the wafer W is started based on the processing recipe.

  In the processing of the wafer W, first, the cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is placed on a predetermined cassette placement plate 13 of the cassette station 10. Thereafter, the wafers W in the cassette C are sequentially taken out by the substrate carrying device 21 and transferred to, for example, the transfer device 53 of the third processing device group G3 of the processing station 11.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 41 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer device 71 and subjected to temperature adjustment processing by the cooling plate 113. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the lower antireflection film forming unit 31 of the first block G1, for example, by the wafer transfer device 71, and a lower antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 41 of the second block G2 and subjected to heat treatment by the hot plate 112 (step S1 in FIG. 6). Thereafter, it is returned to the delivery unit 53 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 54 of the same third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 90. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 42 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer device 72 and subjected to temperature adjustment processing by the cooling plate 113. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating unit 32 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 72, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 42 by the wafer transfer device 72 and pre-baked by the hot plate 112 (step S2 in FIG. 6). Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the delivery unit 55 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 72.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 54 of the same third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 90. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 73 to the heat treatment unit 43 of the second block G2, and is subjected to temperature adjustment processing by the cooling plate 113. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the upper antireflection film forming device 33 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 73, and an upper antireflection film is formed on the wafer W (step S3 in FIG. 6). Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 56 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 73.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer unit 52 by the wafer transfer device 90 and transferred to the transfer unit 62 of the fourth block G4 by the shuttle transfer device 80. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus 6 by the wafer transfer apparatus 100 of the interface station 7 and subjected to exposure processing (step S4 in FIG. 6).

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 100 to the delivery unit 60 of the fourth block G4. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 40 by the wafer transfer device 70 and subjected to post-exposure baking. Next, the wafer W is subjected to temperature adjustment processing by the cooling plate 113, and then transferred to the development processing unit 30 by the wafer transfer device 70 and developed. After the development is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 40 by the wafer transfer device 70 and subjected to a post-bake process. Thereafter, the wafer W is cooled by the cooling plate 113 (step S5 in FIG. 6).

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 50 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 70, and then transferred to the cassette C of the predetermined mounting plate 14 by the wafer transfer device 21 of the cassette station 4. In this way, a series of processing (photolithographic processing) is completed, and a predetermined resist pattern is formed on the wafer W.

  According to the above embodiment, when starting the coating and developing treatment system 1, the heating plates 112a to 112d of the respective heat treatment units 40 to 43 are heated stepwise based on the temperature rising recipe. The peak value of power consumption at the time of 1 start-up can be lowered. Therefore, the capacity of the electrical equipment installed at the upper level of the electrical system of the coating and developing treatment system 1 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where the temperature of each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is increased all at once. Thereby, the expense required for installation of electrical equipment can be reduced. In addition, since the difference between the power consumption at the start of the coating and developing treatment system 1, that is, at the peak time and the power consumption during normal operation becomes small, electric equipment such as a transformer installed at the upper level of the coating and developing treatment system 1 is installed. It can be operated at a point closer to the rated point than before. For this reason, the efficiency at the time of operation | movement of an electrical installation can go up, and the loss of energy can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the temperature increase of the heat treatment units 40 to 43, each heat treatment is performed in order to raise the temperature while transferring the heat dissipated from the heat treatment unit whose temperature has been completed or the heat treatment unit being heated to other heat treatment units. The time required for raising the temperature of the units 40 to 43 can be shortened.

  In the above-described embodiment, after the heating of all the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is completed, the loading of the wafer W into the coating and developing treatment unit 1 is started, but the rise of all the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is started. When the wafer W is carried into the coating / development processing unit 1 before the temperature is completed and the wafer W is heated in each heat treatment unit 40 to 43 in accordance with the processing order of the wafer W set in the processing recipe, each heat treatment unit 40 to 43 is heated. You may control the temperature start time of each heat processing unit 40-43 so that the temperature increase of 43 may be completed previously.

  Specifically, for example, when the temperature is increased according to the procedure shown in FIG. 10, the time required for the wafer W carried into the coating and developing treatment unit 1 to be carried into the heat treatment unit 42 according to the processing recipe is determined as follows. It is assumed that the time Hx is shorter than the temperature raising period Hc1 of the hot plate 112c. Then, when the wafer W is loaded into the coating / development processing unit 1 when the heating of the hot plate 112b of the heat treatment unit 41 is completed, the temperature of the heat treatment unit 42 is increased when the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment unit 42 according to the processing recipe. The temperature is not completed, and the processing of the wafer W is congested. In this case, for example, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 10, the timing of starting the temperature increase of the heat plate 112c of the heat treatment unit 42 is not during the temperature increase of the heat plate 112b but after the temperature increase of the heat plate 112b. If the temperature increase recipe is set in advance so that the period from the completion of the temperature increase of the plate 112b to the completion of the temperature increase of the heat plate 112c is shorter than the time Hx, the temperature increase of the heat plate 112c is appropriately controlled by the control device 150. Thus, the processing of the wafer W does not become congested. Further, by controlling the temperature increase in this way, the waiting time from the start of the coating and developing treatment system 1 to the start of processing of the wafer W can be shortened, so that the productivity of the coating and developing treatment system 1 is improved. Can be made. Since the method for avoiding the processing congestion of the wafer W in the hot plates 112d and 112a for performing the heat treatment after the hot plate 112c is the same, the description thereof is omitted.

  It should be noted that by increasing the timing of starting the heating of each of the heat plates 112a to 112d, for example, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 11, a plurality of heat treatment units 40 to 43 correspond to the rated value of the electric heater 121. May be supplied at the same time. In such a case, the power consumption in the coating and developing treatment system 1 may exceed the rated value of the upper power system, and for example, a protective relay installed in the electrical system may trip. Therefore, in order to prevent such a trip of the protective relay or the like, for example, a detection unit 152 that monitors the total amount of electric power supplied to the electric heater 121 of each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is provided and detected by the detection unit 152. Control may be performed to limit the amount of power supplied to each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 by the control device 150 so that the total amount of power consumption does not exceed a predetermined value, for example, a setting value of a protection operation such as a protection relay. .

  When the amount of power supplied to each heat treatment unit 40 to 43 is limited so as not to exceed the set value of the protective operation of the protective relay or the like, for example, the order of the heat treatment of the wafer W set in the process recipe is reversed. In the order, that is, in the present embodiment, the amount of power supplied to each heat treatment unit may be decreased in the order of the heat treatment units 40, 43, 42, and 41. By doing so, even if it is necessary to limit the amount of power supplied to each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 by the control device 150, the heat treatment units 40 to 43 are increased in accordance with the processing order of the wafers W set in the processing recipe. The temperature can be continued. For this reason, the processing of the wafer W is not interrupted due to the fact that the heating of the hot plate 112 has not been completed.

  In the above embodiment, one electric heater 121 is provided for one hot plate 112. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the hot plate 112 is divided into three concentric regions A1 to A3. And it is good also as a structure which can each provide the electric heater 121 in each area | region, and can set temperature for every area | region. By providing a plurality of regions A1 to A3 in the hot plate 112 in this way, for example, when the temperature of the hot plate 112 is raised, the temperature is raised from the outside to the inside of the hot plate 112, that is, in order from the region A1 to the region A3. Can start. Thereby, the heat of area | region A1 can be transmitted in the direction which goes to area | region A3, and the consumption of the electric power required for the temperature rising of the heat plate 112 can further be suppressed. In addition, in FIG. 12, although three area | regions A1-A3 are drawn, the number of divisions is not limited to three, Moreover, the shape of a division does not need to be concentric, for example, A fan shape or the like may be used.

  Moreover, when restrict | limiting the quantity of the electric power supplied to each heat processing unit 40-43 by the control apparatus 150, for example, supply of the electric power to all the electric heaters 121 of area | region A1-A3 of the hot plate 112 is restrict | limited at once. Instead, for example, the control may be performed so as to restrict the inner region, that is, the region A3 to the region A1. Thus, even when the amount of power supplied to the region A2 and the region A3 is limited by the control device 150, the temperature of the region A1 and the region A2 can be increased by heat conduction from the region A1, for example.

  In the temperature increase recipe in the above embodiment, the temperature increase start order is set so that the order of temperature increase start of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 and the order of heat treatment of the wafers W in the process recipe match. However, as the order of temperature increase start set in the temperature increase recipe, for example, the temperature increase of the hot plate 112 from the start of temperature increase to the completion of temperature increase is started in ascending order, or stacked in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the heat treatment units 40 to 43 arranged may be started in the order from the heat treatment unit 40 arranged below to the heat treatment unit 43 arranged above.

  In the case where the temperature increase is started in the order from the shortest establishment time from the start of the temperature increase of the heat plate 112 to the completion of the temperature increase, for example, the time required for the temperature increase in FIG. 10 is as short as possible, that is, the heat plates 112c, 112a, 112b, 112d. A temperature rising recipe is set in order. When the temperature raising recipe is set in this way, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the temperature of the hot plates 112a to 112d of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is increased. In this case, the hot plate, for example, the hot plate 112c, which has a short establishment time until completion of the temperature increase, can transfer heat to other heat treatment units with a small amount of electric power after reaching the set temperature Tc.

  Further, according to the verification by the inventors, for example, the heat dissipated from the heat treatment unit 41 is more easily transmitted to the heat treatment unit 42 than the heat treatment unit 40. That is, the heat dissipated from one heat treatment unit is more easily transmitted to the heat treatment unit located above the heat treatment unit located below. Therefore, the temperature rise may be started in the order of the heat treatment units 40 to 43, that is, the heat treatment units 40, 41, 42, and 43 from the bottom. In such a case, each of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 can be heated most efficiently.

  Note that, for example, when the temperature of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 is increased in the order from the bottom to the top, or when the temperature is increased in the order of the establishment time until the completion of the temperature increase of the heat treatment unit 40, the program storage unit 151 of the control device 150 is used. These temperature rising recipes may be stored, and a plurality of temperature rising recipes may be selected in combination when the coating and developing treatment system 1 is started. Furthermore, when a plurality of temperature rising recipes are selected at the same time, it may be possible to select which temperature rising recipe has priority.

  A case where a plurality of temperature rising recipes are selected simultaneously will be described. For example, in order for the installation temperature of the hot plates 112a to 112d of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 to correspond to a plurality of processing recipes, for example, as shown in FIG. Are set to different values. In FIG. 14, for example, the set temperature of the areas 204 and 207 is 180 ° C., the set temperature of the area 201 is 200 ° C., the set temperature of the areas 202, 205, 206 and 208 is 250 ° C., and the set temperature of the area 203 is 350 ° C. Is set. As for the temperature increasing order, the temperature increasing recipe is selected based on the order of the processing recipe, and the one that increases the temperature of the heat treatment units 40 to 43 in order from the top to the bottom, and the temperature is increased in the order of the processing recipe. Priority shall be selected. In addition, the heat processing in a process recipe shall be performed in order of the areas 201-208. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, first, in the processing recipe, the heating of the areas 201 and 202 where the wafer W is first heated and the area 207 arranged at the lowest stage is started.

  Next, when the temperature increase of the area 207 having the lowest set temperature is completed, the temperature increase of the area 203 where the wafer W is heated next to the area 202 and the area 208 arranged in the lowermost stage is started (FIG. 15 periods K1).

  Thereafter, when the area 201 reaches the set temperature, the temperature of the area 204 in which the wafer W is heated next to the area 203 is started (period K2 in FIG. 15).

  Thereafter, the area 202 reaches the set temperature, and the area 204 that has been heated in advance by heat transfer from the area 201 and the area 202 also reaches the set temperature, and the area 205 that heats the wafer W next to the area 204. Is started (period K3 in FIG. 15). Thereafter, when the area 204 reaches the set temperature, the temperature increase of the area 206 is started (period K4 in FIG. 15), and the temperature increase of the hot plate is completed in all areas.

  Even when a plurality of temperature increase recipes are selected as described above, the power supplied to the electric heater 121 may naturally be limited by the control device 150. In such a case, the power limitation is controlled so that the power limitation is performed in order from the last temperature increase started in the selected temperature increase recipe.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood. The present invention is not limited to this example and can take various forms. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is another substrate such as an FPD (flat panel display) other than a wafer or a mask reticle for a photomask.

  The present invention is useful for raising the temperature of a heating apparatus for a substrate processing system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating / development processing system 2 Cassette station 3 Processing station 4 Exposure apparatus 5 Interface station 10 Cassette carrying-in part 11 Wafer conveyance part 11
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Cassette mounting base 13 Cassette mounting board 20 Transfer path 21 Wafer transfer apparatus 30 Development processing unit 31 Lower antireflection film forming unit 32 Resist coating unit 33 Upper antireflection film forming unit 40-43 Heat treatment unit 50-56 Delivery unit 60- 62 Transfer unit 70 to 73 Wafer transfer device 80 Shuttle transfer device 90 Wafer transfer device 100 Wafer transfer device 110 Processing container 111 Loading / unloading port 112 Hot plate 113 Cooling plate 121 Electric heater 122 Through hole 123 Lifting pin 124 Lifting drive mechanism 125 Holding member 126 Support ring 131 Through hole 132 Elevating pin 133 Elevating drive mechanism 134 Holding member 135 Support ring 150 Control device 151 Program storage unit 152 Detection means 201-208 Area W E c F cup D wafer transfer region C cassette

Claims (12)

In a substrate processing system comprising a plurality of heating devices for heating a substrate and processing a substrate according to an order set in a predetermined processing recipe, a method for controlling temperature rise of the plurality of heating devices,
A rule for raising the temperature of the heating device in the substrate processing sequence set in the predetermined processing recipe;
Among the plurality of heating devices that are stacked in the vertical direction, a rule that raises the temperature in the order of the heating device that is disposed above from the heating device that is disposed below,
A rule for increasing the temperature in the order of the heating device in which the establishment time is short from the heating device in which the establishment time from the start of temperature increase to the completion of temperature increase is short,
The temperature of the plurality of heating devices is increased according to a rule combining at least one of these or two or more,
A temperature of the plurality of heating devices is increased while transferring heat dissipated from the one heating device to the other heating device as the temperature of the one heating device is increased. Temperature control method. In the case of heating the heating device in the processing sequence of the substrate set in the predetermined processing recipe,
Before each heating device heats the substrate in accordance with the processing sequence of the substrate set in the processing recipe, the timing for starting the heating of each heating device is set so that the temperature raising of the heating device is completed in advance. The method of controlling temperature rise of a heating device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed. The total amount of power consumed by the plurality of heating devices is monitored, and the amount of power supplied to each heating device is controlled so that the total amount of power consumption does not exceed a predetermined value. The temperature rising control method of the heating apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The heating device temperature increase control method according to claim 3, wherein the amount of electric power supplied to the heating device is decreased in an order reverse to the substrate processing order set in the processing recipe. Each of the plurality of heating devices includes a heating plate for placing and heating the substrate,
The heating plate is partitioned into a plurality of regions, and the temperature can be set for each region.
5. The temperature of the heat treatment plate according to claim 1, wherein, when the temperature of the heating plate is raised, the temperature of the heat treatment plate is raised so that heat is transferred in a direction from the outside of the heating plate toward the inside of the heating plate. Method for controlling temperature rise of heating device. A program that operates on a computer of a control device that controls the substrate processing system in order to cause the substrate processing system to execute the temperature raising control method of the heating device according to claim 1. A readable computer storage medium storing the program according to claim 6. A substrate processing system comprising a plurality of heating devices for heating a substrate and processing a substrate according to an order set in a predetermined processing recipe,
A rule for raising the temperature of the heating device in the substrate processing sequence set in the predetermined processing recipe;
Among the plurality of heating devices that are stacked in the vertical direction, a rule that raises the temperature in the order of the heating device that is disposed above from the heating device that is disposed below,
A rule for increasing the temperature in the order of the heating device in which the establishment time is short from the heating device in which the establishment time from the start of temperature increase to the completion of temperature increase is short,
A controller that raises the temperature of the plurality of heating devices according to a rule that combines at least one of these or two or more,
The plurality of heating devices are arranged so that heat dissipated from the one heating device as the temperature of the one heating device is transferred to another heating device. system. In the case where the controller raises the temperature of the heating device in the processing order of the substrate set in the predetermined processing recipe,
Before each heating device heats the substrate in accordance with the substrate processing sequence set in the processing recipe, the heating start timing of each heating device is further controlled so that the temperature raising of each heating device is completed in advance. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein: The control device monitors the total amount of power consumed by the plurality of heating devices, and controls to reduce the amount of power supplied to each heating device so that the total amount of power consumption does not exceed a predetermined value. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, further comprising: 11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the control device performs control to reduce an amount of electric power supplied to the heating device in an order reverse to a processing order of substrates set in the processing recipe. Substrate processing system. The plurality of heating devices each include a heating plate for placing and heating the substrate,
The heating plate is partitioned into a plurality of regions, and the temperature can be set for each region.
When the temperature of the heating plate is raised, the control device further performs a control of raising the temperature of the heat treatment plate so that heat is transmitted from the outer peripheral portion of the heating plate toward the inside of the heating plate. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the substrate processing system is characterized.

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