JP2011049353A - Application film forming method, program, computer storage medium, and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the throughput of substrate processing by efficiently forming an application film on a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: A wafer which is temperature-controlled in a heat treatment apparatus, is transferred to a resist application device. In the resist application device, resist liquid is applied on the wafer by supplying the resist liquid to the center of the wafer, while rotating the wafer (step S2). Then, the wafer is transferred to a drying container, and the resist liquid on the wafer is dried to form a resist film (step S3). Then, the wafer is transferred to a cleaning device, and the resist film in the peripheral part of the wafer is removed (step S4). Then, the wafer is transferred to a heat treatment apparatus, and prebake treatment is performed (step S5). Thus, the predetermined resist film is formed on the wafer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating film forming method for forming a coating film on a substrate, a program, a computer storage medium, and a substrate processing system.

  For example, in a photolithography process in the manufacture of a semiconductor device, for example, a resist coating process for applying a resist solution on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) to form a resist film, a heating process for heating the resist film, and the resist An exposure process for exposing the film to a predetermined pattern, a development process for developing the exposed resist film, and the like are sequentially performed to form a predetermined resist pattern on the wafer.

  Various coating processes such as the resist coating process described above are performed in a coating processing apparatus, for example. In the coating processing apparatus, first, the coating liquid is supplied from the nozzle to the central portion of the rotating wafer, and the coating liquid is applied on the wafer by diffusing the coating liquid on the wafer by centrifugal force. Subsequently, the wafer is rotated to adjust the film thickness of the coating solution on the wafer, and then the wafer is further rotated for a predetermined time to dry the coating solution. Thereafter, the back surface and peripheral edge of the wafer are cleaned (Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-71960 A

  As described above, the conventional coating processing apparatus performs many processes such as coating of the coating liquid, adjustment of the coating film thickness, and drying of the coating liquid on the wafer. Processing time was long. In particular, it took a long time to dry the coating solution. As a result, it has been difficult to achieve the high throughput of wafer processing that has been required in recent years.

  Here, in order to meet the demand for high throughput of wafer processing, it is conceivable to increase the number of coating processing apparatuses, but in this case, the manufacturing cost of the apparatus increases. Also, in the coating processing equipment, by drying the coating solution in a high temperature atmosphere or drying the coating solution in a He gas atmosphere, it is easy to volatilize the solvent in the coating solution and shorten the drying time of the coating solution. It is also considered to do. However, even if any method is used, the effect of shortening the time of the whole coating process is small, and the throughput of the entire wafer processing has not been greatly improved.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently form a coating film on a substrate and improve the throughput of substrate processing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method for forming a coating film on a substrate, wherein the coating solution is supplied to the central portion of the substrate while rotating the substrate in the coating processing apparatus, Coating process for diffusing the entire surface of the substrate, and then immediately transporting the substrate from the coating processing apparatus to the drying container, placing the substrate in the drying container, and naturally drying the coating liquid on the substrate and coating A drying step of forming a film, wherein the drying container can accommodate a plurality of substrates, and the drying step is performed on the plurality of substrates in the drying vessel. In addition, natural drying means volatilizing the solvent in the coating liquid on the substrate by placing the substrate in an atmosphere in a drying container for a predetermined time.

  According to the coating film forming method of the present invention, since the coating liquid applied on the substrate is dried in a drying container different from the coating processing apparatus, the processing time of the substrate in the coating processing apparatus can be greatly shortened. it can. Here, the inventors examined, in this state, that is, when the heat treatment is performed without drying the coating liquid on the substrate at all, the substrate is greatly affected by the heating temperature distribution during the heat treatment. It was found that a coating film having a uniform film thickness could not be formed thereon. Therefore, in the present invention, after the coating liquid is applied onto the substrate by the coating processing apparatus, the substrate is transported to the drying container, and the coating liquid on the substrate is naturally dried in the drying container. Thereby, a coating film having a uniform film thickness can be formed on the substrate. In addition, since the drying container accommodates a plurality of substrates and dries the coating liquid on the plurality of substrates in parallel, the coating film can be efficiently formed on the substrates. As described above, the processing time can be shortened by the coating processing apparatus, and a plurality of substrates can be processed in parallel in the drying container, so that the throughput of the substrate processing can be improved.

  After the drying step, the substrate is transferred from the drying container to the cleaning device, and in the cleaning device, the cleaning step of removing the coating film on the peripheral portion of the substrate, and then the substrate is transferred from the cleaning device to the heat treatment device, The heat treatment apparatus may further include a heating step of heat-treating the coating film on the substrate.

  In addition, after the drying step, the substrate is transferred from the drying container to a heat treatment apparatus, and in the heat treatment apparatus, a heating step of heat-treating the coating film on the substrate, and then the substrate is transferred from the heat treatment apparatus to the cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus may further include a cleaning step of removing the coating film on the peripheral edge of the substrate.

  In the drying step, the temperature of the atmosphere in the drying container may be higher than 23 ° C.

  In the drying step, the humidity of the atmosphere in the drying container may be lower than 45%.

  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 coating film forming method to be executed by the substrate processing system.

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

  According to still another aspect, the present invention is a substrate processing system for forming a coating film on a substrate, and includes a rotation holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate, and a coating liquid nozzle that supplies the coating liquid to the substrate. A substrate is transported between the coating processing apparatus, a drying container capable of mounting a plurality of substrates therein, and drying the coating liquid on the substrate to form a coating film, and the coating processing apparatus and the drying container. And a transfer arm.

  A cleaning device that removes the coating film on the peripheral edge of the substrate; and a heat treatment device that heat-treats the coating film on the substrate; and the transfer arm transfers the substrate to the cleaning device and the heat treatment device. Also good.

  The transfer arm may include a holding unit that holds the back surface of the substrate.

  In addition, the transfer arm has a holding portion that holds the peripheral portion of the substrate, and the holding surface of the holding portion has a peripheral portion of the substrate so as not to contact a coating solution or a coating film attached to the peripheral portion of the substrate. It may be inclined upward from the horizontal direction toward the outside.

  An exhaust pipe for exhausting the internal atmosphere may be connected to the drying container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently form a coating film on a substrate and improve the throughput of substrate processing.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the substrate processing system concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a substrate processing system. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a substrate processing system. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a resist coating device. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a resist coating apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a washing | cleaning apparatus. It is a perspective view of a drying container. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a drying container. It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of a wafer conveyance apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the main processes of a resist film formation process. It is a flowchart which shows the main processes of the resist film formation process concerning other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the substrate processing system concerning other embodiment. It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the wafer conveyance apparatus concerning other embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of a part of structure of the conveyance arm concerning other embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the internal configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 as a substrate processing system according to the present invention. 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 includes, for example, a cassette station 2 in which a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is carried in and out, and a predetermined single-wafer type in a photolithography process. It has a configuration in which a processing station 3 including a plurality of various processing apparatuses that perform processing and an interface station 5 that transfers the wafer W between the exposure apparatus 4 adjacent to the processing station 3 are integrally connected. .

  The cassette station 2 is provided with a cassette mounting table 10. The cassette mounting table 10 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four cassette mounting plates 11. The cassette mounting plates 11 are arranged in a line in the horizontal X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The cassette C can be placed on these cassette placement plates 11 when the cassette C is carried into and out of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  The cassette station 2 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 direction (θ direction), and the cassette C on each cassette mounting plate 11 and a delivery device for a third block G3 of the processing station 3 to be described later. The wafer W can be transferred between the two.

  The processing station 3 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four blocks G1, G2, G3, and G4 having various devices. 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. 3, a plurality of liquid processing devices, for example, a developing device 30 for developing the wafer W, an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as “lower antireflection”) on the lower layer of the resist film of the wafer W. A lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31 for forming a film), a resist coating apparatus 32 for forming a resist film by applying a resist solution as a coating liquid to the wafer W, and a cleaning for removing the coating film on the peripheral portion of the wafer W. An apparatus 33 and an upper antireflection film forming apparatus 34 for forming an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as “upper antireflection film”) on the resist film of the wafer W are stacked in order from the bottom.

  For example, the developing devices 30 are arranged in three layers in the horizontal direction and in two layers in the vertical direction. Further, for example, three lower antireflection film forming devices 31, resist coating device 32, cleaning device 33, and upper antireflection film forming device 34 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The number and arrangement of the developing device 30, the lower antireflection film forming device 31, the resist coating device 32, the cleaning device 33, and the upper antireflection film forming device 34 can be arbitrarily selected.

  For example, in the second block G2, as shown in FIG. 2, there are a heat treatment apparatus 40 for performing heat treatment of the wafer W, an adhesion apparatus 41 for hydrophobizing the wafer W, and a peripheral exposure apparatus 42 for exposing the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W. They are arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions. The heat treatment apparatus 40 includes a hot plate for placing and heating the wafer W and a cooling plate for placing and cooling the wafer W, and can perform both heat treatment and cooling treatment. In addition, the number and arrangement | positioning of the heat processing apparatus 40, the adhesion apparatus 41, and the peripheral exposure apparatus 42 can be selected arbitrarily.

  For example, in the third block G3, a plurality of delivery devices 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 are provided in order from the bottom. A plurality of wafers W can be placed between the transfer device 54 and the transfer device 55, that is, at a height corresponding to the resist coating device 32 and the cleaning device 33, and the resist solution on the wafer W is naturally dried. A drying container 60 for forming a resist film is provided. The fourth block G4 is provided with a plurality of delivery devices 70, 71, 72 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. For example, a wafer transfer device 80 is disposed in the wafer transfer region D.

  The wafer transfer device 80 has a transfer arm that is movable in the Y direction, the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 80 moves in the wafer transfer area D, and transfers the wafer W to a predetermined device in the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3, and fourth block G4. it can.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of wafer transfer apparatuses 80 are arranged in the vertical direction, and can transfer the wafer W to a predetermined apparatus having the same height of each of the blocks G1 to G4, for example.

  In the wafer conveyance region D, a wafer conveyance device 90 is disposed at a height corresponding to the resist coating device 32, the cleaning device 33, and the drying container 60. The wafer transfer device 90 has a transfer arm having a different shape from the transfer arm of the wafer transfer device 80.

  The wafer transfer device 90 moves in the wafer transfer area D, and transfers the wafer W to a predetermined device in the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3, and fourth block G4. it can. Details of the configuration of the wafer transfer apparatus 90 will be described later.

  Further, in the wafer transfer region D, a shuttle transfer device 100 that transfers the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided.

  The shuttle transport device 100 is linearly movable in the Y direction, for example. The shuttle transfer device 100 moves in the Y direction while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W between the transfer device 52 of the third block G3 and the transfer device 72 of the fourth block G4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer device 110 is provided next to the third block G3 on the positive side in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 110 has a transfer arm that is movable in the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 110 can move up and down while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W to each delivery device in the third block G3.

  The interface station 5 is provided with a wafer transfer device 120 and a delivery device 121. The wafer transfer device 120 has a transfer arm that is movable in the Y direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 120 can transfer the wafer W between each transfer device, the transfer device 121 and the exposure device 4 in the fourth block G4, for example, by supporting the wafer W on a transfer arm.

  Next, the configuration of the resist coating apparatus 32 described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the resist coating apparatus 32 has a processing container 150 that can seal the inside. As shown in FIG. 5, a loading / unloading port 151 for the wafer W is formed on one side surface of the processing container 150, and an opening / closing shutter 152 is provided at the loading / unloading port 151.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a spin chuck 160 as a rotation holding unit that holds and rotates the wafer W is provided inside the processing container 150. The spin chuck 160 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking, for example, the wafer W is provided on the upper surface. By suction from the suction port, the wafer W can be sucked and held on the spin chuck 160.

  The spin chuck 160 has a drive mechanism 161 including a motor, for example, and can be rotated at a predetermined speed by the drive mechanism 161. The drive mechanism 161 is provided with an elevating drive source such as a cylinder, and the spin chuck 160 can be moved up and down.

  A guide ring 162 having a mountain-shaped cross section is provided below the spin chuck 160, and the peripheral edge of the guide ring 162 is bent downward and extends. Around the spin chuck 160, the wafer W held by the spin chuck 160 and the guide ring 162, a cup 163 that receives and collects the liquid scattered or dropped from the wafer W is provided.

  The cup 163 is formed with an opening larger than the wafer W on the upper surface so that the spin chuck 160 can move up and down, and a gap 164 is formed between the side peripheral surface and the peripheral edge of the guide ring 162. Has been. The lower part of the cup 163 forms a curved path together with the peripheral part of the guide ring 162 to constitute a gas-liquid separation part. An exhaust port 165 for exhausting the atmosphere in the cup 163 is formed in the inner region at the bottom of the cup 163, and an exhaust pipe 165a is connected to the exhaust port 165. Further, a drain port 166 for discharging the collected liquid is formed in the outer region of the bottom of the cup 163, and a drain pipe 166a is connected to the drain port 166.

  Above the spin chuck 160, a resist solution nozzle 170 as a coating solution nozzle for supplying a resist solution onto the wafer W is disposed. A supply pipe 172 communicating with the resist solution supply source 171 is connected to the resist solution nozzle 170. A resist solution is stored in the resist solution supply source 171. The supply pipe 172 is provided with a supply device group 173 including a valve for controlling the flow of the resist solution, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like.

  The resist solution nozzle 170 is connected to a moving mechanism 175 via an arm 174 as shown in FIG. The arm 174 is moved by a moving mechanism 175 along a guide rail 176 extending in the length direction (Y direction) of the processing container 150, and a waiting area 177 provided outside one end side (right side in FIG. 5) of the cup 163. Can move toward one end side of the cup 163 and can move in the vertical direction.

  Next, the configuration of the above-described cleaning device 33 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning device 33 has a processing container 180 that can seal the inside. A loading / unloading port (not shown) for the wafer W is formed on one side surface of the processing container 180.

  A spin chuck 190 that holds and rotates the wafer W as shown in FIG. 6 is provided inside the processing container 180. The spin chuck 190 has a drive mechanism 191. Note that the configurations of the spin chuck 190 and the drive mechanism 191 are the same as the configurations of the spin chuck 160 and the drive mechanism 161 of the resist coating apparatus 32, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Around the spin chuck 190, there is provided a cup 192 that receives and collects the liquid scattered or dropped from the wafer W. A discharge port 193 for discharging the collected liquid is formed at the bottom of the cup 192, and a drain pipe 193a is connected to the discharge port 193.

  Below the spin chuck 190, cleaning liquid nozzles 200 and 200 for injecting a cleaning liquid from the back surface side of the wafer W to the peripheral edge of the wafer W are provided, for example, at two locations. A supply pipe 202 communicating with the cleaning liquid supply source 201 is connected to the cleaning liquid nozzle 200. In the cleaning liquid supply source 201, a cleaning liquid, for example, a thinner that is a solvent of a resist liquid is stored. The supply pipe 202 is provided with a supply device group 203 including a valve for controlling the flow of the solvent, a flow rate adjusting unit, and the like. Note that pure water may be used as the cleaning liquid.

  Next, the configuration of the drying container 60 described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the drying container 60 has a housing 210 that can be sealed inside. A load / unload port for the wafer W is formed on one side surface of the housing 210, and an opening / closing shutter 211 is provided at the load / unload port. The opening / closing shutter 211 is moved up and down by, for example, an opener (not shown), and the loading / unloading port is opened and closed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a placement unit 212 that holds and places the wafer W is provided inside the housing 210. The mounting portions 212 are provided at a plurality of places, for example, 15 places at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. Thus, the drying container 60 can accommodate and place a plurality of wafers W therein.

  An exhaust pipe 213 that exhausts the internal atmosphere is connected to the casing 210. The exhaust pipe 213 is connected to a negative pressure generator (not shown) such as a pump, for example, and can forcibly exhaust the atmosphere in the housing 210.

  Next, the configuration of the wafer transfer device 90 described above will be described. The wafer transfer device 90 has two linear transfer arms 220 and 220 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. The transfer arm 220 can be expanded and contracted in the horizontal direction, and is movable in the θ direction and the vertical direction. The transfer arm 220 is provided with holding portions 221 and 221 that suck and hold the back surface of the wafer W, for example, at two locations. The holding arm 221 allows the transfer arm 220 to hold the wafer W horizontally.

  The transfer arm 220 is supported by the support unit 222. The support part 222 is attached to, for example, a rail (not shown) provided in the second block G2 and extending in the Y direction. Thereby, the wafer transfer device 90 can move in the wafer transfer region D.

  The coating and developing processing system 1 is provided with a control device 230 as shown in FIG. The control device 230 is, for example, a computer and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit includes a rotation operation and an up / down operation of the spin chuck 160 of the resist coating device 32, a movement operation and a supply operation of the resist solution of the resist solution nozzle 170, a rotation operation and an up / down operation of the spin chuck 190 of the cleaning device 33, and a cleaning solution. A program for controlling the cleaning liquid supply operation of the nozzle 200 and the movement operation of the wafer transfer device 90 is stored. In addition, the program storage unit controls the operation of drive systems such as the above-described various processing apparatuses and transfer apparatuses, so that a predetermined action of the coating and developing processing system 1 described later, that is, the resist solution to the wafer W is supplied. A program for realizing application, development, exposure, heat treatment, transfer of wafer W, control of each apparatus, and the like is also stored. The program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical desk (MO), or a memory card. May have been installed in the control device 230 from the storage medium H.

  Next, a processing method of the wafer W performed using the coating and developing processing system 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing main steps when a resist film is formed on the wafer W in such wafer processing.

  First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is placed on a predetermined cassette placement plate 11 of the cassette station 2 shown in FIG. Thereafter, the wafers W in the cassette C are sequentially taken out by the wafer transfer device 21 and transferred to, for example, the transfer device 53 of the third block G3 of the processing station 3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80, and the temperature is adjusted. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the lower antireflection film forming device 31 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 80, and a lower antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2, heated, temperature-controlled, and then returned to the transfer apparatus 53 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 110 to the delivery device 54 of the same third block G3. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the adhesion device 41 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer device 80 and subjected to an adhesion process. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80, and the temperature is adjusted (step S1 in FIG. 10).

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 80 to the resist coating device 32 of the first block G1. The wafer W carried into the resist coating device 32 is first sucked and held by the spin chuck 160. Subsequently, the resist solution nozzle 170 moves to above the center of the wafer W. Thereafter, the resist solution is supplied from the resist solution nozzle 170 to the central portion of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W at a predetermined rotation speed. The resist solution is supplied for 7 seconds, for example. Then, the resist solution is diffused on the surface of the wafer W by centrifugal force. Even after the supply of the resist solution from the resist solution nozzle 170 is stopped, the wafer W is continuously rotated for a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds. Then, the resist solution is diffused over the entire surface of the wafer W, and the surplus portion of the resist solution on the wafer W is shaken off to adjust the film thickness of the resist solution. Thus, the resist solution is applied onto the wafer W (step S2 in FIG. 10).

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the drying container 60 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 90 in a state where the resist solution is not dried, that is, in a so-called semi-dry state. In the drying container 60, the wafer W is placed on the placement unit 212. At this time, the atmosphere in the drying container 60 is maintained at a temperature of 23 ° C. and a humidity of 45%, for example. Then, after elapse of a predetermined time, for example, 150 seconds, the solvent component of the resist solution on the wafer W volatilizes with time, and the resist solution is dried. Thus, a resist film is formed on the wafer W (step S3 in FIG. 10).

  As described above, the drying container 60 can accommodate a plurality of wafers W, and the resist solutions on the plurality of wafers W can be dried in parallel.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 90 to the cleaning device 33 of the first block G1. The wafer W carried into the cleaning device 33 is first sucked and held by the spin chuck 190. Next, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the spin chuck 190. Then, the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 200 onto the rotating wafer W. With this cleaning liquid, the resist film on the peripheral portion of the wafer W is removed (step S4 in FIG. 10). Thereafter, when the resist film on the peripheral portion is completely removed, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle 200 is stopped, and the wafer W is rotated to shake off and dry the cleaning liquid remaining on the wafer W.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80, and is pre-baked (step S5 in FIG. 10). In the pre-baking process, the resist film on the wafer W is heated and the excess solvent in the resist film is volatilized. As a result, a predetermined resist film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 80 to the delivery device 55 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the upper antireflection film forming device 34 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 80, and an upper antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80, heated, and the temperature is adjusted.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the peripheral exposure device 42 by the wafer transfer device 80 and subjected to peripheral exposure processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 80 to the delivery device 56 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer device 52 by the wafer transfer device 110, and transferred to the transfer device 72 of the fourth block G4 by the shuttle transfer device 100.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure device 4 by the wafer transfer device 120 of the interface station 5 and subjected to exposure processing.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred from the exposure apparatus 4 to the delivery apparatus 70 of the fourth block G4 by the wafer transfer apparatus 120. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80 and subjected to post-exposure baking. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the developing device 30 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 80 and developed. After the development is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 80 and subjected to a post baking process.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery device 50 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 80, and then transferred to the cassette C of the predetermined cassette mounting plate 11 by the wafer transfer device 21 of the cassette station 2. Thus, a series of photolithography steps is completed.

  According to the above embodiment, the resist coating device 32 performs the application of the resist solution on the wafer W and the film thickness adjustment of the resist solution, and does not dry the resist solution. The processing time for W can be significantly reduced as compared with the prior art. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the drying container 60 and the resist solution on the wafer W is dried, so that a resist film having a uniform film thickness can be formed on the wafer W. Moreover, since the drying container 60 can accommodate a plurality of wafers W, the resist solutions of the plurality of wafers W can be dried in parallel. Thereafter, the wafer can be transferred to the cleaning device 33 and the resist film on the peripheral edge of the wafer W can be removed and cleaned. As described above, the processing time can be shortened by the resist coating apparatus 32, and a plurality of wafers W can be processed in parallel by the drying container 60. Therefore, the time for wafer processing on the plurality of wafers W can be shortened. Can do. Therefore, the resist film can be efficiently formed on the wafer W, and the throughput of the entire wafer processing can be improved.

  For example, as a result of investigations by the inventors, when the resist solution is applied, the resist solution is dried, and the peripheral edge of the wafer is washed with one resist application device as in the past, for example, four resist application devices are used. 300 wph (wafer / hour: number of wafers W processed per hour) could not be realized. On the other hand, it was found that 300 wph can be sufficiently realized by using two resist coating apparatuses 32 and two cleaning apparatuses 33 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, three resist coating devices 32 and three cleaning devices 33 are arranged in the coating and developing treatment system 1, but as described above, the number of these devices can be arbitrarily selected. it can.

  Further, as a result of investigations by the inventors, when a resist solution is applied onto the wafer W by the resist coating device 32 and then the wafer W is transported to the heat treatment device 40 and prebaked, the heating temperature distribution of the wafer W during prebaking processing is obtained. Therefore, it was found that a resist film having a uniform film thickness cannot be formed on the wafer W. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, after the resist solution is applied onto the wafer W by the resist coating device 32, the resist solution on the wafer W is naturally dried by the drying container 60. Thereby, a resist film having a uniform thickness can be formed on the wafer W.

  In general, the resist solution is applied in a high exhaust state, and the resist solution is dried in a low exhaust state. Therefore, a conventional resist coating apparatus is provided with a damper that switches between high exhaust and low exhaust. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the resist solution coating and the resist solution drying are performed in different devices, that is, the resist coating device 32 and the drying container 60, respectively, so there is no need to switch the exhaust state in the device. A damper is not required.

  In the coating and developing treatment system 1 of the above embodiment, a wafer transfer device 90 is provided as a device for transferring the wafer W between the resist coating device 32, the drying container 60, and the cleaning device 33. The transfer arm 220 of the wafer transfer device 90 holds and transfers the back surface of the wafer W. For this reason, even if a resist solution or a resist film adheres to the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the resist solution or the resist film does not adhere to the transfer arm 220. Therefore, the resist solution and the resist film can be prevented from adhering to the succeeding wafer W via the transfer arm 220, so that an appropriate resist film can be formed on the wafer W.

  In the above embodiment, the pre-bake process is performed after the peripheral part of the wafer W is cleaned. However, the peripheral part of the wafer W may be cleaned after the pre-bake process as shown in FIG. In this case, when the resist solution on the wafer W is dried in the drying container 60, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 90, and is pre-baked (step T4 in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the cleaning device 33 by the wafer transfer device 90, and the resist film on the peripheral portion of the wafer W is removed (step T5 in FIG. 11). Since the other steps of the wafer processing are the same as those in the above embodiment, description thereof is omitted. Also in the present embodiment, the processing time can be shortened by the resist coating apparatus 32, and a plurality of wafers W can be processed in parallel by the drying container 60, so that the throughput of the entire wafer processing can be improved. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the drying container 60 is provided in the third block G3, but may be provided in the fourth block G4 as shown in FIG. In this case, the drying container 60 is disposed at a height corresponding to the wafer transfer device 90, that is, a height corresponding to the resist coating device 32 and the cleaning device 33. The drying device 60 may be provided in both the third block G3 and the fourth block G4.

  In the above embodiment, when the resist solution on the wafer W is dried, the temperature of the atmosphere in the drying container 60 is maintained at 23 ° C., but it may be higher than 23 ° C. In such a case, for example, a heater (not shown) may be provided in the drying container 60, or an inert gas heated to a predetermined temperature may be supplied into the drying container 60. Moreover, in the above embodiment, the humidity of the atmosphere in the drying container 60 was 45%, but the humidity may be lower than 45%. Furthermore, the atmosphere in the drying container 60 may be a temperature higher than 23 ° C. and a humidity lower than 45%. In any case, since the solvent component of the resist solution on the wafer W is easily volatilized, the drying time of the resist solution can be shortened.

  The wafer transfer apparatus 90 of the above embodiment may have a transfer arm having a shape different from that of the transfer arm 220. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the transfer arm 240 has a substantially C-shaped main body portion 241 having a diameter slightly larger than that of the wafer W. Inside the main body 241, holding parts 242 that protrude toward the inside and hold the peripheral edge of the wafer W are provided at a plurality of places, for example, four places. The holding arm 242 allows the transfer arm 240 to hold the wafer W horizontally.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the holding surface 242 a of the holding unit 242 is inclined upward from the peripheral edge of the wafer W outward than in the horizontal direction. For example, when the resist film R is formed on the wafer W by a predetermined recipe, the resist film R adheres to the peripheral portion of the wafer W with a certain film thickness and a certain length. The inclination angle of the holding surface 242a is set so as not to contact the resist film R at the peripheral edge of the wafer W.

  The transport arm 240 is supported by the support portion 243 as shown in FIG. The support portion 243 is attached to, for example, a rail (not shown) provided in the second block G2 and extending in the Y direction. Thereby, the wafer transfer device 90 can move in the wafer transfer region D.

  The wafer transfer apparatus 90 having the above configuration is similar to that in the above embodiment, between the resist coating apparatus 32, the drying container 60, and the cleaning apparatus 33, or between the resist coating apparatus 32, the drying container 60, the heat treatment apparatus 40, and the cleaning apparatus 33. Then, the wafer W is transferred. In this case, even if a resist solution or a resist film adheres to the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the resist solution or the resist film does not adhere to the transfer arm 240. Therefore, the resist solution and the resist film can be prevented from adhering to the succeeding wafer W via the transfer arm 240, so that an appropriate resist film can be formed on the wafer W.

  In the above embodiment, three resist coating apparatuses 32 are arranged in the horizontal direction, but these may be provided in one processing container. In such a case, for example, three cups 163 are arranged side by side inside the processing container 150. Similarly, the developing device 30, the lower antireflection film forming device 31, the cleaning device 33, and the upper antireflection film forming device 34 may be arranged with a plurality of cups arranged in one processing container.

  Although the case where the coating film is a resist film has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to the case where another coating film is formed on the wafer W. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a lower antireflection film or an upper antireflection film is formed on the wafer W as a coating film. In such a case, for example, the lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31 and the upper antireflection film forming apparatus 34 only apply the coating liquid onto the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transported to the drying container 60 and the coating liquid is dried to form a lower antireflection film and an upper antireflection film on the wafer W. Even in this case, the processing time in the lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31 and the upper antireflection film forming apparatus 34 can be shortened, and a plurality of wafers W can be processed in parallel in the drying container 60. Throughput of the entire process can be improved.

  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 when a coating film is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating | development processing system 32 Resist coating apparatus 33 Cleaning apparatus 40 Heat processing apparatus 60 Drying container 90 Wafer conveyance apparatus 160 Spin chuck 170 Resist liquid nozzle 190 Spin chuck 200 Cleaning liquid nozzle 212 Mounting part 213 Exhaust pipe 220 Transfer arm 221 Holding part 230 Control Device 240 Transfer arm 242 Holding part 242a Holding surface W Wafer

Claims (12)

A method of forming a coating film on a substrate,
In the coating processing apparatus, while rotating the substrate, a coating liquid is supplied to the center of the substrate, and the coating liquid is diffused over the entire surface of the substrate;
Thereafter, the substrate is immediately transferred from the coating treatment apparatus to a drying container, the substrate is placed in the drying container, and the coating liquid on the substrate is naturally dried to form a coating film, and
The said drying container can accommodate several board | substrates, The said drying process is performed with respect to several board | substrates in the said drying container, The coating film formation method characterized by the above-mentioned. After the drying step, the substrate is transferred from the drying container to a cleaning device, and the cleaning device removes the coating film on the peripheral edge of the substrate in the cleaning device;
2. The coating film formation according to claim 1, further comprising: a heating step of transporting the substrate from the cleaning device to a heat treatment device, wherein the heat treatment device heat-treats the coating film on the substrate. Method. After the drying step, the substrate is transferred from the drying container to a heat treatment apparatus, and in the heat treatment apparatus, a heating step of heat-treating the coating film on the substrate;
2. The coating film according to claim 1, further comprising: a cleaning step of transporting the substrate from the heat treatment apparatus to the cleaning apparatus, and removing the coating film on the peripheral portion of the substrate in the cleaning apparatus. Forming method. The coating film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the drying step, the temperature of the atmosphere in the drying container is higher than 23 ° C. The coating film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the drying step, the humidity of the atmosphere in the drying container is lower than 45%. 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 coating film forming method according to claim 1. A readable computer storage medium storing the program according to claim 6. A substrate processing system for forming a coating film on a substrate,
A coating processing apparatus including a rotation holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate, and a coating liquid nozzle that supplies the coating liquid to the substrate;
A plurality of substrates can be placed inside, a drying container that forms a coating film by naturally drying the coating liquid on the substrate, and
A substrate processing system comprising: a transfer arm for transferring a substrate between the coating processing apparatus and the drying container. A cleaning device for removing the coating film on the peripheral edge of the substrate;
A heat treatment apparatus that heat-treats the coating film on the substrate;
The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the transfer arm transfers the substrate to the cleaning device and the heat treatment device. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the transfer arm includes a holding unit that holds a back surface of the substrate. The transfer arm has a holding portion that holds a peripheral portion of the substrate,
The holding surface of the holding part is inclined upward from the horizontal direction toward the outside from the peripheral part of the substrate so as not to contact the coating liquid and / or the coating film attached to the peripheral part of the substrate. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 or 9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein an exhaust pipe for exhausting an internal atmosphere is connected to the drying container.

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