JP2014222761A - Substrate processing method and record medium recorded with program for executing substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing method which can prevent stopping of substrate processing when abnormality occurs at a part used for either one of edge exposure or substrate inspection.SOLUTION: In a substrate processing method of performing predetermined substrate processing by using a substrate processing device which can perform an edge exposure process of irradiating light by an irradiation part of an edge exposure part to expose a peripheral part of a substrate and a substrate inspection process of imaging an image of a substrate by an imaging part of a substrate inspection part to perform inspection of the substrate based on the imaged image, in the case where the predetermined substrate processing includes the edge exposure process and the substrate inspection process and abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection part, the edge exposure process is performed and the substrate inspection process is skipped when the abnormality is not caused in the edge exposure part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a recording medium on which a program for executing the substrate processing method is recorded.

  For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist coating process for forming a resist film on a substrate surface such as a wafer, an exposure process for irradiating a pattern by irradiating a pattern on the substrate surface, and developing the exposed substrate Each process such as development processing is performed. Such a coating and developing processing system for performing each process includes a coating apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and a developing apparatus in the system, and further includes a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate between these apparatuses. ing.

  Here, in the resist coating process, the resist film on the periphery of the substrate coated with the resist film is thickened, the film thickness uniformity on the substrate surface is reduced, or the surplus resist film on the periphery is peeled off. Particles may be generated. Therefore, peripheral exposure is performed to expose the peripheral portion of the substrate after the resist coating process so that the excess resist film on the peripheral portion of the substrate surface is removed during the development process (see, for example, Patent Document 1). . Accordingly, the coating and developing treatment system includes a peripheral exposure device for performing peripheral exposure processing.

  In addition, the substrate after the resist coating treatment is subjected to a substrate inspection by a substrate inspection apparatus to inspect whether there is a defect such as coating unevenness due to the resist coating treatment on the substrate surface, or whether a scratch or a foreign substance is attached. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). For example, an imaging device such as a CCD line sensor moves relative to a mounting table on which a substrate is mounted to capture an image of the substrate, and the captured image is processed to detect defects, scratches, and foreign matter. The presence or absence of adhesion is determined. Therefore, the coating and developing treatment system includes such an imaging device and includes a substrate inspection device for performing substrate inspection processing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-14670 JP 2007-240519 A

  However, the coating and developing process using such a peripheral exposure apparatus and a substrate inspection apparatus has the following problems.

  For example, when performing peripheral exposure processing and substrate inspection processing on a substrate after resist coating processing, the substrate transport device transports the substrate after resist coating processing into the peripheral exposure device to perform peripheral exposure processing, and then transport device However, the substrate after the peripheral exposure processing is transferred into the substrate inspection apparatus to perform the substrate inspection processing. Therefore, the substrate transport apparatus must transport the substrate to each of the peripheral exposure apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus, which increases the load on the substrate transport apparatus.

  Further, when both the peripheral exposure apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus are provided, the installation area (footprint) of the coating and developing treatment system increases.

  On the other hand, in order to reduce the load on the substrate transport apparatus and reduce the installation area of the coating and developing treatment system, it is considered that the peripheral exposure apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus may be integrated as the same substrate processing apparatus. However, when the peripheral exposure processing and the substrate inspection processing are performed by the same integrated substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing is performed even when an abnormality occurs in the portion used for either the peripheral exposure or the substrate inspection. There is a problem that the device stops.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and reduces the load on the substrate transfer device, reduces the installation area of the entire processing system, and is used for either one of peripheral exposure and substrate inspection processing. Provided is a substrate processing method capable of preventing substrate processing from stopping when an abnormality occurs.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is characterized by the following measures.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, a peripheral exposure step of irradiating light from the irradiation unit of the peripheral exposure unit to expose the peripheral portion of the substrate, and an image of the substrate is captured by the imaging unit of the substrate inspection unit A substrate inspection method for inspecting a substrate on the basis of the obtained image, and a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing the predetermined substrate processing, wherein the predetermined substrate processing is performed as the peripheral exposure step. Including the substrate inspection step, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection portion, if no abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure portion, the peripheral exposure step is performed and the substrate inspection step is skipped. A processing method is provided.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, a peripheral exposure step of exposing the peripheral portion of the substrate by irradiating light from the irradiation portion of the peripheral exposure portion, and an image of the substrate by the imaging portion of the substrate inspection portion. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing imaging and performing a substrate inspection step for inspecting a substrate based on the captured image, wherein the predetermined substrate processing is performed as described above. In the case where only the peripheral exposure process is included, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing the peripheral exposure process when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection part and no abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure part. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a peripheral exposure step of exposing the peripheral portion of the substrate by irradiating light from the irradiation portion of the peripheral exposure portion, and an image of the substrate by the imaging portion of the substrate inspection portion. A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing imaging and performing a substrate inspection step for inspecting a substrate based on the captured image, wherein the predetermined substrate processing is performed as described above. In the case of including only the substrate inspection process, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing the substrate inspection process when an abnormality has occurred in the peripheral exposure section and no abnormality has occurred in the substrate inspection section.

  According to the present invention, the load on the substrate transfer apparatus is reduced, the installation area of the entire processing system is reduced, and the substrate is used when an abnormality occurs in a portion used for peripheral exposure or substrate inspection. Processing can be prevented from stopping.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the resist pattern formation apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the resist pattern formation apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure of the resist pattern formation apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a 3rd block. It is a side view including the partial cross section of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a top view containing the partial cross section of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a light emission unit. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view and bottom view which show the structure of an irradiation unit. It is the perspective view and sectional drawing which show a mode that a wafer is peripherally exposed by the peripheral exposure part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control part of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of each process in the substrate processing method which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following, a case where the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied to a coating and developing apparatus will be described as an example.

  First, a resist pattern forming apparatus in which an exposure apparatus is connected to a coating and developing apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a resist pattern forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the resist pattern forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the resist pattern forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the third block (COT layer) B3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the resist pattern forming apparatus has a carrier block S1, a processing block S2, and an interface block S3. An exposure device S4 is provided on the interface block S3 side of the resist pattern forming apparatus. The processing block S2 is provided adjacent to the carrier block S1. The interface block S3 is provided on the side opposite to the carrier block S1 side of the processing block S2 so as to be adjacent to the processing block S2. The exposure apparatus S4 is provided on the side opposite to the processing block S2 side of the interface block S3 so as to be adjacent to the interface block S3.

  The carrier block S1 includes a carrier 20, a mounting table 21, and delivery means C. The carrier 20 is mounted on the mounting table 21. The delivery means C is for taking out the wafer W from the carrier 20 and delivering it to the processing block S 2, receiving the processed wafer W processed in the processing block S 2, and returning it to the carrier 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the processing block S2 includes a shelf unit U1, a shelf unit U2, a first block (DEV layer) B1, a second block (BCT layer) B2, a third block (COT layer) B3, A fourth block (TCT layer) B4 is included. The first block (DEV layer) B1 is for performing development processing. The second block (BCT layer) B2 is for performing an antireflection film forming process formed on the lower layer side of the resist film. The third block (COT layer) B3 is for performing a resist liquid coating process. The fourth block (TCT layer) B4 is for performing an antireflection film forming process formed on the upper layer side of the resist film.

  The shelf unit U1 is configured by stacking various modules. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the shelf unit U1 includes, for example, delivery modules TRS1, TRS1, CPL11, CPL2, BF2, CPL3, BF3, CPL4, and TRS4 stacked in order from the bottom. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer arm D which can be moved up and down is provided in the vicinity of the shelf unit U1. Wafers W are transferred by the transfer arm D between the processing modules of the shelf unit U1.

  The shelf unit U2 is configured by stacking various processing modules. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the shelf unit U2 includes delivery modules TRS6, TRS6, and CPL12 stacked in order from the bottom, for example.

  In FIG. 3, the delivery module attached with CPL also serves as a cooling module for temperature control, and the delivery module attached with BF also serves as a buffer module on which a plurality of wafers W can be placed. ing.

  The first block (DEV layer) B1 has a developing module 22, a transport arm A1, and a shuttle arm E as shown in FIGS. The development module 22 is stacked in two upper and lower stages in one first block (DEV layer) B1. The transfer arm A1 is for transferring the wafer W to the two-stage development module 22. That is, the transfer arm A1 is a common transfer arm for transferring the wafer W to the two-stage development module 22. The shuttle arm E is for directly transferring the wafer W from the delivery module CPL11 of the shelf unit U1 to the delivery module CPL12 of the shelf unit U2.

  The second block (BCT layer) B2, the third block (COT layer) B3, and the fourth block (TCT layer) B4 are respectively a coating module, a heating / cooling system processing module group, and a transfer arm A2. A3 and A4 are included. The processing module group is for performing pre-processing and post-processing of processing performed in the coating module. The transfer arms A2, A3, A4 are provided between the coating module and the processing module group, and transfer the wafer W between the processing modules of the coating module and the processing module group.

  In each block from the second block (BCT layer) B2 to the fourth block (TCT layer) B4, the chemical solution in the second block (BCT layer) B2 and the fourth block (TCT layer) B4 is used for the antireflection film. It has the same configuration except that the chemical solution in the third block (COT layer) B3 is a resist solution.

  Here, referring to FIG. 4, the second block (BCT layer) B2, the third block (COT layer) B3, and the fourth block (TCT layer) B4 are represented as the third block (COT layer). ) The configuration of B3 will be described.

  The third block (COT layer) B3 includes a coating module 23, a shelf unit U3, and a transfer arm A3. The shelf unit U3 includes a plurality of processing modules stacked so as to constitute a heat treatment module group such as a heating module and a cooling module. The shelf unit U3 is arranged to face the coating module 23. The shelf unit U3 is provided with a substrate processing apparatus 30 to be described later so as to be adjacent to any of the plurality of processing modules.

  The transfer arm A3 is provided between the coating module 23 and the shelf unit U3. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 24 denotes a transfer port for delivering the wafer W between each processing module and the transfer arm A3.

  The transfer arm A3 includes two forks 3 (3A, 3B), a base 25, a rotation mechanism 26, and a lifting platform 27.

  The two forks 3A and 3B are provided so as to overlap each other. The base 25 is provided by a rotation mechanism 26 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. Further, the forks 3A and 3B are provided so as to be able to advance and retract from the base 25 to, for example, a mounting table 33 of the substrate processing apparatus 30 described later by an advancing / retreating mechanism (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting platform 27 is provided on the lower side of the rotation mechanism 26. The lifting platform 27 is provided so as to be movable up and down by a lifting mechanism along a Z-axis guide rail (not shown) extending linearly in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in FIG. 4). As the elevating mechanism, a known configuration such as a ball screw mechanism or a mechanism using a timing belt can be used. In this example, the Z-axis guide rail and the elevating mechanism are each covered by a cover body 28, and are connected and integrated, for example, on the upper side. The cover body 28 is configured to slide along a Y-axis guide rail 29 that extends linearly in the Y-axis direction.

  The interface block S3 has an interface arm F as shown in FIG. The interface arm F is provided in the vicinity of the shelf unit U2 of the processing block S2. The wafer W is transferred by the interface arm F between the processing modules of the shelf unit U2 and between the exposure units S4.

  The wafer W from the carrier block S1 is sequentially transferred by the transfer means C to one transfer module of the shelf unit U1, for example, the transfer module CPL2 corresponding to the second block (BCT layer) B2. The wafer W transferred to the transfer module CPL2 is transferred to the transfer arm A2 of the second block (BCT layer) B2, and each processing module (coating module and heating / cooling system processing module group) is transferred via the transfer arm A2. Each processing module) performs processing in each processing module. Thereby, an antireflection film is formed on the wafer W.

  The wafer W on which the antireflection film is formed is transferred to the transfer arm A3 of the third block (COT layer) B3 via the transfer arm A2, the transfer module BF2 of the shelf unit U1, the transfer arm D, and the transfer module CPL3 of the shelf unit U1. Is passed on. Then, the wafer W is transferred to each processing module (each processing module in the processing module group of the coating module and the heating / cooling system) via the transfer arm A3, and processing is performed in each processing module. Thereby, a resist film is formed on the wafer W.

  The wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the transfer module BF3 of the shelf unit U1 via the transfer arm A3.

  The wafer W on which the resist film is formed may be transferred to the substrate processing apparatus 30 as described later, and the peripheral portion of the wafer W may be exposed by the peripheral exposure unit 50 to perform peripheral exposure. The substrate inspection may be performed by taking an image of the surface of the wafer W by the substrate inspection unit 70.

  In addition, an antireflection film may be further formed on the wafer W on which the resist film is formed in the fourth block (TCT layer) B4. In this case, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer arm A4 of the fourth block (TCT layer) B4 via the transfer module CPL4, and each processing module (processing of the coating module and heating / cooling system) is transferred via the transfer arm A4. Each processing module in the module group is transported to and processed in each processing module. Thereby, an antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Then, the wafer W on which the antireflection film is formed is transferred to the transfer module TRS4 of the shelf unit U1 via the transfer arm A4.

  The wafer W on which the resist film is formed or the wafer W on which the antireflection film is further formed on the resist film is transferred to the transfer module CPL11 via the transfer arm D, the transfer modules BF3, and TRS4. The wafer W transferred to the transfer module CPL11 is directly transferred to the transfer module CPL12 of the shelf unit U2 by the shuttle arm E, and then transferred to the interface arm F of the interface block S3.

  The wafer W delivered to the interface arm F is transported to the exposure apparatus S4, and a predetermined exposure process is performed. The wafer W that has undergone the predetermined exposure processing is placed on the delivery module TRS6 of the shelf unit U2 via the interface arm F, and returned to the processing block S2. The wafer W returned to the processing block S2 is subjected to development processing in the first block (DEV layer) B1. The developed wafer W is returned to the carrier 20 via the transfer arm A1, the transfer module of the shelf unit U1, and the transfer means C.

  Next, a substrate processing apparatus 30 that performs peripheral exposure processing and substrate inspection processing incorporated in the resist pattern forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a side view including a partial cross section of the substrate processing apparatus 30. FIG. 6 is a plan view including a partial cross section of the substrate processing apparatus 30. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the light emitting unit 51. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view and a bottom view showing the configuration of the irradiation unit 53. FIG. 8A shows a longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 8B shows a bottom view. FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing a state in which the wafer W is peripherally exposed by the peripheral exposure unit 50. FIG.9 (b) is sectional drawing which follows the CC line | wire of Fig.9 (a).

  As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 30 performs processing in each module of the third block (COT layer) B3, for example, and performs peripheral exposure by exposing the peripheral portion of the wafer W on which the resist film is formed. At the same time, an image of the surface is taken to inspect the board. The substrate processing apparatus 30 only needs to be provided anywhere in the resist pattern forming apparatus. As described above, for example, the substrate processing apparatus 30 may be provided adjacent to each processing module in the third block (COT layer) B3. it can.

  The substrate processing apparatus 30 includes a casing 31, a transport unit 32, a peripheral exposure unit 50, and a substrate inspection unit 70.

  The transport unit 32 includes a mounting table 33, a rotation drive unit 34, a movement drive unit 35, and an alignment unit 40.

  The mounting table 33 holds the mounted wafer W, and is provided in a lower space in the casing 31 that covers the outside. The mounting table 33 is made of, for example, a vacuum chuck. The mounting table 33 is rotatably provided and is driven to rotate by a rotation driving unit 34 such as a motor.

  The movement drive unit 35 includes a ball screw mechanism 36 and a guide rail 37.

  The ball screw mechanism 36 and the guide rail 37 are provided on the bottom surface side of the casing 31 so as to extend from one end side (left side in FIG. 5) of the casing 31 to the other end side (right side in FIG. 5). The ball screw mechanism 36 includes a screw shaft 38 that engages (screws) the mounting table 33 so as to be movable in the X direction, and a moving motor 39 that rotates the screw shaft 38 forward and backward. The guide rail 37 is provided in parallel with the screw shaft 38 and is provided in a pair so as to slidably support the mounting table 33. That is, the mounting table 33 is provided so as to be movable in the X direction along the ball screw mechanism 36 and the guide rail 37. The mounting table 33 and the rotation driving unit 34 are driven to move in the ± X directions along the guide rails 37 by driving the moving motor 39 to rotate forward and backward.

  Although the case where the movement drive unit 35 has the ball screw mechanism 36 has been described here, the movement drive unit 35 does not necessarily have the ball screw mechanism 36, and may have, for example, a cylinder mechanism or a belt mechanism. Good.

  The alignment unit 40 includes a sensor unit 41 and the rotation driving unit 34 described above.

  The sensor 41 is for detecting the position of the notch (notch) of the wafer W on the mounting table 33. The sensor unit 41 includes, for example, a pair of light emitting elements 42 and light receiving elements 43. The sensor unit 41 is mounted on the mounting table 33, and when the held wafer W is disposed at the alignment position P2 which is one end side of the casing 31, the peripheral portion of the wafer W is arranged with the light emitting element 42 from above and below. It is provided so as to be sandwiched between the light receiving elements 43. Based on the detection result of the position of the notch part by the sensor part 41, the mounting table 33 can be rotated by the rotation driving part 34, and the angle of the wafer W can be aligned.

  A transfer port 44 (same as 24 in FIG. 4) is provided at the end of the casing 31 for the transfer arm A3 to drive the forks 3A and 3B forward and backward with respect to the mounting table 33 and to carry in and out the wafer W. It has been.

  The peripheral exposure unit 50 includes a light emitting unit 51, a light guide member 52, and an irradiation unit 53.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the light emitting unit 51 includes a light source 54, a condensing mirror 55, and a light source box 56. The light source 54 emits light for exposing the wafer W mounted on and held on the mounting table 33. As the light source 54, for example, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp can be used. The condensing mirror 55 condenses the light from the light source 54. The light source box 56 houses the light source 54 and the condensing mirror 55. As shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting unit 51 can be provided below the casing 31.

  The irradiation unit 53 corresponds to the irradiation unit in the present invention, and the light source 54 corresponds to the light emitting unit in the present invention.

  Further, the light emitting unit 51 may have a temperature fuse 56 a provided in the light source box 56 or around the light source box 56. Thereby, when an abnormality occurs in the light emitting unit 51 and an overheated state is reached, the overheated state can be detected.

  The light guide member 52 is provided so as to connect the light emitting unit 51 and the irradiation unit 53. The light guide member 52 is made of, for example, an optical fiber having a core material transparent to light, such as quartz, and guides light from the light source 54 to the irradiation unit 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the irradiation unit 53 includes an incident side slit 57, an incident side lens 58, a mirror 59, an output side lens 60, an output side slit 61, a shutter 62, and a cylindrical shape. A cover body 63 is provided. The cylindrical cover body 63 houses the incident side slit 57, the incident side lens 58, the mirror 59, the emission side lens 60, and the emission side slit 61. The incident side slit 57 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and adjusts the cross-sectional shape of the light beam when the light guided through the light guide member 52 is incident on the irradiation unit 53. The light that has entered the irradiation unit 53 through the incident side slit 57 is guided to the emission side slit 61 through the incident side lens 58, the mirror 59, and the emission side lens 60 with the direction and the shape of the light flux being changed. . The exit slit 61 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and adjusts the cross-sectional shape of the light beam when the light that has passed through the exit lens 60 is emitted from the irradiation unit 53.

  The shutter 62 corresponds to the shutter portion in the present invention.

  When it has a rectangular shape, the size of the incident side slit 57 can be set to 4 mm × 10 mm, for example. When it has a rectangular shape, the dimension of the exit side slit 61 can be set to 4 mm × 10 mm, for example.

  The shutter 62 is for controlling transmission or blocking of light in the irradiation unit 53 by opening and closing the shutter 62.

  The peripheral exposure unit 50 may include a light amount sensor 64 made of, for example, a photodiode. The light amount sensor 64 is provided on the emission side of the irradiation unit 53 and measures the amount of light emitted from the irradiation unit 53. Thereby, it can be determined whether or not the amount of light emitted from the irradiation unit 53 by opening and closing the shutter 62 is within a predetermined range.

  According to such a peripheral exposure unit 50, as shown in FIG. 9A, the light B from the light source 54 is emitted from the emission side slit 61 provided in the irradiation unit 53, and the resist film R is formed. The predetermined area A on the periphery of the surface of the wafer W is uniformly irradiated. In this state, when the wafer W is rotated by the rotation driving unit 34, as shown in FIG. 9B, the surplus resist film RA on the periphery of the surface of the wafer W is irradiated with light B, that is, exposed (peripheral exposure). be able to.

  The board inspection unit 70 includes an imaging unit 71 and an image processing unit 83a. The image processing unit 83a is provided in a third control device 83 to be described later.

  The imaging unit 71 is provided in an upper space in the casing 31 that covers the outside. The imaging unit 71 includes an imaging device 72, a half mirror 73, and an illumination device 74. The imaging device 72 is fixed to one end side (right side in FIG. 5) in the imaging unit 71. In the present embodiment, a wide-angle CCD camera is used as the imaging device 72. The half mirror 73 and the illumination device 74 are fixed near the center of the casing 71 in the X direction. The illumination device 74 is provided behind the half mirror 73. Illumination from the illuminating device 74 passes through the half mirror 73 and is irradiated downward of the half mirror 73. Then, the reflected light of the object in the irradiation area is reflected by the half mirror 73 and is taken into the imaging device 72. That is, the imaging device 72 can image an object in the irradiation area.

  According to such an imaging unit 71, the mounting table 33 is fixed to the upper space in the casing 31 while moving in the X direction (or −X direction) along the guide rail 37 in the lower space in the casing 31. The imaging unit 71 scans the upper surface of the wafer W on the mounting table 33. As a result, the entire upper surface of the wafer W can be imaged.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the illumination device 74 uses light from the light source 54 of the peripheral exposure unit 50 by branching the light guide member 52 a from the light guide member 52 of the peripheral exposure unit 50. You may do it. Thereby, the light source can be shared between the peripheral exposure unit 50 and the substrate inspection unit 70, and the number of light sources provided in the substrate processing apparatus 30 can be reduced.

  According to the present embodiment, the peripheral exposure apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus can be integrated as the same substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load on the substrate transfer apparatus that transfers the wafer during the peripheral exposure process and the substrate inspection process, and to reduce the installation area (footprint) of the entire processing system.

  Next, the control unit 80 of the substrate processing apparatus 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 10.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 80 of the substrate processing apparatus 30.

  The control unit 80 includes a first control device 81, a second control device 82, a third control device 83, and a main body control device 84.

  The first control device 81 controls rotation and movement of the wafer W by the transfer unit 32 and alignment by the alignment unit 40. The second control device 82 controls the peripheral exposure of the wafer W by the peripheral exposure unit 50. The third control device 83 includes an image processing unit 83a and controls the imaging of the wafer W by the imaging device 72 of the substrate inspection unit 70 and the image processing of the captured image by the image processing unit 83a. The main body control device 84 controls the third control device 83 from the first control device 81.

  The first control device 81 controls driving of the rotation drive unit 34 included in the transport unit 32, for example, ON, OFF, rotation speed, and the like. That is, the drive signal output from the first control device 81 to the rotation drive unit 34 controls the drive and stop of the rotation drive unit 34, the drive speed, and the like. The encoder signal at that time is output to the first controller 81 from the rotation drive unit 34 driven by the drive signal.

  The first control device 81 controls driving of the movement drive unit 35 included in the conveyance unit 32, for example, ON / OFF of the movement motor 39, rotation speed, and the like. That is, the drive signal output from the first control device 81 to the movement motor 39 of the movement drive unit 35 controls the driving and stopping of the movement motor 39, and the driving speed. Then, from the moving motor 39 driven by the drive signal, the encoder signal at that time is output to the first control device 81.

  The first control device 81 controls driving of the sensor unit 41 included in the alignment unit 40, for example, ON / OFF of the light emitting element 42 and ON / OFF of the light receiving element 43. That is, the energization and stop of the light emitting element 42 and the energization current are controlled by a signal output from the first control device 81 to the light emitting element 42. Further, the energization and stop of the light receiving element 43 and the energization current are controlled by a signal output from the first control device 81 to the light receiving element 43. A signal corresponding to the amount of light received by the light receiving element 43 is output from the light receiving element 43 to the first control device 81.

  The second control device 82 controls driving of the light source 54 included in the peripheral exposure unit 50, for example, ON / OFF of the light source 54. That is, the drive signal output from the second controller 82 to the light source 54 controls the energization and stop of the light source 54, and further the energization current. From the electric circuit 54 a of the light source 54, a signal corresponding to the light emission state of the light source 54 is output to the second control device 82. A signal corresponding to the presence or absence of excessive temperature rise around the light source 54 is output to the second control device 52 from the thermal fuse 56 a provided in or near the light source 54.

  The second control device 82 controls emission or blocking of light for exposure by the shutter 62 included in the peripheral exposure unit 50. That is, the opening / closing operation or the like of the shutter 62 is controlled by the drive signal output from the second control device 82 to the shutter 62. From the light amount sensor 64 provided in the vicinity of the irradiation unit 53, a signal indicating the open / closed state of the shutter 62 is output to the second control device 82 according to the presence / absence of light irradiation from the irradiation unit 53.

  The third control device 83 controls imaging by the imaging device 72 included in the substrate inspection unit 70 and irradiation or stop of light by the illumination device 74 (or transmission or blocking of light from the illumination device by a shutter mechanism not shown). . That is, the imaging by the imaging device 72, the imaging timing, the image capture time, and the like are controlled by the external synchronization signal output from the third control device 83 to the imaging device 72. Further, the ON / OFF state of the lighting device 74 and the energization current are controlled by a signal output from the third control device 83 to the lighting device 74. The captured image is output to the third control device 83, and image processing and board inspection are performed in the image processing unit 83a included in the third control device 83.

  The main body control device 84 is a higher-level control device of the first control device 81, the second control device 82, and the third control device 83, and the first control device 81, the second control device 82, and the third control device 83. The entire resist pattern forming apparatus including the controller 83 is controlled.

  For example, based on a drive signal output from the main body control device 84 to the first control device 81, the first control device 81 outputs a predetermined drive signal to the rotation drive unit 34. On the other hand, the main body control device 84 outputs a drive signal to the second control device 82 at the same timing as the drive signal output to the first control device 81, and the second control device 82 Based on the driving signal, a predetermined driving signal for opening the shutter 62 is output to the shutter 62. Thereby, the periphery of the wafer W can be exposed.

  For example, based on a drive signal output from the main body control device 84 to the first control device 81, the first control device 81 outputs a predetermined drive signal to the moving motor 39. On the other hand, the main body control device 84 outputs a drive signal to the third control device 83 at the same timing as the drive signal output to the first control device 81, and the third control device 83 An external synchronization signal is output to the imaging device 72 based on the drive signal. Thereby, an image of the wafer W can be taken.

  The above control is performed according to, for example, a computer program recorded in the main body control device 84 or a computer program recorded in various storage media readable by the main body control device 84.

  Next, the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of each step in the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment.

  A program for causing the main body control device 84 to execute a resist forming method including a substrate processing method is recorded in advance as a process recipe. Based on the process recipe recorded in the main body control device 84, the following processing is performed.

  Also, as a process recipe, when both peripheral exposure and substrate inspection are performed (recipe 1), only peripheral exposure is performed without performing substrate inspection (recipe 2), and only substrate inspection is performed without performing peripheral exposure (recipe) The substrate processing having the three patterns of 3) will be described.

  When performing any of the processes of recipes 1 to 3, that is, a process including at least one of peripheral exposure and substrate inspection of the wafer W, first, the wafer W is loaded from the transfer port 44 by the transfer arm A 3, It is mounted on the mounting table 33 (step S11). At this time, the mounting table 33 is waiting in advance at a wafer loading / unloading position P1 (position indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 5) on the other end side in the casing 31.

  Next, the mounting table 33 is moved to the alignment position P2 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5) on one end side of the casing 31 by the movement drive unit 35 (step S12).

  Next, the notch portion of the wafer W is detected by the sensor unit 41, the wafer W is rotated based on the position of the notch portion, and alignment is performed so that the position of the notch portion of the wafer W becomes a predetermined angular position (step). S13). This predetermined angular position is selected as a predetermined angular position in accordance with, for example, each recipe described above and more detailed processing conditions.

  Next, it is determined whether to perform peripheral exposure (step S14). When the recipe number is the above-described recipe 1 or recipe 2, peripheral exposure is performed (step S15). On the other hand, when the recipe number is the aforementioned recipe 3, the peripheral exposure (step S15) is skipped and the process proceeds to step S16.

  In the peripheral exposure (step S15), the light B from the light source 54 is emitted from the emission side slit 61 provided in the irradiation unit 53, and is applied to a predetermined region A in the peripheral portion of the surface of the wafer W on which the resist film R is formed. Uniform irradiation. In this state, when the wafer W is rotated by the rotation driving unit 34, the surplus resist film RA on the periphery of the surface of the wafer W is irradiated with the light B, and peripheral exposure is performed.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the substrate inspection is performed (step S16). When the recipe number is the above-described recipe 1 or recipe 3, substrate inspection is performed (steps S17 to S20). On the other hand, when the recipe number is the above-described recipe 2, the board inspection (steps S17 to S20) is skipped and the process proceeds to step S21.

  In the substrate inspection (steps S17 to S20), the moving motor 39 moves the mounting table 33 to a scan start position for taking an image of the wafer W (step S17). When the alignment position P2 and the scan start position described above are the same, it is not necessary to move them.

  Next, the lighting device 74 is turned on (step S18). As shown in FIG. 5, the light source of the illumination device 74 is the same as the light source 54 of the peripheral exposure unit 50, and the light from the light emitting unit 51 is branched from the light guide member 52 by the light guide member 52a. When the light is guided to 74, a shutter (not shown) may be opened.

  Next, when the wafer W passes under the half mirror 73 while moving the mounting table 33 to the wafer loading / unloading position P <b> 1, which is the scanning end position, by the moving motor 39, when the wafer W passes under the half mirror 73, The surface is imaged (step S19). The mounting table 33 stops at the wafer carry-in / out position P1.

  Next, the illumination device 74 is turned off (step S20). As shown in FIG. 5, the light source of the illumination device 74 is the same as the light source 54 of the peripheral exposure unit 50, and the light from the light emitting unit 51 is branched from the light guide member 52 by the light guide member 52a. When the light is guided to 74, a shutter (not shown) may be closed.

  Next, at the scan end position (wafer carry-in / out position P1), the position of the notch portion of the wafer W is adjusted to a predetermined angular position by the rotation drive unit 34 (step S21).

  Next, the wafer W is unloaded from the transfer port 44 by the transfer arm A3 (step S22). In this way, the substrate processing according to recipes 1 to 3 described above is completed.

  Next, in the above-described substrate processing, a countermeasure when an abnormality occurs in any part of the substrate processing apparatus 30 will be described.

  Table 1 shows a coping method when an abnormality occurs in any part of the substrate processing apparatus 30 when each substrate processing according to the recipe 1 to the recipe 3 is performed.

  Table 2 shows the type of abnormality and the method of detecting the abnormality in the portion where each abnormality has occurred when abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit 50.

  As shown in Table 1, first, when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit 50, if the substrate processing is related to the recipe 1 or the recipe 2, the substrate processing itself is stopped and the occurrence and stop of the abnormality are notified. Output an alarm. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit 50, if the substrate processing is related to the recipe 3, the substrate inspection itself is continued without stopping the substrate processing itself, and the occurrence of the abnormality is warned. A warning alarm is output. That is, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit 50, if the predetermined substrate processing does not include the peripheral exposure processing, the substrate processing is continued, and the peripheral exposure processing is performed in the predetermined substrate processing. If it is included, the substrate processing is stopped.

  This is a process module in which the peripheral exposure unit 50 performs an actual process on a wafer, and if the peripheral exposure process is performed in a state where an abnormality has occurred in the peripheral exposure unit 50, the processed wafer may be abnormal. Because. Accordingly, if the predetermined substrate processing does not include the peripheral exposure processing, the substrate processing can be continued, but if the predetermined substrate processing includes the peripheral exposure processing, the substrate processing can be continued. Can not.

  As an example when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit 50, as shown in Table 2, when an abnormality occurs in the light source 54 and lighting becomes impossible, the light emitting unit 51 becomes overheated, and the shutter For example, when an abnormality occurs in 62 and the opening / closing operation becomes impossible. The fact that the light source 54 cannot be turned on can be detected by, for example, the electric circuit 54 a of the light source 54. It can be detected by the temperature fuse 56a provided in the vicinity of the light emitting unit 51 that the light emitting unit 51 is in an overheated state. The fact that the shutter 62 cannot be opened and closed can be detected by a light amount sensor 64 provided in the casing 31.

  Further, as shown in Table 1, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit 70, if the substrate processing is related to the recipe 1, only the substrate inspection processing is skipped and the peripheral exposure processing is continued in the substrate processing. At the same time, a warning alarm is output to warn of the occurrence of an abnormality. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit 70, if the substrate processing is related to the recipe 2, the substrate processing itself is continued without being stopped, and a warning alarm for warning the occurrence of the abnormality is output. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit 70, if the substrate processing is related to the recipe 3, the substrate processing, that is, the substrate inspection processing is not performed and the substrate is transferred to the next module, Output an alarm to notify the stop. That is, in this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit 70, if the substrate inspection processing is included in the predetermined substrate processing, the processing module skips the substrate inspection processing and performs the subsequent processing. Transport to.

  This is because the substrate inspection unit 70 is not a process module that performs an actual process on the wafer, and even if the peripheral exposure processing is performed in a state where an abnormality has occurred in the substrate inspection unit 70, an abnormality may occur in the processed wafer. Because there is no. Therefore, if the peripheral exposure processing is included in the predetermined substrate processing, the peripheral inspection processing can be continued after skipping the substrate inspection processing.

  An example of when an abnormality has occurred in the board inspection unit 70 is when a communication abnormality has occurred between the imaging device 72 and the image processing unit 83a of the third control device 83.

  Moreover, as shown in Table 1, when an abnormality occurs in the transport unit 32 or the alignment unit 40, the substrate processing itself is stopped regardless of whether the substrate processing is related to any one of the recipes 1 to 3. Outputs alarms that notify the occurrence and stop of abnormalities. This is because, when an abnormality occurs in the transfer unit 32 or the alignment unit 40, since the wafer cannot be transferred to an appropriate position, neither the peripheral exposure process nor the substrate inspection process can be performed.

  According to the present embodiment, in a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined substrate processing including at least one of peripheral exposure processing and substrate inspection processing, when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit, the peripheral exposure processing is performed on the predetermined substrate processing. If NO is included, the predetermined substrate processing is continued. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit, the substrate inspection processing is skipped if the substrate inspection processing is included in the predetermined substrate processing. Accordingly, the load on the substrate transfer device is reduced, the installation area of the entire processing system is reduced, and the substrate processing is stopped when an abnormality occurs in a portion used only for one of peripheral exposure and substrate inspection. Can be prevented.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Can be modified or changed. In the above embodiment, a semiconductor wafer is used as a substrate to be processed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to other substrates, for example, glass substrates for flat panel displays.

30 substrate processing device 33 mounting table 34 rotation drive unit 35 movement drive unit 40 alignment unit 50 peripheral exposure unit 53 irradiation unit 54 light source 62 shutter 70 substrate inspection unit 72 imaging device 80 control unit 81 first control unit 82 second control Device 83 Third control device 84 Main body control device

Claims (4)

A peripheral exposure process in which light is emitted from the irradiation unit of the peripheral exposure unit to expose the peripheral part of the substrate, and an image of the substrate is captured by the imaging unit of the substrate inspection unit, and the substrate is inspected based on the captured image A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate inspection step,
When the predetermined substrate processing includes the peripheral exposure step and the substrate inspection step, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit, the peripheral exposure step is performed if no abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit. A substrate processing method that skips the substrate inspection step. A peripheral exposure process in which light is emitted from the irradiation unit of the peripheral exposure unit to expose the peripheral part of the substrate, and an image of the substrate is captured by the imaging unit of the substrate inspection unit, and the substrate is inspected based on the captured image A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate inspection step,
When the predetermined substrate processing includes only the peripheral exposure step, the substrate exposure method performs the peripheral exposure step when an abnormality has occurred in the substrate inspection unit and no abnormality has occurred in the peripheral exposure unit. A peripheral exposure process in which light is emitted from the irradiation unit of the peripheral exposure unit to expose the peripheral part of the substrate, and an image of the substrate is captured by the imaging unit of the substrate inspection unit, and the substrate is inspected based on the captured image A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined substrate processing using a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing a substrate inspection step,
When the predetermined substrate processing includes only the substrate inspection step, the substrate inspection method performs the substrate inspection step when an abnormality occurs in the peripheral exposure unit and no abnormality occurs in the substrate inspection unit. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the substrate processing method according to claim 1.

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