JP2018125402A - Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing system, substrate processing method, article manufacturing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus advantageous in productivity.SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a plurality of processing sections for performing second processing in parallel on a plurality of substrates subjected to first processing in a first processing apparatus; and a notification section for providing the first processing apparatus with information for prohibiting an execution of the first processing on a substrate scheduled for the second processing in a stop processing unit which is a processing section which has stopped the second processing among the plurality of processing sections.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, an article manufacturing method, and a program.

There is a so-called cluster type substrate processing apparatus (lithography apparatus or the like) that includes a plurality of processing units each performing substrate processing such as pattern formation. As circuit patterns of articles become finer year by year, high accuracy is required for processing units. However, because there are mounting errors and machine differences among the processing units, there is a difference in parallel processing so that a specific substrate can be processed only by a specific processing unit. .
A cluster type substrate processing apparatus is connected to an apparatus for performing pre-processing or post-processing such as a coating and developing apparatus on the substrate, and efficient control is required to achieve high productivity in the entire apparatus. Patent Document 1 describes a method related to information exchange between a coating and developing apparatus and each of a plurality of processing units. Patent Document 2 describes a method of changing processing in accordance with a change in substrate supply timing.

JP 2001-077009 A JP 2009-076581 A

In a substrate processing apparatus having a cluster structure, in order to maintain the production operation rate as high as possible even if one of a plurality of processing units is in a maintenance state due to trouble or the like, Operation that continues the substrate processing is desired.
An object of the present invention is, for example, to provide a substrate processing apparatus that is advantageous in terms of productivity.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing units that perform a second process in parallel on a plurality of substrates that have been subjected to a first process in a first processing apparatus, and the plurality of processing units out of the plurality of processing units A notifying unit for notifying the first processing apparatus of information for prohibiting execution of the first process on the substrate on which the second process is scheduled in a stop processing unit that is a processing unit that has stopped the second process; A substrate processing apparatus is provided.

  According to the present invention, for example, a substrate processing apparatus advantageous in terms of productivity can be provided.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of an imprint apparatus. The figure which shows an imprint process typically. The figure which shows the structural example of an imprint apparatus control part. The figure which shows the structural example of a coating device control part. The figure which shows the flow of operation | movement of an imprint apparatus. The figure which shows the flow of the monitoring process of a some process part. The figure which shows the flow of the management process of an application | coating execution table. The figure which shows the flow of the preparation and conveyance operation | movement of a board | substrate in a coating device. The figure which shows the flow of the board | substrate conveyance operation | movement of a lithography apparatus. The figure explaining the management operation | movement of a board | substrate carrying-out order table. The figure explaining management operation of an application execution table. The figure explaining the management operation | movement of a board | substrate carrying-out order table. The figure explaining management operation of an application execution table. The figure explaining the management operation | movement of an imprint execution table. The figure which illustrates the imprint processing order of a board | substrate. The figure explaining the article | item manufacturing method in embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment shows only the specific example of implementation of this invention, and this invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Moreover, not all combinations of features described in the following embodiments are indispensable for solving the problems of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system 900 in the present embodiment. The substrate processing system 900 can include a first processing apparatus and a second processing apparatus. The first processing apparatus is, for example, an apparatus that forms a layer for pattern formation on a substrate as preprocessing for pattern formation. For example, the first processing apparatus may be a substrate processing apparatus that performs a coating process (first process) of a resist material (adhesive material) on the substrate, that is, a coating apparatus 700. The second processing apparatus may be a lithography apparatus 600 as a substrate processing apparatus that performs a pattern formation process (second process). The lithography apparatus 600 includes, for example, a plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104 that perform a lithography process in parallel as a second process on a plurality of substrates that have been subjected to the first process in the first processing apparatus. sell. The coating apparatus 700 can include a plurality of coating processing units 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, and 806 that perform a coating process on the substrate. The lithography apparatus 600 has a cluster configuration in which each processing unit can perform lithography processing on different substrates in parallel. Similarly, the coating apparatus 700 also has a cluster configuration in which each coating processing unit can perform coating processing on different substrates in parallel. The coating apparatus 700 may be a coating / developing apparatus (coater / developer) that performs a coating process on the substrate as a pre-process and also performs a development process as a post-process of the lithography process.

  Each of the plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, 104 can be an imprint apparatus that performs lithography processing, an exposure apparatus, a charged particle beam drawing apparatus, or the like. The imprint apparatus forms a pattern on a substrate by curing the imprint material in a state where a mold (original plate, mold) is in contact with an imprint material such as a resin supplied on the substrate. The exposure apparatus forms a latent image corresponding to the pattern of the mold on the photoresist by exposing the photoresist supplied on the substrate through the mold. The charged particle beam drawing apparatus forms a latent image on the photoresist by drawing a pattern with the charged particle beam on the photoresist supplied onto the substrate.

Hereinafter, in order to provide a specific example, an example in which each of the plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104 is configured as an imprint apparatus will be described.
The imprint apparatus is an apparatus that forms a pattern of a cured product in which a concave / convex pattern of a mold is transferred by bringing an imprint material supplied on a substrate into contact with a mold and applying energy for curing to the imprint material. is there. As the imprint material, a curable composition (also referred to as an uncured resin) that cures when given energy for curing is used. As the energy for curing, electromagnetic waves, heat, or the like is used. The electromagnetic wave is, for example, light such as infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light whose wavelength is selected from a range of 10 nm to 1 mm. A curable composition is a composition which hardens | cures by irradiation of light or by heating. Among these, the photocurable composition cured by light contains at least a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and may contain a non-polymerizable compound or a solvent as necessary. The non-polymerizable compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a sensitizer, a hydrogen donor, an internal release agent, a surfactant, an antioxidant, and a polymer component. The imprint material is applied in a film form on the substrate by a spin coater or a slit coater. Alternatively, the liquid ejecting head may be applied to the substrate in the form of droplets, or in the form of islands or films formed by connecting a plurality of droplets. The imprint material has a viscosity (viscosity at 25 ° C.) of, for example, 1 mPa · s or more and 100 mPa · s or less. Glass, ceramics, metal, semiconductor, resin, or the like is used for the substrate, and a member made of a material different from that of the substrate may be formed on the surface of the substrate as necessary. Specifically, a silicon wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, quartz glass, or the like can be used as the substrate.

  A plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104, each of which is an imprint apparatus, are accommodated in a chamber 200 for maintaining the imprint environment at a constant temperature and humidity and eliminating intrusion of foreign matter. In the chamber 200, a transfer robot 52 (transfer unit) is provided for supplying and collecting substrates to each of the plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104. The transfer robot 52 includes a holding hand 53 and can move along the transfer path 51. Using the holding hand 53, the transfer robot 52 can take in and out the substrate with respect to the substrate storage unit 61 that temporarily stores the substrate. The substrate storage unit 61 may be provided outside the lithography apparatus 600 and configured to be detachable from the lithography apparatus 600. However, it may not be removable. The substrate storage unit 61 may be provided inside the lithography apparatus 600. For example, the substrate storage unit 61 may be provided at a position surrounded by a plurality of processing units. In this case, each processing unit is advantageous in that access to the substrate storage unit 61 is shortened.

  The coating apparatus 700 includes a transfer robot 56 for transferring a substrate to and from each coating unit. The transfer robot 56 can move along the transfer path 57. In addition, the coating apparatus 700 includes a transfer robot 54 for transferring a substrate to and from the lithography apparatus 600. Transfer of the substrate between the transfer robot 56 and the transfer robot 54 is performed at the transfer station 55. Further, the coating apparatus 700 includes a transfer robot 58 for transferring the substrate to and from the EFEM 60. The transfer robot 58 can carry an unprocessed substrate from the EFEM 60 and deliver the processed substrate that has been subjected to the lithography process or the development process to the EFEM 60. The coating apparatus 700 includes, for example, a FOUP 59, and the transfer of the substrate between the transfer robot 58 and the EFEM 60 is performed via the FOUP 59. FOUP is an abbreviation for Front Opening Unified Pod, and EFEM is an abbreviation for Equipment Front End Module.

  The imprint apparatus control unit 400 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls operations of the plurality of processing units 101 to 104 and exchanges information with the outside. Details of the imprint apparatus control unit 400 will be described later. Similar to the imprint apparatus control unit 400, the coating apparatus control unit 500 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls operations of the plurality of coating processing units 801 to 806 and exchanges information with the outside. Details of the coating apparatus control unit 500 will be described later. The imprint apparatus control unit 400 and the coating apparatus control unit 500 are connected so that information can be directly exchanged. The imprint apparatus control unit 400 and the coating apparatus control unit 500 are each connected to the computer 300 via the network 301.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the imprint apparatus 100 that is configured by each processing unit in the lithography apparatus 600. The imprint apparatus 100 supplies an imprint material onto the substrate 1, and imprint processing for curing the imprint material in a state where a mold 18 (also referred to as an original plate, a mold, or a template) is in contact with the imprint material. I do. In the present embodiment, the imprint apparatus 100 employs a photocuring method in which the imprint material is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays (UV light) as a method for curing the imprint material. Therefore, the imprint apparatus 100 supplies the imprint material onto the substrate 1 and cures the imprint material in a state where the imprint material and the mold 18 (pattern surface thereof) are in contact with each other, thereby to surface the surface of the substrate 1. A pattern is formed on top. However, the imprint apparatus 100 may cure the imprint material by irradiation with light in other wavelength ranges, or may employ a thermosetting method in which the imprint material is cured by other energy, for example, heat. Good. In the following, the direction parallel to the optical axis of the ultraviolet rays irradiated to the imprint material on the substrate is defined as the Z axis, and the directions perpendicular to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis are defined as the X axis and the Y axis.

  In the imprint apparatus 100, the mold head 16 includes a mold chuck 17 that holds a mold 18 having a pattern surface P. An uneven pattern corresponding to the pattern to be formed on the substrate 1 is formed on the pattern surface P of the mold 18. The detection part 26 is comprised, for example with a CCD camera, and acquires the image of the mold 18 and its periphery. From this acquired image, the contact state of the mold 18 with the imprint material on the substrate, the filling state of the imprint material on the substrate into the mold 18, and the release state of the mold 18 from the imprint material on the substrate are observed. Is possible. Further, the positional relationship between the peripheral portion of the substrate and the substrate chuck can be observed by moving the substrate stage 7.

  The mold chuck 17 holds the mold 18 by, for example, vacuum suction. The mold chuck 17 may have a structure that prevents the mold 18 from falling off the mold chuck 17. In the present embodiment, the mold chuck 17 is firmly coupled to the mold head 16. The mold head 16 has a mechanism capable of moving (driving) at least in the three axial directions of Z, ωX, and ωY with respect to the bridge structure 8. The mold head 16 is connected to the bridge structure 8 via the connection member 15 and supported by the bridge structure 8. The alignment measurement unit 12 is also supported by the bridge structure 8.

  The alignment measurement unit 12 performs alignment measurement for alignment (alignment) between the mold 18 and the substrate 1. In this embodiment, the alignment measurement unit 12 includes an alignment detection system that detects a mark provided on the mold 18 and a mark provided on the substrate stage 7 or the substrate 1 to generate an alignment signal. The alignment measurement unit 12 may include a camera, and has a function of observing the cured state (imprint state) of the imprint material on the substrate 1 by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, like the detection unit 26. Also good. In this case, the alignment measurement unit 12 observes not only the cured state of the imprint material on the substrate but also the contact state of the mold 18 with the imprint material on the substrate and the filling state of the imprint material on the substrate into the mold 18. can do. The alignment measurement unit 12 can also observe the release state of the mold 18 from the imprint material on the substrate. A half mirror 13 is disposed above the connecting member 15. Light from the curing light source 11 is reflected by the half mirror 13, passes through the mold 18, and is applied to the imprint material on the substrate 1. The imprint material on the substrate 1 is cured by irradiation with light from the curing light source 11.

  The bridge structure 8 is supported on the base surface plate 20 via an air spring 19 for insulating vibrations from the floor. The air spring 19 has a structure generally used in an exposure apparatus as an active image stabilization function. For example, the air spring 19 includes an XYZ relative position measurement sensor provided on the bridge structure 8 and the base surface plate 20, an XYZ driving linear motor, a servo valve for controlling the air capacity inside the air spring, and the like. The bridge structure 8 includes a nozzle for supplying (applying) the imprint material to the substrate 1 via the holder 22 and an imprint material supply unit that controls a supply timing and a supply amount of the nozzle. Part 23 (dispenser) is attached. The imprint material supply unit 23 supplies, for example, droplets of the imprint material to the substrate 1 in a linear shape. The imprint material is applied to an area of an arbitrary shape such as a rectangular shape on the substrate 1 by moving the substrate stage 7 (that is, the substrate 1) while supplying the imprint material from the imprint material supply unit 23 to the substrate 1. can do. In the present embodiment, the substrate 1 has a circular shape. For example, a plurality of chips can be formed in one shot area of 33 mm × 26 mm.

  In the process using the imprint apparatus 100, a film remains in the concave portion of the concave / convex pattern formed on the surface of the substrate 1. This film is called a residual film. The remaining film needs to be removed by etching. The thickness of the remaining film is called RLT (Residual Layer Thickness). If a film having a thickness corresponding to the required RLT is not formed in the shot region, the substrate 1 is removed by etching. In the present embodiment, the imprint material is applied to an appropriate region of the substrate 1 by a combination of the ejection of the imprint material by the imprint material supply unit 23 and the movement of the substrate stage 7.

  The substrate stage 7 has a substrate chuck, and holds the substrate 1 by the substrate chuck. The substrate stage 7 has a mechanism that can move in six axial directions of X, Y, Z, ωX, ωY, and ωZ. In the present embodiment, the substrate stage 7 is supported by the bridge structure 8 via the X slider 3 including a moving mechanism in the X direction and the Y slider 5 including a moving mechanism in the Y direction. The X slider 3 is provided with a measuring instrument 4 that measures the relative position of the X slider 3 and the Y slider 5. The Y slider 5 is provided with a measuring instrument 6 that measures the relative position between the Y slider 5 and the bridge structure 8. Therefore, the measuring instruments 4 and 6 measure the position of the substrate stage 7 with the bridge structure 8 as a reference. Each of the measuring instruments 4 and 6 is composed of an encoder (linear encoder) in this embodiment.

  The distance in the Z direction between the substrate stage 7 and the bridge structure 8 is determined by the bridge structure 8, the X slider 3, and the Y slider 5. By maintaining the rigidity in the Z direction and the tilt direction of the X slider 3 and the Y slider 5 as high as about 10 nm / N, the fluctuation of the imprint operation between the substrate stage 7 and the bridge structure 8 in the Z direction is several tens of nm. It can be suppressed to a fluctuation of the degree.

  The measuring instrument 9 is provided in the bridge structure 8, and is configured by an interferometer in the present embodiment. The measuring instrument 9 irradiates the measurement light 10 toward the substrate stage 7 and detects the measurement light 10 reflected by the interferometer mirror provided on the end surface of the substrate stage 7, thereby determining the position of the substrate stage 7. measure. The measuring instrument 9 measures the position of the substrate stage 7 at a position closer to the holding surface of the substrate stage 7 of the substrate 1 than the measuring instruments 4 and 6. In FIG. 1, only one measurement light 10 irradiated from the measuring instrument 9 to the substrate stage 7 is illustrated, but the measuring instrument 9 measures at least the XY position, the rotation amount, and the tilt amount of the substrate stage 7. It is configured to be able to.

  The gas supply unit 21 supplies a filling gas to the vicinity of the mold 18, specifically, to the space between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 in order to improve the filling property of the imprint material into the pattern of the mold 18. To do. The filling gas rapidly reduces the filling gas (bubbles) sandwiched between the mold 18 and the imprint material, and promotes the filling of the imprint material into the pattern of the mold 18. And at least one of condensable gases. Here, the permeable gas is a gas that has high permeability to the mold 18 and permeates the mold 18 when the mold 18 is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 1. The condensable gas is a gas that is liquefied (that is, condensed) when the mold 18 is brought into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 1.

  The off-axis scope 24 detects a reference mark or an alignment mark provided on a reference plate disposed on the substrate stage 7 without using the mold 18. The off-axis scope 24 can also detect alignment marks provided on the substrate 1 (each shot area). In this embodiment, the pressure sensor 25 is provided on the substrate stage 7 and detects the pressure acting on the substrate stage 7 by bringing the mold 18 into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 1. The pressure sensor 25 functions as a sensor that detects the contact state between the mold 18 and the imprint material on the substrate 1 by detecting the pressure acting on the substrate stage 7. The pressure sensor 25 may be provided in the mold head 16 as long as it is provided in at least one of the mold head 16 and the substrate stage 7.

  Since the refractive index of the filling gas supplied from the gas supply unit 21 is significantly different from the refractive index of air, when the measuring instruments 4 and 6 are exposed to the filling gas (that is, the measurement of the measuring instruments 4 and 6). If the filling gas leaks into the optical path), the measurement values (measurement results) of the measuring instruments 4 and 6 will fluctuate. Such a problem is particularly conspicuous for an interferometer having a long measurement optical path length, and a high gain occurs when the position of the substrate stage 7 is controlled, which causes a servo error. Moreover, even an encoder with a short measurement optical path length cannot be ignored in an imprint apparatus that requires measurement accuracy on the order of nanometers. However, since the measurement optical path length of the encoder is shorter than the measurement optical path length of the interferometer, the influence is less than that of the interferometer. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a sufficient distance from the gas supply unit 21 (the filling gas supply port) to the measuring instruments 4 and 6 can be taken, and the measuring instrument 4 and 6 is constituted by an encoder. Therefore, the measuring instruments 4 and 6 are configured not to be affected by fluctuations in the measured value due to the filling gas, so that servo errors are less likely to occur.

  As described above, the gas supply unit 21 supplies the filling gas to the space between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 during the imprint process. The filling gas supplied between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 is sucked from the upper part of the mold head 16 through the exhaust duct 14 and discharged to the outside of the imprint apparatus 100. Further, the filling gas supplied between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 may be recovered by a gas recovery mechanism (not shown) instead of being discharged to the outside.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows imprint processing performed by the imprint apparatus 100. FIG. 3A shows a state before the pattern surface P of the mold 18 starts to contact the shot area of the substrate 1 to which the imprint material 27a is supplied by the imprint material supply unit 23. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the pattern surface P of the mold 18 and the imprint material on the shot region of the substrate 1 are in contact with each other. In this state, the light from the curing light source 11 is applied to the imprint material on the shot region of the substrate 1. As a result, the imprint material 27b is cured. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the mold head 16 is raised and the mold 18 is separated from the cured imprint material on the shot area of the substrate 1. As a result, an imprint material pattern 27 c corresponding to the pattern of the pattern surface P of the mold 18 remains in the shot region of the substrate 1. FIG. 3D shows the pattern of the pattern surface P of the mold 18 and the imprint material after curing. The pattern of the mold 18 includes a convex formation pattern 28 corresponding to the convex pattern to be formed on the substrate, and a concave formation pattern 36 for the concave pattern to be formed on the substrate. Pd represents the pattern depth, and RLT represents the residual layer thickness (RLT).

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the imprint apparatus control unit 400. The imprint main control unit 401 controls overall operations of the imprint apparatus 100 such as transport of the substrate 1, supply of the imprint material, driving of the substrate stage 7, alignment, the light source 11 for curing, and driving of the mold 18. The information transmitting / receiving unit 402 receives information necessary for the imprint process from the computer 300 via the network 301 and transfers information related to the imprint process. The information transmitting / receiving unit 402 can also exchange information with the coating apparatus 700. For example, the information transmission / reception unit 402 can function as a notification unit that notifies the coating apparatus 700 of information on a stopped processing unit among a plurality of processing units.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the coating apparatus control unit 500. The application main control unit 501 is a transfer robot for processing solution temperature adjustment control, process solution supply control, in-apparatus air conditioning control, and substrate transfer, which is related to the processing liquid application processing in the plurality of application processing units 801 to 806. Controls overall operations such as control. The information transmission / reception unit 502 receives information necessary for the coating process from the computer 300 via the network 301 and transfers information related to the coating process. The information transmitting / receiving unit 502 can also exchange information with the lithography apparatus 600. The application main control unit 501 includes a memory that stores a substrate carry-out order table and an application execution table, which will be described later, and manages these tables.

The operation of the imprint apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. This operation is controlled by the imprint apparatus control unit 400.
In S <b> 101, alignment (alignment) between the mold 18 and the substrate stage 7 is performed using the detector 5. At this time, the mold 18 is carried into the imprint apparatus 100 by a mold conveyance system (not shown) and is held by the mold chuck 17. Moreover, the mark (alignment mark) detected by the detector 5 may be provided on the substrate stage 7 as a dedicated reference mark, or may be provided on a dedicated alignment substrate.

  In S <b> 102, the substrate 1 is carried into the designated imprint apparatus 100 among the plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104 by the transfer robot 52. The substrate 1 is held by a substrate stage 7 (substrate chuck).

In S103, alignment before liquid contact is performed. The pre-wetted alignment may include pre-alignment performed only for the first time when replacing the substrate and alignment performed for each shot.
In pre-alignment performed only for the first time when replacing the substrate, the substrate stage 7 is moved below the off-axis scope 24, and the position of the substrate 1 held on the substrate stage 7 is measured by the off-axis scope 24. The pre-alignment accuracy is such that the alignment mark provided in each shot region of the substrate 1 is within the measurement range of the detector 5 (about 1 μm to 2 μm) in the alignment between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 (S107). Good. This measurement result is used when the substrate stage 7 is moved so that the target shot area is positioned below the mold 18 in S105.
The pre-wetted alignment performed for each shot is a process of measuring the alignment between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 (target shot region) using the detector 5. The pre-wetted alignment performed for each shot precedes S107 for the purpose of reducing the correction driving amount of the post-wetted alignment (S107) before the pattern surface of the mold 18 contacts the imprint material on the substrate. Done.

  In step S <b> 104, the substrate stage 7 moves so that the target shot area of the substrate 1 (shot area where imprint processing will be performed from now on) is positioned below the imprint material supply unit 23. Further, the gas supply unit 21 supplies a filling gas to the space between the mold 18 and the substrate 1.

  In S <b> 105, the imprint material supply unit 23 supplies the imprint material to the target shot area of the substrate 1. Specifically, the imprint material supply unit 23 supplies the imprint material to the target shot area of the substrate 1 moved below the imprint material supply unit 23 according to a predetermined supply pattern. When the imprint material is supplied to the target shot area of the substrate 1, the substrate stage 7 moves so that the target shot area is located under the mold 18.

In S106, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 drives the mold head 16 (that is, the mold 18) downward so that the mold 18 and the imprint material on the substrate come into contact with each other.
In S107, alignment (alignment) between the mold 18 and the substrate 1 (target shot region) is performed based on the result of alignment measurement by the detector 5 in a state where the pattern surface of the mold 18 and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. ) Is performed. Since such alignment is performed for each shot region (die) of the substrate 1, it is called die-by-die alignment.
In S108, the light from the curing light source 11 is applied to the imprint material on the target shot region of the substrate 1 through the mold 18 in a state where the pattern surface of the mold 18 and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other. .

  In S109, the imprint apparatus controller 400 raises the mold head 16 and separates the mold 18 from the cured imprint material on the target shot area of the substrate 1 (release). As a result, the imprint material pattern corresponding to the pattern surface of the mold 18 remains in the target shot area of the substrate 1. That is, a pattern corresponding to the pattern surface of the mold 18 is formed in the target shot region of the substrate 1. In releasing the mold, the mold head 16 is raised so that the shearing force applied to the pattern surface of the mold 18 is equal to or lower than the breaking stress of the resist pattern so that the resist pattern is not broken.

In step S110, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether patterns have been formed in all designated shot areas of the substrate 1. If no pattern is formed in all shot areas, the process proceeds to S103 in order to form a pattern in the next target shot area. If the pattern is formed in all shot areas, the process proceeds to S111.
In S <b> 111, the substrate 1 with the pattern formed on all shot areas is unloaded by the transfer robot 52.
In S112, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether imprint processing has been performed on all the substrates. If the imprint process has not been performed on all the substrates, the process proceeds to S102 in order to perform the imprint process on the next substrate. If the imprint process has been performed on all the substrates, the process ends.

Next, an example of monitoring processing of the plurality of processing units 101, 102, 103, and 104 by the imprint apparatus control unit 400 will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, each processing unit is also referred to as a “station”.
In step S <b> 201, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether there is a processing unit that interrupts a process that is being executed or a processing unit that has failed to start (a stopped processing unit). . Hereinafter, the stopped processing unit is referred to as a “stop processing unit”. If there is a stop processing unit, the process proceeds to S202; otherwise, the process proceeds to S203.
In S <b> 202, the information transmission / reception unit 402 transmits a stop notification including the stop processing unit identification information StationID to the coating apparatus 700.
The stop of the processing in the stop processing unit can occur, for example, when an abnormality occurs in a predetermined sequence (such as a sequence in alignment measurement) in the imprint apparatus. That is, it may occur when an assist operation for the device by the user is required to eliminate the abnormality. The stop can also occur, for example, due to the replacement of the mold due to the life of the mold. The stop can also occur, for example, due to calibration of the imprint apparatus that is executed when a predetermined execution condition is satisfied.

In the present embodiment, the order in which the substrates are unloaded from the coating apparatus 700 to the lithography apparatus 600 is defined in the substrate unloading order table. In the following description, the substrate carry-out order table is maintained and managed by the coating apparatus control unit 500. However, both of the coating apparatus control unit 500 and the imprint apparatus control unit 400 may be held or may be maintained and managed by the computer 300. FIG. 11 shows an example of the board carry-out order table. FIG. 11A is an example of a substrate carry-out order table immediately after the lithography apparatus 600 starts processing. This example shows a case where the substrates are successively processed in the order of three lots d01, d02, and d03. The identification information WaferID of the substrate to be processed in each lot is managed in association with the identification information StationID of the processing unit to process the substrate.
Here, while the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is processing the substrate of WaferID: 4853 according to FIG. 11A, as shown in FIG. 11B, the processing unit 102 (Station ID: A1). Suppose that stops. When the processing unit 102 is stopped, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 issues a stop notification including the Station ID: A1 in S202.
When receiving the stop notification, the coating apparatus control unit 500 prohibits the execution of the coating process on the substrate on which the pattern forming process is scheduled in the stop processing unit and the conveyance of the substrate to the stop processing unit.
Specifically, when receiving the stop notification, the coating apparatus control unit 500 deletes the data of Station ID: A1 in the Lot ID: d02 and the Lot ID: d03 from the substrate carry-out order table. This state is shown in FIG.

In S203, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether or not the stop processing unit has changed to a state in which processing can be resumed. A stop processing unit in which processing can be resumed is referred to as a restart processing unit. If there is a restart processing unit, the process proceeds to S204; otherwise, the process proceeds to S205.
In S <b> 204, the information transmission / reception unit 402 transmits a restart notification including identification information of the restart processing unit to the coating apparatus 700.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11C, when the processing unit 102 (Station ID: A1) can be resumed while the processing unit 104 (Station ID: B1) is processing the substrate with Wafer ID: 2902. Is assumed. Since the processing unit 102 can be restarted, in step S204, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 restarts including StationID: A1 for canceling the prohibition of substrate preparation (application processing) for the processing unit 102. Issue a notification.
When receiving the restart notification, the coating apparatus control unit 500 updates the substrate carry-out order table. With this update, the Station ID: A1 of the Lot ID: d02 and the Wafer ID: 2901 and the Wafer ID: 1002 associated with the Station ID: A1 of the Lot ID: d03 are re-registered. This state is shown in FIG. Thereby, the prohibition state of substrate preparation (coating process) for the stop processing unit and substrate conveyance to the stop processing unit is released.
In this example, it is assumed that at the time when the processing unit is stopped, at least the imprint processing in the processing unit has already been started on the substrate scheduled to be processed by the stopped processing unit. In other words, it is assumed that there is no substrate before the arrival at the processing unit after the coating apparatus 700 finishes the coating process.

  In step S205, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether to end the monitoring process. For example, when a request to stop production of a semiconductor device is received, the monitoring process is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to S201. The monitoring process is always executed repeatedly when operating in a situation where the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating apparatus 700 are connected and operated. When the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating apparatus 700 must be operated separately (for example, during maintenance operation), the monitoring process is requested to be interrupted.

In the present embodiment, the state of application and carry-in of the resist material on each substrate is described in the application execution table maintained and managed by the application apparatus control unit 500. Hereinafter, the management process of the application execution table by the application apparatus control unit 500 will be described with reference to FIG.
In S301, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether or not the stop notification transmitted in S202 of FIG. 7 has been received. If a stop notification is received, the process proceeds to S302; otherwise, the process proceeds to S303.
In S302, the SkipFlag of the application execution table is updated based on the StationID included in the received stop notification. FIG. 12A shows an example of a coating execution table held in the coating apparatus 700 immediately after the lithography apparatus 600 starts processing. In accordance with this application execution table, a plurality of substrates are successively processed in the order of three lots d01, d02, and d03. The identification information WaferID of the substrate to be processed in each lot is managed in association with the identification information StationID of the processing unit to process the substrate.

SlotNo indicates in which slot of the EFEM 60 the unprocessed substrate with the corresponding WaferID is stored.
SkipFlag is a flag indicating whether or not resist material application preparation is possible. When SkipFlag is 1, it indicates that preparation for coating is not possible.
CoatFlag is a flag indicating whether or not the application of the resist material is completed. When CoatFlag is 1, it indicates that the application of the resist material has been completed or the operation for performing the application process has started.
ExecFlag is a flag indicating a board loading preparation schedule. When ExecFlag is 1, it indicates a loading preparation schedule, and when it is 0, it indicates no loading preparation schedule. ExecFlag is set to 1 representing the preparation for loading when the resist material application preparation is possible (SkipFlag = 0) and the resist material application is not completed (CoatFlag = 0). Therefore, ExecFlag is expressed by the following equation.
ExecFlag = NOT (SkipFlag OR CoatFlag). . . Formula 1

  Immediately after the lithographic apparatus 600 starts processing, SkipFlag and CoatFlag are all 0, and ExecFlag is all 1. That is, all the unprocessed substrates stored in the EFEM 60 are loaded into the coating apparatus 700 and indicate that they are ready for coating. The coating apparatus 700 receives a processing execution instruction from the outside, and executes processing according to the coating execution table.

Here, according to FIG. 12A, during the processing of the substrate with WaferID: 4853 by the processing unit 101 (StationID: A2), the coating apparatus control unit 500 receives a stop notification of the processing unit 102 (StationID: A1). Assume a case. Therefore, at this time, as shown in FIG. 12B, the CoatFlag of SlotNo: 1 WaferID: 4852 and SlotNo: 2 WaferID: 4853 is set to 1 because the application is completed. In this case, the Skip Flag of Wafer ID: 2901 and Wafer ID: 1002, which are unprocessed substrates associated with the Station ID: A1, is set to 1 indicating that the application preparation cannot be executed.
At this time, it is determined that an unprocessed substrate having a Wafer ID of 4854, 4855, 2902, 2903, and 1004 in which ExecFlag is calculated as 1 according to Equation 1 is scheduled to be carried into the coating apparatus 700.

In S303, it is determined whether or not the restart notification transmitted in S204 of FIG. 7 has been received. If a restart notification is received, the process proceeds to S304; otherwise, the process proceeds to S305.
In S304, the SkipFlag of the processing scheduled board of the processing unit identified by the StationID included in the received restart notification is updated.
In S305, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether to end the management process. For example, when a request to stop production of a semiconductor device is received, the management process is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to S301. The management process is always executed repeatedly when operating in a situation where the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating / developing apparatus are connected and operated. When the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating apparatus 700 must be operated separately (for example, during maintenance operation), the management process is requested to be interrupted.

  FIG. 12C shows the update result of the application execution table when the stop processing unit finishes recovery and can be restarted (re-operation). Consider a case where, after the processing unit 102 (Station ID: A1) is stopped, the processing unit 104 (Station ID: A1) can be restarted while the processing unit 104 (Station ID: B1) is processing the substrate with Wafer ID: 2902. In this case, the Station ID included in the restart notification received from the lithography apparatus 600 is A1.

  Upon receiving this information, the Skip Flags of Slot No: 5 and Slot No: 8 associated with the Station ID: A1 are cleared to 0, respectively. At this time, the CoatFlags of SlotNo: 1 to SlotNo: 4 and SlotNo: 6 are set to 1. Further, from the ExecFlag calculated by Expression 1, it is determined that the unprocessed substrates with WaferID: 2901, 2903, 1002, and 1004 are scheduled to be carried into the coating apparatus 700.

Next, the substrate preparation and transport operations of the coating apparatus 700 executed by the coating apparatus control unit 500 will be described with reference to FIG.
In S401, the coating apparatus control unit 500 reads the coating execution table.
In S <b> 402, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether or not there is a WaferID substrate having an ExecFlag value of 1 indicating the substrate loading preparation schedule in the coating execution table. If there is, the process proceeds to S403, and if not, the process proceeds to S407.
In step S403, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether there is an empty coating processing unit that can execute the coating processing among the plurality of coating processing units 801 to 806.

In S404, the coating apparatus control unit 500 updates the Coat Flag of the target substrate to 1 in the coating execution table.
In S405, the substrate having the smallest SlotNo value among the substrates identified by the WaferID whose ExecFlag is 1 is loaded from the slot of the FOUP by the transfer robot 58 and transferred to the coating processing unit where the transfer robot 56 can execute the coating process. .
In S406, execution of the coating process is started in the coating processing unit to which the substrate has been transported in S405. The process can proceed to S407 without waiting for the completion of the application process in S406.

In S407, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether there is a substrate that has completed the coating process among the plurality of coating processing units 801 to 806. If there is, the process proceeds to S408. If not, the process proceeds to S411.
In step S <b> 408, the information transmission / reception unit 502 transmits the substrate information including the wafer ID and station ID of the substrate on which the coating process has been completed to the lithography apparatus 600, and inquires whether the substrate can be delivered to the lithography apparatus 600. This corresponds to S504 in FIG.
In step S409, the information transmission / reception unit 502 waits for a predetermined time to receive a substrate delivery permission notification from the lithography apparatus 600. If the board delivery permission notification is received within the designated time, the process proceeds to S410. If not received, the process proceeds to S412.

In S <b> 410, the transfer robot 56 acquires a substrate on which coating has been completed from the coating processing unit and places it on the transfer station 55. Further, the transfer robot 54 acquires the substrate from the transfer station 55 and transfers it to the lithography apparatus 600.
In step S411, the coating apparatus control unit 500 determines whether an instruction for interrupting the entire process of substrate coating and transport processing has been received. If received, the process ends. If not received, the process proceeds to S401. The interruption command for the substrate coating / conveying process does not occur in the normal process, and may occur when the apparatus is abnormal or the entire process must be interrupted.
In S <b> 412, for example, a terminal display screen (not shown) of the coating apparatus 700 displays that an error has occurred that prevents the substrate prepared for coating from being transferred to the lithography apparatus 600. Further, the coating apparatus control unit 500 may transmit an error occurrence to the computer 300 via the network 301.

As described above, in a semiconductor manufacturing system having a clustered lithography apparatus and a coating apparatus, when any processing unit stops, information on the stop processing unit is sent from the lithography apparatus side to the coating process. Therefore, the coating apparatus can suspend processing of the substrate related to the stop processing unit, and prepare and transport the substrate to be processed by the operable processing unit. In addition, when the stop processing unit can be restarted, the processing can be resumed immediately. Thereby, it is possible to minimize a decrease in productivity.
In the present embodiment, the WaferID and the StationID are associated one to one, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even when a specific substrate processing is operated in association with a plurality of processing stations, as long as the plurality of processing stations are stopped and can be operated in the remaining stations, the same processing as in the above-described embodiment is performed. An effect is obtained.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the information transmission / reception part 402 showed the method of including StationID of a stop process part in the stop notification as information which transmits to the coating device 700, and transmitting. However, if the coating apparatus 700 and the lithography apparatus 600 have common WaferID information for each substrate, a method of transmitting WaferIDs of all the substrates scheduled to be processed by the stop processing unit may be used. .
In addition, data communication between the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating apparatus 700 may be performed via a communication line that directly connects the lithography apparatus 600 and the coating apparatus 700, via the network 301, or further via the computer 300. It may be via a control device.
The communication method may be a parallel communication method in which one information is assigned to one signal line and a plurality of signals can be transmitted / received in parallel, or serial communication represented by RS-232C may be used. Network communication such as a LAN may be used.

  In FIG. 11, it is assumed that the coating unit 700 starts or completes the preparation of a substrate to be processed in a certain processing unit, and the processing unit stops in a state where the substrate transfer to the processing unit is completed. . On the other hand, in the following, when the coating apparatus 700 completes the coating process on the first substrate when the stop processing unit stops the pattern formation process on the first substrate scheduled to be processed by the stop processing unit. think of. In this embodiment, in this case, the first substrate is transferred to the substrate storage unit 61 instead of being transferred to the stop processing unit. When the processing of the stop processing unit can be resumed, the first substrate stored in the substrate storage unit 61 is transferred to the processing unit that can be resumed. Further, while the stop processing unit stops the pattern forming process, the second substrate on which the coating process has been performed is transferred from the coating apparatus 700 to the processing unit on which the pattern forming process on the second substrate is scheduled. Specific examples are shown below.

FIG. 13A shows an example of a substrate carry-out order table immediately after the lithography apparatus 600 starts processing.
Here, while the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is processing the substrate of WaferID: 4853 according to FIG. 13A, as shown in FIG. 13B, the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) Assume that you have stopped. When the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is stopped, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 transmits a stop notification indicating that A2 has stopped to the coating apparatus control unit 500. When receiving the stop notification, the coating apparatus control unit 500 deletes the data of the Station ID: A2 in the Lot ID: d02 and the Lot ID: d03 from the substrate carry-out order table. This state is shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, the processing unit 104 (Station ID: A2) can be resumed while the processing unit 104 is processing a substrate whose (Station ID: B1) is WaferID: 2902. Assume a case. When the processing unit 101 can be restarted, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 issues a restart notification of A2.
When receiving the restart notification, the coating apparatus control unit 500 updates the substrate carry-out order table. By this update, the Station ID: A2 of the Lot ID: d02 and the Wafer ID: 2901 and the Wafer ID: 1002 associated with the Station ID: A2 of the Lot ID: d03 are re-registered. This state is shown in FIG.

  Next, the management process of the application execution table by the coating apparatus control unit 500 in the case of FIG. 13 described above will be described. FIG. 14A shows an example of a coating execution table held in the coating apparatus 700 immediately after the lithography apparatus 600 starts processing. This is the same as FIG.

Here, according to FIG. 14A, during the processing of the substrate with WaferID: 4853 by the processing unit 101 (StationID: A2), the coating apparatus control unit 500 receives a stop notification of the processing unit 101 (StationID: A2). Assume a case. Accordingly, at this time point, as shown in FIG. 14B, the CoatFlag of SlotNo: 1 WaferID: 4852 and SlotNo: 2 WaferID: 4853 is set to 1 because the application is completed. In this case, the Skip Flag of Wafer ID: 2901 and Wafer ID: 1002, which are unprocessed substrates associated with the Station ID: A2, is set to 1 indicating that the application preparation cannot be executed.
At this time, it is determined that an unprocessed substrate having a Wafer ID of 4854, 4855, 2902, 2903, and 1004 in which ExecFlag is calculated as 1 according to Equation 1 is scheduled to be carried into the coating apparatus 700.
The substrate of Slot No: 2 Station ID: A2 and Wafer ID: 4853 corresponds to the stop processing unit A2, but since the coating apparatus 700 has already started preparation, after the preparation is completed, the substrate is transferred to the lithography apparatus 600. Deliver.

  FIG. 14C shows the update result of the application execution table when the stop processing unit finishes recovery and can be restarted (re-operation). Consider a case where, after the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is stopped, the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) can be restarted while the processing unit 104 (Station ID: B1) is in the process of processing the substrate with Wafer ID: 2902. In this case, the Station ID included in the restart notification received from the lithography apparatus 600 is A2.

  Upon receiving this information, the Skip Flags of Slot No: 5 and Slot No: 8 associated with the Station ID: A2 are cleared to 0, respectively. At this time, the CoatFlags of SlotNo: 1 to SlotNo: 4 and SlotNo: 6 are set to 1. Further, from the ExecFlag calculated by Expression 1, it is determined that the unprocessed substrates with WaferID: 2901, 2903, 1002, and 1004 are scheduled to be carried into the coating apparatus 700.

In the present embodiment, the processing state of each substrate in the lithography apparatus 600 is described in an imprint execution table maintained and managed by the imprint apparatus control unit 400. In the imprint execution table, it is determined in advance which of the plurality of processing units each of the plurality of substrates is processed. Hereinafter, the management process of the imprint execution table by the imprint apparatus control unit 400 will be described with reference to FIG. In the example of FIG. 15, the same situation as FIGS. 11 to 14, that is, the preparation of a substrate to be processed in a certain processing unit is started or completed by the coating apparatus 700, but the substrate transfer to the processing unit is not completed In this state, it is assumed that the processing unit is stopped.
In FIG. 15, DestPos indicates the transport destination of the substrate.
BufPos indicates whether or not the substrate is stored in the substrate storage unit 61. If this value is 1, it indicates that the substrate is stored in the substrate storage unit 61, and if it is 0, it indicates that the substrate is not stored in the substrate storage unit 61.
SkipFlag is a flag indicating whether or not execution of imprint processing is permitted. When SkipFlag is 1, it indicates that the imprint process is not executable, and when it is 0, it indicates that the imprint process is executable.
ImpFlag is a flag indicating whether imprint processing has been executed. When ImpFlag is 1, it indicates that imprint processing has been executed, and when it is 0, it indicates that execution has not been completed.
ExecFlag is a flag indicating that the imprint process is scheduled to be executed. When ExecFlag is 1, the execution is scheduled. ExecFlag is set to 1 representing the execution schedule when the imprint process can be executed (SkipFlag = 0) and the imprint process has not been executed (ImpFlag = 0). Therefore, ExecFlag is expressed by the following equation.
ExecFlag = NOT (SkipFlag OR ImpFlag). . . Formula 2

  FIG. 15A shows an example of an imprint execution table immediately after the lithography apparatus 600 starts processing. The relationship between WaferID and StationID in the imprint execution table is the same as that in the application execution table of the application apparatus 700. The example of FIG. 15A shows a case where the substrates are successively processed in the order of three lots d01, d02, and d03. Immediately after the lithographic apparatus 600 starts processing, SkipFlag and ImpFlag are all zero. In addition, ExecFlag is all 1, indicating that all the substrates scheduled to be carried in from the coating apparatus 700 are in an imprint process. The lithography apparatus 600 receives a processing execution instruction from the outside, conveys a substrate to be imprinted to a corresponding processing unit, and issues an imprint processing execution instruction.

FIG. 15B shows an update result of the imprint execution table when the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is stopped while the coating apparatus 700 is processing a substrate with Wafer ID: 4853. The transfer destination of the substrate with WaferID: 4853 carried in from the coating apparatus 700 is the substrate storage unit 61 corresponding to “Buffer” stored as DestPos data.
At this time point, it is shown from the ExecFlag calculated by Expression 2 that the unprocessed substrates with Wafer IDs: 4854, 4855, 2902, 2903, and 1004 are scheduled to be executed. The lithography apparatus 600 transports the unprocessed substrate to the target processing unit, and issues an imprint processing execution instruction.

  FIG. 15C shows an example of the update result of the imprint execution table when the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) can be restarted after being stopped. At this time point, it is indicated from the ExecFlag calculated by Expression 2 that unprocessed substrates with Wafer IDs: 4853, 2901, 2903, 1002, and 1004 are scheduled to be subjected to imprint processing. The lithography apparatus 600 transports the unprocessed substrate to the target processing unit, and issues an imprint processing execution instruction.

With reference to FIG. 10, the substrate transfer operation of the lithography apparatus 600 by the imprint apparatus control unit 400 will be described.
In step S <b> 501, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether the substrate storage unit 61 has a substrate (standby substrate) that has been coated with a resist material by the coating apparatus 700 and is waiting for imprint processing. This determination can be made based on whether 1 is set in BufPos of the imprint execution table. This flag is set to 1 when a substrate on which a resist material has been applied by the coating apparatus 700 but has not been subjected to imprint processing is placed in the substrate storage unit 61, and when a substrate is taken out from the substrate storage unit 61. Cleared to 0. If there is a standby substrate in the substrate storage unit 61, the process proceeds to S502, and if there is no standby substrate, the process proceeds to S504.
In step S <b> 502, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 acquires a value of DestPos, which is information on the substrate transport destination, from the imprint execution table.
In step S503, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether or not the substrate transfer destination processing unit acquired in step S502 is in an operable state. If the processing unit is in an operable state, the process proceeds to S509. If the processing unit is not operable, the process proceeds to S504.

In step S <b> 504, the information transmission / reception unit 402 determines whether substrate information including the wafer ID and station ID of the substrate for which the coating process has been completed is received from the coating apparatus 700. This is transmitted in S408 of FIG. 9 described above. If the board information has been received, the process proceeds to S505. If the board information has not been received, the process proceeds to S511.
In step S505, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 checks the consistency between the board information received in step S504 and the information in the imprint execution table. Specifically, it is confirmed whether or not the combination of the Wafer ID and the Station ID, which are board information received in S504, is correctly described in the imprint execution table.
In S506, when the consistency of S505 is confirmed, that is, when the combination of WaferID and StationID is correctly described in the imprint execution table, the process proceeds to S507. Otherwise, the process returns to S501.

In step S <b> 507, the information transmission / reception unit 402 transmits a substrate delivery permission notification to the coating apparatus 700. This process corresponds to S409 in FIG. If the alignment cannot be confirmed in S506, the coating apparatus 700 cannot receive the substrate delivery permission notification, and the coating apparatus control unit 500 executes error processing in S412.
In S508, if the processing unit of the received StationID is in an operable state, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 writes the received StationID into DestPos that is information on the transport destination of the received WaferID substrate. If the processing unit cannot be operated, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 writes “Buffer” indicating the substrate storage unit 61 in DestPos of the received WaferID.
In step S509, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 controls the transfer robot 52 to transfer the substrate to the processing unit according to DestPos. If the DestPos is Buffer, after the transfer to the substrate storage unit 61, the DestPos is written back to the StationID associated with the WaferID.

In step S510, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 instructs the processing unit to which the substrate has been transferred in step S509 to execute imprint processing. In this embodiment, each processing unit is designed to execute processing independently, and the process can proceed from S510 to S511 without waiting for the imprint process to end.
In step S511, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether there is a board that has completed the imprint process in the processing unit. If there is a processed substrate, the process proceeds to S512, and if there is no processed substrate, the process proceeds to S513.
In step S <b> 512, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 controls the transport robot 52 to deliver the processed substrate to the coating apparatus 700 through the transport path 51.
In step S513, the imprint apparatus control unit 400 determines whether an overall process interruption command for imprint processing and transport processing has been received. If received, the process ends. If not received, the process returns to S501. The entire interruption command does not occur in normal processing, and can occur when there is an abnormality in the apparatus or when the entire processing must be interrupted halfway.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a substrate processing order table describing the substrate processing order of the lithography apparatus 600 managed by the imprint apparatus control unit 400. Here, an example of a substrate processing order table is shown in the case where preparation of a substrate to be processed in a certain processing unit is started or completed by the coating apparatus 700 but there is a substrate that has not been transferred to the processing unit. Has been.
When the processing unit 101 (Station ID: A2) is stopped, the coating apparatus 700 has already started or completed the preparation of the substrate to be processed in the processing unit A2. Therefore, the substrate with WaferID: 4853 with LotID: d01 is once stored in the substrate storage unit 61 after being transported to the lithography apparatus 600, and held until the processing is resumed in the processing unit A2. Therefore, the processing order is switched to the order described in FIG.
Similarly, the order of WaferID: 2901 of LotID: d02 is changed by interrupting substrate preparation and transport in the coating apparatus 700 until processing is resumed in the processing unit A2.

  According to the above embodiment, the coating apparatus 700 has already started or completed the preparation of the substrate to be processed in a certain processing unit, but even if the substrate transfer to the processing unit is not completed As soon as the processing unit becomes operational again, processing can be resumed immediately. As a result, it is possible to minimize a decrease in productivity of the entire semiconductor manufacturing system.

<Embodiment of article manufacturing method>
The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus is used permanently on at least a part of various articles or temporarily used when manufacturing various articles. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, a MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold. Examples of the electric circuit elements include volatile or nonvolatile semiconductor memories such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include an imprint mold.

  The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as a constituent member of at least a part of the article or temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation or the like is performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

  Next, an article manufacturing method will be described. As shown in FIG. 17A, a substrate 1z such as a silicon substrate on which a workpiece 2z such as an insulator is formed is prepared, and subsequently, the substrate 1z is formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. A printing material 3z is applied. Here, a state is shown in which the imprint material 3z in the form of a plurality of droplets is applied on the substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 17B, the imprint mold 4z is made to face the imprint material 3z on the substrate with the side having the uneven pattern formed thereon. As shown in FIG. 17C, the substrate 1 provided with the imprint material 3z is brought into contact with the mold 4z, and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in a gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. In this state, when light is irradiated as energy for curing through the mold 4z, the imprint material 3z is cured.

  As shown in FIG. 17D, when the imprint material 3z is cured and then the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of a cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. This cured product pattern has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, and the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, that is, the concave / convex pattern of the die 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z. It will be done.

  As shown in FIG. 17 (e), when etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching resistant mold, the portion of the surface of the workpiece 2z where there is no cured product or remains thin is removed, and the grooves 5z and Become. As shown in FIG. 17 (f), when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article in which grooves 5z are formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Although the cured product pattern is removed here, it may be used as, for example, a film for interlayer insulation contained in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, a constituent member of an article without being removed after processing.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

900: substrate processing system, 600: lithography apparatus, 700: coating apparatus, 400: imprint apparatus control section, 500: coating apparatus control section

Claims (18)

A plurality of processing units for performing the second processing in parallel on the plurality of substrates that have been subjected to the first processing in the first processing apparatus;
Information for prohibiting the execution of the first process on the substrate on which the second process is scheduled in a stop processing unit that is a processing unit that has stopped the second process among the plurality of processing units. A notification unit for notifying the processing device;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the first processing apparatus of information on the stop processing unit.   3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in which of the plurality of processing units each of the plurality of substrates is processed is predetermined.   The said notification part notifies the information for canceling | releasing the said prohibition to the said 1st processing apparatus, when the said 2nd process in the said stop process part becomes resumable. The substrate processing apparatus of any one of these. A transport unit that transports the substrate between the storage unit that temporarily stores the substrate subjected to the first process in the first processing apparatus and the plurality of processing units;
A control unit for controlling the transport unit;
Including
The controller is
When the first processing on the first substrate is completed at the time when the stop processing unit stops the second processing on the first substrate on which the second processing is scheduled in the stop processing unit, Transporting the first substrate to the storage unit;
When the second process in the stop processing unit can be resumed, the first substrate transported to the storage unit is transported to the stop processing unit in which the second process can be resumed. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit is controlled.   While the stop processing unit stops the second processing, the control unit treats the second substrate on which the first processing has been performed as the second processing for the second substrate among the plurality of processing units. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transfer unit is controlled such that the transfer unit is transferred to a predetermined processing unit.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit is provided outside the substrate processing apparatus.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit is provided inside the substrate processing apparatus.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the storage unit is provided so as to be surrounded by the plurality of processing units.   10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of processing units performs pattern formation on the substrate as the second processing. 11.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of processing units performs imprint processing on the substrate as the second processing.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first processing apparatus performs preprocessing for the pattern formation on the substrate as the first processing.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first processing apparatus forms a layer for forming the pattern on the substrate as the first processing. A processing unit for performing a first process on a substrate;
In a stop processing unit that is a processing unit that stops the second processing among a plurality of processing units in a second processing apparatus that performs the second processing in parallel on the plurality of substrates that have been subjected to the first processing, respectively. A receiving unit that receives from the second processing apparatus information for prohibiting the execution of the first processing on the substrate on which the second processing has been scheduled;
When the information is received by the receiving unit, a control unit that controls the first processing by the processing unit so as to perform the prohibition;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14;
A substrate processing system comprising: A plurality of processing units perform a second process in parallel on each of the plurality of substrates that have been subjected to the first process in the first processing apparatus,
Information for prohibiting the execution of the first process on the substrate on which the second process is scheduled in a stop processing unit that is a processing unit that has stopped the second process among the plurality of processing units. Notify the processing unit,
And a substrate processing method.   A program for causing a computer to execute the substrate processing method according to claim 16. A first step of performing pattern formation on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A second step of processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the first step;
And manufacturing an article from the substrate that has been subjected to the treatment in the second step.

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