JP2018157038A - Substrate transport system, lithography apparatus, and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid collisions between a substrate and objects other than the substrate in a transport path of the substrate to a transport destination.SOLUTION: The substrate transport system 100 includes: transport means 300 for transporting a substrate 5; detection means 300 for detecting a curved state of the substrate 5 held by a first holding unit 200; and determination means 802 that determines whether the substrate 5 can be transferred from the first holding unit 200 to a second holding unit 600 by the transport means 300 on the basis of a detection result of the detection means 300.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

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

  In recent years, as the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and the like is diversified, a substrate with a large warp or a thin substrate is increasingly handled.

  Patent Document 1 describes a substrate holding device that corrects and holds a substrate warp.

JP2013-191601A

  However, when a substrate with a large warp or a thin substrate is supported and transported with only a part of the substrate, the substrate is bent into various shapes such as a downward convex shape, an upward convex shape, a saddle shape, and the detection substrate holding device There is a risk that the substrate and an object other than the substrate may collide with each other in the conveyance path until the substrate is conveyed. For example, the substrate being transported may collide with another member, or the substrate and the transport hand may collide when picking up again from the mounting table on which the substrate is temporarily placed in the middle of the transport path. In such a case, the substrate is damaged, and the transport system needs to be temporarily stopped to collect the dropped substrate.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a substrate transport system and a lithography apparatus that can avoid a collision between a substrate and an object other than the substrate in a substrate transport path to a transport destination.

  A substrate transfer system according to the present invention is a substrate transfer system for transferring a substrate from a first holding unit capable of holding a substrate to a second holding unit capable of holding the substrate, the transfer means for transferring the substrate, Detection means for detecting the curved state of the substrate held by the first holding unit, and the detection unit's detection result of the substrate from the first holding unit to the second holding unit by the transport unit Determining means for determining whether or not conveyance is possible.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid a collision between a substrate and an object other than the substrate in the substrate transfer path to the transfer destination.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the board | substrate conveyance system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the difference in the curved state of a board | substrate. It is a figure explaining the method to detect the curved state of the board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining control of the substrate conveyance system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart for the determination which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a detailed flowchart of S402 and S403. It is a figure which shows a mode that a deformation | transformation of a board | substrate is large. It is a detailed flowchart of S408. It is a figure explaining the kind of conveyance mode. It is a figure which shows the structure of the exposure apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the board | substrate which is easy to warp.

[First Embodiment]
(Configuration of substrate transfer system)
A schematic configuration of a substrate transfer stem 100 (hereinafter referred to as a transfer system 100) according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. In the following description, a vertical axis is a Z axis, and two axes orthogonal to each other in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis are an X axis and a Y axis. With respect to the drawings described below, the same members as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof for the second and subsequent times is omitted. Moreover, in the following description, the board | substrate 5 shall also include the structure by which another material was provided on the base material also in the case of only a base material.

  The transfer system 100 includes a mounting table (first holding unit) 200, a transfer mechanism 300, an alignment stage 400, a transfer mechanism 500, and a stage (second holding unit) 600. The transport mechanisms 300 and 500 are transport means for transporting the substrate 5 from the mounting table 200 to the stage 600.

  When the transport system 100 is mounted on an exposure apparatus, the substrate 5 coated with a resist is carried into the transport system 100 by an external coater developer. The loaded substrate is first mounted on the mounting table 200. The mounting table 200 temporarily holds the substrate 5 mounted on the three support members 202 protruding from the upper surface 201.

The transport mechanism 300 transports the substrate 5 from the mounting table 200 to the alignment stage 400. The transport mechanism 300 includes a driving mechanism 301 for driving in the horizontal direction and a driving mechanism for driving in the vertical direction so that the hand 305 holding the substrate 5 can be positioned in four axial directions (X, Y, Z, θ _Z ). Drive mechanism 302 and drive mechanisms 303 and 304 for driving in the rotation direction.

  The alignment stage 400 adjusts the position of the substrate 5 in the horizontal direction and the rotation direction by rotating the substrate 5 along the holding surface of the alignment stage 400.

  The transport mechanism 500 transports the substrate 5 whose position has been adjusted by the alignment stage 400 to the stage 600. The transport mechanism 500 is configured to be driven only in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction so that the substrate 5 whose position is adjusted by the alignment stage 400 can be accurately transported.

  The stage 600 is movable on the XY plane and positions the transported substrate 5 at a predetermined processing position. For example, a linear motor, an electromagnetic actuator, a pulse motor, or the like (not shown) is used as a drive mechanism for movement. When the transport system 100 is mounted on the exposure apparatus, the predetermined processing position is a position below the projection optical system. The buffer station 700 is configured to be able to place a plurality of substrates 5 and is a standby position for temporarily waiting the substrates 5.

  The control unit 800 is connected to the transport mechanism 300, the alignment stage 400, the transport mechanism 500, and the stage 600, and controls driving of these units. Further, the control unit 800 has a function of determining whether or not the substrate 5 placed on the placement table 200 can be transported to the stage 600. The function of the control unit 800 will be described in detail later.

  In the transport system 100, the curved state of the substrate 5 changes depending on how the substrate 5 is supported, that is, changes in the support position and the support area. The difference in the curved state will be described with reference to FIG.

  2A shows the hand 305, FIG. 2B shows the alignment stage 400, and FIG. 2C shows the state when the substrate 5 is supported by the support member 202. 2A to 2C are views seen from the + X direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the curved state of the substrate 5 changes even with the same substrate 5. That is, the three-dimensional shape of the substrate 5 changes, including information on the bending direction and the amount of bending (the width in the out-of-plane direction of the substrate 5), such as a downward convex shape, an upward convex shape, or a saddle shape. This depends on the support area and its position, and the closer the support position is to the center and the smaller the support area by the support member, the greater the amount of bending of the substrate 5 tends to be.

  Even when the substrate 5 is supported by the same member, the curved state of the substrate 5 depends on the material of the substrate 5 that has been carried in, and the warpage of the substrate 5 caused by the stress acting on the substrate 5. Is different. In particular, as in the substrate 1000 shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the unit region 106 of the substrate 1000 is configured such that the semiconductor chip 101 and the electrode pad 104 are connected via the wiring 103 on the mold material 102. When it has, it becomes easy to warp. A substrate with large warpage tends to be easily conveyed in a state of being greatly curved when the back surface thereof is supported.

  Therefore, the conveyance height of the substrate 5 by the conveyance mechanisms 300 and 500, the reception height of the substrate 5 from the alignment stage 400, and the transfer height of the substrate 5 to the stage 600 are set to fixed values regardless of the substrate 5. Is not preferred. In the case of the substrate 5 whose bending amount is larger than the allowable value, there is a possibility that the substrate 5 and an object other than the substrate 5 (hereinafter referred to as other objects) may collide in the transport path from the mounting table 200 to the stage 600. is there. Here, examples of the other object include a hand 305 of the transport mechanism 300, an alignment stage 400, a stage 600, or a component of an apparatus on which the transport system 100 is mounted.

  The conveyance system 100 according to the present embodiment detects a curved state and compares the detection result with an allowable value to determine whether or not the subsequent conveyance is possible, whereby an unexpected collision between the substrate 5 and another object in the conveyance path. To avoid.

  As described above, the curved state of the substrate 5 changes depending on how it is supported. Therefore, it is ideal to grasp the curved state of the substrate 5 when supported by the respective members. However, if the detection is performed every time the substrate 5 is changed, it takes much time.

  In the present embodiment, the number of times of detecting the curved state of the substrate 5 is reduced by detecting the curved state of the substrate 5 only at the mounting table 200 which is the part that receives the substrate 5 only after being carried into the transport system 100. . Therefore, even from the result of detecting the curved state of the substrate 5 by the mounting table 200, it should be possible to determine whether the substrate 5 can pass without colliding with other objects at any location on the transport path. I must.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the support method of the mounting table 200 is the same support method as the support method in which the substrate 5 is most curved among the support methods in the alignment stage 400 and the transport mechanisms 300 and 500, or more. The support method is curved in a straight line. For example, the area surrounded by the three support members 202 is surrounded by the contact area of the alignment stage 400 with the substrate 5, the area surrounded by the two fingers of the hand 305, and the portion where the transport mechanism 500 contacts the substrate 5. It is smaller than the area.

  Hereinafter, a method for detecting the curved state of the substrate 5 and a determination flow for determining whether or not the substrate can be conveyed based on the detection result will be described.

  Note that “detecting the curved state” typically means “measuring the three-dimensional shape of the curved substrate”, but in the present invention, “a quantity that indicates the degree of curvature of the substrate 5 is directly or “Indirect measurement” is expressed as “detecting the bending state”. The detection result of the bending state may be “a bending amount of the substrate” that directly indicates an amount by which the degree of bending of the substrate 5 can be understood, or “a substrate that indirectly indicates an amount by which the degree of bending of the substrate 5 can be understood. It may be the “position of one point on the surface in the out-of-plane direction”. In the present embodiment, the out-of-plane direction is the height direction, that is, the Z-axis direction. Further, the detection result by the detection means does not need to include information on the position of the entire surface of the substrate 5, and may be a result of only a part of the substrate on which the measurement is performed. When the detection result is “the amount of bending of the substrate”, it is possible to determine whether or not the sheet can be conveyed from the result of comparison with the allowable amount of bending. Further, when the detection result is “a position in one out-of-plane direction on the surface of the substrate”, it is possible to determine whether or not the conveyance is possible from a result of comparing this with an allowable position in the out-of-plane direction. In these cases, the allowable bending amount and the allowable position may be set to different values depending on whether the substrate 5 is curved downwardly convex or curved upwardly.

(Detection method of substrate bending state)
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the transport mechanism 300 includes a hand (moving member) 305 that moves in the out-of-plane direction of the substrate 5 supported by the mounting table 200, and the hand 305 and the substrate 5. A sensor 309 for detecting contact is included. In addition to the function as the transport unit, the transport mechanism 300 also has a function as a detection unit that detects the curved state of the substrate 5.

  In this embodiment, the conveyance mechanism 300 measures “a position in one out-of-plane direction on the surface of the substrate” that indirectly indicates an amount by which the degree of bending of the substrate 5 can be understood as detection of the curved state. The measurement result is expressed as “position information POS” in the following description. Allowable positions used for determination of whether or not conveyance is possible are a lower limit position 20 and an upper limit position 30. The lower limit position 20 corresponds to the case where the substrate 5 is convex upward, and the upper limit position 30 corresponds to the case where the substrate 5 is downward convex. In other words, the predetermined range of the lower limit position 20 ≦ POS ≦ upper limit position 30 is set such that the substrate 5 is placed on the substrate 5 from the mounting table 200 to the stage 600 according to the transfer profile set in the transfer system 100 when the curved state is detected. It is the range that can be transported without colliding.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the transport mechanism 300 detects the curved state of the substrate 5 with the hand 305 being inserted below the substrate 5. FIG. 3B is an arrow view of the mounting table 200 and the transport mechanism 300 viewed from the α direction shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the sensor 309 includes an exhaust unit 308 such as a vacuum pump that exhausts surrounding gas through the suction port 306 provided on the upper surface of the hand 305, and the exhaust unit 308 and the suction port 306. Has a sensor 309 for measuring the pressure in the exhaust passage connecting the two. When the exhaust unit 308 exhausts and the substrate 5 is adsorbed to the hand 305, the substrate 5 is transported while preventing the displacement of the substrate 5 being transported.

  In a state where the hand 305 is inserted under the substrate 5, the control unit 800 raises the hand 305 in a direction approaching the substrate 5 (+ Z direction). When the suction port 306 is blocked by the substrate 5, the pressure in the exhaust flow path changes from atmospheric pressure to negative pressure. By detecting the change in pressure, the sensor 309 detects contact between the hand 305 and the substrate 5.

  The movable range of the hand 305 is configured to be movable from a position lower than the lower limit position 20, which is a position in the Z-axis direction, to a position higher than the upper limit position 30.

  Here, the transfer profile includes a height when the transfer mechanisms 300 and 500 transfer the substrate 5, a speed and acceleration during transfer, a height of the upper surface of the stage 600, a height of the upper surface of the alignment stage 400, and the like. .

  Note that the sensor 309 may not measure pressure as long as the hand 305 can detect that the hand 305 is in contact with the substrate 5. For example, a sensor that detects a load on the substrate 5, an optical sensor that measures a distance from the substrate 5, or an ultrasonic sensor may be used. Even if the sensor 309 is in these cases, a suction hole or an exhaust part may be provided in order to hold the substrate 5 in the hand 305.

(Judgment method for transportability)
Next, a method for determining whether or not the substrate 5 can be transferred in the transfer system 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the control of the part related to the determination of whether or not the substrate 5 can be transported.

  The control unit 800 includes a command unit 801 that outputs a control command, a determination unit 802 that determines whether the substrate 5 can be transported, and a storage unit 803.

  The command unit 801 includes a CPU, and makes a necessary determination or outputs a control command for controlling the transport mechanisms 300 and 500 and the alignment stage 400. In particular, when the determination unit 802 determines that the substrate 5 cannot be transferred with the set transfer profile, a new transfer profile is set.

  The determination unit 802 determines whether or not subsequent transport is possible based on the curved state of the substrate detected using the transport mechanism 300.

  The storage unit 803 stores a program related to the determination of whether or not the conveyance is possible by the determination unit 802, a program related to determining a control command from the command unit 801, and the like. Further, a table in which the height of the hand 305 when the contact between the hand 305 and the substrate 5 is detected and the control command when the conveyance is impossible is stored.

  Note that the control unit 800 only needs to have the above-described function, and the circuit equivalent to the command unit 801, the determination unit 802, and the storage unit 803 may be configured on the same control board or configured on separate control boards. May be. The memory and the control board related to these functions may be configured on the same control board, or may be provided on separate control boards.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart regarding a program executed by the transport system 100. At the start of S400, the substrate is not carried into the transport system 100.

  In S <b> 401, the substrate 5 is carried into the mounting table 200. In step S <b> 402, the transport mechanism 300 detects the curved state of the substrate 5 based on a control command from the command unit 801. The transport mechanism 300 outputs the detection result to the determination unit 802.

  With the configuration of the hand 305, only two curved states arranged in the Y-axis direction can be detected. Therefore, the transport mechanism 300 may repeat the step S402 a plurality of times while changing the relative angle between the hand 305 and the substrate 5 so that the curved state of the most curved portion of the substrate 5 can be detected. Thereby, the said bending state is detectable at at least 3 places which are not on the same straight line form. In this case, the transport mechanism 300 outputs a detection result indicating that the bending amount of the substrate 5 is the largest among the plurality of obtained detection results to the determination unit 802. In the present embodiment, the position information POS farthest from the upper end of the support member 202 corresponds to a detection result indicating that the substrate 5 has the largest amount of curvature.

  In S403, the determination unit 802 determines whether the substrate 5 can be transported based on the detection result. S402 and S403 will be described later.

  When the determination unit 802 determines that the transfer is possible in S403, the determined substrate 5 is transferred to the stage 600 along the flow described above. In S404, a predetermined process is performed on the substrate 5 on the stage 600.

  When the determination unit 802 determines that the conveyance is impossible in S403, in S405, the command unit 801 instructs the conveyance mechanism 300 to convey the substrate 5 determined to be non-conveyable to the buffer station 700.

  After step S <b> 404 or S <b> 405, in step S <b> 406, the command unit 801 determines whether the transported substrate 5 is the last substrate 5 carried into the transport system 100. If it is not the last substrate 5, the control unit 800 repeatedly executes the processes from S401 to S406. In this way, the substrate 5 determined to be transportable before the substrate 5 determined to be untransportable is transported to the stage 600.

  If the command unit 801 determines in S406 that there are no more substrates 5 carried in, the process proceeds to S407. In S407, the command unit 801 determines whether there is a substrate 5 transported to the buffer station 700 based on the determination in S403.

  When the command unit 801 determines that there is a substrate 5 transported to the buffer station 700, the process proceeds to S408, and when it is determined that there is no substrate 5 transported to the buffer station 700, the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. . In step S <b> 408, the command unit 801 determines a measure for the substrate transported to the buffer station 700. The measure decision flow will be described later.

  In S409, as a result of determining the measure in S408, it is determined whether there is a substrate 5 that can be transported to the stage 600 by changing a transport profile that is a control command for the transport mechanisms 300, 500, and the like. If there is a substrate 5 that can be processed, the substrate 5 determined by the determination unit 802 to be untransferable in S403 is changed to a transfer profile that can be transferred, and then the substrate 5 is transferred to the stage 600.

  At this time, the substrates 5 determined to be processable in S309 may be collectively processed for each substrate 5 that can be transported with the same transport profile. It is possible to reduce the number of times of determination on the user side when approval is given to the user regarding the change of the setting of the transport profile.

  In S410, a predetermined process is performed on the substrate 5 on the stage 600. When the process is completed, the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. If the command unit 801 determines that there is no substrate 5 that can be processed in S409, the program shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  Next, the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 will be described in detail for the process of S402 and the process of S403. S402 includes steps S800 to S803, and S403 includes steps S804 to S807.

  First, the command unit 801 controls the transport mechanism 300 to insert the hand 305 at a position below the substrate 5 placed on the placement table 200 and at an initial position for detection (POS = 0). Next, in S801, the command unit 801 drives the hand 305 upward by a minute step. The driving amount per time is, for example, about 100 μm. During or after the driving, in step S802, the determination unit 802 determines whether the sensor 309 has notified that the hand 305 and the substrate 5 are in contact with each other.

  If the hand 305 and the substrate 5 are not in contact, in step S803, the command unit 801 determines whether the hand 305 has reached the drive upper limit. If the drive upper limit has not been reached, the steps S801 to S803 are repeated.

  When the determination unit 802 receives a notification from the sensor 309 that the hand 305 and the substrate 5 are in contact in S802, the determination unit 802 acquires the position information POS in the height direction of the hand 305 from the command unit 801, and The process proceeds to S804. Further, the determination unit 802 acquires from the storage unit 803 the lower limit position 20 and the upper limit position 30 at which the substrate 5 can be transferred with the currently set transfer profile.

  In step S <b> 804, the determination unit 802 determines whether the position information POS acquired from the command unit 801 satisfies the lower limit position 20 ≦ POS ≦ upper limit position 30. If this equation is satisfied, a determination that the conveyance is possible is output to the command unit 801 in S805, and if the equation is not satisfied, a determination that the conveyance is impossible is output in S806. The case where the inequality is not satisfied means that the position in the height direction when the substrate 5 hand 305 and the substrate 5 are in contact with each other while being held by the support member 202 is below the lower limit position 20 as shown in FIG. Or when the upper limit position 30 is exceeded as shown in FIG.

  Next, the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 will be described in detail for the process of S408. In S800, the command unit 801 reads the position information POS in the height direction of the hand 305 used by the determination unit 802 for determination. In S802, the command unit 801 determines whether there is a transport mode corresponding to the position information POS.

  FIG. 9 illustrates data stored in the storage unit 803 and explains the transport mode. FIG. 9A shows data in which the range of the position information POS for each transport mode is associated with the file name of the transport profile corresponding to each transport mode. FIG. 9B shows transport profile data corresponding to each file name. The conveyance profile corresponding to each conveyance mode is, for example, data in which drive profiles and control command values for the conveyance mechanisms 300 and 500 are set. The drive profile includes at least one of a relationship between time and position, a relationship between time and conveyance speed, and a relationship between time and conveyance acceleration.

  When the height of the portion where the alignment stage 400 or the stage 600 receives the substrate 5 is changed according to the amount of curvature of the substrate 5, the transport profile includes a control command value for controlling these height changes. Also good. When the holding force of the substrate 5 in each of the transfer mechanisms 300 and 500 and the holding force of the substrate 5 in the stage 600 are changed according to the bending amount of the substrate 5, information of the transfer profile is information on these holding forces. A control command value for controlling the change may be included.

  If it does not fit in any of the transport modes, the process proceeds to S903, and the command unit 801 notifies the user that the substrate 5 cannot be transported.

  If the instruction unit 801 selects the applicable transfer mode, the transfer profile is changed to the value of the transfer mode in S902. For example, if the conveyance profile is set in the conveyance mode 2 and the detected position information POS is larger than “12” which is the upper limit position 30 of the conveyance mode 2, the mode is changed to the conveyance mode 3. The transport mode 3 is a mode in which the height (transport height) of the portion that supports the substrate 5 when transporting the substrate 5 by the transport mechanisms 300 and 500 is lower than the transport mode 2 before the change. Such a change in the transport height is at least a position (position corresponding to the upper limit) that may collide with another object when the substrate 5 whose curved state exceeds the upper limit position 30 is transported in the transport mode 2. Done. Similarly, when the detected position information POS is lower than the lower limit position 20, the conveyance mode 1 is changed so that the conveyance height is lower than the conveyance mode 2.

  Thereafter, the process advances to step S903 to notify the user that the transport profile has been changed. In addition, the notification method to the user in S903 may be any form such as displaying the fact on a user interface such as a display or lighting a predetermined lamp.

  Thus, by determining whether or not the subsequent conveyance is possible based on the previously detected curved state of the substrate 5, it is possible to avoid a collision between the substrate 5 and another object in the conveyance path of the substrate 5. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a delay from occurring in processing performed after the substrate 5 is transported to the stage 600 as the transport destination due to stopping the transport system 100 at an unexpected timing.

  The transfer system according to the present invention is suitable for a difficult case where the transfer space of the substrate 5 can be expanded. The substrate 5 in various curved states can be transported to the transport destination without being modified to increase the size of the apparatus on which the transport system 100 is mounted.

[Second Embodiment]
The configuration of the transport system 100 according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, but a part of the program stored in the storage unit 803 is different. In the first embodiment, all the substrates 5 determined not to be transferred in S403 are once held in the buffer station 700, but in this embodiment, only when there is no corresponding transfer mode among the substrates 5 determined not to be transferred. The buffer station 700 is made to wait. That is, even if the determination unit 802 determines that the transfer is not possible in the transfer mode at the time of S403, the transfer profile setting is changed if there is a transfer mode in which the substrate 5 can be transferred by executing S408. After that, the substrate 5 is transferred to the stage 600. The change of the conveyance profile setting may be automatically performed by the control unit 800 or may be performed after notifying the user and obtaining approval from the user.

  In the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, by determining whether or not the subsequent conveyance is possible based on the curved state of the substrate 5 detected in advance, the substrate 5 and other objects in the conveyance path of the substrate 5 are determined. Collisions can be avoided. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to place the substrates 5 that can be transported on the buffer station if the transport profile is reset, the first time required until the transport system 100 finishes transporting all the substrates 5 to be transported. Compared to the embodiment, it can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, other forms applicable to both the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described. These may be applied in combination.

  In the first and second embodiments, the determination unit 802 may determine whether or not conveyance is possible based on information other than the position information POS of the hand 305. For example, the determination unit 802 may determine whether or not the conveyance is possible based on a difference between the upper surface of the support member 202 in the Z-axis direction and the position information POS of the hand 305 when it contacts the substrate 5.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the mounting table 200 holds the substrate 5 by a method in which the amount of bending is the largest in the transport system 100, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto. . As described above, the bending amount of the substrate 5 varies depending on the holding method. However, by detecting the curved state when various substrates 5 are held in advance by different holding units or transporting means, it is possible to detect another holding unit or transport from the detection result of the curved state when held by a certain holding unit. It is possible to estimate the bending state when held by means. In addition, the correlation of the curved state between the holding portions can be theoretically obtained by calculation from the difference in holding methods of different holding portions. In this way, by detecting the curved state of the substrate held on the mounting table 200, it is possible to estimate the curved state of the substrate when held by another holding unit or the transporting means. Therefore, even if the mounting table 200 does not hold the substrate 5 with the largest amount of bending, it is possible to determine whether or not it can be transferred from the detection result on the mounting table 200.

  Although the transport system 100 shown in the first and second embodiments is configured to transport the substrate 5 to the stage 600 via the alignment stage 400, the present invention transports the substrate 5 between at least two holding units. It is possible to determine whether it is possible.

[Third Embodiment]
In the third embodiment, a lithographic apparatus that forms a pattern as a process for the substrate 5 will be described. The lithography apparatus according to this embodiment is an exposure apparatus 900 that forms a latent image pattern on a resist applied to a substrate 5 by exposure as shown in FIG. The exposure apparatus 900 has a transport system 100.

  In addition to the transport system 100 according to the first embodiment, the exposure apparatus 900 forms a pattern on the substrate 5 transported to the stage 600, in addition to the transport system 100 according to the first embodiment that transports the substrate 5 transported into an exposure chamber (not shown) to the stage 600. The forming means for forming has the following configuration.

  The illumination optical system 901 illuminates the reticle (original) 902 with illumination light 903, and the projection optical system 610 projects an image of the pattern formed on the illuminated reticle 902 onto the substrate 5. The stage 906 holds the reticle 902 and scans in the X-axis direction. The stage 600 includes a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a mounted linear motor, and moves the substrate 5 transported to the stage 600 using the transport system 100. A chuck 905 that holds the substrate 5 is disposed on the stage 600. The stage 600 may include a coarse movement stage and a fine movement stage that moves with a shorter stroke than the coarse movement stage.

  The exposure apparatus 900 forms a latent image pattern of a resist applied to the substrate 5 while relatively scanning the reticle 902 and the substrate 5 with the stages 906 and 600. The interferometer 908 irradiates the mirror 909 and the interferometer 904 irradiates the mirror 911 with laser light, and receives the reflected light to detect the position of the reticle 902 and the substrate 5. The detection system 912 detects an alignment mark (not shown) formed on the substrate 5 and a reference mark (not shown) provided on the stage 600.

  The control unit 915 is connected to the stages 906 and 600, the detection system 912, the interferometers 908 and 910, and the transport system 100, and comprehensively controls them. For example, during the exposure process, the pattern formation position is determined based on the detection result of the detection system 912, and the movement of the stages 906 and 600 is controlled based on the position information obtained from the interferometers 908 and 910.

  Thereby, it can be avoided that the substrate 5 collides with another object in the transport path of the substrate 5 to the stage 600. Thereby, the frequency | count of stopping the conveyance system 100 can be reduced compared with the past. Further, even when various curved substrates 5 are carried into the exposure apparatus 900, it is possible to suppress a decrease in exposure processing throughput (the number of processed sheets per unit time) due to the collision of the substrates 5. it can.

  The exposure apparatus 900 is not limited to an exposure apparatus (scanner) that performs exposure by a step-and-scan method, but may be an exposure apparatus (stepper) that performs exposure by a step-and-repeat method. The light used for exposure can be selected from various rays such as g-line (wavelength 436 nm), i-line (wavelength 365 nm), ArF laser light (wavelength 193 nm), EUV light (wavelength 13 nm), and the like.

  The transport system 100 can also be applied to a lithography apparatus other than the exposure apparatus 900. The lithographic apparatus may be, for example, a drawing apparatus that forms a latent image pattern on a substrate by irradiating a charged particle beam or a laser beam. Or the imprint apparatus which forms the uneven | corrugated pattern hardened | cured on the board | substrate using the type | mold may be sufficient. Further, the transport system 100 may be mounted on a processing apparatus other than the pattern formation.

[Production Method]
The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus or the pattern of the cured product remaining after developing the substrate on which the latent image pattern is formed using another lithographic apparatus is permanently attached to at least a part of various articles. Or it is temporarily used when manufacturing various articles | goods.

  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.

  These manufacturing methods for an article include a forming process for forming a pattern on a substrate using a lithography apparatus, and a processing process for processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed for manufacturing the article. The pattern of the cured product formed through the forming process is used as it is as at least a part of the constituent members of the article or temporarily used as a resist mask. When used as a resist mask, the resist mask is removed after etching or ion implantation is performed in the processing step.

  The processing steps may further include other known processing steps (development, oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, planarization, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.).

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

5 Substrate 100 Substrate transfer system 200 Mounting table (first holding unit)
300 Transport mechanism (detection means)
600 stage (second holding part)
802 Determination unit (determination means)

A substrate transfer system according to the present invention is a substrate transfer system that transfers a substrate from a first holding unit that can hold a substrate to a second holding unit that can hold the substrate, and includes a moving member that holds and moves the substrate. comprising a conveying means for conveying the substrate held by the moving member, detecting means for detecting a curved state of the substrate held on the holding surface of the first holding portion, on the basis of the detection result of said detecting means , have a, a determination unit configured to transport whether the substrate to the second holding part from the first holding portion by said transfer means, said detecting means, the moving member is held on the holding surface The curved state is detected based on a position of the moving member along a direction perpendicular to the holding surface in a state of being inserted under the substrate .

Note that “detecting the curved state” typically means “measuring the three-dimensional shape of the curved substrate”, but in the present invention, “a quantity that indicates the degree of curvature of the substrate 5 is directly or “Indirect measurement” is expressed as “detecting the bending state”. The detection result of the bending state may be “a bending amount of the substrate” that directly indicates an amount by which the degree of bending of the substrate 5 can be understood, or “a substrate that indirectly indicates an amount by which the degree of bending of the substrate 5 can be understood. It may be the “position of one point on the surface in the out-of-plane direction”. In the present embodiment, the out-of-plane direction is the height direction, that is, the Z-axis direction. Further, the detection result by the detection means does not need to include information on the position of the entire surface of the substrate 5, and may be a result of only a part of the substrate on which the measurement is performed. When the detection result is “the amount of bending of the substrate”, it is possible to determine whether or not the sheet can be conveyed from the result of comparison with the allowable amount of bending. Further, when the detection result is “a position in one out-of-plane direction on the surface of the substrate”, it is possible to determine whether or not the conveyance is possible from a result of comparing this with an allowable position in the out-of-plane direction. In these cases, in the case where the substrate 5 is curved in the upward convex shape in the case of curved downward convex shape, the allowable bending amount and the allowable position may be set to different values.

Claims (13)

A substrate transfer system for transferring a substrate from a first holding unit capable of holding a substrate to a second holding unit capable of holding the substrate,
Transport means for transporting the substrate;
Detecting means for detecting a curved state of the substrate held by the first holding unit;
And a determination unit that determines whether the substrate can be transferred from the first holding unit to the second holding unit based on a detection result of the detection unit.   2. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first holding unit holds the substrate by a holding method in which a curvature amount of the substrate is larger than that of the second holding unit and the transfer unit. The determination unit determines that the substrate can be transported when the detection result of the detection unit indicates that the substrate is within a predetermined range in the out-of-plane direction of the substrate, and the detection result indicates that the substrate is within the predetermined range. 3. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer system determines that the substrate cannot be transferred when it indicates that it does not fit in the range. 4.   After the transfer profile set in the transfer unit is changed to a transfer profile that can transfer the substrate that the determination unit has determined to be untransferable, the transfer unit transfers the substrate that the determination unit has determined to be untransferable The substrate transfer system according to claim 3. When the detection means indicates that the detection result exceeds the upper limit of the predetermined range, the determination means lowers the substrate transport height at least at a position corresponding to the upper limit than before the change of the transport profile. ,
When the detection means indicates that the detection result of the detection means is below the lower limit of the predetermined range, the determination means raises the transport height of the substrate at least at a position corresponding to the lower limit than before the change of the transport profile. The board | substrate conveyance system of Claim 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The substrate determined to be untransferable by the determination unit is caused to wait at a standby position, and the transfer unit sets the second substrate prior to the substrate determined by the determination unit to be untransferable. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer system is transferred to a holding unit. The detection means includes
A moving member that moves in an out-of-plane direction of the substrate held by the first holding unit;
Detecting means for detecting contact between the moving member and the substrate;
The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the curved state is detected based on a position of the moving member when the detecting unit detects the substrate in the out-of-plane direction. Conveying system.   The substrate transfer system according to claim 7, wherein the transfer unit includes the moving member as a portion that holds the substrate during transfer of the substrate.   The detection means detects the bending state at at least three places that are not collinear, and the determination means indicates that the amount of bending of the substrate is the largest among the plurality of detection results obtained by the detection means. 9. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein whether or not transfer is possible is determined based on a detection result.   10. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first holding unit is a portion that receives the substrate only after being carried into the transfer system. 11. A substrate transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A lithographic apparatus, comprising: a forming unit configured to form a pattern on the substrate transported to the second holding unit by the substrate transport system. A method of transporting a substrate from a first holding unit capable of holding a substrate to a second holding unit capable of holding the substrate,
Detecting a curved state of the substrate held by the first holding unit;
And a step of determining whether or not the substrate can be transferred from the first holding unit to the second holding unit based on a detection result in the step. Forming a pattern of a cured product on a substrate using the lithography apparatus according to claim 10;
And processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the step,
An article manufacturing method for manufacturing an article including at least a part of the processed substrate.

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