JP2019149423A - Centering device, centering method, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To center a substrate at higher accurately.SOLUTION: A centering device includes: a suction device fixing a substrate to a spin base; and a centering actuator moving a pusher. A control apparatus of the centering device executes: a fixing execution step S11 of fixing the substrate to the spin base; a contact step S16 of moving the pusher to a contact position from a non-contact position in a state where the substrate is fixed to the spin base; a fixing release step S17 of making the suction device release the fixing of the substrate to the spin base after a contact confirmation unit confirms that the pusher reaches the contact position in the contact step; and a push step S18 of moving the substrate horizontally to the spin base, and reducing eccentricity of the substrate by moving the pusher to the centering position in a state where the fixing of the substrate to the spin base is released.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a centering device and a centering method for bringing the center of a substrate closer to the center of rotation of the substrate. The present invention also relates to a substrate processing apparatus including a centering apparatus and a substrate processing method including a centering method. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, photomask substrates, ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, and organic EL (electroluminescence) substrates. ) An FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate such as a display device is included.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a single-wafer type substrate processing system that processes substrates one by one. This substrate processing system includes a substrate processing unit in which a bevel processing apparatus that performs bevel processing and a substrate positioning apparatus that positions a substrate are incorporated. The bevel processing apparatus includes a rotating part provided with a vacuum chuck part and a drain cup for receiving the processing liquid used for the bevel processing and discharging it to the outside of the bevel processing apparatus.

  The substrate positioning device described in Patent Document 1 includes a first drive unit that can linearly move a first reference unit that contacts the side surface of the substrate in the radial direction of the substrate, and a first contact unit that contacts the side surface of the substrate. And a second driving unit capable of linearly moving the two reference portions in the radial direction of the substrate. The first and second drive units are disposed below the drain cup. Some of these are arranged outside the outer peripheral surface of the drain cup.

  The first and second reference portions of the substrate positioning device are horizontally opposed. When the substrate is disposed between the first and second reference portions, the first and second reference portions are driven toward the substrate in a state where the substrate is not attracted to the vacuum chuck portion, and the side surface of the substrate To touch. As a result, the substrate is horizontally sandwiched between the first and second reference portions. In this state, the first and second reference portions move horizontally together with the substrate, and the substrate is positioned.

Japanese Patent No. 5449239

  However, in the substrate processing system described in Patent Document 1, the first and second reference portions contact the substrate on the vacuum chuck portion in a state where the substrate is not attracted to the vacuum chuck portion. Therefore, the substrate may move due to contact between the first and second reference portions and the substrate, and may be sandwiched between the first and second reference portions in a state where the substrate is displaced from an assumed position. In this case, since the positioning is performed with the substrate being displaced, the positioning accuracy is lowered.

  Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a centering device, a centering method, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method capable of centering a substrate with higher accuracy.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is arranged below a disk-shaped substrate, and a spin base that horizontally supports the substrate, and the substrate on the spin base as the spin base. An adsorption device that fixes the substrate to the spin base by generating an adsorption force to be adsorbed, and a vertical rotation axis that passes through a central portion of the substrate while the substrate is fixed to the spin base. A spin motor for rotating the spin base; a pusher for moving the substrate horizontally with respect to the spin base by pushing the substrate on the spin base; and the pusher separated from the substrate on the spin base A non-contact position and the pusher is in contact with an outer peripheral portion of the substrate on the spin base, and the substrate with respect to the spin base A centering actuator for moving the pusher between the centering position where the movement is completed, and a position between the non-contact position and the centering position, wherein the pusher is separated from the substrate. A contact confirmation unit for confirming that the pusher has reached a contact position at which the pusher switches to a contact state in which the pusher is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate; And the centering actuator moves the pusher from the non-contact position to the contact position in a state where the substrate is fixed to the spin base by the suction force of the suction device. A contact step for controlling the suction device and the centering actuator; After the contact confirmation unit confirms that the pusher has reached the contact position in the touching step, the fixing release step for releasing the fixation of the substrate to the spin base by the suction device; and the fixing of the substrate to the spin base Controlling the suction device and the centering actuator so that the centering actuator moves the pusher to the centering position in a state where the fixing is released, and moving the substrate horizontally with respect to the spin base, And a control device that performs a push step of reducing the amount of eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, the pusher moves from the non-contact position to the contact position and contacts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate on the spin base. Thereafter, the substrate is pushed by the pusher and moves horizontally with respect to the spin base. As a result, the center of the substrate approaches the center of rotation of the substrate corresponding to the rotation axis. When the pusher reaches the centering position, the pusher stops and the movement of the substrate relative to the spin base is completed. In this way, the center of the substrate is brought closer to the rotation center of the substrate, and the amount of eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis is reduced.

  When the pusher reaches the contact position and contacts the substrate on the spin base, the substrate is fixed to the spin base. Therefore, even if the pusher contacts the substrate, the substrate does not move relative to the spin base. The fixing of the substrate to the spin base is released after the pusher contacts the substrate. Thereafter, the pusher is disposed at the centering position, and the center of the substrate is brought close to the rotation center of the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the substrate caused by the contact between the pusher and the substrate, and to improve the centering accuracy of the substrate.

  The centering actuator may be a linear actuator that linearly moves the pusher horizontally, or may be a rotary actuator that linearly moves the pusher horizontally. Since the position of the pusher can be controlled with high accuracy, the centering actuator is preferably an electric actuator. When the centering actuator is a rotary actuator, when the pusher is moved linearly in a horizontal direction, a conversion mechanism (for example, a ball screw mechanism) that converts the rotation of the rotary actuator into a linear motion of the pusher may be provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the centering actuator has a thrust control mode for continuously moving the pusher while controlling a thrust applied to the pusher, a positioning mode for moving the pusher to a predetermined set position, The control device executes the contact step while setting the centering actuator to the thrust control mode, and performs the push step while setting the centering actuator to the positioning mode. The centering device according to claim 1, wherein the centering device is executed.

  According to this configuration, the centering actuator is driven in the thrust control mode from the non-contact position to the contact position. From the contact position to the centering position, the centering actuator is driven in the positioning mode. In the thrust control mode, the centering actuator continues to move the pusher while controlling the thrust applied to the pusher. Therefore, the force applied to the substrate from the pusher when the pusher contacts the substrate can be reduced. In the positioning mode, the centering actuator moves the pusher to a predetermined setting position, that is, the centering position. Therefore, the pusher can be positioned at the centering position with higher accuracy.

  The thrust control mode may be a mode in which the pusher is continuously moved while applying a constant thrust to the pusher, or a mode in which the pusher is continuously moved while changing the thrust applied to the pusher. Similarly, the positioning mode may be a mode in which the pusher is moved to the set position while applying a constant thrust to the pusher, or a mode in which the pusher is moved to the set position while changing the thrust applied to the pusher. Good. When the centering actuator is in the thrust control mode, the thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher may be larger, smaller, or equal to the thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher when the centering actuator is in the positioning mode.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the control device, the thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher in the contact step is smaller than the thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher in the push step. The centering device according to claim 1, wherein the centering actuator is controlled.

  According to this configuration, the thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher is moved from the non-contact position to the contact position is smaller than the thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher is moved from the contact position to the centering position. Therefore, the pusher contacts the substrate on the spin base with a small thrust applied to the pusher. Therefore, the impact generated by the contact between the pusher and the substrate can be reduced, and the amount of elastic deformation of the pusher and the substrate can be reduced. If the amount of elastic deformation of the pusher and the substrate is small, the substrate does not move with respect to the spin base with a large amount of movement even if the fixation of the substrate to the spin base is released while the pusher is in contact with the substrate. Therefore, the centering accuracy of the substrate can be increased.

  The thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher is moving from the non-contact position to the contact position may be constant or may be changed. Similarly, the thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher is moving from the contact position to the centering position may be constant or may be changed. When the thrust is changed, it is sufficient that the thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher reaches the contact position is smaller than the maximum value of the thrust applied to the pusher when the pusher is moving from the contact position to the centering position.

The invention according to claim 4 is the centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the centering actuator is a linear motor that horizontally moves the pusher.
According to this configuration, since the pusher moves horizontally in a straight line, the volume of the space through which the pusher passes can be reduced. Furthermore, if the linear motion of the linear motor is transmitted to the pusher, the pusher moves linearly, and therefore a mechanism for converting the linear motion of the linear motor need not be provided. Thereby, a centering apparatus can be reduced in size. In addition, since the linear motor, which is an example of the electric actuator, moves the pusher, the position of the pusher can be controlled with high accuracy.

The centering device may further include an eccentricity detection unit that detects an eccentricity amount of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis without contacting the substrate on the spin base,
The centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the centering position is set based on a detection value of the eccentricity detection unit.

  According to this configuration, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis, that is, the shortest distance from the rotation axis to the center of the substrate is detected. Thereafter, the centering actuator moves the substrate horizontally with respect to the spin base by a movement amount based on the detection value of the eccentricity detection unit. Thereby, the substrate is centered. Furthermore, since the amount of eccentricity is detected without contact with the substrate, it is difficult for the substrate to move relative to the spin base during or after the detection of the amount of eccentricity. Therefore, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate can be detected with higher accuracy.

The invention according to claim 6 is the centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the contact confirmation unit includes a position sensor that detects a position of the pusher.
According to this configuration, the position of the pusher is detected. When the pusher is moving, the position of the pusher changes with time. If the pusher is not moving, the position of the pusher does not change. When the pusher is moving toward the contact position, the substrate is fixed to the spin base. Therefore, when the pusher reaches the contact position, the pusher stops at the contact position. Therefore, by detecting the position of the pusher, it can be directly confirmed that the pusher is located at the contact position.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the contact confirmation unit includes a timer that measures an elapsed time from the time when the centering actuator starts to apply thrust to the pusher located at the non-contact position. 6. The centering device according to claim 6.
According to this configuration, when the pusher starts to move toward the contact position, the elapsed time from that point is measured. When the pusher reaches the contact position, since the substrate is fixed to the spin base, the pusher should be stationary at the contact position after a certain time has passed. Therefore, if the elapsed time from the time when the pusher starts to move is measured, it can be determined that the pusher has reached the contact position and is stationary at that position without detecting the position of the pusher itself.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the control device is a position between the contact position and the non-contact position after the contact process is performed and before the fixing release process is performed. The retreating step of controlling the centering actuator is further executed so that the pusher retreats to a retreat position away from the substrate on the spin base. This is a centering device.

  According to this configuration, the pusher contacts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate while the substrate is fixed to the spin base. Thereafter, the pusher moves backward and leaves the substrate. In this state, the fixing of the substrate to the spin base is released. When the substrate is unfixed from the spin base in a state where stress is generated in the substrate due to the contact between the pusher and the substrate, the substrate may move relative to the spin base, although only slightly. Such a movement of the substrate can be prevented by releasing the fixation of the substrate while the pusher is away from the substrate. Furthermore, since the distance from the retracted position to the contact position is shorter than the distance from the non-contact position to the contact position, the substrate is not easily displaced when the pusher contacts the substrate again.

A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a substrate processing comprising the centering device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, and a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate on the spin base. Device.
According to this configuration, the substrate on the spin base is centered, and the center of the substrate is brought close to the rotation center of the substrate corresponding to the rotation axis. Thereafter, the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate on the spin base. Thereby, the centered substrate can be processed with the processing liquid. Therefore, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the bevel processing in which only the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is processed with the processing liquid and the entire surface processing in which the entire upper surface or lower surface of the substrate is processed with the processing liquid.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes a cylindrical guard that surrounds the spin base and receives a processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate on the spin base, and the centering actuator The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least a part of the substrate processing apparatus is disposed above the guard so as to overlap the guard in a plan view.
According to this configuration, the processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate on the spin base is received by the guard surrounding the spin base. At least a part of the centering actuator is disposed above the guard and overlaps the guard in plan view. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced in size as compared with the case where the entire centering actuator is disposed around the guard or the case where the centering actuator is disposed below the guard. Thereby, it is possible to supply and center the processing liquid while suppressing an increase in the size of the substrate processing apparatus.

  The invention described in claim 11 is a centering method for bringing the center of a disk-like substrate horizontally disposed above a spin base rotating around a vertical rotation axis close to the rotation axis, and is adsorbed by an adsorption device. A fixing execution step of generating a force and fixing the substrate to the spin base; and a state in which the pusher is fixed to the spin base by the suction force of the suction device, and a pusher moves the substrate on the spin base. A contact step of moving the pusher from a non-contact position away from a contact position where the pusher switches from a non-contact state away from the substrate to a contact state where the pusher is in contact with an outer peripheral portion of the substrate; and the contact After the contact confirmation unit confirms that the pusher has reached the contact position in the process, the base with respect to the spin base is In the unlocking step of releasing the fixation of the substrate to the spin base and in the state where the fixation of the substrate to the spin base is released, the pusher is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate on the spin base, and the spin Pushing step of reducing the amount of eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis by moving the pusher horizontally to the spin base by moving the pusher to a centering position where the movement of the substrate with respect to the base is completed. And a centering method. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the contact step, a centering actuator that moves the pusher between the non-contact position and the centering position continues to move the pusher while controlling a thrust applied to the pusher. The thrust process is performed in a state set, and the push step is performed in a state where the centering actuator is set in a positioning mode for moving the pusher to a predetermined set position. 11 is a centering method. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the thrust applied to the pusher by the centering actuator that moves the pusher in the contacting step is smaller than the thrust that the centering actuator applies to the pusher in the push step. Is the centering method described in the above. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 14 is the centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the contact step and the push step are steps of causing the linear motor to linearly move the pusher horizontally. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.
The invention according to claim 15 further includes an eccentricity detecting step of detecting an eccentricity amount of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis without contacting the substrate on the spin base, wherein the centering position is The centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, which is set based on a value detected in the eccentricity detection step. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 16 further includes a contact confirmation step of confirming that the pusher has reached the contact position based on a detection value of a position sensor that detects the position of the pusher. The centering method according to any one of the above. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.
The invention according to claim 17 further includes a contact confirmation step of confirming that the pusher has reached the contact position based on an elapsed time from the time when the pusher starts moving toward the contact position. It is a centering method as described in any one of Claims 11-16. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  The invention according to claim 18 is a position between the contact position and the non-contact position after the contact step and before the unlocking step, and the pusher is 18. The centering method according to claim 11, further comprising a retracting step of retracting the pusher to a retracted position away from the substrate on the spin base. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the centering method according to any one of the eleventh to eleventh aspects, and a processing liquid that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate on the spin base after the centering method is performed. A substrate processing method including a supplying step. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing method, the processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate on the spin base to a cylindrical guard surrounding the spin base in parallel with the processing liquid supply step. A process liquid capturing step for receiving the step, wherein the contact step and the push step are steps of moving the pusher to a centering actuator disposed above the guard so that at least a part thereof overlaps the guard in plan view. The substrate processing method according to claim 19. According to this method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

It is the schematic diagram which looked at the inside of the processing unit with which the substrate processing apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention was equipped horizontally. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware and functional block of a control apparatus with which the substrate processing apparatus was equipped. It is process drawing for demonstrating an example of the process of the board | substrate performed with a substrate processing apparatus. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the centering apparatus which reduces the amount of eccentricity of the board | substrate with respect to the rotation center of a board | substrate horizontally. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the centering unit with which the centering apparatus was equipped from the top. It is a schematic diagram which shows the vertical cross section of a centering unit. It is the figure which expanded a part of FIG. 6A. It is a schematic diagram which shows the vertical cross section of a linear motor. It is a schematic diagram which shows the vertical cross section of the raising / lowering unit for centering which raises / lowers a centering unit. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the raising / lowering unit for centering in the direction of arrow VIII shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the centering process performed by a centering apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process which concerns on other embodiment of this invention is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process which concerns on other embodiment of this invention is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of a board | substrate and a centering unit when an example of the centering process which concerns on other embodiment of this invention is performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the inside of a processing unit 2 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention viewed horizontally.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 2 that processes a substrate W with a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or a processing gas, a transfer robot R1 that transfers the substrate W to the processing unit 2, and a control device 3 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1. Including. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a centering device 40, which is not shown in FIG. The centering device 40 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The processing unit 2 includes a box-shaped chamber 4 having an internal space, and a spin chuck 9 that rotates around a vertical rotation axis A1 that passes through a central portion of the substrate W while holding a single substrate W horizontally in the chamber 4. And a cylindrical processing cup 17 that receives the processing liquid discharged outward from the spin chuck 9.
The chamber 4 includes a box-shaped partition wall 6 provided with a loading / unloading port 6b through which the substrate W passes, and a shutter 7 for opening and closing the loading / unloading port 6b. The chamber 4 further includes an FFU 5 (fan filter unit) that sends clean air (air filtered by a filter) downward from the blower opening 6a that opens at the ceiling surface of the partition wall 6 into the partition wall 6, and the partition wall 6 by the FFU 5. And a rectifying plate 8 that rectifies clean air sent into the inside.

  The current plate 8 partitions the inside of the partition wall 6 into an upper space above the current plate 8 and a lower space below the current plate 8. The upper space between the ceiling surface of the partition wall 6 and the upper surface of the rectifying plate 8 is a diffusion space in which clean air diffuses. A lower space between the lower surface of the rectifying plate 8 and the floor surface of the partition wall 6 is a processing space where the processing of the substrate W is performed. The spin chuck 9 and the processing cup 17 are disposed in the lower space.

  The clean air supplied to the upper space from the blower opening 6a hits the current plate 8 and diffuses in the upper space. The clean air in the upper space passes through a plurality of through holes penetrating the current plate 8 in the vertical direction, and flows downward from the entire area of the current plate 8. Clean air supplied to the lower space is discharged from the bottom of the chamber 4. As a result, a uniform clean air flow (down flow) that flows downward from the entire area of the current plate 8 is always formed in the lower space.

  The spin chuck 9 adsorbs the substrate W on the spin base 10 by adsorbing the disc-shaped spin base 10 having an outer diameter smaller than that of the substrate W and the lower surface (back surface) of the substrate W on the spin base 10 to the spin base 10. A suction pump 16 that is held horizontally, a suction pipe 14 that transmits the suction force of the suction pump 16 to the spin base 10, and a suction valve 15 that opens and closes the suction pipe 14 are included. The spin chuck 9 further includes a spin shaft 11 extending downward from the central portion of the spin base 10, a spin motor 12 that rotates the spin shaft 11 and the spin base 10 about the rotation axis A 1, and a motor housing that houses the spin motor 12. 13 and so on.

  The processing cup 17 includes a cylindrical guard 20 that receives the processing liquid discharged outward from the substrate W, a cup 19 that receives the processing liquid guided downward by the guard 20, and an outer peripheral ring that surrounds the guard 20 and the cup 19. 18 and so on. The guard 20 includes a cylindrical portion 20b that surrounds the spin chuck 9, and an annular ceiling portion 20a that extends obliquely upward from the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 20b toward the rotation axis A1. The annular upper end of the ceiling portion 20 a corresponds to the upper end 20 x of the guard 20. An upper end 20x of the guard 20 surrounds the substrate W and the spin base 10 in plan view (see FIG. 5). The cup 19 is arrange | positioned under the ceiling part 20a. The cup 19 forms an annular liquid receiving groove 19a that opens upward.

  The guard 20 can move vertically with respect to the bottom of the chamber 4. The cup 19 is fixed to the bottom of the chamber 4. The processing unit 2 includes a guard lifting / lowering unit 21 that lifts and lowers the guard 20. The guard lifting / lowering unit 21 vertically lifts the guard 20 between an upper position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line) and a lower position (a position indicated by a solid line), and the guard 20 at an arbitrary position from the upper position to the lower position. Quiesce. The upper position is a position where the upper end 20x of the guard 20 is positioned above the support position (the position of the substrate W shown in FIG. 1) where the substrate W supported by the spin chuck 9 is disposed. The lower position is a position where the upper end 20x of the guard 20 is positioned below the support position.

  When the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W while the spin chuck 9 is rotating the substrate W, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W is shaken off around the substrate W. When the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the upper end 20x of the guard 20 is disposed above the substrate W. Accordingly, the treatment liquid such as the chemical liquid or the rinse liquid discharged around the substrate W is received by the guard 20 and guided to the cup 19.

  The processing unit 2 includes a chemical liquid nozzle 22 that discharges the chemical liquid downward toward the upper surface of the substrate W. The chemical liquid nozzle 22 is connected to a chemical liquid pipe 23 that guides the chemical liquid. When the chemical liquid valve 24 interposed in the chemical liquid pipe 23 is opened, the chemical liquid is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the chemical liquid nozzle 22. The chemical liquid discharged from the chemical nozzle 22 is sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, aqueous ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, organic acid (for example, citric acid or oxalic acid), organic alkali (for example, TMAH: The liquid may contain at least one of tetramethylammonium hydroxide and the like, a surfactant, and a corrosion inhibitor, or may be a liquid other than this.

  Although not shown, the chemical liquid valve 24 includes a valve body that forms a flow path, a valve element disposed in the flow path, and an actuator that moves the valve element. The same applies to the other valves. The actuator may be a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator, or may be an actuator other than these. The control device 3 changes the opening degree of the chemical liquid valve 24 by controlling the actuator.

  The chemical nozzle 22 is a scan nozzle that can move within the chamber 4. The chemical nozzle 22 is connected to a nozzle moving unit 25 that moves the chemical nozzle 22 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The nozzle moving unit 25 is configured between a processing position where the chemical liquid discharged from the chemical liquid nozzle 22 is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate W and a standby position where the chemical liquid nozzle 22 is positioned around the processing cup 17 in a plan view. The nozzle 22 is moved horizontally. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the nozzle moving unit 25 is a turning unit that horizontally moves the chemical nozzle 22 around the nozzle turning axis A <b> 2 that extends vertically around the processing cup 17.

  The nozzle moving unit 25 includes a nozzle arm 25a that holds the chemical liquid nozzle 22, and a drive unit 25b that moves the chemical liquid nozzle 22 horizontally by moving the nozzle arm 25a. The chemical nozzle 22 extends downward from the tip of a horizontally extending nozzle arm 25a. When the chemical nozzle 22 is disposed at the processing position, the nozzle arm 25a overlaps the substrate W on the spin chuck 9 in plan view. When the chemical nozzle 22 is disposed at the standby position, the nozzle arm 25a is disposed around the substrate W on the spin chuck 9 in plan view.

  The processing unit 2 further includes a rinsing liquid nozzle 26 that discharges the rinsing liquid downward toward the upper surface of the substrate W. The rinse liquid nozzle 26 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 27 that guides the rinse liquid. When the rinsing liquid valve 28 provided in the rinsing liquid pipe 27 is opened, the rinsing liquid is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the rinsing liquid nozzle 26. The rinse liquid is, for example, pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized water)). The rinsing liquid is not limited to pure water, but may be any of IPA (isopropyl alcohol), electrolytic ion water, hydrogen water, ozone water, and hydrochloric acid water having a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), Liquids other than these may be used.

  The rinse liquid nozzle 26 is a scan nozzle. The rinse liquid nozzle 26 may be a fixed nozzle fixed to the bottom of the chamber 4. The rinse liquid nozzle 26 is connected to a nozzle moving unit 29 that moves the rinse liquid nozzle 26 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The nozzle moving unit 29 is located between a processing position where the rinsing liquid discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate W and a standby position where the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is positioned around the spin chuck 9 in plan view. Then, the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is moved horizontally.

  The processing unit 2 may include a heater 30 that heats the substrate W on the spin base 10. The heater 30 is disposed below the substrate W supported by the spin base 10. The heater 30 surrounds the spin base 10. The outer diameter of the heater 30 is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper end 20 x of the guard 20. The inner diameter of the heater 30 is larger than the outer diameter of the spin base 10. The heater 30 is disposed above the motor housing 13 and is supported by the motor housing 13. Even if the spin base 10 rotates, the heater 30 does not rotate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing hardware and functional blocks of the control device 3 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The rotation angle control unit 38 illustrated in FIG. 2 is a functional block realized by the CPU 31 executing the program P installed in the control device 3.
The control device 3 includes a computer main body 3a and a peripheral device 3b connected to the computer main body 3a. The computer main body 3a includes a CPU 31 (central processing unit) that executes various instructions and a main storage device 32 that stores information. The peripheral device 3b includes an auxiliary storage device 33 that stores information such as the program P, a reading device 34 that reads information from the removable medium M, and a communication device 35 that communicates with devices other than the control device 3 such as the host computer HC. Including. The control device 3 may include a timer 39 that measures time.

  The control device 3 is connected to an input device 36 and a display device 37. The input device 36 is operated when an operator such as a user or a maintenance person inputs information to the substrate processing apparatus 1. Information is displayed on the screen of the display device 37. The input device 36 may be any one of a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel, or may be a device other than these. A touch panel display that doubles as the input device 36 and the display device 37 may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

  The CPU 31 executes the program P stored in the auxiliary storage device 33. The program P in the auxiliary storage device 33 may be preinstalled in the control device 3, or may be sent from the removable medium M to the auxiliary storage device 33 through the reading device 34, It may be sent from an external device such as the host computer HC to the auxiliary storage device 33 through the communication device 35.

  The auxiliary storage device 33 and the removable medium M are nonvolatile memories that retain storage even when power is not supplied. The auxiliary storage device 33 is a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive, for example. The removable medium M is, for example, an optical disk such as a compact disk or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card. The removable medium M is an example of a computer-readable recording medium on which the program P is recorded.

  The control device 3 includes a rotation angle control unit 38 that controls the rotation angle of the spin motor 12. When the spin motor 12 is a stepping motor, the rotation angle control unit 38 stops the spin base 10 at an arbitrary rotation angle by adjusting the number of drive pulses supplied to the spin motor 12. When the spin motor 12 is a rotary motor other than the stepping motor, the rotation angle of the spin motor 12 is detected by a rotation angle sensor such as an encoder. The rotation angle control unit 38 stops the spin base 10 at an arbitrary rotation angle by adjusting the energization time during which power is supplied to the spin motor 12 based on the detection value of the rotation angle sensor.

  The control device 3 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 so that the substrate W is processed according to the recipe specified by the host computer HC. The auxiliary storage device 33 stores a plurality of recipes. The recipe is information that defines the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The plurality of recipes differ from each other in at least one of the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The following steps are executed by the control device 3 controlling the substrate processing apparatus 1. In other words, the control device 3 is programmed to execute the following steps.

Next, an example of processing of the substrate W will be described.
FIG. 3 is a process diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the substrate W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the following, reference is made to FIG. 1 and FIG.
An example of the processing of the substrate W is bevel processing for supplying a chemical solution only to the bevel region of the substrate W. The bevel region is an annular region including a bevel portion (inclined portion) located on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W. The inner peripheral edge of the bevel region substantially coincides with the liquid landing position of the chemical solution. The width of the bevel region (the radial distance from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W to the inner peripheral edge of the bevel region) is shorter than the radial distance from the center C1 of the substrate W to the inner peripheral edge of the bevel region. The width of the bevel region may be several millimeters to several tens of millimeters, or 1 millimeter or less.

When the substrate W is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1, a loading process (step S <b> 1 shown in FIG. 3) for loading the substrate W into the chamber 4 is performed.
Specifically, while the chemical nozzle 22 is retracted from above the spin chuck 9 and the guard 20 is positioned at the lower position, the transport robot R1 supports the substrate W with the hand H1, while the hand H1. Into the chamber 4. Thereafter, the transfer robot R1 places the substrate W on the hand H1 on the spin base 10 with the surface of the substrate W facing upward, and retracts the hand H1 from the inside of the chamber 4. Thereafter, a centering process (step S2 shown in FIG. 3) is performed in which the center C1 of the substrate W is disposed on or near the rotation axis A1. The centering process will be described later.

After the centering process is performed, a chemical solution supplying step (step S3 shown in FIG. 3) for supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W is performed.
Specifically, the spin motor 12 rotates the substrate W and the spin base 10 while the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10 by the suction force of the suction pump 16. Thereby, the rotation of the substrate W is started. Further, the nozzle moving unit 25 moves the chemical liquid nozzle 22 to the processing position, and the guard lifting / lowering unit 21 positions the guard 20 at the upper position. Accordingly, the chemical nozzle 22 is disposed above the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W, and the upper end 20x of the guard 20 is disposed above the substrate W.

  Thereafter, the chemical liquid valve 24 is opened, and the chemical liquid nozzle 22 starts to discharge the chemical liquid. When the chemical liquid nozzle 22 is discharging the chemical liquid, the nozzle moving unit 25 may move the chemical liquid nozzle 22 so that the liquid solution landing position moves in the radial direction within the bevel region, or the chemical liquid nozzle 22 may be moved. It may be stationary. In addition, the heater 30 may heat the substrate W and the chemical solution on the substrate W during at least a part of the period during which the chemical solution nozzle 22 is discharging the chemical solution in order to promote the reaction between the chemical solution and the substrate W. .

  The chemical liquid discharged from the chemical liquid nozzle 22 lands on the bevel area of the substrate W and then flows outward along the bevel area. Thereby, a chemical | medical solution is supplied only to a bevel area | region, and a bevel area | region is processed with a chemical | medical solution. In particular, when the nozzle moving unit 25 moves the liquid deposition position within the bevel area, the bevel area is scanned at the liquid deposition position, so that the liquid is uniformly supplied to the bevel area. When a predetermined time elapses after the chemical liquid valve 24 is opened, the chemical liquid valve 24 is closed and the discharge of the chemical liquid from the chemical liquid nozzle 22 is stopped. Thereafter, the nozzle moving unit 25 moves the chemical nozzle 22 to the standby position.

Next, a rinsing liquid supply step for supplying pure water, which is an example of a rinsing liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S4 shown in FIG. 3).
Specifically, the nozzle moving unit 29 moves the rinse liquid nozzle 26 to the processing position. Thereby, the rinse liquid nozzle 26 is disposed above the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. Thereafter, the rinsing liquid valve 28 is opened, and the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 starts discharging pure water. When the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is discharging pure water, the nozzle moving unit 29 may move the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 so that the pure water landing position moves in the radial direction within the bevel area, The rinse liquid nozzle 26 may be stationary. Further, the heater 30 heats the substrate W and the pure water on the substrate W during at least a part of the period during which the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is discharging pure water in order to promote the reaction between the pure water and the substrate W. May be.

  The pure water discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 lands on the bevel area of the substrate W and then flows outward along the bevel area. Thereby, pure water is supplied only to the bevel region, and the chemical solution on the bevel region is washed away. In particular, when the nozzle moving unit 29 moves the pure water landing position within the bevel area, the bevel area is scanned at the pure water landing position, so that pure water is uniformly supplied to the bevel area. When a predetermined time elapses after the rinsing liquid valve 28 is opened, the rinsing liquid valve 28 is closed and the discharge of pure water from the rinsing liquid nozzle 26 is stopped. Thereafter, the nozzle moving unit 29 moves the rinse liquid nozzle 26 to the standby position.

Next, a drying process (spin drying process) for drying the substrate W by high-speed rotation of the substrate W is performed (step S5 shown in FIG. 3).
Specifically, the spin motor 12 accelerates the substrate W in the rotation direction, and rotates the substrate W at a higher rotation speed (for example, several thousand rpm) than the rotation speed of the substrate W so far. Thereby, the liquid is removed from the substrate W, and the substrate W is dried. When a predetermined time elapses after high-speed rotation of the substrate W is started, the spin motor 12 stops rotating. Thereby, the rotation of the substrate W is stopped.

Next, an unloading process for unloading the substrate W from the chamber 4 is performed (step S6 shown in FIG. 3).
Specifically, the guard lifting / lowering unit 21 lowers the guard 20 to the lower position. Thereafter, the transfer robot R1 causes the hand H1 to enter the chamber 4. After the suction valve 15 is closed and the holding of the substrate W on the spin base 10 is released, the transfer robot R1 supports the substrate W on the spin base 10 with the hand H1. Thereafter, the transport robot R1 retracts the hand H1 from the chamber 4 while supporting the substrate W with the hand H1. Thereby, the processed substrate W is unloaded from the chamber 4.

Next, the centering device 40 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the centering device 40 that horizontally reduces the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation center of the substrate W. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the centering unit 45 provided in the centering device 40 as viewed from above. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a vertical cross section of the centering unit 45. FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing a vertical cross section of the linear motor 49. 4, 5, 6A, and 6B show a state in which the pusher 46 is disposed at the origin position.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a centering device 40 that reduces the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W relative to the rotation axis A1, that is, the shortest distance from the rotation axis A1 to the center C1 of the substrate W. The centering device 40 includes an eccentricity detection unit 41 that detects the eccentricity of the substrate W on the spin base 10 without contacting the substrate W on the spin base 10.
The eccentricity detection unit 41 may be an outer periphery detection unit that detects the eccentricity of the substrate W by detecting only the position of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W, or an image of the substrate W located on the spin base 10. It may be a photographing unit that detects the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W based on it. The eccentricity detection unit 41 may detect the position of the center C1 of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 (angle around the rotation axis A1) in addition to the eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the eccentricity detection unit 41 is an outer periphery detection unit and detects both the eccentricity of the substrate W and the position of the center C1 of the substrate W.

  The eccentricity detection unit 41 includes a light emitting unit 42 that emits light toward the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W on the spin base 10, and a light receiving unit 43 that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 42. One of the light emitting unit 42 and the light receiving unit 43 is disposed above the support position of the substrate W, and the other of the light emitting unit 42 and the light receiving unit 43 is disposed below the support position. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the light emitting unit 42 is disposed below the support position and the light receiving unit 43 is disposed above the support position.

  The light emitting unit 42 is disposed in the motor housing 13 of the spin chuck 9. The light emitting unit 42 includes a light emitting unit including a light source. The light emitting part of the light emitting unit 42 is disposed below a transmission hole that penetrates the motor housing 13 in the vertical direction. The transmission hole of the motor housing 13 is covered with a transmission member that transmits light from the light emitting unit. The light of the light emitting unit 42 is emitted out of the motor housing 13 through the transparent member.

  The light receiving unit 43 is disposed in a sensor housing 44 disposed in the chamber 4. The light receiving unit 43 includes a light receiving unit that receives light from the light emitting unit. The light receiving portion of the light receiving unit 43 is disposed above a transmission hole that penetrates the sensor housing 44 in the vertical direction. The transmission hole of the sensor housing 44 is closed with a transparent member that transmits light from the light emitting unit. Light from the light emitting unit 42 enters the sensor housing 44 through the transparent member and is irradiated to the light receiving unit.

  When the substrate W is not on the spin base 10, the light of the light emitting unit 42 is between the inner peripheral surface of the upper end 20 x portion of the guard 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the heater 30 when the guard 20 and the heater 30 are viewed from above. It passes through the formed annular space SP1 (see FIG. 5) in the vertical direction and reaches the light receiving unit 43 without being blocked by the guard 20 and the heater 30. When the substrate W is on the spin base 10, a part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 42 is blocked by the outer periphery of the substrate W. Therefore, the control device 3 can detect whether or not the substrate W is on the spin base 10 based on the detection value of the light receiving unit 43.

  When the substrate W on the spin base 10 is not decentered with respect to the rotation axis A1, even if the substrate W is rotated, the width of light incident on the light receiving unit 43 does not change. When the substrate W is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis A1, when the substrate W is rotated, the width of light incident on the light receiving unit 43 changes. Accordingly, the control device 3 rotates the substrate W at 360 degrees or an angle close to it while emitting light to the light emitting unit 42, whereby the eccentric amount of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 and the center of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1. The position of C1 can be detected based on the detection value of the light receiving unit 43.

  The centering device 40 includes a centering unit 45 that moves the center C1 of the substrate W toward the rotation axis A1 based on the detection value of the eccentricity detection unit 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the centering unit 45 is disposed between the rectifying plate 8 and the guard 20. A nozzle arm 25 a (see FIG. 1) that holds the chemical nozzle 22 is disposed above the centering unit 45. As shown in FIG. 5, the centering unit 45 is disposed below the passage area (hatched area) through which the chemical liquid nozzle 22 and the nozzle arm 25 a pass. A unit housing 56, which will be described later, is disposed below the passage region and overlaps the passage region in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the centering unit 45 includes a pusher 46 that contacts the substrate W on the spin base 10 and a linear motor 49 that moves the pusher 46 horizontally. The centering unit 45 further includes a main base 52 that supports the linear motor 49, a base ring 54 that supports the main base 52, and a spacer 53 that is interposed between the main base 52 and the base ring 54.

  The pusher 46 is supported by the linear motor 49. The linear motor 49 is disposed on the main base 52. The main base 52 is disposed between the linear motor 49 and the guard 20. The main base 52 is supported by the base ring 54 via the spacer 53. The main base 52 is fixed to the base ring 54. As shown in FIG. 5, the base ring 54 has an annular shape that surrounds the rotation axis A <b> 1 in plan view. At least a part of the base ring 54 is disposed above the guard 20 and overlaps the guard 20 in plan view.

  The linear motor 49 is an example of a centering actuator that moves the substrate W horizontally with respect to the spin chuck 9 by moving a pusher 46, which is an example of a contact portion, in a horizontal linear direction. As shown in FIG. 6C, the linear motor 49 moves in the linear direction together with the fixed member 50 fixed to the main base 52, the movable member 51 movable in the linear direction with respect to the fixed member 50, and the movable member 51. The permanent magnet 49m and the coil 49c which forms the magnetic field which moves the movable member 51 to a linear direction with the permanent magnet 49m are included. The linear motor 49 further includes a scale 49s that moves in the linear direction together with the movable member 51, and a head 49h that detects the amount of movement of the scale 49s in the linear direction. The detection value of the head 49h is input to the control device 3. The control device 3 detects the movement of the pusher 46 based on the detection value of the head 49h. The scale 49s and the head 49h are included in a position sensor that detects the position of the pusher 46.

  The movable member 51 is disposed above the fixed member 50. The permanent magnet 49m and the coil 49c are disposed between the fixed member 50 and the movable member 51. The pusher 46 is attached to the movable member 51. The pusher 46 moves with respect to the fixed member 50 together with the movable member 51. The moving direction of the pusher 46 and the movable member 51 is a direction extending horizontally along a reference plane P1 (see FIG. 5) which is a vertical plane passing through the rotation axis A1. The moving direction of the pusher 46 and the movable member 51 is the same direction as the centering direction Dc, which is the direction in which the substrate W moves in the centering step described later.

  The linear motor 49 moves the movable member 51 horizontally with respect to the fixed member 50, thereby linearly moving the pusher 46 between the origin position and the end position in the radial direction of the substrate W (direction perpendicular to the rotation axis A1). Let The origin position and the end position are positions at both ends of the straight path through which the pusher 46 passes. The origin position and the end position are fixed positions. The control device 3 controls the linear motor 49 to stop the pusher 46 at an arbitrary position from the origin position to the end position.

  The origin position is the position outside the end position, that is, the position opposite to the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W with respect to the end position. The origin position is a position where the inner end of the pusher 46 is disposed outside the upper end 20x of the guard 20. The end position is a position where the inner end of the pusher 46 is disposed inside the upper end 20 x of the guard 20. The end position is set such that the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W regardless of the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W on the spin base 10 with respect to the rotation axis A1.

  The pusher 46 is an example of a contact portion that contacts the substrate W on the spin base 10. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the pusher 46 includes a hand portion 47 that comes into contact with the substrate W on the spin base 10 and an arm portion 48 that extends outward from the hand portion 47. The hand portion 47 is supported by the linear motor 49 via the arm portion 48. The hand part 47 and the arm part 48 are disposed above the upper end 20 x of the guard 20. The hand unit 47 may include a contact surface 46 a that contacts the substrate W, or may include two contact protrusions that contact the substrate W. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the contact surface 46 a is provided on the hand portion 47.

  The horizontal cross section of the contact surface 46a of the pusher 46 may be a V-shape that opens toward the substrate W, or may be an arc that opens toward the substrate W and has a smaller radius of curvature than the substrate W. Other shapes may be used. When the contact surface 46a is V-shaped or arcuate, both ends of the contact surface 46a are disposed at two positions that are symmetrical with respect to the reference plane P1. Similarly, when two contact projections are provided on the hand portion 47 instead of the contact surface 46a, the two contact projections are respectively disposed at two positions symmetrical with respect to the reference plane P1. Therefore, the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W at two positions that are symmetrical with respect to the reference plane P1.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the centering device 40 includes a unit housing 56 that forms an accommodation chamber 55 for accommodating the centering unit 45 together with the guard 20. The linear motor 49 is accommodated in the unit housing 56. The unit housing 56 includes a case 57 surrounding the linear motor 49 and a lid 58 disposed above the linear motor 49. The case 57 forms the peripheral wall of the storage chamber 55, and the lid 58 forms the upper wall of the storage chamber 55. The guard 20 forms at least a part of the bottom of the storage chamber 55.

  The case 57 is fixed to the guard 20. The opening provided at the upper end of the case 57 is closed with a lid 58. A gap between the case 57 and the lid 58 is sealed with a seal member SL1. The lid 58 is detachably attached to the case 57 with a plurality of bolts B1. When the bolt B1 is removed, the lid 58 can be removed from the case 57 and the inside of the case 57 can be accessed. Therefore, maintenance of the centering unit 45 and replacement of parts are easy.

  The arm portion 48 of the pusher 46 is inserted into an insertion hole 56 a that penetrates the case 57 in the moving direction of the pusher 46. The hand portion 47 of the pusher 46 is disposed outside the unit housing 56. Similarly, a cylindrical bellows 59 surrounding the arm portion 48 is disposed outside the unit housing 56. One end of the bellows 59 is fixed to the pusher 46, and the other end of the bellows 59 is fixed to the case 57. The bellows 59 expands and contracts in the moving direction of the pusher 46 as the pusher 46 moves. Intrusion of liquid into the unit housing 56 through the insertion hole 56 a is prevented by the bellows 59.

  As shown in FIG. 5, all or part of the linear motor 49 is disposed above the guard 20 and overlaps the guard 20 in plan view. When the pusher 46 is disposed at the origin position, the entire pusher 46 is disposed above the guard 20 and overlaps the guard 20 in plan view. At this time, the linear motor 49 and the pusher 46 are disposed around the upper end 20x of the guard 20 in a plan view and do not overlap the upper end 20x of the guard 20.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a vertical section of a centering lifting unit 61 that lifts and lowers the centering unit 45. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the centering lift unit 61 viewed in the direction of the arrow VIII shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the centering device 40 includes a centering lifting unit 61 that lifts and lowers a centering unit 45 including a pusher 46 and a linear motor 49. The centering lifting unit 61 also serves as the guard lifting unit 21. That is, the centering lift unit 61 moves the centering unit 45 up and down and lifts the guard 20 up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the centering lift unit 61 includes a lift actuator 62 that generates power for moving the centering unit 45 up and down, and a transmission mechanism 63 that transmits the power of the lift actuator 62 to the centering unit 45. The elevating actuator 62 is a rotary actuator such as an electric motor, for example. In this case, the transmission mechanism 63 includes a ball screw mechanism that converts the rotation transmitted from the elevating actuator 62 into a linear motion. The lift actuator 62 may be a linear actuator such as an air cylinder.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the transmission mechanism 63 includes a column 64 that extends downward from the base ring 54, and an elevating base 66 that is coupled to the column 64. The transmission mechanism 63 further includes a lifting bracket 65 that extends from the guard 20 to the lifting base 66. The support column 64 and the lifting bracket 65 are fixed to the lifting base 66. The support | pillar 64 is inserted in the through-hole 20y which penetrates the guard 20 to an up-down direction. The lifting base 66 is disposed below the guard 20. When the elevating actuator 62 generates power, the elevating base 66 moves vertically, and the centering unit 45 and the guard 20 move vertically in the same direction, speed, and amount of movement as the elevating base 66.

  The control device 3 controls the elevating actuator 62 to position the centering unit 45 and the guard 20 at an arbitrary height from the upper position to the lower position. When centering the substrate W, the control device 3 positions the centering unit 45 and the guard 20 at the centering height. Thereby, the pusher 46 is horizontally opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W on the spin base 10. With such a height, the centering height may be the upper position or the lower position, or may be a position between the upper position and the lower position.

Next, an example of the centering process will be described.
The following steps are executed by the control device 3 controlling the substrate processing apparatus 1.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the centering process performed by the centering device 40. FIG. 9 shows details of the centering step (step S2) shown in FIG. Steps S11 to S19 in FIG. 9 correspond to the centering step (step S2) shown in FIG. 10A to 10F are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of operations of the substrate W and the centering unit 45 when the example of the centering process illustrated in FIG. 9 is performed.

9 and 10A to 10F, chuck ON means that the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10 by the suction force of the suction pump 16, and chuck OFF means that the substrate W is in contact with the spin base 10. This means that the fixing has been released. In the following, reference is made to FIG. 4 and FIG. 10A to 10F will be referred to as appropriate.
When centering the substrate W, a measurement process is performed for measuring the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 and the position of the center C1 of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1.

  Specifically, after the substrate W is placed on the spin base 10 in the aforementioned carrying-in process (step S1 in FIGS. 9 and 3), the control device 3 opens the suction valve 15, and the substrate W is moved to the spin base 10. (Step S11 in FIG. 9). Further, the control device 3 causes the light emitting unit 42 to emit light toward the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. In this state, the spin motor 12 rotates the substrate W and the spin base 10 by 360 degrees, and then stops on the spot. At this time, as long as the pusher 46 does not interfere with the substrate W, the guard 20 and the centering unit 45 may be arranged at any height. Light emission of the light emitting unit 42 is stopped after the rotation of the substrate W is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, a part of the light of the light emitting unit 42 is blocked by the outer periphery of the substrate W on the spin base 10, and the remaining light enters the light receiving unit 43. When the substrate W is rotated in a state where the light emitting unit 42 emits light, the light irradiation position on the substrate W moves in the rotation direction of the substrate W along the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. If the substrate W is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis A1, the width of the light incident on the light receiving unit 43 when the substrate W is rotated changes. Based on the detection value of the light receiving unit 43, the control device 3 detects the shortest distance from the rotation axis A1 to the center C1 of the substrate W and the position of the center C1 of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1. Thereby, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 is detected (step S12 in FIG. 9).

  After detecting the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1, an eccentricity determination step is performed to determine whether the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 is within an allowable range (step S13 in FIG. 9). . When the amount of eccentricity is within the allowable range (Yes in step S13 in FIG. 9), the centering process for moving the center C1 of the substrate W toward the rotation axis A1 is not performed, and the above-described chemical solution supply process (FIGS. 9 and 9) is performed. 3 step S3) and subsequent steps are performed. When the amount of eccentricity is outside the allowable range (No in step S13 in FIG. 9), a position confirmation process is performed to confirm whether or not the substrate W is positioned at a preparation position where the substrate W is arranged in the centering process ( Step S14 in FIG. 9).

  Specifically, after the measurement process is performed, the position of the center C1 of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 (the angle around the rotation axis A1 and the shortest distance from the rotation axis A1) is known. The control device 3 confirms whether or not the substrate W is located at the preparation position based on the detection value of the light receiving unit 43. The preparation position is a rotation angle at which the center C1 of the substrate W overlaps the reference plane P1 and is positioned between the pusher 46 and the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W in plan view. FIG. 10B shows a state where the center C1 of the substrate W does not overlap the reference plane P1.

  When the substrate W is located at the preparation position (Yes in step S14 in FIG. 9), the spin motor 12 stops the substrate W and the spin base 10 on the spot without rotating. When the substrate W is not located at the preparation position (No in step S14 in FIG. 9), the spin motor 12 rotates the substrate W and the spin base 10 to the preparation position and stops them at the preparation position (preparation process FIG. 9). Step S15). For example, when the substrate W is in the state shown in FIG. 10B, the spin motor 12 rotates the substrate W and the spin base 10 90 degrees clockwise. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 10C, the center C1 of the substrate W overlaps the reference plane P1, and the substrate W is arranged at the preparation position.

Next, a centering step (step S18 in FIG. 9) is performed in which the center C1 of the substrate W is moved toward the rotation axis A1 by horizontally pushing the substrate W with the pusher 46.
Specifically, the centering lift unit 61 that also serves as the guard lift unit 21 with the substrate W positioned at the preparation position and the pusher 46 positioned at the origin position centers the centering unit 45 together with the guard 20. Raise to height. The centering height is a height at which the pusher 46 is disposed at a height equal to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W located on the spin base 10. Therefore, when the centering unit 45 is disposed at the centering height, the pusher 46 faces the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W horizontally.

  After the centering unit 45 is disposed at the centering height, the linear motor 49 moves the pusher 46 from the origin position to the contact position in a state where the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10 (chuck ON state). The origin position is an example of a non-contact position where the pusher 46 is separated from the substrate W on the spin base 10. The contact position is a position where the pusher 46 switches from a non-contact state where the pusher 46 is separated from the substrate W to a contact state where the pusher 46 is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W. Therefore, when the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, the pusher 46 comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W on the spin base 10. FIG. 10D shows a state where the pusher 46 is located at the contact position.

  When the pusher 46 moves from the origin position to the contact position, the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10 by the suction force of the suction pump 16. Therefore, when the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, the substrate W does not move with respect to the spin base 10 and the pusher 46 stops at the contact position. Whether or not the pusher 46 is stationary is determined based on the detection value of the position sensor including the scale 49s and the head 49h (see FIG. 6C). Therefore, the control device 3 can determine whether or not the pusher 46 is located at the contact position based on the detection value of the position sensor.

  After the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, the suction valve 15 is closed, and the fixation of the substrate W to the spin base 10 is released (chuck OFF, step S17 in FIG. 9). In this state, the linear motor 49 moves the pusher 46 horizontally from the contact position to the centering position (position shown in FIG. 10E) (step S18 in FIG. 9). The centering position is a position where the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 decreases to a value within an allowable range, and is set based on the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W measured in the measurement process. That is, if the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W measured in the measurement process is different, the centering position is also different. The centering position may be a position between the contact position and the end position, or may be an end position.

  The pusher 46 tries to move toward the centering position while pushing the substrate W toward the rotation axis A1. When the pusher 46 pushes the substrate W, the substrate W is released from being fixed to the spin base 10. Accordingly, the substrate W moves horizontally with respect to the spin motor 12 while being in contact with the spin base 10. As a result, the substrate W moves in the centering direction Dc, which is the same direction as the movement direction of the pusher 46, and the center C1 of the substrate W approaches the rotation axis A1. As shown in FIG. 10E, when the pusher 46 reaches the centering position, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 decreases to a value within the allowable range.

  As shown in FIG. 10D, the linear motor 49 is driven in the thrust control mode from the origin position to the contact position. The thrust control mode is a mode in which the linear motor 49 continues to move the pusher 46 while applying a constant thrust to the pusher 46. If there is no obstacle in the movement path of the pusher 46 when the linear motor 49 is driven in the thrust control mode, the pusher 46 continues to move to the end position. In other words, in the thrust control mode, if there is a substrate W that is an obstacle in the movement path of the pusher 46, the pusher 46 stops moving without reaching the end position.

  As shown in FIG. 10E, the linear motor 49 is driven in the positioning mode from the contact position to the centering position. The positioning mode is a mode in which the linear motor 49 moves the pusher 46 to a predetermined setting position, that is, a centering position. The amount of movement of the pusher 46 is controlled by the number of drive pulses input to the linear motor 49, for example. In other words, in the positioning mode, the linear motor 49 increases the thrust and moves the pusher 46 to the centering position even if there is a substrate W that is an obstacle in the movement path of the pusher 46. Thus, when the linear motor 49 is driven in the positioning mode, the thrust applied to the pusher 46 is changed as necessary. The thrust applied to the pusher 46 when the linear motor 49 is in the thrust control mode is smaller than the thrust applied to the pusher 46 when the linear motor 49 is in the positioning mode.

  As shown in FIG. 10F, after the pusher 46 reaches the centering position, the linear motor 49 returns the pusher 46 to the origin position. During this time, the pusher 46 moves away from the substrate W. The suction valve 15 may be opened before or after the pusher 46 is moved from the centering position, or may be opened at the same time as the pusher 46 is moved from the centering position. In any case, the fixing of the substrate W to the spin base 10 is resumed (chuck ON, step S19 in FIG. 9), and the movement of the substrate W with respect to the spin base 10 is prevented. Therefore, the state where the substrate W is centered with respect to the rotation axis A1 can be maintained.

  After the pusher 46 returns to the origin position and the fixing of the substrate W to the spin base 10 is resumed, a measurement process may be performed (return to step S12 in FIG. 9), without performing the second measurement process. You may perform the above-mentioned chemical | medical solution supply process (step S3 of FIG. 9) and the process after it. When the measurement process is performed again, the chemical solution supply process and the subsequent processes can be performed while the substrate W is reliably centered.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the pusher 46 moves from the origin position to the contact position and contacts the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W on the spin base 10. Thereafter, the substrate W is pushed by the pusher 46 and moves horizontally with respect to the spin base 10. As a result, the center C1 of the substrate W approaches the rotation center of the substrate W corresponding to the rotation axis A1. When the pusher 46 reaches the centering position, the pusher 46 stops and the movement of the substrate W relative to the spin base 10 is completed. In this way, the center C1 of the substrate W is brought close to the rotation center of the substrate W, and the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1 is reduced.

  When the pusher 46 reaches the contact position and contacts the substrate W on the spin base 10, the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10. Therefore, even if the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W, the substrate W does not move relative to the spin base 10. The fixing of the substrate W to the spin base 10 is released after the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W. Thereafter, the pusher 46 is disposed at the centering position, and the center C1 of the substrate W is brought close to the rotation center of the substrate W. Therefore, the positional deviation of the substrate W caused by the contact between the pusher 46 and the substrate W can be prevented, and the centering accuracy of the substrate W can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the linear motor 49 is driven in the thrust control mode from the origin position to the contact position. From the contact position to the centering position, the linear motor 49 is driven in the positioning mode. In the thrust control mode, the linear motor 49 continues to move the pusher 46 while controlling the thrust applied to the pusher 46. Therefore, the force applied to the substrate W from the pusher 46 when the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W can be reduced. In the positioning mode, the linear motor 49 moves the pusher 46 to a predetermined setting position, that is, a centering position. Therefore, the pusher 46 can be positioned at the centering position with higher accuracy.

  In this embodiment, the thrust applied to the pusher 46 when the pusher 46 is moved from the origin position to the contact position is smaller than the thrust applied to the pusher 46 when the pusher 46 is moved from the contact position to the centering position. . Accordingly, the pusher 46 contacts the substrate W on the spin base 10 with a small thrust applied to the pusher 46. Therefore, the impact generated by the contact between the pusher 46 and the substrate W can be reduced, and the amount of elastic deformation of the pusher 46 and the substrate W can be reduced. If the amount of elastic deformation of the pusher 46 and the substrate W is small, even if the fixation of the substrate W to the spin base 10 is released while the pusher 46 is in contact with the substrate W, the substrate W moves to the spin base 10 with a large amount of movement. It does not move. Therefore, the centering accuracy of the substrate W can be increased.

  In this embodiment, since the pusher 46 moves linearly horizontally, the volume of the space through which the pusher 46 passes can be reduced. Furthermore, if the linear motion of the linear motor 49 is transmitted to the pusher 46, the pusher 46 moves linearly, so that a mechanism for converting the linear motion of the linear motor 49 need not be provided. Thereby, the centering apparatus 40 can be reduced in size. In addition, since the linear motor 49, which is an example of the electric actuator, moves the pusher 46, the position of the pusher 46 can be controlled with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A1, that is, the shortest distance from the rotation axis A1 to the center C1 of the substrate W is detected. Thereafter, the linear motor 49 moves the substrate W horizontally with respect to the spin base 10 by a movement amount based on the detection value of the eccentricity detection unit 41. Thereby, the substrate W is centered. Further, since the eccentric amount is detected without contact with the substrate W, the substrate W is difficult to move relative to the spin base 10 during or after the detection of the eccentric amount. Therefore, the amount of eccentricity of the substrate W can be detected with higher accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the position of the pusher 46 is detected. When the pusher 46 is moving, the position of the pusher 46 changes with time. If the pusher 46 is not moved, the position of the pusher 46 does not change. When the pusher 46 is moving toward the contact position, the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10, so that when the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, the pusher 46 stops at the contact position. Therefore, by detecting the position of the pusher 46, it can be directly confirmed that the pusher 46 is located at the contact position.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate W on the spin base 10 is centered, and the center C1 of the substrate W is brought close to the rotation center of the substrate W corresponding to the rotation axis A1. Thereafter, the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W on the spin base 10. Thereby, the centered substrate W can be processed with the processing liquid. Therefore, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the bevel processing in which only the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is processed with the processing liquid.

  In the present embodiment, the processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate W on the spin base 10 is received by the guard 20 surrounding the spin base 10. At least a part of the linear motor 49 is disposed above the guard 20 and overlaps the guard 20 in plan view. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced in size as compared with the case where the entire linear motor 49 is arranged around the guard 20 or the case where the linear motor 49 is arranged below the guard 20. As a result, the processing liquid can be supplied and centered while suppressing an increase in the size of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.
For example, a Bernoulli device that generates a suction force that attracts the substrate W to the upper surface of the spin base 10 according to Bernoulli's theorem and fixes the substrate W to the spin base 10 may be provided instead of the suction pump 16. That is, the spin chuck 9 may be a Bernoulli chuck instead of a vacuum chuck. Alternatively, the spin chuck 9 may be an electrostatic chuck that electrostatically attracts the substrate W to the upper surface of the spin base 10. That is, the spin chuck 9 may include an electrode to which a voltage is applied instead of the suction pump 16. The suction pump 16, the Bernoulli device, and the electrode are all examples of the adsorption device.

After the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, the mode of the linear motor 49 may not be switched from the thrust control mode to the positioning mode. For example, the pusher 46 may be moved to the contact position while the linear motor 49 is set to the positioning mode, and then moved to the centering position.
The thrust applied from the linear motor 49 to the pusher 46 when the pusher 46 is moved from the origin position to the contact position is the thrust applied from the linear motor 49 to the pusher 46 when the pusher 46 is moved from the contact position to the centering position. It may be larger or equal.

The eccentricity detection unit 41 may detect the eccentricity of the substrate W with respect to the rotation axis A <b> 1 while contacting the substrate W on the spin base 10.
The control device 3 may confirm that the pusher 46 is located at the contact position using a device other than the position sensor. For example, a timer 39 (see FIG. 2) may be used, or a camera that photographs the pusher 46 and the substrate W from above may be used. A timer 39 or the like and a position sensor may be used in combination.

  When the timer 39 is used, when the pusher 46 starts to move toward the contact position, the control device 3 causes the timer 39 to measure the elapsed time from that point. When the pusher 46 reaches the contact position, since the substrate W is fixed to the spin base 10, the pusher 46 should be stationary at the contact position after a certain period of time has passed. Therefore, if the elapsed time from when the pusher 46 starts to move is measured, the pusher 46 has reached the contact position and is still at that position without detecting the position of the pusher 46 itself. I can judge.

  FIG. 11A shows a state in which the pusher 46 is located at the contact position. As shown in FIG. 11B, the control device 3 does not move the pusher 46 from the contact position to the centering position, but retracts the pusher 46 from the contact position to the retracted position toward the origin position, thereby moving the pusher 46 to the substrate W. May be separated from As shown in FIG. 11C, the control device 3 may release the fixation of the substrate W to the spin base 10 after the pusher 46 is separated from the substrate W, and move the pusher 46 from the retracted position to the centering position. The retracted position is a position closer to the contact position than the middle between the contact position and the origin position, and is a position close to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W in a state where the pusher 46 is separated from the substrate W. The distance in the centering direction Dc from the pusher 46 positioned at the retracted position to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W is, for example, a value exceeding 0 and exceeding 5 mm.

  If the substrate W is released from being fixed to the spin base 10 in a state where stress is generated in the substrate W due to the contact between the pusher 46 and the substrate W, the substrate W may move relative to the spin base 10. is there. As described above, if the substrate W is released while the pusher 46 is away from the substrate W, such movement of the substrate W can be prevented. Further, since the distance from the retracted position to the contact position is shorter than the distance from the origin position to the contact position, when the pusher 46 comes into contact with the substrate W again, it is difficult for the substrate W to be displaced.

At least a part of the linear motor 49 may be disposed below the guard 20 instead of above the guard 20. Further, at least a part of the linear motor 49 may be disposed around the guard 20 in plan view.
The processing cup 17 may include a plurality of guards 20. In this case, the plurality of ceiling portions 20a are stacked in the vertical direction, and the plurality of cylindrical portions 20b are arranged concentrically. The centering unit 45 is provided on the guard 20 having the ceiling portion 20a located at the top.

  The column 64 of the centering lifting unit 61 may be disposed around the guard 20 instead of in the through hole 20y (see FIG. 7) of the guard 20. The centering elevating unit 61 may be a unit different from the guard elevating unit 21 that elevates the guard 20. In the latter case, the centering unit 45 can be raised and lowered independently of the raising and lowering of the guard 20. Furthermore, compared with the case where the guard lifting / lowering unit 21 moves both the guard 20 and the centering unit 45 up / down, the guard lifting / lowering unit 21 can be downsized.

The processing of the substrate W may be a whole surface processing in which the processing liquid is supplied to the entire upper surface or lower surface of the substrate W, instead of the bevel processing in which the processing liquid is supplied only to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W.
Two or more of all the aforementioned configurations may be combined. Two or more of all the above steps may be combined.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

1: substrate processing device 3: control device 9: spin chuck 10: spin base 12: spin motor 16: suction pump 17: processing cup 19: cup 20: guard 22: chemical nozzle (processing liquid supply means)
26: Rinse liquid nozzle (treatment liquid supply means)
39: Timer (contact confirmation unit)
40: Centering device 41: Eccentricity detection unit 42: Light emitting unit 43: Light receiving unit 46: Pusher 49: Linear motor (centering actuator)
49s: Position sensor scale (contact confirmation unit)
49h: Head of position sensor (contact confirmation unit)
A1: rotation axis C1: center of substrate W: substrate

Claims (20)

A spin base disposed below a disk-shaped substrate and supporting the substrate horizontally;
An adsorption device for fixing the substrate to the spin base by generating an adsorption force for adsorbing the substrate on the spin base to the spin base;
A spin motor that rotates the spin base about a vertical axis of rotation that passes through a central portion of the substrate in a state where the substrate is fixed to the spin base;
A pusher that moves the substrate horizontally relative to the spin base by pushing the substrate on the spin base;
A non-contact position where the pusher is separated from the substrate on the spin base, and a centering position where the pusher is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate on the spin base and the movement of the substrate with respect to the spin base is completed. And a centering actuator for moving the pusher between,
A position between the non-contact position and the centering position, wherein the pusher switches from a non-contact state where the pusher is separated from the substrate to a contact state where the pusher is in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate. A contact confirmation unit to confirm that it has reached,
A fixing execution step of generating the suction force in the suction device and fixing the substrate to the spin base; and the centering actuator in a state where the substrate is fixed to the spin base by the suction force of the suction device. Moving the pusher from the non-contact position to the contact position, a contact step for controlling the suction device and the centering actuator, and the contact confirmation unit that the pusher has reached the contact position in the contact step After confirming, the centering actuator releases the center of the pusher in the state in which the fixation of the substrate to the spin base is released and the centering actuator releases the fixation of the substrate to the spin base. The suction device so that it is moved to a position. And a control device that controls a centering actuator, and moves the substrate horizontally with respect to the spin base to reduce the amount of eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis. . The centering actuator can be switched between a plurality of modes including a thrust control mode that continues to move the pusher while controlling the thrust applied to the pusher, and a positioning mode that moves the pusher to a predetermined set position. Yes,
The centering device according to claim 1, wherein the control device executes the contact step while setting the centering actuator in the thrust control mode, and executes the push step while setting the centering actuator in the positioning mode. .   The control device controls the centering actuator such that a thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher in the contact step is smaller than a thrust applied from the centering actuator to the pusher in the push step. Item 3. The centering device according to Item 1 or 2.   The centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the centering actuator is a linear motor that horizontally moves the pusher linearly. The centering device further includes an eccentricity amount detection unit that detects an eccentricity amount of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis without contacting the substrate on the spin base,
The centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the centering position is set based on a detection value of the eccentricity detection unit.   The centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the contact confirmation unit includes a position sensor that detects a position of the pusher.   The said contact confirmation unit is a timer as described in any one of Claims 1-6 including the timer which measures the elapsed time from the time when the said centering actuator started to apply thrust to the said pusher located in the said non-contact position. Centering device.   The control device is a position between the contact position and the non-contact position after the contact step and before the unlocking step, and the pusher is on the spin base. The centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a retreating step of controlling the centering actuator so that the pusher retreats to a retreat position away from the substrate. A centering device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
And a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate on the spin base. The substrate processing apparatus includes a cylindrical guard that surrounds the spin base and receives a processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate on the spin base,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least a part of the centering actuator is disposed above the guard so as to overlap the guard in a plan view. A centering method for bringing the center of a disk-shaped substrate horizontally disposed above a spin base rotating around a vertical rotation axis close to the rotation axis,
A fixing execution step of generating a suction force in the suction device and fixing the substrate to the spin base;
In a state where the substrate is fixed to the spin base by the adsorption force of the adsorption device, from a non-contact position where the pusher is separated from the substrate on the spin base, from a non-contact state where the pusher is separated from the substrate A contact step of moving the pusher to a contact position where the pusher switches to a contact state in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate;
In the contact step, after the contact confirmation unit confirms that the pusher has reached the contact position, a fixing release step in which the adsorption device releases the fixation of the substrate to the spin base, and the fixation of the substrate to the spin base When the pusher is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the substrate on the spin base, and the pusher is moved to a centering position where the movement of the substrate with respect to the spin base is completed. A centering method, comprising: a step of moving the substrate horizontally with respect to the spin base to reduce an eccentric amount of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis. The state in which the contact step is set to a thrust control mode in which a centering actuator that moves the pusher between the non-contact position and the centering position continues to move the pusher while controlling the thrust applied to the pusher. Run in
The centering method according to claim 11, wherein the pushing step is executed in a state where the centering actuator is set in a positioning mode in which the pusher is moved to a predetermined set position.   The centering method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein a thrust applied to the pusher by the centering actuator that moves the pusher in the contact step is smaller than a thrust applied to the pusher by the centering actuator in the push step.   The centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the contact step and the push step are steps in which the pusher is horizontally moved linearly by a linear motor. The centering method further includes an eccentricity detecting step of detecting an eccentricity of the substrate with respect to the rotation axis without contacting the substrate on the spin base,
The centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the centering position is set based on a value detected in the eccentricity detecting step.   The centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising a contact confirmation step of confirming that the pusher has reached the contact position based on a detection value of a position sensor that detects the position of the pusher. .   The contact confirmation process according to any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising a contact confirmation step of confirming that the pusher has reached the contact position based on an elapsed time from the time when the pusher starts to move toward the contact position. The centering method according to the item.   After the contact process is performed and before the unlocking process is performed, the pusher is separated from the substrate on the spin base at a position between the contact position and the non-contact position. The centering method according to claim 11, further comprising a retreating step of retracting the pusher to a retreat position. The centering method according to any one of claims 11 to 18,
And a processing liquid supply step of supplying a processing liquid to the substrate on the spin base after the centering method is performed. The substrate processing method further includes a processing liquid capturing step of receiving a processing liquid splashed outward from the substrate on the spin base by a cylindrical guard surrounding the spin base in parallel with the processing liquid supply step. Including
The substrate processing method according to claim 19, wherein the contact step and the push step are steps of moving the pusher to a centering actuator disposed above the guard so that at least a part thereof overlaps the guard in plan view. .

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