JP2021044478A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To determine whether or not a substrate is properly retained without need for a reference image.SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a retaining section for retaining a substrate; an imaging section which images an imaging range including an outer edge part of a retained substrate and is used to output a plurality of image data; an extraction section for extracting an outer edge part of a substrate from a difference image between a plurality of image data; and a determination section for determining a retaining state of a substrate on the basis of an outer edge part of a substrate in a difference image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The techniques disclosed in the present specification relate to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or the like, a substrate treatment such as a cleaning treatment or a resist coating treatment is performed by supplying a treatment liquid such as pure water, a photoresist liquid or an etching liquid to the substrate.

As a device for performing liquid treatment using these treatment liquids, a substrate processing device that discharges the treatment liquid from a nozzle onto the upper surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate may be used.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for comparing an captured image with a reference image in order to determine whether or not the substrate is normally held.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-11270

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to determine whether or not the substrate is normally held, a reference image which is an image of the normally held substrate is required. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot be determined whether or not the substrate is normally held unless the normally held substrate is imaged in advance.

The technique disclosed in the present specification has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a technique for determining whether or not the substrate is normally held without requiring a reference image. It is intended to be provided.

A first aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification is to image a holding portion for holding a substrate and an imaging range including the outer edge portion of the held substrate at a plurality of locations, and to image a plurality of the substrates. Based on the imaging unit for outputting the image data of the above, the extraction unit for extracting the outer edge portion of the substrate from the difference image between the plurality of the image data, and the outer edge portion of the substrate in the difference image. A determination unit for determining the holding state of the substrate is provided.

The second aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to the first aspect, and the determination unit determines the holding state of the substrate based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. ..

A third aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to a first or second aspect, wherein the determination unit of the substrate is based on the maximum length of the outer edge of the difference image. Determine the holding state.

A fourth aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the imaging unit extends along the outer edge of the held substrate. The imaging range is imaged.

A fifth aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to a fourth aspect, wherein the imaging unit captures the arched imaging range extending along the outer edge of the substrate.

A sixth aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the imaging unit imaging the held substrate from above the substrate.

A seventh aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to any one of the first to sixth aspects, and the imaging unit captures the held substrate from the outer peripheral side of the substrate. ..

The eighth aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to any one of the first to seventh aspects, and when the determination unit determines that the holding state of the substrate is an abnormal state, It also has an alarm unit that issues an alarm.

A ninth aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification is a step of holding and rotating a substrate, and an imaging range including a rotating outer edge of the substrate is imaged at a plurality of locations and described above. Based on the step of outputting a plurality of image data of the substrate, the step of extracting the outer edge portion of the substrate from the difference image between the plurality of image data, and the outer edge portion of the substrate in the difference image, the said It includes a step of determining the holding state of the substrate.

The tenth aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to the ninth aspect, and the step of determining the holding state of the substrate is based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. This is a step of determining the holding state of.

The eleventh aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to the ninth or tenth aspect, and the step of determining the holding state of the substrate is set to the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. Based on this, it is a step of determining the holding state of the substrate.

A twelfth aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the step of processing the substrate after the step of imaging the rotating substrate. Further prepare.

A thirteenth aspect of the technique disclosed herein relates to any one of the ninth to twelfth aspects, in which the substrate is cleaned prior to the step of imaging the rotating substrate. The step of imaging the rotating substrate is a step performed after the cleaning treatment and before the drying treatment of the substrate.

The fourteenth aspect of the technique disclosed in the present specification relates to any one of the ninth to thirteenth aspects, and the holding state of the substrate is in an abnormal state in the step of determining the holding state of the substrate. A step of stopping the rotation of the substrate when it is determined to be present is further provided.

According to the first to 14th aspects of the technique disclosed in the present specification, a difference image is created using image data at a plurality of locations on the substrate, and an outer edge portion of the substrate is extracted from the difference image. The holding state of the substrate can be determined from the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image and the like. Therefore, even if the image data of the board normally held is not held as the reference image data, the holding state of the board can be determined.

In addition, the objectives, features, aspects, and advantages associated with the art disclosed herein will be further clarified by the detailed description and accompanying drawings set forth below.

It is a figure which shows the example of the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view of the cleaning processing unit which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the cleaning processing unit which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the structure of the spin chuck when the substrate is held by another method. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a camera, a nozzle and a substrate. It is a functional block diagram of a control part. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration when the control unit shown in the example is actually operated. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the image frame of a rotating substrate. It is a figure which shows the example of the image frame of a rotating substrate. It is a difference image between the image frame whose example is shown in FIG. 8 and the image frame whose example is shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the result of performing the Canny edge extraction based on the difference image which an example was shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows another example of the result of performing Canny edge extraction based on a difference image. It is a figure which shows the maximum value up to each image frame of the length of the edge in the substrate circumferential direction extracted as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the case where the maximum value of the length in the board circumferential direction of the edge extracted based on the difference image is measured in each operation of a board processing apparatus when a board is held normally. ..

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the following embodiments, detailed features and the like are also shown for the purpose of explaining the technique, but they are examples, and not all of them are necessarily essential features in order for the embodiments to be feasible.

It should be noted that the drawings are shown schematically, and for convenience of explanation, the configurations are omitted or the configurations are simplified in the drawings as appropriate. Further, the interrelationship between the sizes and positions of the configurations and the like shown in different drawings is not always accurately described and can be changed as appropriate. Further, even in a drawing such as a plan view which is not a cross-sectional view, hatching may be added to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiment.

Further, in the description shown below, similar components are illustrated with the same reference numerals, and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description of them may be omitted to avoid duplication.

In addition, in the description described below, when it is described that a certain component is "equipped", "included", or "has", the existence of another component is excluded unless otherwise specified. Not an expression.

Also, in the description described below, it means a specific position or direction such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "side", "bottom", "front" or "back". Even if terms are used, these terms are used for convenience to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiment, and are the positions or directions when they are actually implemented. It has nothing to do with it.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described.

<About the configuration of the board processing device>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As an example is shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is a single-wafer processing apparatus that processes the substrate W to be processed one by one. The substrate to be processed includes, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a flat panel display (FPD) such as an organic EL (electroluminence) display device, a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, and photomagnetism. A disk substrate, a photomask substrate, a ceramic substrate, a solar cell substrate, and the like are included.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment cleans the substrate W, which is a silicon substrate having a circular thin plate shape, with a chemical solution and a rinsing solution such as pure water, and then performs a drying process.

As the above-mentioned chemical solution, for example, a mixed solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide solution (SC1), a mixed aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution (SC2), a DHF solution (dilute hydrofluoric acid), or the like is used.

In the following description, the chemical solution and the rinsing solution are collectively referred to as "treatment solution". In addition to the cleaning treatment, the "treatment liquid" includes a coating solution such as a photoresist solution for film formation treatment, a chemical solution for removing unnecessary films, and a chemical solution for etching. To do.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cleaning processing units 1, an indexer 102, and a main transfer robot 103.

The indexer 102 conveys the substrate W to be processed received from outside the apparatus into the apparatus, and also uses the processed substrate W for which the substrate treatment (including raising and lowering of the processing cup, cleaning treatment, and drying treatment) has been completed. Take it out. The indexer 102 is provided with a plurality of carriers (not shown) and a transfer robot (not shown).

As the carrier, a front opening unfined pod (FOUP) for storing the substrate W in a closed space, a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod, or an open cassette (OC) for exposing the substrate W to the outside air may be adopted. Further, the transfer robot transfers the substrate W between the carrier and the main transfer robot 103.

The cleaning treatment unit 1 performs a cleaning treatment and a drying treatment on one substrate W. Twelve cleaning processing units 1 are arranged in the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

Specifically, four towers including three cleaning processing units 1 each stacked in the vertical direction are arranged so as to surround the main transport robot 103.

In FIG. 1, one of the cleaning processing units 1 stacked in three stages is schematically shown. The number of cleaning processing units 1 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is not limited to 12, and may be changed as appropriate.

The main transfer robot 103 is installed in the center of four towers in which the cleaning processing units 1 are stacked. The main transfer robot 103 carries the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 into each cleaning processing unit 1. Further, the main transfer robot 103 carries out the processed substrate W from each cleaning processing unit 1 and hands it to the indexer 102.

Hereinafter, one of the 12 cleaning processing units 1 mounted on the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described, but the other cleaning processing units 1 also have the same configuration except that the arrangement of the nozzles is different. Have.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning processing unit 1 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the substrate W is not held by the spin chuck 20, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the substrate W is held by the spin chuck 20.

The cleaning processing unit 1 has a spin chuck 20 that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture (that is, a posture in which the normal line of the upper surface of the substrate W is along the vertical direction) and a substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 in the chamber 10. It is provided with three nozzles 30, a nozzle 60 and a nozzle 65 for supplying the processing liquid to the upper surface of the spin chuck 20, a processing cup 40 surrounding the spin chuck 20 and a camera 70 for imaging the space above the spin chuck 20.

Further, around the processing cup 40 in the chamber 10, a partition plate 15 for vertically partitioning the inner space of the chamber 10 is provided.

The chamber 10 includes a side wall 11 that follows the vertical direction and surrounds all four sides, a ceiling wall 12 that closes the upper side of the side wall 11, and a floor wall 13 that closes the lower side of the side wall 11. The space surrounded by the side wall 11, the ceiling wall 12, and the floor wall 13 is the processing space for the substrate W.

Further, a part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10 is provided with a carry-in / out port for the main transfer robot 103 to carry in / out the substrate W to the chamber 10 and a shutter for opening / closing the carry-in / out port (in any case). (Not shown).

A fan filter unit (FFU) 14 for further purifying the air in the clean room in which the substrate processing device 100 is installed and supplying it to the processing space in the chamber 10 is attached to the ceiling wall 12 of the chamber 10. .. The FFU 14 is provided with a fan and a filter (for example, a high effective particulate air filter (HEPA) filter) for taking in the air in the clean room and sending it out into the chamber 10.

The FFU 14 forms a downflow of clean air in the processing space in the chamber 10. In order to uniformly disperse the clean air supplied from the FFU 14, a punching plate having a large number of blowout holes may be provided directly under the ceiling wall 12.

The spin chuck 20 includes a spin base 21, a spin motor 22, a cover member 23, and a rotating shaft 24. The spin base 21 has a disk shape and is fixed in a horizontal posture to the upper end of a rotating shaft 24 extending in the vertical direction. The spin motor 22 is provided below the spin base 21 and rotates the rotating shaft 24. The spin motor 22 rotates the spin base 21 in a horizontal plane via a rotation shaft 24. The cover member 23 has a tubular shape that surrounds the spin motor 22 and the rotating shaft 24.

The outer diameter of the disk-shaped spin base 21 is slightly larger than the diameter of the circular substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. Therefore, the spin base 21 has a holding surface 21a facing the entire lower surface of the substrate W to be held.

A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) chuck pins 26 are provided on the peripheral edge of the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21. The plurality of chuck pins 26 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference corresponding to the outer diameter of the outer peripheral circle of the circular substrate W. In this embodiment, four chuck pins 26 are provided at 90 ° intervals.

The plurality of chuck pins 26 are interlocked and driven by a link mechanism (not shown) housed in the spin base 21. The spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W by bringing each of the plurality of chuck pins 26 into contact with the outer peripheral end of the substrate W, so that the substrate W is held in a horizontal posture above the spin base 21 and close to the holding surface 21a. Hold (see Figure 3). Further, the spin chuck 20 releases the grip of the substrate W by separating each of the plurality of chuck pins 26 from the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. The method of holding the substrate W is not limited to the method using the chuck pin shown in the present embodiment. For example, a vacuum chuck that vacuum-adsorbs the substrate W or Bernoulli's method that ejects gas to eject gas. It may be a Bernoulli chuck (described later) that sucks the substrate W according to the principle.

The lower end of the cover member 23 covering the spin motor 22 is fixed to the floor wall 13 of the chamber 10, and the upper end reaches directly below the spin base 21. At the upper end of the cover member 23, a collar-shaped member 25 that projects outward from the cover member 23 substantially horizontally and further bends downward and extends is provided.

While the spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W by gripping with the plurality of chuck pins 26, the spin motor 22 rotates the rotary shaft 24 around the rotation axis CX along the vertical direction passing through the center of the substrate W. The substrate W can be rotated. The drive of the spin motor 22 is controlled by the control unit 9.

The nozzle 30 is configured by attaching a discharge head 31 to the tip of the nozzle arm 32. The base end side of the nozzle arm 32 is fixedly connected to the nozzle base 33. A motor 332 (nozzle moving portion) provided on the nozzle base 33 makes it rotatable around an axis along the vertical direction.

As the nozzle base 33 rotates, the nozzle 30 moves in the horizontal direction between the position above the spin chuck 20 and the standby position outside the processing cup 40, as shown by the arrow AR34 in FIG. Move in an arc along. Due to the rotation of the nozzle base 33, the nozzle 30 swings above the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21. Specifically, above the spin base 21, the predetermined processing section PS1 (described later) extending in the horizontal direction is moved. It should be noted that moving the nozzle 30 within the processing section PS1 is synonymous with moving the ejection head 31 at the tip within the processing section PS1.

The nozzle 30 is configured to supply a plurality of types of treatment liquids (including at least pure water), and a plurality of types of treatment liquids can be discharged from the discharge head 31. A plurality of discharge heads 31 may be provided at the tip of the nozzle 30, and the same or different treatment liquids may be individually discharged from each of the discharge heads 31. The nozzle 30 (specifically, the discharge head 31) discharges the processing liquid while moving in the processing section PS1 extending in an arc shape in the horizontal direction. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 30 lands on the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20.

In addition to the nozzle 30 described above, the cleaning processing unit 1 of the present embodiment is further provided with two nozzles 60 and a nozzle 65. The nozzle 60 and the nozzle 65 of the present embodiment have the same configuration as the nozzle 30 described above.

That is, the nozzle 60 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip of the nozzle arm 62, and is above the spin chuck 20 by the nozzle base 63 connected to the base end side of the nozzle arm 62, as indicated by the arrow AR64. It moves in an arc shape between the processing position of No. 1 and the standby position outside the processing cup 40.

Similarly, the nozzle 65 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip of the nozzle arm 67, and by the nozzle base 68 connected to the base end side of the nozzle arm 67, as indicated by the arrow AR69, the spin chuck 20 It moves in an arc shape between the upper processing position and the standby position outside the processing cup 40.

The nozzle 60 and the nozzle 65 are also configured to supply a plurality of types of treatment liquids containing at least pure water, and the treatment liquids are discharged onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 at the treatment position. .. At least one of the nozzle 60 and the nozzle 65 is a bifluid in which a cleaning liquid such as pure water and a pressurized gas are mixed to generate droplets, and a mixed fluid of the droplets and gas is injected onto the substrate W. It may be a nozzle. Further, the number of nozzles provided in the cleaning processing unit 1 is not limited to three, and may be one or more.

It is not essential to move each of the nozzle 30, the nozzle 60 and the nozzle 65 in an arc shape. For example, by providing a straight-line drive unit, the nozzle may be linearly moved or may be rotated.

A bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is provided along the vertical direction so as to pass through the inside of the rotating shaft 24. The upper end opening of the bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is formed at a position facing the center of the bottom surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is also configured to supply a plurality of types of treatment liquids. The treatment liquid discharged from the bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 lands on the bottom surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20.

The processing cup 40 surrounding the spin chuck 20 includes an inner cup 41, an inner cup 42, and an outer cup 43 that can be raised and lowered independently of each other. The inner cup 41 has a shape that surrounds the spin chuck 20 and is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis CX that passes through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The inner cup 41 includes a bottom portion 44 having an annular shape in a plan view, a cylindrical inner wall portion 45 rising upward from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom portion 44, a cylindrical outer wall portion 46 rising upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 44, and an inner wall. A first guide portion 47 that rises from between the portion 45 and the outer wall portion 46 and extends diagonally upward on the center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20) while drawing a smooth arc at the upper end portion. And a cylindrical inner wall portion 48 that rises upward from between the first guide portion 47 and the outer wall portion 46 are integrally provided.

The inner wall portion 45 is formed to have a length such that the inner cup 41 is accommodated in the state where the inner cup 41 is most raised while maintaining an appropriate gap between the cover member 23 and the brim-shaped member 25. The inner wall portion 48 is housed in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other, while maintaining an appropriate gap between the second guide portion 52 described later of the middle cup 42 and the treatment liquid separation wall 53. It is formed to such a length.

The first guide portion 47 has an upper end portion 47b extending diagonally upward on the center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc. Further, between the inner wall portion 45 and the first guide portion 47, there is a waste groove 49 for collecting and disposing of the used treatment liquid. Between the first guide portion 47 and the inner wall portion 48, there is an annular inner recovery groove 50 for collecting and collecting the used treatment liquid. Further, between the inner wall portion 48 and the outer wall portion 46, there is an annular outer recovery groove 51 for collecting and collecting a treatment liquid of a different type from the inner recovery groove 50.

An exhaust liquid mechanism (not shown) for forcibly exhausting the inside of the waste groove 49 while discharging the treatment liquid collected in the waste groove 49 is connected to the waste groove 49. For example, four exhaust gas mechanisms are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the waste groove 49. Further, the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 have a recovery mechanism for collecting the treatment liquids collected in the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 in a recovery tank provided outside the substrate processing device 100, respectively. (Both are not shown) are connected.

The bottoms of the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 are inclined by a slight angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and the recovery mechanism is connected to the lowest position thereof. As a result, the treatment liquid that has flowed into the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 is smoothly recovered.

The middle cup 42 has a shape that surrounds the spin chuck 20 and is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis CX that passes through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The inner cup 42 has a second guide portion 52 and a cylindrical processing liquid separation wall 53 connected to the second guide portion 52.

The second guide portion 52 draws a smooth arc from the lower end portion 52a, which is coaxial with the lower end portion of the first guide portion 47, and the upper end of the lower end portion 52a, on the outside of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41. It has an upper end portion 52b extending diagonally upward on the center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W), and a folded portion 52c formed by folding the tip end portion of the upper end portion 52b downward. The lower end portion 52a is housed in the inner recovery groove 50 with an appropriate gap between the first guide portion 47 and the middle wall portion 48 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other. Further, the upper end portion 52b is provided so as to overlap the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41 in the vertical direction, and the first guide portion 47 is in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other. Close to the upper end 47b of the above with a very small distance. In the folded-back portion 52c, the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other, and the folded-back portion 52c overlaps the tip of the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 in the horizontal direction.

The upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 is formed so that the wall thickness becomes thicker toward the lower side. The treatment liquid separation wall 53 has a cylindrical shape provided so as to extend downward from the lower end outer peripheral edge portion of the upper end portion 52b. The treatment liquid separation wall 53 is housed in the outer recovery groove 51 with an appropriate gap between the inner wall portion 48 and the outer cup 43 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other.

The outer cup 43 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis CX that passes through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. The outer cup 43 surrounds the spin chuck 20 on the outside of the second guide portion 52 of the middle cup 42. The outer cup 43 has a function as a third guide portion. The outer cup 43 has a lower end portion 43a that forms a coaxial cylindrical shape with the lower end portion 52a of the second guide portion 52, and a center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc from the upper end of the lower end portion 43a. It has an upper end portion 43b extending diagonally upward, and a folded portion 43c formed by folding the tip end portion of the upper end portion 43b downward.

The lower end portion 43a is an outer recovery groove that maintains an appropriate gap between the treatment liquid separation wall 53 of the inner cup 42 and the outer wall portion 46 of the inner cup 41 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other. It is housed in 51. The upper end portion 43b is provided so as to overlap the second guide portion 52 of the middle cup 42 in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 is provided in a state where the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other. Close to each other with very small intervals. The folded-back portion 43c overlaps the folded-back portion 52c of the second guide portion 52 in the horizontal direction in a state where the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other.

The inner cup 41, the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 can be raised and lowered independently of each other. That is, each of the inner cup 41, the inner cup 42, and the outer cup 43 is individually provided with an elevating mechanism (not shown), whereby the inner cup 41, the inner cup 42, and the outer cup 43 are independently and independently elevated. As such an elevating mechanism, various known mechanisms such as a ball screw mechanism or an air cylinder can be adopted.

The partition plate 15 is provided so as to partition the inner space of the chamber 10 vertically around the processing cup 40. The partition plate 15 may be a single plate-shaped member surrounding the processing cup 40, or may be a combination of a plurality of plate-shaped members. Further, the partition plate 15 may be formed with through holes or notches penetrating in the thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 30, the nozzle 60, the nozzle base 33 of the nozzle 65, and the nozzle base 63 may be formed. And a through hole for passing a support shaft for supporting the nozzle base 68 is formed.

The outer peripheral edge of the partition plate 15 is connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. Further, the outer edge portion of the partition plate 15 surrounding the processing cup 40 is formed so as to have a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer cup 43. Therefore, the partition plate 15 does not hinder the raising and lowering of the outer cup 43.

Further, an exhaust duct 18 is provided in the vicinity of the floor wall 13 which is a part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10. The exhaust duct 18 is communicatively connected to an exhaust mechanism (not shown). Of the clean air supplied from the FFU 14 and flowing down the chamber 10, the air that has passed between the processing cup 40 and the partition plate 15 is discharged from the exhaust duct 18 to the outside of the device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the spin chuck 20A when the substrate W is held by another method.

As an example shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of chuck pins 26A and a plurality of support pins (not shown) supplementarily support the outer edge portion and the lower surface of the substrate W, but in the present embodiment, the thickness is, for example, 100 μm. Since a certain extremely thin substrate W is held, the substrate W may be deformed during rotation or, in the worst case, damaged. Therefore, as follows, the central portion of the substrate W is sucked in a non-contact manner mainly by the Bernoulli effect to hold the substrate W.

At the same time that the plurality of chuck pins 26A grip the outer edge of the substrate W and the transfer robot releases the suction holding of the substrate W, the gas valve (not shown) is opened from the gas supply mechanism (not shown). Nitrogen gas is supplied to the gas flow path 155. The gas flow path 155 joins the liquid flow path 154 at its tip and communicates with the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150. Therefore, the nitrogen gas supplied to the gas flow path 155 is ejected from the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150.

Here, the nozzle head 150 is configured by providing a flange portion 152 at the upper end of a cylindrical tube portion. The flange portion 152 projects from the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21B.

The upper surface of the flange portion 152 is a flat suction surface 153. The nozzle head 150 is provided on the spin base 21B so that the suction surface 153 is along the horizontal direction. That is, the suction surface 153 of the nozzle head 150 is parallel to the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21B.

Further, the nozzle head 150 is provided in the central portion of the holding surface 21a of the spin base 21B, and the suction surface 153 of the nozzle head 150 faces the central portion of the substrate W whose outer edge portion is gripped by the plurality of chuck pins 26A. ..

Since the discharge port 156 is formed at a position facing the center of the substrate W gripped by the plurality of chuck pins 26A, the nitrogen gas ejected from the discharge port 156 is blown to the center of the substrate W. As a result, as described below, the region of the substrate W facing the suction surface 153 is sucked into the suction surface 153 in a non-contact manner by the Bernoulli effect. At this stage, the treatment liquid is not discharged.

As shown in FIG. 4, the nitrogen gas blown from the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150 to the center of the substrate W flows at high speed in the space between the suction surface 153 and the lower surface of the substrate W. The direction of this nitrogen gas flow is parallel to the suction surface 153 and the lower surface of the substrate W. Since the liquid flow path 154 is formed in the vertical direction, nitrogen gas flows directly upward in the liquid flow path 154, and when it comes out of the discharge port 156, it is horizontally between the suction surface 153 and the lower surface of the substrate W. The flow direction will be changed so that it flows. At this time, since the liquid flow path 154 is formed on the inverted conical surface 154a whose tip side becomes larger toward the upper discharge port 156 in the vicinity of the discharge port 156, the flow of nitrogen gas flows on the inverted conical surface in the vicinity of the discharge port 156. The direction is changed from directly upward to diagonally upward along 154a, the above-mentioned change of the flow direction is smoothly performed, and a good suction force can be obtained. The distance d2 between the suction surface 153 and the lower surface of the substrate W is about 0.5 mm.

When nitrogen gas flows at high speed in a narrow space between the lower surface of the substrate W and the suction surface 153 of the nozzle head 150, the pressure in the space decreases and the central portion of the substrate W is sucked into the suction surface 153 by atmospheric pressure. To. However, since nitrogen gas flows between the substrate W and the suction surface 153, the substrate W does not come into contact with the suction surface 153. That is, by ejecting nitrogen gas from the discharge port 156, as shown by the arrow AR6 in FIG. 4, the region of the substrate W whose outer edge is gripped by the plurality of chuck pins 26A faces the suction surface 153. , It is sucked to the suction surface 153 in a non-contact manner by the Bernoulli effect. In this way, in addition to mechanically gripping the outer edge of the substrate W by the plurality of chuck pins 26A, the central portion of the substrate W is sucked into the suction surface 153 of the nozzle head 150 by the Bernoulli effect in a non-contact manner, whereby the substrate W is sucked. It is possible to suppress the deformation of the substrate W and prevent the substrate W from being damaged even when the substrate W is rotated.

Next, a spin motor (not shown) starts the rotation of the spin base 21B and the substrate W held by the spin base 21B. The rotational force of the spin base 21B is transmitted to the substrate W via the chuck pin 26A and the support pin. Further, the horizontal displacement of the substrate W during rotation is regulated by a plurality of chuck pins 26A. Then, a chemical solution treatment is performed by discharging a chemical solution from the nozzle 30 onto the upper surface of the substrate W, a pure water rinsing process is performed by discharging pure water from both the nozzle 30 and the nozzle head 150 onto the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is rotated at high speed. The shaking-off drying process is continued. When liquid treatment is performed using the treatment liquid, the treatment liquid scattered from the spin base 21B and the substrate W due to centrifugal force is collected by the treatment cup 40.

In a series of chemical treatment, pure water rinsing treatment, and drying treatment, nitrogen gas is constantly ejected from the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150, and non-contact suction at the center of the substrate W due to the Bernoulli effect is continuously executed. Here, at least when the pure water rinsing treatment is performed, pure water as the treatment liquid is discharged not only from the nozzle 30 but also from the nozzle head 150 on the lower surface side. That is, nitrogen gas and the treatment liquid are discharged from the nozzle head 150 at the same time.

When performing the pure water rinsing treatment, the treatment liquid is supplied to the nozzle 30 and the liquid flow path 154. The processing liquid supplied to the nozzle 30 is discharged from the nozzle 30 onto the upper surface of the substrate W rotating. On the other hand, the processing liquid supplied to the liquid flow path 154 is discharged from the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150 to the lower surface of the substrate W. At this time, since the tip of the gas flow path 155 joins the liquid flow path 154 in the vicinity of the discharge port 156, the nitrogen gas supplied from the gas flow path 155 and the liquid flow path 154 are combined at the confluence point. The flowing treatment liquid is mixed, and the mixed fluid of the nitrogen gas and the treatment liquid is discharged from the discharge port 156.

Even when the mixed fluid is discharged from the discharge port 156, nitrogen gas is flowing in the space between the lower surface of the substrate W and the suction surface 153 of the nozzle head 150, and the substrate W is held while the substrate W is being gripped. The positional relationship between the lower surface of the surface and the suction surface 153 is maintained. This is presumed to be due to the following action.

That is, the processing liquid, which is a liquid, also flows in the space, so that a force for pushing up from below may act on the central portion of the substrate W. Here, in the case of a conventional Bernoulli chuck, when a force for pushing up the substrate W is applied by the processing liquid, the substrate W is easily pushed up and the distance between the chuck surface and the substrate W is widened, and as a result. It is possible that the Bernoulli effect is lost.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the outer edge portion of the substrate W is mechanically gripped by the plurality of chuck pins 26A and the Bernoulli effect remains, and the treatment liquid is discharged to the central portion of the substrate W. Even when a force for pushing up from below acts, the substrate W is not easily pushed up, and the positional relationship between the lower surface of the substrate W and the suction surface 153 is maintained. As a result, even when the nitrogen gas and the treatment liquid are simultaneously discharged from the discharge port 156, the treatment liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W to perform the liquid treatment while maintaining the non-contact suction of the substrate W. Can be done. During the chemical treatment and the drying treatment, only nitrogen gas is ejected from the discharge port 156 of the nozzle head 150, so that the central portion of the substrate W is non-contact suctioned by the Bernoulli effect.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera 70, the nozzle 30, and the substrate W. The camera 70 is installed in the chamber 10 above the partition plate 15 (see FIG. 3) (that is, above the substrate W). Further, the camera 70 is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the substrate W at a position that does not overlap with the substrate W in a plan view. Further, the camera 70 includes, for example, a CCD which is one of solid-state image sensors, and an optical system such as an electronic shutter and a lens.

The nozzle 30 has a processing section PS1 (dotted line position in FIG. 5) above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 and a standby position outside the processing cup 40 (solid line position in FIG. 5) driven by the nozzle base 33. ) Is moved back and forth.

The processing section PS1 is a section in which the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle 30 onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 to perform the cleaning process. Here, the processing section PS1 is located in the horizontal direction between the first end TE1 near the edge on one side of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 and the second end TE2 near the edge on the opposite side. It is a section that extends to.

The standby position is a position where the discharge of the processing liquid is stopped and the nozzle 30 stands by when the cleaning process is not performed. A standby pod may be provided at the standby position to accommodate the discharge head 31 (see FIG. 3) of the nozzle 30.

The camera 70 is installed at a position where at least the outer edge portion of the substrate W is included in the imaging field of view. Further, the camera 70 takes an image of a plurality of points of the substrate W in the imaging range including the outer edge portion of the substrate W.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the camera 70 is installed at a position where the substrate W and the nozzle 30 in the processing section PS1 are imaged. Therefore, the camera 70 can take an image of an imaging region including the outer edge portion of the substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 3, the illumination unit 71 is provided in the chamber 10 at a position above the partition plate 15. When the inside of the chamber 10 is a dark room, the control unit 9 may control the illumination unit 71 so that the illumination unit 71 irradiates the light when the camera 70 performs imaging.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 9. The configuration of the control unit 9 provided in the board processing device 100 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, as will be described later, the control unit 9 has a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a read-only memory (read only memory, that is, ROM) that is a read-only memory that stores a basic program, and a read / write that stores various information. It is configured to include a random access memory (random access memory, that is, a RAM) which is a free memory, and a storage unit which is a magnetic disk for storing control software or data. When the CPU of the control unit 9 executes a predetermined processing program, each operation mechanism of the board processing device 100 is controlled by the control unit 9, and the processing in the board processing device 100 proceeds.

The edge extraction unit 90, the determination unit 91, and the command transmission unit 92 shown in FIG. 6 are functional processing units realized in the control unit 9 when the CPU of the control unit 9 executes a predetermined processing program.

The edge extraction unit 90 extracts the edge of the substrate W from the difference image obtained by comparing the plurality of image data input from the camera 70.

The determination unit 91 determines the holding state of the substrate W based on the edges extracted by the edge extraction unit 90.

The command transmission unit 92 operates each element of the cleaning processing unit 1 by outputting a command (control information) according to a recipe in which various conditions for processing the substrate W are described. Specifically, the command transmission unit 92 outputs a command to the nozzle 30, the nozzle 60, and the nozzle 65, and outputs a drive source (motor) built in the nozzle base 33, the nozzle base 63, and the nozzle base 68. Make it work. For example, when the command transmission unit 92 transmits a command to move the nozzle 30 to the first end TE1 of the processing section PS1, the nozzle 30 moves from the standby position to the first end TE1. Further, when the command transmission unit 92 transmits a command to move the nozzle 30 to the second end TE2 of the processing section PS1, the nozzle 30 moves from the first end TE1 to the second end TE2. The processing liquid may be discharged from the nozzle 30 in response to the command transmission from the command transmission unit 92.

Further, a display unit 95, an input unit 96, and a plurality of cleaning processing units 1 are connected to the control unit 9. The display unit 95 displays various information according to the image signal from the control unit 9. The input unit 96 is composed of an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse connected to the control unit 9, and receives an input operation performed by the operator on the control unit 9. The plurality of cleaning processing units 1 operate each element in each cleaning processing unit 1 based on various commands (control information) transmitted from the command transmitting unit 92.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration when the control unit 9 whose example is shown in FIG. 6 is actually operated.

In FIG. 7, as hardware configurations for realizing the edge extraction unit 90, the determination unit 91, and the command transmission unit 92 in FIG. 6, a processing circuit 1102A that performs calculations and a storage device 1103 that can store information are provided. Is shown.

The processing circuit 1102A is, for example, a CPU or the like. The storage device 1103 is, for example, a memory (storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (Hard disk drive, that is, HDD), RAM, ROM, or flash memory.

<About the operation of the board processing device>
The normal processing of the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is a step of sequentially carrying the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 by the main transfer robot 103 into each cleaning processing unit 1, and the cleaning processing unit 1 is transferred to the substrate W. The step of performing the substrate processing and the step of the main transfer robot 103 carrying out the processed substrate W from the cleaning processing unit 1 and returning it to the indexer 102 are included.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the procedures of the cleaning treatment and the drying treatment among the typical substrate treatments of the substrate W in each cleaning processing unit 1 will be described. Note that FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

First, a chemical solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate W to perform a predetermined chemical solution treatment (step ST01). After that, pure water is supplied to perform a pure water rinsing treatment (step ST02).

Further, the pure water is shaken off by rotating the substrate W at high speed, whereby the substrate W is dried (step ST03).

When the cleaning processing unit 1 processes the substrate, the spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W and the processing cup 40 moves up and down.

When the cleaning treatment unit 1 performs chemical treatment, for example, only the outer cup 43 rises, and the spin chuck 20 is placed between the upper end portion 43b of the outer cup 43 and the upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 of the inner cup 42. An opening is formed that surrounds the retained substrate W. In this state, the substrate W is rotated together with the spin chuck 20, and the chemical solution is supplied from the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 to the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W. The supplied chemical solution flows along the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and is eventually scattered from the outer edge portion of the substrate W toward the side. As a result, the chemical treatment of the substrate W proceeds. The chemical solution scattered from the outer edge of the rotating substrate W is received by the upper end 43b of the outer cup 43, flows down along the inner surface of the outer cup 43, and is collected in the outer recovery groove 51.

When the cleaning treatment unit 1 performs a pure water rinsing treatment, for example, all of the inner cup 41, the inner cup 42, and the outer cup 43 are raised, and the circumference of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 is the first of the inner cup 41. Surrounded by a guide 47. In this state, the substrate W is rotated together with the spin chuck 20, and pure water is supplied from the nozzle 30 and the bottom surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 to the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W. The supplied pure water flows along the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and is eventually scattered from the outer edge portion of the substrate W toward the side. As a result, the pure water rinsing treatment of the substrate W proceeds. The pure water scattered from the outer edge of the rotating substrate W flows down along the inner wall of the first guide portion 47 and is discharged from the waste groove 49. When collecting pure water by a route different from that of the chemical solution, the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are raised, and the upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 of the middle cup 42 and the first guide of the inner cup 41 are raised. An opening surrounding the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 may be formed between the upper end portion 47b of the portion 47.

When the cleaning treatment unit 1 performs the shake-off drying treatment, all of the inner cup 41, the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are lowered, and the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41 and the second guide of the middle cup 42 are lowered. Both the upper end portion 52b of the portion 52 and the upper end portion 43b of the outer cup 43 are located below the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. In this state, the substrate W is rotated at high speed together with the spin chuck 20, and the water droplets adhering to the substrate W are shaken off by centrifugal force, and the drying process is performed.

<About holding state judgment>
The following describes a method of imaging a plurality of locations of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 using the camera 70 and determining the holding state of the substrate W based on the difference images between the obtained plurality of image data. explain. The determination is mainly performed by the edge extraction unit 90 and the determination unit 91 in the control unit 9. According to this method, it is not necessary to separately image the normally held substrate and register a reference image.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of locations on the substrate W are imaged by imaging a specific location on the rotating substrate W with a fixed camera 70. However, it is not essential that the substrate W is rotated, and there may be a plurality of cameras that capture the substrate W.

9 and 10 are diagrams showing an example of an image frame of the rotating substrate W. The image frames in FIGS. 9 and 10 correspond to an imaging range including a range along the outer edge of the substrate W. It is desirable that the imaging range of the image frame (or the target region, which is a region used for comparison between image data in the imaging range), is an arc shape (arch shape) along the outer edge portion of the substrate W. Further, the imaging range of the image frame may include at least a part of the outer edge portion of the substrate W, and may include the entire circumference of the outer edge portion of the substrate W. Further, the imaging range of the image frame may be the outer edge portion of the substrate W on the front side when viewed from the camera 70, or may be the outer edge portion of the substrate W on the back side.

Further, in FIGS. 9 and 10, the imaging range of the substrate W partially overlaps, but the imaging range of the substrate W does not have to overlap between the plurality of image frames.

Further, the positions of the chuck pins 26 are significantly different between FIGS. 9 and 10 due to the rotation of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20.

FIG. 11 is a difference image between the image frame whose example is shown in FIG. 9 and the image frame whose example is shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the chuck pin difference 26X and the outer edge difference 200 are shown.

The positions of the chuck pins 26 in FIGS. 9 and 10 differ greatly depending on the rotation of the substrate W. Therefore, the difference is shown as a chuck pin difference 26X.

Further, in FIG. 11, the fluctuation (including eccentricity) of the outer edge portion caused by the rotation of the substrate W is shown as the outer edge portion difference 200.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, since the camera 70 in the present embodiment is located on the outer peripheral side of the substrate W, the vertical fluctuation of the substrate W in the difference image is the difference at the outer edge portion. Shown as 200. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, since the camera 70 in the present embodiment is also located above the substrate W, the horizontal fluctuation of the substrate W (for example, eccentricity) in the difference image. ) Is shown as the outer edge difference 200.

Next, the edge extraction unit 90 performs edge extraction based on the difference image shown in FIG. 11, thereby extracting the length of the outer edge portion difference 200 shown in the difference image in the circumferential direction of the substrate.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the result of performing Canny edge extraction based on the difference image shown in FIG. 11 as an example. As an example is shown in FIG. 12, the extracted edge 201 includes a portion extending along the fluctuating outer edge portion in the difference image and a component corresponding to the chuck pin 26.

The length of the edge 201 obtained by the above edge extraction in the circumferential direction of the substrate reflects the degree of fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the substrate W generated between the plurality of image frames (that is, FIGS. 9 and 10) (for details). Will be described later). That is, the larger the outer edge of the rotating substrate W fluctuates, the longer the length of the edge 201 in the circumferential direction of the substrate becomes. Therefore, the determination unit 91 can determine the holding state of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 based on the length of the edge 201.

Here, the length of the edge 201 in the circumferential direction of the substrate is calculated based on the number of pixels of the edge 201 that are continuous along the circumferential direction of the substrate.

In the case where the example is shown in FIG. 12, the length of the edge 201 reaches both ends of the imaging range. In such a case, it is considered that the fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the rotating substrate W is large, so that it can be determined that the substrate W is not normally held (holding abnormality).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the result of performing Canny edge extraction based on the difference image.

In the case where the example is shown in FIG. 13, the length of the edge 201 remains a part of the imaging range. In such a case, it is considered that the fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the rotating substrate W is sufficiently small, so that it can be determined that the substrate W is normally held (holding is normal).

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the maximum value of the length of the edge extracted as shown in FIG. 12 or 13 in the circumferential direction of the substrate up to each image frame. In FIG. 14, the vertical axis represents the maximum value [pixels] of the length of the edge in the circumferential direction of the substrate, and the horizontal axis represents the number of image frames.

In FIG. 14, one type of sample corresponding to normal holding (solid line) and four types of samples corresponding to abnormal holding (thick dotted line, thin dotted line, thick one-dot chain line, thin one-dot chain line) are shown. There is.

The rotation speed of the substrate W to be imaged is, for example, 500 rpm, and the interval for acquiring image frames is, for example, 60 fps. However, the interval at which image frames are acquired may be adjusted so that different outer edges of the substrate W are included in the imaging range according to the rotation speed of the substrate W, and the image may be adjusted regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate W. The interval for acquiring frames may be adjusted, or the interval for acquiring image frames may be random.

Further, in the present embodiment, the difference image is created by comparing the image frame first acquired for the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 with the image frame acquired sequentially thereafter. However, the reference image frame is not limited to the first acquired image frame.

As an example is shown in FIG. 14, when the maximum value of the length of the edge 201 up to each image frame in the circumferential direction of the substrate (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the maximum value of the edge 201) is held, the substrate W is held. In the case of an abnormality (the fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the substrate W is large), the maximum value of the edge 201 reaches the maximum number of pixels in the circumferential direction of the substrate (for example, 600 pixels) in the imaging range.

On the other hand, when the substrate W is normally held (the fluctuation of the outer edge of the substrate W is small), the maximum value of the edge 201 is a part of the maximum number of pixels in the circumferential direction of the substrate in the imaging range (the present embodiment). Then, it can be seen that it is suppressed to about half). That is, it can be seen that the maximum value of the edge 201 reflects the degree of fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the retained substrate W.

Therefore, the determination unit 91 has an abnormality in holding the substrate W, for example, when the maximum value of the edge 201 becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value based on the length of the edge 201 extracted based on the difference image. Can be determined, and the holding state of the substrate W can be determined.

<Example of retention abnormality>
As an example of the above-mentioned holding abnormality, when at least one of the plurality of chuck pins 26 does not properly pinch the substrate W (when the substrate W is not pinched properly or in a posture not parallel to the spin base 21). When the chuck pin 26 does not function properly due to the substrate W being cracked or partially chipped (including the case where the substrate W is sandwiched) (the substrate W is located at a position corresponding to the chuck pin 26). (Including the case where the substrate W is not parallel to the spin base 21 or the substrate W is sandwiched in a posture not parallel to the spin base 21).

<Timing of holding state judgment>
FIG. 15 shows a case where the maximum value of the peripheral length of the edge extracted based on the difference image when the substrate W is normally held is measured in each operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100. It is a figure which shows an example. In FIG. 15, the vertical axis is the evaluation value corresponding to the maximum value of the length of the edge in the circumferential direction of the substrate, and the horizontal axis is the number of image frames.

As an example is shown in FIG. 15, the operation steps of the substrate processing apparatus include a carry-in step 1001 in which the main transfer robot 103 carries the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 into each cleaning processing unit 1, and a substrate W. A chuck step 1002 for sandwiching the substrate W in the spin chuck 20, a rotation start step 1003 for starting the rotation of the substrate W for substrate processing, a cup raising step 1004 for raising the processing cup 40, and a cleaning step 1005 for cleaning the substrate W. (Corresponding to steps ST01, ST02 and ST03 in FIG. 8), a cup lowering step 1006 for lowering the processing cup 40, an opening step 1007 for releasing the substrate W from the spin chuck 20, and a cleaning process by the main transfer robot 103. The carry-out step 1008 in which the processed substrate W is carried out from the unit 1 is shown.

Among them, it can be seen that the evaluation values are relatively low in the rotation start step 1003 and the opening step 1007, and the fluctuation of the outer edge portion of the substrate W is small. Of these steps, the rotation start step 1003 is a step before the substrate processing including the cup raising step 1004, the cleaning step 1005, and the cup lowering step 1006, and in the cleaning step 1005, the rotation of the substrate W is further accelerated to rotate at high speed. In order to prevent problems such as scattering of the substrate W due to the holding abnormality, the rotation of the substrate W is accelerating and the outer edge of the substrate W fluctuates. It is desirable to determine the holding state in this rotation start step 1003. By optimizing the timing for determining the holding state, the load on the control unit 9 can be reduced as compared with the case of constant monitoring.

The holding state may be determined during substrate processing (for example, before the drying process corresponding to step ST03 in FIG. 8). When the holding state is determined before the drying process corresponding to step ST03 in FIG. 8, it is desirable that the holding state is determined at least in an accelerating state before the substrate W reaches the rotation speed for drying.

The holding state is determined in the rotation start step 1003, and if the holding state of the substrate W is normal, the process proceeds to the next cup raising step 1004. On the other hand, if the holding state of the substrate W is not normal, the rotation of the substrate W is stopped and an alarm is issued if necessary.

Here, the alarm can be displayed on the display unit 95 under the control of the control unit 9, but for example, an identifiable highlighting (blinking display or the like) on the screen or a sound alarm may be performed.

<About the effect caused by the above-described embodiment>
Next, an example of the effect produced by the above-described embodiment will be shown. In the following description, the effect is described based on the specific configuration shown in the embodiment described above, but to the extent that the same effect occurs, the examples in the present specification. May be replaced with other specific configurations indicated by.

According to the embodiment described above, the substrate processing apparatus includes a holding unit, an imaging unit, an extraction unit, and a determination unit 91. Here, the holding portion corresponds to, for example, a spin chuck 20 or the like. Further, the imaging unit corresponds to, for example, a camera 70 or the like. Further, the extraction unit corresponds to, for example, the edge extraction unit 90 and the like. The spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W by the chuck pin 26. The camera 70 captures an imaging range including the outer edge of the held substrate W at a plurality of locations. Then, the camera 70 outputs a plurality of image data of the substrate W. The edge extraction unit 90 extracts the outer edge portion of the substrate W from the difference image between the plurality of image data. The determination unit 91 determines the holding state of the substrate W based on the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus images the spin chuck 20 that holds the substrate W and the imaging range including the outer edge of the held substrate W at a plurality of locations, and A camera 70 that outputs a plurality of image data of the substrate W is provided. Further, the substrate processing device includes a processing circuit 1102A for executing a program and a storage device 1103 for storing the program to be executed. Then, when the processing circuit 1102A executes the program, the following operations are realized.

That is, the outer edge portion of the substrate W is extracted from the difference image between the plurality of image data. Then, the holding state of the substrate W is determined based on the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image.

According to such a configuration, a difference image is created using image data at a plurality of locations on the substrate W, and an outer edge portion of the substrate W is extracted from the difference image to obtain the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. The holding state of the substrate W can be determined from the above. Therefore, even if the image data of the board W normally held is not held as the reference image data, the holding state of the board W can be determined.

In addition, when other configurations shown in the present specification are appropriately added to the above configurations, that is, when other configurations in the present specification not mentioned as the above configurations are appropriately added. Even if there is, the same effect can be produced.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the determination unit 91 determines the holding state of the substrate W based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. According to such a configuration, when the length of the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image is long, it can be determined that the holding state of the substrate W is an abnormal state (that is, holding abnormality).

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the determination unit 91 determines the holding state of the substrate W based on the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. According to such a configuration, when the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image is larger than the threshold value, it can be determined that the substrate W has a holding abnormality.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the camera 70 images an arch-shaped imaging range extending along the outer edge portion of the held substrate W. According to such a configuration, the length of the outer edge portion can be efficiently included in the imaging range. Further, by having an imaging range extending along the outer edge portion, cracks in the substrate W that occur linearly including the outer edge portion of the substrate W or chipping of the outer edge portion of the substrate W can be effectively detected, and high accuracy is achieved. The holding state can be determined with.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the camera 70 takes an image of the held substrate W from above the substrate W. According to such a configuration, when the substrate W has a holding abnormality due to eccentricity or the like, it can be determined with high accuracy.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the camera 70 takes an image of the held substrate W from the outer peripheral side of the substrate W. According to such a configuration, when the substrate W has a holding abnormality due to cracking or fluctuation, it can be determined with high accuracy. Further, when the image is taken from above the substrate W and from the outer peripheral side, the eccentricity can be determined at the same time in addition to the crack or fluctuation.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the substrate processing apparatus issues an alarm when the determination unit 91 determines that the holding state of the substrate W is an abnormal state (that is, holding abnormality). It has a news section. Here, the alarm unit corresponds to, for example, the display unit 95 and the like. According to such a configuration, when the substrate W has a holding abnormality, it is possible to call attention by an alarm.

According to the embodiment described above, in the substrate processing method, the substrate W is held and rotated. Then, the imaging range including the outer edge portion of the rotating substrate W is imaged at a plurality of locations, and a plurality of image data of the substrate W is output. Then, the outer edge portion of the substrate W is extracted from the difference image between the plurality of image data. Then, the holding state of the substrate W is determined based on the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image.

According to such a configuration, a difference image is created using image data at a plurality of locations of the rotating substrate W, and an outer edge portion of the substrate W is extracted from the difference image to obtain an outer edge portion in the difference image. The holding state of the substrate W can be determined from the length of the substrate W and the like.

If there are no particular restrictions, the order in which each process is performed can be changed.

In addition, when other configurations shown in the present specification are appropriately added to the above configurations, that is, when other configurations in the present specification not mentioned as the above configurations are appropriately added. Even if there is, the same effect can be produced.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the step of determining the holding state of the substrate W is a step of determining the holding state of the substrate W based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. According to such a configuration, when the length of the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image is long, it can be determined that the substrate W has a holding abnormality.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the step of determining the holding state of the substrate W is a step of determining the holding state of the substrate W based on the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image. is there. According to such a configuration, when the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion of the substrate W in the difference image is larger than the threshold value, it can be determined that the substrate W has a holding abnormality.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the substrate processing method includes a step of processing the substrate W after the step of imaging the rotating substrate W. According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the substrate W has a holding abnormality due to fluctuation, eccentricity, cracking, or the like before performing the substrate processing including the raising and lowering of the processing cup 40. Therefore, since the holding state can be determined before the high-speed rotation of the substrate W is performed in the substrate processing, problems such as scattering of the substrate W due to the abnormal holding state of the substrate W occur in the substrate processing. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the substrate processing method includes a step of cleaning the substrate W before the step of imaging the rotating substrate W. The step of imaging the rotating substrate W is a step performed after the cleaning treatment and before the drying treatment of the substrate W. According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the substrate W has a holding abnormality due to cracking or the like caused by the chemical solution treatment before the drying treatment. Therefore, since the determination can be made before the high-speed rotation in the drying process is performed, even if the holding state of the substrate W becomes abnormal due to heat treatment or the like, the substrate W is scattered in the drying process after the substrate processing. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems. Further, when combined with the determination of the holding state before the substrate processing, it is possible to confirm whether or not the holding state of the substrate W has changed before and after the cleaning process.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, in the substrate processing method, when the holding state of the substrate W is determined to be an abnormal state (that is, a holding abnormality) in the step of determining the holding state of the substrate W. In addition, a step of stopping the rotation of the substrate W is provided. According to such a configuration, when it is determined that the substrate W has a holding abnormality, the rotation of the substrate W can be stopped immediately, so that the substrate W can be stopped in a later step (for example, a cleaning step or a drying step). It is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems such as W scattering.

<About the modified example of the embodiment described above>
In the embodiments described above, the materials, materials, dimensions, shapes, relative arrangement relationships, implementation conditions, etc. of each component may also be described, but these are one example in all aspects. However, it is not limited to those described in the present specification.

Therefore, innumerable variants and equivalents not shown are envisioned within the scope of the techniques disclosed herein. For example, it is assumed that at least one component is modified, added or omitted.

In addition, each component described in the above-described embodiment is assumed to be software or firmware and corresponding hardware, and in both concepts, each component is a "part". Alternatively, it is referred to as a "processing circuit" or the like.

1 Cleaning unit 9 Control unit 10 Chamber 11 Side wall 12 Ceiling wall 13 Floor wall 14 FFU
15 Partition plate 18 Exhaust duct 20, 20A Spin chuck 21, 21B Spin base 21a Holding surface 22 Spin motor 23 Cover member 24 Rotating shaft 25 Flange-shaped member 26, 26A Chuck pin 26X Chuck pin difference 28 Bottom treatment liquid nozzle 30, 60, 65 Nozzle 31 Discharge head 32,62,67 Nozzle arm 33,63,68 Nozzle base 40 Processing cup 41 Inner cup 42 Middle cup 43 Outer cup 43a, 52a Lower end 43b, 47b, 52b Upper end 43c, 52c Folded part 44 Bottom 45 Inner wall 46 Outer wall 47 1st guide 48 Middle wall 49 Disposal groove 50 Inner recovery groove 51 Outer recovery groove 52 2nd guide 53 Treatment liquid separation wall 70 Camera 71 Lighting part 90 Edge extraction part 91 Judgment part 92 Command transmitter 95 Display 96 Input 100 Board processing device 102 Indexer 103 Main transfer robot 150 Nozzle head 152 Flange 153 Suction surface 154 Liquid flow path 154a Inverted conical surface 155 Gas flow path 156 Discharge port 200 Outer edge difference 201 Edge 332 Motor 1001 Carry-in process 1002 Chuck process 1003 Rotation start process 1004 Cup ascending process 1005 Cleaning process 1006 Cup lowering process 1007 Opening process 1008 Unloading process 1102A Processing circuit 1103 Storage device

Claims (14)

A holding part for holding the board and
An imaging unit for capturing an imaging range including the outer edge of the substrate at a plurality of locations and outputting a plurality of image data of the substrate.
An extraction unit for extracting the outer edge portion of the substrate from the difference image between the plurality of the image data, and an extraction unit.
A determination unit for determining a holding state of the substrate based on the outer edge portion of the substrate in the difference image is provided.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The determination unit determines the holding state of the substrate based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
The determination unit determines the holding state of the substrate based on the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The imaging unit captures the imaging range extending along the outer edge of the held substrate.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4.
The imaging unit captures the arched imaging range extending along the outer edge of the substrate.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The imaging unit captures the held substrate from above the substrate.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The imaging unit captures the held substrate from the outer peripheral side of the substrate.
Board processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The determination unit further includes an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the holding state of the substrate is determined to be an abnormal state.
Board processing equipment. The process of holding and rotating the board,
A step of capturing an imaging range including the outer edge of the rotating substrate at a plurality of locations and outputting a plurality of image data of the substrate.
A step of extracting the outer edge portion of the substrate from a difference image between a plurality of the image data, and
A step of determining a holding state of the substrate based on the outer edge portion of the substrate in the difference image is provided.
Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to claim 9.
The step of determining the holding state of the substrate is a step of determining the holding state of the substrate based on the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image.
Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to claim 9 or 10.
The step of determining the holding state of the substrate is a step of determining the holding state of the substrate based on the maximum value of the length of the outer edge portion in the difference image.
Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 9 to 11.
A step of processing the substrate is further provided after the step of imaging the rotating substrate.
Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.
A step of cleaning the substrate is further provided before the step of imaging the rotating substrate.
The step of imaging the rotating substrate is a step performed after the cleaning treatment and before the drying treatment of the substrate.
Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 9 to 13.
A step of stopping the rotation of the substrate when the holding state of the substrate is determined to be an abnormal state in the step of determining the holding state of the substrate is further provided.
Substrate processing method.

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