JP2022165157A - Location adjustment method for substrate holding unit, substrate processing system, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a location adjustment method and a substrate processing system for properly setting a reference height location of a substrate holding unit possessed by a substrate conveying device, without being affected by a reduction in suction force used to hold the substrate, etc.SOLUTION: In a coating/developing processing system as a substrate processing system, a location adjustment method for a substrate holding unit possessed by a substrate conveying device includes: Step S2 of moving horizontally the substrate holding unit holding a substrate to above a substrate placing unit on which the substrate is to be placed; Step S3 of lowering the substrate holding unit to a reference height location being currently set; Step S4 of moving the substrate holding unit to a detection unit for detecting a horizontal location of the substrate to detect the substrate on the substrate holding unit by the detection unit; and Step S5 of determining whether the substrate is placed on the substrate placing unit from the substrate holding unit.Steps S2 to S5 are repeatedly performed in sequence until it is determined that the substrate is located on the substrate placing unit, and each time the process is performed, the reference height location is corrected downward by a predetermined distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present disclosure relates to a position adjustment method of a substrate holder, a substrate processing system, and a storage medium.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a position adjustment method for a substrate transfer device having a substrate holding portion. This method comprises the steps of: supporting a substrate by a substrate holding part capable of holding the substrate by suction; descending toward the substrate platform by about 0.1 mm, starting the suction after the descent, and detecting whether the substrate is held by the substrate holder by suction. Further, the method comprises repeating the detecting step when it is determined that the substrate is held by suction in the detecting step, and determining that the substrate is not held by suction in the detecting step. and setting the position of the substrate holder at this time to a reference position in the vertical direction of the substrate holder.

JP 2013-110444 A

The technique according to the present disclosure appropriately sets the reference height position of the substrate holding portion of the substrate transfer device without being affected by a decrease in the suction force used to hold the substrate or the like.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for adjusting the position of a substrate holding portion of a substrate transport device, comprising: (A) moving the substrate holding portion supporting a substrate to a position above a substrate placement portion on which the substrate is to be placed; (B) lowering the substrate holding part supporting the substrate to a currently set reference height position; and (C) adjusting the horizontal position of the substrate on the substrate holding part. a step of moving the substrate holding portion to a detection portion for detection, and detecting the substrate on the substrate holding portion with the detection portion; B) determining whether or not the substrate has been placed on the substrate platform from the substrate holder in step (B); The steps (A) to (D) are repeated in order until determination is made in the step (D), and each time the reference height position is corrected downward by a predetermined distance.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately set the reference height position of the substrate holding portion of the substrate transfer device without being affected by a decrease in the suction force used to hold the substrate or the like.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an internal configuration of a coating and developing system as a substrate processing system according to this embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an internal configuration on the front side of a coating and developing treatment system; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the outline of the internal configuration on the rear side of the coating and developing treatment system; It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a structure of a cassette. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of a resist coating apparatus; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of a resist coating apparatus; FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of a heat treatment apparatus; FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a heat processing apparatus. It is a side view of a conveying apparatus. It is a top view of the transfer arm, omitting the illustration of the frame. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of adjustment processing of the reference height position of the fork; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the transport arm and the resist coating device during adjustment processing; 9 is a flowchart showing an example of strict adjustment processing; 9 is a flow chart showing another example of rough adjustment processing of the reference height position of the fork.

For example, a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process is performed in a substrate processing system provided with a substrate processing apparatus such as a resist coating apparatus. This substrate processing system is also provided with a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate to a substrate processing apparatus or the like.

The substrate transfer apparatus has a fork as a substrate holding portion for holding the substrate, and for example, the fork moves three-dimensionally in the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction to carry the substrate in and out of the substrate processing apparatus or the like.

Incidentally, when the fork supporting the substrate descends and the substrate is transferred from the fork to the substrate mounting portion of the substrate processing apparatus or the like, if the fork descends at a high speed, the substrate is subjected to an impact from the substrate mounting portion. , the position of the substrate in the horizontal direction with respect to the substrate platform may shift, or the substrate may drop. Simply lowering the speed of the fork's descent can reduce the impact applied to the board, but it also reduces throughput. Therefore, only when the substrate supported by the fork is close to the substrate mounting portion of the substrate processing apparatus or the like, control is performed to reduce the descending speed of the fork. For this control, etc., it is necessary to appropriately set the reference height position of the fork. Specifically, it is necessary to set the reference height position below and near the position of the fork that supports the substrate when the substrate is transferred to the substrate platform.

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the reference height position of the fork is set based on whether or not the board is held by the fork. Further, in this technique, whether or not the substrate is held by the fork is detected based on a vacuum sensor or the like provided in the pipe connecting the vacuum pipe communicating with the suction hole of the fork and the vacuum evacuation unit. there is
However, for example, if the evacuation unit is an exhaust utility facility in a factory, the suction force for sucking the substrate may change depending on the state of other devices that share the exhaust utility facility. When such a change occurs, the detection result by the vacuum sensor fluctuates, so it is not possible to properly determine whether or not the board is held by the fork, and it is not possible to set the reference height position of the fork appropriately. There is

Therefore, the technique according to the present disclosure appropriately sets the reference height position of the forks of the substrate transfer device without being affected by the reduction in the suction force used to hold the substrate.

A method for adjusting the position of a substrate holder and a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

<Coating and developing system>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the internal configuration of a coating and developing system as a substrate processing system according to this embodiment. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the outline of the internal configuration on the front side and the back side of the coating and developing treatment system 1, respectively. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of a cassette C, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coating and developing system 1 includes a cassette station 2 for loading and unloading a cassette C, which is a container capable of accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers) as substrates, and a resist coating station. and a processing station 3 having a plurality of various processing devices for performing predetermined processing such as processing. The coating and developing system 1 has a configuration in which a cassette station 2, a processing station 3, and an interface station 5 for transferring wafers W between an exposure apparatus 4 adjacent to the processing station 3 are integrally connected. is doing. The coating and developing treatment system 1 also has a control section 6 that controls the coating and developing treatment system 1 including control of the conveying device 70 which will be described later.

The cassette station 2 is divided into, for example, a cassette loading/unloading section 10 and a wafer transfer section 11 . For example, the cassette loading/unloading section 10 is provided at the end of the coating and developing treatment system 1 in the negative Y direction (leftward direction in FIG. 1). A cassette mounting table 12 is provided in the cassette loading/unloading section 10 . A plurality of, for example, four mounting plates 13 are provided on the cassette mounting table 12 . The mounting plates 13 are arranged in a row in the horizontal X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The cassette C can be placed on these mounting plates 13 when the cassette C is carried into and out of the coating and developing treatment system 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette C has a box-shaped main body C1 having an opening on the positive side in the Y direction, and a lid (not shown) that closes the opening of the main body C1. A plurality of shelf plates C11 as substrate mounting portions are provided along the vertical direction on both side walls of the main body C1. In the cassette C, the wafers W are accommodated while being placed on the shelf board C11.

Returning to the description of FIGS.
A transfer device 20 for transferring the wafer W is provided in the wafer transfer unit 11 . The conveying device 20 is provided with a conveying path 21 extending in the X direction and a conveying unit 22 movable on the conveying path 21 . The transport unit 22 is movable in the vertical direction and around the vertical axis (the direction of θ), and between the cassette C on each mounting plate 13 and the delivery device of the third block G3 of the processing station 3, which will be described later. , the wafer W can be transported.

The processing station 3 is provided with a plurality of, for example, first to fourth blocks G1, G2, G3 and G4, each having various devices. For example, a first block G1 is provided on the front side of the processing station 3 (negative X direction side in FIG. 1), and a second block G1 is provided on the back side of the processing station 3 (positive X direction side in FIG. 1). A block G2 of is provided. A third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 2 side of the processing station 3 (negative Y direction side in FIG. 1), and the interface station 5 side of the processing station 3 (positive Y direction side in FIG. 1). is provided with a fourth block G4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first block G1 includes a plurality of liquid processing apparatuses, for example, a developing processing apparatus 30 for developing a wafer W, and a resist coating apparatus 31 for coating a wafer W with a resist liquid to form a resist film. are arranged in this order from the bottom.

For example, three development processing devices 30 and three resist coating devices 31 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The number and arrangement of these developing devices 30 and resist coating devices 31 can be arbitrarily selected.

In the developing apparatus 30 and the resist coating apparatus 31, a predetermined processing liquid is applied onto the wafer W by spin coating, for example. In spin coating, for example, the processing liquid is discharged onto the wafer W from a discharge nozzle, and the wafer W is rotated to spread the processing liquid on the surface of the wafer W. FIG.

For example, in the second block G2, as shown in FIG. 3, a heat treatment device 40 for performing heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the wafer W, and a peripheral exposure device 41 for exposing the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W are arranged vertically and horizontally. is provided. The number and arrangement of these heat treatment devices 40 and peripheral exposure devices 41 can also be arbitrarily selected.

A plurality of delivery devices 50 are provided in the third block G3. A plurality of transfer devices 60 are provided in the fourth block G4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer area D is formed in an area surrounded by first block G1 to fourth block G4. In the wafer transfer area D, a transfer device 70 as a substrate transfer device for transferring the wafer W, for example, is arranged.

The transport device 70 has a transport arm 70a that is movable in, for example, the Y direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction. The transfer device 70 moves the transfer arm 70a holding the wafer W within the wafer transfer region D, and moves the transfer arm 70a within the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3 and fourth block G4. A wafer W can be transported to a predetermined device. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of transport devices 70 are arranged vertically, and wafers W can be transported to predetermined devices having approximately the same height in blocks G1 to G4, for example. Details of the transport device 70 will be described later.

Further, in the wafer transfer area D, a shuttle transfer device 71 is provided for transferring the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4.

The shuttle transport device 71 linearly moves the supported wafer W in the Y direction, and transfers the wafer between the transfer device 50 of the third block G3 and the transfer device 60 of the fourth block G4 which are of approximately the same height. W can be transported.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conveying device 72 is provided on the positive side of the third block G3 in the X direction. The transport device 72 has a transport arm 72a that is movable in, for example, the .theta. direction and the vertical direction. The transfer device 72 can move the transfer arm 70a holding the wafer W up and down to transfer the wafer W to each delivery device 50 in the third block G3.

The interface station 5 is provided with a transport device 73 and a delivery device 74 . The transport device 73 has a transport arm 73a that is movable in, for example, the .theta. direction and the vertical direction. The transfer device 73 can hold the wafer W on a transfer arm 73a and transfer the wafer W between the transfer devices 60, the transfer device 74 and the exposure device 4 in the fourth block G4.

The control unit 6 described above is, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, a memory, etc., and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the operation of drive systems such as the above-described various processing devices and various transfer devices, and for controlling wafer processing, which will be described later. The program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of a drive system such as a conveying device to control position adjustment processing, which will be described later. The program may be recorded in a computer-readable, non-temporary storage medium H and installed in the control unit 6 from the storage medium H. The storage medium H may be temporary or non-temporary. Part or all of the program may be realized by dedicated hardware (circuit board).

<Wafer processing>
Next, wafer processing using the coating and developing system 1 will be described.

In the wafer processing using the coating and developing system 1 , first, the wafer W is taken out from the cassette C on the cassette mounting table 12 by the transfer device 20 and transferred to the transfer device 50 of the processing station 3 .

Next, the wafer W is transferred by the transfer device 70 to the heat treatment device 40 of the second block G2 and subjected to temperature control processing. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating device 31 of the first block G1, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W. As shown in FIG. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and pre-baked (PAB: Pre-Applied Bake). Note that the same heat treatment is performed in the pre-baking process, PEB (Post Exposure Bake) process in the latter stage, and post-baking process. However, the heat treatment apparatuses 40 used for each heat treatment are different from each other.

After that, the wafer W is transferred to the edge exposure device 41 and subjected to edge exposure processing.
Next, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure device 4 and exposed in a predetermined pattern.

The wafer W is then transported to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to PEB processing. After that, the wafer W is transported to, for example, the developing device 30 and developed. After the development process is completed, the wafer W is transported to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and post-baked. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the cassette C on the cassette mounting table 12 by the transfer unit 22 or the like, and a series of photolithography steps is completed.

<Resist coating device 31>
Next, the configuration of the resist coating device 31 described above will be described. 5 and 6 are a vertical cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing an outline of the configuration of the resist coating device 31. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the resist coating apparatus 31 has a processing container 100 whose inside can be sealed. A loading/unloading port (not shown) for the wafer W is formed on the side surface of the processing container 100 on the carrier device 70 side, and the loading/unloading port is provided with an open/close shutter (not shown).

A spin chuck 110 as a substrate mounting section on which the wafer W is mounted is provided in the central portion within the processing container 100 . The spin chuck 110 holds and rotates the wafer W, has a horizontal upper surface, and is provided with a suction port (not shown) for sucking the wafer W, for example. The wafer W can be sucked and held on the spin chuck 110 by suction from this suction port.

The spin chuck 110 is connected to a chuck drive mechanism 111 and can be rotated at a desired speed by the chuck drive mechanism 111 . The chuck drive mechanism 111 has a rotation drive source (not shown) such as a motor that generates drive force for rotating the spin chuck 110 . Further, the chuck drive mechanism 111 is provided with an elevation drive source such as a cylinder, and the spin chuck 110 can be moved up and down by the chuck drive mechanism 111 . The chuck drive mechanism 111 is controlled by the controller 6 .

A cup 112 is provided around the spin chuck 110 to receive and collect the liquid that scatters or drops from the wafer W. As shown in FIG. A discharge pipe 113 for discharging the collected liquid and an exhaust pipe 114 for evacuating the atmosphere in the cup 112 are connected to the lower surface of the cup 112 .

As shown in FIG. 6, a rail 120 extending along the Y direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 6) is formed on the negative side of the cup 112 in the X direction (downward direction in FIG. 6). The rail 120 is formed, for example, from the outside of the cup 112 in the negative Y direction (left direction in FIG. 6) to the outside in the positive Y direction (right direction in FIG. 6). An arm 121 is attached to the rail 120 .

The arm 121 supports a coating nozzle 122 for supplying the resist solution onto the wafer W, as shown in FIGS. The arm 121 is movable on the rail 120 by a nozzle driving section 123 shown in FIG. As a result, the coating nozzle 122 can move from the standby section 124 installed outside the cup 112 in the positive direction in the Y direction to above the central portion of the wafer W in the cup 112, and the wafer W can be moved over the wafer W. Can move radially. Further, the arm 121 can be moved up and down by a nozzle driving section 123, and the height of the coating nozzle 122 can be adjusted. The coating nozzle 122 is connected to a supply unit (not shown) that supplies resist liquid to the coating nozzle 122 .

The structure of the developing device 30 is the same as that of the resist coating device 31 described above. However, the processing liquid supplied from the coating nozzle is different between the developing apparatus 30 and the like and the resist coating apparatus 31 .

<Resist coating process>
Here, an example of the resist film forming process in the resist coating device 31 will be described. Note that the following processing is performed under the control of the control unit 6 .

First, the spin chuck 110 is raised to the transfer position for transferring the wafer W to and from the carrier device 70 . Next, the transfer arm 70 a of the transfer device 70 holding the wafer W is inserted into the processing container 100 and moved to the transfer start position above the spin chuck 110 . Subsequently, the transfer arm 70 a is lowered to the transfer completion position, and the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 70 a to the spin chuck 110 . The delivery completion position is determined based on a reference height position that is adjusted during fork position adjustment processing, which will be described later, and is spaced downward by a predetermined distance from the reference height position. After that, the transfer arm 70a is extracted from the processing container 100, and the wafer W is sucked by the spin chuck 110 and the spin chuck 110 is lowered to the processing position.

Next, the coating nozzle 122 is moved to a processing position (for example, a position above the center of the wafer W) where ejection is performed. Subsequently, the spin chuck 110 is rotated, thereby rotating the wafer W, and the resist liquid is continuously discharged onto the wafer W from the coating nozzle 122 during this rotation. The discharged resist liquid is spread over the entire surface of the wafer W as the wafer W rotates.

After that, the ejection of the resist liquid is stopped, and the coating nozzle 122 is retracted to the standby section 124 . Further, the rotation of the spin chuck 110 is continued, that is, the rotation of the wafer W is continued, and the resist liquid on the wafer W is dried. Thereby, a resist film is formed on the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

After that, the wafer W on which the resist film is formed is unloaded from the processing container 100 in the reverse order of the loading procedure into the processing container 100 . This completes a series of resist film forming processes.

<Heat Treatment Apparatus 40>
Next, the configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 40 will be described. 7 and 8 are a vertical cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing an outline of the configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 40. FIG.

For example, the heat treatment apparatus 40 includes a heating unit 131 that heats the wafer W and a cooling unit 132 that cools the wafer W in the housing 130, as shown in FIG. A loading/unloading port (not shown) for loading/unloading the wafer W is formed on a side surface of the housing 130 near the cooling unit 132 .

The heating unit 131 includes a lid body 140 which is positioned on the upper side and which can move up and down, and a hot plate housing part 141 which is positioned on the lower side and forms a processing chamber S together with the lid body 140 .

The lid body 140 has a substantially cylindrical shape with an open lower surface, and covers the upper surface, which is the surface to be processed, of the wafer W placed on a hot plate 142 which will be described later. An exhaust portion 140 a is provided in the central portion of the upper surface of the lid 140 . The atmosphere in the processing chamber S is exhausted from the exhaust part 140a.

A hot plate 142 for heating the placed wafer W is provided in the center of the hot plate accommodating portion 141 . The hot plate 142 has a thick, substantially disk-like shape, and a heater 150 for heating the upper surface of the hot plate 142, that is, the mounting surface of the wafer W is provided therein. An electric heater, for example, is used as the heater 150 .

The hot plate accommodating portion 141 is provided with lifting pins 151 that pass through the hot plate 142 in the thickness direction. The lifting pin 151 is connected to a lifting drive mechanism 152 . The elevation drive mechanism 152 is provided with an elevation drive source such as a cylinder, and the elevation drive mechanism 152 allows the elevation pin 151 to move up and down. By moving up and down, the lifting pins 151 protrude from the upper surface of the hot plate 142 so that the wafer W can be transferred to and from a cooling plate 170 which will be described later. The elevation drive mechanism 152 is controlled by the controller 6 .

The hot plate accommodating portion 141 has, for example, an annular holding member 160 that accommodates the hot plate 142 and holds the outer peripheral portion of the hot plate 142, and a substantially cylindrical support ring 161 that surrounds the outer periphery of the holding member 160. there is

A cooling unit 132 adjacent to the heating unit 131 is provided with a cooling plate 170 on which, for example, a wafer W is mounted and cooled. The cooling plate 170 has, for example, a substantially square flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 8, and the end surface on the heating unit 131 side is curved in an arc shape. A cooling member (not shown) such as a Peltier element is built in the cooling plate 170, and the cooling plate 170 can be adjusted to a predetermined set temperature.

The cooling plate 170 is supported by a support arm 171, for example, as shown in FIG. A cooling plate 170 can be moved on rails 172 by a drive mechanism 173 attached to a support arm 171 . This allows the cooling plate 170 to move above the hot plate 142 on the heating unit 131 side.

The cooling plate 170 is formed with, for example, two slits 174 along the X direction in FIG. The slit 174 is formed from the end surface of the cooling plate 170 on the heating unit 131 side to the vicinity of the central portion of the cooling plate 170 . This slit 174 prevents interference between the cooling plate 170 moved to the heating unit 131 side and the lifting pin 151 on the heating plate 142 .

As shown in FIG. 7, elevating pins 175 as a substrate mounting portion are provided below the cooling plate 170 located in the cooling portion 132 . The lifting pin 175 is connected to the lifting drive mechanism 176 . The elevation drive mechanism 176 is provided with an elevation drive source such as a cylinder, and the elevation drive mechanism 176 allows the elevation pins 175 to move up and down. By moving up and down, the lifting pin 175 rises from below the cooling plate 170, passes through the slit 174, protrudes above the cooling plate 170, and enters the inside of the housing 130 through the above-described loading/unloading port, for example. A wafer W can be transferred to and from the device 70 . The elevation drive mechanism 176 is controlled by the controller 6 .

<Heat treatment>
Here, an example of heat treatment in the heat treatment apparatus 40 will be described. Note that the following processing is performed under the control of the control unit 6 .

First, the lift pins 175 are raised to the transfer position for transferring the wafer W to and from the carrier device 70 . Next, the transfer arm 70 a of the transfer device 70 holding the wafer W is inserted into the housing 130 and moved to the transfer start position above the lift pins 175 . Subsequently, the transfer arm 70 a is lowered to the transfer completion position, and the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 70 a to the lifting pins 175 . After that, the transfer arm 70 a is extracted from the housing 130 , the lift pins 175 are lowered, and the wafer W is transferred from the lift pins 175 to the cooling plate 170 .

Subsequently, the cold plate 170 is moved above the hot plate 142 . Next, the lifting pins 151 are lifted, and the wafer W on the cooling plate 170 is transferred to the lifting pins 151 . After that, the cooling plate 170 is withdrawn from above the hot plate 142 , the elevating pins 151 are lowered, and the wafer W is transferred onto the hot plate 142 . Further, the lid 140 is lowered to form the processing chamber S, and the heat treatment of the wafer W is started.

When the wafer W is heated for a predetermined time, the lid 140 is lifted and the lift pins 151 are lifted to move the wafer W above the hot plate 142 . Also, the cooling plate 170 is moved to a position between the wafer W and the hot plate 142 . Then, the elevating pins 151 are lowered to transfer the wafer W to the cooling plate 170 . After that, the cooling plate 170 is moved to the cooling section 132 . The wafer W transferred to the cooling plate 170 is cooled to room temperature, for example, in the cooling unit 132 , and then unloaded from the housing 130 in the reverse order of the loading into the housing 130 . This completes a series of heat treatments.

<Conveyor 70>
Next, the configuration of the transport device 70 will be described. FIG. 9 is a side view of the transport device 70. FIG. FIG. 10 is a top view of the transfer arm 70a, omitting the illustration of a frame, which will be described later.

The transport device 70 has a transport arm 70a that transports the wafer W along a guide 301 extending in the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the transport area D, as shown in FIG.

The conveying arm 70a includes a frame 302 that moves along a guide 301, an elevating body 303 that elevates and lowers along the frame 302, a rotating body 304 that rotates on the elevating body 303, and advances and retreats on the rotating body 304. and a fork 305 as a substrate holding portion.

The fork 305 is formed in a substantially C shape with a slightly larger diameter than the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 10, for example. Inside the fork 305, claws 310 projecting inward and supporting the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W are provided at a plurality of locations. Each claw 310 is provided with a suction hole (not shown) for holding the wafer W by suction.

Further, the transport device 70 has an arm drive mechanism 320 as shown in FIG. The arm drive mechanism 320 has a drive source (not shown) such as a cylinder that generates drive force for raising and lowering the lifting body 303 . The arm drive mechanism 320 similarly includes a drive source (not shown) such as a motor that generates a driving force for rotating the rotating body 304 and a motor that generates a driving force for the body of the fork 305. It has a drive source (not shown). The arm drive mechanism 320 is controlled by the controller 6 .

Further, the transfer device 70 has a detector 330 for detecting the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305 . The detector 330 has a plurality of light emitting/receiving units 331 that detect the edge of the wafer W on the fork 305 .

Each light receiving/emitting unit 331 has a light receiving sensor 332 and a light source 333 . One of the light receiving sensor 332 and the light source 333 is arranged above the fork 305 retracted to the base end side, and the other is arranged below. In this example, the light receiving sensor 332 is arranged above.

The light receiving sensor 332 is, for example, a CCD line sensor and is provided across the edge of the wafer W supported by the fork 305 .
In each light receiving/emitting unit 331, the light source 333 is provided so as to face the light receiving sensor. Each light source 333 is composed of, for example, linearly arranged LEDs.

Each light receiving sensor 332 and light source 333 are fixed with respect to the rotating body 304 . Specifically, for example, the light receiving sensor 332 is supported by the rotating body 304 via a support member (not shown), and the light source 333 is arranged on the upper surface of the rotating body 304 . Therefore, when the fork 305 advances and retreats, the light receiving sensor 332 and the light source 333 do not move.
A detection result by the light receiving sensor 332 is output to the control section 6 . Also, the light source 333 is controlled by the controller 6 .

<Example 1 of position adjustment processing>
Next, an example of processing for adjusting the reference height position of the fork 305 according to the present embodiment will be described using the reference height position of the resist coating device 31 with respect to the spin chuck 110 as an example. This reference height position adjustment processing is performed, for example, when the coating and developing treatment system 1 is started up or during maintenance. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for adjusting the reference height position of the fork 305. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of the transport arm 70a and the resist coating device 31 during the adjustment process, and omits illustration of parts other than those related to the adjustment process. Note that the following processing is performed under the control of the control unit 6 .

(Step S1)
As shown in FIG. 11, first, the wafer W is supported by the forks 305 . The wafer W used here is, for example, a bare wafer rather than a jig wafer provided with a sensor or the like.

(Step S2)
Subsequently, fork 305 supporting wafer W is moved above spin chuck 110 .

(Step S2a)
Specifically, first, the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is detected by the detection unit 330 .
More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the light source 333 emits light while the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is retracted toward the proximal side and positioned outside the processing container 100. , the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305 is calculated or detected by the controller 6 based on the light receiving result of the light receiving sensor 332 .

(Step S2b)
After detection, for example, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is horizontally moved above the spin chuck 110 which has been raised to the delivery position.
More specifically, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is moved up to the insertion height position and then horizontally advanced, thereby being inserted into the processing container 100 as shown in FIG. 12(b). , is moved above the spin chuck 110 .

(Step S3)
Following step S2, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is lowered to the currently set reference height position.
Specifically, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is lowered to the currently set reference height without attracting the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 12(c).
As will be described later, in the position adjustment process according to this embodiment, steps S2 to S5 including step S3 can be repeatedly performed. In the first step S3 when starting up the coating and developing system 1, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is lowered to the initial set reference height position.
If the currently set reference height is sufficiently low, the wafer W will be transferred from the fork 305 to the spin chuck 110 after step S3 and placed thereon. remains supported by
Note that the fork 305 is lowered in step S3, for example, at a lower speed than the fork 305 is lowered during the resist film forming process.
Further, the initial setting reference height position is set to a position higher than the design value of the reference height position, for example.

(Step S4)
Following step S<b>3 , fork 305 is moved to detection unit 330 , and wafer W on fork 305 is detected by detection unit 330 .

(Step S4a)
Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 12(d), the fork 305 is horizontally moved forward or backward by a predetermined distance L (for example, 1 mm) at the currently set reference height position.
Here, it is assumed that the fork 305 is advanced. Further, the predetermined distance L is set so that the wafer W is properly transferred from the spin chuck 110 to the fork 305 when the fork 305 not supporting the wafer W is raised in step S4b described later. , a minute value is set.

(Step S4b)
Subsequently, fork 305 is raised above spin chuck 110 .
For example, fork 305 is raised, for example, to the aforementioned insertion height position.
As a result, when the reference height position currently being set is sufficiently low in step S3 and the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 from the fork 305, the wafer W is returned to the fork 305 and supported again. When returned in this way, the fork 305 is horizontally moved in step S4a, so the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305 changes before and after being returned to the fork 305, that is, before step S4. and after step S4b.
On the other hand, if the currently set reference height is high in step S3 and the wafer W has not been transferred from the fork 305 to the spin chuck 110, in step S4, the wafer W continues to be supported by the fork 305 and The horizontal position of the wafer W in , does not change before step S4 and after step S4b.

(Step S4c)
Next, the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is detected by the detection unit 330 .
More specifically, for example, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is retracted to the base end side and moved out of the processing container 100 , and then the light source 333 emits light, causing the wafer W to move horizontally on the fork 305 . is calculated or detected by the control unit 6 based on the result of the light received by the light receiving sensor 332 .

(Step S5)
Following step S4, the controller 6 determines whether or not the wafer W has been placed on the spin chuck 110 from the fork 305 in step S3 based on the detection result obtained in step S4.

Specifically, based on the detection result in step S2a and the detection result in step S4c of the horizontal position of wafer W on fork 305, wafer W is moved from fork 305 to spin chuck 110 in step S3. It is determined by the control unit 6 whether or not it is placed on the .
More specifically, for example, the difference (AB) between the detection result (Amm) in step S2a and the detection result (Bmm) in step S4c of the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305. is less than a threshold value (for example, 0.1 mm when L=1 mm in S4b). If it is less than the threshold, it is determined in step S3 that the wafer W is not placed on the spin chuck 110, and if it is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that it is placed.

(Step S6)
Then, when it is determined in step S3 that the wafer W is not placed on the spin chuck 110 (step S5, No), the controller 6 moves the reference height position downward by a predetermined distance H (for example, 2 mm). Fixed.
After the correction as described above, steps S2 to S5 are performed again.

As a result of re-execution, when it is determined again in step S5 that the wafer W is not placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3, the control unit 6 further moves the reference height position downward by a predetermined distance H (for example, 2 mm). is corrected to
That is, steps S2 to S5 are repeated until it is determined in step S5 that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3, and the reference height position is corrected downward by the predetermined distance H each time.

When steps S2 to S5 are repeated, step S2a may be omitted from the second time onwards, and step S5 may be performed as follows. That is, based on the detection result B of the detection unit 330 in the previous step S4 and the detection result B' of the detection unit 330 in the previous step S4, the wafer W is moved from the fork 305 to the spin chuck in step S3. It may be determined whether or not the object is placed on 110 .
Specifically, in the n-th (n is a natural number of 2 or more) step S5, the detection result B in the detection unit 330 in the n-th step S4 and the detection unit 330 in step S4 n-1 times before It may be determined whether or not the wafer W is placed in step S3 based on whether or not the difference from the detection result B' of is less than a threshold value.

In step S5, if it is determined that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3 (if YES), the reference height position currently being set is set as the actual reference height position, Alternatively, strict adjustment processing, which will be described later, is performed. Note that the reference height position adjustment processing described with reference to FIG. 11 is hereinafter referred to as rough adjustment processing.

<Example of strict adjustment processing>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of strict adjustment processing. This processing is also performed under the control of the control unit 6 .

(Step S11)
In the strict adjustment process, first, the control unit 6 corrects the currently set reference height position upward by a distance shorter than the predetermined distance H described above.
The distance shorter than the predetermined distance H is, for example, 1/2 of the predetermined distance H, that is, H/2.

(Step S12)
After that, steps S2 to S5 are sequentially performed again. At this time, when the fork 305 is horizontally moved at the reference height position in step S4a, the fork 305 may be moved to the opposite side (opposite side) to the rough adjustment process. As a result, it is possible to prevent the accumulation of horizontal misalignment of the wafer W on the fork 305, thereby preventing problems caused by the accumulation of this misalignment (for example, the wafer W falling from the fork 305). be able to.

(Step S13)
If it is determined in step S5 of steps S2 to S5 that are sequentially performed again that the wafer W has been placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3, the control unit 6 changes the reference height position currently being set to the above-mentioned is corrected upwards by a distance smaller than the short distance of .
The shorter distance is, for example, 1/4 of the predetermined distance H, that is, H/4.

(Step S14)
Further, in step S5 of steps S2 to S5 which are sequentially performed again, if it is not determined in step S3 that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110, the control unit 6 sets the reference height currently set. The position is corrected down a shorter distance than the short distance mentioned above.

(Step S15)
After step S13 or step S14, steps S2 to S5 are sequentially performed again.
Thereafter, correction of the currently set reference height position based on the determination result in the most recent step S5, such as steps S13 and S14, and re-execution of steps S2 to S5, such as step S15, are performed to meet predetermined conditions. Repeat until full. At that time, the correction amount of the reference height position is gradually reduced.

That is, after it is first determined in step S5 that the fork 305 is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3,
When it is determined in step S5 that the fork 305 is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3, the reference height position currently being set is corrected upward, and then steps S2 to S5 are repeated in order. done,
When it is determined in step S5 that the fork 305 is not placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3, the reference height position currently being set is corrected downward, and then steps S2 to S5 are performed. Again in order,
While the amount of correction of the reference height position is gradually reduced, the process is repeated until a predetermined condition is satisfied.

For example, the amount of correction is halved for each correction.
Further, the predetermined condition is, for example, a condition that the accuracy of the reference height position is within a desired range, that is, the gradual correction of the reference height position currently being set and repetition of re-execution of steps S2 to S5. The condition is that the number of times becomes a predetermined number of times.

Note that when step S4a is performed again in step S15, the fork 305 may be horizontally moved to the opposite side of the previous step S4a. This is to prevent the horizontal displacement of the wafer W on the fork 305 from accumulating, as described above. For example, in step S4a after the currently set reference height position is corrected downward, the fork 305 is horizontally advanced, and in step S4a after the currently set reference height position is corrected downward, the fork 305 may be retracted horizontally.

<Example 2 of coarse adjustment processing>
FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing another example of rough adjustment processing of the reference height position of the fork 305 . Note that this processing is also performed under the control of the control unit 6 .

(Step S1)
As shown in the figure, also in this example, the wafer W is first supported by the forks 305 in the same manner as in the rough adjustment process example 1 described above.

(Step S2')
Subsequently, fork 305 supporting wafer W is moved above spin chuck 110 .

(Step S2b)
However, in this example, unlike Example 1 of the coarse adjustment process, step S2a is omitted and step S2b is performed. That is, for example, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is moved horizontally above the spin chuck 110 which has been raised to the transfer position.

(Step S3')
Next, the fork 305 supporting the wafer W is lowered to the currently set reference height position in the same manner as in step S3 of the example 1 of the coarse adjustment process.
If the currently set reference height is sufficiently low, the wafer W will be transferred from the fork 305 to the spin chuck 110 after step S3 and placed thereon. remains supported by

(Step S4')
Subsequently, fork 305 is moved to detection unit 330 , and wafer W on fork 305 is detected by detection unit 330 .

(Step S4c')
Specifically, unlike Example 1, steps S4a and S4b are not performed and are omitted. After that, light is emitted from the light source 333 , and the presence or absence of the wafer W on the fork 305 is determined, ie, detected by the control unit 6 based on the light receiving result of the light receiving sensor 332 .

(Step S5')
Following step S4', the controller 6 determines, ie, detects whether or not the wafer W has been placed on the spin chuck 110 from the fork 305 in step S3' based on the detection result obtained in step S4'.

Specifically, if it is determined in step S4c that the wafer W is on the fork 305, it is determined in step S3' that the wafer W is not placed on the spin chuck 110, and in step S4c there is no wafer W. If so, it is determined that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3'.

(Step S6)
Then, when it is determined that the wafer W is not placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3' (No in step S5'), the controller 6 sets the reference height position to a predetermined distance H (for example, 2 mm). modified downwards.
After the correction as described above, steps S2' to S5' are performed again.

In step S5', if it is determined that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 in step S3' (if YES), the reference height position currently being set is set as the actual reference height position. or a strict adjustment process is performed.

When the strict adjustment process involves re-execution of steps S2' to S5' as in the example 2 of the coarse adjustment process, it is determined in step S4c that there is no wafer W on the fork 305, and in step S5', in step S3' When it is determined that the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110, steps S2' to S5' are performed again as follows. That is, after the wafer W on the spin chuck 110 is collected by the fork 305, steps S2' to S5' are performed again. In the strict adjustment process of the example described above, the recovery operation of the wafer W by the fork 305 is unnecessary, so the reference height position can be adjusted at a higher speed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 6
(a) controlling the transfer device 70 to horizontally move the fork 305 supporting the wafer W to above the spin chuck 110;
(b) controlling the transfer device 70 to lower the fork 305 supporting the wafer W to the currently set reference height position;
(c) controlling the transfer device 70 and the detection unit 330, moving the fork 305 to the detection unit 330, detecting the wafer on the fork 305 with the detection unit 300;
(d) Based on the detection result of (c) above, determine whether or not the fork 305 or the spin chuck 110 is placed on the fork 305 or spin chuck 110 in (b) above,
Until it is determined that the fork 305 is placed on the spin chuck 110 in the step (b), the steps (a) to (d) are repeated in order, and each time the step (b) is repeated, the currently set reference height position is shifted by a predetermined distance. Correct downwards.
Thus, in this embodiment, the detection result of the suction force used for holding the wafer W by the fork 305 is not used for setting the reference height position of the fork 305 . Therefore, the reference height position of the fork 305 can be appropriately adjusted without being affected by the reduction in the suction force.

As described above, since the reference height position of the fork 305 can be appropriately adjusted, the wafer W is transferred from the fork 305 to the spin chuck 110 instead of uniformly decreasing the descending speed of the fork 305. Only at the moment when the fork 305 is pulled down, the descending speed of the fork 305 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the impact applied to the wafer W from the spin chuck 110 without lowering the throughput.

Further, the detection unit 330 used for setting the reference height position of the fork 305 in this embodiment detects the horizontal position of the wafer W on the fork 305, and the horizontal direction of the fork 305 with respect to the spin chuck 110 is detected. It is also used for setting the reference position of the . That is, in this embodiment, since the common detection unit 330 is used for setting the reference height position of the fork 305 and for setting the horizontal reference position of the fork 305, separate units are used for both settings. Higher costs can be prevented compared to

In the rough adjustment processing example 1 and the strict adjustment processing example described above, there is no large horizontal movement of the fork 305 while the wafer W is placed on the spin chuck 110 . Therefore, contact with the wafer W placed on the spin chuck 110 can be suppressed when the fork 305 moves horizontally.

In the above, the reference height position of the fork 305 of the transfer device 70 with respect to the spin chuck 110 is adjusted. However, the technique according to the present disclosure is used when adjusting the reference height position of the fork 305 of the conveying device 70 with respect to the lifting pin 175 of the heat treatment device 40, or when the conveying arm of the conveying device 20 moves the cassette on the mounting plate 13. It can also be applied to the case of adjusting the reference height position of C with respect to the shelf board C11.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The embodiments described above may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

1 Coating and developing treatment system 6 Control unit 20 Transfer device 70 Transfer device 72 Transfer device 73 Transfer device 110 Spin chuck 175 Elevating pin 305 Fork 330 Detection unit C11 Shelf plate H Predetermined distance W Wafer

Claims (9)

A method for adjusting the position of a substrate holding portion of a substrate transport device, comprising:
(A) horizontally moving the substrate holding part supporting the substrate to above the substrate placing part on which the substrate is to be placed;
(B) lowering the substrate holding part supporting the substrate to a currently set reference height position;
(C) moving the substrate holding part to a detection part for detecting the horizontal position of the substrate on the substrate holding part, and detecting the substrate on the substrate holding part with the detection part;
(D) determining whether or not the substrate has been placed on the substrate platform from the substrate holder in the step (B) based on the detection result in the step (C);
The steps (A) to (D) are repeated in order until it is determined in the step (D) that the substrate is placed on the substrate mounting portion from the holding portion in the step (B). and correcting the reference height position downward by a predetermined distance. When it is first determined in the step (D) that the substrate has been placed on the substrate mounting portion from the substrate holding portion in the step (B), the reference height position is corrected upward by a distance shorter than the predetermined distance. 2. The method for adjusting the position of the substrate holder according to claim 1, wherein the steps (A) to (D) are sequentially performed again. After it is first determined in the step (D) that the substrate has been placed on the substrate placement portion from the substrate holding portion in the step (B),
When it is determined in the last step (D) that the substrate has been placed on the substrate mounting portion from the substrate holding portion in the step (B), the reference height position is corrected upward, Performing the steps (A) to (D) again in order,
When it is determined in the last step (D) that the substrate is not placed on the substrate mounting portion from the substrate holding portion in the step (B), the reference height position is corrected downward. Then, performing the steps (A) to (D) again in order,
3. The method of adjusting the position of the substrate holding part according to claim 2, wherein the amount of correction of the reference height position is gradually decreased until a predetermined condition is satisfied. The step (A) includes, at least for the first time, detecting a horizontal position of the substrate on the substrate holding portion that supports the substrate with the detecting portion,
The step (C) is
a step of horizontally advancing or retreating the substrate holder by another predetermined distance at the currently set reference height position;
followed by a step of raising the substrate holding part above the substrate mounting part,
After that, the detection unit detects the horizontal position of the substrate on the substrate holding unit,
In the step (D), at least at the first time, the ( 4. The position adjustment method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the step B), it is determined whether or not the substrate has been placed from the substrate holding portion to the substrate placement portion. In the step (D), in the second and subsequent times, based on the detection result of the detection unit in the immediately preceding step (C) and the detection result of the detection unit in the step (C) one time before. 5. The position adjustment method according to claim 4, wherein it is determined whether or not the substrate has been placed on the substrate mounting part from the substrate holding part in the step (B). When said (A) step to said (D) step are performed in order a plurality of times, said step (C) includes times in which the horizontal movement direction at said currently set reference height position is the opposite direction from the previous time. Item 6. The position adjustment method according to item 4 or 5. 2. The position adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein said detector is provided in said substrate transfer device. A readable computer storage storing a program that runs on a computer of a control unit that controls a substrate processing system so as to cause the substrate processing system to execute the position adjustment method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. medium. A substrate processing system for processing a substrate,
a substrate transport device having a substrate holding part configured to hold a substrate, and transporting the substrate by moving the substrate holding part;
a substrate mounting portion on which the substrate is mounted;
a detection unit for detecting the horizontal position of the substrate on the substrate holding unit;
a control unit;
The control unit
(a) controlling the substrate transport device to horizontally move the substrate holding unit supporting the substrate to above the substrate mounting unit;
(b) controlling the substrate transport device to lower the substrate holding unit supporting the substrate to a currently set reference height position;
(c) controlling the substrate transport device and the detection unit, moving the substrate holding unit to the detection unit, and detecting the substrate on the substrate holding unit with the detection unit;
(d) determining whether or not the substrate has been placed on the substrate placement portion from the substrate holding portion in (b) based on the detection result in (c);
The steps (a) to (d) are repeated in order until it is determined that the substrate is placed on the substrate placement portion from the substrate placement portion in the step (b), and the reference height position is adjusted each time it is repeated. A substrate processing system that corrects downward a predetermined distance.

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