JP3132818U - Monitoring and control system for micro discharge - Google Patents

Abstract

A monitoring control system capable of accurately grasping the discharge amount of a liquid substance is provided, the accuracy and uniformity of a coating process are improved, and the yield and reliability of a chip are also improved.
The present invention relates to a monitoring and control system for micro discharge. A monitoring and control system is installed between the control plug and the nozzle to receive and record the micro flow sensor for monitoring the liquid flow rate, and the signal from the micro flow sensor, and calculate the signal as the flow rate. Displays the flow status, compares it with the internal parameters according to the flow status, generates a control signal and makes necessary adjustments to the pump and control valve, and receives signals from the monitoring control device, and the calculation result is normal Includes a warning device that issues a warning message when out of range.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring and control system for micro discharge, and particularly to a monitoring and control system applied to a micro discharge device for accurately controlling the discharge amount.

  The micro-discharge method plays a very important role in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. For example, in an etching process, a photoresist is used as a mask for an etching thin film so that a necessary design is not removed by an etching reaction. In the ion implantation process, the photoresist also has a function as a mask, and the impurity is merely doped into a predetermined region.

  The photoresist used in the lithography process is liquid, and the photoresist pump is used to pump out the liquid material in the liquid storage tank, and the amount of liquid material flowing out of the pipeline is controlled by a control plug. ) Is discharged from the nozzle onto the surface of the chip. The chip can be placed on a spin coater, the chip can be rotated by the spin coater, and the photoresist can be evenly applied to the surface of the chip by centrifugal force. Photoresist materials are mainly prepared by mixing resin, photosensitizer, and solvent in different proportions. Photoresist adhesion always changes differently depending on the mixing ratio of resin, photosensitizer, and solvent. Arise.

  Therefore, coating defects and uneven phenomena sometimes occur in the photoresist coating process. These problems are as follows. 1. The thickness of the photoresist near the circle center is considerably thicker than other positions. 2. The thickness of the photoresist in the non-circular region of the chip is thicker than other positions. 3. Bubbles are generated inside the photoresist, and the photoresist is not uniformly applied to the chip surface. 4. Photoresist is not applied to the edge of the chip. If the photoresist application has such defects, chip yield and reliability will be reduced, and if the situation is critical, the chip will be discarded.

  The above-mentioned photoresist coating defects and unevenness are caused by the problem of the mixing ratio of the resin, the photosensitive agent and the solvent, and the change in adhesiveness. The thickness of the applied photoresist becomes uneven. That is, there is a problem in controlling the discharge position and the discharge amount. The main cause of excess and deficiency in the discharge amount is in the control of pumps and control plugs.Especially, the amount of liquid pumped out every time produces errors as it is used for a long time. The amount cannot be accurately controlled.

  Generally, if the minimum thickness is subtracted (ie, flatness) from the maximum thickness of the photoresist to exceed 100 mm, or if the above-described photoresist coating is found to be defective in the chip manufacturing process, the machine is operated. Stop and perform functional tests and adjustments on the pump and control valve. In addition, the function tests and adjustment methods for conventional pumps and control plugs are measured with the naked eye and the stopwatch is pushed by hand. When the ON signal is output to the pump and the control plug, the pipeline is opened to discharge the photoresist, and at the same time, the stopwatch is pressed to start measuring time, and then the nozzle mouth is observed with the naked eye, and the photoresist is removed. When it stops discharging, immediately stop the time measurement by pressing the stopwatch, determine whether the function of the pump and the control valve is normal or not by adjusting the time. Thus, it is possible to obtain an appropriate amount of photoresist discharge. However, if the stopwatch is pushed by eye or by hand, human error is likely to occur, so that it is not possible to satisfy the need for high-precision photoresist discharge amount.

  In addition, for semiconductor manufacturing, this type of liquid is quite expensive, and the amount used at one time is not large, but if the discharge amount is excessive for a long time, the cost increases. However, if the amount of liquid discharged is insufficient, application will be insufficient, leading to a decrease in chip yield and reliability, and if the situation is critical, the chip is discarded. Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional discharge amount monitoring control system not only makes it difficult to adjust the discharge amount, but also makes it impossible to monitor and control the discharge amount every time, so it accurately controls the liquid discharge amount each time. It is impossible to control the quality of the manufacturing process and the manufacturing cost. In particular, there are currently no monitoring functions for a very small amount of dispensing device, and if the pump and control valve operate for a long time and an error or failure occurs in the operation, it reacts immediately to the abnormal function of the pump or control valve due to an abnormal flow rate. I can't.

  In order to solve and improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring and control system that can accurately grasp the discharge amount of the liquid material, to improve the accuracy and uniformity of the coating process, and to improve the yield and reliability of the chip. It is to raise.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a monitoring and control system for micro discharge. The monitoring and control system for micro discharge is applied to a micro discharge device, in which a pump pumps out liquid from a supply tank, and a control plug controls the amount of liquid flowing out from a nozzle. The supervisory control system of the present invention includes the following. Installed between the control plug and the nozzle to monitor the flow rate of the liquid, and to receive and record the signal from the microflow sensor, and to calculate the signal as the flow rate / discharge amount From the monitoring and control device, the flow rate / discharge amount status is displayed, compared with the internal parameters according to the flow rate / discharge amount status, a control signal is generated, and the pump and the control plug are adjusted as necessary. The warning device outputs a warning message when the calculation result deviates from the normal range, and the warning device includes a light emission display and / or a voice display.

  The monitoring control device includes the following. The signal receiving device receives a signal from the sensor of the minute flow, calculates the signal as a flow rate, compares the reference numerical value, and displays the flow rate / discharge amount state as an operation interface of the monitoring control device. A memory module composed of a recording module and a parameter module. The memory module records a flow rate / discharge rate calculation result by the signal processing module, and the parameter module requires each module. The control module stores the set numerical value and the reference numerical value, and transmits the control signal to the pump, the control plug, and the warning device based on the calculation result of the signal processing module.

  The monitoring control device further includes a material transmission module for transmitting the calculation result of the flow rate / discharge amount of the signal processing module and an abnormality report to the personal computer host.

〔Example〕
Although the detailed contents and technical description related to the present invention will be further described by way of examples, the examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limitations on the implementation of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a micro discharge monitoring control system of the present invention. The present invention is a micro discharge monitoring control system, which is applied to a micro discharge device, and the micro discharge device sucks out liquid (eg, photoresist) in a supply tank 10 by a pump 20. The control plug 30 controls the amount of liquid flowing out from the nozzle 40, and discharges the liquid (for example, photoresist) from the nozzle 40 to the chip surface to discharge the necessary amount of liquid to the chip surface. is there.

  The supervisory control system of the present invention includes the following. A micro flow sensor 50 is installed between the control plug 30 and the nozzle 40, and monitors the flow rate of liquid flowing from the control plug 30 to the nozzle 40. The monitoring control device 60 receives and records the measured flow rate signal sent from the micro flow sensor 50. The micro flow sensor 50 monitors the flow rate of the liquid and converts the flow rate into a voltage or current signal and transmits it to the monitoring control device 60. Further, the monitoring control device 60 calculates the signal as a flow rate / discharge amount, displays the flow rate / discharge amount state, compares the flow rate / discharge amount state with an internal parameter, and compares the flow rate / discharge amount. Thereafter, when it is found that the amount of liquid discharged by the nozzle 40 per unit time has become excessive or insufficient, an error occurs in the amount of liquid that flows out of the pump 20 and the control plug 30 as it is used for a long time. For example, when the error is ± 0.1 CC from the originally required amount of 1.5 CC and the monitoring control device 60 calculates and the error of the previous discharge amount exceeds ± 0.1 CC, the operation of the pump 20 and the control plug 30 is activated. This indicates that the accuracy has already been lost with respect to the discharge amount. At this time, the monitoring and control device 60 issues an equipment abnormality signal, and also issues a control signal to the pump 20 and the control plug 30. And the adjustment required for the control plug 30 is performed, and the amount of liquid discharged from the nozzle 40 onto the chip surface is made accurate. The warning device 80 receives the equipment abnormality signal issued by the monitoring control device 60, and issues a warning message when the calculation result of the monitoring control device 60 deviates from the normal range. The warning device 80 includes a light emitting display (emitting red flashing light) and / or a voice display (indicating abnormal conditions to the user by voice).

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the monitoring control device of the present invention. The monitoring control device 60 includes the following. As a signal processing module 63 for receiving a signal from the sensor of the minute flow by the signal receiving device 61, calculating the signal as a flow rate / discharge amount, and comparing reference numerical values, and an operation interface of the monitoring control device 60, Also, an interactive operation interface 62 as an interface for displaying the flow rate / discharge rate, and a memory module 64 including a recording module 641 and a parameter module 642, the recording module 641 being the flow rate of each time of the signal processing module 63. The result data after the calculation of the discharge amount is recorded, and the parameter module 642 stores the setting numerical values required by each module in the monitoring control device 60 and the above-mentioned reference numerical values, and these setting numerical values and reference numerical values are Interactive operation in To correct and updated through over face 62. Based on the calculation result of the signal processing module 63, the control module 65 compares the flow rate / discharge amount with an internal parameter, and after comparing the flow rate / discharge amount, the liquid amount discharged by the nozzle 40 is excessive or insufficient. If it is found, a control signal is transmitted to the pump 20, the control plug 30 and the warning device 80. When the calculation result of the signal processing module 63 indicates that the discharge amount of the current pump 20 and the control plug 30 has lost accuracy, the signal processing module 63 issues a control signal to the pump 20 and the control plug 30, and Necessary adjustments are made to the pump 20 and the control plug 30 to accurately determine the amount of liquid discharged from the nozzle 40 onto the chip surface, and the warning device 80 receives an equipment abnormality signal issued by the monitoring control device 60.

  The calculation method in the signal processing module 63, when receiving a signal from the sensor of the minute flow, converts the signal amount of each time into a discharge amount discharged by the nozzle 40 at the present time, and converts the signal into the interactive type. Displayed to the operation interface 62, or displayed directly, or through the figure in the direct coordinate axis method, the discharge amount at that time obtained by many observations within the discharge time of the nozzle 40 once is displayed, and obtained by monitoring each point A curve diagram as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is formed in conjunction with the discharge amount. The abnormal situation means that the normal value of the highest point of the curve indicated by the interactive operation interface 62 after each discharge is at the signal h0 position, and the error is the signal h2 and h1 above and below, respectively. Amount) is also stored in the parameter module 642, and parameter values necessary for the discharge result are set for the process each time. If the highest point of the curve is higher than the signal h2, the previous discharge amount is excessive, and if the highest point of the curve is lower than the signal h1, the previous discharge amount is insufficient. At this time, a control signal is transmitted to the pump 20, the control plug 30, and the warning device 80. In addition, with respect to the slope of the curve (tangent on the curve at each measurement time point), the signal processing module 63 immediately calculates whether there is an error in the reference numerical value, and immediately through the equipment abnormality signal issued by the warning device 80. , The user can immediately judge whether the discharge device is good or bad, and it is not necessary to continue the subsequent chip manufacturing process, and the flow rate / discharge amount is monitored and controlled every time, and the discharge amount of liquid material is accurately controlled each time. As well as being able to control the quality and cost of the manufacturing process.

  In addition, the monitoring control device 60 further includes a material transmission module 66, and the material transmission module 66 transmits the flow rate / discharge amount calculation results and abnormality report data of the signal processing module 63 to the personal computer host 70. To do. The person in charge of monitoring and control at such a remote location can perform remote monitoring and control through the personal computer host 70 and the network, and the data storage fee of the personal computer host 70 is far more than the storage and storage fee of the memory module 64. Since it is large, the personal computer host 70 can store long-term monitoring data of the monitoring and control system for micro-discharge in the present invention, and the data can be used for analysis and application over a long period of the manufacturing process.

  The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, any simple equivalent changes and corrections made based on the scope of application of the present invention and the contents of the device description shall be included in the scope of the patent of the present invention.

It is the schematic of the trace discharge monitoring control system of this invention. It is the schematic of the monitoring control apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic of the data recording of this invention. It is another schematic diagram of the data recording of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Supply tank 20 Pump 30 Control plug 40 Nozzle 50 Micro flow sensor 60 Monitoring control device 61 Signal receiving device 62 Interactive operation interface 63 Signal processing module 64 Memory module 65 Control module 641 Recording module 642 Parameter module 66 Data transmission module 70 PC host 80 Warning device

Claims (6)

It is a monitoring and control system for micro discharge that is applied to micro discharge devices.
The apparatus is a monitoring and control system for micro discharge that sucks out liquid stored in a supply tank by a pump and controls liquid flowing out from a nozzle by a control stopper,
A micro-flow sensor installed between the control plug and the nozzle;
A monitoring control device that receives and records a signal from the sensor of the minute flow, calculates the signal as a flow rate / discharge amount, and displays a flow rate / discharge amount state;
A trace discharge monitoring control system comprising a warning device that receives a signal from the monitoring control device and issues a warning message when a calculation result deviates from a normal range.   2. The micro-discharge monitoring control system according to claim 1, wherein the micro-flow sensor monitors the flow rate of the liquid, converts the flow rate into a voltage or current signal, and transmits the voltage or current signal to the monitoring control device.   2. The monitoring control system for micro discharge according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring control device compares the internal parameters according to the flow rate state and generates a control signal to make necessary adjustments for the pump and the control plug. The monitoring and control device receives a signal from the sensor of the minute flow by a signal receiving device, calculates the signal as a flow rate / discharge amount, and compares a reference numerical value; and
An interactive operation interface for displaying a flow rate state as an operation interface of the monitoring and control device;
The memory module is composed of a recording module and a parameter module, and the memory module records the calculation result of the flow rate / discharge amount of the signal processing module, and the parameter module stores setting values and reference values required by each module. And
The monitoring control system for micro discharge according to claim 1, further comprising a control module that transmits a control signal to the pump, the control plug, and the warning device according to a calculation result of the signal processing module.   5. The micro-discharge monitoring control system according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring control device further includes a material transmission module for transmitting the calculation result and abnormality report of the signal processing module to a personal computer host.   2. The trace discharge monitoring control system according to claim 1, wherein the warning device further includes a light emission display and / or a sound display.

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