JP3793063B2 - Processing method and processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To match the final treatment results in wafers that are attached to coating development treatment among the wafers. SOLUTION: Required time is measured until a wafer W is carried to an extension cleaning unit where the next cooling treatment is made after prebaking treatment for affecting the final treatment results when the prebaking treatment varies. Development time where the final treatment results become the same is obtained in advance to the required time, and the development time is successively changed based on the required time measured, thus matching the final treatment results even if the required time varies.

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist coating process for applying a resist solution to the wafer surface, a heating process for drying the resist solution on the wafer, a cooling process for cooling the heated wafer to a predetermined temperature, An exposure process for exposing the wafer by irradiating a predetermined pattern of light, a heating process for promoting the chemical reaction of the resist film after the exposure, a cooling process for cooling the wafer, and a developing process for developing the wafer are performed.
[0003]
These processes are continuously performed in a coating / developing apparatus or the like equipped with a plurality of processing units. The coating and developing processing apparatus is provided with a transport unit that accesses each processing unit and transports the wafer between the processing units, and the series of processes sequentially transports the wafer to each processing unit by the transport unit. Is done by.
[0004]
By the way, it is necessary to always obtain the same processing result for wafers processed by the same processing recipe in the above-described coating and developing processing apparatus. For example, the film thickness of the resist film finally formed on the wafer, the line width of the circuit pattern, and the like are required to be the same between the wafers.
[0005]
In order to satisfy such a requirement, it is necessary to make constant the chemical reaction time of factors affecting the processing result of the wafer such as the line width, for example, the resist film on the wafer. For this reason, conventionally, the processing time in each processing unit is made constant, and the wafer transfer time, transfer start timing, etc. between the processing units are made as constant as possible. This is because in a series of wafer processing, a chemical reaction of a resist film proceeds across a plurality of processing units such as between a heating processing unit and a cooling processing unit. This is because the processing result of the wafer is affected.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the coating and developing apparatus, a large number of wafers are processed in a flow-type manner, and the wafers are transferred to each processing unit by a limited number of transfer units. For this reason, it is difficult in terms of control to always maintain the transfer time and the transfer start timing constant because of differences in processing time between the various processing units and the number of mounted processing units. In addition, wafers with different recipes may be continuously inserted. In such a case, the processing time and the like of the front and rear wafers are different, so that the transfer time and transfer timing cannot be kept constant. Further, for example, in the above-described wafer processing, the wafer is usually transferred once to an exposure processing unit adjacent to the coating and developing processing apparatus. However, since the exposure processing is not necessarily performed in a fixed time, the transfer start timing is set. It is virtually impossible to keep it constant.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such points, and even when the substrate transport time that affects the processing of a substrate such as a wafer fluctuates, the final processing result can be matched. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method and a processing apparatus capable of performing the processing method.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing method for sequentially transporting a substrate to a plurality of processing units and performing a series of processing on the substrate, wherein the substrate is a specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units. Measure the time required until the substrate is carried into the second processing unit where the next processing is performed after the process is completed, and after the first processing unit based on the measured required time There is provided a processing method characterized by changing a processing recipe of the substrate in another processing unit where processing is performed.
[0009]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the time required from the completion of the substrate processing in the specific first processing unit to the loading of the substrate into the second processing unit is measured, and then the substrate processing is performed. The processing recipes of other processing units that affect the results can be changed. For example, the processing recipe of another processing unit can be changed to a processing recipe that has been obtained in advance through experiments or the like and that finally results in the same processing of the substrate. Therefore, even if the required time corresponding to the substrate transport time that affects the substrate processing result fluctuates and variations occur in the intermediate processing of the substrate, the final processing result is matched between the substrates. be able to.
[0010]
According to invention of Claim 2, it is a processing method which conveys a board | substrate to several process parts sequentially, and performs a series of processes to a board | substrate, Comprising: A board | substrate in the specific 1st process part in these process parts The required time from the start of the process to the start of the substrate processing is measured in the second processing unit in which the next process is performed, and based on the measured required time, the second processing unit performs more than the first processing unit. There is provided a processing method characterized by changing a processing recipe of the substrate in another processing unit to be processed later.
[0012]
further, A book from another perspective According to the invention, there is provided a processing method for sequentially transferring a substrate to a plurality of processing units and performing a series of processing on the substrate, and processing of the substrate is started in a specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units. Then, the time required until the substrate is carried into the second processing unit where the next processing is performed is measured, and the processing is performed after the first processing unit based on the measured required time. A processing method is provided that changes a processing recipe of the substrate in the processing unit.
[0013]
Take Book Also according to the present invention, the final processing result of the substrate is made constant by changing the processing recipe of another processing unit that affects the processing result of the substrate based on the required time measured in the same manner as in the first aspect. be able to.
[0014]
The other processing unit is a processing unit that performs processing after the second processing unit, and the change of the processing recipe is that the substrate whose measured time is measured is the processing unit immediately before the other processing unit. It may be carried out when it is transported to. In this way, when the substrate is transferred to the immediately preceding processing unit, the processing recipe is changed, so that it is easy to specify the substrate whose processing recipe is changed, and the substrate is transferred from the first processing unit to the other processing unit. Even if it takes a long time to be transferred, or even when many substrates are continuously processed in a flow-type manner, it is possible to suitably change the processing recipe. Note that “when the substrate is transported to the immediately preceding processing unit” includes when the substrate is loaded into the processing unit, when it is being processed, when it is unloaded, and the like.
[0015]
Book According to the invention, the apparatus includes a plurality of processing units that perform various types of processing on the substrate and a transport unit that transports the substrate between the processing units, and sequentially transports the substrate to the plurality of processing units, A processing apparatus that performs processing, from when processing of a substrate is completed in a specific first processing unit among a plurality of processing units to when the substrate is carried into a second processing unit in which next processing is performed Processing time of the substrate in the first processing section Started The time required from the start of the substrate processing in the first processing unit to the loading of the substrate into the second processing unit. Measuring means for measuring at least one required time of the time, and processing recipes of other processing units to be processed after the first processing unit, which are determined according to the length of the required time, are stored And a processing recipe changing means for changing a current processing recipe of the other processing unit to a processing recipe stored in the storage unit based on the measured required time. A processing device is provided.
[0016]
According to the present invention, the time required for the substrate to be transported to the second processing unit after the processing of the substrate in the first processing unit is measured, and the subsequent processing is performed based on the required time. Processing recipes of other processing units that affect the processing result of the substrate can be changed. Therefore, the processing method of claim 1 can be carried out, and the final substrate processing results can be matched even if the required time fluctuates.
[0017]
The storage unit may be provided in a control device capable of controlling the processing device. According to the present invention, since the processing recipe can be changed using the control device of the processing apparatus, a series of substrate processing can be managed by, for example, a control device separated from each processing unit. Therefore, the opportunity for the operator to directly touch each processing section is reduced, and the generation of particles due to the work can be suppressed. The control device may be a computer or a host computer that controls other devices. Moreover, the said control apparatus may be provided in the position away from each process part, and may be provided adjacent to each process part.
[0018]
The first processing unit is a heating processing unit that performs a heating process of the substrate after the coating process of applying a coating liquid to the substrate and before the exposure process of the substrate, and the second processing unit is a cooling processing unit of the substrate It may be. According to this invention, even when the thermal history of the substrate from the heating process of the first processing unit to the cooling process of the second processing unit varies, the processing recipe of another processing unit that affects the processing result of the substrate is changed. By doing so, the final processing result can be made the same.
[0019]
The first processing unit may be an exposure processing unit that exposes the substrate, and the second processing unit may be a substrate heating processing unit. When the substrate is exposed, a chemical reaction is started on the surface of the substrate, and the chemical reaction is promoted by the next heat treatment. Therefore, if the time from the exposure process until the substrate is carried into the next heat treatment unit varies, the progress of the chemical reaction varies and affects the final processing result of the substrate. According to the present invention, the required time from the exposure process to the next heat treatment unit varies, and even if the progress of the chemical reaction between the substrates varies, the processing result of the substrate is affected. The final processing result can be made equal by suitably changing the processing recipe of the other processing unit that provides
[0020]
Further, the first processing unit is a heating processing unit that performs a heating process on the substrate after the substrate exposure process and before the substrate developing process, and the second processing unit is a substrate cooling processing unit. Also good. Even in such a case, the variation in the intermediate processing due to the difference in the thermal history of the substrate can be finally corrected.
[0021]
The other processing unit may be a development processing unit that develops the substrate. The processing recipe in the development processing unit greatly affects the processing result of the substrate. Therefore, by appropriately changing the processing recipe of the development processing unit based on the required time as in the present invention, even if there is a variation between the substrates in the processing before the development processing, The variation can be eliminated and the final processing result can be made equal. Further, as a processing recipe changed in the development processing unit, for example, a development time can be mentioned.
[0022]
The other processing unit is a heating processing unit that performs heating processing of the substrate after the substrate exposure processing and before the substrate development processing, and the processing recipe changed in the heating processing unit is the heating start time. May be. The heat treatment performed after the exposure processing and before the development processing is for accelerating the chemical reaction on the substrate surface, and the final processing result of the substrate can be adjusted. Thus, even if the required time fluctuates and variations occur between the substrates in the intermediate process before the heat treatment, the final processing of the substrate can be performed by changing the heating start time and adjusting the progress of the chemical reaction. The results can be made equal.
[0023]
Book According to the invention, the apparatus includes a plurality of processing units that perform various types of processing on the substrate and a transport unit that transports the substrate between the processing units, and sequentially transports the substrate to the plurality of processing units, A processing apparatus that performs processing, from when processing of a substrate is completed in a specific first processing unit among a plurality of processing units to when the substrate is carried into a second processing unit in which next processing is performed Measuring means for measuring at least one of the required time from the start of the substrate processing in the first processing unit to the loading of the substrate into the second processing unit; A storage unit that stores a processing recipe of another processing unit that is to be processed after the first processing unit, which is determined according to the length of time, and the other time based on the measured required time Processing in which the current processing recipe of the processing unit is stored in the storage unit Processing apparatus is provided, characterized in that it comprises a processing recipe changing means for changing the recipe, the.
[0024]
The first processing unit is an exposure processing unit for a substrate, the second processing unit and the other processing unit are heating processing units for a substrate, and a processing recipe changed in the heating processing unit is: It may be a heating start time.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 as a processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, and FIG. 2 is a rear view of the development processing apparatus 1. FIG.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 carries, for example, 25 wafers W in and out of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 from the outside in units of cassettes, and carries the wafers W in and out of the cassettes C. A cassette station 2, a processing station 3 in which various processing units as processing units for performing predetermined processing in a single-wafer type in the coating and developing processing step are arranged in multiple stages, and provided adjacent to the processing station 3, An interface unit 5 for transferring the wafer W is integrally connected between the processing station 3 and an exposure processing unit 4 provided outside the coating and developing processing apparatus 1.
[0027]
In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a single line in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined position on the cassette placement table 6 serving as a placement portion. The wafer transfer body 7 that can be transferred in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafer W accommodated in the cassette C is movable along the transfer path 8. It is provided so that each cassette C can be selectively accessed.
[0028]
The wafer carrier 7 has an alignment function for aligning the wafer W. As will be described later, the wafer carrier 7 is configured to be accessible also to the extension units 52 belonging to the third processing unit group G3 on the processing station 3 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the cassette station 2 is provided with a control section 9 which will be described later for collectively controlling wafer processing performed in the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1.
[0029]
The processing station 3 is provided with a main transfer unit 13 as a transfer unit at the center thereof, and various processing units are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer unit 13 to form a processing unit group. In the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, four processing unit groups G1, G2, G3, and G4 are arranged, and the first and second processing unit groups G1 and G2 are arranged on the front side of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1. The third processing unit group G3 is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2, and the fourth processing unit group G4 is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 5. Further, as an option, a fifth processing unit group G5 indicated by a broken line can be separately arranged on the back side. The main transfer unit 13 can carry in / out the wafer W to / from various processing units (described later) arranged in these processing unit groups G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5. Note that the number and arrangement of processing unit groups vary depending on the type of processing performed on the wafer W, and the number of processing unit groups can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is one or more.
[0030]
In the first processing unit group G1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating unit 17 that applies a resist solution to the wafer W and forms a resist film on the wafer W, and a development processing unit that develops the wafer W are used. The development processing units 18 are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom. Similarly, in the processing unit group G2, a resist coating unit 19 and a development processing unit 20 are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom.
[0031]
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the above-described development processing unit 18 sucks and holds a wafer W in a casing 18 a and rotates the spin chuck 30 to rotate, and a cup 31 that houses the wafer W held by the spin chuck 30. , A developer supply nozzle 32 for supplying the developer to the wafer W, and the like.
[0032]
The spin chuck 30 is provided with a rotation drive unit 33 including a motor or the like that rotates the spin chuck 30. The developer supply nozzle 32 is connected in communication with a developer supply source 34 that supplies a predetermined amount of developer to the developer supply nozzle 32 at a predetermined timing. The developer supply nozzle 32 is provided with a nozzle drive unit 35 for moving the developer supply nozzle 32 from the outside of the cup 31 to above the center of the wafer W. With this configuration, the developer supply nozzle 32 moves to the upper part of the center of the wafer W, and the developer can be discharged onto the rotated wafer W and supplied to the surface of the wafer W.
[0033]
The rotation speed of the wafer W by the rotation drive unit 33, the supply amount of the developer from the developer supply source 34, the movement timing of the developer supply nozzle 32 by the nozzle drive unit 35, and the like are controlled by, for example, a control section 9 described later. ing. Therefore, the development process performed by operating the rotation drive unit 33 and the like is controlled by the control section 9.
[0034]
On the other hand, in the third processing unit group G3 of the processing station 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a cooling unit 50 for cooling the wafer W, and an adhesion unit 51 for improving the fixing property between the resist solution and the wafer W are provided. , An extension unit 52 for transferring the wafer W, a pre-baking unit 53, 54 as a first processing unit for performing a so-called pre-baking process for evaporating the solvent in the resist solution, and a post for performing the heating process after the development process. The baking units 55 are stacked, for example, in six steps from the bottom.
[0035]
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the pre-baking unit 53 described above forms a processing chamber S integrally with the hot plate 60, which can move up and down, and a hot plate 60 that places and heats the wafer W in a casing 53 a. A lid 61 that supports the wafer W, and lift pins 62 that support the wafer W to move up and down.
[0036]
A heater 63 is built in the hot plate 60, and the wafer W placed on the hot plate 60 can be heated by heating the hot plate 60 to a predetermined temperature. The elevating pins 62 are provided in a through hole 64 that penetrates the hot plate 60 in the vertical direction, and can be moved up and down in the through hole 64 by the elevating drive unit 65. The elevating drive unit 65 is controlled by, for example, the control section 9, and the elevating drive unit 65 moves the elevating pin 62 up and down by an instruction signal from the control section 9. Therefore, the control section 9 can place the wafer W on the hot plate 60 in accordance with the processing program P described later to start the heat treatment, or can separate the wafer W from the hot plate 60 and end the heating. .
[0037]
In the fourth processing unit group G4 of the processing station 3, for example, as shown in FIG. , Post-exposure baking units 74 and 75 and post-baking units 76 for performing post-exposure heat treatment, so-called post-exposure baking processing (PEB processing), are stacked in, for example, seven stages from the bottom.
[0038]
The above-described extension / cooling unit 72 includes, for example, a cooling plate 80 for mounting and cooling the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 7, and lift pins 81 for supporting the wafer W and moving it up and down. The cooling plate 80 incorporates, for example, a Peltier element 82 that cools the cooling plate 80 to a predetermined temperature. The elevating pins 81 can be raised and lowered by the elevating drive unit 83 to raise and lower the wafer W.
[0039]
In the casing 72a of the extension / cooling unit 72, for example, a transfer port 84 for the wafer W is provided. For example, a wafer detection sensor 85 that detects that the wafer W has passed through the transfer port 84 is attached to the transfer port 84. The detection of the wafer W by the wafer detection sensor 85 is output to the control section 9, for example. Therefore, the control section 9 can recognize that the wafer W has been loaded into the extension / cooling unit 72.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a wafer transfer unit 90 as a transfer unit is provided at the center of the interface unit 5. The wafer transfer unit 90 is configured to be freely movable in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) and Z direction (vertical direction) and rotated in the θ direction (rotating direction around the Z axis). , Access to the extension / cooling unit 72, the extension unit 73, the peripheral exposure unit 91 of the interface unit 5 and the exposure processing unit 4 belonging to the fourth processing unit group G4 so that the wafer W can be transferred to each of them. It is configured.
[0041]
Next, the configuration of the control section 9 described above will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the control section 9 includes a measuring unit 100, a storage unit 101, a control unit 102, an input unit 103, and the like.
[0042]
The measurement unit 100 has a time measurement function, for example, and can measure time using a signal input / output to / from the control unit 102 described later as a trigger. For example, in the above-described pre-baking unit 53, time measurement is started by using a rising command signal to the lifting pins 62 as a trigger, and the output of the wafer detection sensor 85 when the wafer W is transferred into the next extension / cooling unit 72. The time measurement can be terminated with the signal as a trigger. That is, the measuring unit 100 can measure the time required from when the pre-baking process is completed until the wafer W is loaded into the extension / cooling unit 72. In the present embodiment, the measuring means includes a wafer detection sensor 85, a measuring unit 100, and a control unit 102.
[0043]
The storage unit 101 is determined in accordance with, for example, a processing program P for performing a series of predetermined wafer processing on each wafer, a required time from the completion of the pre-baking processing to the loading of the extension / cooling unit 72 and its length. Correlation data D with the development time, a required time measured by the measuring unit 100, and a processing recipe change program R for changing the development time in the processing program P from the correlation data D are stored. Note that the processing recipe to be changed in the present embodiment is the development time.
[0044]
The processing program P includes, for example, the transfer path of the wafer W in the coating and developing processing apparatus 1, processing recipes in each processing unit, and the like. By executing the processing program P, for example, the main transfer unit 13 and the development processing unit. A predetermined command signal is output to the 18 nozzle drive units 35 and the like, and the wafer W is processed according to the recipe. In the correlation data D, as shown in FIG. 9, a different development time M is determined for each required time T, and this development time M is transferred to the extension / cooling unit 72 from the end of the pre-baking process, for example. When the time required for loading W is the respective required time T, the line width of the circuit pattern finally formed on the wafer and the film thickness of the resist film are determined to be constant values. For example, it is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.
[0045]
The control unit 102 mainly executes various programs such as the processing program P stored in the storage unit 101. Therefore, the control unit 102 can output an instruction signal to each processing unit, each transport unit, and the like of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 according to the processing program P, and control the processing unit and the like. Further, by executing the processing recipe change program R, the development time set in the processing program P can be changed to the development time M of the correlation data D corresponding to the measured required time T. In the present embodiment, the processing recipe changing means is constituted by the recipe changing program R and the control unit 102.
[0046]
The input unit 103 is provided on the front side of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 4, for example, is a touch screen that is a pointing device, for example, setting change of the processing program P, input of correlation data D, etc. It can be performed.
[0047]
Next, a series of wafer processing processes performed by the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. This series of wafer processing is performed according to the processing program P set in advance.
[0048]
First, one unprocessed wafer W is taken out from the cassette C by the wafer transfer body 7 and transferred to the extension unit 52 belonging to the third processing unit group G3. In the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, a plurality of wafers mounted in the cassette C are sequentially transferred to the extension unit 52, and the wafer processing described below is performed in parallel with the flow operation method.
[0049]
The wafer W transferred to the extension unit 52 is transferred to the adhesion unit 51 by the main transfer unit 13, and for example, HMDS is applied on the wafer W to improve the adhesion of the resist solution. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the cooling unit 50 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. The wafer W cooled to a predetermined temperature is transferred to the resist coating unit 17 where a resist solution is applied to the wafer W, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the pre-baking unit 53 by the main transfer unit 13.
[0050]
The wafer W carried into the pre-baking unit 53 is transferred to the lift pins 62 that have been lifted and waited in advance. After the main transport unit 13 is retracted from the pre-baking unit 53, the lid 61 is lowered, and the processing chamber S is formed by the lid 61 and the heat plate 60. After the formation of the processing chamber S, the elevating pins 62 are lowered, and the wafer W is placed on the hot plate 60 heated to a predetermined temperature. At this time, the heating process of the wafer W, that is, the pre-baking process is started.
[0051]
After elapse of a predetermined time, the elevating pins 62 are raised and the wafer W is separated from the hot plate 60, whereby the heating process of the wafer W is completed. At this time, the measurement unit 100 of the control section 9 starts measuring the required time T using the ascending command signal output from the control unit 102 for the elevating pin 62 as a trigger.
[0052]
The wafer W for which the pre-baking process has been completed is transferred from the lifting pins 62 to the main transfer unit 13 and transferred from the pre-baking unit 53 to the extension / cooling unit 72 in the same manner as when loading. When the wafer W is loaded into the casing 72 a from the transfer port 84 of the extension / cooling unit 72, the wafer detection sensor 85 detects the loading of the wafer W, and the information is output to the controller 102. The measuring unit 100 uses this output as a trigger to end the time measurement and obtain the required time T. The data of the measured required time T is temporarily stored in the storage unit 101, for example.
[0053]
The wafer W transferred to the extension / cooling unit 72 is placed on the cooling plate 80 and cooled to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the peripheral exposure unit 91 by the wafer transfer unit 90 and then transferred to the exposure processing unit 4. The wafer W carried into the exposure processing unit 4 is exposed to a predetermined pattern. The wafer W after the exposure processing is transferred to the extension unit 73 by the wafer transfer unit 90, and is transferred from the extension unit 73 to the post-exposure baking unit 74.
[0054]
In the post-exposure baking unit 74, the wafer W is subjected to a heat treatment (PEB treatment), and the chemical reaction of the exposed resist film is promoted. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the cooling unit 70 and subjected to a cooling process. At this time, in the control unit 102, the processing recipe change program R is executed, and the development time set in the processing program P is set to the development time M of the correlation data D corresponding to the required time T of the wafer W measured previously. Be changed. For example, when the required time T is 12 seconds, the development time M is 55 seconds.
[0055]
The wafer W that has undergone the cooling process is transferred to the development processing unit 18. The wafer W transferred to the development processing unit 18 is sucked and held by the spin chuck 30 and rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, for example, 1000 rpm. At this time, the developer supply nozzle 32 moves to the upper part of the center of the wafer W. Then, the developer is discharged from the developer supply nozzle 32, and the developer is supplied onto the rotated wafer W. When the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W due to the rotation of the wafer W, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped and the wafer W is developed statically during the development time M described above.
[0056]
When the developing time M elapses, the wafer W is rotated again, and, for example, the wafer W is cleaned with pure water. Thereafter, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed and is shaken off and dried. When the shake-off drying is completed, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped and the development process is completed.
[0057]
The wafer W after the development processing is transferred to the post-baking unit 76, subjected to heat treatment, and then transferred to the cooling unit 71 for cooling processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the cassette C via the extension unit 52, and a series of wafer processing ends.
[0058]
According to the above embodiment, the required time T from the end of the pre-baking process to the loading of the wafer W into the extension / cooling unit 72 is measured, and the final processing of the wafer W is performed based on the required time T. Since the development time is changed so that the result is always the same, even if the required time T fluctuates depending on various circumstances and the thermal history of the wafer W due to the pre-baking process is different, the development time is finally on the wafer W. The film thickness of the formed resist film, the line width of the circuit pattern, and the like can be set to predetermined values. In particular, in the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 described above, a large number of wafers are continuously processed in a flow work type, and the wafers are transferred by the main transfer unit 13 and the wafer transfer unit 90. This is effective in the case where the wafer W that has been completed cannot be transferred immediately.
[0059]
Further, since the setting of the development time is changed when the wafer W is transferred to the cooling unit 70 immediately before the development processing, the development time of the wafer W is changed immediately before being subjected to the development processing. As a result, in a situation where a large number of wafers are processed in the flow operation method, the development time of each wafer can be changed more reliably without making a mistake in the wafers.
[0060]
In the above embodiment, the required time T from the end of the pre-baking process to the loading of the wafer W into the extension / cooling unit 72 is measured. Required time from start of processing, required time from completion of pre-baking processing to start of cooling processing in extension / cooling unit 72, required from start of pre-baking processing to loading wafer W into extension / cooling unit 72 The developing time may be changed based on the time required by measuring the time. The start of the pre-baking process and the start of the cooling process in the extension / cooling unit 72 may be recognized, for example, by outputting a process start signal from the control unit 102 of the control box 9.
[0061]
In the above embodiment, the developing time is changed. However, other processing recipes such as the rotation speed of the wafer W when supplying the developing solution, the concentration and type of the developing solution, the supply amount of the developing solution, etc. It may be changed. Also in this case, as in the above embodiment, correlation data between the required time T and the processing recipe so that the final processing result is equal is obtained, and development is performed based on the measured required time and the correlation data. Change the process recipe for the process. By doing so, even if the required time T varies and the thermal history varies, the line width of the finally formed circuit pattern and the film thickness of the resist film can be matched between the wafers. .
[0062]
In the above embodiment, the required time T between the pre-baking unit 53 and the extension / cooling unit 72 is measured, and the development time is changed based on the required time T. However, the processing result of the wafer W is affected. The development time may be changed based on the required time between the other processing units. For example, the time required between the post-exposure baking unit 74 and the cooling unit 71 that affects the thermal history of the wafer W may be used.
[0063]
It has also been confirmed that the required time from the end of the exposure process to the start of the post-exposure baking process affects the processing result of the wafer W. Therefore, the required time may be a required time from the completion of the processing of the wafer W in the exposure processing unit 4 to the transfer of the wafer W into the post-exposure baking unit 74.
[0064]
In the above embodiment, the processing result of the wafer W is adjusted by changing the processing recipe of the development processing unit 18, but the processing recipe of another processing unit may be changed. For example, the heating start time in the post-exposure baking unit 74 that can adjust the processing result of the wafer W may be changed. In this case, the progress of the chemical reaction of the resist film started by exposure is adjusted, and the line width of the circuit pattern can be finally adjusted.
[0065]
In the above embodiment, the correlation data D and the process recipe change program R are stored in the control section 9 of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, but the correlation data is stored in a computer as a control device capable of controlling the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1. D or the like may be stored.
[0066]
FIG. 11 shows such an example, and the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 is provided with a computer 111 separately. For example, the computer 111 can communicate with the control section 9 and can remotely control the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110.
[0067]
For example, the computer 111 is determined so that the required time T from the end of the pre-baking process of the coating and developing apparatus 110 to the transfer of the wafer W to the extension / cooling unit 72 is equal to the final processing result of the wafer W. A storage unit that stores correlation data D with the development time M, a measured required time T, and a processing recipe change program R that changes the development time set in the processing program P based on the correlation data D 112. The computer 111 includes a control unit 113 that executes the processing recipe change program R and the like, a communication unit 114 that communicates with the control section 9, and the like. On the other hand, the control section 9 is provided with a measurement unit 100, a storage unit 101 in which the processing program P is stored, a control unit 102 for executing the processing program P and the like as in the above embodiment.
[0068]
Similar to the above-described embodiment, the measuring unit 100 of the control section 9 determines the required time T from the end of the pre-baking process until the wafer W is transferred to the extension / cooling unit 72 where the cooling process is performed immediately thereafter. The result is measured and the result is output to the computer 111. Thereafter, when the wafer W is transferred to the cooling unit 70 immediately before the development processing, the processing recipe change program R is executed by the computer 111, and the processing program is set at the development time M of the correlation data D corresponding to the measured required time T. The development time of P is changed. Thereafter, when the wafer W is subjected to a development process, the wafer W is developed in the development time M after the change.
[0069]
According to this embodiment, since the development time of the wafer W can be changed using the computer 111 that is remote from the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110, the correlation data D can be input from a remote location. It is possible to reduce the number of workers who are the generation sources from actually touching each processing unit of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 to perform work.
[0070]
The measuring unit 100 that measures the required time T may be on the computer 111 side instead of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 side. The processing recipe change program R may be stored in the storage unit 101 of the coating and developing processing apparatus 110 and executed on the coating and developing processing apparatus 110 side. The computer 111 may be provided in a cooling room in which the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 is installed, or may be provided outside the clean room. Further, the computer 111 may be provided at a vendor office of the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 connected to the coating and developing treatment apparatus 110 via the Internet. Further, the computer 111 may be a host computer that controls other devices.
[0071]
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the processing apparatus that performs the coating and developing process of the wafer W. However, the present invention may be applied to other processing apparatuses that perform the SOD film forming process and the like. For example, the time required from the end of the low oxygen high temperature treatment to the start of the cooling treatment may be measured, and the cooling treatment time may be changed based on the required time. Processing can be performed. The present invention can also be applied to processing of substrates other than the wafer W, such as LCD substrates, mask substrates, and reticle substrates.
[0072]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the processing results of a series of substrate processing can be maintained constant, so that the yield of substrates can be improved by suppressing variations between products.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a coating and developing treatment apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of a coating and developing treatment apparatus.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of a configuration of a development processing unit.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of a configuration of a pre-baking unit.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of the configuration of the extension / cooling unit.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a control section.
FIG. 9 is a table showing an example of correlation data.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of wafer processing.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the outline of the configuration of a processing system.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Coating and developing equipment
9 Control section
18 Development processing unit
53 Pre-baking unit
72 Extension cooling unit
D correlation data
W wafer

Claims (13)

A processing method of sequentially transferring a substrate to a plurality of processing units and performing a series of processing on the substrate,
Measuring a time required until the substrate is carried into a second processing unit where the next processing is performed after the processing of the substrate is completed in a specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units;
A processing method, comprising: changing a processing recipe of the substrate in another processing unit that performs processing after the first processing unit based on the measured required time. A processing method of sequentially transferring a substrate to a plurality of processing units and performing a series of processing on the substrate,
Measuring a required time from the start of the substrate processing in the specific first processing unit of the plurality of processing units to the start of the substrate processing in the second processing unit in which the next processing is performed;
A processing method, comprising: changing a processing recipe of the substrate in another processing unit that performs processing after the first processing unit based on the measured required time.   A processing method of sequentially transferring a substrate to a plurality of processing units and performing a series of processing on the substrate,
  Measuring the time required for the substrate to be carried into the second processing unit where the next processing is performed after the processing of the substrate is started in a specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units;
  A processing method comprising: changing a processing recipe of the substrate in another processing unit that performs processing after the first processing unit based on the measured required time.   The other processing unit is a processing unit that performs processing after the second processing unit,
  The change of the processing recipe is performed when the substrate for which the required time has been measured is transported to a processing unit immediately before the other processing unit. The processing method as described in. A processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing units for performing various types of substrate processing and a transporting unit for transporting a substrate between the processing units, and sequentially transporting the substrate to the plurality of processing units to perform a series of processing on the substrate Because
  The time required for the substrate to be carried into the second processing unit where the next processing is performed after the processing of the substrate in the specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units is completed. Time required from the start of substrate processing to the start of the substrate processing in the second processing unit, and the substrate is loaded into the second processing unit after the substrate processing is started in the first processing unit. Measuring means for measuring at least one of the required time until
  A storage unit for storing a processing recipe of another processing unit, which is determined after the first processing unit, is determined according to the length of the required time;
  A processing apparatus comprising: a processing recipe changing unit that changes a current processing recipe of the other processing unit to a processing recipe stored in the storage unit based on the measured required time. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit is provided in a control device capable of controlling the processing device.   The first processing unit is a heat processing unit that heats the substrate after the coating process of applying the coating liquid to the substrate and before the exposure process of the substrate,
  The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second processing unit is a cooling processing unit that cools the substrate. The first processing unit is a substrate exposure processing unit,
  The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second processing unit is a substrate heating processing unit. The first processing unit is a heat processing unit that performs heat processing of the substrate after the substrate exposure processing and before the substrate development processing,
  The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second processing unit is a substrate cooling processing unit. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the other processing unit is a substrate development processing unit. The other processing unit is a heat processing unit that performs heat processing of the substrate after the substrate exposure processing and before the substrate development processing,
  The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing recipe changed in the heat processing unit is a heating start time. A processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing units for performing various types of substrate processing and a transporting unit for transporting a substrate between the processing units, and sequentially transporting the substrate to the plurality of processing units to perform a series of processing on the substrate Because
  The time required for the substrate to be carried into the second processing unit where the next processing is performed after the processing of the substrate in the specific first processing unit among the plurality of processing units is completed. A measuring means for measuring at least one required time from the start of substrate processing until the substrate is loaded into the second processing unit;
  A storage unit for storing a processing recipe of another processing unit, which is determined after the first processing unit, is determined according to the length of the required time;
  A processing apparatus comprising: a processing recipe changing unit that changes a current processing recipe of the other processing unit to a processing recipe stored in the storage unit based on the measured required time.   The first processing unit is a substrate exposure processing unit,
  The second processing unit and the other processing unit are substrate heat processing units,
  The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processing recipe changed in the heat processing unit is a heating start time.

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