JP3988817B2 - Coating liquid coating method and apparatus, and coating condition adjusting method for the apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coating liquid coating method and apparatus for forming a coating film by supplying a coating liquid such as a photoresist liquid or an SOG liquid to a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate) for a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display device, and The present invention relates to a coating condition adjusting method for the apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of coating liquid coating method, the ejection volume, ejection timing, ejection time, and the like of the coating liquid are mainly managed. That is, in order to supply the same coating solution and form substantially the same coating film on the substrate, the above parameters are set to be the same as the substrate rotation speed control. In other words, the same recipe is used for processing.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.
That is, even if the recipe is completely the same as described above, there is a problem that the film thickness profile formed on the surface of the substrate may fluctuate. For example, a certain substrate has a “convex film thickness profile” in which the film thickness decreases from the center to the periphery of the substrate, while a certain substrate has a “concave film thickness profile” on the contrary.
[0004]
If the film thickness profile is almost the same, but only the film thickness is different, it is easy to shift the film thickness profile by adjusting other parameters and form the same coating film (the film thickness and its profile are almost the same) It is. However, if the film thickness profiles are different, it is not easy to adjust the other parameters to form the same coating film.
[0005]
In addition, the following different problems also occur due to the above problems.
That is, in the coating liquid coating apparatus, a plurality of coating processing units having the same configuration are provided, or a plurality of coating liquid coating apparatuses having the same configuration are used to form the same coating film in each processing unit and each apparatus. Should be processed by the same recipe. However, even if the same recipe is used for processing units and apparatuses having the same configuration, it is not always possible to form a coating film having the same film thickness profile.
[0006]
Therefore, in order to increase the production volume, when a plurality of coating solution coating devices with the same configuration are introduced, the recipe for obtaining an appropriate film thickness profile by setting the conditions with one device was transplanted to other devices. However, it is not possible to form a coating film having substantially the same film thickness profile in all apparatuses. Therefore, fine adjustment of the recipe is required for each device, and there is a problem that the transplantation of the recipe cannot be easily performed. If the recipe cannot be easily transplanted in this way, it takes a long time to start up the introduced apparatus.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a coating liquid capable of making the film thickness profile constant by managing parameters related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid supplied from the nozzle. An object is to provide a coating method and an apparatus therefor.
[0008]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating liquid coating apparatus capable of facilitating the adjustment work for obtaining the same coating film by transplanting adjustment values including parameters related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid supplied from the nozzle. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for adjusting coating conditions.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
  That is, the invention described in claim 1RotatingIn a coating liquid coating method for forming a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a substrate, parameters corresponding to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle are set in the coating liquid supply process.Of these, the film thickness distribution from the central part to the peripheral part of the substrate when the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped.Closely related to film thickness profileRuichiThe measurement is performed at a time point, and whether or not the coating liquid is discharged is determined based on the measured value.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid coating method according to the first aspect, the parameters are ejected toward the substrate from the ejection pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the nozzle. It is any one of the thickness of a coating liquid.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid coating method according to the first or second aspect, whether or not the discharge of the coating liquid is appropriate is performed when a film is formed on the substrate in advance so as to obtain a desired film thickness profile. This parameter is stored as a reference value, and is performed based on a comparison between the reference value and the measured value.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid coating method according to any one of the first to third aspects, an alarm is issued when the ejection of the coating liquid is inappropriate.
[0013]
  The invention described in claim 5RotatingIn a coating liquid coating apparatus that forms a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a substrate, parameters according to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle are set in the coating liquid supply process.Of these, the film thickness distribution from the central part to the peripheral part of the substrate when the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped.Closely related to film thickness profileRuichiMeasuring means for measuring as a measured value at a time point, judging means for judging the suitability of the discharge of the coating liquid based on the measured value, and an alarm if the judging means judges that the dispensing of the coating liquid is inappropriate And an alarm means for emitting.
[0014]
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the coating liquid coating apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the measuring means includes a coating liquid discharge pressure, a coating liquid flow rate, a coating liquid flow rate, and a coating liquid discharged from a nozzle. Any one of the thicknesses is measured.
[0015]
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the coating liquid coating apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, when a film is formed on the substrate in advance so as to obtain a desired film thickness profile, the measured value by the measuring means is measured. Is stored as a reference value, and the determination means compares the reference value with the measured value.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 8 is the coating liquid coating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the measuring means measures the parameter a plurality of times within a predetermined time, and the average value is measured as the measured value of the parameter. It is characterized by that.
[0017]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid coating apparatus according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, when the determination unit determines that the ejection of the coating liquid is inappropriate, the parameter is set to a reference value. A correction means for correcting the coating liquid supply means so as to approach is provided.
[0018]
  The invention according to claim 10 is:RotatingSupply coating solution to substrate to form coating filmMultiple unitsCoating liquid coating device,Alternatively, a coating liquid coating apparatus provided with a plurality of coating processing units for forming a coating film by supplying the coating liquid to a rotating substrate.In the coating condition adjusting method, a parameter corresponding to the discharge mode of the coating liquid when a coating film having a desired film thickness profile is formed on the substrate, the coating liquid supply process,This is the distribution of film thickness from the center to the periphery of the substrate.Closely related to film thickness profileRuichiMeasure at the time and use the adjustment value including the measured valueEach coating liquid coating device or each coating processing unitThe application conditions are adjusted.
[0019]
[Action]
The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows.
Conventionally, in order to obtain the same coating film, recipes such as the discharge amount and the discharge timing are made the same. However, this means that the “average” flow rate and discharge speed of the coating liquid from the start to the end of discharge are the same, and the flow rate and discharge rate of the coating liquid at each point in the coating liquid discharge process. The speed is not maintained at the set value. Actually, the flow rate and discharge speed at each point of the coating liquid discharge process may vary depending on various factors such as the characteristics of the pump used to supply the coating liquid and the filter in the middle of the pipe, and the expansion and contraction of the pipe itself. It is normal. As a result, the discharge mode of the coating liquid, such as the momentum of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle and the thickness of the flow of the discharged coating liquid, varies during the discharging process. In particular, the change in the discharge mode of the coating liquid is significant when the discharge starts or stops when the pressure fluctuation is large. Moreover, the above-mentioned factors that cause such fluctuations differ between coating apparatuses, and it is practically impossible to make them completely the same, so it is difficult to obtain the same film thickness profile between apparatuses. I have to.
[0020]
The inventors have found that the film thickness profile is different if the discharge mode is changed even if the recipe is the same, by performing various experiments. Further, paying attention to parameter profiles (that is, changes with time) according to various ways of application of the coating liquid, the inventors have found a phenomenon that the film thickness profiles are substantially the same if the parameters are substantially the same profile. Moreover, it has been found that the parameter value at a specific point in time in the parameter profile greatly affects the film thickness profile.
[0021]
  Therefore, we focus on the value (real-time value) at a temporary point that is closely related to the film thickness profile, not the average value of the parameter as in the past.In a state where the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped,The discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle at the time is measured, and this is used as a measurement value. Since this measurement value is closely related to the film thickness profile, if the parameters are approximately the same profile, the film thickness profile will be approximately the same. Can do.
[0022]
According to the invention described in claim 2, the thickness of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle that varies depending on the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the flow rate and flow rate of the coating liquid, This is closely related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle. Therefore, any one of these is measured.
[0023]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether discharge is appropriate or not by comparing the measured value with a parameter when a coating film having an appropriate film thickness profile is obtained.
[0024]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, it is possible to notify that an inappropriate process is being performed by issuing an alarm.
[0025]
  According to the invention described in claim 5, the measuring means sets the parameter,In a state where the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped,Closely related to film thickness profileRuichiMeasurement is performed at the time, and the determination unit determines whether the discharge of the coating liquid is appropriate or inappropriate based on the measured value. If the determination result is inappropriate, the alarm means issues an alarm to notify that improper processing is being performed.
[0026]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the measuring means includes the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the flow rate of the coating liquid, which are closely related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle. Any one of the thicknesses of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle that changes depending on the flow rate or the like is measured.
[0027]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, first, a parameter when a coating film having an appropriate film thickness profile is obtained is stored as a reference value in the storage unit, and the determination unit stores the reference value and the measured value. Compare.
[0028]
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the parameter is measured a plurality of times during a predetermined time of the time during which the coating liquid is discharged, and the average value is taken as the measured value. Thereby, even if the parameter varies to the extent that there is no change in the discharge mode of the coating liquid, it can be prevented that the determining means determines that it is inappropriate.
[0029]
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, the correction means corrects the supply means so that the measured value approaches the reference value, and the discharge of the coating liquid becomes appropriate. To control.
[0030]
According to the invention described in claim 10, the film thickness profile can be made substantially the same by setting the adjustment value including the measurement value (for example, the measurement value and the discharge timing) as the application condition such as the recipe.
[0031]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 relates to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a coating liquid coating apparatus according to the embodiment.
[0032]
The substrate W is held by the spin chuck 1 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. The spin chuck 1 is connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 3 and is driven to rotate by this. Around the spin chuck 1, a scattering prevention cup 5 for preventing the coating liquid from scattering is provided. Above the vicinity of the opening of the anti-scattering cup 5 and in the vicinity of the center of rotation of the substrate W, a nozzle 7 that has moved from a standby position corresponding to the side of the anti-scattering cup 5 is located.
[0033]
A pipe 11 is connected to the nozzle 7 so as to communicate with the chemical liquid bottle 9 and through which the coating liquid stored therein is circulated. A pump 13, a pressure gauge 15, a filter 17, and a discharge valve 19 are attached to the pipe 11.
[0034]
The pump 13 sucks the coating liquid stored in the chemical liquid bottle 9 and sends it out to the filter 17 side. The pressure gauge 15 measures the pressure in the pipe 11, and in this case, measures the discharge pressure of the coating liquid. The filter 17 has a function of removing particles that may be contained in the coating liquid. The discharge valve 19 controls the flow of the coating liquid in the pipe 11 by opening and closing the valve based on the instruction.
[0035]
The operation of the pump 13 is controlled by the control unit 23 via the driver 21. For example, the control unit 23 controls the operation of the pump 13 by changing the number of pulses (pps) given to the driver 21. The control unit 23 can measure the discharge pressure of the coating liquid (corresponding to a parameter in the present invention) based on the output of the pressure gauge 15 and can give an opening / closing instruction to the discharge valve 19. A measured value obtained by measuring the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, which is performed prior to actually processing the substrate W as a product, is stored in the memory 25. Moreover, the rotation speed of the electric motor 3 is also controlled according to the recipe. The control unit 23 controls each of the above-described units as will be described later. When it is determined that the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate at that time, for example, the alarm unit 27 including a lamp or a speaker is driven. To inform you.
[0036]
The pump and driver 21 described above correspond to supply means in the present invention, the pressure gauge 15 and the control unit 23 correspond to measurement means, and the alarm unit 27 corresponds to alarm means. The control unit 23 corresponds to a determination unit and a correction unit in the present invention.
[0037]
Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 is a graph showing an example of a discharge pressure waveform, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of a film thickness profile in the substrate W plane.
[0038]
In FIG. 2, all of the reference numerals PT1 to PT3 are different from each other in controlling the pump 13 and the like, and the way in which the coating liquid is discharged from the nozzle 7 is different. 15 is a plot of 15 pressure changes.
[0039]
More specifically, the time T1 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the discharge time during which the coating liquid is actually discharged from the nozzle 7. In the recipe at this time, the coating liquid is discharged while rotating the substrate W at a constant speed, the discharge is maintained while the rotation of the substrate W is stopped for a moment, and then the discharge is stopped and the rotation speed is set. It is raised so that the coating solution is shaken off. At that time, the substrate W is in a stopped state at time T2. Therefore, the time T2 from 12 seconds to the TS time point is a state in which the coating liquid is piled up on the stationary substrate W surface. In this example, the manner of dispensing the coating liquid at that time is greatly different.
[0040]
Further, FIG. 3 shows an in-plane film thickness profile example of the coating film formed on the substrate W by the application methods PT1 to PT3 in FIG. In the film thickness profile shown in FIG. 3, it can be said that the uniformity when the discharge pressure waveform is denoted by PT1 is most excellent. Accordingly, the discharge pressure at one point of the discharge pressure waveform at this time is stored in the memory 25 in advance. For example, the discharge pressure at time TM1 within time T2 is stored as a “reference value”.
[0041]
Next, the coating process for the substrate W will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, this FIG. 4 is a flowchart which shows the example of control at the time of application | coating. In this flowchart, only the period from the start to the stop of the discharge of the coating liquid is shown in the coating process.
[0042]
Step S1
When the substrate W is rotated at a constant speed according to the recipe, the control unit 23 operates the pump 13 and the discharge valve 19 via the driver 21. Thereby, the discharge of the coating liquid from the nozzle 7 is started. At this time, the pressure gauge 15 detects a sudden pressure increase as shown in FIG. 2 and is detected as needed by the control unit 23 as the discharge pressure.
[0043]
Step S2
The control unit 23 determines the discharge pressure (measured value of the present invention) at the same time when the “reference value” of the discharge pressure stored in the memory 25 is measured, that is, at a specific time corresponding to the time TM1 in FIG. ).
[0044]
Step S3
The “reference value” of the discharge pressure stored in the memory 25 is compared with the discharge pressure measured in step S2. At the time of comparison, for example, when the discharge pressure is a value that exceeds ± 5% with respect to the reference value, it is determined that the discharge of the coating liquid is in an inappropriate state (NG), and the process proceeds to step S4. Transition. On the other hand, when it is determined that the discharge of the coating liquid is in an appropriate state (OK), the process proceeds to step S5.
[0045]
  Step S4
  When it is determined that the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, the control unit 23 drives the alarm unit 27 to issue an alarm. As a result, the operator can know that a trouble has occurred regarding the discharge of the coating liquid..
[0046]
Step S5
The control unit 23 deactivates the pump 13 and the discharge valve 19 based on the recipe, and stops the discharge of the coating liquid.
[0047]
In this example, an alarm is only issued when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, but the process may be stopped together with the alarm when it is determined that the discharge is inappropriate. Further, even if the process is stopped immediately, the process may be stopped after waiting until all the processes for one lot of substrates are completed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent inappropriate processing from being continuously performed.
[0048]
As described above, paying attention to the discharge pressure of the coating liquid at a temporary point that is closely related to the film thickness profile, and the characteristic that the film thickness profile is the same if the discharge pressure is the same profile, the discharge of the temporary point Whether or not the coating liquid is discharged can be determined based on the pressure. Therefore, the film thickness profile can be made constant.
[0049]
In addition, this invention is not limited to said Example, You may implement as modified as follows.
[0050]
(1) In the above example, only one point of discharge pressure at one point is measured, but a plurality of points may be measured. For example, the discharge pressure may be measured every predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds) within the range of the time T1 in FIG. 2, and the suitability may be determined using a plurality of discharge pressures. In this case, as a matter of course, discharge pressures serving as reference values for a plurality of corresponding points are stored in advance.
[0051]
(2) The discharge pressure may be measured a plurality of times within a predetermined time, and the average value may be used as the measurement value. As a result, it is possible to prevent the discharge pressure from being determined to be inappropriate even if a fluctuation that does not affect the film thickness profile occurs in the discharge pressure. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether discharge is appropriate.
[0052]
(3) The parameters according to the discharge mode of the coating liquid include the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the coating liquid discharged toward the substrate W from the nozzle 7 in addition to the above-described discharge pressure of the coating liquid. The thickness is exemplified.
[0053]
Specifically, when the flow rate and flow rate of the coating liquid are employed, a flow meter 29 (measuring means) is provided in the pipe 11 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, a part of FIG. 1 is omitted. Further, when adopting the thickness of the coating solution, a camera 31 (measuring means) is attached at a position where the coating solution discharged from the nozzle 7 toward the substrate W can be photographed as shown in FIG. Then, the photographed data is image-processed by the control unit 23 and the like, the thickness of the coating liquid is measured, and the suitability of the ejection can be determined based on this.
[0054]
(4) In the above embodiment, only an alarm is issued when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate. However, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. It may be automatically corrected so that the discharge of the coating liquid becomes appropriate. Note that this flowchart shows only a part from the discharge start to the stop.
[0055]
The discharge of the coating liquid is started (step S10), and at that time, the discharge pressure is measured (step S11). Next, it is determined whether or not it is the timing of the end of discharge (step S12). If it is not the end, the discharge pressure is compared with a reference value (step S13). As a result, if it is appropriate, no correction is necessary, and the process returns to the measurement of the discharge pressure (step S11). On the other hand, if it is inappropriate, the instruction value from the control unit 23 to the driver 21 is corrected (step S14).
[0056]
As a correction method, for example, when the discharge pressure deviates by more than ± 5% with respect to the reference value, the instruction value given to the driver 21 as a slight correction is increased or decreased by 10 pps. If the deviation is over ± 10% with respect to the reference value, the indication value is increased or decreased by 20 pps as the severe correction. Then, after the corrected instruction value is output to the driver 21, the discharge pressure is measured again (step S11). This is repeated until the ejection is stopped according to the recipe (step S14). If the discharge pressure is significantly deviated from the reference value, an alarm may be issued without correction and the process may be stopped immediately.
[0057]
By adopting such a configuration, when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, the instruction value given to the driver 21 by the control unit 23 is corrected so that the discharge pressure at the temporary point approaches the reference value. The discharge is controlled to be appropriate. Therefore, when an inappropriate discharge mode is obtained, it is automatically corrected and can be automatically returned to an appropriate discharge mode. As a result, a good discharge state can be maintained over a long period of time.
[0058]
In the case of (4), (2) and (3) described above may be used in combination. Further, the correction process is not performed in real time when the coating process is performed on the substrate as in the above (4), but after the discharge is inappropriate and an alarm is issued to stop the process, the operator stops the dummy substrate. As described in (4) above, the adjustment process may be automatically performed so that an appropriate coating solution is dispensed.
[0059]
  In the above description, the point that the film thickness profile is made constant in the coating process is described. However, when a coating film having a desired film thickness profile is formed on the substrate, the parameter corresponding to the discharge mode of the coating liquid is closely related to the film thickness profile of the coating liquid supply process.RuichiIn order to form the same coating film with a coating liquid coating apparatus or a plurality of coating liquid coating apparatuses provided with a plurality of coating processing units when the coating conditions are adjusted using the adjustment values including the measurement values measured at the time Can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the apparatus can be started up relatively quickly.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
  As is clear from the above description, according to the invention described in claim 1, instead of the average value of parameters as in the prior art,In a state where the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped,Paying attention to the value at a temporary point closely related to the film thickness profile, the coating liquid supply processOneThe discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle at the time is measured, and this is used as a measurement value. Since this measurement value is closely related to the film thickness profile, the suitability of the discharge of the coating liquid is determined based on the measurement value based on the characteristic that the film thickness profile is the same if the parameters are the same profile. Thus, the film thickness profile can be made constant.
[0061]
According to the invention described in claim 2, the thickness of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle that varies depending on the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the flow rate and flow rate of the coating liquid, This is closely related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle. Therefore, by measuring any one of these, the discharge mode of the coating liquid can be made constant and the film thickness profile can be made constant.
[0062]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether discharge is appropriate or not by comparing the measured value with a parameter when a suitable film thickness profile is obtained.
[0063]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, it is possible to notify that an inappropriate process is being performed by issuing an alarm. Therefore, it is possible to prevent improper processing from being continuously performed by stopping application after alarming.
[0064]
  According to invention of Claim 5, a measurement means is about a parameter,In a state where the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped,It is closely related to the film thickness profile of the coating liquid supply process.RuichiMeasurement is performed at the time, and the determination unit determines whether the discharge of the coating liquid is appropriate or inappropriate based on the measured value. From the characteristic that the film thickness profile is the same if the parameters are the same profile, it is possible to determine whether or not the discharge of the coating liquid is appropriate based on the measured value, thereby making the film thickness profile constant. In addition, when the determination result is inappropriate, the alarm means issues an alarm to notify that inappropriate processing is being performed, so that inappropriate processing can be prevented from being performed continuously.
[0065]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the flow rate of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle are closely related to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle. By measuring any one of the thicknesses, it is possible to determine whether the coating liquid is discharged based on the measured value.
[0066]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a parameter when an appropriate film thickness profile is obtained is stored in the storage means as a reference value, and the determination means compares the reference value with the measured value. This makes it possible to compare an accurate reference value with a measured value.
[0067]
According to the invention described in claim 8, by determining the parameter a plurality of times and using the average value as the measured value, the determination means is inappropriate even if the parameter varies to the extent that the discharge mode of the coating liquid does not change. Judgment can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether discharge is appropriate.
[0068]
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate, the correction means corrects the supply means so that the measured value approaches the reference value, and the discharge of the coating liquid becomes appropriate. Therefore, when an inappropriate discharge mode is obtained, it is automatically corrected and can be automatically returned to an appropriate discharge mode, and good discharge can be maintained over a long period of time.
[0069]
According to the invention described in claim 10, the film thickness profile can be made substantially the same by setting the adjustment value including the measurement value to the application condition such as a recipe. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform an adjustment operation for forming the same coating film with a coating liquid coating apparatus or a plurality of coating liquid coating apparatuses provided with a plurality of coating processing units.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a coating liquid coating apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of a discharge pressure waveform.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of a film thickness profile.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of control during application.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a modification of the measuring unit of the coating liquid coating apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control example during correction.
[Explanation of symbols]
W ... Substrate
1 ... Spin chuck
3 ... Electric motor
13 ... Pump (supply means)
15 ... Pressure gauge (measuring means)
21 ... Driver (supply means)
23: Control unit (measuring means, judging means, correcting means)
27 ... Alarm section (alarm means)
PT1 to PT3 ... How to apply coating liquid

Claims (10)

In a coating liquid coating method for forming a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a rotating substrate,
The parameter according to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle is the distribution of the film thickness from the central part to the peripheral part of the substrate when the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped in the coating liquid supply process. coating liquid coating method characterized by measured by closely related have that one time in a certain thickness profile, to determine the appropriateness for discharge of the coating solution based on the measured value. In the coating liquid coating method according to claim 1,
The parameter is any one of a coating solution discharge pressure, a coating solution flow rate, a coating solution flow rate, and a thickness of the coating solution discharged from the nozzle toward the substrate. Application method. In the coating liquid coating method according to claim 1 or 2,
Appropriateness of the discharge of the coating liquid is determined based on the comparison between the reference value and the measured value by previously storing a parameter when the film is formed on the substrate so as to obtain a desired film thickness profile. A coating liquid coating method characterized by being performed. In the coating liquid coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An application method for applying a coating liquid, wherein an alarm is issued when the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate. In a coating liquid coating apparatus that forms a coating film by supplying a coating liquid to a rotating substrate,
The parameter according to the discharge mode of the coating liquid from the nozzle is the distribution of the film thickness from the central part to the peripheral part of the substrate when the rotation of the substrate is temporarily stopped in the coating liquid supply process. measuring means for measuring a measured value at a time that is closely associated with a film thickness profile,
A judging means for judging suitability for discharging the coating liquid based on the measured value;
An alarm means for issuing an alarm when it is determined by the determination means that the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate;
A coating liquid coating apparatus comprising: In the coating liquid coating apparatus according to claim 5,
The measuring means measures any one of the discharge pressure of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, the flow rate of the coating liquid, and the thickness of the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle. . In the coating liquid coating apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
When a film is formed on the substrate in advance so as to obtain a desired film thickness profile, the storage unit stores a measurement value by the measurement unit as a reference value,
The determination unit compares the reference value with the measured value, and the coating liquid coating apparatus. In the coating liquid coating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The measuring means measures a parameter a plurality of times within a predetermined time, and uses the average value as a measured value of the parameter. In the coating liquid coating apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
A coating liquid coating apparatus comprising: a correction unit that corrects the coating liquid supply unit so that the parameter approaches a reference value when the determination unit determines that the discharge of the coating liquid is inappropriate. . A plurality of coating liquid application device which supplies a coating liquid to the substrate during rotation to form a coating film, or with a plurality of coating modules that the substrate being rotated by supplying a coating solution to form a coating film coating In the coating condition adjustment method for the liquid coating device ,
When a coating film having a desired film thickness profile is formed on the substrate, the parameter corresponding to the coating liquid discharge mode is determined by the distribution of the film thickness from the center to the periphery of the substrate during the coating liquid supply process. coating with a film thickness profile closely measured at relevant though that one time in, and adjusting the respective coating liquid application device or coating conditions for each coating processing using the adjustment values including the measurement Application condition adjustment method for a liquid application device.

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