JP4523516B2 - Coating film unevenness detection method, coating film unevenness detection program, substrate processing method, and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coating film unevenness detection method for detecting unevenness of a coating film after a coating liquid such as a resist is applied to a substrate such as a glass substrate used in an FPD (flat panel display) such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD). , coated fabric layer irregularity detection program relates to a substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus.

  In an FPD manufacturing process typified by a liquid crystal display (LCD), a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a glass substrate by using a photolithography technique. That is, a resist solution is supplied to a glass substrate to form a coating film, which is dried and heat-treated, and then subjected to exposure processing and development processing in sequence.

Here, as an apparatus for forming a coating film by supplying a resist solution to a glass substrate, a mounting table that holds the glass substrate horizontally, a resist nozzle that supplies the resist solution to the substrate held on the mounting table, There is known a slit type coating processing apparatus having a moving mechanism that relatively moves a mounting table and a resist nozzle in the horizontal direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-52821 A

  When the resist coating is performed by the slit type coating processing apparatus, a meniscus is formed on the rear side with respect to the nozzle traveling direction, and the coating is performed with a uniform film thickness by performing coating while maintaining the shape of the meniscus constant. A film is formed. However, when the meniscus becomes unstable, local clogging occurs in the nozzle, or dust is present on the substrate, it becomes difficult to form a uniform coating film. Application unevenness such as horizontal stripes and broom stripes occurs. Unevenness in the thickness of the coating film appears as a difference in etching line width, and eventually causes variations in image quality of a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like.

  For example, FIG. 22 is a graph showing the relationship between the resist film thickness, the developed line width (CD), and the threshold exposure energy (Eth) for completely eliminating the resist. From the graph of FIG. 22, it can be seen that when the resist film thickness changes by 10 nm, the line width (CD) changes by about 0.2 μm. Also, the threshold exposure energy (Eth) changes in the same manner as the line width (CD). There is a concern that such a variation in the line width (CD) may adversely affect the electrical specification of a final product such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).

  For this reason, conventionally, an operator has made a visual determination on the unevenness of the coating film after the coating treatment. Judgment of application unevenness by visual inspection is largely dependent on the experience and intuition of the operator, and it is not easy to find local unevenness by visual inspection. There were problems such as taking a long time.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. After a coating solution such as a resist is applied to a substrate to form a coating film, unevenness in the thickness of the coating film is quantitatively detected by a simple method. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting unevenness of a coating film that can be evaluated in time.

A first aspect of the present invention is an unevenness detection method for detecting unevenness in the thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate,
A film thickness measuring step for measuring the film thickness of a plurality of measurement points on the coating film;
Based on the measured film thickness of each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for obtaining the change rate of the film thickness between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
A method for detecting unevenness of a coating film is provided.

  According to the coating film unevenness detection method of the first aspect, it is possible to objectively grasp the coating film unevenness by a simple method without depending on experience or intuition. For example, local unevenness in a coating film and unevenness over a wide range can be reliably detected in a short time, so that the reliability of a substrate processing product such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) can be improved.

  In the first aspect, the threshold value may be set according to the distance between the measurement points, or may be set according to the average film thickness of the coating film. Or you may set according to the kind of coating film.

  Moreover, the position determination process of determining whether the position of the nonuniformity exists in a predetermined | prescribed area | region can be included after the said determination process.

  The substrate may be an FPD substrate. The coating film may be a resist film, an organic film, or a color resist film for a color filter.

A second aspect of the present invention is a coating film non-uniformity detection program for detecting non-uniformity in the thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate, the computer comprising:
A film thickness measurement step for measuring the film thickness of a plurality of measurement points on the coating film;
Based on the measured film thickness at each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for determining the film thickness change rate between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
Characterized in that for the execution, providing nonuniformity detecting program of the coating film.

  In the second aspect, the threshold value may be set according to the distance between the measurement points, or may be set according to the average film thickness of the coating film. Or you may set according to the kind of coating film.

  In addition, after the determination step, a position determination step of determining whether or not the uneven position is within a predetermined region can be included. The substrate may be an FPD substrate. The coating film may be a resist film, an organic film, or a color resist film for a color filter.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating process in which a resist solution is applied to a substrate to form a resist film, an exposure process in which the resist film is exposed, and a resist film after the exposure process is developed to form a pattern. A substrate processing method including a developing step,
After the coating process, a film thickness measuring process for measuring the film thickness of the resist film at a plurality of measurement points;
Based on the measured film thickness of each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for obtaining the change rate of the film thickness between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
A substrate processing method is provided.

  The threshold value may be set according to the distance between the measurement points, or may be set according to the average film thickness of the coating film. Or you may set according to the kind of coating film.

  Moreover, the position determination process of determining whether the position of the nonuniformity exists in a predetermined | prescribed area | region can be included after the said determination process. The substrate may be an FPD substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating processing apparatus that forms a coating film on a substrate by discharging a coating liquid from above the substrate by a nozzle that moves relative to a substantially horizontally supported substrate;
A film thickness measuring means for measuring the film thickness of the coating film applied to the substrate by the coating processing apparatus;
Based on the measured film thickness and the distance between the measurement points that is the basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance, control for determining the film thickness change rate between the measurement points and determining the presence or absence of coating unevenness Means,
A substrate processing apparatus is provided.

  In the fourth aspect, the control means may determine whether or not the position of the unevenness is within a predetermined area, together with the determination of whether or not the application is uneven.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to objectively grasp the unevenness of the coating film by a simple method without depending on experience or intuition. For example, local unevenness in a coating film and unevenness over a wide range can be reliably detected in a short time, so that the reliability of a substrate processing product such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the case where the present invention is applied to an apparatus and a method for forming a resist film on the surface of a glass substrate for LCD (hereinafter referred to as “LCD substrate”) will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a resist for forming a resist film, an organic film or a color resist film for a color filter on an LCD substrate, and a developing process such as a resist film after an exposure process, a color resist film for an organic film or a color filter. 1 is a schematic plan view of a coating / development processing system. This resist coating / development processing system 100 performs a series of processes including resist coating and development on the cassette station (loading / unloading unit) 1 on which a cassette C accommodating a plurality of LCD substrates G is placed. A processing station (processing unit) 2 having a plurality of processing units, an interface station (interface unit) 3 for transferring the LCD substrate G between the exposure apparatus 4, and a resist coating / developing processing system 100. A control unit 101 that controls each component is provided, and the cassette station 1 and the interface station 3 are disposed at both ends of the processing station 2, respectively. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the resist coating / development processing system 100 is the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction on the plane is the Y direction.

  The cassette station 1 includes a mounting table 9 on which the cassette C can be mounted in the Y direction, and a transfer device 11 for carrying the LCD substrate G in and out of the processing station 2. The cassette C is transported to the outside. The transfer device 11 has a transfer arm 11a, and can move on a transfer path 10 provided along the Y direction, which is the arrangement direction of the cassette C. The transfer arm 11a moves between the cassette C and the processing station 2. Loading and unloading of the LCD substrate G is performed.

  The processing station 2 basically has two parallel rows of transfer lines A and B for transferring the LCD substrate G extending in the X direction, and is directed from the cassette station 1 side to the interface station 3 along the transfer line A. A scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21, a first thermal processing unit section 26, a resist coating processing unit 23, and a second thermal processing unit section 27 are arranged.

  Further, from the interface station 3 side toward the cassette station 1 along the transfer line B, the second thermal processing unit section 27, the development processing unit (DEV) 24, and the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 and a third thermal processing unit section 28 are arranged. An excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 is provided on a part of the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21. The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 is provided for scrub pretreatment for removing organic substances on the LCD substrate G prior to scrub cleaning, and the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is an organic film. It is provided to perform a decoloring process.

  In the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, the cleaning process and the drying process are performed while the LCD substrate G is conveyed in a substantially horizontal posture. In the development processing unit (DEV) 24, the developer coating, rinsing and drying processes are sequentially performed while the LCD substrate G is conveyed in a substantially horizontal posture. In the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 and the development processing unit (DEV) 24, the LCD substrate G is transported by, for example, roller transport or belt transport, and the carry-in port and the carry-out port of the LCD substrate G are short sides opposite to each other. Is provided. Further, the conveyance of the LCD substrate G to the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is continuously performed by a mechanism similar to the conveyance mechanism of the development processing unit (DEV) 24.

  As will be described later in detail, the resist coating processing unit 23 supplies a resist solution while transporting the LCD substrate G in a substantially horizontal posture, and forms a coating film R, and a reduced pressure atmosphere. And a vacuum drying apparatus (VD) 23b for evaporating volatile components contained in the coating film R formed on the LCD substrate G by exposing the LCD substrate G to drying the coating film R.

  The first thermal processing unit section 26 includes two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 31 and 32 configured by stacking thermal processing units that perform thermal processing on the LCD substrate G. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 is provided on the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 side, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32 is provided on the resist coating processing unit 23 side. A first transport device 33 is provided between the two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 31 and 32.

  As shown in the side view of the first thermal processing unit section 26 in FIG. 2, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 includes a pass unit (PASS) 61 for transferring the LCD substrate G in order from the bottom, and an LCD Two dehydration bake units (DHP) 62 and 63 for performing dehydration bake processing on the substrate G and an adhesion processing unit (AD) 64 for performing hydrophobic treatment on the LCD substrate G are stacked in four stages. Have. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 32 includes a pass unit (PASS) 65 for transferring the LCD substrate G in order from the bottom, two cooling units (COL) 66 and 67 for cooling the LCD substrate G, an LCD An adhesion processing unit (AD) 68 that performs a hydrophobic treatment on the substrate G is stacked in four stages.

  The first transfer device 33 receives the LCD substrate G from the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 via the pass unit (PASS) 61, carries in and out the LCD substrate G between the thermal processing units, and passes. The LCD substrate G is transferred to the resist coating processing unit 23 through the unit (PASS) 65.

  The first transport device 33 includes a guide rail 91 that extends vertically, a lifting member 92 that moves up and down along the guide rail 91, a base member 93 that can pivot on the lifting member 92, and a base member 93. It has a substrate holding arm 94 that is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward and holds the LCD substrate G. The elevating member 92 is moved up and down by the motor 95, the base member 93 is turned by the motor 96, and the substrate holding arm 94 is moved back and forth by the motor 97. Thus, the 1st conveyance apparatus 33 can be moved up and down, back and forth, and swiveled, and can access any unit of thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 * 32.

  The second thermal processing unit section 27 includes two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34 and 35 configured by stacking thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the LCD substrate G. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 is provided on the resist coating processing unit 23 side, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 is provided on the development processing unit (DEV) 24 side. A second transport device 36 is provided between the two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34 and 35.

  As shown in the side view of the second thermal processing unit section 27 in FIG. 3, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 includes a pass unit (PASS) 69 for transferring the LCD substrate G in order from the bottom, and an LCD A coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 that measures the film thickness of the resist coating film applied to the substrate G, and two prebake units (PREBAKE) 71 and 72 that perform prebaking processing on the LCD substrate G are arranged in four stages. It is the structure laminated | stacked on. In addition, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 includes a pass unit (PASS) 73 for transferring the LCD substrate G in order from the bottom, a cooling unit (COL) 74 for cooling the LCD substrate G, and the LCD substrate G. Thus, two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 75 and 76 for performing pre-baking are stacked in four stages.

  The second transfer device 36 receives the LCD substrate G from the resist coating processing unit 23 through the pass unit (PASS) 69, carries in and out the LCD substrate G between the thermal processing units, and the pass unit (PASS). The LCD substrate G is transferred to the development processing unit (DEV) 24 via 73, and the LCD substrate G is transferred to and received from an extension cooling stage (EXT / COL) 44, which is a substrate transfer portion of the interface station 3 described later. ,I do. The second transfer device 36 has the same structure as the first transfer device 33, and can access any unit of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34 and 35.

  The third thermal processing unit section 28 includes two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 37 and 38 configured by stacking thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the LCD substrate G. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 37 is provided on the development processing unit (DEV) 24 side, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38 is provided on the cassette station 1 side. A third transfer device 39 is provided between the two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 37 and 38.

  As shown in the side view of the third thermal processing unit section 28 in FIG. 4, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 37 includes, in order from the bottom, a pass unit (PASS) 77 that delivers the LCD substrate G, and Three post-baking units (POBAKE) 78, 79, and 80 for performing post-baking processing on the LCD substrate G are stacked in four stages. Further, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38 performs, in order from the bottom, a pass / cooling unit (PASS / COL) 81 for transferring and cooling the LCD substrate G and a post-baking process for the LCD substrate G 3 Two post-bake units (POBAKE) 82, 83, and 84 are stacked in four stages.

  The third transport device 39 receives the LCD substrate G from the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 via the pass unit (PASS) 77, and carries the LCD substrate G in and out of the thermal processing unit. Then, the LCD substrate G is transferred to the cassette station 1 via the pass / cooling unit (PASS / COL) 81. The third transfer device 39 has the same structure as the first transfer device 33, and can access any unit of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 37 and 38.

  In the processing station 2, the processing units and the transport devices are arranged so as to form the transport lines A and B in two rows as described above and basically in the order of processing. A space 40 is provided between B. A shuttle (substrate mounting member) 41 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in the space 40. The shuttle 41 is configured to be able to hold the LCD substrate G, and the LCD substrate G is transferred between the transport lines A and B via the shuttle 41. The delivery of the LCD substrate G to the shuttle 41 is performed by the first to third transfer devices 33, 36, and 39.

  The interface station 3 includes a transfer device 42 that loads and unloads the LCD substrate G between the processing station 2 and the exposure device 4, a buffer stage (BUF) 43 that arranges a buffer cassette, and a substrate transfer unit that has a cooling function. And an external device block 45 in which a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are vertically stacked are provided adjacent to the transport device 42. It has been. The transfer device 42 includes a transfer arm 42 a, and the LCD substrate G is carried in and out between the processing station 2 and the exposure device 4 by the transfer arm 42 a.

  Next, the resist coating unit 23 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the resist coating unit 23. The resist coating device (CT) 23a includes a stage 12 provided with a plurality of gas injection ports 16 for injecting a predetermined gas to a predetermined position on the surface, and a substrate for transporting the LCD substrate G in the X direction on the stage 12 A transport mechanism 13, a resist supply nozzle 14 for supplying a resist solution to the surface of the LCD substrate G moving on the stage 12, and a nozzle cleaning unit 15 for cleaning the resist supply nozzle 14 are provided.

  The nozzle cleaning unit 15 is attached to the support member 55 and is disposed above the stage 12. The nozzle cleaning unit 15 preliminarily discharges the resist solution from the resist nozzle 14 before supplying the resist solution to the LCD substrate G, so-called dummy dispensing unit 57 for performing dummy dispensing, and the resist discharge port of the resist nozzle 14 A nozzle bath 58 for holding the resist discharge port in a vapor atmosphere of a solvent (for example, thinner) so as not to dry, and a nozzle cleaning mechanism 59 for removing the resist adhering to the vicinity of the resist discharge port of the resist nozzle 14; It has.

  The reduced pressure drying device (VD) 23 b includes a mounting table 17 for mounting the LCD substrate G, and a chamber 18 for storing the LCD substrate G mounted on the mounting table 17. Further, the resist coating processing unit 23 includes a path provided from the resist coating device (CT) 23a to the vacuum drying device (VD) 23b and from the vacuum drying device (VD) 23b to the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34. A substrate transfer arm 19 for transferring the LCD substrate G to the unit (PASS) 69 is provided.

  The stage 12 is roughly divided into an introduction stage portion 12a, a coating stage portion 12b, and a carry-out stage portion 12c from the upstream to the downstream in the transport direction of the LCD substrate G. The introduction stage unit 12a is an area for transporting the LCD substrate G from the pass unit (PASS) 65 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32 to the coating stage unit 12b. A resist supply nozzle 14 is disposed in the coating stage portion 12b, and a resist solution is supplied to the LCD substrate G to form a coating film R. The carry-out stage unit 12c is an area for carrying the LCD substrate G on which the coating film R is formed to the reduced-pressure drying device (VD) 23b.

  The LCD substrate G is held in a substantially horizontal posture and floated from the stage 12 by the gas ejected from the gas ejection port 16, and is transported by the substrate transport mechanism 13 in this state. In order to increase the flatness of the LCD substrate G, it is preferable to reduce the diameter of the gas injection ports 16 and increase the number of gas injection ports 16 arranged.

  In addition to the gas injection port 16, the unloading stage portion 12 c of the stage 12 is provided with lift pins 47 that lift the LCD substrate G in order to deliver the LCD substrate G transferred to the unloading stage portion 12 c to the substrate transfer arm 19. It has been.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate transport mechanism 13. The substrate transport mechanism 13 includes substrate holding members 51a and 51b that hold part of the Y direction end of the LCD substrate G, and linear guides 52a and 51b that are arranged on the side surfaces of the stage 12 in the Y direction so as to extend in the X direction. 52b, a connecting member 50 that holds the substrate holding members 51a and 51b and is fitted to the linear guides 52a and 52b, and an X-axis drive mechanism 53 that reciprocates the connecting member 50 in the X direction.

  Each of the substrate holding members 51a and 51b has a structure in which at least one suction pad 48 for sucking and holding the LCD substrate G is provided on the pedestal portion 49. The suction pad 48 operates a vacuum pump or the like (not shown). By doing so, the LCD substrate G can be sucked and held. The suction pad 48 holds the LCD substrate G on the back side of the LCD substrate G where the resist solution is not applied, that is, in the vicinity of the Y-direction end of the back side of the LCD substrate G. Examples of the X-axis drive mechanism 53 include a belt drive mechanism, a ball screw, an air slider, an electric slider, and a linear motor.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the resist supply nozzle 14, and FIG. 8 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the nozzle supply mechanism 20 that moves the resist supply nozzle 14 and the resist supply nozzle 14 in the X direction and the Z direction (from the X direction). Shows the figure). The resist supply nozzle 14 has a structure in which a slit-like resist discharge port 14b for discharging a resist solution in a substantially strip shape is provided in a long box body 14a that is long in one direction.

  The nozzle moving mechanism 20 holds the resist supply nozzle 14 in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the box body 14a coincides with the Y direction, and holds the lift mechanism 30 that lifts and lowers the resist supply nozzle 14 in the Z direction. And a horizontal drive mechanism 56 such as a ball screw that moves the column member 54 in the X direction. By such a nozzle moving mechanism 20, the resist supply nozzle 14 can move between a position where the resist solution is supplied to the LCD substrate G and each position where the cleaning process or the like is performed in the nozzle cleaning unit 15. ing.

  The resist supply nozzle 14 is provided with a sensor 29 for measuring the distance between the resist discharge port 14b and the LCD substrate G, and the elevating mechanism 30 supplies the resist solution to the LCD substrate G based on the measured value of the sensor 29. The position of the resist supply nozzle 14 is controlled. The length of the resist supply nozzle 14 is shorter than the width of the LCD substrate G (the length in the Y direction), and the coating film R is not formed in a certain region on the periphery of the LCD substrate G. The sensor 29 is also used to adjust the position of the resist supply nozzle 14 when accessing each part of the nozzle cleaning unit 15.

  FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration of a coating film thickness measuring unit (INS) 70 provided in the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 of the second thermal processing unit section 27 and the resist formed on the LCD substrate G. The inspection state of the coating film R is schematically shown. The coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 receives the resist coating processing by the resist coating processing unit 23 as described above, and illuminates the LCD substrate G after the coating film R is formed. A light receiving unit 202 including a CCD element that receives reflected light from the substrate G, a spectroscopic unit 203 that splits the received reflected light, and an A / D conversion that converts an analog signal output from the spectroscopic unit 203 into a digital signal. And a container 204.

  The light source 201 and the light receiving unit 202 are scanned and driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) so that the upper part of the LCD substrate G can be scanned in the X and Y directions in synchronization. Then, while scanning over the LCD substrate G, the light source 201 irradiates the coating film R on the surface of the LCD substrate G at a predetermined angle, and the reflected light at each measurement point is received by the light receiving unit 202, and the spectral unit 203. To split into light of each wavelength. The analog signal of each wavelength light output from the spectroscopic unit 203 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 204 and sent to the control unit 101 described later. In this coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70, for example, 40,000 measurement points on the coating film R can be measured in only about 90 seconds.

  Referring to FIG. 1, each component of the resist coating / development processing system 100 is controlled by a control unit 101. The control unit 101 includes a controller 102 having a CPU. The controller 102 includes a keyboard on which a process manager manages command input to manage the resist coating / development processing system 100, a resist coating, and the like. A user interface 103 including a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status of the development processing system 100 is connected.

  The controller 102 also has a control program (software) for realizing various processes such as resist coating processing, coating film thickness inspection, and unevenness determination executed by the resist coating / development processing system 100 under the control of the controller 102. And a storage unit 104 storing a recipe in which processing condition data and the like are recorded.

  Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 104 by an instruction from the user interface 103 and is executed by the controller 102, so that the resist coating / development processing system 100 can perform a desired operation under the control of the controller 102. Is performed. In addition, recipes such as the control program and processing condition data may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, a flash memory, or other recipes. It is also possible to transmit the data from the device at any time via, for example, a dedicated line and use it online.

A series of processing in the resist coating / development processing system 100 configured as described above is performed, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG.
First, the LCD substrate G in the cassette C placed on the mounting table 9 of the cassette station 1 is directly carried into the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 of the processing station 2 by the transport device 11 (step S11). A scrub pre-process is performed (step S12). Next, the LCD substrate G is carried into the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 by the transfer device 11 and scrubbed (step S13). After the scrub cleaning process, the LCD substrate G is carried out to the pass unit (PASS) 61 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 belonging to the first thermal processing unit section 26 by, for example, roller conveyance.

  The LCD substrate G placed in the pass unit (PASS) 61 is first transported to one of the dehydration bake units (DHP) 62 and 63 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 and subjected to dehydration bake processing (heating processing). (Step S14), and then transferred to one of the cooling units (COL) 66 and 67 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32 and cooled (Step S15), in order to improve the fixability of the resist It is transported to either an adhesion processing unit (AD) 64 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 and an adhesion processing unit (AD) 68 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32, where the HMDS performs the adhesion processing, Hydrophobization is performed (step S16). Thereafter, the LCD substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL) 66 and 67 to be cooled, and further transferred to the pass unit (PASS) 65 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32. All the transfer processes of the LCD substrate G when performing such a series of processes are performed by the first transfer device 33.

  The LCD substrate G disposed in the pass unit (PASS) 65 is carried into the resist coating unit 23 by a substrate transport mechanism 46 such as a roller transport mechanism provided in the pass unit (PASS) 65, for example. . In addition, the LCD substrate is carried into the resist coating apparatus (CT) 23a from the pass unit (PASS) 65 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32, for example, by providing a substrate transfer arm in the pass unit (PASS) 65, and The lift stage is provided with a lift pin, the LCD substrate held by the substrate transfer arm is transferred to the lift pin, and the lift pin is lowered to bring the LCD substrate to the substrate holding members 51a and 51b in the vicinity of the introduction stage portion 12a. G may be gripped.

  In the resist coating apparatus (CT) 23a, a resist solution is supplied while the LCD substrate G is conveyed in a horizontal posture to form a coating film R (step S17), and then the coating film is formed in a reduced pressure drying apparatus (VD) 23b. A reduced-pressure drying process is performed on R (step S18). Thereafter, the LCD substrate G is transferred from the resist coating processing unit 23 to the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 belonging to the second thermal processing unit section 27 by the substrate transfer arm 19 provided in the vacuum drying apparatus (VD) 23b. Passed to the pass unit (PASS) 69.

  The LCD substrate G disposed in the pass unit (PASS) 69 is transferred to the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 by pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 71 and 72 and the thermal processing unit block (TB). It is transported to one of 35 pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 75 and 76 and pre-baked (step S19), and then transported to a cooling unit (COL) 74 of a thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 to be cooled to a predetermined temperature. (Step S20). The cooled LCD substrate G is transferred to the coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34, and the film thickness of the coating film R is measured at a predetermined measurement point on the LCD substrate G. Thus, the presence / absence of unevenness is determined (step S21).

  For the LCD substrate G in which the unevenness in the coating film R is determined to be “present” in step S21, for example, the subsequent processing is stopped by changing to the dummy processing, and the LCD substrate G is recycled or discarded. On the other hand, for the LCD substrate G in which the unevenness in the coating film R is determined to be “none” in step S21, the process proceeds to the next process. Details of step S21 will be described later. In addition, when the same unevenness occurs continuously on the LCD substrate G processed continuously in the resist coating / development processing system 100 by performing such a determination, for example, the resist supply nozzle 14 is clogged or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide feedback such as interrupting the operation of the resist coating / development processing system 100 and performing necessary maintenance as necessary.

After the film thickness is measured by the coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 and it is determined that there is no unevenness, the LCD substrate G is further passed by the second transfer device 36 in the pass unit of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35. (PASS) 73.
Thereafter, the LCD substrate G is transported to the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 44 of the interface station 3 by the second transport device 36 and, if necessary, the periphery of the external device block 45 by the transport device 42 of the interface station 3. It is transported to the exposure apparatus (EE), where exposure for removing the outer peripheral portion (unnecessary portion) of the resist film is performed (step S22). Next, the LCD substrate G is transported to the exposure device 4 by the transport device 42, where the resist film on the LCD substrate G is subjected to exposure processing in a predetermined pattern (step S23). Note that the LCD substrate G may be temporarily stored in a buffer cassette on the buffer stage (BUF) 43 and then transferred to the exposure apparatus 4.

  After the exposure is completed, the LCD substrate G is carried into the upper stage titler (TITLER) of the external device block 45 by the transfer device 42 of the interface station 3, and predetermined information is written on the LCD substrate G, and after the title ring (step S24). ), And is mounted on the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 44. The LCD substrate G is passed from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 44 to the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 pass unit (PASS) of the second thermal processing unit section 27 by the second transfer device 36. 73.

  The LCD substrate G is transferred from the pass unit (PASS) 73 to the development processing unit (DEV) 24 by, for example, a roller transport mechanism extending from the pass unit (PASS) 73 to the development processing unit (DEV) 24. The In the development processing unit (DEV) 24, development processing is performed (step S25). For example, while the LCD substrate G is conveyed in a horizontal posture, the developer is deposited on the LCD substrate G, and then the conveyance of the LCD substrate G is stopped and the LCD substrate G is tilted by a predetermined angle to In this state, a rinsing solution is supplied to the LCD substrate G to wash away the developing solution. After that, the LCD substrate G is returned to the horizontal posture, and the conveyance is started again, and the nitrogen substrate for drying or air is blown onto the LCD substrate G to dry the LCD substrate.

  When an organic film is formed after completion of the development processing, the LCD substrate G is transported from the development processing unit (DEV) 24 to the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 by a continuous transport mechanism, for example, roller transport. Decolorization processing is performed on G (step S26). After that, the LCD substrate G is passed through a pass unit (PASS) 77 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 37 belonging to the third thermal processing unit section 28 by a roller transport mechanism in the i-line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25. It is carried out to.

  The LCD substrate G arranged in the pass unit (PASS) 77 is transferred to the post processing unit block (POBAKE) 78, 79, 80 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 37 and the thermal processing unit block ( TB) is transferred to one of the post-baking units (POBAKE) 82, 83, 84 of the 38 and post-baked (step S27), and then the pass / cooling unit (PASS / COL) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38. ) After being transported to 81 and cooled to a predetermined temperature (step S28), it is accommodated in a predetermined cassette C arranged in the cassette station 1 by the transport device 11 of the cassette station 1 (step S29).

  Next, the film thickness measurement of the coating film R and the unevenness determination method in the coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for conceptually explaining the content of unevenness determination of the coating film R. As shown in FIG. 11, when calculating the rate of change of film thickness between arbitrary measurement points on the substrate based on the film thickness of the coating film R, the absolute value of the rate of change exceeds a certain value (threshold value). A part (indicated by an arrow in the figure) that is larger than the other part can be detected. As will be described later, it has been confirmed that the portion where the film thickness change rate is large coincides with the portion where the film thickness varies locally. Therefore, in FIG. 11, the part indicated by the arrow is detected as unevenness, and the presence or absence of unevenness can be determined.

  The measurement point of the film thickness of the coating film R may be selected, for example, so as to be linearly arranged in the X direction or the Y direction with respect to the LCD substrate G, or may be both in the X direction and the Y direction. The measurement may be performed in an oblique direction with a predetermined angle with respect to each side of the LCD substrate G. Alternatively, for example, the measurement may be performed in a spiral shape so that substantially the entire surface of one LCD substrate G can be covered.

  In the present invention, since the rate of change in film thickness between measurement points (that is, the slope of the film thickness curve) is used as a reference, the selection of measurement points for performing unevenness determination is an important factor. That is, the data on the change rate of the film thickness changes depending on how much the distance between the film thickness measurement points that is the basis for calculating the film thickness change rate is set. For example, in order to detect local unevenness, it is important to set the distance of the film thickness measurement point to be small so that the film thickness variation caused by the local unevenness becomes clear. On the other hand, when broad film thickness unevenness is formed over a wide range of the surface of the coating film R on the LCD substrate G, the distance between the measurement points that is the basis for calculating the film thickness variation rate is set wider. However, it is easy to detect a wide range of film thickness fluctuations. As described above, the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness variation rate is determined according to the purpose, for example, when the film thickness of 1000 measurement points on the LCD substrate G is measured, the film between adjacent 999 measurement points. The thickness change rate and the film thickness change rate for every 50 measurement points may be calculated so that both local film thickness fluctuations and wide-range film thickness fluctuations can be detected. Specifically, when the length of the long side of the LCD substrate G is 2200 mm, the distance between the measurement points on the basis of the rate of change in film thickness is set to 0.1 to 2.0 mm, for example. Unevenness can be determined. On the other hand, by setting the interval between the measurement points as the basis of the rate of change in film thickness to 1 to 20 mm, it is possible to determine the uneven uneven application of unevenness.

  In addition, the distance between the measurement points of the film thickness that should be the basis for calculating the film thickness change rate is the film type of the coating film R, the coating film thickness, the processing purpose (required etching accuracy), and the type of unevenness (for example, Depending on vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, broom stripes, shading unevenness, etc., it is possible to select appropriately. In this case, all of the measurement points may be used as the basis for calculating the change rate, but the film thickness of an arbitrary measurement point may be selected as the basis for calculating the change rate.

  In addition, the threshold value that is a criterion for coating unevenness includes the film type of the coating film R, the average coating thickness, the processing purpose (required etching accuracy), and the type of unevenness (for example, vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, It can be set as appropriate according to the broom line, shading unevenness, and the like.

  The measurement of the film thickness in the coating film thickness measuring unit (INS) 70 is performed, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the light source 201 and the light receiving unit 202 of the coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 can scan the upper part of the LCD substrate G in, for example, the X and Y directions in synchronization with the scanning drive as described above. Yes. Then, while scanning on the LCD substrate G, the light source 201 irradiates light on the upper surface of the LCD substrate G at a predetermined angle, the reflected light at each measurement point is received by the light receiving unit 202, and the spectroscopic unit 203 has each wavelength. Spectroscopy into light. An analog signal of each wavelength light output from the spectroscopic unit 203 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 204 and sent to the control unit 101.

  In the control unit 101, based on the refractive index for each film type of the LCD substrate G and the resist film R formed on the surface of the LCD substrate G stored in advance in the storage unit 104, the controller 102 determines the refractive index and the spectroscopic unit 203. The film thicknesses at the respective measurement points are calculated by analyzing the data of each wavelength light transmitted from and performing, for example, refractive index matching at seven wavelengths (step S31). The method of measuring the film thickness is not limited to this method, and for example, a single wavelength ellipsometer, a spectroscopic ellipsometer, or the like can be adopted.

  The controller 102 calculates the change rate of the film thickness between any two measurement points based on the measurement value of the film thickness at each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points set in advance (step S32). Then, the obtained change rate of the film thickness is compared with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 104 (step S33). As a result of the comparison, if there is a portion having a film thickness change rate exceeding the threshold (Yes), it is determined that the coating film R on the LCD substrate G is “uneven”, and the film exceeds the threshold. When there is no thickness change rate portion (No), it is determined that the coating film R on the LCD substrate G is “no unevenness” (step S34). Such a determination result is sent to the user interface 103 and displayed on a monitor, for example. By performing the processes of steps S31 to S34 described above, the unevenness of the coating film R on the LCD substrate G can be determined.

  As described above, the LCD substrate G in which unevenness exceeding the threshold value exists in the coating film R may impair the reliability of the LCD product. Therefore, the subsequent processing is stopped by switching to the dummy processing, for example. R is peeled off and the LCD substrate G is reused or discarded. However, if the unevenness of the coating film R exists outside the commercialized area of the LCD product as shown in FIG. 13, for example, there is a possibility that the reliability of the product is not adversely affected. FIG. 13 shows a so-called four-chamfer case in which four LCD products P are processed from one LCD substrate G. As shown in the figure, unevenness exists at a position outside the processing region of the LCD product P. Yes.

  In such a case, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. 14, it is possible to determine whether or not to stop the process by combining the unevenness determination and the unevenness position determination. Steps S41 to S44 in FIG. 14 are the same as steps S31 to S34 in FIG. If the change rate of the film thickness is larger than the threshold value in step S44 (Yes) and it is determined that there is unevenness, the uneven position is determined in step S45. When the uneven position is out of the product processing area (No), it is considered that there is no adverse effect on the LCD product P, so that the next process, for example, the peripheral exposure process (see FIG. 10) is performed. move on. On the other hand, if the position where the unevenness is present is in the product processing area, considering the influence on the product, for example, dummy processing is performed to stop subsequent processing, or the next processing is performed, for example, peripheral exposure. Even in the case of proceeding to the processing, it is possible to cope with a partial use of only the machining area where there is no unevenness.

Next, test results for confirming the effects of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 15A, the film thickness of the coating film R was measured at measurement points continuous in the longitudinal direction on the LCD substrate G on which the resist was coated and the coating film R was formed. The result is shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 15A, unevenness was identified on the LCD substrate G in the direction orthogonal to the measurement point direction. FIG. 15C shows the result of determining the rate of change in film thickness between measurement points (100 mm intervals). From the comparison of FIGS. 15A to 15C, the position of the unevenness detected by visual observation coincided with the peak position of the fluctuation of the film thickness and the film thickness change rate. From this, it was confirmed that the presence or absence of unevenness of the coating film R can be determined by calculating the film thickness change rate of the coating film R and comparing it with a threshold value (for example, 0.03 nm / mm).

  FIG. 16 shows the result of measuring the film thickness change of the LCD substrate G in the width direction of the resist supply nozzle 14. In this case, large fluctuations in the film thickness are observed at two places A and B surrounded by circles in the graph. The coating film R on the LCD substrate G corresponding to these parts is also visually observed. Shading unevenness was confirmed. And when the change rate of A and B in FIG. 16 was calculated | required, A was about 40 nm / 100mm and B was about 50 nm / 80 mm. In this case, since the threshold value for determining the presence or absence of unevenness is 30 nm / 100 mm, it can be quantitatively grasped that unevenness exists at these two locations A and B.

  FIG. 17 is a graph showing changes in the film thickness of the coating film R of the LCD substrate G on which brooms are generated. A plurality of broom stripes are usually generated along the relative movement direction (scanning direction) between the resist supply nozzle 14 and the LCD substrate G within a range of about 30 mm from the application start portion. In FIG. 17, the film thickness of the coating film R is measured so as to cross one of a plurality of broom muscles. In the figure, a V-shape indicated by intermittent black circles in the vicinity of a measurement position of 140 mm to 150 mm. The valley part corresponds to the cross section of the broom. And when the film thickness change rate of the cross section part (both side slopes of V-shaped valley) in FIG. 17 was calculated | required, they were 40 nm / 10mm and 20 nm / 10mm. In this case, since the threshold value for determining the presence or absence of unevenness is 10 nm / 10 mm, it can be quantitatively grasped that unevenness exists in this portion.

  18 and 19 show the measurement results of the unevenness of the coating film R due to the transfer marks of the support pins at the time of vacuum drying in the vacuum drying apparatus (VD) 23b. 18 shows the result of measuring the film thickness change of the coating film R of the LCD substrate G in the width direction of the resist supply nozzle 14 (Y direction in FIG. 5). FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the resist supply nozzle 14 and the LCD substrate G. The result of having measured the film thickness change of the LCD board | substrate G in the relative movement direction (X direction of FIG. 5) is shown. In the graphs of FIGS. 18 and 19, the position of the measurement position 0 on the horizontal axis is the position of the support pin, and the film thickness is reduced due to the transfer mark so as to substantially overlap this position. And when the film thickness change rate of the film thickness decreasing part in FIG. 18 was calculated | required, it was 10 nm / 10mm. Moreover, it was 8 nm / 10mm when the film thickness change rate of the film thickness reduction part in FIG. 19 was calculated | required. In this case, since the threshold value for determining the presence or absence of unevenness is 5 nm / 10 mm, it was possible to quantitatively grasp the presence of unevenness in this portion.

  FIG. 20 is a measurement result of unevenness of the coating film R due to dust adhering to the back surface of the LCD substrate G. The film thickness change of the LCD substrate G in the relative movement direction (scan direction) between the resist supply nozzle 14 and the LCD substrate G is shown in FIG. The measurement results are shown. In the graph of FIG. 20, the film thickness fluctuates due to the transfer mark of the backside dust near the measurement position of −430 mm on the horizontal axis. And when the film thickness change rate of the film thickness variation part in FIG. 20 was calculated | required, it was 60 nm / 15mm. In this case, since the threshold value for determining the presence or absence of unevenness is 10 nm / 10 mm, it can be quantitatively grasped that unevenness exists in this portion.

  FIG. 21 shows the film thickness measurement result in the vicinity of the V-shaped unevenness that appears in the coating film R. In the relative movement direction (scan direction) between the resist supply nozzle 14 and the LCD substrate G, V-shaped unevenness is formed in layers such as a water pattern over a plurality of LCD substrates G in a water-like manner. It is a phenomenon. In the graph of FIG. 21, sharp film thickness fluctuations were observed at two locations indicated by circles a and b near ± 15 mm with the measurement position 0 on the horizontal axis as the center. And when the film thickness change rate of the film thickness variation site | part in FIG. 21 was calculated | required, a was 50 nm / 5mm and b was 30 nm / 5mm. In this case, since the threshold values for determining the presence or absence of unevenness are both 20 nm / 5 mm, it was possible to quantitatively grasp the presence of unevenness in this portion.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to such a form. For example, in the above description, a resist film is taken up as the coating film R. However, the coating film is not limited to this, and an insulating film such as an antireflection film or a non-photosensitive organic film, or a color filter. For example, a color resist film may be used.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the processing of a glass substrate for LCD, but for example, a light emitting diode (LED) display, an electroluminescence (EL) display, a fluorescent display tube (VFD), a plasma display panel. The present invention can be similarly applied to the case where a coating film is formed on various FPD substrates used for (PDP) or the like.

  In the above description, the LCD substrate G is lifted and transported on the stage 12 as the substrate transport mechanism in the resist coating apparatus (CT) 23. However, the substrate G is transported at a predetermined interval in the Y direction. A so-called roller transport mechanism may be used in which the shaft members provided with rollers are arranged in the X direction at predetermined intervals and the LCD substrate G placed on the rollers is moved by rotating the shaft members. The Y-direction end of the substrate G may be carried on a belt.

  Note that the presence or absence of unevenness may be determined by a value obtained by further differentiating the film thickness change rate. For example, when the film thickness changes slowly as shown in FIG. This is effective.

  Further, the presence / absence of unevenness may be determined between the cooling process of step S28 and the process of storing the substrate in step S29 in the cassette. In this case, the coating film thickness measurement unit (INS) 70 may be mounted on the thermal processing unit block (TB) 37 or the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38.

  The present invention can be suitably used when processing for forming a coating film such as a resist film on a large substrate such as an FPD substrate.

1 is a schematic plan view of a resist coating / development processing system including a resist coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a first thermal processing unit section of the resist coating / development processing system shown in FIG. 1. The side view which shows the 2nd thermal processing unit section of the resist application | coating / development processing system shown in FIG. The side view which shows the 3rd thermal processing unit section of the resist application | coating / development processing system shown in FIG. The schematic plan view of a resist application | coating process unit. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the board | substrate conveyance mechanism provided in a resist application | coating process unit. The schematic perspective view of a resist supply nozzle. The front view which shows schematic structure of a resist supply nozzle and a nozzle moving mechanism. The schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of a coating film thickness measurement unit (INS). The flowchart which shows the flow of a board | substrate process. The conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between a film thickness change rate and nonuniformity. The flowchart which shows the procedure of nonuniformity determination. The schematic diagram explaining the relationship between the nonuniformity in a 4 chamfering LCD board | substrate, and a product processing area | region. The flowchart which shows the procedure of nonuniformity determination and nonuniformity position determination. It is drawing which shows the test result of nonuniformity, (a) is the schematic which shows the position of a measurement point and nonuniformity, (b) is a graph which shows a film thickness measurement result, (c) is a film thickness change rate. It is a graph which shows. Drawing which shows the film thickness measurement result of the coating film in which the shading unevenness generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows the film thickness measurement result of the coating film which the broomstick generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows the film thickness measurement result of the nozzle width direction of the coating film in which the transfer trace of the support pin generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows the film thickness measurement result of the nozzle relative movement direction of the coating film which the transfer trace of the support pin generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows the film thickness measurement result of the coating film in which the transfer trace of back surface garbage generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows the film thickness measurement result of the nozzle width direction of the coating film which V-shaped nonuniformity generate | occur | produced. The graph which shows the relationship between a resist film thickness, line | wire width (CD), and threshold exposure energy (Eth).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Cassette station 2; Processing station 3; Interface station 12; Stage 13; Substrate conveyance mechanism 14; Resist supply nozzle 15; Nozzle cleaning unit 16: Gas injection port 20; Nozzle movement mechanism 23; Resist application processing unit 23a; Equipment (CT)
57; Dummy dispenser 58; Nozzle bath 59; Nozzle cleaning mechanism 70; Coating thickness measurement unit (INS)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100; Resist coating / development processing system 101; Control part 102; Controller 103; User interface 104; Storage part 201; Light source 202; Light receiving part 203; Spectroscopic part 204; A / D converter G;

Claims (32)

An unevenness detection method for detecting unevenness in the thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate,
A film thickness measuring step for measuring the film thickness of a plurality of measurement points on the coating film;
Based on the measured film thickness of each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for obtaining the change rate of the film thickness between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
A method for detecting unevenness of a coating film, comprising: The method for detecting unevenness of a coating film according to claim 1, wherein an interval between measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate is selected according to an assumed unevenness type. The change rate of the film thickness between adjacent measurement points among the plurality of measurement points and the change rate of the film thickness for each predetermined measurement point are obtained, and both local film thickness fluctuation and wide-range film thickness fluctuation are obtained. The method for detecting unevenness of a coating film according to claim 1, wherein detection is performed.   The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set according to a distance between the measurement points.   2. The coating film non-uniformity detection method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set according to an average film thickness of the coating film.   2. The coating film non-uniformity detection method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set according to a type of the coating film. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set according to an assumed unevenness type. The coating film according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , further comprising a position determination step of determining whether or not the position of the unevenness is in a product processing region after the determination step. Unevenness detection method. 9. The coating film non-uniformity detection method according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate is an FPD substrate. The method of claim 9 , wherein the coating film is a resist film, an organic film, or a color resist film for a color filter. A non-uniformity detection program for a coating film for detecting non-uniformity in the thickness of a coating film formed on a substrate, the computer comprising at least:
A film thickness measurement step for measuring the film thickness of a plurality of measurement points on the coating film;
Based on the measured film thickness of each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for determining the film thickness change rate between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
Characterized in that for the execution, the program for unevenness detection of the coating film. 12. The program for detecting unevenness of a coating film according to claim 11, wherein the interval between measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the rate of change in film thickness is selected according to the type of unevenness assumed. The change rate of the film thickness between adjacent measurement points among the plurality of measurement points and the change rate of the film thickness for each predetermined measurement point are obtained, and both local film thickness fluctuation and wide-range film thickness fluctuation are obtained. The program for detecting unevenness of a coating film according to claim 11, wherein the program is detected. 12. The program for detecting coating film unevenness according to claim 11 , wherein the threshold value is set according to a distance between the measurement points. 12. The coating film non-uniformity detection program according to claim 11 , wherein the threshold value is set according to an average film thickness of the coating film. 12. The coating film non-uniformity detection program according to claim 11 , wherein the threshold value is set according to a type of the coating film. The non-uniformity application program according to claim 11, wherein the threshold value is set according to a type of assumed nonuniformity. The coating film according to any one of claims 11 to 17 , further comprising a position determination step of determining whether or not the position of the unevenness is within a product processing region after the determination step. Non-uniformity detection program. The program for detecting coating film unevenness according to claim 18 , wherein the substrate is an FPD substrate. 20. The program for detecting unevenness of a coating film according to claim 19 , wherein the coating film is a resist film, an organic film, or a color resist film for a color filter. Substrate processing comprising: a coating process for applying a resist solution to a substrate to form a resist film; an exposure process for exposing the resist film; and a developing process for developing a pattern by developing the resist film after the exposure process A method,
After the coating process, a film thickness measuring process for measuring the film thickness of the resist film at a plurality of measurement points;
Based on the measured film thickness of each measurement point and the distance between the measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance , a calculation step for obtaining the change rate of the film thickness between the measurement points;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of unevenness by comparing the rate of change with a preset threshold value;
The substrate processing method characterized by including. The substrate processing method according to claim 21, wherein an interval between measurement points serving as a basis for calculating the film thickness change rate is selected according to an assumed unevenness type. The change rate of the film thickness between adjacent measurement points among the plurality of measurement points and the change rate of the film thickness for each predetermined measurement point are obtained, and both local film thickness fluctuation and wide-range film thickness fluctuation are obtained. The substrate processing method according to claim 21, wherein detection is performed. The substrate processing method according to claim 21 , wherein the threshold value is set according to a distance between the measurement points. The substrate processing method according to claim 21 , wherein the threshold value is set according to an average film thickness of the coating film. The substrate processing method according to claim 21 , wherein the threshold value is set according to a type of the coating film. The substrate processing method according to claim 21, wherein the threshold value is set according to an assumed unevenness type. The substrate processing according to any one of claims 21 to 27 , further comprising a position determination step of determining whether or not the position of the unevenness is within a product processing region after the determination step. Method. The substrate processing method according to claim 28 , wherein the substrate is an FPD substrate. 30. The substrate processing method according to claim 29, wherein the coating film is a resist film, an organic film, or a color resist film for a color filter. A coating processing apparatus that forms a coating film on the substrate by discharging a coating liquid from above the substrate by a nozzle that moves relative to a substantially horizontally supported substrate;
A film thickness measuring means for measuring the film thickness of the coating film applied to the substrate by the coating processing apparatus;
Based on the measured film thickness and the distance between the measurement points that is the basis for calculating the film thickness change rate set in advance, control for determining the film thickness change rate between the measurement points and determining the presence or absence of coating unevenness Means,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 32. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 31 , wherein the control means determines whether or not the position of the unevenness is within the product processing area, along with the determination of the presence or absence of uneven application.

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