JP5567919B2 - Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, program, and computer storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, a program, and a computer storage medium.

  For example, in the photolithography process in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, for example, a resist coating process for forming a resist film by applying a resist solution on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”), and selectively exposing the peripheral portion of the resist film Peripheral exposure processing, exposure processing for exposing a predetermined pattern on the resist film exposed at the peripheral portion, development processing for developing the exposed resist film, etc. are sequentially performed to form a predetermined resist pattern on the wafer. The

  In addition, a so-called macro defect inspection is performed by an inspection apparatus on a wafer on which photolithography processing is performed as described above. The macro defect inspection is performed at various timings, for example, after the peripheral exposure processing is performed. In such a case, it is inspected whether or not a predetermined resist film is formed on the wafer surface, whether or not there are any flaws or foreign matters.

  The above-described photolithography processing and defect inspection are performed by, for example, a coating and developing processing apparatus and an exposure apparatus. The coating and developing apparatus includes, for example, a resist coating apparatus that performs the above-described resist coating process, a liquid processing apparatus such as a development processing apparatus that performs the development process, or a peripheral exposure apparatus that performs the peripheral exposure process. An inspection device for performing an inspection is provided. That is, the inspection apparatus is provided separately from the peripheral exposure apparatus and the like. Further, the coating and developing processing apparatus is also provided with a transfer device for transferring the wafer to each processing device (Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-240519 A

  As described above, when the coating and developing treatment apparatus of Patent Document 1 is used, the wafer that has been subjected to the peripheral exposure process in the peripheral exposure apparatus is transferred to the inspection apparatus by the transfer apparatus. In such a case, while the wafer is being transferred from the peripheral exposure apparatus to the inspection apparatus, the transfer apparatus cannot be used for transferring another wafer. That is, although the processing for another wafer has been completed and the wafer can be transferred to another processing apparatus, the other wafer has to be kept on standby, which may result in waiting for transfer. Therefore, there is room for improvement in wafer processing throughput.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to improve the throughput of substrate processing in substrate processing for inspecting a substrate after peripheral exposure processing.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a peripheral exposure chamber that performs peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on a substrate; and a stack in the peripheral exposure chamber An inspection chamber for inspecting defects of the substrate that has been subjected to the peripheral exposure process in the peripheral exposure chamber, and a substrate transfer device that transfers the substrate to another processing apparatus, and the peripheral exposure chamber A transfer chamber provided adjacent to the inspection chamber and having a transfer arm for transferring the substrate in the vertical direction, the peripheral exposure chamber having a first holding unit for holding the substrate, and the peripheral exposure A first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the chamber; An exposure unit that exposes a peripheral portion of the coating film on the substrate held by the holding unit; And the inspection chamber is provided between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber via a second holding portion that holds the substrate and a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber. It has a 2nd moving mechanism which moves the 2nd holding part, and an image pick-up part which picturizes the substrate held by the 2nd holding part.

  In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber are stacked and a transfer chamber is provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber. Both the peripheral exposure processing of the substrate and the inspection of the substrate can be performed. Specifically, first, for example, the first holding mechanism transports the substrate held by the first holding unit to the peripheral exposure chamber, and the peripheral edge of the coating film on the substrate is exposed in the peripheral exposure chamber. Thereafter, the substrate is transferred from the first holding unit to the transfer arm, and then the transfer arm is moved to the same height as the inspection room. Then, after delivering the substrate from the transfer arm to the second holding unit, the substrate held by the second holding unit is transferred to the inspection room by the second moving mechanism, and the substrate is inspected for defects in the inspection room. To do. As described above, according to the present invention, when performing the peripheral exposure processing of the substrate and the inspection of the substrate, it is not necessary to transport the substrate using the transport device between the peripheral exposure apparatus and the inspection apparatus as in the past. Another substrate can be transferred between other processing apparatuses using the transfer apparatus. Therefore, the waiting time for transporting other substrates can be reduced, and the throughput of substrate processing can be improved.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, which is provided by laminating a peripheral exposure chamber for performing peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on a substrate, and the peripheral exposure chamber. The peripheral exposure chamber is provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber while the substrate is carried in and out of the inspection chamber for inspecting the defects of the substrate for which the peripheral exposure processing has been completed in the peripheral exposure chamber. A transfer chamber having a transfer arm for transferring in the vertical direction, wherein the peripheral exposure chamber has a first holding unit for holding a substrate, and a first chamber formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber. A first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via the opening; and a coating film on the substrate held by the first holding unit. an exposure unit for exposing a peripheral portion, position of the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the first holding portion A position detection sensor for detecting the position of the substrate, a rotation drive unit for rotating the substrate held by the first holding unit, and the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate based on the detection result of the position detection sensor. possess a control unit for controlling the rotation driving unit, wherein the test chamber through a second holding portion for holding the substrate, a second opening formed in the transfer chamber side of the test chamber, A second moving mechanism that moves the second holding unit between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber, and an imaging unit that images the substrate held by the second holding unit, The transfer arm of the transfer chamber transfers the substrate that has been subjected to the peripheral exposure process in the peripheral exposure chamber to the inspection chamber.

  Further, the inspection chamber includes a position detection sensor that detects a position of a peripheral edge of the substrate held by the second holding unit, a rotation driving unit that rotates the substrate held by the second holding unit, And a controller that controls the rotation driving unit so as to adjust the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate based on the detection result of the position detection sensor.

  One or more peripheral exposure chambers and one or more inspection chambers are stacked, and the number of the peripheral exposure chambers is based on the ratio between the peripheral exposure processing time in the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection time in the inspection chamber. The number of examination rooms may be set.

  Two peripheral exposure chambers and one inspection chamber may be stacked.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes a peripheral exposure chamber that performs peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on the substrate; An inspection chamber for stacking the peripheral exposure chamber and inspecting the substrate for which the peripheral exposure processing in the peripheral exposure chamber has been completed; and a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate to another processing apparatus. A transfer chamber provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber and having a transfer arm for transferring the substrate in a vertical direction, wherein the peripheral exposure chamber holds a substrate. And a first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber And the coating film on the substrate held by the first holding part An exposure unit that exposes an edge, and the inspection chamber includes a second holding unit that holds a substrate, and a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber. A second moving mechanism for moving the second holding unit between the chamber and the transfer chamber; and an imaging unit for imaging the substrate held by the second holding unit, the substrate processing method A peripheral exposure step of transporting the substrate held by the first holding unit to the peripheral exposure chamber by the first moving mechanism and exposing the peripheral portion of the coating film on the substrate in the peripheral exposure chamber; Then, after transferring the substrate from the first holding unit to the transfer arm, the transfer step of moving the transfer arm to the same height as the inspection chamber, and then the substrate from the transfer arm to the second holding unit After the delivery, the second holding mechanism moves the second holding Conveying the substrate held by the laboratory, it is characterized by having, an inspection step of inspecting a defect of the substrate in the laboratory.

Another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes a peripheral exposure chamber that performs peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on the substrate; The peripheral exposure chamber, and the peripheral exposure chamber while the substrate is carried in and out of the inspection chamber for inspecting the defect of the substrate after the peripheral exposure processing in the peripheral exposure chamber is completed. A transfer chamber provided adjacent to the inspection chamber and including a transfer arm for transferring the substrate in the vertical direction, the peripheral exposure chamber including a first holding unit for holding the substrate, and the peripheral exposure chamber A first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber through a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side; and the first holding unit. an exposure unit for exposing the periphery of the coating film on the substrate held on the first A position detection sensor for detecting the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate held by the holding portion of the a first rotation drive section for rotating the substrate held by the holding unit, Bei example, said test chamber includes a substrate The second holding unit is moved between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber through a second holding unit that holds the second chamber and a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber. A second moving mechanism; and an imaging unit that images the substrate held by the second holding unit, wherein the substrate processing method is held by the first holding unit by the first moving mechanism. The substrate is transported to the peripheral exposure chamber, the substrate is rotated by the rotation driving unit based on the detection result of the position detection sensor, the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate is adjusted , and the substrate is adjusted in the peripheral exposure chamber. Peripheral exposure process for exposing peripheral edge of upper coating film, and then first holding A transfer step of transferring the substrate from the transfer arm to the same height as the inspection chamber, and then transferring the substrate from the transfer arm to the second holding unit. And an inspection step of transporting the substrate held by the second holding portion to the inspection chamber and inspecting the substrate for defects in the inspection chamber.

  Further, the inspection chamber includes a position detection sensor that detects a position of a peripheral edge of the substrate held by the second holding unit, a rotation driving unit that rotates the substrate held by the second holding unit, In the inspection step, based on the detection result of the position detection sensor, the rotation drive unit may rotate the substrate to adjust the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that operates on a computer of a control unit that controls the substrate processing apparatus in order to cause the substrate processing apparatus to execute the substrate processing method.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a readable computer storage medium storing the program is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform both the peripheral exposure processing of the substrate and the inspection of the substrate while transporting the substrate in one substrate processing apparatus, and to improve the throughput of the substrate processing.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the coating-development processing system provided with the wafer processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the outline of an internal structure of a coating and developing treatment system. It is a side view which shows the outline of an internal structure of a coating and developing treatment system. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a wafer processing apparatus. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a wafer processing apparatus. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a wafer processing apparatus. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a wafer processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a transfer arm, a 1st holding | maintenance part, and a wafer transfer apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the one wafer is conveyed to a conveyance chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that one wafer is conveyed to a lower side periphery exposure chamber, and another wafer is conveyed to a conveyance chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a peripheral exposure process is performed to one wafer in a lower side peripheral exposure chamber, and another wafer is conveyed to the height of an upper side peripheral exposure chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that one wafer is conveyed to a conveyance chamber, and another wafer is conveyed to an upper periphery exposure chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a wafer is conveyed to the height of a test | inspection room, and a peripheral exposure process is performed to another wafer in an upper side peripheral exposure chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that a wafer is conveyed to a test | inspection room and a periphery exposure process is performed to another wafer in an upper side periphery exposure chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that one wafer is test | inspected in a test | inspection room, and a peripheral exposure process is performed to another wafer in an upper side peripheral exposure chamber. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of the wafer processing apparatus concerning other embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the internal configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 including a wafer processing apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. 2 and 3 are side views showing an outline of the internal configuration of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment system 1 includes, for example, a cassette station 2 in which a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is carried in and out of the outside, and a predetermined single-wafer type in a photolithography process. It has a configuration in which a processing station 3 including a plurality of various processing apparatuses that perform processing and an interface station 5 that transfers the wafer W between the exposure apparatus 4 adjacent to the processing station 3 are integrally connected. .

  The cassette station 2 is provided with a cassette mounting table 10. The cassette mounting table 10 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four cassette mounting plates 11. The cassette mounting plates 11 are arranged in a line in the horizontal X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The cassette C can be placed on these cassette placement plates 11 when the cassette C is carried into and out of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  The cassette station 2 is provided with a wafer transfer device 21 that is movable on a transfer path 20 extending in the X direction as shown in FIG. The wafer transfer device 21 is also movable in the vertical direction and around the vertical axis (θ direction), and a cassette C on each cassette mounting plate 11 and a delivery device for a third block G3 of the processing station 3 to be described later. The wafer W can be transferred between the two.

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

  For example, in the first block G1, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of liquid processing devices, for example, a developing device 30 for developing the wafer W, an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as “lower antireflection”) on the lower layer of the resist film of the wafer W. A lower antireflection film forming device 31 for forming a film), a resist coating device 32 for applying a resist solution to the wafer W to form a resist film as a coating film, and an antireflection film (on the upper layer of the resist film on the wafer W). Hereinafter, an upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 for forming an “upper antireflection film” is stacked in four stages in order from the bottom.

  For example, each of the devices 30 to 33 in the first block G1 has a plurality of cups F that accommodate the wafers W in the horizontal direction during processing, and can process the plurality of wafers W in parallel.

  For example, in the second block G2, as shown in FIG. 2, the heat treatment apparatus 40 for heat treatment of the wafer W, the adhesion apparatus 41 for hydrophobizing the wafer W, and the periphery of the resist film on the wafer W are peripheral. A wafer processing apparatus 42 for performing the exposure process and inspecting the defect of the wafer W for which the peripheral exposure process has been completed is provided side by side in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The heat treatment apparatus 40 includes a hot plate for placing and heating the wafer W and a cooling plate for placing and cooling the wafer W, and can perform both heat treatment and cooling treatment. In addition, the number and arrangement | positioning of the heat processing apparatus 40, the adhesion apparatus 41, and the wafer processing apparatus 42 can be selected arbitrarily. The detailed configuration of the wafer processing apparatus 42 will be described later.

  For example, in the third block G3, a plurality of delivery devices 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 are provided in order from the bottom. The fourth block G4 is provided with a plurality of delivery devices 60, 61, 62 in order from the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer region D is formed in a region surrounded by the first block G1 to the fourth block G4. For example, a wafer transfer device 70 is disposed in the wafer transfer region D.

  The wafer transfer device 70 has a transfer arm that is movable in the Y direction, the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 70 moves in the wafer transfer area D and transfers the wafer W to a predetermined device in the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3, and fourth block G4. it can.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of wafer transfer apparatuses 70 are arranged in the vertical direction, and can transfer the wafer W to a predetermined apparatus having the same height of each of the blocks G1 to G4, for example.

  Further, in the wafer transfer region D, a shuttle transfer device 80 that transfers the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided.

  The shuttle transport device 80 is movable linearly in the Y direction, for example. The shuttle transfer device 80 moves in the Y direction while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W between the transfer device 52 of the third block G3 and the transfer device 62 of the fourth block G4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer device 90 is provided next to the third block G3 on the positive side in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 90 has a transfer arm that is movable in the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. The wafer transfer device 90 moves up and down while supporting the wafer W, and can transfer the wafer W to each delivery device in the third block G3.

  The interface station 5 is provided with a wafer transfer device 100 and a delivery device 101. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 has a transfer arm that is movable in the Y direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction, for example. For example, the wafer transfer apparatus 100 can support the wafer W on a transfer arm and transfer the wafer W to each transfer apparatus and transfer apparatus 101 in the fourth block G4.

  Next, the configuration of the wafer processing apparatus 42 described above will be described. The wafer processing apparatus 42 has a processing container 110 as shown in FIGS. Inside the processing chamber 110 are two peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 that perform peripheral exposure processing on the peripheral portion of the resist film on the wafer W as shown in FIG. One inspection chamber 113 for inspecting the defect of the wafer W after the exposure processing is stacked in this order from the bottom. Hereinafter, the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 may be referred to as a “lower peripheral exposure chamber 111”, and the upper peripheral exposure chamber 112 may be referred to as an “upper peripheral exposure chamber 112”. In each of the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112, a side surface on the side of the transfer chamber 114 described later is opened to form first openings 111a and 112a, respectively. Similarly, the side surface of the inspection chamber 113 on the transfer chamber 114 side is opened to form a second opening 113a. The detailed configuration inside the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113 will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, two peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and one inspection chamber 113 are stacked, but the number of peripheral exposure chambers and the number of inspection chambers can be arbitrarily set. However, it is preferable that the ratio of the number of the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber is set to the ratio of the peripheral exposure processing time in the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection time in the inspection chamber. In such a case, the wafer W can be processed continuously in each peripheral exposure chamber and inspection chamber, and the peripheral exposure chamber or inspection chamber can be prevented from becoming empty. Therefore, the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W can be performed efficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the processing number of wafers W in each of the peripheral exposure processing chambers 111 and 112 is, for example, 150 wafers / hour, and the processing number of wafers W in the inspection chamber is, for example, 300 wafers / hour. The ratio of processing time to inspection time is 1: 2. Since the two peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the single inspection chamber 113 are stacked, the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W can be performed continuously.

  In this embodiment, the inspection chamber 113 is stacked above the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112. However, the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 may be stacked above the inspection chamber 113.

  Inside the processing container 110, a transfer chamber 114 for transferring the wafer W is further provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113. The transfer chamber 114 is provided on the wafer transfer region D side (the X direction negative direction side in FIG. 4) of the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113. The transfer chamber 114 is provided without being partitioned in the vertical direction like the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113.

  In the transfer chamber 114, the wafer W is transferred into and out of the wafer processing apparatus 42. On the side surface of the processing container 110 on the wafer transfer region D side, a loading port 120 for loading the wafer W into the processing container 110 and a loading port 121 for unloading the wafer W from the processing container 110 are formed. The carry-in port 120 is formed at a height corresponding to the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111, and the carry-out port 121 is formed at a height corresponding to the inspection chamber 113. In addition, opening / closing shutters 122 and 123 are provided at the carry-in port 120 and the carry-out port 121, respectively.

  The transfer chamber 114 is provided with a transfer arm 130 for transferring the wafer W in the vertical direction. The transfer arm 130 is supported by an elevating drive unit 131 such as a motor that extends vertically from the ceiling surface to the bottom surface in the processing container 110. The lift arm 131 is configured so that the transfer arm 130 is movable in the vertical direction, and the wafer W can be transferred to the heights of the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the transfer arm 130 has a support portion 132 for the wafer W at the tip. The support part 132 is formed in, for example, a substantially semi-annular shape. A plurality of, for example, three support pins 133 are provided on the support portion 132, and the wafer W is supported on the support pins 133. The support part 132 is provided with a base part 134, and the base part 134 is attached to the above-described lifting drive part 131.

  Further, the transfer arm 130 is provided so as not to interfere with a first holding unit 140 described later. That is, the semicircular diameter of the support portion 132 of the transfer arm 130 is larger than the diameter of the first holding portion 140, and the first holding portion 140 can be accommodated inside the support member 132. The semicircular cutout portion of the support portion 132 is formed on the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 side (the X direction positive direction side in FIG. 5) in the processing container 110, and the first holding portion 140 is It can move to the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 without interfering with the support part 132. Note that the transfer arm 130 is configured not to interfere with a second holding unit 160 described later in the same manner as the first holding unit 140.

  Further, the transfer arm 130 is configured not to interfere with the wafer transfer apparatus 70 provided outside the wafer processing apparatus 42 as shown in FIG. Here, the wafer conveyance device 70 has, for example, a substantially C-shaped arm portion 70 a having a diameter slightly larger than that of the wafer W. Inside the arm portion 70a, support portions 70b that protrude toward the inside and support the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W are provided at a plurality of locations, for example, three locations. The base portion 134 of the transfer arm 130 is provided so as not to interfere with the arm portion 70 a of the wafer transfer device 70. Further, the support part 132 of the transfer arm 130 does not interfere with the arm part 70 a and the support part 70 b of the wafer transfer apparatus 70.

  Next, the internal configuration of the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 is provided with a first holding unit 140 that holds the wafer W by suction. The first holding unit 140 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking the wafer W, for example, is provided on the upper surface. By suction from the suction port, the wafer W can be sucked and held on the first holding unit 140.

  The first holding unit 140 is supported by a driving unit 142 attached to the base 141. The drive unit 142 includes, for example, a motor (not shown). The first holding unit 140 is moved along the base 141 by the driving unit 142, and is movable between the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 and the transfer chamber 114 via the first opening 111a. Yes. In addition, the drive unit 142 can rotate the first holding unit 140, has a function as a rotation drive unit in the present invention, and has an alignment function for adjusting the position of the wafer W. The base 141 and the drive unit 142 constitute the first moving mechanism in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the motor is provided in the drive unit 142. However, the motor is provided in the base 141, and the drive unit 142 transmits the power from the motor to the first holding unit 140. You may make it function as a transmission part.

  The lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 is provided with an exposure unit 150 that exposes the periphery of the resist film on the wafer W held by the first holding unit 140 by irradiating light. The exposure unit 150 is provided with a lamp house 151 that supplies light to the exposure unit 150. Inside the lamp house 151, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp (not shown) and a condenser mirror (not shown) for collecting light from the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp are provided. The exposure unit 150 and the lamp house 151 are arranged at positions facing the first opening 111a with the base 141 interposed therebetween, that is, on the X direction positive direction side from the base 141.

  A position detection sensor 152 that detects the position of the peripheral edge of the wafer W held by the first holding unit 140 is provided near the center of the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111. The position detection sensor 152 includes, for example, a CCD camera (not shown), and detects the amount of eccentricity from the center of the wafer W held by the first holding unit 140 and the position of the notch portion of the wafer W. Based on the amount of eccentricity of the wafer W, the light irradiation position by the exposure unit 150 is set. Further, the position of the notch part of the wafer W can be adjusted by rotating the first holding part 140 by the driving part 142 while detecting the position of the notch part by the position detection sensor 152.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the configuration of the upper peripheral exposure chamber 112 is the same as the configuration of the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, the internal configuration of the examination room 113 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the inspection chamber 113 is provided with a second holding unit 160 that holds the wafer W by suction. The second holding unit 160 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking, for example, the wafer W is provided on the upper surface. By suction from the suction port, the wafer W can be sucked and held on the second holding unit 160.

  The second holding unit 160 is supported by a driving unit 162 attached to the base 161. The drive unit 162 includes, for example, a motor (not shown). The second holding unit 160 is moved along the base 161 by the driving unit 162, and is movable between the examination chamber 113 and the transfer chamber 114 via the second opening 113a. In addition, the driving unit 162 can rotate the second holding unit 160, has a function as a rotation driving unit in the present invention, and has an alignment function for adjusting the position of the wafer W. The base 161 and the drive unit 162 constitute a second moving mechanism in the present invention. In the present embodiment, the motor is provided in the drive unit 162. However, the motor is provided in the base 161, and the drive unit 162 transmits the power from the motor to the second holding unit 160. You may make it function as a transmission part.

  The inspection chamber 113 is provided with an imaging unit 170 that images the wafer W held by the second holding unit 160. The imaging unit 170 is disposed at a position facing the second opening 113a across the base 161, that is, on the X direction positive direction side from the base 161. For the imaging unit 170, for example, a CCD camera is used.

  In the examination room 113, a half mirror 171 is provided in the vicinity of the upper portion of the second opening 113a. The half mirror 171 is provided at a position facing the imaging unit 170 and is inclined by 45 degrees from the vertical direction. An illumination unit 172 that can change the illuminance is provided above the half mirror 171, and the half mirror 171 and the illumination unit 172 are fixed to the upper surface of the examination room 113, for example. Further, the half mirror 171 and the illumination unit 172 are respectively provided above the wafer W held by the second holding unit 160. The illumination from the illumination unit 172 passes through the half mirror 171 and is illuminated downward. Therefore, the reflected light of the object in the irradiation area is reflected by the half mirror 171 and is taken into the imaging unit 170. That is, the imaging unit 170 can image an object in the irradiation area. Then, the image of the wafer W imaged by the imaging unit 170 is output to the inspection unit 173, and the defect of the wafer W is inspected based on the image output by the inspection unit 173.

  The coating and developing processing system 1 is provided with a control unit 200 as shown in FIG. The control unit 200 is a computer, for example, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for executing the peripheral exposure processing of the wear W and the inspection of the wafer W in the wafer processing apparatus 42. In addition to this, the program storage unit also stores a program for executing wafer processing in the coating and developing processing system 1. The program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical desk (MO), or a memory card. May have been installed in the control unit 200 from the storage medium H.

  Next, a processing method of the wafer W performed using the coating and developing processing system 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is placed on a predetermined cassette placement plate 11 of the cassette station 2. Thereafter, the wafers W in the cassette C are sequentially taken out by the wafer transfer device 21 and transferred to, for example, the transfer device 53 of the third block G3 of the processing station 3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70, and the temperature is adjusted. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the lower antireflection film forming device 31 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer device 70, and a lower antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2, heated, temperature-controlled, and then returned to the transfer apparatus 53 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 90 to the delivery device 54 of the same third block G3. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the adhesion device 41 of the second block G2 by the wafer transfer device 70 and subjected to an adhesion process. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70, and the temperature is adjusted.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating device 32 by the wafer transfer device 70, and a resist solution is applied onto the rotating wafer W to form a resist film on the wafer W.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 and pre-baked. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer device 70 to the delivery device 55 of the third block G3.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70, and an upper antireflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70, heated, and temperature-adjusted. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer processing apparatus 42 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70. Then, in the wafer processing apparatus 42, the peripheral exposure process is performed on the peripheral portion of the resist film on the wafer W, and the inspection of the defect of the wafer W after the peripheral exposure process is performed. Details of the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W in the wafer processing apparatus 42 will be described later.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery unit 56 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 70. Then, the wafer W determined to be defective in the wafer processing apparatus 42 is then transferred to the cassette C of the predetermined cassette mounting plate 11 by the wafer transfer apparatus 21.

  On the other hand, the wafer W determined to be normal with no defects in the wafer processing apparatus 42 is transferred to the transfer apparatus 52 by the wafer transfer apparatus 90 and transferred to the transfer apparatus 62 of the fourth block G4 by the shuttle transfer apparatus 80. The

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus 4 by the wafer transfer apparatus 100 of the interface station 5 and subjected to exposure processing.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred from the exposure apparatus 4 to the delivery apparatus 60 of the fourth block G4 by the wafer transfer apparatus 100. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 and subjected to post-exposure baking. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the developing device 30 by the wafer transfer device 70 and developed. After the development is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 and subjected to a post-bake process.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the delivery device 50 of the third block G3 by the wafer transfer device 70, and then transferred to the cassette C of the predetermined cassette mounting plate 11 by the wafer transfer device 21 of the cassette station 2. Thus, a series of photolithography steps is completed.

Next, the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W in the wafer processing apparatus 42 described above will be described. In the present embodiment, the wafer processing apparatus 42 processes two wafers W ₁ and W ₂ .

The wafer W ₁ transferred to the wafer processing apparatus 42 is first transferred to the transfer chamber 114 via the transfer port 120 as shown in FIG. Then, the wafer W ₁ is delivered from the wafer transfer device 70 to the transfer arm 130. Subsequently, the first holding unit 140 is moved into the transfer chamber 114 by the driving unit 142 of the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111, and the wafer W ₁ is transferred from the transfer arm 130 to the first holding unit 140. At this time, the wafer W ₁ may be directly transferred from the wafer transfer device 70 to the first holding unit 140 without using the transfer arm 130.

Thereafter, the first holding portion 140 is moved to the lower edge exposure chamber 111 by the drive unit 142 as shown in FIG. 10, the wafer W ₁ is in place. The predetermined position, the exposed portion 150 at a position capable of irradiating light to the peripheral portion of the wafer W _1, the position detection sensor 152 is a position where it can detect the position of the peripheral portion of the wafer W _1. On the other hand, when the wafer W ₁ is thus transferred to the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111, the next wafer W ₂ is transferred to the transfer chamber 114 as shown in FIG. 10, and the wafer W ₂ is received by the transfer arm 130. Passed.

Thereafter, the lower edge exposure chamber 111 as shown in FIG. 11, the peripheral exposure process is performed on the wafer W _1. First, while detecting the position of the notch portion of the wafer W ₁ by the position detecting sensor 152, to rotate the first holding portion 140 by the drive unit 142. Then, by adjusting the position of the notch portion of the wafer W _1, to place the wafer W ₁ to the predetermined position. Further, the position detection sensor 152, the detected eccentricity amount from the first center of the wafer W ₁ held by the holding portion 140, on the basis of the eccentricity of the wafer W _1, the irradiation position of the light by the exposure unit 150 Is set. Thereafter, while rotating the wafer W ₁ by the drive unit 142, light is irradiated from the exposure unit 150 to a predetermined position of the peripheral portion of the wafer W _1. Thus the periphery of the resist film on the wafer W ₁ is the exposure process.

While this way is performed edge exposure processing on the wafer W ₁ by the lower edge exposure chamber 111 to raise the transfer arm 130 as shown in FIG. 11 to the height of the upper edge exposure chamber 112. Then, the first holding unit 140 is moved into the transfer chamber 114 by the driving unit 142 of the upper peripheral exposure chamber 112, and the wafer W ₂ is transferred from the transfer arm 130 to the first holding unit 140. Then the first holding portion 140 by the drive unit 142 as shown in FIG. 12 moves upward around the exposure chamber 112, the wafer W ₂ is in place. Note that the predetermined position of the wafer W _{2 is the same as} the predetermined position of the wafer W ₁ in the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

When the wafer W ₂ is transferred from the transfer arm 130 to the first holding unit 140 of the upper peripheral exposure chamber 112, the transfer arm 130 is lowered to the height of the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 as shown in FIG. Then, the first holding unit 140 is moved by the driving unit 142, and the wafer W _{1 that} has been subjected to the peripheral exposure processing in the lower peripheral exposure chamber 111 is placed in the transfer chamber 114. Then, the wafer W ₁ is delivered from the first holding unit 140 to the transfer arm 130.

Thereafter, the transfer arm 130 is raised to the height of the examination chamber 113 as shown in FIG. Then, the second holding unit 160 is moved into the transfer chamber 114 by the driving unit 162 of the inspection chamber 113, and the wafer W ₁ is transferred from the transfer arm 130 to the second holding unit 160. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 14, the second holding unit 160 is moved into the inspection chamber 113 by the driving unit 162, and the wafer W ₁ is at a predetermined position, that is, a position closer to the imaging unit 170 than the half mirror 171. It is arranged at a position to start imaging of the wafer W _1.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, the illumination unit 172 moves when the wafer W ₁ passes under the half mirror 171 while moving the second holding unit 160 toward the transfer chamber 114 by the driving unit 162 at a predetermined speed. illuminate the illumination to the wafer _{W 1} from. The reflected light on the wafer W ₁ due to this illumination is reflected by the half mirror 171 and taken into the imaging unit 170. Then, the wafer _{W 1} is imaged by the imaging section 170. Imaged wafer W ₁ of the image is output to the inspection unit 173, the inspection unit 173, a defect of the wafer W ₁ is inspected based on the output image. Thereafter, the wafer W ₁ is transferred from the second holding unit 160 to the transfer arm 130, and then transferred from the transfer arm 130 to the wafer transfer device 70, and the wafer W ₁ is transferred to the wafer processing apparatus 42 via the transfer port 122. It is carried out from. At this time, the wafer W ₁ may be directly transferred from the second holding unit 160 to the wafer transfer device 70 without using the transfer arm 130.

In this way, while the wafer W ₁ is transported to the inspection chamber 113 and the defect in the wafer W ₁ is inspected in the inspection chamber 113, the wafer W ₁ is transferred in the upper peripheral exposure chamber 112 as shown in FIGS. ₂ peripheral exposure processing is performed. The peripheral exposure process for the wafer W _{2 is the same as} the peripheral exposure process for the wafer W ₁ described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the above embodiment, the wafer processing apparatus 42 is provided with the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113 stacked, and is transported adjacent to the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113. Since the chamber 114 is provided, both the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W can be performed while the wafer W is being transferred in the wafer processing apparatus 42. Therefore, when performing the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W, it is not necessary to transfer the wafer W between the peripheral exposure apparatus and the inspection apparatus using the wafer transfer apparatus 70 as in the prior art. Another wafer W can be transferred between other processing apparatuses using the transfer apparatus 70. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time for transporting other wafers W, and to improve the throughput of wafer processing.

  Further, since the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 are provided with the position detection sensor 152 for the position of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the drive unit 142 detects the position of the notch by the position detection sensor 152. The position of the notch portion of the wafer W can be adjusted by rotating the one holding portion 140. Here, when the wafer W is transferred between the peripheral exposure apparatus and the inspection apparatus using the wafer transfer apparatus 70 as in the conventional case, even if the position of the notch portion of the wafer W is adjusted by the peripheral exposure apparatus, the wafer transfer apparatus 70 is adjusted. Is movable in the horizontal direction, the position of the notch portion of the wafer W is shifted during transfer, and the position of the notch portion of the wafer W needs to be readjusted by the inspection apparatus. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, since the transfer arm 130 provided in the transfer chamber 114 is configured to be movable only in the vertical direction, the wafer W is being transferred while the transfer arm 130 is transferring the wafer W. It does not move in the horizontal direction, and the position of the notch portion of the wafer W does not shift. Therefore, when the position of the notch portion of the wafer W is adjusted in the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 as in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the notch portion of the wafer W in the inspection chamber 113 thereafter. Thus, since the time for adjusting the position of the notch portion of the wafer W in the inspection chamber 113 is not required, the throughput of the wafer processing can be improved. As a result of investigations by the inventors, it has been found that the wafer processing throughput can be reduced by about 2 seconds by omitting the position adjustment of the notch portion of the wafer W in the inspection chamber 113.

  In addition, the wafer processing apparatus 42 includes two peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and one inspection chamber 113, and the number of peripheral exposure chambers and the number of inspection chambers are the same as those in the peripheral exposure chamber. It is set based on the ratio between the exposure processing time and the inspection time in the inspection room. That is, in this embodiment, since the ratio between the peripheral exposure processing time and the inspection time is 1: 2, two peripheral exposure chambers are provided and one inspection chamber is provided. In such a case, the wafer W can be continuously processed in each of the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113, and the peripheral exposure chambers 111 and 112 and the inspection chamber 113 can be prevented from becoming empty. . Therefore, the peripheral exposure processing of the wafer W and the inspection of the wafer W can be efficiently performed in the wafer processing apparatus 42, and the throughput of the wafer processing can be improved.

  In the wafer processing apparatus 42 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a position detection sensor that detects the position of the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the second holding unit 160 near the center of the inspection chamber 113. 210 may be provided. The position detection sensor 210 includes, for example, a CCD camera (not shown), and detects the position of the notch portion of the wafer W held by the second holding unit 160. The other configuration of the wafer processing apparatus 42 is the same as the configuration of the wafer processing apparatus 42 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In this case, when the wafer W held by the second holding unit 160 is transferred to the inspection chamber 113, the second holding unit 160 is moved by the driving unit 162 while detecting the position of the notch portion by the position detection sensor 210. The position of the notch portion of the wafer W can be adjusted by rotating. According to the present embodiment, the wafer W can be inspected more appropriately by adjusting the position of the notch portion immediately before inspecting the wafer W.

  In the above embodiment, the wafer processing apparatus 42 is arranged in the second block G2 of the processing station 3. However, the position of the wafer processing apparatus 42 can be arbitrarily selected. For example, the wafer processing apparatus 42 may be disposed in the interface station 5, or may be disposed in the third block G3 or the fourth block G4 of the processing station 3.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood. The present invention is not limited to this example and can take various forms. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is another substrate such as an FPD (flat panel display) other than a wafer or a mask reticle for a photomask.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating | development processing system 42 Wafer processing apparatus 70 Wafer conveyance apparatus 110 Processing container 111 Lower side peripheral exposure chamber 111a 1st opening part 112 Upper side peripheral exposure chamber 112a 1st opening part 113 Inspection room 113a 2nd opening part 114 Conveyance Chamber 130 Transfer arm 140 First holding unit 141 Base 142 Driving unit 150 Exposure unit 152 Position detection sensor 160 Second holding unit 161 Base 162 Driving unit 170 Imaging unit 200 Control unit 210 Position detection sensors W, W ₁ , W ₂ wafer

Claims (10)

A substrate processing apparatus,
A peripheral exposure chamber for performing peripheral exposure processing on the peripheral edge of the coating film formed on the substrate;
An inspection chamber that is provided in a stacked manner in the peripheral exposure chamber, and inspects for defects in the substrate for which peripheral exposure processing has been completed in the peripheral exposure chamber;
Delivering the substrate to the substrate transfer apparatus that transfers the substrate to another processing apparatus, the transfer chamber provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber, and having a transfer arm for transferring the substrate in the vertical direction; Have
The peripheral exposure chamber is
A first holding unit for holding a substrate;
A first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber;
An exposure part that exposes a peripheral part of the coating film on the substrate held by the first holding part,
The laboratory is
A second holding unit for holding the substrate;
A second moving mechanism for moving the second holding portion between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber via a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an imaging unit configured to image the substrate held by the second holding unit. A substrate processing apparatus,
A peripheral exposure chamber for performing peripheral exposure processing on the peripheral edge of the coating film formed on the substrate;
An inspection chamber that is provided in a stacked manner in the peripheral exposure chamber, and inspects for defects in the substrate for which peripheral exposure processing has been completed in the peripheral exposure chamber;
A transfer chamber provided with a transfer arm that is provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber and transfers the substrate in the vertical direction while carrying the substrate in and out of the outside;
The peripheral exposure chamber is
A first holding unit for holding a substrate;
A first moving mechanism for moving the first holding unit between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber;
An exposure unit that exposes a peripheral portion of the coating film on the substrate held by the first holding unit;
A position detection sensor for detecting the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate held by the first holding part;
A rotation drive unit that rotates the substrate held by the first holding unit;
Based on the detection result of the position detection sensor, it possesses a control unit for controlling the rotation driving unit to adjust the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate, and
The laboratory is
A second holding unit for holding the substrate;
A second moving mechanism for moving the second holding portion between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber via a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber;
An imaging unit that images the substrate held by the second holding unit,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer arm of the transfer chamber transfers the substrate that has been subjected to the peripheral exposure process in the peripheral exposure chamber to the inspection chamber. The laboratory is
A position detection sensor for detecting the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate held by the second holding part;
A rotation drive unit that rotates the substrate held by the second holding unit;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the rotation driving unit so as to adjust a position of a peripheral portion of the substrate based on a detection result of the position detection sensor. . One or more peripheral exposure chambers and one or more inspection chambers are stacked,
The number of the peripheral exposure chambers and the number of the inspection chambers are set based on a ratio between the peripheral exposure processing time in the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection time in the inspection chamber. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the two peripheral exposure chambers and the one inspection chamber are stacked. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus,
The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a peripheral exposure chamber for performing peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on a substrate, and a stack in the peripheral exposure chamber, and the peripheral exposure processing in the peripheral exposure chamber is performed. Deliver the substrate to the inspection chamber for inspecting the defects of the finished substrate and the substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate to another processing apparatus, provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber, and the substrate in the vertical direction And a transfer chamber having a transfer arm for transferring to
The peripheral exposure chamber is interposed between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first holding portion that holds the substrate and a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber. A first moving mechanism that moves the first holding unit; and an exposure unit that exposes a peripheral portion of the coating film on the substrate held by the first holding unit;
The inspection chamber has a second holding portion that holds the substrate and a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber, and the second chamber is provided between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber. A second moving mechanism that moves the holding unit, and an imaging unit that images the substrate held by the second holding unit,
The substrate processing method includes:
A peripheral exposure step of transporting the substrate held by the first holding unit to the peripheral exposure chamber by the first moving mechanism, and exposing a peripheral portion of a coating film on the substrate in the peripheral exposure chamber;
Then, after delivering the substrate from the first holding unit to the transfer arm, the transfer step of moving the transfer arm to the same height as the inspection room,
Thereafter, the substrate is delivered from the transfer arm to the second holding unit, and then the substrate held by the second holding unit is transferred to the inspection chamber by the second moving mechanism. An inspection process for inspecting a substrate for defects. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus,
The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a peripheral exposure chamber for performing peripheral exposure processing on a peripheral portion of a coating film formed on a substrate, and a stack in the peripheral exposure chamber, and the peripheral exposure processing in the peripheral exposure chamber is performed. Provided with an inspection chamber for inspecting defects of the finished substrate and a transfer arm that is provided adjacent to the peripheral exposure chamber and the inspection chamber while carrying the substrate in and out of the outside, and transfers the substrate in the vertical direction A transfer chamber,
The peripheral exposure chamber is interposed between the peripheral exposure chamber and the transfer chamber via a first holding portion that holds the substrate and a first opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the peripheral exposure chamber. A first moving mechanism that moves the first holding unit; an exposure unit that exposes a peripheral portion of the coating film on the substrate held by the first holding unit; and a holding unit that holds the first holding unit. a position detection sensor for detecting the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate, Bei example and a rotary drive unit for rotating the substrate held by the first holding portion,
The inspection chamber has a second holding portion that holds the substrate and a second opening formed on the transfer chamber side of the inspection chamber, and the second chamber is provided between the inspection chamber and the transfer chamber. A second moving mechanism that moves the holding unit, and an imaging unit that images the substrate held by the second holding unit,
The substrate processing method includes:
The first moving mechanism transports the substrate held by the first holding unit to the peripheral exposure chamber, and rotates the substrate by the rotation driving unit based on the detection result of the position detection sensor. A peripheral exposure step of adjusting the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate and exposing the peripheral edge of the coating film on the substrate in the peripheral exposure chamber;
Then, after delivering the substrate from the first holding unit to the transfer arm, the transfer step of moving the transfer arm to the same height as the inspection room,
Thereafter, the substrate is delivered from the transfer arm to the second holding unit, and then the substrate held by the second holding unit is transferred to the inspection chamber by the second moving mechanism. An inspection process for inspecting a substrate for defects. The inspection room includes a position detection sensor that detects a position of a peripheral portion of the substrate held by the second holding unit, and a rotation driving unit that rotates the substrate held by the second holding unit. ,
The substrate processing according to claim 6, wherein in the inspection step, the position of a peripheral portion of the substrate is adjusted by rotating the substrate by the rotation driving unit based on a detection result of the position detection sensor. Method. A program that operates on a computer of a control unit that controls the substrate processing apparatus in order to cause the substrate processing apparatus to execute the substrate processing method according to claim 6. A readable computer storage medium storing the program according to claim 9.

Images