JP6524185B2 - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing system for processing a substrate.

  For example, in a photolithography process in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a resist coating process is performed to apply a resist solution on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer") as a substrate to form a resist film, and the resist film is exposed to a predetermined pattern. A series of processes such as exposure processing and development processing for developing the exposed resist film are sequentially performed to form a predetermined resist pattern on the wafer. A series of these processes are performed in a coating and developing processing system which is a substrate processing system equipped with various processing apparatuses for processing a wafer, a transport mechanism for transporting a wafer, and the like.

  Such a coating and developing processing system is provided with an inspection apparatus for performing so-called macro defect inspection on a wafer (Patent Document 1). In the macro defect inspection, a wafer which has been subjected to predetermined processing in the coating and developing treatment system is imaged by an imaging device such as a CCD line sensor under predetermined illumination, for example, and a captured image of the wafer is acquired. And the presence or absence of a defect is determined by comparing the acquired captured image with the image of the wafer used as a reference | standard.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2012-104593

  By the way, in the above-described macro defect inspection, inspection recipes such as an image of a wafer serving as a reference, illumination intensity of illumination, and imaging speed are set. However, since various films are formed on the wafer surface in the photolithography process, surface conditions such as the reflectance of the wafer surface are different for each process. Therefore, there is a problem that the accuracy of the macro defect inspection varies depending on the surface state of the wafer.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to properly inspect a substrate in a substrate processing system.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there are provided a cassette station having a transfer device for loading and unloading a substrate into and from a cassette for storing a plurality of substrates, and a plurality of liquid processing devices for performing liquid processing on the substrate. A substrate processing system comprising: a substrate processing system including: a substrate processing system provided adjacent to the cassette station, the substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus, and the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus The inspection apparatus, which is set according to the feature quantities of different ranges from the inspection apparatus and a feature quantity extraction unit that extracts a predetermined feature quantity from the substrate image of the substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus. Corresponds to the feature quantity extracted by the feature quantity extraction unit from the storage unit in which a plurality of inspection recipes including the imaging conditions at the time of imaging in step are stored, and the inspection recipe stored in the storage unit A recipe selecting section for selecting an inspection recipe including the imaging condition that, based on the selected inspection recipe is the same as the substrate whose feature amount has been extracted from the substrate image prior to treatment with the liquid treatment apparatus A defect determination unit that acquires a substrate image of the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus and determines the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate image of the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus; And

According to the present invention, first, the substrate before liquid processing is imaged to acquire a substrate image, and an inspection recipe including an imaging condition at the time of imaging by the inspection apparatus is selected based on the feature amount of the substrate image. Therefore, based on the optimal inspection recipe, the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate image of the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus can be properly determined. Therefore, regardless of the surface condition of the substrate, it is possible to always carry out the optimum inspection and to suppress the variation in the accuracy of the macro defect inspection.

  The substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus may be carried into the inspection apparatus by the transport device of the cassette station, and the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus may be unloaded from the inspection apparatus.

  The substrate processing apparatus may have an interface station connected to the exposure apparatus, and the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus may be configured to be exposed by the exposure apparatus.

  The processing station may be provided with a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment on the substrate.

  In the plurality of liquid processing apparatuses, the coating liquid may be supplied to the surface of the substrate to form a coating film, and the development processing may be performed on the substrate after the exposure processing.

  The inspection apparatus may be configured by a first inspection apparatus that images a substrate before processing by the liquid processing apparatus, and a second inspection apparatus that images a substrate after processing by the liquid processing apparatus. .

  The inspection apparatus has an imaging device of a substrate provided on one side of the side of the device, and images the surface of the substrate with the imaging device while moving the substrate between the one side of the side and the substrate. May be

  According to the present invention, it is possible to properly inspect a substrate in a substrate processing system.

It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the substrate processing system concerning this Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the outline of a structure of the substrate processing system concerning this Embodiment. It is a rear view which shows the outline of a structure of the substrate processing system concerning this Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a test | inspection apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of a structure of a test | inspection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of a control apparatus typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a pixel value and a test | inspection recipe. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the process of a defect inspection of a wafer. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a pixel value and a test | inspection recipe.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a substrate processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. 2 and 3 are a front view and a rear view schematically showing an outline of the internal configuration of the substrate processing system 1, respectively. In the present embodiment, the case where the substrate processing system 1 is a coating and developing processing system for performing coating and developing processing on the wafer W will be described as an example. Further, in the present specification and the drawings, in elements having substantially the same functional configuration, the same reference numerals will be attached to omit redundant description.

  The substrate processing system 1 includes a cassette station 10 for loading and unloading a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W as shown in FIG. 1, and a processing station 11 comprising a plurality of various processing apparatuses for performing predetermined processing on the wafers W. And an interface station 13 for transferring the wafer W between the exposure apparatus 12 adjacent to the processing station 11 are integrally connected.

  The cassette mounting table 20 is provided in the cassette station 10. When the cassette C is carried in and out of the substrate processing system 1, a plurality of cassette mounting plates 21 for mounting the cassette C is provided on the cassette mounting table 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette station 10 is provided with a wafer transfer apparatus 23 movable on the transfer path 22 extending in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 23 is also movable in the vertical direction and around the vertical axis (θ direction), and the cassette C on each cassette mounting plate 21 and the delivery device of the third block G3 of the processing station 11 described later The wafer W can be transferred between the two.

  The processing station 11 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four blocks G1, G2, G3 and G4 provided with various devices. For example, the first block G1 is provided on the front side (the X direction negative direction side in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11, and the second block G1 is provided on the rear side (the X direction positive direction side in FIG. Block G2 is provided. Further, a third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 10 side (the Y direction negative direction side in FIG. 1) of the processing station 11, and the interface station 13 side of the processing station 11 (the Y direction positive direction side in FIG. , A fourth block G4 is provided.

  For example, in the first block G1, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of liquid processing devices, for example, a development processing device 30 for developing the wafer W, an antireflective film under the resist film of the wafer W (hereinafter referred to as “lower antireflective film Lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31 for forming a film, resist coating apparatus 32 for applying a resist solution to a wafer W to form a resist film, and an antireflection film on the upper layer of the resist film of the wafer W (hereinafter referred to as “upper reflection An upper anti-reflection film forming device 33 for forming a “preventive film” is disposed in this order from the bottom.

  For example, the development processing unit 30, the lower antireflection film forming unit 31, the resist coating unit 32, and the upper antireflection film forming unit 33 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The number and arrangement of the development processing unit 30, the lower antireflection film forming unit 31, the resist coating unit 32, and the upper antireflection film forming unit 33 can be arbitrarily selected.

  In the development processing device 30, the lower anti-reflection film forming device 31, the resist coating device 32, and the upper anti-reflection film forming device 33, for example, spin coating is performed to apply a predetermined coating solution on the wafer W. In spin coating, for example, the coating solution is discharged from the coating nozzle onto the wafer W, and the wafer W is rotated to diffuse the coating solution onto the surface of the wafer W.

  For example, in the second block G2, as shown in FIG. 3, a heat treatment apparatus 40 for performing heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the wafer W, an adhesion apparatus 41 for enhancing the fixability between the resist solution and the wafer W, and the wafer W A peripheral exposure device 42 for exposing the outer peripheral portion is provided side by side vertically and horizontally. The number and arrangement of the heat treatment apparatus 40, the adhesion apparatus 41, and the peripheral exposure apparatus 42 can be arbitrarily selected.

  For example, the third block G3 is processed by the inspection apparatus 50 that inspects the wafer W before being processed in the processing station 11, a plurality of delivery devices 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and the processing station 11. An inspection apparatus 56 that inspects the wafer W after that is provided in order from the bottom. In the fourth block G4, a plurality of delivery devices 60, 61, 62 are provided in order from the bottom. The configurations of the inspection devices 50 and 56 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer transfer area D is formed in an area surrounded by the first block G1 to the fourth block G4. In the wafer transfer area D, a plurality of wafer transfer apparatuses 70 having transfer arms which are movable in, for example, the Y direction, the X direction, the θ direction, and the up and down direction are disposed. The wafer transfer apparatus 70 moves in the wafer transfer area D and transfers the wafer W to the predetermined apparatus in the surrounding first block G1, second block G2, third block G3 and fourth block G4. it can.

  Further, in the wafer transfer area D, a shuttle transfer apparatus 80 for transferring the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided.

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

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

  The interface station 13 is provided with a wafer transfer apparatus 100 and a delivery apparatus 101. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 has a transfer arm which is movable in, for example, the Y direction, the θ direction, and the up and down direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 can transfer the wafer W between the delivery devices in the fourth block G4, the delivery device 101, and the exposure device 12, for example, by supporting the wafer W on the transfer arm.

  Next, the configuration of the inspection apparatus 50 described above will be described. The inspection apparatus 50 has a casing 150 as shown in FIG. In the casing 150, as shown in FIG. 5, a wafer chuck 151 for holding the wafer W is provided. On the bottom surface of the casing 150, a guide rail 152 is provided which extends from one end side (X direction negative direction side in FIG. 4) to the other end side (X direction positive direction side in FIG. 4) in the casing 150. . On the guide rail 152, a driving unit 153 which rotates the wafer chuck 151 and is movable along the guide rail 152 is provided.

  An imaging unit 160 as a first imaging device is provided on the side surface on the other end side (the positive direction side in the X direction in FIG. 4) in the casing 150. As the imaging unit 160, for example, a wide-angle CCD camera is used. Near the upper center of the casing 150, a half mirror 161 is provided. The half mirror 161 is provided at a position facing the imaging unit 160 in a state of being inclined upward 45 degrees toward the direction of the imaging unit 160 from the state where the mirror surface is vertically downward. A lighting device 162 is provided above the half mirror 161. The half mirror 161 and the lighting device 162 are fixed to the upper surface inside the casing 150. The illumination from the illumination device 162 is illuminated downward through the half mirror 161. Therefore, the light reflected by the object below the illumination device 162 is further reflected by the half mirror 161 and taken into the imaging unit 160. That is, the imaging unit 160 can capture an object in the illumination area of the illumination device 162. Then, the image of the wafer W (first substrate image) captured by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 50 is input to the control device 200 described later.

  Since the inspection device 56 has the same configuration as the inspection device 50, the description of the inspection device 56 is omitted. The imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 56 functions as the second imaging apparatus of the present invention, and the image (second substrate image) of the wafer W imaged by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 56 is similarly controlled. The data is input to the device 200.

  In the substrate processing system 1 described above, a control device 200 is provided as shown in FIG. The control device 200 is configured of, for example, a computer provided with a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the inspection of the wafer W performed based on the substrate images captured by the inspection devices 50 and 56. In addition to this, the program storage unit controls the operation of the drive system such as the various processing devices and transport devices described above to perform predetermined operations of the substrate processing system 1, that is, application of resist solution to the wafer W, development Also stored are programs for realizing heat treatment, delivery of a wafer W, control of each unit, and the like. The program is recorded in a computer readable storage medium H such as a computer readable hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnet optical desk (MO), and a memory card. It may be one that has been installed on the control device 200 from the storage medium H.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 200 extracts a predetermined feature amount from the first substrate image captured by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection device 50, and the feature amount of the predetermined range. The inspection recipe corresponding to the feature quantity extracted by the feature quantity extraction unit 210 is selected from the storage unit 211 in which a plurality of inspection recipes set corresponding to each are stored and the plurality of inspection recipes stored in the storage unit 211 And a defect determination unit 213 that determines the presence or absence of a defect based on the selected inspection recipe and the second substrate image captured by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 56. . Further, the control device 200 is characterized by an image storage unit 214 for storing the first substrate image and the first substrate image captured by the imaging unit 160, and a first substrate image stored in the image storage unit 214. An image classification unit 215 that classifies into a plurality of groups based on the feature amount extracted by the amount extraction unit 210, and a second corresponding to a plurality of first substrate images classified into each group by the image classification unit 215 A reference image generation unit 216 generates a reference image by combining substrate images, and an inspection recipe generation unit 217 generates an inspection recipe based on the reference image generated by the reference image generation unit 216 and stores the inspection recipe in the storage unit 211. And are further provided.

  The feature amount extracted by the feature amount extraction unit 210 is, for example, a pixel value of a substrate image in the present embodiment. Then, the feature amount extraction unit 210 calculates, for example, an average value of pixel values on the entire surface of the substrate image, and obtains the average value as a feature amount of the substrate image. In the present embodiment, the case where the substrate image is an 8-bit image of, for example, 256 gradations (0 to 255) will be described as an example.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the storage unit 211 stores, for example, three types of inspection recipes 230, 231, and 232 set corresponding to pixel values in different ranges. The inspection recipe 230 is used, for example, when the feature amount (average value of pixel values) of the first substrate image is in the range of “10 to 70”, and the inspection recipes 231 and 232 are respectively characterized It is used when quantity is "90-140" and "200-240." Each of the inspection recipes 230, 231, and 232 includes, for example, an imaging condition at the time of imaging by each imaging unit 160, a reference image as a reference of defect inspection, and the like. The number of inspection recipes stored in the storage unit 211 and the range covered by the inspection recipes can be arbitrarily set, and are not limited to the contents of the present embodiment.

  In the recipe selection unit 212, an inspection recipe corresponding to the feature amount extracted by the feature amount extraction unit 210 is selected from the storage unit 211. For example, when the feature amount of the first substrate image acquired by imaging the wafer W of an arbitrary lot by the inspection apparatus 50 is “60”, the recipe selection unit 212 uses the feature amount “10 to 10” from the storage unit 211. The inspection recipe 230 corresponding to the substrate image of 70 "is selected.

  The defect determination unit 213 determines the presence or absence of a defect based on the inspection recipe 230 and the second substrate image. Specifically, when the wafer W whose feature amount of the first substrate image is “60” ends predetermined processing at the processing station 11, the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 56 picks up the second substrate image Is acquired. Then, the defect determination unit 213 determines the presence or absence of a defect in the second substrate image of the same wafer W based on the inspection recipe 230 selected based on the feature amount “60” of the first substrate image. The functions of the other image storage unit 214, image classification unit 215, reference image generation unit 216, and inspection recipe generation unit 217 will be described later.

  Next, a method of processing the wafer W and a method of inspecting the wafer W performed using the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of main steps of the inspection method of the wafer W, and the inspection method will be described based on FIG.

  First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W of the same lot is carried into the cassette station 10 of the substrate processing system 1, and each wafer W in the cassette C is sequentially inspected by the wafer transfer device 23 in the third block G3. The first substrate image is obtained by being transported to S. 50 (Step S1 in FIG. 8). Next, the feature amount extraction unit 210 extracts the feature amount from the first substrate image (step S2 in FIG. 8). Then, if an inspection recipe corresponding to the feature amount of the first substrate image is present in the storage unit 211, a predetermined inspection recipe is selected by the recipe selection unit 212 (steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 8). Specifically, for example, when the average value of the pixel values as the feature amount is "60", the recipe selection unit 212 selects the inspection recipe 230 corresponding to the feature amount "60" from the storage unit 211. . Further, for example, when the feature amount is “150” and the corresponding inspection recipe does not exist in the storage unit 211 (NO in step S3 of FIG. 8), the first substrate image having the feature amount of “150” is While being stored in the image storage unit 214 (Step S5 in FIG. 8), a predetermined inspection recipe is selected (Step S4 in FIG. 8). The processing after the first substrate image is stored in the image storage unit 214 will be described later. Here, the predetermined inspection recipe may be, for example, an arbitrary inspection recipe among a plurality of inspection recipes stored in the storage unit 211. For example, in the present embodiment, the inspection recipe 231 is predetermined. It will be described as an inspection recipe. That is, when the feature amount of the first substrate image is “150”, since the inspection recipe corresponding to the inside of the storage unit 211 does not exist, the predetermined inspection recipe 231 is selected.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 and subjected to temperature adjustment processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 to, for example, the lower antireflective film forming apparatus 31 of the first block G1, and the lower antireflective film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2, subjected to heat treatment, and temperature-controlled.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred to the adhesion device 41 and subjected to adhesion processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating unit 32 of the first block G1, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W.

  After the resist film is formed on the wafer W, the wafer W is then transferred to the upper anti-reflection film forming device 33 of the first block G1, and the upper anti-reflection film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 and heat treatment is performed. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the peripheral exposure device 42 and subjected to peripheral exposure processing.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 100 to the delivery apparatus 52, and transferred by the shuttle transfer apparatus 80 to the delivery apparatus 62 of the fourth block G4. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 110 of the interface station 13 to the exposure apparatus 12 and exposed in a predetermined pattern.

  Next, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to post-exposure bake processing. Thus, the acid generated in the exposed portion of the resist film causes a deprotection reaction. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 to the development processing apparatus 30, and development processing is performed.

  After the development processing, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to post-baking processing. Next, the temperature of the wafer W is adjusted by the heat treatment apparatus 40. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 to the inspection apparatus 56 of the third block G3, and the imaging unit 160 acquires a second substrate image (Step S6 in FIG. 8).

  Next, the defect determination unit 213 of the control device 200 determines the presence or absence of a defect in the second substrate image based on, for example, the inspection recipe 230 selected corresponding to the feature amount “60”. The determination of the presence or absence of a defect compares, for example, the reference image in the inspection recipe 230 with the second substrate image, and for example, when the pixel value between the reference image and the second substrate image has a difference equal to or more than a specified value. Is judged to be defect and no defect if the difference is smaller than the specified value (step S7 in FIG. 8). Similarly, even when the feature amount of the first substrate image is “150”, the presence or absence of a defect is determined based on the selected inspection recipe 231 and the second substrate image.

  When the defect inspection of the wafer W is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the cassette C of the predetermined cassette mounting plate 21 via the wafer transfer device 23, and a series of photolithography steps are completed. Then, this series of photolithography processes are performed on the subsequent wafers W of the same lot.

  Next, processing after the first substrate image is stored in the image storage unit 214 in step S5 will be described. For example, when the feature amount “150” that does not correspond to any of the inspection recipes 230, 231, and 232 is extracted in the first substrate image of the first wafer W of the lot, the feature amounts of the subsequent wafers W are generally feature amounts. Is a value around "150". In such a case, for example, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 9, the first substrate image not corresponding to the inspection recipe 230, 231, 232 has a considerable number in the image storage unit 214, that is, the number of wafers W included in the lot. It is memorized. The vertical axis of the broken line in FIG. 9 represents the number of substrate images stored in the storage unit 211.

  Then, as a result of storing the first substrate image not corresponding to any of the inspection recipes 230, 231, 232 in the image storage unit 214, for example, as shown in FIG. When there is a considerable number in the range of 145 to 160, for example, in the image classification unit 215, substrate images in the range of 75 to 85 pixel values are the first group and substrate images in the range of 145 to 160 pixel values. Are classified into a second group (step S8 in FIG. 8).

  Then, the reference image generation unit 216 combines the second substrate image of the wafer W corresponding to the first substrate image belonging to the first group, and generates a reference image corresponding to the first group (see FIG. Step S9 in FIG. Similarly, a reference image corresponding to the second group is also generated. Next, the inspection recipe generation unit 217 generates a recipe corresponding to each group based on the generated reference image, and stores the recipe in the storage unit 211 as a new inspection recipe (step S10 in FIG. 8).

  Then, if the feature amount of the first substrate image in the subsequent lot corresponds to the new inspection recipe, this new inspection recipe is selected in step S4, and the defect inspection of the wafer W is performed.

  According to the above embodiment, first, the wafer W before being processed in the processing station 11 is imaged by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 50 to acquire a first substrate image, and the features of the first substrate image Since the inspection recipe is selected based on the amount, the presence or absence of a defect in the second substrate image can be properly determined based on the optimum inspection recipe. Therefore, even if the surface condition of the wafer W differs, for example, from lot to lot, it is possible to always carry out an optimum inspection and to suppress variations in the accuracy of macro defect inspection.

  In addition, even if there is no inspection recipe corresponding to the feature amount of the first substrate image in the storage unit 211, the first substrate image is temporarily stored in the image storage unit 214, and a group having a predetermined number is stored. Since a new inspection recipe is generated at the classified time, the inspection recipe stored in the storage unit 211 gradually increases. Therefore, by continuing the wafer W processing in the substrate processing system 1, most of the first substrate images come to correspond to the inspection recipe stored in the storage unit 211, thereby improving the accuracy of the macro defect inspection. Can.

  In particular, in the process of creating an inspection recipe, it is necessary for a worker to select a plurality of substrate images and combine the selected substrate images to create a reference image, but a great deal of effort is required to create this reference image. There is a problem that the quality of the reference image varies depending on the skill level of the worker. In this respect, as in the present embodiment, the image classification unit 215 classifies the substrate images into groups, and generates a new inspection recipe based on the classified substrate images, so that it does not depend on the skill level of the worker The inspection recipe can be properly generated without spending much effort.

  In the above embodiment, the plurality of inspection recipes 230, 231, and 232 are stored in advance in the storage unit 211. However, the storage unit 211 may store at least one inspection recipe. That is, in the initial state of operation of the substrate processing system 1, inspection is performed by this one inspection recipe, but as described above, new inspection recipes are sequentially generated and inspection recipes stored in the storage unit 211 are increased. By doing this, it is possible to carry out the macro defect inspection corresponding to almost all the wafers W carried into the substrate processing system 1.

  In particular, the surface condition of the wafer W transferred to the substrate processing system 1 changes according to the processing recipe in another processing apparatus installed in a clean room or the like including the substrate processing system 1, for example. In order to input the surface condition of W into the substrate processing system 1 one by one, it leads to an increase in load of a so-called host computer which collectively manages the substrate processing system 1 and other processing apparatuses. In this respect, as in the present invention, a new inspection recipe is sequentially generated based on the substrate image, and the wafer W before processing is performed in the processing station 11 is imaged by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 50 to display the surface condition. By checking, it is possible to always inspect a defect according to the surface condition of the wafer W without exchanging with the host computer.

  In the above embodiment, only the first substrate image determined as “NO” in step S3 is stored in the image storage unit 214, but the first substrate image determined as “YES” in step S3. May also be stored in the image storage unit 214.

  Further, when all the first substrate images are stored, for example, the first wafer W of the same lot among the first substrate images stored in the image storage unit 214 is adopted as a reference image, and the inspection recipe generation unit 217 A provisional inspection recipe may be generated on the basis of the reference image. When the inspection recipe generation unit 217 generates a provisional inspection recipe by adopting the first wafer W of the same lot as a reference image, the storage unit 211 does not necessarily store the inspection recipe in advance. .

  Further, in the above embodiment, the reference image generation unit 216 combines the second substrate image to generate the reference image, but the content of the present embodiment is as to what substrate image is used as the reference image. It is not limited to. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 200 is provided with a difference image generation unit 218 that generates a difference image between the first substrate image and the second substrate image, and the image storage unit 214 includes a plurality of difference images. A reference image may be generated by the reference image generation unit 216 based on a plurality of difference images. Then, the inspection recipe generation unit 217 generates an inspection recipe using the reference image based on the difference image.

  Then, when using the inspection recipe generated using the reference image based on the difference image, the difference image generation unit 218 generates a difference image of the wafer W to be a target of defect inspection, and the defect determination unit 213 generates the difference image. The presence or absence of a defect on the wafer W is determined based on the difference image and the inspection recipe generated based on the difference image. In this case, it is preferable to store the first substrate image and the second substrate image in the image storage unit 214 as well.

  Then, by using the difference image as the reference image in this manner, when the defect determination unit 213 determines that there is a defect, it is possible to determine that the defect is caused by the substrate processing system 1. . That is, if a defect exists in the wafer W to be inspected before the processing at the processing station 11, the defect exists in both the first substrate image and the second substrate image. By generating a differential image of the first substrate image and the second substrate image, those defects present before the processing at the processing station 11 can be removed from the differential image. Therefore, it can be determined that the defect on the difference image is due to the processing at the processing station 11. Further, when it is necessary to determine the presence or absence of a defect for all wafers W unloaded from the substrate processing system 1 regardless of the cause of the defect, for example, the first substrate image or the first substrate image stored in the image storage unit 214 The presence or absence of a defect is confirmed for at least one of the two substrate images, and even if there is a defect in the first substrate image or the second substrate image even if there is no defect in the difference image, the wafer W It may be determined that there is a defect. If a defect is detected from the first substrate image or the second substrate image, it can be determined that the defect is not attributable to the processing at the processing station 11.

  When the reference image generation unit 216 generates a reference image based on the difference image, the first substrate image acquired by the imaging unit 160 of the inspection apparatus 50 is also determined as to the presence or absence of a defect, and determined as defective. The first substrate image thus obtained is preferably not stored in the image storage unit 214 or excluded when the reference image generation unit 216 generates a reference image. When a reference image is generated by combining a substrate image including defects, there is a possibility that the defects included in the reference image may not be detected, but by excluding the image including the defects when generating the reference image. More accurate defect inspection can be performed.

  Further, when determining whether the defect is caused by the processing at the processing station 11, it is not necessary to use the difference image. For example, the determination of the defect is performed for each of the first substrate image and the second substrate image. It may be done to compare those judgment results. Specifically, as described above, the presence or absence of a defect in wafer W is determined based on the second substrate image, and when it is determined that a defect is present, the result is compared with the determination result of the defect in the first substrate image. . Then, when a defect present in the second substrate image is also present in the first substrate image, it can be determined that the defect exists prior to the processing at the processing station 11. On the other hand, when a defect present in the second substrate image is not present in the first substrate image, it can be determined that the defect is caused by the processing at the processing station 11. Further, when it is determined whether or not the defect is caused by the processing at the processing station 11 as described above, it is not always necessary to store all of the first substrate image and the second substrate image itself, for example Only the determination result of the defect inspection may be stored, and the determination results may be compared with each other. By doing so, the load on the control device 200 for storing the image can be reduced.

  Note that, for example, for a wafer W determined to have a defect as a result of inspecting the wafer W after being processed by the processing station 11 with the inspection device 56, the defect is corrected by rework after being unloaded from the substrate processing system 1. Although the substrate processing system 1 may be carried into the substrate processing system 1 again, if the defect is not caused by the processing at the processing station 11, the defect is not eliminated even if rework is performed. In such a case, the wafer W which does not contribute to production is repeatedly processed by the substrate processing system 1, and as a result, the productivity is lowered, but for the wafer W having a defect not caused by the processing at the processing station 11. By not loading the substrate processing system 1 again, such a situation can be avoided.

  In addition, when it is determined that a defect has occurred due to the processing at the processing station 11, for example, the transport route in the processing station 11 is changed in the wafer W following the wafer W determined to have a defect, By performing the defect determination on the wafer W processed by the changed route, it is possible to detect in which route the defect has occurred. That is, when there is a defect also in the changed route, if there is a portion where the route overlaps between the changed route and the changed route, it can be determined that the defect occurs in the overlapping portion . On the contrary, when no defect occurs in the changed route, it can be judged that the overlapping part is not the cause of the defect.

  In the above embodiment, the inspection apparatus 50 for inspecting the wafer W before processing at the processing station 11 and the inspection apparatus 56 for inspecting the wafer W after processing at the processing station 11 are used to inspect the defects of the wafer W. However, it is preferable that the specifications of each device in the inspection device 50 and the inspection device 56 be the same. That is, if the specifications of the respective devices in the inspection device 50 and the inspection device 56 are the same, a difference may occur between the first substrate image and the second substrate image due to the difference in the specifications. It can be avoided. As a result, more accurate macro defect inspection and generation of a difference image are possible.

  In the above embodiment, the first substrate image and the second substrate image are acquired by different inspection devices 50 and 56, but the first substrate image and the second substrate image are necessarily different inspection devices. It is not necessary to acquire, and may be acquired by the same inspection apparatus. However, in view of the interference of the transfer route of the wafer W and the throughput, it is preferable to image the wafer W before being processed in the processing station 11 and the wafer W after being processed by a separate independent inspection apparatus.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 substrate processing system 30 development processing apparatus 31 lower anti-reflective film forming apparatus 32 resist coating apparatus 33 upper anti-reflective film forming apparatus 40 heat processing apparatus 41 adhesion apparatus 42 peripheral exposure inspection apparatus 70 wafer conveyance apparatus 110 processing container 150 imaging part 200 control apparatus 210 feature amount extraction unit 211 storage unit 212 recipe selection unit 213 defect determination unit 214 image storage unit 215 image classification unit 216 reference image generation unit 217 inspection recipe generation unit 218 difference image generation unit 230.231, 232 inspection recipe W wafer

Claims (7)

A substrate processing system comprising: a cassette station having a transfer device for loading and unloading a substrate into and from a cassette for storing a plurality of substrates, and a processing station having a plurality of liquid processing devices for performing liquid processing on the substrate There,
An inspection apparatus provided adjacent to the cassette station for imaging the substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus and the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus;
A feature amount extraction unit that extracts a predetermined feature amount from a substrate image of a substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus;
A storage unit storing a plurality of inspection recipes including imaging conditions at the time of imaging with the inspection apparatus, which are set corresponding to the feature amounts in different ranges, respectively;
A recipe selection unit that selects an inspection recipe including the imaging condition corresponding to the feature amount extracted by the feature amount extraction unit from the inspection recipe stored in the storage unit;
Based on the selected inspection recipe, before processing with the liquid processing apparatus, a substrate image of the substrate after processing by the liquid processing apparatus that is the same as the substrate whose feature amount is extracted from the substrate image is acquired A defect determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a defect in the substrate image of the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus;
A substrate processing system comprising: The substrate before being processed by the liquid processing apparatus is carried into the inspection apparatus by the transport device of the cassette station, and the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing apparatus is unloaded from the inspection apparatus. The substrate processing system of Claim 1. The substrate according to claim 1, further comprising an interface station connected to an exposure device, wherein the substrate after being processed by the liquid processing device is exposed by the exposure device. Substrate processing system. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing station is provided with a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment on the substrate. The plurality of liquid processing apparatuses are characterized in that the coating liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate to form a coated film, and the development processing is performed on the substrate after the exposure processing. The substrate processing system according to any one of the preceding claims. The inspection apparatus comprises a first inspection apparatus for imaging a substrate before processing by the liquid processing apparatus, and a second inspection apparatus for imaging a substrate after processing by the liquid processing apparatus. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The inspection apparatus includes an imaging device of a substrate provided on one side of the side of the device, and the imaging device images the surface of the substrate while moving the substrate between the one side of the side and the substrate. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein

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