JP7282640B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in the specification of the present application relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and the like, substrate processing such as cleaning processing or resist coating processing is performed by supplying a processing liquid such as pure water, a photoresist liquid, or an etching liquid to the substrate.

As an apparatus for performing liquid processing using these processing liquids, there is a substrate processing apparatus that ejects processing liquid from nozzles onto the upper surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a technique for detecting whether a processing liquid is being discharged from a nozzle arranged at a processing position, or whether the nozzle is normally arranged at the processing position.

JP 2015-173148 A

However, with the conventional technology, it was difficult to detect the position of the moving nozzle. In the conventional technology, matching processing is performed between the captured image of the nozzle and the reference image of the nozzle. This is because it will decrease.

The technology disclosed in the specification of the present application has been made in view of the problems described above, and aims to provide a technology for improving the position detection accuracy of a moving nozzle.

A first aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application is a nozzle that is swingable and for ejecting a processing liquid onto a substrate, an image of the nozzle, and image data of the nozzle. and a position detection unit for detecting the position of the nozzle based on the image data. , and a movement region in which the nozzle moves, and the position detection unit performs matching processing on the image data in the stop region using reference image data to determine the position of the nozzle. is detected, and the positions of the nozzles are detected in the movement area by performing tracking processing between the continuous image data with the positions of the nozzles detected in the stop area as a reference.

A second aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the first aspect, wherein the swingable range of the nozzle includes a plurality of the stop regions, and the reference image data includes the It is set according to the stop area.

A third aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification relates to the first or second aspect, wherein the position detection unit detects a target area corresponding to the position of the nozzle and a target area located directly below the target area. and a determination region for determining whether or not the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle, and the size of the target region and the determination region are set in conjunction with the matching processing and the tracking processing. change the size of

A fourth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification relates to any one of the first to third aspects, and is based on the position of the nozzle detected by the position detection unit and the position of the nozzle measured in advance. The apparatus further includes a positional deviation detection unit that detects the positional deviation of the nozzles by comparing the nozzles with a reference position.

A fifth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application is a step of capturing an image of a nozzle that is swingable and for ejecting a processing liquid onto a substrate, and outputting image data of the nozzle. and detecting the position of the nozzle based on the image data, wherein the swingable range of the nozzle includes a stop area where the nozzle stops and a movement area where the nozzle moves. At least one step of detecting the positions of the nozzles includes the step of detecting the positions of the nozzles by matching the image data with reference image data in the stop area; and detecting the positions of the nozzles in the movement area by performing tracking processing between the continuous image data with reference to the positions of the nozzles detected in the stop area.

According to the first to fifth aspects of the technology disclosed in this specification, the position of the stopped nozzle is detected by matching processing in the stop area, and the detected nozzle position is used as a reference in the movement area. The position of the moving nozzle can be detected by performing tracking processing as .

Also, the objects, features, aspects, and advantages associated with the technology disclosed herein will become more apparent from the detailed description and accompanying drawings presented below.

It is a figure which shows the example of the whole structure of a substrate processing apparatus regarding embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a cleaning unit according to the embodiment; It is a sectional view of a washing processing unit concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a camera and a nozzle. 4 is a functional block diagram of a control unit; FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically exemplifying a hardware configuration when actually operating the control unit whose example is shown in FIG. 5; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows operation of a substrate processing device concerning an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a nozzle's swingable range; 4 is a flowchart showing a nozzle position detection operation; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining template matching; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of reference image data corresponding to a matching window; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of reference image data corresponding to another matching window; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a plurality of patterns of examples of positional deviations during movement of nozzles. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a determination region for ejection determination; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image in a determination area; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image in a determination area; FIG.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the following embodiments, detailed features and the like are also shown for technical explanation, but they are examples, and not all of them are necessarily essential features for enabling the embodiments.

It should be noted that the drawings are shown schematically, and for the sake of convenience of explanation, the configurations may be omitted or simplified in the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the mutual relationship of sizes and positions of configurations shown in different drawings is not necessarily described accurately and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, even in drawings such as plan views that are not cross-sectional views, hatching may be added to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiments.

In addition, in the description given below, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, a detailed description thereof may be omitted to avoid duplication.

Also, in the description below, when a component is described as “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” it is an exclusive term that excludes the presence of other components unless otherwise specified. not an expression.

In addition, even if ordinal numbers such as “first” or “second” are used in the description below, these terms are used to facilitate understanding of the content of the embodiments. These ordinal numbers are used for convenience and are not limited to the order or the like that can occur with these ordinal numbers.

Also, in the descriptions set forth below, specific positions or directions such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "side", "bottom", "front" or "back" are meant. However, these terms are used for convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the content of the embodiments, and the positions or directions when actually implemented are different. It is irrelevant.

<Embodiment>
A substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described below.

<Regarding the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. As an example is shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is a single wafer processing apparatus that processes substrates W to be processed one by one. Substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal display device substrates, flat panel display (FPD) substrates such as organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical substrates, Substrates for disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, and the like are included.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs a cleaning process on a substrate W, which is a thin circular silicon substrate, using a chemical solution and a rinsing liquid such as pure water, and then performs a drying process.

Examples of the chemical solution include a mixed solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide (SC1), a mixed aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide (SC2), or a DHF solution (dilute hydrofluoric acid).

In the following description, the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid are collectively referred to as "treatment liquid". In addition to the cleaning process, the "processing liquid" includes coating liquids such as photoresist liquids for film formation processing, chemical liquids for removing unnecessary films, and chemical liquids for etching. do.

A substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cleaning processing units 1 , an indexer 102 and a main transfer robot 103 .

The indexer 102 transports into the apparatus a substrate W to be processed received from the outside of the apparatus, and moves the processed substrate W on which substrate processing (including lifting and lowering of the processing cup, cleaning processing, and drying processing) has been completed to the apparatus. carry outside. The indexer 102 arranges a plurality of carriers (not shown) and has a transfer robot (not shown).

As the carrier, a front opening unified pod (FOUP) that stores the substrate W in a closed space, a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod, or an open cassette (OC) that exposes the substrate W to the outside air may be employed. Also, the transfer robot transfers the substrate W between the carrier and the main transfer robot 103 .

The cleaning processing unit 1 performs liquid processing and drying processing on one substrate W. As shown in FIG. Twelve cleaning units 1 are arranged in the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

Specifically, four towers each including three vertically stacked cleaning units 1 are arranged to surround the main transfer robot 103 .

In FIG. 1, one of the cleaning units 1 stacked in three stages is schematically shown. The number of cleaning units 1 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is not limited to twelve, and may be changed as appropriate.

The main transfer robot 103 is installed in the center of four towers in which the cleaning processing units 1 are stacked. The main transfer robot 103 carries the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 into each cleaning processing unit 1 . Further, the main transport robot 103 carries out the processed substrate W from each cleaning processing unit 1 and passes it to the indexer 102 .

One of the twelve cleaning units 1 mounted in the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described below, but the other cleaning units 1 have the same configuration, except for the arrangement of nozzles. have.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cleaning unit 1 according to this embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 1 according to this embodiment.

2 shows a state in which the spin chuck 20 does not hold the substrate W, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

The cleaning processing unit 1 includes, in the chamber 10, a spin chuck 20 that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture (that is, a posture in which the normal to the upper surface of the substrate W is along the vertical direction), and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20. a processing cup 40 surrounding the spin chuck 20; and a camera 70 imaging the space above the spin chuck 20.

A partition plate 15 is provided around the processing cup 40 in the chamber 10 to partition the inner space of the chamber 10 into upper and lower parts.

The chamber 10 includes side walls 11 extending in the vertical direction and surrounding on four sides, a ceiling wall 12 closing the upper side of the side walls 11 , and a floor wall 13 closing the lower side of the side walls 11 . A space surrounded by the side walls 11, the ceiling wall 12, and the floor wall 13 serves as a processing space for the substrates W. As shown in FIG.

A part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10 is provided with a loading/unloading port for loading/unloading the substrate W by the main transfer robot 103 into/from the chamber 10, and a shutter for opening/closing the loading/unloading port. are also omitted).

A fan filter unit (FFU) 14 is attached to the ceiling wall 12 of the chamber 10 for further purifying the air in the clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus 100 is installed and supplying it to the processing space in the chamber 10 . . The FFU 14 is equipped with a fan and a filter (for example, a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) filter) for taking air in the clean room and sending it out into the chamber 10 .

The FFU 14 creates a clean air downflow in the processing space within the chamber 10 . In order to uniformly disperse the clean air supplied from the FFU 14 , a punching plate having a large number of blowout holes may be provided directly below the ceiling wall 12 .

The spin chuck 20 has a spin base 21 , a spin motor 22 , a cover member 23 and a rotating shaft 24 . The spin base 21 has a disk shape and is fixed in a horizontal posture to the upper end of a rotating shaft 24 extending along the vertical direction. The spin motor 22 is provided below the spin base 21 and rotates the rotating shaft 24 . The spin motor 22 rotates the spin base 21 in the horizontal plane via the rotation shaft 24 . Cover member 23 has a cylindrical shape surrounding spin motor 22 and rotating shaft 24 .

The outer diameter of the disk-shaped spin base 21 is slightly larger than the diameter of the circular substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . Therefore, the spin base 21 has a holding surface 21a facing the entire lower surface of the substrate W to be held.

A plurality (four in the present embodiment) of chuck pins 26 are provided on the periphery of the holding surface 21 a of the spin base 21 . The plurality of chuck pins 26 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference corresponding to the outer diameter of the outer circumference of the circular substrate W. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, four chuck pins 26 are provided at intervals of 90°.

A plurality of chuck pins 26 are interlocked and driven by a link mechanism (not shown) housed in the spin base 21 . The spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W above the spin base 21 in a horizontal position close to the holding surface 21a by holding the substrate W with each of the plurality of chuck pins 26 in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W. Hold (see Figure 3). Further, the spin chuck 20 releases the grip of the substrate W by separating each of the plurality of chuck pins 26 from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The method for holding the substrate W is not limited to the method using the chuck pins shown in this embodiment. A Bernoulli chuck or the like that sucks the substrate W according to its principle may be used.

A cover member 23 covering the spin motor 22 has its lower end fixed to the floor wall 13 of the chamber 10 and its upper end reaching directly below the spin base 21 . At the upper end of the cover member 23, a brim-shaped member 25 is provided that projects substantially horizontally outward from the cover member 23 and further bends and extends downward.

In a state where the spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W by gripping with a plurality of chuck pins 26, the spin motor 22 rotates the rotation shaft 24, thereby rotating the rotation axis CX along the vertical direction passing through the center of the substrate W. substrate W can be rotated. Note that the drive of the spin motor 22 is controlled by the control section 9 .

The nozzle 30 is configured by attaching an ejection head 31 to the tip of a nozzle arm 32 . The base end side of the nozzle arm 32 is fixedly connected to the nozzle base 33 . A motor 332 (nozzle moving unit) provided on the nozzle base 33 can rotate about an axis extending in the vertical direction.

By rotating the nozzle base 33, the nozzle 30 moves horizontally between a position above the spin chuck 20 and a standby position outside the processing cup 40, as indicated by an arrow AR34 in FIG. move in an arc along the The rotation of the nozzle base 33 swings the nozzle 30 above the holding surface 21 a of the spin base 21 . Specifically, above the spin base 21, a predetermined processing section PS1 (described later) extending in the horizontal direction is moved. Note that moving the nozzle 30 within the processing section PS1 is the same as moving the ejection head 31 at the tip within the processing section PS1.

The nozzles 30 are configured to be supplied with a plurality of types of processing liquids (including at least pure water), and the plurality of types of processing liquids can be discharged from the discharge head 31 . A plurality of ejection heads 31 may be provided at the tip of the nozzle 30, and the same or different treatment liquid may be ejected individually from each of them. The nozzle 30 (more specifically, the ejection head 31) ejects the treatment liquid while moving in the treatment section PS1 extending in an arc shape in the horizontal direction. The processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 30 lands on the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 .

The cleaning unit 1 of the present embodiment is provided with two nozzles 60 and 65 in addition to the nozzle 30 described above. Nozzle 60 and nozzle 65 of the present embodiment have the same configuration as nozzle 30 described above.

That is, the nozzle 60 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip of a nozzle arm 62 , and a nozzle base 63 connected to the base end of the nozzle arm 62 moves upward above the spin chuck 20 as indicated by an arrow AR64. and a standby position outside the processing cup 40 in an arc.

Similarly, the nozzle 65 is configured by attaching a discharge head to the tip of a nozzle arm 67. A nozzle base 68 connected to the base end of the nozzle arm 67 allows the spin chuck 20 to move as indicated by an arrow AR69. It moves in an arc between an upper processing position and a standby position outside the processing cup 40 .

The nozzles 60 and 65 are also configured to be supplied with a plurality of types of processing liquid containing at least pure water, and discharge the processing liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 at the processing position. . At least one of the nozzle 60 and the nozzle 65 is a two-fluid that mixes a cleaning liquid such as pure water and a pressurized gas to generate droplets, and jets the mixed fluid of the droplets and the gas onto the substrate W. It may be a nozzle. Also, the number of nozzles provided in the cleaning unit 1 is not limited to three, and may be one or more.

It is not essential to move each of nozzle 30, nozzle 60 and nozzle 65 in an arc. For example, a linear drive may be provided to move the nozzle linearly or to orbit.

A lower surface treatment liquid nozzle 28 is provided along the vertical direction so as to pass through the inner side of the rotating shaft 24 . An upper end opening of the lower surface processing liquid nozzle 28 is formed at a position facing the center of the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . The lower processing liquid nozzle 28 is also configured to be supplied with a plurality of processing liquids. The processing liquid discharged from the lower surface processing liquid nozzle 28 lands on the lower surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 .

A processing cup 40 surrounding the spin chuck 20 includes an inner cup 41, a middle cup 42 and an outer cup 43 which can be raised and lowered independently of each other. The inner cup 41 surrounds the spin chuck 20 and has a shape substantially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis CX passing through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . The inner cup 41 has an annular bottom portion 44 in plan view, a cylindrical inner wall portion 45 rising upward from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom portion 44, a cylindrical outer wall portion 46 rising upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 44, and an inner wall. A first guide portion 47 that rises from between the portion 45 and the outer wall portion 46 and extends obliquely upward toward the center (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20) while drawing a smooth circular arc at its upper end. and a cylindrical inner wall portion 48 rising upward from between the first guide portion 47 and the outer wall portion 46 .

The inner wall portion 45 is formed to have a length such that the cover member 23 and the brim-like member 25 can be accommodated with an appropriate gap when the inner cup 41 is raised to the maximum. The intermediate wall portion 48 is housed with an appropriate gap maintained between a second guide portion 52 of the intermediate cup 42 and the processing liquid separation wall 53, which will be described later, in a state in which the inner cup 41 and the intermediate cup 42 are closest to each other. It is formed to a length that

The first guide portion 47 has an upper end portion 47b extending obliquely upward toward the center (in a direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc. A waste groove 49 is provided between the inner wall portion 45 and the first guide portion 47 for collecting and discarding the used treatment liquid. Between the first guide portion 47 and the inner wall portion 48 is an annular inner recovery groove 50 for collecting and recovering the used processing liquid. Further, between the inner wall portion 48 and the outer wall portion 46 is an annular outer recovery groove 51 for collecting and recovering a processing liquid different in kind from the inner recovery groove 50 .

The disposal groove 49 is connected to an exhaust liquid mechanism (not shown) for discharging the processing liquid collected in the disposal groove 49 and forcibly exhausting the inside of the disposal groove 49 . For example, four exhaust liquid mechanisms are provided at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the disposal groove 49 . In the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51, a recovery mechanism for recovering the processing liquid collected in the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 respectively to a recovery tank provided outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 is provided. (not shown) are connected.

The bottoms of the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 are inclined by a slight angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and the recovery mechanism is connected to the lowest position. As a result, the processing liquid that has flowed into the inner recovery groove 50 and the outer recovery groove 51 is smoothly recovered.

The middle cup 42 surrounds the spin chuck 20 and has a shape substantially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis CX passing through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . The middle cup 42 has a second guide portion 52 and a cylindrical processing liquid separation wall 53 connected to the second guide portion 52 .

Outside the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41, the second guide portion 52 draws a smooth circular arc from the lower end portion 52a coaxial with the lower end portion of the first guide portion 47 and the upper end of the lower end portion 52a. It has an upper end portion 52b extending obliquely upward toward the center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W), and a folded portion 52c formed by folding the tip portion of the upper end portion 52b downward. The lower end portion 52a is accommodated in the inner recovery groove 50 with an appropriate gap maintained between the first guide portion 47 and the middle wall portion 48 in a state where the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other. Further, the upper end portion 52b is provided so as to overlap the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41 in the vertical direction. is close to the upper end portion 47b of the . The folded portion 52c horizontally overlaps the tip of the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 when the inner cup 41 and the middle cup 42 are closest to each other.

The upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 is formed so as to be thicker toward the bottom. The processing liquid separation wall 53 has a cylindrical shape extending downward from the lower outer peripheral edge of the upper end portion 52b. The processing liquid separation wall 53 is accommodated in the outer recovery groove 51 with an appropriate gap maintained between the inner wall portion 48 and the outer cup 43 in a state in which the inner cup 41 and the inner cup 42 are closest to each other.

The outer cup 43 has a shape substantially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis CX passing through the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . The outer cup 43 surrounds the spin chuck 20 outside the second guide portion 52 of the inner cup 42 . This outer cup 43 has a function as a third guide portion. The outer cup 43 has a lower end portion 43a forming a cylindrical shape coaxial with the lower end portion 52a of the second guide portion 52, and a center side (direction approaching the rotation axis CX of the substrate W) while drawing a smooth arc from the upper end of the lower end portion 43a. It has an upper end portion 43b extending obliquely upward, and a folded portion 43c formed by folding the tip portion of the upper end portion 43b downward.

When the inner cup 41 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other, the lower end portion 43a maintains an appropriate gap between the processing liquid separation wall 53 of the inner cup 42 and the outer wall portion 46 of the inner cup 41 to form an outer recovery groove. Housed within 51. The upper end portion 43b is provided so as to overlap the second guide portion 52 of the middle cup 42 in the vertical direction. Keep a very small distance and get close to each other. When the inner cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are closest to each other, the folded portion 43c overlaps the folded portion 52c of the second guide portion 52 in the horizontal direction.

The inner cup 41, the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 can be raised and lowered independently of each other. That is, each of the inner cup 41, the middle cup 42, and the outer cup 43 is provided with an elevating mechanism (not shown) so that it can be lifted and lowered independently. As such an elevating mechanism, for example, various known mechanisms such as a ball screw mechanism or an air cylinder can be employed.

The partition plate 15 is provided around the processing cup 40 so as to vertically partition the inner space of the chamber 10 . The partition plate 15 may be a single plate-like member surrounding the processing cup 40, or may be a plurality of plate-like members joined together. Further, the partition plate 15 may be formed with a through hole or a notch that penetrates in the thickness direction. and a through hole for passing a support shaft for supporting the nozzle base 68 is formed.

An outer peripheral edge of the partition plate 15 is connected to the side wall 11 of the chamber 10 . The outer edge of the partition plate 15 surrounding the processing cup 40 is formed in a circular shape with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer cup 43 . Therefore, the partition plate 15 does not hinder the lifting of the outer cup 43 .

An exhaust duct 18 is provided in the vicinity of the floor wall 13 and as part of the side wall 11 of the chamber 10 . The exhaust duct 18 is communicatively connected to an exhaust mechanism (not shown). Of the clean air supplied from the FFU 14 and flowed down inside the chamber 10 , the air that has passed between the processing cup 40 and the partition plate 15 is discharged from the exhaust duct 18 to the outside of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the camera 70 and the nozzle 30. As shown in FIG. The camera 70 is installed inside the chamber 10 above the partition plate 15 (see FIG. 3). Further, the camera 70 includes, for example, a CCD, which is one of solid-state imaging devices, and an optical system such as an electronic shutter and a lens.

By driving the nozzle base 33, the nozzle 30 moves between the processing section PS1 (dotted line position in FIG. 4) above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 and the waiting position (solid line position in FIG. 4) outside the processing cup 40. ) is reciprocated between

The processing section PS1 is a section in which the cleaning process is performed by discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle 30 onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . Here, the processing section PS1 extends horizontally between a first end TE1 near one edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 and a second end TE2 near the opposite edge. It is a section extending to

The standby position is a position where the nozzles 30 stop discharging the treatment liquid and wait when the cleaning process is not performed. At the standby position, a standby pod that houses the ejection head 31 (see FIG. 3) of the nozzle 30 may be provided.

The camera 70 is installed at a position so that its imaging field of view includes the tip of the nozzle 30, that is, includes the vicinity of the ejection head 31 (see FIG. 3).

In the present embodiment, the camera 70 can image an imaging area including the tip of the nozzle 30 . Similarly, camera 70 can image an imaging area that includes the tips of nozzles 60 and 65 .

When the camera 70 is installed at the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the nozzles 30 and 60 move laterally within the field of view of the camera 70. However, since the nozzle 65 moves in the depth direction within the imaging field of the camera 70, there is a possibility that the amount of movement in the vicinity of the processing section cannot be properly imaged. In this case, a camera for imaging the nozzle 65 may be provided separately from the camera 70 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , an illumination section 71 is provided inside the chamber 10 at a position above the partition plate 15 . When the chamber 10 is a dark room, the control unit 9 may control the illumination unit 71 so that the illumination unit 71 emits light when the camera 70 takes an image.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control section 9. As shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the controller 9 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 100 is the same as that of a general computer. That is, as will be described later, the control unit 9 includes a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing, a read-only memory (ie, ROM) that stores basic programs, and a read/write memory that stores various information. It is composed of a random access memory (ie, RAM), which is a flexible memory, and a storage unit, such as a magnetic disk, for storing control software or data. Each operation mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 9 by the CPU of the control unit 9 executing a predetermined processing program, and processing in the substrate processing apparatus 100 proceeds.

The position detection unit 90, the positional deviation detection unit 91, the ejection determination unit 94, and the command transmission unit 92 shown in FIG. processing unit.

The position detection section 90 detects the position of the nozzle 30 based on image data input from the camera 70 .

The positional deviation detector 91 detects the positional deviation of the nozzle 30 by comparing the position of the nozzle 30 detected by the position detector 90 with the reference position of the nozzle 30 measured in advance.

The ejection determination unit 94 determines whether or not the treatment liquid is being ejected from the nozzles 30 by image analysis in the determination region, which will be described later.

The command transmission unit 92 operates each element of the cleaning unit 1 by outputting a command (control information) according to a recipe describing various conditions for processing the substrate W. Specifically, the command transmission unit 92 outputs commands to the nozzles 30, 60 and 65 to activate the driving sources (motors) built in the nozzle bases 33, 63 and 68. make it work. For example, when the command transmission unit 92 transmits a command to move the nozzle 30 to the first end TE1 of the processing section PS1, the nozzle 30 moves from the standby position to the first end TE1. Furthermore, when the command transmission unit 92 transmits a command to move the nozzle 30 to the second end TE2 of the processing section PS1, the nozzle 30 moves from the first end TE1 to the second end TE2. The ejection of the treatment liquid from the nozzles 30 may also be performed in response to command transmission from the command transmission section 92 .

Further, a display section 95 , an input section 96 and a plurality of cleaning processing units 1 are connected to the control section 9 . The display section 95 displays various information according to the image signal from the control section 9 . The input unit 96 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse connected to the control unit 9 and receives input operations performed by the operator on the control unit 9 . The plurality of cleaning processing units 1 operate each element in each cleaning processing unit 1 based on various commands (control information) transmitted from the command transmission section 92 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically exemplifying the hardware configuration when the control unit 9 whose example is shown in FIG. 5 is actually operated.

In FIG. 6, the hardware configuration for realizing the position detection unit 90, the positional deviation detection unit 91, and the command transmission unit 92 in FIG. 1103 are shown.

The processing circuit 1102A is, for example, a CPU. The storage device 1103 is, for example, a memory (storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (ie, HDD), RAM, ROM, and flash memory.

<About the operation of the substrate processing apparatus>
The normal processing of the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a step of loading the substrate W to be processed received from the indexer 102 by the main transfer robot 103 into each of the cleaning processing units 1, It includes a step of performing substrate processing and a step of carrying out the processed substrate W from the cleaning processing unit 1 and returning it to the indexer 102 by the main transfer robot 103 .

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a procedure of cleaning and drying of typical substrate processing of substrates W in each cleaning processing unit 1 will be described. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

First, a chemical solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate W to perform a predetermined chemical solution treatment (step ST01). Thereafter, pure water is supplied to perform a pure water rinsing process (step ST02).

Furthermore, the pure water is shaken off by rotating the substrate W at a high speed, thereby drying the substrate W (step ST03).

When the cleaning processing unit 1 performs substrate processing, the spin chuck 20 holds the substrate W and the processing cup 40 moves up and down.

When the cleaning processing unit 1 performs chemical processing, for example, only the outer cup 43 is raised, and the spin chuck 20 is positioned between the upper end 43 b of the outer cup 43 and the upper end 52 b of the second guide portion 52 of the inner cup 42 . An opening is formed surrounding the periphery of the held substrate W. As shown in FIG. In this state, the substrate W is rotated together with the spin chuck 20 , and the chemical liquid is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W from the nozzle 30 and the lower surface processing liquid nozzle 28 . The supplied chemical liquid flows along the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate W, and eventually scatters laterally from the outer edge of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. As a result, the substrate W is processed with the chemical solution. The chemical liquid scattered from the outer edge of the rotating substrate W is received by the upper end 43 b of the outer cup 43 , flows down along the inner surface of the outer cup 43 , and is recovered in the outer recovery groove 51 .

When the cleaning processing unit 1 performs the pure water rinsing process, for example, the inner cup 41 , the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are all raised, and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 is surrounded by the first inner cup 41 . It is surrounded by the guide part 47 . In this state, the substrate W is rotated together with the spin chuck 20 , and pure water is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W from the nozzle 30 and the lower surface processing liquid nozzle 28 . The supplied pure water flows along the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate W, and eventually scatters laterally from the outer edge of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Thus, the pure water rinsing process of the substrate W proceeds. Pure water scattered from the outer edge of the rotating substrate W flows down along the inner wall of the first guide portion 47 and is discharged from the disposal groove 49 . When the pure water is recovered through a path different from that of the chemical liquid, the middle cup 42 and the outer cup 43 are raised, and the upper end portion 52b of the second guide portion 52 of the middle cup 42 and the first guide portion of the inner cup 41 are moved. An opening surrounding the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 may be formed between the upper end portion 47b of the portion 47 and the upper end portion 47b.

When the washing processing unit 1 performs the shake-off drying process, the inner cup 41, the middle cup 42, and the outer cup 43 all descend, and the upper end portion 47b of the first guide portion 47 of the inner cup 41 and the second guide portion of the middle cup 42 move downward. Both the upper end portion 52 b of the portion 52 and the upper end portion 43 b of the outer cup 43 are positioned below the substrate W held by the spin chuck 20 . In this state, the substrate W is rotated at high speed together with the spin chuck 20, water droplets attached to the substrate W are shaken off by centrifugal force, and drying processing is performed.

<About position detection>
Next, nozzle position detection by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. FIG. Since the nozzles 30 in this embodiment are movable as shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the swingable range of the nozzle 30. As shown in FIG. Note that the swingable range of the nozzle 30 in FIG. 8 does not include the standby position in FIG. Also, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging region including the tip of the nozzle 30 imaged by the camera 70. Similarly, for the nozzles 60 and 65, the swingable range of the nozzles can be set. can be done.

The nozzle 30 in FIG. 8 has a nozzle arm 32 arranged above the processing cup 40, and the ejection head 31 attached to the tip of the nozzle arm 32 is positioned on the upper surface of the substrate W surrounded by the processing cup 40 in plan view. is directed.

In such a case, the range in which the nozzle 30 can swing due to the rotation of the nozzle arm 32 driven by the nozzle base 33 is defined as the swing range.

Note that the swing range is mainly a range in a direction substantially parallel to the upper surface of the substrate W, but a range in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate W may be set.

The swing range of the nozzle 30 includes a stop area where the nozzle 30 substantially stops and a movement area where the nozzle 30 moves.

The stop area in FIG. 8 is an area including the first end TE1 or the second end TE2, and is an area where the moving speed of the nozzle 30 is lower than the moving speed of the nozzle 30 in the moving area. That is, the moving speed of the nozzles 30 in the stop area may be 0 indicating a completely stopped state, or may be sufficiently lower than the moving speed in the moving area.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the stop area includes a matching window 201 consisting of the first end TE1 and its neighborhood (including part of the processing section PS1), and a second end TE2 and its neighborhood (part of the processing section PS1). ), each shown as a matching window 202 consisting of . Also, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the moving area is shown as an area sandwiched between matching window 201 and matching window 202 . Note that the number of stop regions is not limited to the case where a plurality of stop regions are set. For example, when the nozzle 30 moves around, at least one stop region may be set. Also, a plurality of moving regions may be set.

In the matching window 201, a region of interest (ROI) 201A for matching processing (template matching) using reference image data is set. Similarly, in matching window 202, ROI 202A for template matching is set.

Next, the nozzle position detection operation by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the position detection operation of the nozzle 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining template matching.

First, the position detection section 90 uses the camera 70 to record an operation image of the nozzle 30 in the entire swing range (step ST101). On the other hand, the position detection section 90 registers reference image data (template) for template matching in each stop area (step ST102). Here, the reference image data is, for example, image data of the ejection head 31 attached to the tip of the nozzle 30 in the stop area.

Next, as shown in an example in FIG. 10, the position detection unit 90 detects one image frame (image frame at the start of the motion) in the image data of the recorded motion image. The ROI 201A is set in the matching window 201 corresponding to the neighborhood, and template matching is performed between the image overlapping the ROI 201A and the reference image data (step ST103). Here, the ROI 201A is set according to the size of the ejection head 31 attached to the tip of the nozzle 30 at the matching window 201, for example. During template matching, the matching window 201 is searched while moving the ROI 201A to search for a location where the image overlapping the ROI 201A and the reference image data have a high degree of similarity.

Position detection section 90 then determines whether or not the template matching has succeeded (step ST104). If the template matching is successful, the coordinate position (eg, XYZ axis coordinates) of nozzle 30 is registered or updated based on the matched image (step ST105).

On the other hand, if the template matching is not successful, template matching using the reference image data is performed in another matching window (matching window 202) (step ST106). Then, the coordinate position (eg, XYZ axis coordinates) of nozzle 30 is registered or updated based on the matched image (step ST105).

Here, the matching window 201 (and the matching window 202) is set including a part of the processing section PS1. If the shape and the like have not changed significantly from the reference image data in ), matching processing can be performed.

Also, depending on the angle at which the camera 70 captures the image of the nozzle 30 , the area including the tip of the nozzle 30 at the first end TE<b>1 (or the second end TE<b>2 ) may be hidden by the processing cup 40 . Even in such a case, if matching window 201 (and matching window 202) includes part of processing section PS1, first end TE1 (or second end TE2) within matching window 201 (or matching window 202) The matching process can be performed for the nozzles 30 that are moving from the point to the process section PS1.

Next, the position detection section 90 performs tracking processing between a plurality of image frames (step ST107). At this time, the tracking process is performed between temporally consecutive image frames with reference to the coordinate position of the nozzle 30 registered or updated in the immediately preceding stop area (that is, the position of the successfully matched ROI).

According to the tracking process, the coordinate position of the nozzle 30 (that is, the position of the ROI) can be obtained in each of a plurality of temporally continuous image frames. As a method of tracking processing, for example, median flow can be used.

In median flow, first, a specified density of tracked points is generated within a specified region of an initial image frame. Then, for each tracked point, its respective position in the next image frame in time is tracked by the Lucas-Kanade Tracker. Furthermore, by Forward-Backward Error, the tracking target points with large tracking errors in the above tracking are removed, and the remaining tracking target points are used to calculate the median (median value) of the amount of change in the position of the tracking target points in the previous and next image frames. Ask for Then, when this value is smaller than the specified value, the tracking process is continued.

Then, the position detection section 90 determines whether or not the coordinate position of the nozzle 30 obtained by the tracking process (that is, the position of the ROI) has reached the stop area (step ST108).

If the coordinate position of the nozzle 30 has reached the stop area, the process returns to step ST103 to perform template matching within the corresponding stop area for the image frame from which the coordinate position was obtained.

On the other hand, if the coordinate position of the nozzle 30 has not reached the stop area, the process returns to step ST107 in order to perform tracking processing between a plurality of image frames.

According to the position detection operation described above, the position of the nozzle 30 can be appropriately detected by performing the tracking process between a plurality of image data even for the moving nozzle 30 .

Also, if the tracking process is performed continuously, tracking errors may accumulate and appropriate position detection may not be possible. Errors accumulated by the tracking process can be reset. Therefore, even when the positions of the nozzles 30 that move by the tracking process are continuously detected, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of tracking errors.

<Regarding reference image data>
The image of nozzle 30 in each matching window differs depending on the distance or angle from camera 70 . Therefore, the reference image data for template matching (that is, the image data of the ejection head 31 in each matching window) used for comparison with the image is desirably registered in association with each matching window.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of reference image data corresponding to the matching window 201. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of reference image data corresponding to another matching window 202. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the shape of the ejection head 31 in each reference image data differs depending on the direction or distance from the camera 70 . Therefore, by using different reference image data for each matching window as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, template matching can be performed with high accuracy.

<Regarding position deviation detection>
Using the position of the moving nozzle 30 detected as described above, the positional deviation detection unit 91 can detect the positional deviation of the position with respect to the reference position. The reference position is, for example, a coordinate position of the nozzle 30 determined in advance according to a recipe or the like.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a plurality of patterns of examples of positional deviation of the nozzle 30 during movement. In FIG. 13, the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of displacement in the height direction from the reference position, and the horizontal axis indicates the horizontal movement distance of the nozzle.

FIG. 13 shows a plurality of patterns (three patterns) of changes in position when the nozzle 30 is swinging. However, if the amount of deviation of the detected position of the nozzle 30 from the reference position is greater than or equal to a threshold value, it can be detected as a positional deviation. The threshold can be determined according to the required nozzle position accuracy.

<About discharge judgment>
Next, ejection determination for determining whether or not the treatment liquid is being ejected from the nozzles will be described with reference to FIGS. 14, 15 and 16. FIG. Here, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a determination region 301 for ejection determination.

As an example is shown in FIG. 14, a determination region 301 is added directly below the ROI 302 when determining ejection. In FIG. 14, the determination region 301 is added directly below the ROI 302 in the matching window 201, but the determination region 301 is also added directly below the ROI 302 in other stop regions and movement regions. .

Also, the size (length and width) of the determination region 301 depends on the size of the ROI 302 . That is, when the size of the ROI 302 is set according to the size of the ejection head 31 in conjunction with the matching process and the tracking process, the size of the determination region 301 is also set according to the size of the ejection head 31 .

Ejection determination is performed by image analysis in the determination region 301 . 15 and 16 are diagrams showing examples of images in the determination region 301. FIG. 15 and 16, the horizontal direction is the X direction, and the vertical direction (that is, the direction in which the treatment liquid is discharged) is the Y direction.

As shown in the example of FIG. 15, when the processing liquid is not discharged, the image of the processing liquid is not displayed in the judgment area 301, and the image of the substrate W, the processing cup 40, or the like is displayed. Therefore, there is no portion where a large luminance difference occurs within the determination region 301 .

On the other hand, as shown in the example of FIG. 16, when the treatment liquid is being ejected, an image of the treatment liquid 400 having high brightness is displayed in a part of the judgment area 301 . Therefore, a large luminance difference occurs between the liquid column portion of the treatment liquid 400 in the determination region 301 and its peripheral portion. Note that if the illumination direction is different, the image of the treatment liquid 400 may have lower brightness than the surroundings. A large luminance difference occurs between

Therefore, it can be determined that the treatment liquid 400 has been discharged when the magnitude of the luminance difference in the determination region 301 exceeds the threshold value.

Here, when calculating the luminance difference in the determination region 301, the luminance value is integrated for each pixel row along the direction (flowing direction) in which the treatment liquid 400 is discharged, and the luminance difference for each pixel row is calculated. , the difference in brightness between the liquid column portion of the treatment liquid 400 and its peripheral portion can be emphasized. This makes it possible to perform ejection determination with higher accuracy.

<About the effect produced by the embodiment described above>
Next, examples of effects produced by the embodiments described above are shown. In the following description, the effect will be described based on the specific configuration exemplified in the embodiment described above. may be substituted with other specific configurations shown.

According to the embodiments described above, the substrate processing apparatus includes the nozzle 30 , the imaging section, and the position detection section 90 . Here, the imaging unit corresponds to, for example, the camera 70 or the like. Nozzle 30 is swingable. Further, the nozzle 30 ejects the processing liquid onto the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Camera 70 images nozzle 30 . The camera 70 then outputs image data of the nozzle 30 . The position detection section 90 detects the position of the nozzle 30 based on the image data. Here, the swingable range of the nozzle 30 includes at least one stop area where the nozzle 30 stops and at least one movement area where the nozzle 30 moves. Note that the stop area corresponds to, for example, matching window 201 and matching window 202 . Also, the moving region corresponds to, for example, a section sandwiched between two matching windows in the processing section PS1. Then, the position detection section 90 detects the position of the nozzle 30 by performing matching processing on the image data using the reference image data in the stop area. Further, the position detection unit 90 detects the position of the nozzle 30 in the movement area by performing tracking processing between continuous image data with reference to the position of the nozzle 30 detected in the stop area.

Also, according to the embodiments described above, the substrate processing apparatus includes the nozzle 30 and the camera 70 . The substrate processing apparatus also includes a processing circuit 1102A that executes programs, and a storage device 1103 that stores the programs to be executed. The following operations are realized by the processing circuit 1102A executing the program.

That is, the position of the nozzle 30 is detected by matching the image data using the reference image data in the stop area. Further, in the movement area, the position of the nozzle 30 is detected by performing tracking processing between continuous image data with reference to the position of the nozzle 30 detected in the stop area.

According to such a configuration, the position of the stopped nozzle 30 is detected by matching processing in the stop area (matching window 201 and matching window 202), and the detected nozzle 30 is detected in the movement area (processing section PS1). By performing tracking processing with the position of nozzle 30 as a reference, the position of moving nozzle 30 can be detected. Therefore, the position of the moving nozzle 30 can be detected without using a plurality of reference image data. In addition, the matching process in the stop area enables detection of the position of the nozzle 30, which serves as a reference for the tracking process, and eliminates error accumulation that may occur due to the tracking process.

It should be noted that when other configurations exemplified in the present specification are appropriately added to the above configurations, that is, when other configurations in the present specification that are not mentioned as the above configurations are added as appropriate can produce a similar effect.

Moreover, according to the embodiments described above, the swingable range of the nozzle 30 includes the matching window 201 and the matching window 202 . The reference image data is set according to each of matching window 201 and matching window 202 . According to such a configuration, the reference image data is set corresponding to the image of the nozzle 30 whose size and shape are changed by each stopping area (matching window 201 and matching window 202). Therefore, the matching process can be appropriately performed in each stop area.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the position detection unit 90 detects the target area corresponding to the position of the nozzle 30 and the processing liquid 400 positioned directly below the target area and ejected from the nozzle 30. A judgment region 301 for judging the presence or absence of ejection of is set. Here, the target region corresponds to the ROI 302, for example. Then, the position detection unit 90 changes the size of the ROI 302 and the size of the determination region 301 in conjunction with matching processing and tracking processing. According to such a configuration, the size of the determination region 301 is changed together with the size of the ROI 302 in conjunction with the tracking process, thereby increasing the accuracy of ejection determination in the determination region 301 .

Further, according to the embodiments described above, the substrate processing apparatus compares the position of the nozzle 30 detected by the position detection unit 90 with the reference position of the nozzle 30 measured in advance, thereby determining the position of the nozzle 30. A positional deviation detection unit 91 for detecting a positional deviation of 30 is provided. According to such a configuration, when the difference between the position of the nozzle 30 detected by the position detection unit 90 and the reference position of the nozzle 30 is greater than or equal to the threshold value, it can be detected as a positional deviation of the nozzle 30 . can.

<Regarding Modifications of the Embodiments Described Above>
In the embodiments described above, the material, material, size, shape, relative arrangement relationship, implementation conditions, etc. of each component may be described, but these are only examples in all aspects. and is not limited to those described in the specification of the present application.

Accordingly, myriad modifications and equivalents not exemplified are contemplated within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. For example, modifications, additions, or omissions of at least one component shall be included.

In addition, each component described in the embodiments described above is assumed to be software or firmware as well as hardware corresponding thereto, and in both concepts, each component is a "part". Or it is called a "processing circuit" (circuitry).

Reference Signs List 1 cleaning unit 9 control unit 10 chamber 11 side wall 12 ceiling wall 13 floor wall 14 FFU
15 partition plate 18 exhaust duct 20 spin chuck 21 spin base 21a holding surface 22 spin motor 23 cover member 24 rotating shaft 25 flange member 26 chuck pin 28 lower surface treatment liquid nozzle 30, 60, 65 nozzle 31 ejection head 32, 62, 67 Nozzle arm 33, 63, 68 Nozzle base 40 Processing cup 41 Inner cup 42 Middle cup 43 Outer cup 43a, 52a Lower end 43b, 47b, 52b Upper end 43c, 52c Folding part 44 Bottom 45 Inner wall 46 Outer wall 47 First Guide portion 48 Middle wall portion 49 Waste groove 50 Inner recovery groove 51 Outer recovery groove 52 Second guide portion 53 Treatment liquid separation wall 70 Camera 71 Illumination portion 90 Position detection portion 91 Positional deviation detection portion 92 Command transmission portion 94 Ejection determination portion 95 Display unit 96 Input unit 100 Substrate processing apparatus 102 Indexer 103 Main transfer robot 201A, 202A, 302 ROI
201, 202 matching window 301 determination region 332 motor 400 treatment liquid 1102A, 1102B treatment circuit 1103 storage device

Claims (5)

a nozzle that is swingable and for ejecting the processing liquid onto the substrate;
an imaging unit for capturing an image of the nozzle and outputting image data of the nozzle;
a position detection unit for detecting the position of the nozzle based on the image data;
The swingable range of the nozzle includes at least one stop area where the nozzle stops and at least one movement area where the nozzle moves,
The position detection unit is
detecting the position of the nozzle by performing matching processing on the image data using reference image data in the stop area;
Detecting the position of the nozzle in the movement area by performing tracking processing between the continuous image data with reference to the position of the nozzle detected in the stop area;
Substrate processing equipment. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A plurality of the stop areas are included in the swingable range of the nozzle,
the reference image data is set according to each of the stop areas;
Substrate processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The position detection unit is
setting a target region corresponding to the position of the nozzle, and a determination region positioned immediately below the target region for determining whether or not the treatment liquid is discharged from the nozzle;
changing the size of the target area and the size of the determination area in conjunction with the matching process and the tracking process;
Substrate processing equipment. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
further comprising a positional deviation detection unit that detects a positional deviation of the nozzle by comparing the position of the nozzle detected by the position detection unit with a reference position of the nozzle measured in advance;
Substrate processing equipment. a step of imaging a nozzle that is swingable and for ejecting a processing liquid onto a substrate, and outputting image data of the nozzle;
detecting the position of the nozzle based on the image data;
The swingable range of the nozzle includes at least one stop area where the nozzle stops and at least one movement area where the nozzle moves,
The step of detecting the position of the nozzle includes:
a step of detecting the position of the nozzle by performing matching processing on the image data using reference image data in the stop area;
and detecting the position of the nozzle in the movement area by performing tracking processing between the continuous image data with reference to the position of the nozzle detected in the stop area.
Substrate processing method.

Images